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* El Salvador approves life imprisonment for under 18 year-olds.
* Venezuela: Natl' assembly passes law to expedite administrative procedures
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00:13Iran denounces the coming of February 28th E.U.S.-Israeli attack on the Min-Dab school during an emergency session
00:19of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
00:27The Salvador Legislative Assembly ratified life imprisonment for children under 18 that committed serious crimes as President Nayib Bukele's State
00:35of Emergency enters its fourth year.
00:42The National Assembly of Venezuela unanimously approved in second reading the Organic Law for the Acceleration and Optimization of Administrative
00:49Procedures.
00:56Hello, I'm from the South. I'm Luis Alberto Matos from the Terezo Studios in Caracas, Venezuela. We begin with the
01:02news.
01:20During an emergency session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Iran denounces the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on a
01:26school on Min-Ab that killed 175 children and teachers
01:30and with the escalation of violence against the Persian nation.
01:33Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araki spoke at an emergency session of the U.N. Human Rights Council called by Iran,
01:39China and Cuba regarding the U.S.-Israeli attack on the Min-Ab school on February 28th where he condemned it
01:44as a barbaric attack.
01:46Furthermore, Araki denounces the attack as a calculated action denying the statements by the Trump administration alleging that the crime
01:53was merely an error.
01:54Moreover, the diplomat highlighted the impunity with which the United States and Israel commit violations of human rights and crimes
02:00against humanity.
02:07Targeting Shajara Tayyib school was a war crime and a crime against humanity, one that demands unequivocal condemnation by all
02:15and unambiguous accountability for the culprits.
02:18This atrocity cannot be justified, cannot be concealed, and must not be met with silence and indifference.
02:27The attack on Shajara Tayyib school in Min-Ab was not a mere incident nor a miscalculation.
02:34The United States' contradictory remarks aimed at justifying their crime could not in any manner elude their responsibility.
02:46The United Nations Security Council is set to hold a closed-door consultation on the Middle East conflict.
02:51According to the Associated Press news agency, Russia asked for the meeting on U.S.-Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructures in
02:58Iran.
02:58The consultation is set to take place on Friday in New York at 10 a.m. local time since the
03:02United States is currently holding the rotating Security Council presidency.
03:05The meeting comes amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East that is about to enter its fourth week caused
03:11by joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and that has provoked worldwide economic uncertainty.
03:23The United States President Donald Trump has pushed back a self-imposed deadline for attacks on Iran's power grid for
03:2810 days.
03:29On a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump made the announcement citing progress in negotiations to end the ongoing
03:35war in Iran after an alleged petition by the Iranian government.
03:38The post marked the second postponement Trump has announced since his first threatened Iran's energy system.
03:44Let's recall that on Sunday, Trump threatened to attack Iran's power grid if the Strait of Hormuz was not open
03:49within 48 hours.
03:51Later on Monday, he delayed the strikes for another five days based on good and productive conversations that Iran denies
03:57took place.
03:57This latest statement comes amid growing criticism of Trump's military campaign and the rising price of oil worldwide at the
04:04closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
04:13And in Lebanon, the Israeli army continues its invasion of the south of the country with a new evacuation order
04:20being issued and nearly one million people displaced.
04:22The latest evacuation order from the Zionist forces tell citizens to move north of the Sahranic River as Israeli forces
04:29are pushing even further north in the past couple of days, invading a broad area.
04:34This stage of the aggression has forced nearly one million people to flee southern Lebanon and has put incredible pressure
04:40on the country.
04:40For its part, the Israeli Defense Ministry has said that they want to push for a security bufferson in Lebanon
04:49that could occupy as much as 15% of Lebanese soil.
05:00An Israeli forces launched an airstrike on Friday targeting the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut.
05:06According to local sources, the airstrike targeted an apartment building opposite the Inman Khomeini complex in the Harid-Rik area.
05:13This attack comes after two days of relative calm in the area.
05:17Previously, the Zionist occupation forces had ordered its residents to evacuate, threatening to completely bomb the area.
