 Hello and welcome to today's episode of International Daily Roundup by People's Dispatch, where we bring you some of the top stories from around the world. Let's take a look at today's headlines. South African court halts Shell's oil exploration. Palestinian prisoner continues one 35-day hunger strike. Mexico records rise in famicides in 2021. And Afghan women protest the denial of rights. A South African high court has blocked seismic testing by all mega-corporation Shell. The ruling is related to 6,000 square kilometres of the wild coast located on the country's eastern coastline. Shell had planned to conduct seismic surveys over five months to explore oil and gas in the area. This would involve blasting shock waves fired from an air gun towards the seabed. The project was met with widespread resistance and protests by indigenous communities and environmental groups. They argued that Shell's plans had been approved in 2014 using an outdated law. Seismic testing could disturb, injure and even kill the wild coast's marine life. Affected local communities also argued that they had not been properly consulted. They hold customary fishing rights along with spiritual and cultural connections to the ocean. Activists also pointed to contamination and livelihood risks if Shell ultimately started drilling along the coast. A legal challenge against the project was defeated in court earlier this month. However, a high court has now ordered the company to stop all seismic tests at least until the next part of proceedings. Judge Gerald Blum ruled that Shell's exploration right had been awarded based on a substantially flawed consultation process. Thus, it was invalid and unlawful. He also accepted that reasonable apprehension of irreparable harm had been established. The order was issued in an interdict hearing on behalf of the communities on December 28. Shell and South Africa's energy minister have been ordered to pay the applicant's costs. Palestinian political prisoner Hisham Abu Havash has been on hunger strike for over 135 days. The 40-year-old has been protesting the imprisonment under Israel's administrative detention. The notorious policy allows authorities to indefinitely detain people without charge or trial. Abu Havash was first arrested by occupation forces on October 27, 2020. According to rights groups, Addamir, his detention was renewed twice after that. On December 12, the Offair Military Court confirmed a third detention order this time for four months. Meanwhile, Abu Havash remained detained under harsh conditions at the Ramle prison clinic. On December 26, Palestinian outlet Wafa News stated that Israel had decided to freeze Abu Havash's detention order. However, an attorney with the Palestinian Prisoner's Society said that he was continuing his hunger strike until the order was revoked altogether. The freezing of a detention order simply means that Israel is no longer responsible for the life of the person. Abu Havash has continued his protest despite a critical decline in his health. Palestinian activist Hanadi Halwani described his condition in a video stating that he had lost his eyesight and hearing and could not speak. He was also not allowed to shower for 70 days and his wife was not allowed to visit him. Abu Havash is among over 500 Palestinians currently being held under administrative detention by Israel. In our next story, we look at the rise in gender-based violence in Mexico. Between January and November 2021, nearly 3,500 women were murdered in the country. Out of this, 922 cases were classified as femicide as defined by law. These figures have been published by the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System. The organization has recorded a 3.25% rise in femicides in 2021 as compared to last year. The places most impacted by this violence include the state of Mexico, Chalisco, Veracruz and Mexico City. August 2021 was the deadliest month for women with 271 recorded intentional homicides and 111 femicides. The current figures indicate that an average of 10 women are killed in Mexico every day. The Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection has also documented a 15.5% year-on-year increase in familial violence. Official data also shows that over 57,000 women were victims of intentional injuries this year. There were over 19,400 reported cases of rape, showing a 27.9% year-on-year increase since 2020. Activists and rights groups in Mexico have been struggling for stronger protections against gendered violence. Some advances have been made including the limited decriminalization of abortion and the recognition of femicide. However, impunity is still rampant with over 90% of cases remaining unsolved. And for our final story, we go to Afghanistan where scores of women held a protest on December 28. Protesters took to the streets in Kabul demanding the rights to education, employment and freedom of movement. Undressed has grown following recent laws imposed by the Taliban. After the group took over in August, it eliminated the Ministry of Women's Affairs. It was replaced by the Ministry of Preaching and Guidance, the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice. Girls' schools still remain largely closed across the country. Most women have also been prevented from rejoining the workforce. Meanwhile, families across the country have been struggling under a severe economic and food crisis. The Taliban recently also announced that women would not be allowed to travel beyond a certain distance without a male relative. They will also be required to wear a hijab covering their head and face. Another small protest against these recent directives was held on December 27. As the protests continued on Tuesday, Taliban forces fired several walling shots into the air. All unsanctioned protests have also been banned in the country. Protesters also denounced alleged extrajudicial killings of former federal Afghan soldiers. The UN has claimed to have received information on the killings of around 100 former soldiers and people affiliated with the ousted government. And that's all for today. For more such stories visit our website peoplesdispatch.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thank you.