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* 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes southern Japan
* Iran warns the US that it will respond to any threat against its ships
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00:00The Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez led a working meeting to assess the progress
00:04of the Venezuelan Rises Plan and to formalize the distribution of new homes to Venezuelan
00:09families.
00:12A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Japan in southern Kumamoto prefecture, prompting
00:18evacuation orders for 300,000 people and temporary tsunami warnings.
00:25Iran warned the United States that any threat against vessels will be met with an appropriate
00:30military response.
00:38Hello, welcome to Front the South, I am Lorena Fon, Front the Telesuristudios in Caracas,
00:42Venezuela.
00:43We begin with the news, stay with us.
01:03As part of the national government's efforts to bolster social welfare, Venezuelan Acting
01:08President Delcy Rodriguez led a working meeting to assess the progress of the Venezuelan Rises
01:13Plan and to formalize the distribution of new homes to Venezuelan families.
01:16The plan aims to rehabilitate communities and ensure the right to dignified housing after
01:21the June 24 earthquakes.
01:23The government also seeks to optimize the use of public resources for social infrastructure
01:28projects.
01:29The Venezuelan Rises Plan remains a central pillar of the Executive Administration's efforts
01:33to promote the well-being of the population and the sustainable development of urban centers.
01:47House inspections move forward in Caracas with communal spokesperson playing a key role.
01:53Our colleague Belen de los Santos has more on the story.
01:58We arrived at the Santa Teresa Parish in Caracas, just a few meters from the Quinta Crespo Market.
02:03Since the earthquakes of June 24th, certified engineers have been working tirelessly alongside
02:09leaders from each communal council to inspect all buildings in a true territorial deployment.
02:17As a commune, we're conducting a census of residential buildings in our parish and sector,
02:23thank God.
02:25We've inspected 90% of them so far.
02:30The engineers on the brigade analyze every crack and its origin.
02:34This is not just about the damage caused by the earthquakes.
02:37They conduct a comprehensive assessment of all damage and discuss with the residents the
02:42importance of ongoing maintenance.
02:45Leaks are one of the recurrent problems that can weaken the structure over time.
02:52Sometimes it's due to a lack of funding, sometimes it's negligence, and sometimes it's because
02:56if something works, we just leave it as is.
02:58But we must truly address the leaks.
03:00In this case, we are looking at housing, and leaks are the main issue.
03:05The process is sensitive and delicate.
03:08That is why the conversation between the professionals and the neighbors is essential to ensure peace
03:13of mind.
03:16When they enter the buildings, they provide clear recommendations to the residents.
03:21Because everyone is concerned, everyone is wondering what label they will be given and
03:26why it is being assigned.
03:30Green, yellow or red, each evaluation is accompanied by the necessary recommendations and follow-up.
03:36This way, the residents of Quinta Crespo regain a sense of security after the earthquake thanks
03:42to the daily and ongoing work of the people's power.
03:47They already want to know when they can begin making the necessary repairs and whether they
03:51will undergo a second inspection, especially those with a yellow label.
03:59Many people fled in fear.
04:01But thank God most of our residents are now back in their homes thanks to these inspections
04:06which have given them the peace of mind of knowing that their homes are not at high
04:09risk.
04:12On camera, José Luis Briceño, Belén de los Santos, for Tell Us Your English from Caracas,
04:16Venezuela.
04:18The South Secretary General de Osado Cabello emphasized that the Venezuelan people have
04:23disproved the media campaigns that have attempted to impose a narrative on the country.
04:28These statements were made during a joint meeting of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela
04:33Venezuela, where the party assessed its support for the national government and acting President
04:38Delsi Rodriguez in their efforts to provide aid and reconstruction in the states affected
04:43by the June 24 earthquakes.
04:44The meeting focused on strengthening reconstruction efforts and social protection for those affected
04:50by the disaster.
04:52Cabello emphasized that the Venezuelan people themselves have disproved the media campaigns that have
04:56attempted to take hold in the country, reaffirming the unity of chavism and the public's confidence
05:02in the government's responses.
