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Venezuela | Parliament approves partial reform to Hydrocarbon Law // Peruvians call to oust interim president Jose Jeri // Russian and Palestinian presidents hold bilateral talks. teleSUR
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NewsTranscript
00:00Venezuela's National Assembly approved on Thursday a partial reform to the
00:13hydrocarbon law. In Peru, various sectors are calling for the resignation of
00:20interim president Jose Heri, less than four months after taking office on
00:25suspicion on influence, peddling illegal sponsorship of interest and lack of
00:30transparency. And on Thursday Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his
00:38Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas during his official visit to Moscow to
00:43discuss issues of bilateral interest. Hello and welcome to From the South, I'm
00:51Alejandra Garcia from Telesur Studios in Havana, Cuba. We begin with the news.
01:07Venezuela's National Assembly approved on Thursday a partial reform to the
01:11hydrocarbon law. Partial Parliament President Jorge Rodriguez opened the vote
01:16for the reform under article 203 of the nation's constitution, which was approved
01:22by a qualified majority. The reform seeks to ease and increase oil production in the
01:28Bolivarian nation. Rodriguez also highlighted the importance to implement a
01:32law to protect the income of the Venezuelan people.
01:39Also in this context, Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez called for
01:44advances in political coexistence and also for the consolidation of regional unity in
01:49the face of imperialism. During the first annual session of the Federal Government
01:54Council, Acting President Rodriguez reported having held a conversation with
01:59Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, where they exchanged condolences for the
02:03casualties caused by the U.S. aggression on January 3rd. In turn, Rodriguez
02:07reiterated that diplomatic dialogue with Washington is continuing to address the
02:11most sensitive differences, an action she framed in the context of Bolivar's legacy
02:17or in the face of monroism. In addition, she mentioned upcoming announcement on
02:22policies of coexistence and tolerance and reported that by 2026, the country projects
02:28the 37% increase in foreign currency resources for public management.
02:33In this context, the Acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, announced that the first national
02:42popular consultation of 2026 will be held on March 8th.
02:48I also wish to inform you that the first popular consultation of this year will be held on March 8th,
02:58Women's Day, Women's Day so that we may go forward in the spirit of our women, our warriors.
03:07Let's go to the popular consultation and the projects will be aimed at choosing between
03:12transformation number one, which is economic transformation into productive projects, and
03:18transformation number two, which is the human city in infrastructure, works and services.
03:24You will be able to choose projects between these two transformations.
03:28I also want to announce that this month we will be carrying out the second Obraton.
03:36Since October, we have delivered 20,800 works, and this month we will deliver 8,234 works that are ready for our people.
03:49And the process of releasing prisoners in Venezuela continues into its second consecutive week.
03:55The Minister for Interior Justice and Peace, Justado Cabello, announced that another group of people
04:00has benefited as part of the national reconciliation process.
04:03The Ministerial Office has insisted that this process, promoted by the Venezuelan Executive,
04:09in collaboration with the Judiciary and the Moral Authority for the Review of Cases,
04:14has the fundamental purpose of ensuring peace in Venezuela.
04:18In this scenario, on Thursday, Ukraine's foreign minister confirmed the release of three nationals
04:23and expressed his gratitude for the mediation of the United States and its European partners.
04:28As part of this process, the family of the far-right former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez
04:33confirmed the release of his son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, the only detained for whom the extremist leadership had requested.
04:42Let's remember that President Donald Trump's Special Envoy to Venezuela, Richard Grenell,
04:47assured that many releases from prison were delayed since his first visit to the country in January 2025
04:54because the leader of the violent riots in Venezuela, Maria Corina Machado, refused to submit a list of names.
05:01Also in Venezuela, on Thursday, the head of the Strategic Operational Command on the Venezuelan Armed Forces, General Domingo Antonio Hernandez,
05:13announced new appointments in the Integral Defense Zones, known as SODI, and in the Integral Defense Regions, REDI.
05:20On his telegram account, the General thanked the outgoing officers and congratulated and welcomed the new appointments,
05:27including Major General Pablo Lizano Colmenter, who will take over the Strategic Region of Integral Defense of Los Andes.
05:36For his part, Major General Erasmo Ramos Iriza will be in charge of the Eastern Redi.
05:43In the operational zones, Major General Rufo Barra Hernández takes command in Miranda,
05:49and Major General Miguel Cachacín Socorro in Delta Amacuro.
05:54Major Generals Jose Freyta Gómez, José Caldera Vivas, and Gustavo Elisaro Sánchez will command the SODI of Yarraquí, Monagas, and Barinas, respectively.
06:04And in the Eastern and Western Island Blocks, which perform a vital function in the defense of the nation's territorial waters,
06:11Vice-Admirals Juan Solórzano and Uldren Chede have been placed in charge.
06:17In the western part of the Bolivarian territory, the SODI of Tashira will be commanded by Major General Carlos Augusto Bastidas.
06:26On the other hand, the Aragua SODI will be commanded by Major General Francisco Sánchez Carballo,
06:33and the Falcon SODI by Major General José Herrera Duarte.
