- 6 hours ago
23/04/2023
FTS 8.30
*Bolivian teachers launch indefinite strike
*Lebanon: citizens protest over Israel´s targeting of journalists
FTS 8.30
*Bolivian teachers launch indefinite strike
*Lebanon: citizens protest over Israel´s targeting of journalists
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NewsTranscript
00:11In Venezuela, the national pilgrimage for a nation free of sanctions advances throughout
00:16the national territory.
00:24In Bolivia, teachers have launched an indefinite strike in La Paz demanding that the government
00:28raises salaries, creates new teaching positions and to oppose the regional division of the
00:34education system.
00:40And hundreds of Lebanese citizens gather in Beirut's martyr square to condemn Israel's
00:45targeting of press workers after the Lebanese forces kill one journalist and injure another
00:49in an attack in South Lebanon.
01:01Hello, welcome to From the South.
01:03I'm Luis Alberto Matos from De Lesos Studios in Caracas, Venezuela.
01:06We'll begin with the news.
01:23In Venezuela on Wednesday, the national pilgrimage for a nation free of sanctions advances on
01:28Coherestate.
01:29Members of various social and political groups gather to demand the right to live in a country
01:34free from economic blockades and unilateral coercive measures.
01:38Venezuela's free journey continues its march toward Caracas, demanding an immediate end
01:44to the coercive measures that strangle the country's economic development.
01:48Alongside this effort, the mobilization promotes national unity through a spirit of faith and
01:53resistance, aiming to unite all social sectors regardless of political ideology or religious
01:59belief.
01:59During the event, the country's Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello,
02:04reaffirmed the Venezuelan people's steadfast desire to live in a prosperous nation liberated
02:09from imperialist blockades.
02:15And Guayana Ezequiva also joined the national pilgrimage for a Venezuela without sanctions
02:22and in peace on its fourth day.
02:25In the spirit of unity, people marched to reaffirm their rejection of the U.S. imposed economic
02:31sanctions on Venezuela and to condemn hate speech against Venezuelan women.
02:35During the event, the Minister of Education, Hector Rodriguez, emphasized that the sanctions
02:40and economic blockade are no longer a matter of partisan debate, but rather an act of aggression
02:44affecting the entire population.
02:46He also highlighted the efforts of the Venezuelan people to overcome the most critical moments
02:51of the economic siege.
02:58This is not a time for hatred or division, it is a time for unity and joining forces to
03:05build a future of shared prosperity for all Venezuelans.
03:10That is why from a state of Russia to the future of our country as Guayana Ezequiva, I joined the
03:20call by President Darcy Rodriguez for unity and mobilization to free our country from sanctions.
03:40In an interview, Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel stated that the situation on the island
03:44has been deteriorating since 2019 during U.S. President Donald Trump's first term.
03:49This isn't just the current situation, it's the result of the years of accumulated issues,
03:55and it has come increasingly complex.
03:58Remember, that at another time we are talking about how Cuba had been under the blockade for
04:03over 60 years, but that the blockade took a different target when at the end of 2019,
04:09in the first term of the Trump administration, it implemented 240 measures and included us on
04:17the list of countries allegedly supporting terrorism.
04:23On Thursday, Cuba's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez denounced the current situation
04:29in Cuba caused by the U.S. blockade on his ex-account stating the following,
04:33The country's difficult situation is a direct consequence of the tightening of the blockade
04:39and the energy blockade imposed by the U.S. government.
04:42Those who blame the Cuban government for this are the same ones who tried to hide and manipulate
04:47these cruel effects.
04:49Just look at the improvement in the national electrical system with the arrival of a Russian
04:53oil tanker, a result of that nation's solidity and our efforts.
04:57So, is the blockade real or not?
05:09In Bolivia, teachers have launched an indefinite strike in La Paz demanding that the government
05:15raise salaries, create new teaching positions and to oppose the regional division of the
05:21education system.
05:22Precisely, in addition to higher wages, teachers are demanding the creation of at least 6,500
05:28and new teaching positions and a significant improvement to educational infrastructure.
05:32A key point of contention is the government's proposed 50-50 plan which would allow regions
05:37to develop half of their own educational programs, thus decentralizing the curriculum.
05:42Teachers are concerned about the fragmentation of the national system and have vowed to continue
05:48protesting indefinitely until their demands are met.
05:50Wednesday protests were repressed by police with tear gas as demonstrators approached Plaza
05:55Murillo.
