00:00The Supreme Court of Peru has condemned former President Pedro Castillo to 11 years in jail for alleged rebellion charges.
00:21Polls closed in San Vincent and the Granadians in the general elections are underway to renew 15 seats in Parliament.
00:28The election contest is between Prime Minister Ralf Gonsalves Labour Party and the New Democratic Party.
00:37And on Thursday, Pablo XIV arrived in Turkey on the first apostolic journey of his papacy.
00:48Hello and welcome to From the South. I'm Alejandra Garcia from Telesur Studios in Habana, Cuba.
00:53We begin with the news.
00:58The Supreme Court of Peru sentenced former President Pedro Castillo to 11 years, 8 months and 5 days for alleged rebellion.
01:14In this trial, former presidents of the Council of Ministers Aníbal Torres and Betsy Chávez have also been convicted.
01:20Let's recall that the crime of rebellion has been considered excessive by international lawyers arguing that numerous witnesses and documentary evidence show that Castillo acted in the legitimate exercise of his constitutional powers.
01:35Castillo denounced that his removal in 2022 was a parliamentary coup as it was carried out without obtaining the 104 votes required by the Constitution.
01:47The vote counting is underway in San Vincent and the Granadians as the island nation is set to elect its prime minister for the next five years.
02:02The current prime minister, Ralf Gonsalves, who is seeking for a new term, has already exercised his right to vote during the early hours of the day.
02:21Gonsalves faces the leader of the new Democratic Party, Godwin Friday, in this contested election.
02:28Likewise, the polling stations were open until 5pm local time, recording a steady flow of citizens throughout the day.
02:36Voter turnout, which was 66.95% in 2022, will be a key moment of civic engagement in a society turned between continuity and change.
02:52In this context, the prime minister of San Vincent and the Granadians, Ralf Gonsalves, reiterated his call for dialogue between the imperialist governments and Venezuela,
03:01and who warns about the dangers of a conflict in the region.
03:06Well, if you remember my statement at the General Assembly in September,
03:16I urged that a mature conversation be held between the United States of America and Venezuela to reduce tensions.
03:28a mature conversation without preconditions.
03:31When people talk, when nations talk, they do not fight.
03:40And invariably, when you fight, when the fight ends, you have to talk.
03:48So it is better if you talk in advance.
03:50And I would like also to see a mature conversation, also without preconditions, between the government of Trinidad and Tobago,
04:01and the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
04:05The tensions are not good for our region.
04:09For St. Vincent and the Granadians, any escalation, any war which arises, would mean, among other things, death and mayhem.
04:25And similarly, Ralf Gonsalves expressed optimism regarding the start of the limerary talks between the government of Venezuela and the United States.
04:34Yes. Well, I think many have spoken and some have not spoken.
04:39But I am heartened by the recent news that have come that there are at least some back channels for the commencement,
04:53at least for some preliminary conversations about talks between Venezuela and the United States of America.
05:00And I hope that those talks bear fruit and that we can have a normalization of relations between two countries which historically have had good relations.
05:13And let's take a closer look at the profiles of the candidates for Prime Minister in the general elections taking place in St. Vincent and the Granadians.
05:20The unity Labour Party's candidate is the current Prime Minister, Ralf Gonsalves, who was born on August 8th, 1946.
05:27Gonsalves studied economics and public policy at the University of the West Indies.
05:34During his doctoral studies, he spent a year at Makerere University in Uganda as a research associate.
05:41Gonsalves became Prime Minister of the country in 2001 and was re-elected in 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020.
05:51Among the candidates for the highest office in the Caribbean country is also Godwin Friday, president of the New Democratic Party and main leader of the opposition.
06:06Friday has been a member of the House of Assembly for the Northern Granadians constituency since 2001.
06:12His eligibility as a candidate has been the subject of legal debate as his opponents have argued that his Canadian citizenship could disqualify him.
06:22And now we have a short break coming up, but first remember you can join us on TikTok at Telesur English where you'll find news in different formats, news updates and much more.
06:36We'll be right back, stay with us.
06:37Welcome back to From the South.
06:53On Thursday, Venezuela is celebrated the 105th anniversary of Bolivarian military aviation and the 33rd of the heroic deed of November 27th of 1992.
07:04In this context, the president of Venezuela and chief commander of the Bolivarian armed forces, Nicolás Maduro, said that this celebration is joined by the courage and discipline as well as the historical strength of those who defend the homeland from the skies.
07:19For his part, Venezuela's minister of defense, Vladimir Padrino, also recalled the heroic deed of November 27th, 1992, when a group of patriotic military personnel and civilians, together with other members of the Venezuelan Air Force, rose up against the neoliberal government of the time, which he described as morally corrupt.
07:41And the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, in this context also emphasized that no threat or aggression will break the conscience of Venezuelans or their determination to remain in a sovereign country.
07:59Nothing has ever broken the Venezuelan will, neither the blockade, nor the sanctions, nor the psychological war, nor all that they say they are launching against Venezuela has been able to succeed, and they will never succeed.
08:18Where they tried to sow fear and division, the courage, will, bravery, and national unity have only grown stronger.
08:29And in Haiti, on Wednesday, the transitional government set the date for the presidential elections.
08:40The first round will be held on October 30th, 2026, and if necessary, a second round will be held on December 6th of the same year.
08:50The Provisional Electoral Council timeline foresees the new authorities taking office on January 20th, 2027.
