- 15 hours ago
22/04/2026
FTS 8.30
*Colombia: Ombudswoman refutes far-right candidate´s claims regarding Ivan Cepeda
*Tehran will resume dialogue when the U.S. lifts the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz
FTS 8.30
*Colombia: Ombudswoman refutes far-right candidate´s claims regarding Ivan Cepeda
*Tehran will resume dialogue when the U.S. lifts the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:11In Venezuela, the people are moving forward with the protests to unite their voices and
00:16promote the country's social welfare as part of the national pilgrimage.
00:26Colombia's ombudswoman, Iris Marin, refuted the claims of far-right presidential candidate
00:31Paloma Valencia, who asserted that the ombudsman's office had evidence of coercion against her
00:37by progressive candidate, Iván Cepeda.
00:44And Iran confirms that negotiations with the United States would continue once President
00:48Donald Trump or just the lifting of the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
00:59Hello, welcome to From the South, I'm Luis Alberto Matos from De Lesos Studios in Caracas,
01:03Venezuela.
01:04We begin with the news.
01:20The National Assembly of Venezuela approved the project of an agreement in support of
01:26the great national pilgrimage for Venezuela without sanctions and in peace.
01:32The first Vice President of the National Assembly, Pedro Infante, stated that the elimination of
01:38sanctions must become a common cause for the country.
01:41He explained that this agreement will be debated in all municipal chambers and in the legislative
01:46councils.
01:47He also indicated that of the approximately 1,081 sanctions enforced, only 18 licenses have
01:53been granted to relax some measures but not eliminate them completely.
01:58On the other hand, the National Assembly appointed the members of the Plenary Commission that will
02:02give way to the Judicial Postulations Committee.
02:05The President of Parliament, Jorge Rodriguez, stated that this composition is part of the
02:09deep judicial reform process that has been initiated by the Commission for Democratic Coexistence
02:14and Peace.
02:21In this scenario, the Acting President joined a human formation to express that Venezuela is
02:26peace from the state of Falcón.
02:29Accompanied by regional authorities and social movement leaders, Del Rodriguez visited the iconic
02:34Falconian dunes to call for the lifting of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on the
02:39Venezuelan economy.
02:40A large crowd gathered to support the Acting President, sending a strong message of national
02:45unity.
02:46It was called that the aim of the pilgrimage is to unify public demand for the definite lifting
02:51of the sanctions affecting the country's development and the well-being of the people.
03:04And in the Venezuelan state of Falcón, the country's Acting President, Del César Rodríguez,
03:08stated that lifting sanctions is essential for restoring public services and social well-being.
03:19I have to say we are making progress, but we must keep the complete liberation of Venezuela
03:24from the sanctions system so that we can fully restore health care, education, public services,
03:30services, electricity, and water.
03:34Here in Falcón, I am also making that commitment too.
03:40I have just come from reviewing the submarine pipeline project that must be completed for
03:45the Paraguana Peninsula.
03:48It is an immediate necessity to supply water to the population.
03:54So this journey does not have at its purpose or objective partisan controversy.
03:59It is not about hatred, resentment, revenge.
04:01Now, its purpose is unity, it is about unity, so that in this second independence of Venezuela,
04:10we can say that we also manage to unite as Venezuelans in the face of our common challenges.
04:21In this scenario, from the state of Trujillo,
04:24Secretary of Vice President for Public Citizen Security and Peace, Diosdado Cabello,
04:28highlighted the country's progress despite the unilateral coercive measures imposed by U.S. imperialism.
04:34In addition, Cabello reiterated that Venezuelan sovereignty must be respected
04:38and that lifting sanctions will enable the country to develop fully.
04:42Diosdado Cabello also thanked the population for their participation in the pilgrimage
04:47and invited all sectors to join the initiative called by Acting President del Certigues,
04:53which demonstrates that Venezuela is a land of peace.
05:02Let Venezuela fly free so the world can see it as a united country.
05:06All sectors at the national level of Venezuelans are united in the desire to have
05:11a Venezuela free of sanctions, a Venezuelan peace. Peace and tranquility are cross-counting,
05:17values that enable everything else to flourish. With the peace and tranquility of our country
05:24guaranteed an investment arriving without any problems if the blockades and sanctions are lifted.
