- 2 years ago
04/07/2024
FTS 12.30
*Kazakhstan: SCO Summit kicks off in Astana
*Sudan: UN warns of impeding famine due to armed conflict
FTS 12.30
*Kazakhstan: SCO Summit kicks off in Astana
*Sudan: UN warns of impeding famine due to armed conflict
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NewsTranscript
00:00Venezuela begins the electoral campaign for the presidential elections on July 28.
00:18In Kazakhstan, the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries has already
00:23started in Astana.
00:29The UN warns that Sudan is at risk of experiencing a difficult period of famine as the armed
00:34conflict in the country expands.
00:42Hello and welcome to From the South.
00:44My name is Belén de los Santos and from the Telesor studios in Havana, Cuba, we begin
00:48with the news.
00:59On Thursday, in Venezuela, the electoral campaign for the presidential elections on July 28
01:04begins.
01:05In this sense, campaigning by candidates ahead of election day will be extended until July
01:1025, according to the schedule established by the National Electoral Council.
01:15In this phase, the 10 candidates for the presidency of the country will have to comply
01:20with the general regulations of the organic law of the electoral process.
01:25Meanwhile, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela announced they will kick off their electoral
01:30campaign with two massive marches in the city of Caracas in support of the candidate and
01:35current president, Nicolás Maduro.
01:44We continue on the topic as we go to Caracas to contact our special envoy, Brian Meir,
01:50to tell us all the details from the first day of presidential campaign.
01:53Hello, Brian, how is everything over there?
01:56What's the latest?
01:59Well, the big rallies are only going to be kicking off in about an hour and a half.
02:07So for now, the mood is very calm in the city.
02:10There's heightened security because so many people are going to be on the streets.
02:14This year, there's nine opposition candidates, plus Nicolás Maduro from the governing party,
02:20PSUV.
02:21The PSUV has scheduled two rallies today on the east side and the west side of the city.
02:28They're both going to start off with smaller neighborhood rallies, 15 in all.
02:33And these local rallies are going to start marching and they're going to converge in
02:37the main sites on both sides of the city.
02:41Meanwhile, most of the other nine candidates have rallies of their own scheduled.
02:46So it's going to be a very busy day on the streets of Caracas today.
02:53So Brian, tell us, what's the climate over there ahead of this presidential campaign
02:59that is starting today?
03:01Well, yesterday I was in the neighborhood of Petare on the periphery of Caracas, speaking
03:08to people as they got out of the subway station there.
03:12And the general mood that I picked up on is that it's more calm than it was four years
03:18ago.
03:20One thing that's helping is that the economy is doing really well right now.
03:24In addition, the fact that the United States government has chosen this time to reestablish
03:30dialogue with the Maduro administration is being viewed by many as a positive sign that
03:37there isn't going to be as much imperialist meddling in these elections as there has been
03:44in past elections.
03:46So for now, it looks like things are running smoothly.
03:50And for the next 10 days, there's 70 rallies scheduled in over 300 local towns, municipalities
03:58across the country.
04:00So it's going to be a very hectic couple of weeks now until the July 25th official end
04:06of the campaign.
04:09I imagine so.
04:10We have a hectic campaign ahead of us.
04:12Thank you, Brian, for joining us.
04:14We will contact you again to follow the latest in Venezuela.
04:18Thank you.
04:21That was Brian Meir, TeleSUR's special envoy in Venezuela.
04:24And on a related topic, on July 2nd, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro approved the U.S.
04:30request to restart direct talks between the countries.
04:34Venezuelans commented to TeleSUR that several domestic factors pushed the Biden administration
04:39to the talks, which will also have implications for the Venezuelan elections at the end of
04:44this month.
04:45Special Envoy Yunus Soner with the story.
04:49Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro announced the restart of talks in his weekly TV program
04:54Con Maduro Más.
04:56For two continuous months, I have received from the government of the United States the
05:00proposal to re-establish talks and a direct dialogue.
05:04After thinking about it for two months, I have accepted and next Wednesday...
05:10The first virtual meeting took place on July 3rd with Venezuelan National Assembly President
05:15Jorge Rodríguez representing his country.
05:18On the social media platform X, Rodríguez stated that the dialogue will continue in
05:22the framework of the previous talks in Qatar.
