 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. UN Human Rights Office condemns killing of Palestinian child by Israeli soldiers. Progressive international demands end to illegal unilateral US sanctions. Fourteen people charge under less majesty laws in the Tchent island. Indigenous communities in Brazil face increased violence as COVID-19 pandemic worsens. And finding our infeed infocus section, we take a look at understanding the left victory in Kerala's local body post at the State of Kerala in India. In our first story, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has condemned the killing of 15-year-old Palestinian boy by Israeli forces. The UN body called the act a gross violation of international law in a statement released on December 17. The victim, Ali Abawalia, was killed by Israeli defence forces as he stood watching a demonstration in his village, Al Mughair, in the occupied West Bank. The demonstration had been organised to oppose the construction of an illegal settlement outpost near the village. The IDF has claimed that Ali Abawalia had participated in the demonstration, which was blocking a road. However, eyewitness accounts have stated that Israeli soldiers entered the village and began firing on demonstrators using live ammunition, stun guns and tear gas. It was then that the teenager was hit in the abdomen with a bullet and he died in a hospital later that day. He is a sixth child to be killed by Israeli forces due to live ammunition in the occupied West Bank in 2020. Experts from the Human Rights Office stated that the use of intentional lethal force in the case was unjustified, given that soldiers were not faced with threats of death or serious injury. Civil society organisations have estimated that approximately 155 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces since 2013. Condemning the low level of legal accountability in such killings, UN experts have demanded an independent investigation into the matter in compliance with international standards. In our next story, members of Progressive International have called for urgent steps to add illegal unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States in over 30 countries. In a statement released on December 18, the group has asserted that the US has used its institutional powers to strangle countries that refuse to comply with its economic and political agenda. Moreover, the imposition of unilateral sanctions is also a violation of the UN Charter. The statement paid particular attention to Cuba, Venezuela and Iran. Cuba has continued to face blockades for the past six decades. Primary and secondary sanctions in Iran and Venezuela have demonstrated a domestic economy and severely affected the quality of life across various indicators such as health and education. The Trump administration reimposed sanctions in Iran in violation of the UN Security Council. The US government also imposed sanctions on Venezuela while backing a coup attempt led by Juan Guaidó to oust the democratically elected government of Nicolás Maduro. The sanctions have amounted to a form of hybrid warfare, impacting nearly one by third of the world's population. The US also chose to strengthen sanctions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which deprived countries of crucial aid for their welfare and medical infrastructure. The Progressive International has called on the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, G77 Chair Moses Nagamutu and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, to take concrete and urgent steps to restore the rights of 30 affected countries. In our next story, we go to Thailand where 14 people have been charged under a strict law that criminalizes the criticism of monarchy. Till date, approximately 32 people, including a 16-year-old boy, have been charged under Section 112 on allegations of mocking or insulting the monarchy. Thai authorities have involved the harsh law in cases where there is supposed intent to insult or criticize the king. This has included protests, social media posts, and even a satirical fashion show. If the charges are upheld and prosecuted, people may face a maximum jail sentence of 15 years. While Thai authorities are yet to make formal arrests, 24 people have already reported to police stations to hear the charges against them. Those who have been previously arrested under the law spent months in jail without bail or a trial. People in Thailand have been protesting for five months to demand the restoration of democracy, a new constitution, and extensive reforms to the monarchy. Now next story, 894 indigenous people in Brazil have died due to COVID-19. The pandemic has affected 161 indigenous communities, where 42,192 people have been infected with the virus so far. These figures were published in the report issued by the Articulation of Indigenous People in Brazil, Telisur reported. People have been struggling to contain the cases, increasing COVID-19 cases. Earlier this year, 65 unions and organizations representing Afro-Brazilian and indigenous communities filed a lawsuit in the International Criminal Court against the Brazilian government. The lawsuit accused the Air Bolsonaro government of crimes against humanity over their response to the pandemic. Government policies reportedly discriminate against health workers, Afro-Brazilian sections of the population, and indigenous communities. Infection and mortality rates for these groups are higher than the Brazilian national average. The national immunization campaign introduced by the federal government was also widely criticized for not prioritizing marginalized and vulnerable groups. However, indigenous groups are battling not only the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the increasing violence promoted by the government. The report by APIB has recorded 200 cases of human rights violations against indigenous peoples from March to November 2020. These violations have been perpetrated by major international corporations, including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of America. These companies have invested more than 18 billion dollars in activities that have violated indigenous rights and caused environmental devastation. And finally, in our in-focus section, we take a look at the major victory by the Left Democratic Front that's a communist-led alliance in the local body polls in the Indian state of Kerala. The LDF at the Left Democratic Front is ruling the state government as well and has been widely praised for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the vast number of developmental and welfare schemes it has initiated and strengthened. Take a look at this video. One of the present Left Democratic Front government of Kerala has seen major improvements in public education and public health care. Infrastructure in government schools has been upgraded in a big way, which has resulted in the number of students in government schools going up by more than 40,000, even as the number of students in private schools went down by almost 30,000. Government hospitals have been upgraded, which was crucial in helping the state tackle the COVID pandemic. Kerala has the lowest case fatality rate in India. During the pandemic, Kerala was able to provide the necessary health care to all those who needed it for free using its public health system. During this period, the state saw the mobilization of the government machinery, cooperatives, public sector industries, women's collectives, mass organizations and trade unions in providing relief to the people to prevent hunger and to ensure the supply of essential commodities. In 2018, Kerala was hit by the most severe floods in nearly a century and the government spearheaded the rescue relief and rebuilding efforts in a manner that won the appreciation of many diverse sections of people. Another major thing to note is that public sector industries which had been run down by the previous Congress-led government are being turned around during the tenure of this government. Pensions for the elderly have been expanded, which acted as an important safety net for almost 6 million people. The government also set in motion a housing program which has built 250,000 houses for the poor in the state. All of these have contributed tremendously to increasing the popularity of the left government. The left apocratic front had to overcome huge challenges in order to win these elections. The biggest media houses in Kerala, both in print and visual media, are all right-wing. Whatever falsehoods are uttered by the Congress and the BJP, these media outlets tend to amplify those. And then they invent many more falsehoods on their own in order to slander the left. All sorts of false allegations have been raised against the left government in the past few months. They were all soon exposed to be false, but lies travel faster than truth. And the right-wing hopes that such fake news will have an impact on the people. Another important factor is the combined assault launched by the BJP and the Congress. The BJP government at the center has been trying to starve the Kerala government, denying it funds for the development of the state. When the Kerala government found alternative methods of funding, the BJP tried to use central investigative agencies to put a stop to that. The Congress went on a campaign to prevent people from contributing to the chief minister's distrust relief fund, which is an important source of funds to provide relief to the people during times of crisis like the COVID pandemic or floods. There have been attacks by both the BJP and the Congress on Kerala's cooperatives. The BJP has also used central investigative agencies to tarnish the life mission, which is Kerala's public housing program. And the Congress announced that they will scrap the life mission if they come to power. Both the Congress and the BJP have repeatedly tried to undermine the Kerala government's efforts to tackle the pandemic crisis. The people are witness to all of these, but the Congress and the BJP were hoping that the narrative spun by the right-wing media will be enough for them to discredit their left and win the elections. Clearly, that plan did not succeed. That's all we have time for today. We'll be back on Monday with more news from around the world. Until then, keep watching People's Dispatch.