- 2 hours ago
22/12/2025
FTS 16.30
*Honduras’ electoral crisis worsens amid growing fraud allegations.
*Death toll from Israel's genocide on Palestine surpasses 70,930.
teleSUR
These and many more stories now!
FTS 16.30
*Honduras’ electoral crisis worsens amid growing fraud allegations.
*Death toll from Israel's genocide on Palestine surpasses 70,930.
teleSUR
These and many more stories now!
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NewsTranscript
00:00The Venezuelan government sent a letter to United Nations member states denouncing the
00:14escalation of military aggressions by the US. In Honduras the electoral crisis worsens,
00:23allegations of fraud are increasing while uncertainty remains as to who will assume
00:28the presidency on January 27th. And the death toll from the Israeli aggression on Palestine has
00:37risen to more than 70,930 since October 2023 amid several violations of the ongoing ceasefire agreement.
00:46Hello and welcome to From the South. I'm Alejandra Garcia from Telesur Studios in Havana, Cuba.
00:56We begin with the news.
01:11The Venezuelan government sent a letter to United Nations member states denouncing the escalation
01:16of military aggressions by the US including the recent acts of piracy against Venezuelan oil tankers
01:21in the Caribbean Sea. On behalf of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Foreign Minister
01:27Iván Gil presented a statement to the international community denouncing the escalation of US interference
01:33attacks against the Bolivarian nation. In this regard, the Minister emphasized that between
01:38September 2nd and December 18th, 2025, US forces carried out 28 armed attacks against civilian vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in the extrajudicial
01:48execution of 104 people. In this context of unilateral external measures and violations of international law, the statement reaffirmed that Venezuela remains committed to maintaining peace in the region and calls on the international community to condemn these illegal actions and demand an end to the US military deployment.
02:07These actions are piracy acts according to international right and codified practice by the United Nations as illegal violent acts and predation done in high seas against vessels and cargo.
02:32The main object to combat piracy is to protect the free sailing and protection of the vessel. That is a universal principle that was broken in these illegal operations.
02:57In this context, Foreign Minister Iván Gil expressed the will of the Venezuelan government and people to defend their sovereignty and resources in the face of the ongoing aggressions and also referred to the economic implications of these actions.
03:10Venezuela. Venezuela reaffirmed its peace vocation but also said very clearly that it is ready to defend its sovereignty, its territorial integrity and its resources according to international rights. Nevertheless, we warn responsibly that these aggressions are not only going to be in Venezuela.
03:37Venezuela. This blockade and piracy against the energetic trade in Venezuela will affect also will go on to the international markets and will hit the Latin American economies in the world, especially in a most vulnerable country.
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04:27Also on Monday, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the arbitrary U.S. detention
04:35of a Venezuelan oil tanker as a serious violation of international law.
04:40Precisely, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated that all actions that violate the Charter
04:46of the United Nations and undermine the sovereignty of other countries will always be rejected
04:51by China.
04:52The spokesperson also responded to statements made by U.S. Secretary of Departments of
04:57Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, reminding her that Venezuela has the full right to maintain
05:02mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries.
05:05In response to the comment that the ship was operating clandestinely, the Chinese spokesperson
05:11made it clear that the unilateral sanctions imposed on the Bolivarian nation are illegal
05:15as they have no basis in international law and have not been authorized by the United Nations
05:20Security Council.
05:21In the face of these circumstances, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Iván Gil also unveiled on
05:30Monday, he held a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, reaffirming the
05:35bonds of brotherhood, respect and strategic cooperation that denied both nations.
05:41Addressing the conversation on his social networks, Gil informed they reviewed the aggressions and
05:47flagrant violations of international law that are being committed in the Caribbean, including
05:52attacks on ships, extrajudicial executions and the illegal acts of piracy carried out
05:58by the United States government.
06:00In this regard, the Venezuelan diplomat shared that Foreign Minister Lavrov firmly expressed
06:04Russia's solidarity with the people of Venezuela and with President Nicolás Maduro.
06:09He also ratified his full support in the face of hostilities against our country.