06:02These are the 31 departmental and regional federations.
06:06We have asked the parents to join us in this protest because the 50-50 plan it means privatizing
06:14education and once again ask the parents to join our struggle because education as the state's
06:25constitution must be unified, publicly funded, free and high quality.
06:34We feel marginalized even though the government has promised the teaching sector will receive
06:39better support.
06:42However, these promises are not being kept, which is why we are forced to take the streets to demand
06:48better wages.
06:53And healthcare workers in Ecuador held a protest against a precarious state of the country's
06:57health system.
06:58The sector aims to expose the deep crisis within the public healthcare sphere amid serious complaints
07:04regarding the lack of supplies, unjust dismissals and their degradation of patient care.
07:10In addition to this, medical professionals emphasized that the crisis is structural and has intensified
07:15in recent years, manifesting in higher mortality rates among vulnerable populations and the absence
07:20of basic hospital conditions.
07:22Meanwhile, the workers warned that neoliberal budget cuts directly threaten the lives and well-being
07:27of the people.
07:35And in Guatemala, thousands of farmers marched on Wednesday in the country's capital to mark
07:40International Earth Day and demand that the government of President Bernardo Arrevalo fulfill
07:45his agricultural commitments amid reports of evictions, land concentration and growing food
07:50insecurity.
07:51Demonstrators criticized the government's focus on poor concessions to transnational companies,
07:56arguing that structural agrarian issues remain unaddressed.
08:00Although President Arrevalo signed a formal agreement on February 7, 2024 to facilitate land access,
08:06farmers' organizations state that the implementation of these measures has seen non-measurable progress.
08:11In this regard, protesters highlighted a significant disparity in land distribution as 8% of landowners
08:17hold 75% of agricultural land, while 45% of the farmers own only 3%.
08:31Let's now take our first break.
08:32Stay with us.
08:51Welcome back.
08:53Peruvian interim president José María Balcazar defended on Wednesday his government stance against the purchase of 24 fighter aircraft from
09:00the United States, following the resignation of
09:02Foreign Minister Hugo de Sala and Defence Minister Carlos Díaz Dañino.
09:09You cannot say that I have lied.
09:13What I am saying is that the contracts entered into previously should be honored by the new government that emerges
09:19from the elections, and nothing more.
09:22In other words, my statements cannot be misrepresented.
09:27But I do believe that we must act with prudence, and make purchases reasonably so that we have sufficient funds
09:34to address so many needs.
09:51Also in Peru, members of political groups and social movements rejected the right wing's attempt to disregard the results of
09:58the first round of the presidential election, and calls for new elections that could change which candidates would advance through
10:06the right wing.
10:06The protesters gathered outside the national electoral board after reports emerged that the body was considering holding new elections in
10:14Lima and its surrounding areas, a move that could benefit right wing factions.
10:19The protesters declared that this act poses the risk of an irreversible breach of democratic order, ignoring the will of
10:26Peru's regions over that of the capital.
10:29In its regard, they denounced that any possible re-run election would like constitutional basis, but demanding that electoral authorities
10:36not yield to pressure from the right wing led by figures such as Keiko Fujimori, López Aliaga and their allies.
10:50We stay in Peru with the presidential candidate for the Together for Peru Party, Roberto Sánchez launched his run-off
10:56election campaign in the Cajamarca region on Wednesday, while denouncing attempts by the highest electoral body to undermine the election
11:03results.
11:05Amid of this, today, the national duty of election intends to evaluate the re-run elections while disregarding the region's
11:13right to vote.
11:15We will not tolerate this.
11:16We are calling on patriotic and democratic forces as well as the rural population and the Indian people to mobilize
11:26in defense of the democratic will and the popular vote.
11:32We also urge the international community to help hold the standards of a democratic and transparent electoral process that respect
11:45the votes of Peru's regions, which have already expressed their support for Juntos por el Peru.
11:55And the U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan amid rising tensions surrounding the Strait of
12:02Hormuz.
12:03The Pentown announced on Wednesday the departure effective immediately of the Navy Secretary being replaced by Navy Undersecretary Hong Kao.
12:11Since entering the Pentown, Hexeth has fired more than a dozen senior military officers, including the Chief of Naval Operations
12:18and the Air Force's Vice Chief of Staff.
12:21John Phelan, civilian businessman who had not previously served in the military, was running as Secretary of the Navy in
12:27March 2025 after being nominated by President Donald Trump the previous year.