05:32In a message sent from his place of kidnapping in the United States, Venezuela's constitutional president,
05:38Nicolás Maduro, expressed his admiration for Pope Francis. The Venezuelan president posted,
05:44On the first anniversary of his passing, I pay tribute to Pope Francis with profound admiration and
05:50affection. On behalf of Venezuela, I acknowledge his courage, the clarity of his words, and his love for
05:56suffering peoples. Francis always advocated peace, dialogue, and defending human dignity in the face of
06:03evil, injustice, and lies. President Nicolás Maduro added, thanks to his love for and closeness to our
06:10people, Venezuela joyfully venerates Saint José Gregorio Hernández and Saint Carmen Rendiles at the
06:17Universal Catholic Altor. In gratitude for his solidity and with the desire to speak to God from the heart
06:23and always seek the truth, I share his teachings on prayer as set out in the Gospel of Luke 114
06:30and 910.
06:31Thank you, Pope Francis, you have shown hope forever.
06:42And in 2020, President Nicolás Maduro asked the International Monetary Fund for $5 billion in financing to
06:49strengthen his country's health care systems and address the COVID-19 pandemic. This request was
06:55unjustly denied by the organization. Venezuela's request was made in the context of the global
07:01coronavirus emergency in 2020, following the confirmation of the first cases in the South American
07:07country. The IMF's rejection was not based on technical or economic criteria, but on a political
07:13argument. This position was the direct result of the pressure campaign led by the United States
07:18and its allies who at that time did not recognize the authority of President Nicolás Maduro.
07:24The decision denied Venezuela access to a rapid financing mechanism created specifically to help
07:30nations respond to emergencies such as the pandemic. As a result, the country had to face the health
07:36crisis with its own resources and the cooperation of allied countries amid an intensification of economic
07:43economic sanctions. We now have our first break coming up. Stay with us.
08:11Welcome back. Colombian President Gustavo Pedro has asked the Minister of Defense to coordinate the Colombian police and the Venezuelan
08:20military forces to provide
08:22intelligence support to help address security issues in Catatumbo and along the border.
08:46This Tuesday, Colombia's Ombudswoman Iris Marin refuted the claims of far-right presidential candidate Paloma Valencia,
08:54who asserted that the Ombudsman's office had evidence of coercion against her by progressive candidate Ivan Cepeda.
09:02The Ombudsman's office issued a strong statement denying the existence of any report or publication indicating armed coercion in favor
09:11of Ivan Cepeda or his political organization, the historic pact.
09:15The agency has been emphatic in stressing that its reports only describe general risks to the free exercise of the
09:22vote in areas with the presence of armed actors.
09:25It also pointed out that manipulating its reports for political purposes undermines institutional objectivity.
09:57And the head of Peru's National Office of Electoral Processes, Piero Corvetto, resigns from his post amid several irregularities in
10:05recent general elections.
10:06His resignation later was presented to the National Justice Board hours before he was scheduled to be questioned by prosecutors
10:15over the late redeployment of electoral materials in certain areas of the country,
10:21which prevented more than 50,000 voters from casting their ballots and forced voting to be extended to a second
10:28day.
10:29Despite his resignation was accepted unanimously by the electoral authorities, Juntos por el Peru Party stated that
10:36these actions constitute a serious threat to the electoral process, as well as a systematic campaign aimed at establishing a
10:43narrative of fraud by right-wing parties.
10:52And in Ecuador, polls show the disapproval of the neo-Noboa's government has risen to 73%.
10:59Noboa's approval rating continues to fall, according to statistics from a poll conducted in Quito and Guayaquil,
11:05which revealed that 73% of citizens do not trust the Ecuadorian president.
11:11Also, 69% of citizens give the current government's performance a negative rating.
11:18Furthermore, the survey reveals that 66% of Ecuadorian respondents expressed disappointment with their current president.
11:33The National Autonomous University of Honduras condemned the violent attack against student Axel Medina,
11:41who reached losing sight in his left eye as a result of police brutality.
11:44The student leader was injured while participating in a peaceful protest outside the National Congress in support of the public
11:53education budget.