05:25Franco Vielma says the talks will focus on oil.
05:30One of the topics will be the renewal of the License No. 44 from the United States
05:34that permitted a certain margin of case-by-case discretion concerning companies that want
05:40to enter commercial relations with Venezuela.
05:45Vielma adds that besides exemptions to sanctions, the situation of the Venezuelan company Citgo
05:51as well as Venezuelan treasury bonds might be discussed.
05:55The sanctions do affect the Venezuelan economy, but according to Professor Rafael Lloris,
06:00it is the U.S. that is in an increasingly desperate situation.
06:05Because of the situation in Eastern Europe that led to rising oil prices that impacted
06:12the popularity of Biden, the inflation has been one of the main reasons why he lost support
06:20here in the United States and that weakens his candidacy for the re-election.
06:25The agreement of 2023 signed in Qatar foresaw the easing of sanctions on Venezuela's oil
06:31industry with cooperation in repatriating Venezuelan immigrants in exchange.
06:37And a third reason, which is also domestic, is the increase in immigrants recently in
06:42the last few years on the border, wherein Venezuelan numbers have increased as well.
06:48Concerned about the upcoming elections, the Biden administration seeks to ease migration
06:52pressure.
06:53The U.S. signed a migration agreement with Panama only one day after Panama's new president
06:58took office.
06:59And Biden also wants to show to the Latin American voters that he defers from Trump
07:04in his attempt to dialogue with Latin American countries, says the U.S. professor, with consequences
07:10for the Venezuelan opposition.
07:12The agreements reached between Caracas and Washington in Qatar, with the mediation of
07:18the Venezuelan opposition, had no participation at all.
07:23The expert emphasizes that opposition leaders such as María Colina Machado and Omar Barbosa,
07:29the general of the Unitary Democratic Platform, were not even informed by the U.S. learning
07:35the agreement from President Maduro's public announcement, and concludes.
07:41They are secondary or even less important from the United States' point of view.
07:45They don't play a role in these talks and have no room to propose or undertake political
07:51maneuvers.
07:53For the Venezuelan opposition, Omar Barbosa welcomed the restart of talks, but his organization
07:59is not part of them.
08:02It is a bilateral dialogue between the government of Maduro and the government of the United
08:06States.
08:07Concerned with his own election, it seems that U.S. President Biden has dealt a blow
08:12to the Venezuelan opposition.
08:14The Attorney General's Office of Venezuela rejected repeated statements made by the United
08:23States accusing the Venezuelan state of allegedly violating human rights, thus justifying the
08:29imposition of coercive measures.
08:32The Attorney General of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, stated that during the last seven years,
08:37the executive has reduced human rights complaints by about 40 percent.
08:42He also highlighted the importance of the country's participation in the 10th International
08:47Legal Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the reality of Venezuela in the world was
08:54discussed.
08:55At the same time, he recalled that during the forum he denounced that imperialism uses
08:59human rights to manipulate and justify the imposition of unilateral coercive measures.
09:12Venezuela is accused of being a country that allegedly violates human rights, when we
09:16are the country in the entire Western Hemisphere that has impressively demonstrated how complaints
09:20of human rights violations have been reduced by almost 40 percent in the last seven years.
09:28In this context, William Saab also reiterated his denunciation of the United States and
09:33the European Union for using human rights to pressure countries that do not respond
09:37to their interests.
09:40All a matter as sacred and delicate as human rights has been used in a criminal manner,
09:45violating every precept linked to international law, to attack nations that are not part of
09:50or do not kneel before the U.S. Empire and the European Union, using the issue of human
09:55rights when they have been responsible for and complicit in the absolute extermination
09:59of the Palestinian people in Gaza and Rafa.
10:29Welcome back to From the South.
10:35In Colombia, participants in the fifth meeting of the Regional Conference on Population and
10:40Development in Latin America and the Caribbean urged nations to redouble their efforts to
10:45fight poverty in Latin America.
10:47During the grand opening of the conference in the region of Cartagena de Indias, the
10:52various international delegates considered that public policies must focus on inclusive
10:56development, which is a fundamental and urgent task.
11:00The participating nations also reaffirmed their commitment to work for sustainable development
11:05and generate opportunities for historically vulnerable populations.
