- 21 hours ago
23/11/2025
FTS 16.30
*Ukraine attacks residential building in Belgorod, Russia.
*5 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut, Lebanon.
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FTS 16.30
*Ukraine attacks residential building in Belgorod, Russia.
*5 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut, Lebanon.
teleSUR
These and many more stories now!
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NewsTranscript
00:00In Venezuela, citizens head to the polls to choose which communal projects will receive funding from the Bolivarian government in the fourth public consultation.
00:23Ukrainian military forces attacked a residential building in the Russian province of Belgorod.
00:36And in Lebanon, Israeli military attacked the Dayen residential area in southern Beirut, leaving five dead and at least 25 injured.
00:45Hello and welcome to From the South. My name is Belen de los Santos. I'm from Eterso Studios in Havana, Cuba. We begin with the news.
00:58On Sunday, Venezuelans head to the polls to choose which communal projects will receive funding from the Bolivarian government in this fourth public consultation.
01:20From 8 a.m., polling stations have been opened in the communes and communal circuits and will remain open until 6 p.m. local time.
01:30This day, like previous ones, is shaping up to be an important mobilization of popular power in neighborhoods amid organizations.
01:38According to the Ministry of Communities, there are more than 36,000 proposals from which voters will have to choose 10,662 projects that will begin to be implemented next week.
01:52A figure that will be added to the 23,000 already approved and executed in the last 18 months.
01:58As focused on highlighting public institutions to assist and improve the efficiency of communal projects through participatory and protagonistic democracy, the consultation contributes to the transformation and evolution of the nation in all four branches of the government.
02:15And to go deeper into this topic today, we welcome in for this public consultation, international analyst, Arnold August.
02:29Welcome, Arnold, here to From the South.
02:33Thank you very much for having me.
02:34It's always a pleasure to have a conversation with you, Belen, and other correspondents from Telesur.
02:41Thank you very much.
03:11Thank you very much.
03:41Of course, it is a form of participatory democracy, yes, but I would go even further and say that, as Chávez has mentioned very often, and later Maduro, it's participatory and also protagonist democracy.
03:57And someone who knows a lot about political power, Padrino López, the head of the defense in Venezuela, mentioned yesterday that what is happening now is an example of protagonist democracy.
04:10But above all, I would like to highlight a very interesting comment made by a militant that was interviewed by Telesur in one of the barrios in Caracas.
04:22He said, regarding what is happening now, the consultation, it is, I'm quoting from, it is not just about voting.
04:30It's about sovereignty, it's about sovereignty, it's about sovereignty, it's about governance.
04:33And that, I think, and that, I think, and that, I think, is a very important point coming from someone who is perhaps not an expert, but from the ground, from the grassroots, very much appreciating it's about continuing the Bolivarian revolution.
04:46And as one of the main features of it, right from the beginning, is that it is the people who are the ones who are in the driver's seat of the Bolivarian revolution.
04:58And what is happening now is one more example of how the Bolivarian revolution is governing itself.
05:05The people are governing their own revolution.
05:08That is why there is so much participation today.
05:11Even from people who may not agree with everything that is being done by the Bolivarian revolution, they, according to your reports, are participating in this important activity today.
05:26Now, Arnold, precisely in terms of what you were saying, worldwide we have been seeing signs, especially among Western liberal democracies,
05:34of people losing trust in their systems and participation, turnout overall, going down in many, many countries.
05:42In this case, as you were saying, we have a new, different model of participation.
05:46What effect do you think that this has on a larger scale in terms of turnout and in terms of reinstating confidence in democracy?
05:56You know, I was in Venezuela over for the last few elections that took place.
06:02The presidential elections a while ago and then the local, local, state and governorship elections.
06:10And what I noticed then, and now I'm noticing through your excellent reports, that people participate actively in this.
06:19Irrespective of the percentage of voting, people see this process as part of their own process.
06:26And of course, I think you mentioned, you know, how the West looks at it.
06:30You know, there's a lot that's being said with regards to the current war that the United States is waging against Venezuela.
06:38Of course, it's for oil, I know.
06:40But in my view, it's only one aspect.
06:43I think another very important aspect alongside oil and natural resources is that the United States wants to put an end to this model of a new type of political system, a new type of economic system that is being developed in Venezuela that is gaining increasing support from the people across the country.
07:05While, on the other hand, the participation and the interest amongst the people in the Western capitalist countries is going down.
07:14This political system, the economic system is increasingly discredited, while in Venezuela it is increasingly popular for people to participate in their own activity.
07:26I mean, you know, one of the slanders is that, oh, this type of participatory elections is to have sort of a controlled opposition.
07:35Well, how come the opposition in Venezuela, the so-called opposition, the business people, all the main business federations, do not support the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela?