06:37Now we go to Cuba, where President Miguel Díaz-Canel addressed on Thursday his recent phone call with Venezuelan Acting President Delsi Rodríguez.
06:49Through a post on his ex-account, Díaz-Canel shared,
06:52I reiterated our strong condemnation of the military aggression by the United States and the kidnapping of constitutional president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores.
07:03Moreover, the Cuban president stated,
07:05I express our support and solidarity with the homeland of Bolivar and Chávez, its people, and the Bolivarian government,
07:12as well as our decision to continue strengthening our historic relations of brotherhood and cooperation.
07:18Also in Venezuela, the government began the second cycle of the Obraton program with the delivery of more than 8,000 projects to the Venezuelan people.
07:42The Venezuelan government kicked off this massive inauguration event,
07:46which includes the formal delivery of 8,234 infrastructure projects that have been completed in various parts of the national territory.
07:56The main focus of this phase is on the rehabilitation of vital spaces such as health centers, educational institutions,
08:04support facilities and the optimization of basic public services networks.
08:09In this regard, the Bolivarian government's initiative highlights the impact of social policies and response to joint planning between the state and the people's power to meet the needs of the population.
08:21And 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.
08:32We'll be right back, stay with us.
08:34Welcome back to From the South. This Thursday marks 20 days since the kidnapping of the constitutional president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,
08:38Nicolás Maduro-Moros and First Lady and Deputy Celia Flores, perpetrated on January 3rd by the U.S.
08:56government in an action that openly violated national sovereignty and international law.
09:13In Venezuela, the Bolivarian revolution continues having strong popular support with showcases being held from neighborhoods, communes and workplaces.
09:23Across the world, citizens, political organizations and international solidarity movements alike have raised their voices in defense of freedom, self-determination and the dignity of the Venezuelan people.
09:35The demand for the return of their legitimate leaders has become a cause for unity and resistance, a collective outcry against imperial aggression,
09:44interference and the systematic violation of the rules governing coexistence among nations.
09:49The people of Venezuela continued their demonstrations after the U.S. attack on January 3rd in which President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady and National Assembly Deputy Celia Flores were kidnapped.
10:04On Thursday, the healthcare sector took to the streets in defense of the sovereignty and peace of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and also to demand the return of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Celia Flores.
10:17Attendees thanked the government for its achievements in the health sector and reaffirmed their commitment to the Bolivarian revolution.
10:24In this regard, various social sectors such as farmers, educators and young people have also joined this demonstration to reaffirm their commitment to the people and government of Venezuela.
10:39And this day in Venezuela where the country held a memorial mass in honor of those who died during the U.S. military attack on January 3rd which took the lives of more than 100 people.
10:52The religious ceremony was held at the Central University of Venezuela in the city of Caracas as every Thursday the mass was celebrated by Father Eduardo Soto to honor the memory of those who died as a result of the U.S. attack on several cities in the country.
11:07This is part of the various activities and ceremonies held nationwide to honor those who lost their lives, both civilians and military personnel.
11:22And on Thursday, the third virtual discussion held by the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of America took place following the U.S. attack against Venezuela on January 3rd.
11:31In this scenario, Latin American leaders reaffirm their commitment to the struggle for peace, to the Bolivarian revolution and to demand for the release of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Celia Flores.
11:43The discussion condemned the U.S. violation of international law as well as the constant threat posed by imperialism in the current geopolitical landscape.
11:53In this context, the National Assembly Deputy Nicolás Maduro Guerra called on the world to unite against the imposition of ideologies that spread hatred, invasion and the privatization of international law.
12:06In other information, the Mexican government rejected Thursday Washington's anti-immigration policies after the raids carried out by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents against migrants.
12:21During her morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum informed that the work of Mexican consulates in the United States have been strengthened to follow up on the situation of Mexicans detained by ICE.
12:36The president reiterated her rejection of violent raids, affirming that Mexicans in the United States contribute to that nation's development.
12:44Sheinbaum also said she has expressed a rejection of ISIS aggression on repeated occasions in forums or directly to U.S. authorities.
12:57We have expressed in all forums, both in conversations with them and publicly, that we don't agree
13:05that Mexicans in the United States contribute honestly to the development of their country and the development of Mexico, not only with the remittances they send to support their families, which they never forget is something special about Mexicans, but also that Mexicans contribute to the economy of the United States.
13:31If the United States is what it is, it is partly due to the work of Mexicans for many years in that country.
13:38And now we go to Peru, where various sectors are calling for the resignation of interim President José Herí less than four months after taking office on suspicion of influence peddling, illegal censorship of interest and lack of transparency.
13:52The controversy began after evidence was revealed of private meetings not recorded in the official agenda with a Chinese businessman in this regard.
14:01The prosecutor's office has opened a preliminary investigation into alleged influence peddling and illegal sponsorship of interest.
14:09The unofficial meetings of the interim president also compromise him with a businessman linked to illegal logging.
