 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. Cuba hosts 20th Summit of Alba TCP. Over 60 killed in fuel tank explosion in Haiti. A report finds 2021 to be the deadliest year for Palestinian children. And UAE suspense talks on arms deal with the United States. In our first story, the 20th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America, People's Trade Treaty or Alba TCP was held in Cuba on December 14th. Leaders from the 10 member countries including Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and St. Lucia signed a 44-point declaration on Tuesday. The texts ratified Alba TCP's commitment to Latin American and Caribbean integration against imperialist domination. The bloc rejected unilateral coercive measures imposed against Venezuela, arguing that it constituted a form of collective punishment. It also condemned the genocidal and illegal blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba. The final text also denounced the use of unconventional warfare strategies and destabilization attempts against the region's progressive governments. The bloc also reaffirmed support for Caribbean countries seeking reparations for the genocide of indigenous peoples and slavery. The final text also welcomed the cooperation among Alba members during the pandemic. This included a humanitarian air bridge using Venezuela's Conviasa airline and the Bank of Alba. Leaders have also highlighted the need to strengthen the community of Latin American and Caribbean states as a mechanism for cooperation and coordination. The final agreement also addressed issues including climate change, debt relief and economic recovery with a sustainable approach. The Latin American and Caribbean region were severely hit by the pandemic's economic fallout with a 7.7% decline in the GDP in 2020. During the summit on Tuesday, member countries also approved a post-pandemic working plan for 2022. Next we go to Haiti, where casualties are rising following a devastating fuel tank explosion. A truck carrying gasoline overturned and exploded just after midnight on December 14th in the city of Cape Hachel. With rescue efforts still underway, the deaths of at least 62 people have been confirmed so far. The city's deputy mayor stated that the truck's driver lost control after it swerved to avoid a motorcycle taxi. The tanker overturned and fuel started spilling on the road after which nearby people rushed to try and collected. The explosion injured at least 100 people and burned around 20 homes. The disaster in Cape Hachel took place as Haiti is witnessing a serious fuel crisis. Critical shortages were reported in October after armed gangs blocked oil terminals in Port-au-Prince. The month was marked by protests and strikes by transport unions who stated that petrol truck drivers had been abducted for ransom. The shortages hit portable water services, telecommunications and critical medical services. The fuel crisis hit just as Haiti was recovering from a devastating earthquake which left many people with complex injuries and a need of care. While the supply resumed to some extent in November, people were still struggling to secure fuel as prices spiralled. The government of Ariel Henry also announced an end to fuel subsidies on December 7th. According to figures quoted by Haiti Libre, the price of kerosene grew by 115% diesel by 108% and gasoline by 24.3%. After the adjustments took effect on December 10th, protests were held in several areas on December 13th. People took to the streets in Port-au-Prince and other provincial towns including Saint-Marc and Mirabelle. In our next story, we find that 2021 has been the deadliest year on record for Palestinian children since 2014. According to Defence for Children Palestine, 86 children have been killed in the occupied Palestinian territories since January. Israeli forces were responsible for 61 deaths in Gaza and 15 in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Armed Israeli civilians also killed two children in the West Bank. Among them was a 15-year-old Mohammad Nidal Yunus Musa who was shot by a private security guard on December 6th. 17 Palestinian children were shot and killed by live ammunition including 15 in the West Bank. At least 9 were killed in the context of demonstrations or confrontations with the occupation forces. By international law standards, the intentional use of lethal force in such non-threatening circumstances is illegal. Investigations conducted by the DCIP regularly suggest that use of lethal force by Israel may amount to extrajudicial or willful killings. During the 11-day bombardment of Gaza, Israeli forces used tank-fired shells, live ammunition and missiles dropped from the drones, US source warplanes and Apache helicopters. Israel targeted densely populated civilian areas leading to the killings of 60 Palestinian children. DCIP has argued that the international community's lack of political will guarantees that Israeli soldiers will continue to unlawfully kill Palestinian children with impunity. According to the organization's records, 2,198 Palestinian children have been killed as a result of Israeli military and settler presence since 2000. And for our final story, we look at a $23 billion arms deal between the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The Emirati Embassy in the United States had stated on Tuesday that it would be suspending negotiations on the sale. An official cited technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions and cause-benefit analysis behind the move in a statement to Reuters. The sale which was approved under the Trump administration includes F-35 fighter jets, Reaper drones and other munitions. It was related to the normalization of ties between Israel and UAE under the Abraham Accords. The deal was widely condemned by activists who argued that the weapons could be used in the Yemen war. Attempts to block the sale also failed in the US Senate. The Biden administration proceeded with the sale despite pledging to end US support for offensive operations in Yemen. The US is the largest arms supplier to West Asian countries with an increase of 28% in exports between 2016 and 2020. According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal with UAE had hit a deadlock over conditions set by the US to make sure that the F-35s would not be susceptible to, suppose, a Chinese espionage. This is related to US's broader concerns about China's economic involvement in the region through its Belt and Road Initiative. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Wednesday that the US was still ready to proceed with the sale to UAE. Emirati and American officials are set to hold meetings at the Pentagon this week.