 Hello and welcome to the International Daily Roundup by People's Dispatch, where we bring you major news developments from around the world, our headlines. Iranians cast their vote to elect countries next president, Indian activists persecuted in Delhi riots, case-granted bail, workers in Lebanon go on strike as economic crisis worsens, Uruguayans observe general strike to protest inequality and hunger, and in our video section we take a look at the growing role of the military in the Bolsonaro administration in Brazil. In our first story, around 60 million people were eligible to vote in Iran's presidential elections held on June 18th. Four candidates are in the running to replace President Hassan Rouhani. Citizens will also vote to elect 200,000 members of local and city councils. With polls open till midnight local time, the Iranian students polling agency has projected a 42% voter turnout. 592 candidates have registered to contest the presidential elections. However, the country's Guardian Council approved only seven candidates, three of whom dropped out before the election. The council rejected several prominent leaders including reformists and allies of President Rouhani. This led to several calls for boycott. There was also speculation that the council wanted to ensure a conservative victory. Meanwhile, some of the candidates as conservatives have also been rejected. Opinion polls have shown that conservative candidate and head of the judiciary Ibrahim Raisi is in the lead. He has been placed under U.S. sanctions for his alleged role in the execution of political prisoners decades ago. In a poll published in press TV in second place is the secretary of the Experiency Council, Mohmohsin Rezai. In the same poll reformist candidate, Abdul Nasir Hamati is expected to receive less than 5% of the vote. Most of the conservative candidates have focused their campaigns on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other issues increased include the ongoing economic crisis, sanctions and the nuclear agreement. Conservatives are called for locally-oriented style of state management. Meanwhile, Hamati is called for continued engagement with other countries in the region and the West. A president can be elected for a maximum of two consecutive terms of four years each. A candidate must secure more than 50% of the votes in order to avoid a run-off election. According to public polls, Ibrahim Raisi may get the required votes to win within the first round itself. In our next story, we go to India where three student activists have been granted bail after over a year in detention. Asafi Iqbal Tanha, Devangana Khalitha and Natash Anarwal were released from Delhi's Tihar jail on June 17. The three have been charged under India's draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act The police claim that they were part of a larger conspiracy during the anti-Muslim sectarian riots in 2020. Violence spread following mass protests against the BJP government's Discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act. At least 53 people, most of whom were Muslims, were killed during the mob violence in Northeast Delhi. Around 600 people were injured in houses, shops and mosques were attacked. The Delhi police claimed that the violence was orchestrated by those who were protesting the Citizenship Act. Several student activists have been arrested and detained based on this supposed conspiracy. Tanha, Khalitha and Anarwal were granted bail by the Delhi High Court on June 15. The court stated that it did not see any offenses related to terrorist acts as understood in the UAPA. However, the activists were not released after police claimed they needed three days to verify the sureties and addresses of the students. Khalitha and Anarwal approached the trial court on Wednesday seeking immediate release. However, the court reserved its order until Thursday citing heavy case load. Meanwhile, the Delhi police filed a stay application against the bail order of the Supreme Court of India. The court did not persist stay the order on June 18. However, it is stated that the High Court's ruling cannot be used as a precedent by any other people. Activists are now intensifying efforts to demand the release of others who have been imprisoned including Omar Khalid and Sharjee Limau. In our next story, we go to Lebanon where workers observed a general strike on June 17. Shops, government offices and banks remain closed as people protested against worsening economic conditions. The strike action was called by the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers or CGTL. Lebanon has been facing an economic crisis since early 2019 and the situation is worsened under the pandemic. The Central Bank is running shorter funds to subsidize basic goods like foods and medicine. There has also been a shortage of fuel supplies and the government has warned that fuel subsidies will end soon. The national currency has been spiraling, leading to a drop in the value of wages. Hospitals have also closed their labs to outpatients. Meanwhile, the country has been without a proper government since August 2020. President Michel Aon has not approved the cabinet proposed by Prime Minister designate Saad Hariri. Hariri had previously resigned from the post in October 2019 following mass protests. Whereas official appointment has been delayed, Hassan Diyab is serving as the Kattika Prime Minister. As the deadlock continues, several load blocks were set up during the strike on Thursday. Some