- 1 day ago
20/04/2026
FTS 8.30
*Social organizations reaffirm support for Cuba amid U.S. blockade
*Israeli blockade in endangering the lives of thousands of Gaza residents
FTS 8.30
*Social organizations reaffirm support for Cuba amid U.S. blockade
*Israeli blockade in endangering the lives of thousands of Gaza residents
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NewsTranscript
00:14On Sunday, the acting president of Venezuela, Dolce Rodriguez, addressed the country to mark the 100th days of her administration.
00:27Social organizations across several countries held rallies, reaffirming their support for Cuba amid the ongoing United States blockade.
00:44And in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army is denying people with critical health conditions access to medical treatment.
00:58Hello, welcome to From the South. I'm Luis Alberto Matos from Adelizu Studios in Caracas, Venezuela. We're beginning with the
01:04news.
01:19And on Sunday, the acting president of Venezuela, Dolce Rodriguez, addressed the country to mark the 100th days of her
01:27administration.
01:28The acting president called for unity and hope, aiming to continue the country's economic recovery and stability.
01:38In this regard, she emphasized that updating the Venezuelan legislative framework in accordance with popular consultation and the principle of
01:50respecting sovereignty helps to attract investment and create new jobs for the benefit of the people.
01:56In this scenario, Dolce Rodriguez welcomed the restoration of the country's representation in the International Monetary Fund, which will contribute
02:07to stabilizing the international reserve of the country.
02:11The Venezuelan acting president also underlined the efforts being made towards reconciliation and peace.
02:25The acting president also presented an initial assessment of her administration, highlighting economic, energy, and diplomatic progress in Venezuela,
02:36along with the beginning of a new stage focused on recovery, international investment, and strengthening national confidence and hope.
02:48We open our doors to the world with the certainty that we can move forward without ever renouncing sovereignty over
02:54our sources.
02:56Today, PDVSA produces 1.1 million barrels per day.
03:01We have taken the first steps toward gas exports and expect to immediately recover this month the level of oil
03:08production we had in December 2025,
03:11which was disrupted by the blockade against Venezuela.
03:16Today, Venezuela rises again with its own strength, with its role in the global energy market.
03:22We have returned to the international stage.
03:25Hundreds of companies have shown interest in investing in the country.
03:28And thanks to the Venezuelan diplomacy, we have recovered our representation in the International Monetary Fund,
03:37opening access to our resources for health-based services, strategic national production, and the stabilization of our international reserves.
03:48I recognize the high expectations of our population, and our teams are working to keep improvements within reasonable timeframes and
03:56with verifiable results.
03:58But we are taking the first steps.
04:01These 100 days are not a point of arrival.
04:05They are the beginning of a new stage, a stage to store hope, to encourage confidence, to run out Venezuelans,
04:12and to guarantee the future of our youth.
04:30And the Venezuelan state of Zulia is one of the locations with a great national pilgrimage for a country without
04:39sanctions to place on Sunday across the South American nation.
04:45The day began with a motorcade led by Venezuela's acting president, Alexis Rodriguez, around the iconic Lake Maracaibo.
04:52Fishermen and various sectors of Zulia's society joined the initiative, which seeks to bring together all economic, social, and political
04:58actors in a major dialogue for peace.
05:00The call was repeated in multiple regions, and the ultimate goal is to forge a joint path toward sovereignty and
05:06a Venezuela free from economic blockades.
05:16When I say that Venezuela is speaking, engaging in dialogue, coexisting, and coming together, it is doing so for the
05:24sake of the highest interest of our republic.
05:28One of which is a Venezuela free from sanctions.
05:34As a Venezuelan, I ask this of you. I speak to the people of the United States and Europe, and
05:41to their governments and authorities.
05:43Enough is enough with the sanctions against the noble Venezuelan people.
05:49Venezuela has a right. It is not a privilege or a hana that we want. Venezuela is claiming its fundamental
05:56right to be full of sanctions so that it can develop with the world without any intervention, restriction, or limitation.
06:11In this context, the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, highlighted the positive impact of sanctions relief and
06:19reiterated his call for national unity to achieve the full lifting of the blockade.
06:25We have advanced considerably in these first 100 days of government under the acting President.
06:33Even with only 14 sanctions lifted, it is evident that Venezuela is making itself hurt and the economy is regaining
06:42momentum.