06:14Moreover, Gil highlighted how Lavrov noted that Russia supports Venezuela in defending the
06:20CELAC zone of peace and international law, emphasizing that such aggression cannot be tolerated.
06:27To close the review of the conversation, he unveiled that the Russian Foreign Minister vowed his country
06:33will provide its full cooperation and support to Venezuela against the blockade, expressing
06:39its total support for the actions taken within the United Nations Security Council.
06:44Also, on December 19, the Professional Staff Congress Delegate Assembly voted to pass a resolution
06:59repudiating the U.S. military aggressions against Venezuela.
07:03They also declared the beginning of actions to consolidate Union alliances against the U.S.
07:08interventionism.
07:10The resolution states that the demonization of Venezuela and other Latin American countries
07:15in mainstream U.S. media inflames xenophobic and racist narratives long used to justify
07:22interventions in the hemisphere.
07:24And such narratives directly impact CUNY's students and workers, many of whom are immigrants
07:30from Latin America and the Caribbean.
07:33It also adds, since the 19th century, the Monroe Doctrine has served as a justification for
07:39repeated U.S. political, military and economic interventions across Latin America and the
07:45Caribbean, undermining governments, social movements and trade unions committed to working
07:50class struggles, resulting in repression, military coups, sanctions and also widespread killings
07:56of civilians, workers and their organizations.
08:00Furthermore, U.S. militarization in the Caribbean carried out even as federal aid is slashed.
08:05Benefits are cut, Affordable Care Act premiums are set to rise and public resources are clawed
08:12back from New York City.
08:14They verse desperately needed funds from education, healthcare, housing, infrastructure and other
08:20social needs.
08:21The PSC opposes any U.S. military intervention, coercive action or aggression against Venezuela
08:27and any regional expansion of the conflict.
08:30Finally, the PSC will bring this resolution forward for consideration by our state affiliate
08:37NYSUT and our national affiliate, the AFT, in order to help build a broad labor movement
08:46that opposes U.S. intervention in Venezuela and supports sovereignty, peace and international
08:53law in the Americas.
08:53Also, in this context, the American Association of Jurists and other legal organizations addressed
09:04the United Nations to denounce the U.S. military expansion in Puerto Rico, turning the island
09:10into a forward operations base to attack the sovereignty of Latin America and the Caribbean.
09:16In a statement, the lawyers express, the international community has been monitoring the tensions that
09:21have arisen in the Caribbean with the military deployment of the U.S. naval forces and the
09:27executions of alleged drug traffickers in the waters north of Venezuela and in the Pacific
09:33Ocean west of Colombia.
09:35There is also the threat of a military invasion of Venezuela and this has led to widespread condemnation
09:41both inside and outside the United States, including a call from Pope Leo XIV for dialogue and
09:47against military intervention.
09:49The lawyers denounced and called on the international community to be alert to the fact that the
09:55militarization and military expansion of the United States in Puerto Rico has owned the Puerto
10:01Rican people's right to self-determination and independence.
10:04It is used as a bridge and base for aggression against the sovereignty of sister peoples in Latin
10:09America and the Caribbean and the destabilization of peace in the region.
10:19And now we have a short break coming up.
10:21But first remember you can join us on TikTok at Telestore English where you'll find news in
10:25different formats, news updates and much more.
10:28Don't go away.
10:29Welcome back to From the South.
10:42Let's talk about Honduras.
10:43The electoral crisis in the country is worsening while uncertainty continues regarding who will
10:48assume the presidency on January 27th.
10:50In this context, allegations of electoral fraud are increasing.
10:54On Sunday, the National Electoral Council held a plenary session marked by confrontation
11:00between its members.
11:01The meeting did not yet clarify the inconsistencies detected by the review boards of the Libre
11:07Party.
11:08In this scenario, Consulars Ana Paola Hall and Cosette Lopez continued to refuse the vote-by-vote
11:14count, while Consular Marlon Oshawa insists that this is the only way to clarify and make
11:19the process transparent.
11:26To date, the National Electoral Council, and with nine days to go before the declaration,
11:34has not agreed on the list of minutes that will be submitted for special scrutiny at the
11:40levels of the deputies and municipal cooperation of office.
