- 5 minutes ago
25/02/2026
FTS 12.30
Several Latin America countries in alert over heavy rains
Iran rejects U.S. allegations on nuclear activities
FTS 12.30
Several Latin America countries in alert over heavy rains
Iran rejects U.S. allegations on nuclear activities
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NewsTranscript
00:08Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum presented on Wednesday an electoral reform bill that will be sent to the National Congress to
00:15begin debate.
00:19Torrential rains affect several countries in Latin America, leaving dozens of deaths and missing in Brazil and flooding and serious
00:27damage in other countries.
00:33Iran dismissed new United States allegations about its nuclear and missile activities as light and announced a coordination disinformation campaign
00:42against the country.
00:48Hello, welcome from the South. I am Lorena Fong from Telesur Studios in Havana, Cuba. We begin with the news.
00:54Stay with us.
01:08Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum presented on Wednesday an electoral reform bill that will be sent to the National Congress to
01:15begin debate.
01:15The head of the Presidential Commission for Electoral Reform, Pablo GĂłmez, revealed that 181 people directly linked to the Mexican
01:24electoral system participating in the consultations for the drafting of the new law.
01:28He also explained that the will of the people has led to a new measure for exercising power, while the
01:35implementation of the social program has changed political relationships.
01:39The initiative was developed over six months by the Commission with the aim of changing the country's electoral system.
01:53The Mexican Congress approved on Tuesday a constitutional reform to reduce the work week from 48 to 40 hours, a
02:00longstanding debt to the country's working class.
02:02The bill was passed with a total of 469 votes in favor in the 500-member lower house after it
02:11was unanimously approved by the Senate.
02:13The proposal was first revealed by President Claudia Sheinbaum in December 2025.
02:17The pushback from business leaders delayed the discussion for the weeks.
02:22The rollout begins in 2027, reducing work time by two hours each year until 2030.
02:30The police seeks to raise productivity, lift consumer spending and improve quality of life instead of relying on longer hours.
02:39Our 34.4 million workers, particularly manufacturing, retail, hospitality and construction, will face shorter hours and higher wages.
02:54On Tuesday, in Peru, Denise Miralles, former Minister of Economy and Finance, was appointed President of the Council of Ministers
03:02in the Government of Interim President JosĂ© MarĂa Valcázar.
03:05Although economist Hernando de Soto had confirmed his willingness to accept the position hours earlier, disagreements between him, the interim
03:14president and several political parties led to this decision.
03:18Miralles' appointment represents a new chapter in the current administration, which seeks to implement policies aligned with the progressive vision.
03:25Hours later, the interim president of the South American countries were in the new ministerial cabinet.
03:47In other topics, torrential rains affect several countries in Latin America, leaving at least dozens of deaths and missing in
03:54Brazil, and flooding and serious damages in other regions.
03:57According to a report issued by the Fire Department of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, 37 people have died,
04:04and over 30 remain missing in the state with the Juiz de Fora, being the city most affected by the
04:10weather event.
04:11Authorities have also revealed the death of at least five miners and informed that rescue teams continue searching for the
04:17missing.
04:17The governments of the affected areas have declared a state of public calamity due to the damage caused by the
04:24storm.
04:32Meanwhile, Peru has declared a state of emergency in more than 700 districts due to the severity of the rainfall
04:39which has affected various regions.
04:40The Council of Minas Gerais announced that the measure affects its deaths were reported and thousands of people were left
04:47homeless, in addition to structural damage to schools, healthcare centers and streets covered in mud.
04:53The Peruvian territory is currently in the initial phase of the coastal El Niño phenomenon according to confirmation from the
05:00National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology, which explains the significant increase in rainfall.
05:13And in Colombia, alerts have been reactivated following confirmation of the arrival of a new cold front over the Colombian
05:19-Caribbean sea that could bring increased rainfall, strong wind gusts and waves.
05:24According to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies, the system expected to impact the insular Caribbean, Andean and
05:33Pacific regions, with a significant rise in precipitations in several areas.
05:37Authorities warned that these conditions could increase the risk of land lights, floods and flooding.
05:49Around 40 flights between Puerto Rico and the United States were cancelled due to the snowstorms.
05:55The company Aerostar suspended the arrival of 24 flights from the United States, affecting 1,380 passengers, and the departure
06:04of another 17 flights from San Juan, affecting another 1,724 passengers.
06:11Some of the cancelled destinations were the Dominican Republic, Boston, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, and Philadelphia.
06:18Authorities announced that it would take several days for air travel to return to normal.
06:28And now we have a short break coming up, but first remember you can join us on TikTok at Telesur
06:32English where you will find news in different formats, news updates and more.
06:36We'll be right back, stay with us.
06:57Welcome back to From the South. We continue with more information.
07:00Cuban President Miguel DĂaz-Canel further denounce on Tuesday the decades-long United States blockade on the island as the
07:07cause of its current complex situation.