12:32This latest dismissal comes amid a fragile ceasefire in the Middle East, while the U.S. Navy blocks Iranian ports
12:37and Iran keeps the Strait of Hormuz closed.
12:47And Latin American migrants departed from the U.S. to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, denounced the Trump administration's
12:55intimidation policy.
12:56A group of 15 migrants recently arrived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of a controversial deal
13:03the Trump administration has made to deport migrants to third countries.
13:06The group of women and men denounced the mistreatment through which, after a long flight that they spent with their
13:12hand and feet shackled, arrived in a country thousands of kilometers from home and whose language they don't speak.
13:18In this context, rights groups have warned that third country deportations are an effort to intimidate migrants and asylum seekers
13:26into refraining from going to the U.S.
13:28Since his return to office, U.S. President Trump has carried mass arrests and deportations of migrants in a policy
13:35heavily criticized for violating human rights.
13:59In Ecuador, Guinea, on the last full day of his apostolic journey across Africa, Pope Leo XIV paid a visit
14:06to Vata's prison on Wednesday sharing a message of forgiving.
14:10The Pope listened to testimonies from some of those serving sentences who thanked him for his visit and expressed their
14:17desire for peace, reconciliation and a fresh start.
14:21The Pope told the gathered prisoners no one is excluded from God's love and stressed that every effort should be
14:27made to ensure that incarcerated people are given the opportunity to study and to work with dignity while in prison.
14:33The Pontiff's remarks were received with loud applause and cheers, Pope Leo XIV was on the 10th day of his
14:38African tour that ends on Thursday after a mass in Malibu, after which he departed for Rome.
14:51The administration of justice aims to protect society.
14:57To be effective, however, it must always promote the dignity and potential of every person.
15:05True justice seeks not so much to punish as to help rebuild the lives of victims, offenders and communities wounded
15:12by evil.
15:20There is no justice without reconciliation.
15:27The brothers and sisters, God never grows tired of forgiving.
15:34He always opens a new door for those who recognize their mistakes and desire to change.
15:42Do not let the past rob you of hope for the future.
15:45Every day can be a new beginning.
15:50Let's take a short break, but before we invite you to visit our Facebook page at Telestore English, we're going
15:54to be right back.
16:12Welcome back.
16:14The Iranian government firmly denied requesting any extension to the troops with the United States, an agreement originally established between
16:20both nations on April 8th.
16:23Reports from local Iranian outlets highlight that the ongoing maritime blockade at the Strait of Hormuz reveals persistent U.S.
16:30imperialist aggression against the sovereignty of Iran.
16:32Furthermore, Tehran has issued a stern warning.
16:36This strategic waterway will remain closed as long as provocative U.S. naval forces continue their respective presence in regional
16:43waters.
16:44This position directly challenges previous claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump, who asserted that the ceasefire was prolonged
16:50at Pakistan's behest while awaiting a proposal from Tehran, though he failed to specify any official timeline for such an
16:57extension.
17:05In this regard, Iranian President Masoud Pescius can say that in order to achieve genuine dialogue, blockades and threats against
17:12this country must be removed.
17:14On social media, the Iranian President posted,
17:16The Islamic Republic of Iran has always welcomed and continues to welcome dialogue and agreement.
17:21Bad faith, siege and threats are the main obstacles to genuine negotiation.
17:26The world is witnessing your hypocritical empty talk and the contradiction between your claims and your actions.
17:38Iranian citizens continue demonstrating in support of the country's leadership and against the pressure tactics employed by the United States
17:45government.
17:46Thousands of citizens remain on the streets of various cities across the Persian nation, reaffirming their commitment to the Islamic
17:54revolution and the defense of national sovereignty.
17:56In a climate of unity, protesters denounced the sanctions imposed by Washington, describing them as a direct aggression against the
18:04people.
18:04These actions, which are part of a growing popular movement, underline the Iranian society's commitment to its principles in the
18:11face of increasing foreign pressure.
18:19And hundreds of Lebanese citizens gathered in Beirut's Martyr Square to condemn Israel's targeting of press workers,
18:25after the Syrian forces killed journalist Amal Khalil and injured another in attack in southern Lebanon.
18:31On Wednesday afternoon, Zionist forces assassinated Amal Khalil after an intentional persecution that also critically wounded her colleague, Zainab Faraj,
18:41in the district of Bin Jabil.