06:43Just imagine if through national unity, we manage to achieve the full lifting of all sanctions, the arrival of all
06:53foreign companies, and the development of all economic activities so that our people can recover prosperity.
07:00This will allow us to build new hospitals indefinitely, improve wages and incomes for the population.
07:13And as part of the great national pilgrimage, a motorized caravan was held in the Venezuelan state of Amazonas to
07:21demand an end to the illegal economic blockade imposed against the country.
07:26Participants marched through the region's main streets carrying flags and chanting slogans against the unilateral coercive measures that affect the
07:34entire Venezuelan population.
07:36This mobilization forms part of a nation-wide effort to highlight the impact of the blockade on everyday life and
07:43to reaffirm the Bolivarian people's resistance to imperialist aggression.
07:47Demonstrators reiterated their support for President Nicolás Maduro and demanded an end to the illegal sanctions which violate international law.
08:02And the Constitutional President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who has been kidnapped in the United States since January 3, expressed
08:10his solidity with the ongoing national pilgrimage for the peace and well-being of the Venezuelan people.
08:17Through his social media, the Venezuelan president emphasized, beloved people of Venezuela, sisters and brothers of our homeland, peoples of
08:26the world.
08:26On this April 19th, Independence Day of the people, Day of our living homeland, Celia and I sent a message
08:34of faith, love and hope.
08:36We support the call of Acting President, our sister Del Rodriguez, for this great national pilgrimage for a sanctioned free
08:43and peaceful Venezuela.
08:45Referring to the teachings of the Apostle Paul, President Maduro added, Venezuela must walk as one body with many parts,
08:54many voices and one single soul.
08:56Uniting all parts of the homeland means recognizing ourselves as one country, a country that prays, works, produces, forgives and
09:03moves forward united in peace.
09:06In addition, the Venezuelan president reaffirmed the homeland must be one, hope must be one, there must be one will
09:14to build peace and happiness in permanent reconciliation.
09:18In this regard, President Maduro emphasized, may this great national mobilization be one of prayer, union, sovereignty, work and hope.
09:28May every step proclaim permanent pilgrimage, permanent reconciliation.
09:32May God bless Venezuela, may Christ of peace accompany our people and may our homeland find faith, prayer, unity, freedom
09:40and happiness.
09:49In other topics, in Peru, thousands of supporters of presidential candidate Rafael Lopez Aliaga took to the streets to demand
09:56a recount in areas where voters were prevented from casting their ballots.
10:02During the so-called March for Democracy, the leader of Renovacion Popular denounced the deliberate exclusion of nearly one million
10:11citizens from the electoral roll.
10:13He also questioned the work of members of the National Electoral Processes Office and the National Election Board,
10:19accusing them of sabotage due to delays in the delivery of election materials and the lack of voting centers,
10:25through attestions demanded by elections after alleging vote regained.
10:50And civil society organizations from El Salvador gathered in San José Martà Square to express their support for the Cuban
10:57people in the face of the escalation of the U.S. economic blockade.
11:01The remonstration was held as part of the commemoration of the victory at Bay of Pigs,
11:06and in response to President Miguel DĂaz-Canel's call to spread the truth about Cuba to every corner of the
11:12planet.
11:13At-and-dee-chanted slogan, such as Cuba is not alone.
11:16The blockade is criminal and hands off Cuba.
11:19We are forming the bond of brotherhood between the two peoples.
11:22The event reaffirmed internationalist solidity and the rejection of unilateral coercive measures that violate international law and affect the Cuban
11:31people.
11:37Meanwhile, in Bolivia, social organizations and activists gathered outside the United States Embassy to denounce the blockade against the Caribbean
11:45island.
11:46In this context, demonstrators condemned the threats of intervention by the U.S. government against Cuba.
11:53They expressed their admiration for the Cuban people's resilience in the face of over 60 years of economic blockade.
11:59The activists' main demand is respect for the sovereignty and right to self-determination of the Caribbean island.
12:05Let's recall that expressions of solidarity with Cuba are taking place in various countries worldwide,
12:10calling for an end to U.S. unilateral coercive measures.
12:21All people must unite against the empire that's dragging the whole world into a war.
12:27So, from Ciudad de la Paz, we too were mobilizing so that from here, in front of the U.S.
12:32Embassy,
12:33we could express our support from Cuban brothers and sisters, until victory, always brothers and sisters.
12:42Cuba is one of the most important bastions that has demonstrated in the world.