07:14We work together in good times and bad times. We live in a complex national context marked by economic difficulties
07:22in a turbulent global scenario.
07:24There is accumulated pain in our neighborhoods, legitimate discontent, impatience.
07:30These are exacerbated by the weight of the criminal blockade, the inclusion in a manipulated list of countries that support
07:38terrorism, maximum economic pressure to suffocate us, the application of coercive, unilateral measures, the aggressive pressure of hatred as a
07:49fundamental component of the incessant media warfare,
07:52which seeks to discredit and divide us, the dictate of a genocidal executive order that seeks to deprive the country
08:01of important, vital energy supplies, and along with that, a long list of attacks and threats, also with our own
08:10mistakes.
08:12We are obliged to recognize and make amends without excuses, because only what it is first face on and without
08:19total honesty can be transformed.
08:21We will struggle, we will fight, we will resist, we will transform, and above all adversities and imperial threats, we
08:31will grow, and we will prevail.
08:36In Honduras on Thursday, the delegation of given doctors who worked at the Free Ophthalmological Clinic in Colinas, in the
08:44Santa Barbara Municipality,
08:44says goodbye amidst applause and tears for their patients after the closure of their operations.
08:51The clinic was part of the Miracle Program mission, which has provided free eye care in four cities of the
08:57country, benefiting more than 44,000 patients since its opening,
09:01although the government of Nasri Asfura has expressed its intention to seek alternatives to maintain the service without Cuban assistance.
09:09Critics warned that the quality of care could be compromised due to the lack of Honduran specialists in ophthalmology.
09:17The closure of the clinic has caused concern among patients who depend on these free services to improve their visual
09:24health.
09:30Also, the Caribbean Community CaricĂłn at the 16th extraordinary meeting of the Community Council of Ministers in St. Kitts and
09:38Neves called for collective action for Cuba.
09:41The countries of the organization ratified their support for the Cuban people in the face of the strategy of isolation
09:47and economic suffocation that the United States is illegally imposing on the island.
09:52The acting president of the alliance, Terence Drew, called for the design of concrete support mechanisms to turn CARICOM into
10:00an acting forum.
10:01In this regard, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holmes, warned that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will affect migration,
10:08security and regional economic stability and call for courageous actions in the face of a situation that goes beyond the
10:16bilateral level and threatens the Caribbean as a whole.
10:23The humanitarian situation.
10:24But the humanitarian situation in Cuba, our community must address.
10:32For a destabilized Cuba will definitely affect the whole region.
10:39A destabilized Cuba will destabilize all of us.
10:44And as a matter of course, it is important that the community looks at the humanitarian issue in Cuba,
10:51treats it extremely seriously.
10:55And the community must serve as a conduit to ensure that there is communication and dialogue
11:02between the forces that be, so that the best opportunity can be had.
11:13On Tuesday, during the United Nations conference on disarmament,
11:17Venezuelan foreign minister Ivan Hill called for an end to international sanctions against his country
11:23and urged respect for the sovereignty of states.
11:28Unilateral coercive measures against Venezuela have been applied as a form of economic aggression
11:34that violates national sovereignty and international law.
11:39The aim is to suffocate the state and force political changes,
11:43directly impacting the human rights and well-being of the civilian population.
11:48This methodology of destabilization, coordinated with various actors within and outside the region,
11:54is a well-known practice in contemporary history with profoundly disruptive consequences for international stability.
12:01The bombing of January 3, 2026 against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
12:08constituted an act of armed aggression
12:10in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 33.14.
12:16The world witnessed the murder of more than 100 people, both military personnel and civilians,
12:23in violation of international law and international humanitarian law.
12:34We have a second show break coming up before we invite you to visit our Facebook page at Telestore English.
12:39There you'll be able to watch our top stories, special live coverage and much more.
12:43Follow our page and activate the notification button to stay up to date on the world's most recent event.
12:48Final show break, don't go away.
13:07Welcome back to From the South.
13:08The United States President Donald Trump concluded his State of the Union address on Tuesday night,
13:14emphasizing the issues of the economy and security,
13:17and without mentioning the social crisis affecting millions of people in the country.
13:21The speech, strongly marked by the neoliberal and imperialist rhetoric of the Trump administration,
13:27provided details of the President's actions in the current term to the U.S. legislature.
13:32In this context, the President continues his offensive against the migrant community in the country,
13:37blaming them for the nation's problems,
13:40in addition to announcing, in the midst of a fentanyl crisis,
13:43crisis, easier access and lower prices for the purchase of prescription medications.
13:57The official democratic rebuking to the presidential address was offered by Virginia Governor Abigail Spamberger,
14:04who focused her speech on Trump's failure to deliver costs,
14:09safety and humanity to the United States people during his term in office.
14:13Because since this President took office last year,
14:17his reckless trade policies have forced American families to pay more than $1,700 each in tariff costs.