11:54The protest was dispersed with tear gas by police in response to student opposition to the 5.3% budget
12:01cut proposed by the government of Nasri Asfura.
12:03Human rights organizations denounced the disproportionate use of force and demanded a full investigation to punish the national police officers
12:11responsible for the attack.
12:19And Cuba once again denounced this Tuesday at the United Nations that the current international economic order is a structural
12:27obstacle to the development of nations.
12:29The Cuban ambassador to the organization, Ernesto Soberon, spoke at the 13th session of the Mechanism of Experts on the
12:38Right to Development and called for a profound transformation of the global financial architecture and the fulfillment of international cooperation
12:48commitments.
12:48The ambassador also denounced the escalation of measures by the United States government against Cuba, including the intensification of the
12:56blockade and the restriction of fuel supplies.
13:05And the General Customs Office of Cuba announced that a new legal framework came into effect on Tuesday updating border
13:11control procedures.
13:12The package of regulations includes Decree Law 108 and Regulation 134 designed to modernize state management at the island's entry
13:20points.
13:22This update aims to align Cuba's operations with the standards of the world, customs organization.
13:29The main objective is to facilitate international trade and reinforce border security by adapting tax and financial regulations to the
13:36country's current economic context.
13:39New resolutions have been published in the official Gazette of the Republic and the institution has announced that citizens can
13:46access the technical details of the regulatory package on the official website of the Cuban Customs Agency.
13:59And Haiti graduated 339 new soldiers on Tuesday who will join the security forces amidst rising violence in the country.
14:08The troops completed their training in Port-au-Prince, the country's capital, where they received military instruction as well as
14:16preparation in human rights and civil protection.
14:18According to authorities, these incorporations seek to strengthen the Army's operational capacity in the face of the expansion of armed
14:27groups.
14:28In addition, more personnel are expected to be added in the coming months as part of a strategy to strengthen
14:35security.
14:43U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Tuesday for strengthening security in Haiti as a key step toward
14:50holding elections.
14:52Following his meeting with Haitian Prime Minister Alex Didier in Washington, where they discussed the situation in the country marked
15:01by violence by armed groups,
15:03they mentioned progress in the deployment of an international force approved by the United Nations Security Council with the goal
15:10of confronting the gangs.
15:18We now have our second break.
15:19Don't go away.
15:42The state of Virginia and the southeast of the United States shook up the political landscape on Tuesday by approving,
15:48via referendum, the Democratic District Electoral Plan, a significant victory for the November elections.
15:54With 97% of the votes counted, the approval margin was 3 percentage points. Now the Democratic Majority Virginia Assembly
16:02will be able to redraw the state's congressional map, which could result in only one solidly Republican district out of
16:10the 11 that make up the state's delegation.
16:13Political analysts say it is the response to the Republican offensive. Governor Abigail Spengenberg welcomed the result, while Republicans warned
16:20that they would continue to try to challenge it.
16:35And Mozambican President Daniel Francisco Chappell concluded an official visit to China. Both nations strengthened their cooperation-tied-friendly relationship.
16:45Our correspondent in China, Bruno Falsi, has the details.
16:50Greetings, comrades. Here in Beijing, today, concluded the visit of the President of Mozambique, Daniel Francisco Chappell, that taking place
17:02from the April 16th to 22.
17:05During this visit, China and Mozambique elevated their relation to the level of a community with a shared future in
17:15the new era. This is the highest level of diplomatic cooperation promoted by Beijing, reinforcing the strategic nature of the
17:26relationship between the two countries.
17:29As part of the countries. As part of the final day, the President Xi Jinping shared a high-level meeting
17:36in the Great Hall of the People. The objective was to deepen coordination between China and Mozambique. More than 20
17:47agreements were also signing during the visit.
17:51This included agreements on the Belt and Road Initiative, trade, energy, agriculture, health and global security, as also as media
18:05and television and social medias.
18:08Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding economic and technological ties. These are key sectors for Mozambique development and for
18:21exchanges with China.
18:23Mozambique plays a significant role in Beijing-Africa agenda. This is due to the location in the India Ocean and
18:34its energy and mineral potential.
18:37On the political front, Maputo reiterated its support for the One China principle. For its part, Beijing announced the elimination
18:48of tariffs on products from 53 Africa countries with diplomatic relations with China.