12:45Socially, culturally, politically, and academically, its resistance to the blockade and colonialism throughout the last century and this century.
12:54Cuba is one of the most important examples of a nation that, despite the blockade, has demonstrated its ability to
13:00move forward.
13:01Our solidarity with Cuba and Cuba itself is the beacon of liberation for all peoples.
13:05Keep moving forward, Cuban sisters and brothers.
13:09And in Mexico on Sunday, thousands participated in a cultural marathon in solidarity with Cuba,
13:17a monument to the revolution in Mexico City.
13:20Organized by the Anti-Fascist Cultural League under the slogan, Everyone for Cuba,
13:24it was attended by a large number of people.
13:27The event brought together various groups, including Cuban residents, artists, and the general public,
13:32for a day of solidarity.
13:33There was a cultural program with musical performances, including by the Aragon Orchestra.
13:38Cuba was strongly supported at the Anti-Fascist Cultural Marathon,
13:42and the Cuban ambassador to Mexico, Eugenio Martinez, conveyed gratitude for the support
13:47and further denounced the blockade imposed by the U.S. on Cuba.
13:57The energy siege against Cuba is a crime.
14:00The economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba is a crime.
14:05And we call on humanity, as our president and our government have done,
14:10not to be accomplices of this crime.
14:13We cannot allow fascism, expansionist ideas, to advance.
14:21We must defend peace.
14:24We must defend our people, which has been a solidary people.
14:293,200 Cuban doctors provide services in 570 Mexican municipalities.
14:36They have saved the lives of 700,000 Mexicans.
14:41This solidary people does not deserve an undeserved punishment like the one applied by the United States.
14:47And it deserves solidarity like the one you practiced generously.
14:53And on Monday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko harshly criticized the foreign policy of the United States government,
15:01accusing Washington of acting as a dictator in regions such as Venezuela, Cuba, and the Middle East.
15:08During an interview in Minsk, the president asserted that the U.S. alleged stance on democracy and human rights is
15:14purely rhetorical,
15:15since its actions proved the contrary, citing the U.S. bombing of the Minab Gold School in Iran, as an
15:21example.
15:22Furthermore, the leader warned that President Trump demonstrates an authoritarian influence that ignores the interests of his own allies,
15:28even distancing himself from NATO, urging the European Union to become an independent pillar of the world,
15:34rather than waiting for Washington to resolve its internal problems.
15:46You talk about democracy and human rights, but it's all just talk.
15:53Your policy in Venezuela, your threats against Cuba, and the war in the Middle East, along with other actions, show
16:01that you are the real dictators.
16:04You are not Democrats at all. There is no democracy, no human rights.
16:10What human rights can we speak of if, for example, you bombed a school in a sovereign country, thousands of
16:19kilometers away?
16:21It posed no threat to you, yet you bombed a school where children and teachers were killed, nearly 200 people.
16:29How many more died because you encouraged Israel's bombings? What human rights are you talking about?
16:41And the Belarusian leader also urged the U.S. government to release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
16:47and to seek an agreement with the Bolivarian nation.
16:55The oil produced by Venezuela is designed to be processed in the United States.
17:01The refineries there were built for it. It will reach you anyway.
17:06Reach an agreement with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
17:10I knew this from Chavez. Chavez was also ready to reach an agreement with the U.S. President.
17:17But Chavez was a military man with strong character, just like Maduro.
17:23They could not tolerate your dictate.
17:25So you decided to remove him, thinking you had solved the problem.
17:30But instead you created one.
17:32What comes next?
17:33What will you do with Maduro?
17:35If you are thinking clearly, you should step back.
17:39There is no need to admit mistakes.
17:41Just step back, release him, and reach an agreement with Venezuela.
17:46They will come to terms with you, because they understand what the United States is, just like other countries do.
17:54If you move against Cuba and start a war with the Cuban people, history shows it will not end well
18:00for you.
18:01There will be countries that quietly and calmly support Cuba.
18:09And in Bulgaria, the Progressive Bulgaria Coalition of former President Ruben Radev obtained a landslide majority in Sunday's parliamentary election.
18:18According to the official data shared by the country's Central Election Commission,
18:24with 98.3% of Chavez, Radev's Central Left Party leads with 44.68%,
18:29followed by the Conservative Right Citizens for the European Development Party,
18:33led by former Prime Minister Boiko Borisov with 13.37%.
18:38The Reformists We Continue the Change Democratic Bulgaria Coalition follows in third place with 12.7%.
