 Hello and welcome to International Daily Roundup by People's Dispatch, where we bring you major news developments from around the world. Our headlines, Swaziland's King Swati III reportedly flees after pro-democracy protests, Ethiopia declares ceasefire and Tigre's TPLF forces capture Makkele, Israeli forces begin demolitions in occupied Jerusalem-Silvan area, U.S. Supreme Court rejects contractors appeal in Abu Ghraib torture case, and in our video section, we take a look at rallies held to demand statehood for the U.S. Capitol of Washington, D.C. In our first story, several reports have alleged that Swaziland's absolute monarchy Maswati III has fled the country. SABC News reported the story late on Monday as pro-democracy protests continued in various regions. Local media reported the shops, trucks and properties owned by the king had been set on fire in the Matsafa region. The army was then deployed and police reportedly shot protesters. Swaziland News reported on June 29 that the king had already arrested two pro-democracy members of parliament. Meanwhile, the acting Prime Minister, Temba Masuku, refuted reports that the king had fled. However, there have been many reports of people seeing his plane taking off on Monday evening. The government has imposed a ban on protests and reportedly also banned delivering petitions to lawmakers. Meanwhile, protesters have forced MPs from at least 25 constituencies to accept petitions with their demands. As protests continued on Tuesday, the use of tear gas and gunfire were reported from the Capitol of Mababani. Meanwhile, the roads leading to the Zitiba block, schools, bus stations and some banks were also shut down. Severe crackdowns were also reported from rural areas. Swaziland News reported on Tuesday evening that the government was reported apparently to shut down the internet. There have been reports that a curfew has been imposed. People of Swaziland are demanding the right to elect the country's Prime Minister. Currently, the Prime Minister, the cabinet and two-thirds of the upper house of parliament are appointed by the king. Political parties have also been banned in the country since 1973. Moreover, while 70% of the population is living in poverty, the royal family spends billions of dollars every year. Swaziland's people are demanding a democratization of the economy, along with the social guarantees for health care and education. In our next story, the Ethiopian government has declared a unilateral ceasefire in Tigray following nearly eight months of war. The announcement followed shortly after the Tigray People's Liberation Front declared that they had recaptured the Capitol of McKinney. Monday night's events followed reports that fighting between TPLF and federal troops had intensified. Residents told multiple news agencies that soldiers in TPLF reforms were present in the city. The ceasefire was declared after federally appointed interim government left McKinley. Officials called for a link to the fighting to allow the necessary aid to pass. In a statement on state TV on Monday, the federal government said that the ceasefire would hold till the farming season ends. Meanwhile, UNICEF stated that federal troops dismantled satellite equipment in its office in McKinley. Depending on varying estimates, the war in the region is killed anywhere between 2000 and over to 50,000 civilians. At least 64 people were killed in an airstrike by the Ethiopian military on June 22. The attack hit a marketplace in the Tagoga village, leaving over 100 other people injured. Military officials claimed that only combatants had been targeted. Tuesday's attack was followed by reports that three MSF aid workers had been killed. Maria Hernandez, Johan Reda, and Tedros Gabri Michel were found dead next to an empty car. An estimated 12 aid workers have been killed in Tigray since November. The fighting is also led to a severe humanitarian crisis in the region with over 2 million people displaced. 5.2 million people are in need of aid with over 350,000 facing famine. White-spread sexual violence and extrajudicial executions have been documented in the area. So far, the Ethiopian government has stated that over 50 soldiers are on trial for raping or killing civilians. We now go to Palestine where 13 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces in occupied East Jerusalem, Silvan area. Israeli forces accompanied by a bulldozer entered the Al-Bustah neighborhood early morning on June 29. Local media reported that the entrances and exits to the area had been closed off. Occupation forces gathered in front of a shop belonging to the local Al-Rajabi family. As Palestinians tried to wreak the site, they were attacked with tear gas and sound bombs. The shop was then demolished by the Jerusalem municipality. Meanwhile, Palestinian protesters were gathered in the area were brutally beaten and attacked with rubber-coated bullets. The shop's owner, Nidal Al-Rajabi, was later arrested. An apartment building in the Al-Suwa neighborhood has also been demolished. Tuesdays demolitions took place just as 13 families in the Al-Bustah area are at immediate risk of losing their homes. Israeli officials had issued demolition orders to these families earlier in June. They were given 21 days to evacuate and demolish their homes themselves, failing which they would have to pay hefty fines. The families were refused leave and the demolition deadline expired on June 27. Over 100 buildings in the Al-Bustah area are under threat of demolition affecting around 1,550 Palestinians. Around 90 families have received demolition notices since 2005. The Jerusalem municipality has announced that