07:52And they, of course, are participating in this activity today.
07:56So there's no controlled opposition.
07:58What the United States wanted to control as the opposition, they've lost control of the narrative.
08:03They've lost control of the opposition.
08:05And most of the people in Venezuela, even if they may have differences with the Bolivian orientation, are participating in this activity today.
08:15People from 15 years and older, that is really an amazing aspect that I have to highlight.
08:20People, young people, participating in this activity, seeing through their own daily activity today, what it means in the real world for people to govern themselves through a political system that responds to their basic aspirations and dignity.
08:38Now, precisely, Arnold, in terms of what you were saying, of course, we cannot forget to say that this is happening while the U.S. is weaponizing terms such as the so-called war against drug trafficking or democracy itself.
08:56And this is being carried out while the largest military deployment that the region has been seeing is stationed there in the Caribbean.
09:05How are you viewing this recent escalation of threats from the U.S. to Venezuela and the way that Venezuela is responding as well?
09:13I've been following it very closely, as you know.
09:15I mean, one thing I noticed, when the, you know, the so-called gunboat diplomacy, violent gunboat diplomacy carried out by the United States against the fishing vessels in the Caribbean, at that time when it started, there was around 4 million members of the militia.
09:35That is, in addition, who the formal armed forces, now that 4 million jumped to over 8 million in a period of several months after the United States started their aggressive activities and President Maduro called on the people to enlist in the militias.
10:02That was a response.
10:03That is another example how Venezuela is a protagonist democracy.
10:09People govern themselves.
10:10If people do not see the revolution as their revolution, why would they give up their comfort at home and enlist to be part of an armed militia to confront the most powerful army in the world, that of the United States?
10:25That goes a long way to show the content of the Bolivarian revolution and the importance that people see in defending their own revolution against the United States.
10:35And I'm convinced that irrespective of what the United States does, they will not be able to make Venezuela capitulate or lose in the long term.
10:45Thank you so much, Arnold, for giving us all this context to better understand what is happening right now in Venezuela.
10:55It's a pleasure to have you, as always.
10:56It's a pleasure to be with you once again.
11:00Thank you very much.
11:03Analyst Arnold Agus here in From the South wants more to understand and analyze this fourth public consultation in Venezuela.
11:11And precisely in this context, the Minister for Communes and Social Movements, Ángel Prado, highlighted that 79 international observers are in the country to witness the democratic participation of the Venezuelan people.
11:25There are 79 international observers who came from Latin America, the United States and Europe, and these people will inform their countries, the world, and their people about what they are seeing today.
11:42And in this context, Venezuelans express the importance of popular power and the turnout for the public consultation in the face of the military threats from the U.S.
12:12Today, with great joy, we, the people, again exercise our right to vote, to participate.
12:19As our revolutionary government establishes, our president has called us to support our communities.
12:24Today, we sent a strong message faced with a military siege that we have from the U.S. government.
12:29Well, this is another demonstration that we, the Venezuelans, resolve our situations in peace, with votes, and with the democratic participation of the people.
12:36Today, we are here in this electoral party where we are presenting seven projects to the community so that the communities can be the participants and the ones who choose their project to solve the problems in our communities.
12:58And from here, we also send a greeting to our president, Maduro, for his successful decisions, such as empowering the people with their needs, and for the people to be the ones to execute their projects.
13:13Now, we have a short break coming up, but first, remember, you can join us on TikTok at Tell Us of English, where you will find news in different formats, news updates, and much more.
13:27We'll be right back. Stay with us.
13:28Welcome back to From the South. We continue with more information.
13:45The first G20 Leaders Summit held on the African continent concluded its first day in Johannesburg, the first financial heart of South Africa,
13:55with a joint statement of initiating a strong cohesion of the global south.
14:00Among the declarations adopted the establishment of a framework on critical mineral resources and the commitment to address geopolitical tensions, global warming, and armed conflicts stand out.
14:11The countries of the global south welcomed the proposal by the Russian representative against Western sanctions, pointing out that they aim to collapse some of the economies within the G20.
14:24The bloc is also working on responses to Western measures, such as the application of tariffs and the expansion of the United Nations Security Council.
14:33The meeting also sent a clear message to those who tried to boycott the 20th meeting, ratifying the commitment to the first summit held on the African continent.
14:44Precisely at the G20 summit in South Africa, Brazilian President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva denounced the United States military operation in the Caribbean
14:58and assured that he will talk with President Donald Trump to avoid a war.
15:02I am concerned because South America is considered a zone of peace, we are a continent that does not have nuclear weapons, we do not have atomic bombs, we have nothing.
15:16There we like to work, to develop, and grow.