18:57This, starting in May. This, starting in May, the visit is part of the strengthening of China-Africa cooperation, as
19:05well as the expansion of trades between countries of the global south.
19:32On Wednesday, Iran confirmed that negotiations with the United States would continue once President Donald Trump orders the lifting of
19:39the bouquet in the Strait of Hormuz.
19:40The parliament and representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, Amir Said Irabani, said that he
19:45has reliable information that Washington is interested in continuing the meetings in Islamabad.
19:50Several international agencies reported that the Iranian army had fired on a tanker that attempted to break the Persian control
19:57this morning.
19:57The ambassador did not comment on this but recalled that both blockade and the intimidating measures imposed by the White
20:03House in the Persian Gulf were illegal.
20:14And Iran announced that they will not attend the negotiations with the United States scheduled for this Wednesday in Pakistan
20:21and accused Washington of failing to comply with previous agreements.
20:27The Iranian government communicated through Pakistani mediators that its negotiating team would not participate in the round of talks with
20:35the United States and accused Washington of making excessive demands that valid the 10-point framework agreed upon by both
20:41parties.
20:43In this regard, the Iranian side argued that it would not negotiate under the shadow of threats or under a
20:49U.S. naval blockade.
20:50In addition, Tehran stated that it considers continuing the process in these negotiations a waste of time.
21:02For its part, despite Iran not sending any delegation to participate in the Islamabad talks, U.S. President Donald Trump
21:08announced in a post that he is extending the ceasefire.
21:11In a message on his social network Truth Social, the U.S. leader cited alleged internal divisions within the Iranian
21:17state as a reason for maintaining the truths, ignoring the effects of U.S. aggression against Iran that have killed
21:22several senior figures in the country.
21:24In this regard, Iran stated that it will not recognize the ceasefire announced by Trump and may not respect it
21:30and will act in accordance with its national interests.
21:42In this regard, the spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Ibrahim Sol Faghari, warned that the armed forces of his
21:48country are on high alert and ready to respond in the face of repeated threats from U.S. President Donald
21:54Trump.
21:54Sol Faghari emphasized that Iranian forces would immediately and decisively attack pre-established targets in the event of any aggression
22:03or action against Iran, adding that the United States and Israel would receive a more severe lesson than ever before.
22:09In this regard, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Airspace Force, Brigadier General Mahin Mousavi warned on Tuesday of
22:16any enemy aggression against Iranian territory.
22:19Mousavi also warned Iran's southern neighbors not to use their geography or resources to serve the enemies and attack the
22:26Iranian people, adding they should say goodbye to oil production in the region.
22:31The two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States, mediated by Pakistan, has been in effect since April 8,
22:371026, while Iran maintains its readiness to respond to any aggression.
22:49And the Iranian Parliament passed a motion to establish a new legal framework for the Strait of Hormuz.
22:55The Iranian Parliament's Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy has approved a 12-article bill that includes the collection
23:03of tolls by Iran from ships passing through the Strait.
23:06These articles also determine what types of vessels may pass through the Strait, as well as restrictions on vessels from
23:12hostile countries.
23:13The bill will be submitted to the Iranian Parliament's Board of Directors for debate.
23:18If approved, it will officially become law.
23:29The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, released a new report on Wednesday on the situation of children in Gaza.
23:36According to this report, more than one million children in the Palestinian enclave are not receiving any kind of aid,
23:43a situation that is worsening as the occupying force prevents the entry of vital aid, despite the agreements made.
23:48700,000 guys and children have now spent two school years without sustained access to education,
23:56and nearly one million may be suffering from chronic malnutrition.
24:23On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV celebrated a Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea,
24:30the last country of his apostolic journey across Africa.
24:33After the Mass, the Pope will continue his journey and meet with young people and families in Bata.
24:39He will also hold a closing Mass at the Malabo Stadium before returning to Rome.
24:43This visit demonstrates his humanitarian commitment and strengthens the spiritual bond with the African continent.
24:58Well, at this we have come to the end of this news brief.
25:00You can find more on our website at www.telestoryenglish.net and also on our social media.
25:04For www.telestoryenglish, I'm with Alberto Matos.
Comments