05:11In this context, Diosdado Cabello, Secretary General of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela,
05:17thanked the party organizations for its work in the temporary camps for victims of the June
05:2224 earthquakes.
05:26We would like to express our gratitude to them, to our party's organization, because at every
05:31camp, without making a fuss, just as we know how to do it, because we do it selflessly, in
05:38a spirit of solidarity and in support of our party's leadership, at each of those campaigns,
05:43listening to the people, attending to their needs, and helping in any way we can.
05:52The efforts to remove debris and recover human bodies are advancing in Venezuela following
05:57the twin earthquakes that struck the South American nation.
06:01Our colleague, Michelle Ramirez, is reporting from La Guayra State with the details.
06:07This is how La Guayra State looks more than a month after the twin earthquakes.
06:12Efforts to remove debris have not stopped, especially in the hardest-hit areas such as Carabaleda and
06:17Tanaguarenas.
06:21Once we detect something, we use all the necessary techniques to reach and remove those people
06:26as intact as possible, which is the desired outcome.
06:37In this case, the building is divided into two parts, Tower B and Tower C, as well as
06:43an adjoining building.
06:48We have three teams working, one on the back with machinery, one on the side with machinery.
06:56We have support from public works, the military and the police.
07:05A total of 190 officials are working hard here, along with 200 to 250 community members.
07:16The recovery of human bodies is being carried out to the collaborative efforts of volunteers
07:21and community members.
07:28What motivates me is seeing someone go home happy and content every time I pull a body
07:33out.
07:36They're grieving, but they're not traumatized by the question, what happened to my relative?
07:41Will we find them?
07:44That's what motivates me most to help people.
07:46We do this work in unity.
07:48Right now, the police and the military are helping a lot down here.
07:56Amid the pain and rubble, the nobility of Venezuelans flourishes.
07:59Even after losing loved ones, they continue to serve the people in the midst of tragedy.
08:09That's when the chaos began, the screams and people trying to get out.
08:13On one side, I helped pull people out.
08:16On the other side, I climbed up the building, looking for my children.
08:20I called out to them.
08:24As the days went by, my desperation grew until I pulled the lifeless body of my eldest son
08:29out.
08:30I kept looking for the other two until I found them, too.
08:34They were also lifeless.
08:35I enjoy working for the community.
08:37Despite my grief, which I will never overcome, I enjoy helping others.
08:41I know that most of the community is suffering, some a little, some a lot.
08:49I ask God and my children, wherever they may be, to give me the strength I need to keep
08:54moving forward.
09:02More than 30,000 personnel have been deployed to the affected areas to carry out these tasks
09:07in coordination with over 31,000 volunteers who have joined the humanitarian emergency response
09:12efforts.
09:12With Gustavo Flores on camera, Michelle Ramirez from La Guayra, Venezuela for Telesur.
09:19And now we have a short break coming up.
09:21But first, remember you can join us on TikTok at Telesur English.
09:24There you will find news in different formats, news updates, and more.
09:30Stay with us.
09:57Stay with us.
09:58Bye, guys.
09:58Well, Brazil has launched a former trade challenge against the United States at the World Trade
10:02Organization, over tariffs imposed on a range of Brazilian products.
10:06The Brazilian foreign ministry says it has requested consultations throughout the world
10:12dispute settlement system, arguing that the US measures are unjustified and violate international
10:18trade rules.
10:20Earlier this month, the Trump administration imposed two rounds of tariffs on Brazilian imports,
10:26setting that is at 25% and 12.5%.
10:29Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Silva has criticized the measure,
10:33saying they are an attempt to influence the country's political landscape
10:37ahead of elections in less than three months, where he is seeking re-election.
10:42The request for consultation marks the first step in the two-dispute process
10:46and could eventually lead to the creation of a panel to examine the case.