the area will be converted into a biblical park. The US Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by defense contractor in a case related to torture in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. Three former detainees, Suhail El-Shimari, Salah Al-Ejali, and Asad Al-Suwa had filed a lawsuit in the US in 2008. This was under a 1789 law called the Alien Tort Statue. This can be used to pursue legal claims for alleged human rights abuses. The lawsuit accused employees of the CACI international company of directing or encouraging torture. Moreover, the managers were accused of covering up abuse. A judge had ruled earlier that the CACI would be immune from legal action because it was a US contractor. However, the company filed an appeal seeking stronger protection under the sovereign immunity measure. The protection prohibits lawsuits for money damages, except in cases where Congress waives immunity. A federal appeals court rejected this appeal in 2019, after which CACI approached the Supreme Court. The appeal was finally rejected yesterday. This means that CACI is now closer to facing trial in the lawsuit. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also narrowed the scope of the Alien Tort Statue in 2018. The horrific torture in Abu Ghraib is made public in 2004 when US agency CBS News published a series of photographs. Taken by US soldiers, they showed naked detainees being heaped into pyramids and put on leashes. Other forms of abuse included severe sexual and physical violence, electrocution, and even murder. While the situation in Abu Ghraib is being made public, the facility at around 3,000 detainees. According to the Red Cross, 70% to 90% of the people were detained accidentally. The US government tried to downplay and isolate these incidents. Later on, 17 US soldiers who were removed from duty and 11 were prosecuted. However, the majority of officers, especially those in higher ranks, were never punished. Continuing with the US for a final story, we take a look at demonstrations held in the capital of Washington, DC. Thousands of people gathered on June 28 to demand statehood for the District of Columbia. The demonstration was organized by over 50 rights and racial justice organizations, including Black Voters Matter. The rally was held at a time when an increasing number of US states are passing voter suppression laws. These laws will disproportionately impact the Black community and other marginalized groups. Here is a video featured on Saturday's demonstration. Thousands of people from across the United States took to the streets of Washington, DC on June 26 for a demonstration. The rally was organized at the National Mall by Black Voters Matter, along with 50 civil rights and racial justice organizations that support DC's statehood. Black Voters Matter is an organization that aims to expand ballot access to Black communities and other disadvantaged groups in the Southern United States. The demonstration in DC was the last stop of a nine-city, eight-day ride that began in New Orleans. Black Voters Matter had set out a cross-states rally called Freedom Ride for Voting Rights to Washington, DC. The ride, which began on June 18th, aimed to mobilize opposition to laws which threatened to infringe on voters' rights and ballot access. The bus tour also honored the Freedom Riders who organized a bus trip demanding an end to segregation 60 years ago. It is pricing the cause of DC statehood because DC statehood is a voting rights issue. When you come to this town that is minority, majority, and we don't have two senators, you are talking about suppressing the Black vote, and it's time for that to end. For more than 200 years, Washingtonians have been stripped of their rights as Americans. Let that sink in. Here we are in the shadow of the Capitol of the United States. The demand for DC statehood is a long-standing fight of civil rights groups in the United States. After the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the founders of the country decided to make the Capitol a federal district and not part of any state. Organized have continued to rally in the streets and in the legislative area to advance in the demand for DC statehood. In 1985, a constitutional amendment that would have given DC several rights of a full state failed. Last year, with the Black Lives Matter movement in full strength, the DC statehood question came to the fore. DC has more than 700,000 residents, nearly half of whom are Black, and lean heavily Democratic. The lower chamber of the US Congress on June 24th had approved a bill that would make DC the 51st state in the country. To attain statehood, the bill has to be passed in the Senate and then would require the president's approval. Though Joe Biden has signaled his support, it might be difficult to get support in the Senate as it has a 50-50 distribution of Democrats and Republicans. Even if the bill gets approved by the Congress, major obstacles still lie ahead. Experts point out that statehood is possible only when the 23rd Amendment is repealed, which would require the support of at least 38 states. The 23rd Amendment gave citizens of DC the right to vote for president, but cemented its status as a district with no congressional representation. I am voting. Register to vote and vote for your representation. But I, as a Black woman living in the District of Columbia, along with my 700,000-plus neighbors, do not have representation in these buildings behind us. Taxation without representation must... That's all we have time for today. We'll be back tomorrow with more news from around the world. Until then, keep watching People's Dispatch.