14:26Small businesses have suffered, farmers have suffered, some losing entire markets.
14:31Every day, Americans are paying the price.
14:35And even though the Supreme Court struck these tariffs down four days ago,
14:40the damage to us, the American people, has already been done.
14:45Our President told us tonight that we are safer.
14:48Because these agents arrest mothers and detain children?
14:52Think about that.
14:53Our broken immigration system is something to be fixed,
14:58not an excuse for unaccountable agents to terrorize our communities.
15:08In this context, United States Democratic Representative Al Green was squirted out of the House chamber
15:13after staging a protest during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address,
15:18holding a sign that red black people are apes.
15:22The protest referenced a social media video previously shared by Trump
15:26depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes,
15:31sparking widespread backlash before its removal.
15:34Green defended his actions by invoking the legacy of civil rights figures
15:40such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks
15:43and affirmed that sometimes you have to take a stand even if you are alone.
15:54Tonight, I wanted him to have a person confront him and let him know that black people aren't apes,
16:03that black people are not going to tolerate this kind of behavior.
16:07I don't speak for everybody, but I speak for people of goodwill who understand that
16:12if you tolerate this kind of behavior, you perpetuate it.
16:17I refuse to tolerate this level of hate that the president is, in fact, putting into policy.
16:24We must take a stand against this level of invidious discrimination.
16:31Dr. King went to jail for taking a stand.
16:35Rosa Parks went to jail for taking a stand.
16:38Sometimes you have to take a stand.
16:40Rosa Parks was alone when she was arrested in a racist southern town, but she was there.
16:48There are times when it is, on some issues, better to stand alone than not stand at all.
16:54I stood alone, but I assure you, I would do it again because he must know that there are people
17:02who would take a stand against his insidious behavior.
17:12Iran dismissed the new United States' allegation about its nuclear and missile activities
17:17and the number of people killed during recent riots as a series of big lies
17:21and denounced what it called a coordinated disinformation campaign against the country.
17:27Iranian foreign minister spokeswoman Ismail Bagheye said on next Wednesday
17:31that the repeated allegation made by U.S. official and Israeli regime
17:36relied on the deliberate creation of a false reality
17:39and compared them to Nazi Joseph Goebbels' methods of propaganda.
17:44Bagheye's statements came after he commenced by United States President Donald Trump
17:49who claimed in a speech to Congress that Iran was working on ballistic missiles
17:54capable of reaching United States territory and threatening Europe and United States bases abroad.
18:07In this context, a senior Iranian military official warned the United States
18:12not to mistake Iran for other countries and affirmed that Tehran would respond decisively
18:17to any act of aggression.
18:19The political deputy of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces' ideological political office,
18:25Brigadier General Rasul Sanehrad, said that the recent movements of United States naval forces
18:31in the region will not intimidate Iran.
18:34He also stressed that Washington misjudges Iran capabilities and public resolve
18:38and that any military miscalculation would bring heavy material and reputational costs for the United States.
18:45Washington began its war rhetoric against Iran after recent economic protests in the country,
18:50which were ejected by foreign spy agencies and turned violent.
19:00Russian authorities have reported that more than 30 civilians have been killed and at least 240 injures
19:07as a result of Ukraine's attacks on the province of Delgorod since the beginning of 2026.
19:33Ukrainian forces have been carrying out drone and missile attacks against populated neighborhoods
19:38with the aim of affecting citizens.
19:49In other topics, thousands of protesters gathered in the streets of Manila, Philippines,
19:55to mark the 40th anniversary of the fall of President Ferdinand Marcos' government,
19:59as well as they criticized the current government.
20:02During the protests, citizens demanded that the government of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hold officials accountable
20:08for widespread corruption involving the plundering of state funds.
20:12At the same time, they reported that police forces tried to intercept the protests before
20:17backing down and allowing them to pass.
20:19The march is taking place amidst the ongoing legal repercussion of the flood control project
20:25scandal.
20:34China celebrates an unprecedented milestone today.
20:37Five years ago, President Xi Jinping declared the total eradication of extreme poverty in the country,
20:43and now they have the highest common prosperity index on the planet.
20:47On February 25, 2021, the Chinese leader asserted that 850 million people had been lifted out of extreme
20:54poverty.
20:55The announcement also came amidst an economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.
21:01The offensive against poverty has been a fundamental pillar of the Communist Party since 1949 and
21:07the basis of its political legitimacy.
21:10Five years after declaring this victory, the country continues to build on its achievements.
21:21Like this, we have come to the end of this news brief.
21:23You can find this and many other stories on our website at www.telesuryenglish.net.
21:27And join us on social media.
21:29We are on Facebook, eggs, Instagram, Telegram and TikTok.
21:32For Telesury English, I am Lorena Fong.
21:36use
21:36Bye.
21:40Bye-bye.
21:41Bye.
21:41Bye.
21:42You
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