11:09During his participation, the Sectoral Vice President for Planning of Venezuela, Ricardo
11:14Menéndez, expressed his solidarity with the Government of Bolivia in view of the recent
11:19failed coup d'etat against President Luis Arce.
11:28On Wednesday, Bolivia's Government Minister Eduardo del Castillo presented the advances
11:32of the investigations into the failed coup d'etat in the country.
11:36The evidence released confirms that the insurrectional activity began in March of this year.
11:42The strategy was labeled by the coup plotters as Plan Boquerón, which began in March with
11:48different training courses in the armed forces.
11:51The operation was consolidated in May, when a series of high-level meetings were held
11:56under the leadership of the then Commander-in-Chief, General José Zúñiga, together with Vice
12:03Admiral Juan Arnés, which were also attended periodically by Aníbal Aguilar and Retired
12:09General Tomás Pena y Lilo.
12:16And we stay on topic as journalist and Television President Patricia Villegas interviewed Bolivian
12:20President Luis Arce regarding the failed coup d'etat that rocked the South American country
12:26and the region the past week.
12:28Let's listen.
12:33There have been interests at stake in this coup d'etat, both internal and external interests,
12:40as it happens in our Latin America, and it is part of our peoples.
12:46Our national resources are always one of the most coveted elements, but especially those
12:52who do not have them, and of course Bolivia is an example of all this.
13:00We have even lived through wars for natural resources here in Bolivia, with many neighboring
13:06countries for interests, again, foreign.
13:11Therefore for us it has been a victory for the Bolivian people on June 26th.
13:17I always want to thank the participation of the international community.
13:22If it had not been that immediate solidarity that we have received from several countries
13:29where they supported the democratically elected government, the Bolivian people in their struggle
13:36for democracy in the face of this coup attempt, plus all the actions that we have taken from
13:45the moment we have been informed to placate, to quell this coup attempt.
13:51Also the Bolivian people mobilized.
13:54Without that trilogy I see it very difficult that we would have triumphed as we did on
14:00June 26th, together with the people, together with that international community.
14:09In Argentina, the Federal Criminal and Correctional Court No. 2 of Buenos Aires admitted a complaint
14:14filed against the former President of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, for the commission of
14:19alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity between August of 2002 and December of 2008.
14:26In a statement released on Wednesday by the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective,
14:31a group dedicated to the defense of human rights, it was detailed that justice gave
14:35its approval to continue with the investigation against Uribe on July 1st under the legal
14:41principle of universal jurisdiction based on the evidence presented by the Colombian
14:46victims who emigrated to Argentina due to the armed conflict in their country.
14:56We now move on to other topics.
15:10Destructive hurricane Vero advances towards the coast of the Cayman Islands in the Antilles,
15:15where authorities are speeding up preparations ahead of the meteorological event.
15:19Prime Minister Julián O'Connor Connolly informed the public that vigilance and preparation
15:25are key to avoid severe damage.
15:27As conferred by the National Hurricane Center, the powerful cyclone is advancing with maximum
15:32sustained winds of 215 km per hour.
15:36It is estimated that at midday or early in the afternoon it will land in the south of
15:41the territory.
15:42Due to the destructive capacity of the phenomenon, the National Operations Center has imposed
15:47the highest levels of alert.
15:55Meanwhile, hours ago, a hurricane Vero hit the southern coast of Jamaica with fury.
15:59Cyclone reached the island as a Category 4 hurricane, however, its potentially lethal
16:04rating was not changed after it downgraded status and this was confirmed.
16:09Vero's eyewalls skirted the southern coast and lashed communities as emergency crews
16:14scrambled to evacuate residents, especially from the most flood-prone areas.
16:19There was one confirmed fatality, this was a resident of Hanover, but authorities fear
16:25that as soon as communications are restored, the death toll could increase.
16:35And in other news, in northeast India and Bangladesh, six people died as a result of
16:40the floods caused by successive torrential rains that have occurred since May, and about
16:45one million people were affected.
16:47Authorities in the northeastern state of Assam reported that four people died on Tuesday,
16:54bringing to 38 the number of people killed by successive rains there, while in Bangladesh,
17:00landslides caused by the rains killed two other people, including a Rohingya refugee
17:06early Wednesday, according to police commander Chahirul Hoke Boyan.