05:23Meanwhile, explosions were also reported in the Harid-Yed Al-Gadir area, close to Beirut's international airport.
05:29So far, a toll of casualty is not certain.
05:40In Afghanistan, a second mass funeral was held in Kabul for the victims of the Pakistani bombing of a medical
05:46center.
05:46The bombing that destroyed and made a city in the Afghan capital on March 16th has left so far a
05:52death toll of 411 people.
05:54According to the spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Health, Sharafad Saman, there is still a large number of missing
06:01bodies.
06:02Saman further explained that the processes of identifying the victims are still ongoing amid difficulties arising from the great damage
06:10the bodies suffered.
06:11A first mass funeral was held earlier this week for a number of the deceased, while ambulance teams continue to
06:16transfer more bodies from the bombing site to burial sites.
06:23The 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization opened in Yunday, Cameroon on Thursday amid calls for urgent reform
06:31and concerns about the impact of geopolitical conflicts on global commerce.
06:35The four-day event brings together more than 80 ministers of economy, trade and development from around the world, alongside
06:41over 2,000 representatives of global economic and trade organizations.
06:47In his welcome remarks, Cameroon's Minister of Trade, Luc Marga Atangana, stressed the need for reforms within the institution to
06:54strengthen its capacity to respond to the changing world economy.
06:57The WTO's highest decision-making body is generally held every two years, with its 2026 edition being the second time
07:05the event has taken place in the African continent.
07:12Let's now take our first break. We're going to be right back.
07:35Welcome back.
07:36El Salvador's Legislative Assembly ratified life imprisonment for children under 18 that committed serious crime as President Nayib Bukele's State
07:43of Emergency enters its fourth year.
07:46On Thursday, the Legislative Assembly approved life imprisonment for murderers, rapists and gang-related terrorists in the country, a proposal
07:53put forward by President Bukele.
07:55Previously, the maximum sentence for underage citizens was of 60 years, with possibility of time production for good behavior through
08:02community service.
08:03The reform would come into effect eight days after its publication in the Official Gazette.
08:07This reform comes amid Bukele's alleged anti-gun war that is carried out under the state of emergency that has
08:12now been in place for four years,
08:15as human rights organizations condemn the regime's violations of human rights.
08:24Also on Thursday, in Chile, carabineros repressed high school and university students who demonstrated in Santiago to protest the rising
08:31fuel prices and the budget cuts announced by the government of Jose Antonio Cast.
08:35Carabineros roundly confronted the demonstration using water cannons and firing tear gas, those repeated and repressive practices that have left
08:43thousands injured and killed in the country.
08:46Protesters reject the historic 60% increase in gasoline prices and the nearly 3% budget cut which affects the
08:54education and health sectors.
08:55In this regard, the demonstrators say that the measures would impact the daily lives of Chileans, worsening the cost of
09:00food and transportation.
09:02In addition, the march opposes other policies of President Jose Antonio Cast, such as the ending of free university education.
09:14Today, university and secondary school students in Chile have risen to say enough.
09:19To the rollback being carried out by caste in education, we are at risk with free tuition.
09:25All those in debt with the state guaranteed credit are being persecuted, and this is something we cannot accept and
09:31must continue fighting to stop the regression being pushed forward by caste.
09:35The real cause of this mobilization is precisely the government, which has only come to instill fear and roll back
09:43the social rights we have achieved as students and as Chilean society.
09:50And the government of Mexico confirms that it will maintain the Cuban doctor's health program despite threats issued by the
09:56United States government.
09:57On Wednesday, during her morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum assured that Mexico will continue to have Cuban doctors working
10:05in the country at a time when other nations on the region have abandoned their agreements with the Cuban government
10:10due to increasing pressure from Washington.
10:12In this regard, Sheinbaum emphasized that the health mission is a bilateral agreement that makes a significant contribution to the
10:19Mexican health care system.
10:21Mexico's decision challenges Washington's restrictive policies towards Havana and reiterates the country's support for the Caribbean island.