of the country's major oil refineries were also shut down. The strike also received support from political parties like the Free Patriotic Movement. However, this was heavily criticized by activists who hold these very parties responsible for the crisis. The World Bank has stated that the situation in Lebanon is the worst in the world in 150 years. In our next story, a 24-hour general strike was also observed in Uruguay on June 17. The action was called by the Inter-Union Plenary of Workers National Convention of Workers or PITCNT. The strike was against hunger and inequality for work and wages and a defensive life. Workers are also collecting signatures to oppose the law of urgent consideration which was approved in July 2020. The package law proposes neoliberal reforms which will affect health, housing, employment and education. The country is also witnessing a growing economic crisis under the COVID-19 pandemic. The Social Security and Work Ministry reported on June 16 that 80,000 Uruguayans were receiving unemployment insurance. According to PITCNT, 100,000 people are leaving below the poverty line and receive food through what are called community pots. Union leader Marcelo Abdala has stated that only 5% of the over 300,000 people who are without income qualify for wage assistance. Moreover, only 233 people have been registered for these wages which amount to around $275. Hundreds of people gathered outside the executive tower in the capital of Montevideo on Thursday. Meanwhile, the PITCNT delivered a series of proposals to the government of President Luis Lacal. These include the generation of better jobs, higher salaries and a public procurement policy. PITCNT has estimated that around 33,000 households comprised of informal and unemployed workers are vulnerable. They have demanded emergency basic income and a free basket of basic services. Other demands include reforms in the healthcare sector and land for small and medium producers. And for our final story, we go to Brazil. Army General Eduardo Pazuello was widely criticized after he appeared at a political rally with far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Despite this being a violation of Brazilian law, Pazuello was exonerated by the military itself. Meanwhile, moreover, he was then nominated to a cabinet position by Bolsonaro. Today, an increasing number of military personnel hold key posts in Brazil's government. President Bolsonaro has often also praised the country's military dictatorship between 1964 and 1985. Here is a video by Brazil de Fatou on the legacy of the dictatorship in Brazil's government. On May 23rd, former Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello, who is an active duty general, participated in a march alongside President Jair Bolsonaro in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The parents cited a mass gathering and neither wore a mask. However, the problems don't end there. According to Brazilian law, active duty military persons cannot take part in political protests. This serves to hasten the army's increasing laws of morale, an institution that claims to owe nothing. This is more or less what the commandant did, and it discredits him as well as the institution. Internal oversight into Pazuello's conduct commenced the day after the protest. The general publicly defended himself, arguing that the rally had not been political. The excuse was enough to convince Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, supreme commander of the army. The force decided not to punish the former minister and as if that weren't enough, they placed a hundred-year-long gag order on the disciplinary proceedings. For his part, Bolsonaro rewarded Pazuello with a job within the federal government. Today, more than 6,000 members of the armed forces hold civilian jobs inside the administration. This day in age, generals are parasites in Brazilian society, meaning they live with high salaries, pensions for their widows and family members. So, when Bolsonaro says that the easy life is over, surely he wasn't talking about the generals. Manuel Domingos, who was arrested and exiled for opposing the military regime that was in power between 1964 and 1985, couldn't fathom that the military would once again rule the country so soon. For the historian, Pazuello's pardon is a reflection of the lack of a transitional justice system during the post-dictatorship period. No one can hold back instruments of force that are battling for political power. It's confusion. It's bad luck. It's the lack of assurance regarding the preservation of institutionality. They're obviously part of the process, but it's one thing to participate. It's another to have a monopoly. The monopoly over patriotism. This is the biggest disregard that can be experienced by society. For Pedro Ajuda, acknowledging the abuses and crimes committed during the dictatorship would be fundamental in remaking the armed forces. To this day, they are marked by anti-communism, the repression of social movements, and the defense of private property. It's not enough to change the government. You have to completely remove what's left of this dictatorship, this authoritarian pie of rubble that hasn't been removed. It's not enough to change the government. You have to completely remove what's left of this dictatorship, this authoritarian pie of rubble that hasn't been removed. It's already time for today. We'll be back on Monday with more news from around the world. Until then, keep watching People's Dispatch.