00:00In Venezuela, President NicolĂĄs Maduro announced that a bi-national agreement has been signed with Colombia
00:10to immediately establish the first zone of peace and integral economic development.
00:20Cuban National Assembly members debate the country's energy recovery and mechanisms in place to guarantee people's power.
00:30Pope Leo XIV reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip
00:36and expressed his deep hope for dialogue, reconciliation and lasting peace in the region.
00:47Hello and welcome to From the South. I'm Alejandra Garcia from Telesur Sirius in Habana, Cuba.
00:52We begin with the news.
01:00In Venezuela, during the National Assembly of the Communal Coffee Plan 2025-2026 from the state of Lara,
01:15President NicolĂĄs Maduro announced on Thursday that a bi-national agreement has been signed with Colombia
01:21to immediately establish the first zone of peace and integral economic development.
01:25In this context, President Maduro informed that by 2025, Venezuela expects to produce more than 5 million quintiles of coffee.
01:35He also highlighted that the Venezuelan gross domestic product will grow by more than 6% in the second quarter of 2025.
01:43In addition, the head of state ratified the plan for all the engines of growth, production supply and exports
01:50with the aim of consolidating a sustainable economic model oriented to the country's integral development.
01:56Today at noon, in the middle of so many things that we do, there was an event that I qualify as historic.
02:13At the headquarters of the Vice Presidency of the Republic, this document has been signed.
02:22This document that I have in my hand, with the signature of the official representatives of the government of the Republic of Colombia
02:34and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has sealed a bi-national agreement to immediately establish the first bi-national zone for peace, economic, social, cultural and integral development between Colombia and Venezuela.
02:56The first bi-national zone is born.
03:02In the framework of the National Assembly of the Communal Coffee Plan 2025-2026, the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, highlighted the economic results of the country during the last years.
03:13The figures for the economy's second quarter of the year, 2025, are very encouraging.
03:26In the first quarter, you remember January, February and March, we grew 9%.
03:32In the second quarter, they tried to launch an economic war again and I said we were going to face it and overcome it,
03:39with nerves of steel and tranquility, to work and produce.
03:55Because all circumstances have shown that only work can overcome evil and the economic war, with work and more work.
04:02And there you have it.
04:03In the second quarter of this year, April, May and June, Venezuela's Plus domestic product grew more than 6%.
04:1117 months of continuous growth.
04:15And in the next few days, we will have the consolidated results of the first semester of the year.
04:30Last year, we grew 9 points.
04:33The year before last, in 2023, we grew 5.5.
04:38In 2022, it was like a rocket.
04:41We grew 15 points.
04:43This year's first quarter, 9%.
04:54The second, above 6%.
04:56So all these figures represent very good news for the economy and for the people of Venezuela.
05:01We're moving forward with the 13 engines, with each one of them.
05:06The government of Venezuela decorates members of the National Armed Forces in the framework of the popular military and police fusion taking place in the country.
05:19The event was headed by the ministers de Estado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino LĂłpez.
05:24During the ceremony, strategic equipment, vehicles and tools were handed over to the Special Security Forces of the different military components in order to strengthen their operations.
05:35Also, the High Commanders offered a balance of the operations carried out in defense of the national sovereignty of the Republic.
05:47Cuban National Assembly members debate the country's energy recovery and mechanisms in place to guarantee people's power.
05:54During the second day of debates, as part of the Assembly's first regular session, ministers assessed the progress of the government's program for the recovery of the national power system.
06:04In addition, as part of the economic strategies approved, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced the transformation of the official exchange market to begin in the second half of the year.
06:15The move will include a comprehensive update of the current exchange rate system.
06:20The debate sessions and measures seek to revitalize the economy amid the ongoing U.S. blockade while defending the achievements of the revolution and reinforcing Cuba's sovereignty.
06:32In a plenary session of Parliament, the Cuban government approved an increase in age, disability and unified pensions starting in September.
06:46Prime Minister Manuel Marrero-Cruz explained that for the moment a comprehensive reform cannot be undertaken given that they do not have the financial resources due to the blockade imposed by the United States.
06:58However, he assured that the work is being done to find proposals and solutions.
07:04In this regard, he announced that actions will be implemented that will constitute sources to compensate for the demand for increased spending in the Social Security Budget.
07:15The government of Cuba denounces that the United States is allocating millions of dollars in funding to promote subversion and destabilize the country while cutting funds intended to serve the U.S. people.
07:31Cuban foreign minister Bruno RodrĂguez described us attempting to promote a $75 million budget to finance subversion on the island in the United States as anti-Cuban politicians.