10:33We have a very good agreement that helped us a lot.
10:37It's a bilateral agreement that is very beneficial for Mexico.
10:43First of all, we cannot forget that it was Cuban doctors who came to help us during the pandemic.
10:51Specialist doctors were needed in very difficult conditions.
10:57And it was the Cuban doctors who came to help us.
11:00They are not helping us in many places.
11:04And the Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico announced the activation of the Navy planning in search and rescue component
11:10to locate two vessels in the Mexican Caribbean that were headed to Cuba in order to deliver solidarity aid to
11:16the island.
11:16In a statement, the authority announced the Navy plan aims to locate two sailing vessels carrying nine crew members of
11:23different nationalities.
11:25The vessels departed on March 20th from Isla Mujeres in Quintana Roo bound for Havana, Cuba carrying solidarity aid.
11:33To date, there has been no communication or confirmation of their arrival.
11:37According to the available information, the vessels were expected to arrive between 24th and 25th of March,
11:42which is why the corresponding protocols were immediately activated in fulfillment of the Mexican state's responsibility to safeguard human life
11:49at sea.
11:50In addition, the document emphasizes that the Secretariat of the Navy respectfully calls upon the national and international maritime community,
11:57including commercial fishing and recreational vessels, as well as platforms operating in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico,
12:03to report any sightings of the aforementioned vessels immediately to the nearest naval authorities.
12:14The Director General of the World Health Organization, Tero Gabrielsos, denounced on Thursday the impact of the oil blockade imposed
12:21by the United States on Cuba's health care system.
12:24In a post on social media, ex-Gabrielsos stressed that health should be protected at all costs and never be
12:30at the mercies of geopolitics energy blockades and power outages,
12:34denouncing that because of the criminal U.S. oil blockade on the island, thousands of surgeries have been postponed during
12:40the last month,
12:40and people needing care have been put at risk due to lack of power to operate medical equipment and cold
12:46-chain storage for vaccines.
12:47Finally, Gabrielsos stated, while I am encouraged by Cuba's efforts to restore power to support services,
12:53people's health and the services that support them cannot be left at the mercies of fluctuating power and geopolitics.
13:05And also in Cuba, United Nations representative presented an expanded action plan to further address damage caused by Hurricane Melissa
13:12and includes steps to alleviate the energy crisis the island faces amid the intensification of the U.S. blockade.
13:18The document, which was developed in conjunction with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
13:23and in close coordination with Cuban national authorities, will focus its efforts on six sectors,
13:29logistics, health, water and sanitation, food, housing, protection and educations,
13:33areas where work was already underway in response to the impact of the meteorological event in 2025.
13:39One of its main objectives is to target the most vulnerable populations and track fuel consumption.
13:44The comprehensive action plan seeks to address urgent needs and ensure the continuity of essential services
13:49for approximately two million people across 63 municipalities in eight provinces.
13:58Let's now take our second break. Don't go away.
14:19Welcome back. On Thursday, the National Assembly of Venezuela unanimously approved in second reading
14:24the organic law for the acceleration and optimization of administrative procedures.
14:28During the ordinarization of the President of the National Assembly,
14:31Jorge Rodriguez stated that this regulation aims to eliminate bureaucracy in carrying out public procedures.
14:38The new regulation provides for the modification or elimination of authorizations and requirements
14:43respecting legal provisions. In addition, it mandates the digitalization of state processes,
14:49especially to reduce paper usage. In this scenario, Rodriguez congratulated the deputies on the approval of this law,
14:55expressing hope that it will help eliminate delays in administrative procedures.
15:03Honorable deputies, in favor of approving the second reading of the organic law for the acceleration
15:09and optimization of administrative procedures, please indicate so by the customer resigned.
15:14It is unanimously approved. Accordingly, the organic law for the acceleration and optimization of administrative procedures is declared sanctioned by
15:33the referred to constitutional chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice to rule on the constitutionality of its organic nature.
