 Hello and welcome to today's episode of the 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. U.S. President Joe Biden signs law escalating sanctions on Nicaragua. Mapuche people resist militarization of their territories in Chile. Ghanayan parliament to hold hearings on sweeping anti-LGBT bill. And finally, South Australia health workers launch major industrial action. In our first story, United States President Joe Biden has signed a bill escalating punitive measures against Nicaragua. The law is called reinforcing Nicaragua's adherence to conditions for Electoral Reform Act 2021 or RENASER. It was introduced in Congress in January and approved by the full Senate in August. As per a White House statement, the law will impose sanctions on the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. It will also restrict multilateral bank lending. The RENASER Act calls for cooperation with Canada and the European Union for sanctions. The Biden administration will also review Nicaragua's participation in the Central America Free Trade Agreement. The Act also expands United States' oversight powers including official reports on supposed corruption, rights abuses and relations between Nicaragua and Russia. Ortega's Sandinista National Liberation Front won Sunday's election with over 74% of the votes. Late on Sunday, President Biden issued a statement calling the election a pantomime. The Organization of American States also issued a 17-page report on November 9th calling for an annulment of the election result. It is important to note that Nicaragua is not a member of the group. Moreover, such accusations of irregularities were firmly debunked by delegations from North America who observed the election first had. In a press conference in Managua, they described the process as transparent and efficient. They also described a high voter turnout and participation of opposition parties. Next, we go to Chile, where indigenous Mapuche people held a protest in Temucco City on November 10th. The action followed a day after the Congress extended the state of emergency imposed in the Biobio, Aroco and Cotin and Malacor regions. The Senate is set to vote on it on November 11th. Right-wing President Sebastian Pinera first imposed the measure on October 12th. He cited violence related to drug trafficking, terrorism and armed groups in the region. Mapuche groups have blamed external agents and police setups for violent incidents in the region. The state of emergency was renewed on November 3rd. This has meant the deployment of thousands of troops and further militarization on Mapuche territories. Indigenous communities in Chile have been demanding self-determination. They have also demanded restoration of their ancestral lands taken over by landowners and logging and mining companies. They have resisted these occupations by means of protests such as destroying forestry equipment. The Mapuche people have also accused the Chilean government of staging a low-intensity war against them. They have reported the use of unnecessary force, racial discrimination and forced evictions. Protests for self-determination have met with brutal violence by the notorious Carabineros. Two Mapuche leaders were shot and killed by security forces in the Araco province on November 3rd. This followed just weeks after Indigenous activist Denise Cortez was killed after the Carabineros attacked a protest march in Santiago. In our next story, Ghana's parliament initiated public hearings on a sweeping anti-LGBTQ plus bill on November 11th. The legislation is called the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill. It will criminalize lesbian, gay, trans, queer and non-binary identities and impose a five-year prison sentence. Non-heterosexual sex, which is already illegal, will also be punishable by three to five years. The bill goes further to criminalize LGBTQ plus advocacy, including medical support, making it punishable by up to 10 years in prison. It also allows the violent and discredited practice of conversion therapy. It encourages vigilantism by urging citizens to turn over people they suspect of belonging to the LGBTQ plus community. Advocacy group Rightify Ghana has stated that arbitrary arrests, evictions and blackmail have more than doubled since the bill was introduced. It is currently before the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. The body is expected to hear 10 petitions each week after receiving over 150 memoranda on the bill. While the bill has received support from conservatives in Ghana, people have traced its links to the United States-based Rightwing Evangelical Group, the World Congress of Families or WCF. The group hosted a major conference in Akra in 2019. Leaked audio obtained by CNN revealed plans to mount legal challenges to LGBT rights. According to the head of Rightify Ghana, the push for anti-LGBT bill followed soon after. While the WCF denied involvement, the bill uses shockingly similar talking points. A European Parliamentary Forum also found that WCF had organized anti-LGBT initiatives across Eastern Europe. And finally, we go to Australia. Thousands of health and disability workers in the state of South Australia have taken up indefinite work action. The action began on November 11th and following months of unsuccessful negotiation with the government. Hospital cleaners, patient service assistants, disability support workers, catering workers, sterilization technicians, age carers and community care workers are the main participants in the work action. This will include stoppage of overtime for regular expected work, issue of notification of unful vacancies and notification about workplaces that are not sanitized. Since April this year, essential workers in the health sector have been taking sporadic work actions of various kinds to resist the looming privatization and attacks on job security. The indefinite work action is an escalation of these efforts. Organized by South Australia Unions, a branch of the United Workers Union, workers intend to highlight the abysmal conditions that they face including chronic understaffing, unpaid overtime and lapses in workplace health and safety. Union leaders have alleged that the government of Premier Stephen Marshall is keeping the threat of privatization and job cuts throughout the bargaining process and not negotiating in good faith. Workers also intend to send a strong message indicating their continued resistance against the neoliberal policies of the state government. And that's all for today. For more stories visit our website at www.peoplesdispatch.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.