07:43Rodriguez condemned this action against Cuba as the U.S. Congress approves cuts to domestic public services.
07:49The criticism comes amid a new wave of bilateral tension after the Cuban parliament rejected a memorandum from the Trump administration that reinforces the economic blockade and prohibits U.S. tourism to Cuba.
08:02What has been discussed reflects foreign policy priorities and the fundamental priorities are related to preserving independence and defending the revolution and socialism.
08:24That our people have established in exercising their self-determination as a model and constitutional order in the face of growing aggression from the U.S. government.
08:42Secondly, the search for new options that will enable us to accelerate the recovery of our economy, move towards development.
08:51And try to resolve the fundamental problems that today cause suffering, difficulties, shortages, and deprivation for Cuban families.
09:06Mainly due to the blockade and Cuba's presence on the infamous lists of countries allegedly sponsoring terrorism.
09:13Thus, a very important priority of foreign policy is precisely the search for options for exports, imports, investments, financial relations, and international cooperation in the development of our country's external economy.
09:32The Cuban foreign minister stressed that the main priority is to meet the needs of the people and strengthen the energy and food production sectors.
09:45Precisely in the exercise of a foreign policy that is rooted and attached to the needs of our people, to the priorities of our people's daily lives, such as the recovery of the national electric power system, in the difficult conditions we face today, or food production.
10:08In other information, Nicaraguan, it is a foreign policy at the service of the well-being of our people, then I would say that the Cuban people, as always, since 1959, have been the creators, the main protagonists, their representatives belong to all the structures of Cuban society.
10:28In other information, Nicaraguans ratified their firm desire to maintain peace and stability in the Central American nation, according to a survey conducted by M&R Consulting, 98.7% of the population consider that peace in the country must not be put at risk under any circumstances.
10:51The respondents also expressed their agreement with the social policies of co-president Daniel Ortega and highlighted his commitment to democracy and for the construction of a just society.
11:02They also said they supported the socialist ideals promoted by the government and highlighted its right for national unity as the key to the country's progress.
11:13Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged the people of the United States government to take care of their own drug consumption crisis after President Donald Trump said that Mexican drug cartels have strong control over that country.
11:35During her regular morning press conference, Sheinbaum criticized Washington's lack of program to prevent children and young people from consuming illicit substances.
11:44The president assured that drug consumption in that nation will not be eradicated as long as its government does not implement preventive measures to face it.
11:54By contrast, the head of state highlighted Mexico's efforts to combat the consumption and distribution of fentanyl in its territory.
12:03They punish with heavy penalties, with strong charges, those who produce and distribute fentanyl, with longer prison sentences.
12:22We had already done that in Mexico. Mexico has made great progress in that area.
12:29Remember that our constitution takes that into account.
12:33None other than in our constitution.
12:36In its article 19, it also establishes the mechanism for control of precursors.
12:42That is the raw material used for fentanyl.
12:45So not only for the control of the fentanyl already produced, but also for its raw materials.
12:52The United States Senate passed Thursday a package of sweeping cuts as part of President Donald Trump's pledge to drastically shrink federal spending.
13:05The package was totally passed by a 51-48 vote and aims at counseling $9 billion in spending already approved by Congress, including more than $1 billion to be stripped from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
13:20The bill will be submitted to the House of Representatives Friday for its final approval.
13:24The cuts could affect funding for several global health programs such as the AIDS plan as well as humanitarian assistance.
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14:49Welcome back to From the South.
15:05Pope Leo XIV reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip
15:10and expressed his deep hope for dialogue, reconciliation and lasting peace in the region.
15:15The appeal comes after the Israeli military attacked on Thursday the Catholic Holy Family Church
15:21in the Palestinian enclave, which left three people dead and at least ten injured,
15:27including the parish priest Cabriel Romanelli.
15:29The church is one of the last active spaces for Christianity in Gaza
15:34and has been a shelter for dozens of Palestinians since the Israeli escalation of the conflict in October 2023.
15:45In the last hours, medical sources reported that Israeli swarm drones had hit to death
15:53at least 22 Palestinians in northern Gaza.
15:56Health authorities detailed that among the final victims were eight people
16:00in charge of ensuring some 20 trucks of humanitarian aid.
16:04Meanwhile, the Wafa agency informed that in northern Havalia city,
16:08Israeli jet fighters targeted a house, killing an entire family,
16:12father, mother and their five children.
16:15The Zionist genocidal campaign against the Gaza Strip has been active for over 21 months,
16:20bringing about an unprecedented humanitarian crisis
16:23and a tremendous destruction across the enclave.
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