- 10 months ago
26/04/2023
FTS 12.30
*UNSG Guterres denounces violation of human rights worldwide
*Venezuela: migrants return through repatriation plan
FTS 12.30
*UNSG Guterres denounces violation of human rights worldwide
*Venezuela: migrants return through repatriation plan
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NewsTranscript
00:00In Germany, the CDU-CSU alliance won 208 seats in parliament with 28.6% of the vote in Sunday's
00:17early election.
00:18Friedrich Merz is set to start talks to form a new coalition.
00:26The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres denounced the non-fulfillment and
00:30violation of human rights worldwide during the Human Rights Council held in Geneva.
00:41In Venezuela, a Conviasa airline plane arrived from Mexico with a new group of 242 Venezuelans
00:47as part of the Return to the Homeland Plan.
00:56Hello welcome to From the South, I'm Luis Alberto Matos from the LSU studios in Havana,
01:00Cuba.
01:01We begin with the news.
01:02In Germany, the CDU-CSU alliance won 208 seats in parliament with 28.6% of the vote in Sunday's
01:10early election.
01:11The far-right Alternative for Germany party came in second and secured 152 seats with
01:1620.8% of the vote, doubling what it polled in the last election.
01:21The leader of the Christian Democratic Union reiterated his stance on not cooperating with
01:26the far-right AfD party.
01:28Friedrich Merz also pledged to achieve independence from the United States.
01:32Electoral authorities registered a high turnout at 82.5%, the highest since German reunification
01:39in 1990.
01:40The CDU leader Merz is set to start talks to form a new coalition.
01:49And following the victory of the German conservative CDU and the results obtained by the far-right
01:54AfD party in the early federal elections, people gather outside the CDU headquarters to express
01:59their concerns.
02:03Friedrich Merz used to work for BlackRock, which is the largest financial group in the
02:07world, probably the most powerful company in the world.
02:10That he is even allowed to stand in an election at all is actually a huge mess.
02:14It's actually corruption.
02:15Anyone who has worked for the company does not represent the interests of the population.
02:19They represent the interests of people who buy exchange-traded funds.
02:23And they're the world's second largest investor in fossil fuels.
02:26This is a policy that has no place in the second millennium.
02:32Of course we are angry that the CDU got such a high percentage, and also the AfD.
02:37That scares us and makes us angry.
02:40But we are pleased that a left-wing party, which has somehow been the only one to manage
02:44to take a stand against this in recent times, has received so many percentages, which has
02:49only become apparent very unexpectedly in the last few weeks.
02:58Let's now take a closer look at the CDU candidate that led the election and now hopes to become
03:03Germany's chancellor.
03:04Friedrich Merz is a 69-year-old Christian Democrat who represents Germany's richest
03:09and most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, where he was born.
03:14To this moment, he has never held a government role, despite having aspired to the highest
03:18office in Berlin for over 20 years.
03:21Longtime rival of Centris, former chancellor Angela Merkel, within the CDU party, Merz
03:26was twice rejected as her successor as party leader, both in 2018 and 2021.
03:33Merz left politics for a lucrative second career at the world's largest asset management
03:37corporation, BlackRock, in 2016 and also served on many corporate boards, which made
03:44him a millionaire.
03:46Regarding future policy, he has pledged to scrap unemployment benefits and easier citizenship
03:51rules, and to introduce tougher border controls.
03:54Despite pledging to kill off the far-right AfD, he has already sought its support on
04:00migration clampdown.
04:08And in Russia, the Kremlin emphasized that territories whose citizens decide to join
04:13the country will not be sold or be part of a possible agreement with US President Donald
04:17Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
04:21These statements come after the United States announced the submission of a draft resolution
04:25to the UN General Assembly that does not call for Russia's withdrawal from these territories,
04:30as does an alternative proposal supported by the European representation to the United
04:35Nations.
04:36It should be noted that the Donetsk and Lugansk Territories, as well as the regions of Kherson
04:40and Saporizhzhia, joined Russia in September 2022 through referendums held in those territories.