18:43The occupation forces of Israel persecuted the press workers for almost two hours before striking the house where they were
18:50hiding.
18:50Moreover, the White Cross ambulance that approached the scene to aid the wounded was also shot at by Zionist military,
18:57preventing rescue teams from reaching the site.
18:59A total of five people have been killed by Israel in southern Lebanon in the past few hours in targeted
19:05attacks showing Israel's disregard for international humanitarian law.
19:21For his part, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun took to his social media to express his sorrow and to condemn Israel's
19:27violations by stating that Israel's consistent and deliberate targeting of journalists directly aims to conceal the truth of its aggressive
19:34acts against Lebanon, in addition to being crimes against humanity,
19:38punishable by international laws and norms, and constitutes an incentive for the international community to intervene to put an end
19:45to them.
19:47The Minister of Lebanon, Nawaf Salam, also extended his condolences to the family of the martyr Amal Khalil, while condemning
19:55that targeting journalists, hindering the arrival of rescue teams to them, and even targeting their locations again after these teams
20:02have arrived, constitute explicit war crimes, adding that these attacks have become an established
20:08a pattern that we condemn and reject, just as all international laws and norms condemned and rejected.
20:35April 23rd marks World Book Day, a global celebration of books and reading that highlights the power of literature in
20:42shaping minds, inspiring creative
20:44creativity and promoting literacy across generations.
20:47World Book Day was first established by UNESCO in 1995. The initiative sought to encourage reading habits among young people
20:53and support the publishing industry.
20:56The date, chosen also has symbolic importance as it coincides with the death anniversary of legendary literary figures William Shakespeare
21:03and Miguel de Cervantes, both whom left a lasting legacy in world literature.
21:07Over the years, the date has evolved into a major global event, celebrating schools, libraries, bookstores, and cultural institutions.
21:20And in Palestine, this place citizens are able to enjoy books at Gaza's New Phoenix Library, a youth-led initiative
21:26in the Rimal neighborhood that aims to revive culture and literature despite Israel's war on the territory.
21:32The library, whose name reflects Gaza's rise from the rubble, houses a diverse collection of literature and scientific books, as
21:39well as a children's section.
21:40Library owner Omar Hamad assured the library was the culmination of a long journey of rescuing books in the coastal
21:46enclave.
21:47In this regard, Hamad denounced that libraries were being systematically destroyed by the Soviet forces and the education sector was
21:54being dismantled,
21:55and emphasized how restoring the Palestinian heritage became a duty to carry forward.
22:06The Israeli occupation has destroyed hundreds of rare libraries.
22:10These included books printed long ago in Gaza, some dating back to before 1948, which were burned and destroyed as
22:18part of a systematic policy by the Israeli occupation,
22:21aimed at obliterating education and the educational process in Gaza.
22:30It was abundantly clear during the war that libraries were being systematically destroyed and the education sector was being dismantled.
22:39Therefore, it became our duty to restore, even if only in a small measure, this heritage that we have lost.
22:50And following the devastation caused by the war in Gaza Strip, Palestinian children are receiving psychological help to overcome traumatic
22:57experiences through a project that also teaches them about the importance of protecting nature.
23:03An art studio in Al-Sawaira, in the central Gaza Strip, is the site of this project that brings children
23:09together for animal-assisted psychological support sessions.
23:12For the initiative, owner Rashid Anbar gathered and treated abandoned animals from the streets of Gaza.
23:19Anbar assures that the natural presence of animals and birds absorbs negative energy and fosters an atmosphere of happiness and
23:26positive energy.
23:27Experts have warned of the psychological toll the Israeli onslaught on Gaza is taking on the population,
23:33particularly children who have lived through severe bombing, displacement and loss of family at early stages of development.
23:45The purpose is to enhance therapy and learning through playing with animals.
23:48It is about fostering a culture of kindness towards animals and cultivating a generation with a sense of compassion for
23:53them.
23:53Furthermore, it aims to help children overcome their fear barriers by engaging in play with animals, touching them,
23:58and acquiring knowledge about them, including the specific species to which they belong, what covers their bodies,
24:03such as feathers or fur, and whether they give birth or lay eggs.
24:09Well, at this, we have come to the end of this news break.
24:10You can find more on our website at www.TelestoEnglish.com and also on our social media.
24:14For Telesto English, I'm with Roberto Matos. Thank you for watching.
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