Andrés Arauz wins first round of Ecuadorian presidential election, heads to run-off on April 11
According to the quick count, Andrés Arauz of the progressive Union for Hope alliance (UNES) won 31.74% of the votes. However, its still unclear who his opponent will be as two candidates are technically tied for second place
Farmers block roads across India in protest against farm laws
This was part of their continuing struggle against the three farm laws that were passed by the Narendra Modi led govt in September last year.
Egyptian student Ahmed Samir Santawy remanded to 15 days in prison
Ahmed Samir Santawy, a student of the Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, was detained by the police in Cairo on February 1, leading to an international outcry
Students in Turkey continue protests in defense of academic autonomy
The protests in Turkey began on January 4 against the appointment of Melih Bulu, an outsider and loyalist of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as rector of Boğaziçi University. They have continued despite hundreds of arrests by the police
Illegal demolition of Palestinian Bedouin village condemned
Israeli forces demolished the village of Khirbet Humsa for the second time in four months. The rights organization B’Tselem accused Israel of trying to displace the entire Palestinian Bedouin community of the village
French trade unions hit the streets against government’s insensitivity
On Thursday, major trade unions in France mobilized in over 100 locations against the government’s failure to address the issues of workers and youth. They also condemned the meager raise in minimum wage proposed for the year
Philippines congressional committee approves amendment to open up key sectors to foreign capital
Left-wing opposition groups have criticized the measure which will allow the government to dilute protected rights of Philippines’ citizens in key economic sectors
Philippines apex court kicks off hearings on anti-terror law
The Supreme Court has begun hearing oral arguments on over three dozen petitions filed against the Anti-Terror Act passed by the Rodrigo Duterte government in July 2020