14:16In this context, the so-called Generation CETA has called for protests to demand his removal, despite the fact that on Wednesday the head of state dismissed the seriousness of the allegations in a meeting with the press.
14:29And now we go to Honduras, where on Wednesday the National Electoral Council presented the presidential credentials to Nasri Asfura, considered by much of the population to be a de facto president imposed by the interests of the United States and drug traffickers.
14:48Despite denounces about the transparency of the elections results of November 30th, 2025, the CNE ratified the controversial victory of the now president.
15:04The exclusion of the media during the delivery of the document was fueled allegations about the legitimacy of this new term, which will follow the government of Sebastián Castro in January 2020.
15:17With a divided Congress and a majority of municipalities under the control of the right-wing National Party, the country is preparing for a transition marked by popular rejection and foreign interference.
15:32And now we have a second showbreak 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.
15:47Follow our page and activate the notification button to stay up to date on the world's most recent events.
15:52Final showbreak, we'll be right back.
15:53Welcome back to From the South. On Thursday, Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Heli Feng made one of the most important announcements of the Davos Forum Institute.
16:20In Switzerland speaking of his country's determination to become the world's market.
16:27The Deputy Prime Minister assured that boosting domestic demand is a priority on the economic agenda, as reflected in Section 15 of the Chinese government's five-year plan.
16:38In this way, Beijing has made it clear that its plan is to replace the United States as the world's main consumer market.
16:44In this context, the Deputy Prime Minister also reaffirmed China's commitment to trade and investment as strategies for promoting global development.
16:52Also on Thursday, US President Donald Trump launched the Board of Peace on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
17:05It is a new international structure presented as a mechanism to promote stability and ensure peace in areas affected by armed conflicts.
17:13The official White House statement regarding the creation of the Board of Peace links it to Trump's comprehensive plan for a ceasefire and the reconstruction of Gaza.
17:22However, the organization's statute does not limit its activities to Palestinian territory.
17:29The US head of state presides over the Board, finds its membership and has brought powers to veto decisions and remove members.
17:37In a geopolitical scenario of US imperialism, Trump suggested that the Board of Peace could eventually assume the functions of the United Nations or render the world institution obsolete.
17:55Let's take a closer look at the structure of the Board of Peace that will be shared by US President Donald Trump.
18:00Membership is limited to states, indicted by the Chairman.
18:05In this sense, member states are represented by heads of state or senior government officials and must contribute to operations in line with their domestic laws.
18:15While general membership terms last three years, this limit does not apply to states contributing more than $1 billion in the first year, which would grant them a permanent seat.
18:25Members of the Executive Board include former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
18:40And on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas during his official visit to Moscow to discuss issues of bilateral interest.
18:49During the meeting, the leaders discussed economic, commercial, cultural and humanitarian development as well as the situation in the Middle East and the Gaza Strip.
18:59Russian Head of State Vladimir Putin emphasized his willingness to allocate at least $1 billion from funds blocked by the White House to use President Donald Trump's Peace Council for the reconstruction of the Palestinian enclave.
19:12And in this scenario, Putin also highlighted that trade between Russia and Palestine continues to grow every day.
19:19You already heard that we are prepared to allocate $1 billion to this new structure, the peace council, primarily to support the Palestinian people and to use this fund for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and, more broadly, for resolving the Palestinian problems.
19:41As I've already said, with the asset frozen in the United States under the previous administration, I think this is entirely possible.
19:50We've discussed such options previously with the representative of the U.S. administration and a meeting and discussion on this topic is planned in Moscow today.
19:58In this context, the Palestinian President highlighted the resilience of his people amid the ongoing Israeli aggression.
20:08Mr. President, we suffer a lot within the Palestinian land. You know this very well.
20:21During the Israeli occupation which carried out a great deal of destruction in the Gaza Strip as well as in the West Bank of Jerusalem.
20:39The Palestinian people insisted that they would not leave their country no matter the cost.
20:45The people of Gaza are now living in tents. These tents are subject to rain, destruction and flooding. Yet, people are determined to remain in their land.
20:59We will not leave it. What we want is peace.
21:03And now we go to Japan where, on Thursday, the Kashi Wasaki Kariwa nuclear power plant, the largest in the world, was shot down by the Tokyo Electric Power Company, TEPCO,
21:17after an alarm was triggered in the monitoring system of reactor number 6, one day after its reactivation.
21:24The alert occurred during the removal of the reactor's control rods, which are essential for regulating its power and ensuring its safety.
21:33Although TEPCO tried to solve the problem by replacing electrical components, the situation reportedly possessed and an investigation has been launched.
21:41In this regard, the company ensured that the plant is in stable condition and does not pose a radiation risk to the outside world.
21:50The Kashi Wasaki Kariwa nuclear power plant was meant to make its return to operation after 15 years spent idly after the Fukushima disaster prompted a nationwide shutdown on 2011.
22:04And 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 www.telesurenglish.net.
22:15Also join us on social media. We are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram and TikTok as well.
22:21For Telesur English, I'm Alejandra Garcia. Thank you for watching.
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