05:02During a joint news conference with his Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Russian
05:08Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow is ready to negotiate with both Ukraine and
05:13Europe, but will not stop military operations until the negotiations yield a firm, sustainable
05:19result.
05:20We are ready to negotiate with both Ukraine and Europe, with any representatives who in
05:31a spirit of goodwill would like to help achieve peace, but we will stop military operations
05:40only when these negotiations produce a firm, sustainable result that will be acceptable
05:45to the Russian Federation.
05:50Ukraine's absolute non-accession to NATO is also a must.
05:53There must be a clear, iron-solid agreement on this.
05:57At the meeting in Riyadh with our US colleagues, we welcomed the fact that President Trump
06:01has publicly and repeatedly called the line on pulling Ukraine into NATO as a mistake.
06:10Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied that the financial and military aid he received
06:15during the Biden administration amounted to $500 billion.
06:19Zelensky declared this Sunday in a press conference that his country received military aid from
06:23the US government in the form of subsidies, affirming that a subsidy is not a debt.
06:28The President refused to recognize the amount that his counterpart Donald Trump is demanding
06:32to pay, which could amount to $500 billion.
06:43Zelensky also said that he would not dare to sign a commitment to pay a debt that would
06:48take up to 10 generations of Ukrainians to pay off.
06:51The pact would oblige Ukraine to transfer 50% of state revenues from its natural resources
06:56and port infrastructure to a special fund to be owned by the US.
07:01The amount demanded by the Trump administration represents a gigantic burden for a small and
07:05poor country for more than double Ukraine's total GDP.
07:18Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto launched a sovereign wealth fund called Nanantara Indonesia,
07:25which will manage assets worth $900 billion.
07:29The head of state stood out having bolstered the fund as an initiative to contribute to
07:33the goal of an annual gross domestic product growth rate of 8% on his five-year term, having
07:39surpassed the 5% achieved in 2024.
07:42Subianto and his team will monitor the fund.
07:44This fact made people worry due to the high levels of domestic corruption.
07:49The President asserted that to use this money for investing in nickel-related projects,
07:54such as artificial intelligence data centers, electrochemicals, and renewable energy sources.
08:24Welcome back.
08:35The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres denounced the non-fulfillment and
08:39violation of human rights worldwide during the Human Rights Council held in Geneva on
08:43Monday.
08:44Guterres expressed that actions against the rights of humanity are due to autocratic governments
08:50that eliminate the opposition because they fear retaliation from empowered peoples.
08:55The diplomat warned that the militaries that take part in the conflicts disregard international
08:59humanitarian law and the UN Charter.
09:02Meanwhile, the head asserted that violating human rights poses a direct threat to all
09:06mechanisms and systems that have been so hard to establish in the last 80 years.
09:18In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, schools began to reopen in the city of Bukavu
09:23after the M23 armed group and Rwandan troops seized the city earlier this month.
09:28Violence raging in eastern DRC has killed more than 7,000 people, many of them civilians,
09:33since last month.
09:34M23 forces seized large swathes of the mineral-rich eastern DRC, including the main cities of
09:40Goma and Bukavu.
09:42Prime Minister Judith Suminwa told the United Nations Human Rights Council that the security
09:47situation in eastern DRC reached alarming levels.
09:51In this context, teachers and some parents call on others to send their children to school
09:55to save the school year and ensure that children can enjoy their right to an education.
10:08We have asked children and parents to send us pupils from all over.
10:16The reasons for the resumption are that pupils have a right to education because they are
10:19the future.
10:25Safety is guaranteed and the national calendar will not be changed.
10:31In any case, I would ask all parents who are still hesitating to send their children to
10:35school to save this school year because otherwise it will not be beneficial for the children.
10:39I really ask all children and all parents to take heart and get back to work.
10:43Life has already returned to normal in Bukavu.
11:05Palestinian families waited in Ramallah the release of their loved ones for hours, and
11:10after a delay, they decided not to return to their homes until the release was done.
11:15Some of the relatives managed to spend the night in two hotels, others, including families
11:22with children, slept in their cars.
11:24Saturday was said so that Israel released few more than 600 Palestinian prisoners and
11:30detainees.