17:11The official also stated that authorities in relief camps in Bangladesh, home to about
17:15one million refugees from Myanmar, have relocated some inhabitants to a safe location.
17:22We have a final short break coming up, but before, we invite you to join our WhatsApp
17:30community for our English-speaking audience.
17:33You can scan the QR code on screen to join directly, and also share the link to reach
17:37more people.
17:38Constant news coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the rest of the
17:42world.
17:43Stay connected and informed with Tel Azzar.
17:45Final short break, don't go away.
18:04Welcome back to From the South.
18:05In Kazakhstan, the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries has started
18:10in Astana.
18:11Under the slogan, Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue, Striving for Sustainable Peace and
18:16Prosperity, the important meeting begins, attended by the host, President Kassym Tokayev,
18:21and the heads of state of China and Russia, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.
18:26One of the highlights of the summit is the accession of Belarus as a full member.
18:31In the framework of the summit, 20 resolutions and three declarations by heads of state,
18:35including one on world unity for peace and harmony, are expected to be adopted.
18:46And with regard to the official accession of Belarus to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,
18:51the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Yomar Tokayev, congratulated the government of Alexander
18:57Lukashenko for completing in a short period of time all the procedures required for the
19:02country's entry into the organization.
19:04Tokayev also noted that Belarus became the 10th member of the regional grouping, which
19:10represents one of the most influential international structures in the current world.
19:23In other news, the expansion of the Sudanese armed conflict set off the UN alarm bells,
19:29which warned that Sudan is at risk of experiencing a difficult famine period.
19:34According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, clashes broke out
19:39in Center State, where a large number of displaced people have been staying for over a year.
19:45The Secretary General's spokesperson, Stefan Duharic, warned that a famine is looming and
19:50that it is imperative to keep up the delivery of life-saving aid across conflict lines and
19:55borders.
19:56Meanwhile, UNESCO confirmed the death of at least eight minors nearby a mosque hit by
20:02a drone strike in the capital of northern Darfur State.
20:11On Wednesday, Japan's Supreme Court upheld the unconstitutionality of forced sterilizations
20:18carried out under the country's extinct national eugenics law and ordered the government to
20:23compensate plaintiffs who were forced to undergo sterilization operations between the 1950s
20:29and the 1970s.
20:31It is the Supreme Court's first ruling on the issue and comes after years of struggle
20:36by those affected who had been left without state compensation and sought compensation
20:42without forfeiture and, in other cases, by those seeking fairer amounts.
20:47The court ruled that these medical procedures were carried out under a eugenics protection
20:52law that the 15 judges find now unconstitutional.
21:16We go now to Palestine, as an Israeli attack caused the death of at least nine civilians
21:21in the Gaza Strip.
21:23Paramedics managed to rescue four bodies of people, in addition to several wounded who
21:28were under the rubble of an apartment left by the bombing.
21:32According to the latest update from the Gaza Health Authorities, the genocide perpetrated
21:36by Israel against the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank has left more than 37,000 people
21:42dead since it began in October 2023.
21:46Of this figure, the majority are children and women, while the number of wounded exceeds
21:51the 87,000 people by a few hundred.
21:54These figures do not represent the actual number of dead and wounded, as Palestinian
21:59authorities report at least 10,000 people under the rubble, a number that is not entirely
22:05accurate either and might be much larger.
22:11Meanwhile, the United Nations organization and the anti-Islamic watchdog Peace Now, denounced
22:19on Wednesday that Israel approved the largest land confiscation in Ramallah in the occupied
22:24West Bank in more than three decades.
22:27On the other hand, the UN asserted that it has been trying for years to stop the illegal
22:32colonization of the territories occupied by Israel, and warned that such attitudes complicate
22:38the possibilities of resolving the conflict.
22:41According to media reports, the Israeli occupation, despite international criticism and rejection,
22:46intends to build 5,300 colonial units in the occupied West Bank.
22:52In this regard, the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smodrich, stated that for each new
22:58international recognition of the state of Palestine, he would be able to build a new
23:04colony.
23:10And like this, we have come to the end of this news brief.
23:12You can find these and many other stories on our website at tellus4english.net and also
23:16join us on social media, we are on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and also on TikTok.
23:22For Tell Us Your English, my name is Belén de los Santos, thank you for watching.
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