18:46Bulgarians cast their ballots after mass protests led to the removal of the previous government.
18:51In December, Radev, who stepped down from the presidency in January to launch his pit to become Prime Minister,
18:57had backed the protests and promised to get rid of the oligarchy governance model.
19:09Progressive Bulgaria has won decisively, this is a victory of hope over mistrust, it is a victory of freedom over
19:16fear,
19:16and finally, it is a victory, if you will, of morality,
19:20because the people rejected the complacency and arrogance of the old parties,
19:24and did not succumb to lies and manipulation.
19:28So, thank you once again for your trust.
19:40We voted in large numbers and overcame apathy, but mistrust in Bulgarian politics remains high,
19:46and we have a lot of work ahead of us.
19:48This is only the first step toward restoring that trust and the social contract.
20:14And Iran condemned the latest U.S. attack on one of its cargo ships that was attempting to break through
20:20the naval blockade imposed by Washington.
20:23According to information provided by the White House, the U.S. Navy fired on the Iranian cargo ship Tosca
20:29in the Gulf of Uman, claiming that the vessel was attempted to allegedly evade the closure of the Strait of
20:35Hormuz.
20:36Iran's Foreign Minister Abbasarachi considers the recent U.S. threats as proof of the U.S. lack of seriousness in
20:42diplomacy.
20:43In this regard, previously, Tehran accused the U.S. of piracy following the seizure of its vessel,
20:48vowing once again its sovereignty and also warned that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran
20:53will respond and take literary action in response to this situation.
21:04And in the aftermath of the U.S. attack, Iranian authorities condemned the seizure as an act of piracy.
21:10From the central headquarters of the Hatam al-Anbiya spokesperson,
21:14Ebrahim Sol Faghari said,
21:16The aggressor United States violated the ceasefire and committed maritime piracy
21:20by firing at an Iranian merchant ship in the waters of the Sea of Oman
21:24and landing a number of its terrorist marines on the deck of the vessel, disabling its navigation system.
21:30At the same time, Sol Faghari promised that the Islamic Republic would respond to the criminal attack,
21:36adding,
21:37We warned that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond to this armed piracy
21:42and retaliation by the U.S. Army.
21:52In this context, the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire
21:57and says there is no plan to hold a second round of negotiations after the U.S. military seized an
22:02Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman.
22:11Regarding the negotiations with the U.S., we don't have a plan yet.
22:15We intend to manage it ourselves.
22:17But at the core of the topic, you are a part of the contradiction of reality.
22:22The topic highlights that the U.S., simultaneously with other diplomatic efforts and readiness for negotiations, is undertaking actions.
22:31It does not in any way indicate seriousness in sticking to a diplomatic path.
23:00In Palestine, the Red Crescent Society denounced the Israeli blockade for putting the lives of thousands of Gazans at risk.
23:07Since the partial opening of the Rafa crossing in February, only 700 patients have been allowed to leave for outpatient
23:13treatment.
23:13According to the organization, this number is insufficient given the more than 18,000 sick and seriously injured people
23:21urging evacuation due to the collapse of the hospital system in the enclave.
23:25The restrictions also prevent the entry of basic medical supplies, as well as fuel and spare parts for ambulances.
23:32The Gaz Ministry of Health warned that at least 2,000 critical cases must be evacuated in the coming weeks
23:37to avoid an imminent catastrophe.
24:09The Gaz Ministry of Health
24:09Pope Leo XIV visited a nursing home as his first stop in the northeastern city of Saurimo as part of
24:14his tour of the African country.
24:16There, the Holy Pontiff addressed the residence of the home, where he stressed the importance of unity and support among
24:23them to overcome difficult times.
24:25He also thanked the Angolan government for taking care of the most vulnerable.
24:29It is the eighth day of Pope Leo XIV's 11-day tour of the African continent.
24:34Early in the morning, the Holy Pontiff arrived in the city of Saurimo from the capital, Luanda, to continue sharing
24:39his measures with the people of Africa.
24:42Afterwards, he presided a holy mass at the Saurimo Esplanet before returning to the capital,
24:47from where he would depart early on Tuesday to his fourth and final destination of the African journey, Equatorio, Guinea.
25:00Well, at this we have come to the end of this news brief.
25:02You can find more on our website at telesureenglish.net.
25:05For TELESURE ENGLISH, I'm Mr Alberto Matos. Thanks for watching.
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