11:31445 detainees in Gaza, 97 people that will be deported to other countries, 43 West Bank
11:37prisoners and East Jerusalem plus other 11 detained people in Gaza before October 7th.
11:55All our feelings crumbled.
11:58After the joy we felt when we found the name and the list of names of the discovered prisoners,
12:03we were very happy and suddenly everything fell apart.
12:07It was an overwhelming day, but thanks to God, our hope in God is great and if God wants,
12:13they will be released.
12:16And in Palestine, trade deficit widened to 33 percent year on year amid Israeli military
12:22campaign.
12:23According to the Palestinian Central Statistics Office, imports rose to $598 million.
12:29The Minister of Labor, Enas Tarek, warned about the serious crisis suffered by the population
12:34territories occupied by the genocide and the blockade imposed by Israel, stressing that
12:40recently the economy lost $20 million every day as a consequence.
12:45The institution also highlighted that even with the most optimistic scenario of a 10
12:49percent annual growth, only in 2035 would the economic levels of 2006 be reached.
13:00And Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani underlined a plan between his country
13:06and Iran to dig a tunnel under the Persian Gulf.
13:09The project aims to expand connectivity between West Asia and the Caspian Sea all the way
13:14to the Mediterranean.
13:15The tunnel, starting from the northern tip of the Qatari Peninsula, will stretch around
13:20190 kilometers to the Iranian coast, around three times the largest and longest transport
13:26tunnel in China, and five times larger than the longest undersea tunnel.
13:33For Qatar, the construction of the tunnel is a great achievement.
13:36Through it, the country can access the Eurasian markets through Iran.
13:48And in Iran, the armed forces are carrying out the second day of large-scale military
13:52exercises testing different weapons and military equipment.
13:56According to the information, drills were carried out by several units simultaneously.
14:01The Iranian Army and Islamic Revolution Guard Corps have fired anti-submarine missiles from
14:06helicopters, conducted aerial sweeps with fighter jets, and deployed dozens of military
14:10vehicles, including tanks, ships, and submarines.
14:14The Iranian Army's Deputy Commander for Coordination Affairs, Rear Admiral Habib Ola Sayadi, stated
14:20that the exercises are aimed at testing new tactics within the army ranks, incorporating
14:24state-of-the-art weapons and equipment.
14:44In El Salvador, around 300 people, including activists and residents, gathered in the Central
14:49Park of San Isidro to pay homage to three environmentalists murdered in 2009.
14:55The villagers paid tribute to Dora Soto, Ramiro Rivera, and Marcelo Rivera, who were murdered
15:00for opposing mining projects.
15:02Andrea Ferrufino, from the environmental movement Voces del Futuro, affirmed that the struggle
15:07of the three was not in vain, since in 2017 a law was passed that prohibited mining.
15:13However, in December 2024, President Bukele appeared in front of Congress with a new law
15:18to approve mining.
15:19Environmental organizations estimate that mining or exploitation would affect around
15:244 million people in the northern part of El Salvador.
15:48Welcome back.
16:09Canviaz Airline plane arrived in Venezuela from Mexico with a new group of 242 Venezuelans
16:15as part of their return to the homeland plan.
16:17At Simón Bolívar International Airport in the state of La Guaira, the Minister of
16:21Interior Justice and Peace, Gustavo Cabello, welcomed the third flight of Venezuelans,
16:25including women, children, and teenagers.
16:28Cabello stated that state agencies prepared the medical and psychological protocols for
16:32the evaluation of some 94 men, 75 youth, and 74 women.
16:37The plan's return to the homeland has a humanist nature born in the Bolivarian Revolution,
16:42by the hand of President Nicolás Maduro in 2018.
16:45Its mission is the return of Venezuelan migrants free of charge and with respect for their
16:50rights.
16:58And we, from here from Venezuela, the organizations that have been receiving Venezuelans, ready
17:03and willing to assist them, to register their identity, to give them the identity card to
17:07those who need it, and then the medical examination, the psychological examination, the interviews.
17:13And then comes the police background check of each one of the adults that come back.
17:22We do this thoroughly, a required step.