15:19I am very concerned about the military apparatus that the United States has positioned in the Caribbean.
15:24I am very concerned, and I intend to discuss this with President Trump, because it is causing me concern.
15:30Brazil has responsibilities in South America.
15:33Brazil borders Venezuela, and that is no small thing, and I suppose it makes no sense to have a war now.
15:39That is to say, we will not repeat the mistake that occurred in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
15:44And from these statements of the Brazilian president, we go now to Brazil, as former President Jair Bolsonaro will be taking to custody hearing after being arrested for violating a preventative measure.
16:00The Supreme Federal Court announced that the hearing will be held this Sunday via videoconference at the Superintendency of the Federal Police of Brasilia.
16:10The officials further explained that this is a mandatory process to verify the legality of the arrest.
16:16The former president was taken to jail after attempting to break using a wielding torch the electronic ankle monitor he had been wearing since July.
16:31And the latest report from the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, reveals an increase in sexual violence cases against children in Haiti.
16:39In 2024, the organization reported that cases had skyrocketed by 1,000 percent.
16:46The current situation has worsened and registers cases of extreme brutality where some children are even mutilated.
16:54Authorities demand that the transitional government stop the violence against minors, not only these abuses, but also the recruitment of children by armed criminal groups.
17:03The publication of this report coincides with a plan that was revealed by U.S. authorities, according to which two citizens of that country, one of them, a member of the armed forces, were planning massacres and the sexual slavery of children and women in Port-au-Prince.
17:22The citizens face charges of conspiracy to mutilate and kidnap in a foreign country.
17:28We have a second short break coming up now, but before we invite you to visit our Facebook page at Telesur English, there you'll be able to watch our top stories, special live coverages and much more.
17:42Follow our page and activate notifications to stay up to date on the world's most recent events.
17:47Final short break. Don't go away.
17:49Welcome back to From the South. We continue with more information.
18:01Ukrainian military forces attacked a residential building in the Russian province of Belgorod.
18:06Russian authorities reported this Sunday that Ukrainian attack was carried out with an unmanned aerial vehicle and caused significant damage to the building.
18:16They reported that there were no injuries and that emergency services remain on site to assess the damage and impact.
18:24In addition, they warned that in the last 24 hours, Kiev has attacked other civilian areas of Russia.
18:31Moscow Governor Andrei Boronvyov denounced a drone attack against a power plant in the city of Shatura.
18:39For its part, Russian forces have only responded against military installations.
18:46And the Israeli military attacked the Daya residential area in the southern suburbs of Beirut in Lebanon on Sunday, leaving at least five people dead and 25 injured.
19:00This attack is the latest violation of the ceasefire that Israel signed one year ago to end hostilities in Lebanon that had erupted into a full-blown war.
19:10Lebanon's official national news agency reported the airstrike targeted the apartment building in Harit Knek, inflicting significant damage on cars and surrounding buildings.
19:21For its part, the Tel Aviv regime claims the attack was an operation against Hezbollah and failed to issue an evacuation warning beforehand.
19:30In this context, Lebanese members of parliament condemned the Israeli attacks and vowed to continue steadfast in the face of the Zionist aggression.
19:41This is definitely a civilian area and void of any military presence here in the heart of the southern suburbs, especially the neighborhood where we stand.
19:58We continue in our steadfastness in the face of the Israeli enemy, and we tell the Israeli enemy that what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger.
20:08We are strong.
20:09We go now to Palestine as the Israeli army has killed more than 340 Palestinians since the start of the truce on October 10th in the country.
20:39Palestinian authorities also reported that 875 have been wounded across the coastal enclave during the same period.
20:49The Gaza press office reported that in the last 24 hours, at least 24 people were killed and another 87 were injured following a wave of new Israeli bombings.
21:00The office informed that since the ceasefire, Israeli troops have carried out approximately 142 attacks against civilian areas in addition to 228 ground and air bombings, 21 illegal incursions, and the demolition of hundreds of structures.
21:19And Israel stole more than 104 hectares of Palestinian land in the northern Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank.
21:31The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported that Israeli authorities issued nine orders for the confiscation of property for military purposes in the towns of Tamun, Tayezid, and Taluza.
21:43The commission warned that the orders showed that this illegal occupation includes a project to build a 22-kilometer road and that it will deprive Palestinians of access to grazing lands in the eastern plains and give Israel more control over the territory.
22:00Meanwhile, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reported that since 2024, Israel has illegally occupied the equivalent of 42 percent of the West Bank territory.
22:11And like this, we have come to the end of this news brief.
22:18You can find these and many other stories on our website at tellustoryenglish.net.
22:22Also join us on social media.
22:24We are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok as well.
22:28For Tell Us Your English, my name is Belen de los Santos.
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