11:44Nor has it resolved a single case of challenges.
11:47And today, I will be making a statement regarding more than 30 resolutions that have already been
11:53submitted to us.
11:54298 different files from the three elective levels have been submitted to the National
12:00Electoral Center, and must be resolved promptly.
12:05298 different files from the National Electoral Council, Marlon Oshawa.
12:06My position at the presidential level is that votes must be counted one by one to instill
12:12confidence in the honest people of the country regarding the results at the presidential level.
12:21In this scenario, the Consular of the National Electoral Council, Marlon Oshawa, also denounced
12:27the approval of a reform that authorizes modifications to the database of the system for transmitting
12:33the results of the general election.
12:34The reform, approved by Electoral Council representatives Cosette Lopez and Ana Paula Hall,
12:40authorizes three people to make computer corrections that will be directly incorporated into the
12:45general vote count without the plenary having prior knowledge of which data will be changed.
12:50In this regard, Marlon Oshawa denounced that 691 records will no longer be physically reviewed,
12:57but only corrected in the system, which deepens the lack of transparency in the electoral process.
13:03In this context, the CNE Consular recalled that the official list of records to undergo special scrutiny
13:09has not yet been defined and that not a single challenge has been resolved.
13:20In Honduras, the Liberal Party's presidential candidate Salvador Nasrallah stated that it is necessary
13:27to hold a new election after making accusations implicating Consular Cosette Lopez.
13:32Let's listen.
13:33I believe that now is the time to hold a new election for President of the Republic.
13:41Since these elections are completely fake and I have proof that they have been ripped,
13:49I will not accept being told between now and December 30, or before, that the National Party won
13:54and that the minutes couldn't be reviewed, because it is clear that they are preventing the records from being counted.
14:00And also the Attorney General's Office of Honduras filed a writ of habeas corpus for unknown whereabouts
14:06and possible unlawful detention of Ana Paula Hall Garcia and Cosette Alejandra Lopez,
14:11members of the National Electoral Council.
14:14In a statement, the Honduran Attorney General's Office specified the purpose of the action brought
14:19is for the competent judicial body to immediately and directly verify the personal situation of the Consulars
14:26mentioned in order to guarantee the effective protection of their fundamental rights to freedom, integrity and life,
14:33which the Constitution recognises as the supreme goals of society and the State,
14:39and concludes with following the Attorney General's Office of the Republic reiterates its commitment
14:44to act in strict accordance with the Constitution, the law and international human rights treaties,
14:51affirming that it will be attentive to the processing of the action brought before the Constitutional Chamber,
14:57as well as to the results of the proceedings that are ordered, which should provide certainty both to the persons involved
15:05and to the citizens in general.
15:08And we change of topic now, we go to Bolivia, where the Workers' Union is mobilising to demand that the government
15:17repeal the decree imposing a neoliberal economic policy that eliminates fuel subsidies.
15:23On December 17, the government of Rodrigo Passi should decree 5503, declaring an economic, financial, energy and social emergency
15:32and ordering the elimination of fuel subsidies.
15:35In this context, the trade union instructed more than 65 national organisations to continue the general strike,
15:43accompanied by protest and rejection of the decree.
15:46Workers complain that the measure increases the price of fuel and significantly raises production costs,
15:54which is a direct blow to the sector.
15:57The presence of mining cooperatives also seeks to exert pressure to open a channel of dialogue with the central government.
16:07And now we go live to Venezuela.
16:22The people is on the streets to support the government of President Nicolás Maduro
16:27and also against the constant aggressions, the constant actions of the US against the nation
16:33in an action that tries to harass, to destabilise the nation following a group of actions perpetrated without any justification
16:47and also unlawfully in Caribbean waters that have left at least 108 people killed in massive extermination
16:57and extrajudicial executions in Caribbean waters, all to put at risk the sovereignty of Venezuela
17:04and also to undermine the peace and undermine Latin America as a zone of peace as well.
17:12This is what is happening at this moment in Venezuela.
17:15The people is massively supporting the peace in Venezuela, supporting its government,
17:20its Bolivarian government led by President Nicolás Maduro.