15:42May God, the Virgin, our constitution and our laws ensure that this law truly serves and contributes to ending the
15:51ordeal faced by Venezuelans at administrative offices.
15:56I embrace and I congratulate all deputies on the approval of this law.
16:03Venezuela showed its solidarity with President Nicolás Maduro and First Combatant Celia Flores through a popular demonstration for peace.
16:10Bolivar Square in Caracas was the epicenter of a day of acts of faith and political commitment to peace in
16:16which various sectors of Venezuelan society demonstrated in defense of Bolivarian sovereignty.
16:21The program of solidarity with the President and the First Lady demonstrates the civic unity of a country in the
16:26face of current circumstances.
16:28Furthermore, these expressions of support have spread to other Venezuelan states with the goal of reaffirming social cohesion and solidarity
16:34with the nation's leaders.
16:41Also in Venezuela, in the city of Caracas, Christian Youth held a rally to demand the immediate release of kidnapped
16:46President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Celia Flores.
16:49In an atmosphere of contemplation and faith, the attendee joined their voices to raise petitions for the well-being of
16:56the Constitution of President and First Lady and Deputy Celia Flores.
16:59The gathering brought families together in delivering messages of hope and a call for harmony to overcome current challenges.
17:05It was called that on January 3rd, the Venezuelan people experienced a military assault by the United States that led
17:10to the kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife in clear violation of international law.
17:21Meanwhile, in Spain, social movements expressed solidarity with Venezuela and denounced the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady
17:28Celia Flores in Madrid.
17:29At an event organized by the Venezuelan embassy in Spain and allied groups, participants stated that the President's situation violates
17:37international law and constitutes an attack on the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people.
17:41In this regard, they demanded the immediate release of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Celia Flores.
17:46During the event, opposition to the abuse carried out by the United States government was expressed.
17:57And Russian political parties and social movements reaffirmed their support for the Venezuelan people and demanded the release of President
18:04Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Celia Flores.
18:07Political parties and social movements in Russia expressed their support for the presidential couple on the occasion of the second
18:13procedural hearing of the illegal trial against them.
18:15Representative of the Communist Party, a just Russia and social movements attended the meeting featuring their condemnation of the criminal
18:23aggression carried out against Venezuelan territory on January 3rd and demanded the immediate release of President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro
18:30and First Lady Celia Flores.
18:37And Venezuela's acting President de los RodrÃguez declared March 30th through April 3rd as holidays in observance of Holy Week.
18:45RodrÃguez made the announcement on Thursday from the state of Nueva Esparta, declaring the non-working period is framed on
18:51the implementation of energy saving measures being promoted by the government, having an ongoing heat wave impacting the territory.
18:58In this regard, the acting head of state authorities remain mobilized to respond to wildfires erupting as a consequence of
19:04high temperatures.
19:05RodrÃguez explained that the week-long holiday applies for the entire education sector and extends to government ministries and institutions
19:12to comply with electricity conservation measures.
19:21During Holy Week, I would like to announce that I have declared Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as days
19:28off for the entire education sector.
19:31Our children will not be going to school.
19:33It will also be a day off for government ministries as part of the energy saving plan.
19:39As you know, we are currently experiencing the 45 hottest days of the year in our country.
19:47And this has consequences in terms of wildfires.
19:51We are fully mobilized to respond to the fires that are breaking out as a result of the climate emergency
19:57and global warming, which could impact the electrical grid.
20:02Yesterday, we had the highest energy demand in years that Venezuela has ever seen, also as a result of economic
20:10growth, a result of a Venezuela that is advancing, growing and demanding more electricity.
20:16So, well, within the framework of the National Energy Conservation Plan, we are implementing these days off.
20:22Of course, essential services are exempt, and health services are also exempt.
20:33Well, at this, we are from the end of this newsletter.
20:35You can find more on our website at telestoreenglish.net, and also, you can join us on our social media.
20:39For Telestoreenglish, I'm Mr. Alberto Matos. Thanks for watching.
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