 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? Farmers protest to continue as Indian government refuses to repeal controversial laws. Family of four killed in Israeli missiles strike in Syria. Students protest against Bill, mandating police presence in universities in Greece. And in a video section, we take a closer look at US President Joe Biden's cabinet picks. In our first story, the Indian government today once again refused to repeal the three anti-farmer laws passed in 2020. This took place in the 11th round of talks between the farmers' representatives and under the banner of the Samyukta-Kisan Morcha or the Joint Farmers Movement and the government delegation. The government delegation was headed by Union Minister Narayan Singh Tomar. A report by the Indian Express states that the farmers' delegation was made to wait 3.5 hours only for the 30-minute meeting with the government. Tomar allegedly stated that he would, to quote, end the process of meetings and claimed that there was no problem with the laws. The Samyukta-Kisan Morcha rejected a central government proposal to suspend the laws for 1.5 years on January 21st. The proposal had further offered the setting up of a joint committee of farmers and government officials to reach a resolution in the interim period. The farmers issued a statement lead yesterday, retraiting their demands for a complete repeal of the three laws and a legal guarantee for the minimum support price system of produced procurement. The farmers' unions had also refused to engage with the committee set up by the Supreme Court to make recommendations to resolve the deadlock. The committee was widely denounced, given that all four members had been vocal supporters of the farm laws and three members had even opposed the farmers' protests. A date for the next round of talks is yet to be scheduled. In the meantime, preparations are underway for a tractor parade by the farmers on India's Republic Day of January 26th. Farmers across the different states are expected to gather in the capital of New Delhi for the rally. In our next story, four civilians have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Hama region of Syria today. Syrian Arab News Agency reported a military official stating that the attack took place in the early hours of January 22nd as the Israeli warplanes flew over Lebanon. The official further stated that Syrian air defense had taken down most of the missiles. Israel has conducted similar air raids in Syria since the start of the war since 2011. Today's is the latest in a series of escalating attacks and follows the 18 strikes in their al-Bukamal region on January 13th. The attacks which killed at least 57 people and injured around 37 were reportedly based on U.S. supplied intelligence. Israel has justified these upgrades by claiming that they are an act of self-defense and that they target pro-Iranian militia operating in the region. Syria is now demanding an immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops in the region. Syria's deputy foreign minister and ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Jafari accused U.S. troops of illegally occupying parts of Syrian territory and plundering its oil and gas resources. Al-Jafari was addressing the UN Security Council during a conference on January 20th. Syrian government has labelled the U.S. temporary military base in Al-Tanaf near the Jordanian border an illegal occupation. Al-Jafari also denounces sanctions imposed by Europe and the United States, specifically the recent Caesar Act. Aid experts have warned that these sanctions will restrict necessary assistance to the war-ravaged country and will obstruct the reconstruction of essential civilian infrastructure. In our next story, students gathered across Greece on January 21st to continue their protests against plans for increased police presence on university campuses. The measure is part of the new draft Bill on Education introduced by the conservative new democracy led government. The government reversed the decades-old ban on police entering universities, stating that it had been exploited to quote them to organize violent protests and criminal activity. Protests were also held on January 14th as thousands of students gathered across the country amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Riot police presented the protests in Athens proceeded to attack students with tear gas. According to the students' struggled front, MAS, the government has earmarked 30 million euros to fund university police forces and surveillance measures such as cameras and restricted entry cards. Limits will also be set on the time taken to complete the degree. Moreover, police officers will be armed with pepper sprays and batons. The presence of police on campus has been denounced as an attack on the legacy of universities serving as open spaces to mobilize dissent and resistance. Students and teachers' unions are also mobilizing to demand that classes be resumed and necessary safety measures be put in place. The government in Greece extended the country-wide lockdown indefinitely in an announcement on January 15th. For our final story today, we take a closer look at President Joe Biden's proposed cabinet. President Biden's early initiatives have been welcomed as a reversal of Trump era policies. However, his cabinet picks signal the continued importance given to establishment elite and corporate interests. Here is a video feature on the proposed cabinet. Donald Trump is out. Joe Biden has been sworn in as the president of the United States. The end of the Trump era is being hailed as the end of a dark age. What's going to be different under Biden? Some of his executive orders do reverse some of the more contentious stances that Trump took. This includes joining back the Paris climate accord, stopping the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization, stopping the construction of the Keystone pipeline, etc. His cabinet nominations, however, suggest that no fundamental change will take place, nothing that could upset the corporate elites and other such friends of the Democrats. Who all has Biden nominated? Let's look at the foreign policy and national security team. Biden's cabinet is being applauded as the most diverse in US history. These nominations may be diverse demographically, but offer no diversity in terms of opinion. The people Biden wants to bring in his cabinet have campaigned for wars and have benefited from wars. Most were part of the Obama administration as well, during which a shockingly high number of drone strikes and deportations were conducted. All of these policies could make a comeback under Biden. Things at the domestic front also look similar. There may be some diversity demographically, but the people Biden is planning on instating in his cabinet will carry out the same pro-corporate business friendly policies that establishment Democrats have in the past. The Biden administration intends to defend corporate interests even at the expense of people's lives and the planet. These are just a few of the many such characters that Biden plans on bringing with him. Biden owes his victory to both the widespread anti-Trump sentiment and the massive resentment among people against the current living conditions in the US. However, his nominations are people who are committed to fulfilling his promise to his rich donors, that nothing will fundamentally change.