17:25Now we have a second showbreak coming up.
17:32Before we invite you to visit our Facebook page at Telesur English,
17:36there you'll be able to watch our top stories, especially live coverage and much more.
17:41Follow our page and activate the notification button to stay up to date on the world's most recent events.
17:46For a showbreak, we'll be right back with more information.
17:49Welcome back to From the South.
18:16The death toll from the Israeli aggression on Palestine has risen to more than 70,930 since October 2023 amid several violations of the ongoing ceasefire agreement.
18:31According to the most recent report from Palestinian health authorities, the majority of murders by the Tel Aviv occupation forces are of women and children.
18:40They also noted that the total number of injured has risen to more than 171,190 and that many of the victims remain trapped under the rubble, so rescue workers continue their efforts.
18:54Despite the ceasefire agreement that began on October 11, 2025, at least 405 deaths and 1,115 injuries have been recorded, while they have managed to recover about 650 bodies.
19:09And in other topics, we go to Lebanon, three people died as a result of an Israeli attack on a car in the district of Sidon, representing another violation of the ceasefire in effect since the end of November 2024.
19:30Israeli forces have confirmed the responsibility for the bombing and emphasized in a brief statement that the target was several Hezbollah terrorists.
19:39Despite the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which marked its first anniversary at the end of November, Israeli attacks on Lebanese territories are practically daily.
19:49In this regard, the United Nations reported that at least 127 civilians have been killed by these attacks since the agreement was reached.
19:58An Tianjin is one of the four municipalities directly administered by the central government of China, located in the north of the country, near the capital of Beijing, at the mouth of the high river,
20:26on the East China Sea, our corresponding in China, Bruno Falzi is there and is bringing us the first of his reports on the city's heritage.
20:38Tianjin is a city of great historical, economic and cultural significance.
20:43It was founded as a port city during the Ming dynasty in the 14th century. Among the city's highlights is the famous Pingju Theatre. We spoke with the theatre's current director and lead actress, who has received numerous national awards.
21:02Pingju Theatre has played a very important role in the cultural history of our city and all of China, and Tianjin has been central to the geographical development and popularization of this theatrical style.
21:14The defining characteristics of Pingju is its dynamism and its connection to everyday life, something that inspires me to keep it alive while simultaneously innovating.
21:22The Tianjin Pingju Theatre has cultivated great artists and produced landmark works that have received the most prestigious national awards. Today, John Tallens continues this tradition, ensuring that Pingju remains popular, relevant and appreciated throughout the country.
21:36Zeng's influence makes her the most representative figure in Pingju today, and her leadership guarantees the theatre's continuity and modernization.
21:48Pingju combines singing, acting, dance and music, and is known for its expressive narratives that closely reflect everyday life.
21:58Pianjin's rich cultural heritage encompasses diverse artistic expressions.
22:26Pianjin's diverse artistic expressions, with stage dedicated to performance of music with traditional instruments and Chinese comedies performance.
22:36It's a reflection of how a country looking toward modernity and the future doesn't forget its traditions.
22:44Tianjin has a very colourful and also diversified cultural development,
22:50and with different forms of folk arts, like Pingju theatre, as well as the stage drama imported from overseas countries in modern times,
23:00as well as some other folk arts like the clipping talk or standing cross talk, etc.
23:07So Tianjin, I think, has the highlight of balance, the balance of tradition and modernization,
23:14and the balance of the folk arts and also the modern cultures,
23:19and also the balance of the people's lifestyle, which is quite relaxing.
23:25The city also stands out for the preservation of its historical heritage,
23:30where streets, shops, and traditional Chinese buildings showcase the richness of a continuous civilization,
23:38the oldest in the world.
23:40Falsi, Tianjin, China, for Telesur.
23:46And after this report from our correspondent in China, we have come to the end of this news brief.
23:52Remember, you can find this and many other stories on our website at Telesur English.net.
23:57We also invite you to join us on social media.
23:59We are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram, and also TikTok.
24:04For Telesur English, I'm Alejandra Garcia. Thank you for watching.
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