17:25Why is this necessary?
17:27Well, because the first information is that criminals of all kinds were coming from the
17:31United States, and when we arrived here that is not the reality.
17:38The reality is that they are a minority.
17:41That members of El Tren de Aragua were coming.
17:43Here are the members of the security agencies.
17:46Not one was a member.
17:47And in Switzerland, the Venezuelan government held a meeting with the Minister of International
17:53Cooperation of Qatar, Mariam Al Muznad, in order to strengthen bilateral relations.
17:59The meeting took place within the framework of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights
18:03Council held in Geneva.
18:04In this regard, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Hill highlighted that the meeting led
18:09to the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in key areas such as tourism, trade, and energy.
18:20Vatican officials said on Monday that Pope Francis had slept well and was resting, although
18:26he remains in a critical condition at Rome's Gemelli Hospital.
18:30The update was released in a brief statement by the Press Office of the Holy See after
18:34this Sunday reported that some blood tests show an initial malrenal insufficiency, currently
18:39under control.
18:40In the medical report of Sunday afternoon, it was explained that the Argentine pontiff,
18:44admitted since February 14th with bilateral pneumonia, had not had any more respiratory
18:49crisis like the one he suffered on Saturday, but that he was still being supplied with
18:54oxygen through nasal cannulas.
19:06In Mexico, hundreds of faithful went to the Basilica of Guadalupe to pray for the health
19:10of Pope Francis.
19:11Since the early hours of this Sunday morning, hundreds of Catholic faithful have been going
19:16to the most important Marian shrine in the Americas to pray for the speedy recovery of
19:21Pope Francis.
19:23In 2016, the leader of the Catholic Church visited the holy site to express his connection
19:27to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
19:29Similar Masses for the health of the Supreme Pontiff have been held in Brazil, Guatemala,
19:34Honduras, Argentina, Colombia, Italy, the United States, among other countries.
19:39Today, I come to ask the Virgin for Pope Francis to wish him for his health recovery,
19:55so that she could help him out for all the good deeds he has done for us during his papacy
20:00and that the Virgin will always be with him.
20:14And in Haiti, Carnival began with the participation of musical floats and colorful costumes.
20:19This colorful activity, that is part of the most emblematic cultural events of the Caribbean
20:23country, revolves this year around the theme Jack Melt the Boo, and will feature a multiplicity
20:29of artistic presentations.
20:31This year the festivities began without official communication, however, a massive attendance
20:35of carnival goers is expected.
20:46And in Cuba, the 33rd edition of the international book fair of Hapapana ended after 10 days
20:51of intense activity in the fortress of San Carlos.
20:54In the closing ceremony of the event, the president of the Cuban Book Institute, Juan
20:59Rodríguez, highlighted the participation of 61 countries, with a new record number
21:03of participants.
21:04Special recognition was also given to South Africa's Guest of Honor, and to its ambassador
21:10to Cuba, Ivonne Huencvesiposa.
21:13After concluding its stage in Havana, the capitals of Cuban provinces will become subhost
21:18of the literary festival as from this Monday, and in an event that will last until the end
21:24of March.
21:32In Venezuela, young musicians offer a mega concert in Plaza de la Juventud in Caracas
21:37as part of the celebration for the 50th anniversary of the National System of Youth and Children's
21:42Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela, where 4,000 children musicians offer a symphonic
21:49and popular music repertoire from La Plaza de la Juventud in Caracas.
21:53This concert is part of the musical and cultural activities that have been taking place throughout
21:57the country since February 12th, including an exhibition at the Teresa Carreño Theater
22:02and the macro concerts in the 443 centers of the systems throughout the country.
22:08The activity is considered by many as a tribute to the capacity of music to unite, inspire,
22:14and change lives.
22:24We have come to the end of this newsbrief.
22:25You can find this and many other stories on our website at telestroenglish.net, so join
22:29us on social media, X, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok.
22:33To close this newsbrief, we share a piece performed by the System of Orchestras and
22:37Youth Choirs of Venezuela.
22:38I'm Telestro English, and with Alberto Matos, thank you for watching.
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