08:58However, concerns persist about the future president's ability to address the security crisis and restore order in an environment marked by fear and violence perpetrated by criminal groups.
09:10Let's recall that according to the International Organization for Migration, the violence in Haiti has resulted in more than 16,000 homicides since 2022 and displaced over 1 million people.
09:28And we go to Cuba now.
09:31And we go to Cuba now.
09:32On Wednesday, the president of the island and also the president of the National Assembly of People's Power, Esteban Lazo, convened the sixth regular session of parliament in its tenth legislature.
09:44According to the schedule announced by the legislative leader, the parliamentary session will be held on December 18th, 2025, at the Convention Center in Havana.
09:55During the plenary session, compliance with the government program will be evaluated to correct distortions and boost the economy.
10:03In this regard, the economic objectives for 2026 will also be presented and the state budget project for next year will be analyzed.
10:12Before the plenary session, the permanent working committees of the legislative body will meet from December 15th to 17th.
10:21And now we go to Mexico.
10:28On Wednesday, merchants in the historic downtown of Mexico City reported the economic impact following the November 25th March.
10:37According to the National Chamber of Commerce, the closure of businesses and the decrease in customers affected more than 4,400 establishments in the commerce, services and tourism sectors.
10:49The institution added that owners also had to incur extra expenses to protect their premises, which represented a cost of more than 38 million pesos equivalent to more than 2 million dollars.
11:02The agency noted that businesses spend nearly 1 billion pesos, approximately 54.48 million U.S. dollars, on prevention and repair measures related to protests each year.
11:21And on Wednesday, the disciplinary committee of the Argentine Judicial Council decided to continue its investigation into federal judge Maria Eugenia Capuchetti.
11:29The decision was announced despite his attempts to dismiss the case investigating his actions in the attack against former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.
11:38The investigation focuses on irregularities committed in the first hours after the attack, where the lack of an adequate protocol for extracting data from the political leader's mobile device is questioned.
11:51The situation raises serious doubts about the impartiality and competence of Capuchetti in a case that has captured public attention and has significant implications for justice in the country.
12:04And we have a second show break coming up. Before we invite you to visit our Facebook page at Telesur English that you'll be able to watch our top stories, special live coverage and much more.
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12:27Final show break. We'll be right back.
12:54Welcome back to From the South.
12:57Palestinians and Palestinians denounce the high prices in the markets of the Gaza Strip and that goods are unaccessible.
13:04In the midst of the development of the first phase of the humanitarian ceasefire, the markets in the enclave have begun to be supplied with goods again.
13:12Despite this, the Gazans claim that prices are excessive in relation to their purchasing power and the cash shortage.
13:19Those affected emphasize that after the Israeli genocide, they lost everything, so they have no income or savings to pay for their supplies.
13:28Civilians demand that measures be taken to regulate prices.
13:32On Thursday, Pope Leo XIV arrived in Turkey on the first apostolic journey of his papacy.
13:54The Pope was welcomed with honors by Turkey's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmed Nuriyer Soy, as he disembarked from the plain.
14:04His visit is steeped in symbolism, commemorating the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea and featuring key meetings calling for peace and dialogue in a region considered by many to be the cradle of Christianity.
14:21With stops in Ankara, Istanbul from Thursday to Sunday, when he will depart for Lebanon, the Pope seeks to emphasize the search for peace and dialogue during his meetings with Turkish President Josep Tayyip Erdogan and with leaders and representatives of other faiths.
14:41On Wednesday, a major drone attack shook the Jormor gas field in the Sulamaynija governorate within the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq.
15:02The Ministries of National Resources and Electricity of Kurdistan issued a joint statement confirming that the regional government has suspended gas exports to the region's power plants due to a drone attack on the Jormor field.
15:17The attack caused significant material damage, although no human casualties were reported.
15:23Kurdish authorities have pointed to pro-Iranian militias as responsible for such aggressions, even naming the Popular Mobilization Forces.
15:32However, Baghdad has rejected these accusations while the Popular Mobilization Forces denied any involvement.
15:39And in other news, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the United States' views on Ukraine could serve as a basis for future agreements.
15:52The Russian leader stated that while the Kremlin has not yet reached a final decision, some aspects of the U.S. proposal would be helpful in negotiations with the United States.
16:04The leader of the Russian Federation also promised to address the recognition of Russian sovereignty over the annexed territories of Donbass and the Crimea Peninsula.
16:15The head of state emphasized that Russia will not be discussing long-term decisions at this time.
16:28According to other topics, the United Nations issued a statement expressing its concern about the situation in Guinea-Bissau following the recent military coup after the general elections.
16:39In a statement, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged the parties to exercise restraint and respect the rule of law to ensure peace in that African nation.
16:49The statement also highlighted that he will closely monitor the situation in the territory and call on the population to remain calm in the face of the new institutional collapse they are experiencing.
17:02Guinea-Bissau has been marked by political instability since its independence in 1974.
17:09Last Wednesday, General Orta Nam Tan was appointed a new leader for one year after ceasing power, arresting the president and closing the country's borders and airspace.
17:29And like this, we have come to the end of this news brief. Remember, you can find this and many other stories on our website at TelesurEnglish.net.
17:36Also join us on social media. We are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram and TikTok as well.
17:42For Telesur English, I'm Alejandra Garcia. Thank you for watching.
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