10:58Ináids is warning that the global funding cuts, rising inequality and setback to human rights
11:03are putting decades of progress against HIV and AIDS at risk.
11:07The warning comes with the release of its United to End AIDS report,
11:13launched in Rio de Janeiro, which examines the impact of funding disruptions in 2025
11:18and the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
11:23And AIDS Executive Director Winifred Binimilla said scientific advances have made that global achievable,
11:29but the stress that declining investment and unequal access to prevention and treatment
11:34are threatening those gains.
11:36She said the biggest barrier is no longer scientific, but political.
11:40Warning that continued cuts to HIV funding could lead to more new infections and more AIDS-related deaths.
11:48The report was presented during the International AIDS Conference, which runs throughout July 31st.
12:00Here it is.
12:02It is a report that tells two stories.
12:06The first one of extraordinary scientific progress.
12:12Today we have prevention medicines so effective that if they reached everyone who needs them,
12:23we can realistically end AIDS as a public health threat.
12:28The second story is a warning.
12:34Funding cuts, rising inequality, attacks on human rights, shrinking civic space.
12:42Together they are putting decades of progress at risk.
12:50The question is no longer whether we can end AIDS.
12:55The question is whether we choose to end AIDS.
13:00The end is no longer limited by science.
13:02It's limited by inequality, by political choices.
13:07Whether we end AIDS will not be decided in the labs.
13:12It will be decided by political choices.
13:18In Colombia, far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella has sparked immediate diplomatic pushback
13:24by announcing his incoming administration will sever diplomatic relations with Cuba and Nicaragua.
13:31Critics warn that the radical hard-line move threatens to isolate Colombia within regional forums
13:36and undermines long-standing diplomatic channels essential for Latin American stability.
13:42Analysts highlight that severe risks to Colombian citizens abroad
13:46who face significant disruption to basic consular services and protection
13:50following the closure of these embassies.
13:53Opposition leaders and foreign policy experts have condemned the ideological shift,
13:58arguing that abandoning engagement in favor of partisan posturing severely limits
14:04Colombia's diplomatic leverage, trade avenues, and mediation capacity across the region.
14:17And in this context, throughout a statement, Cuba's government has fiercely repudiated
14:22the aggressive stance of Colombia's far-right President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella
14:26following his threat to severe diplomatic relations and shuttered the Colombian embassy in Havana.
14:33The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that it rejects the statements made on July 26,
14:38by Colombia's President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella,
14:41who announced that he will close his country's embassy in Havana
14:44and that his government will have no ties with our country.
14:49The statements run counter to the historic relations of a friendship and brotherhood
14:54between Colombia and Cuba.
14:56Should this decision, which lacks even the slightest justification
15:00and does not serve Colombia's national interests, be carried out,
15:04it will expose the incoming Colombian government's clear subservience
15:10to the policy of division and confrontation between our nations,
15:14long promoted by the United States, as well as its tithes to the most despicable
15:19and vulgar elements of anti-Cuban politics in that country.
15:23Nothing could be further from the ideal of Latin American and Caribbean unity,
15:28championed by the founding fathers of both countries
15:31and to which the peoples of the region have devoted so much effort and sacrifice.
15:37Cuba maintains a smooth bilateral relationship with Colombia,
15:40which has seen significant progress in economic and commercial spheres,
15:44as well as in cooperation and academic exchanges to benefit the both people.
15:49It has been Cuba's constant interest to expand and strengthen this relationship.
15:54Cuba knows that these hostile and unfounded actions
15:58do not reflect the sentiments of the brotherly Colombian people.
16:02The brotherhood between our two peoples and nations
16:05will prevail over any attempt to undermine it.
16:19Let's take a short break now,
16:20but before we invite you to visit our Facebook page at TeleState English,
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16:28Follow our page and activate the notification button
16:30to stay up to date on the world's most recent events.
16:34Finish our break. Don't go away.
16:55Welcome back to From the South.
16:57We continue now in Japan,
16:58where a 7.5-magnetized earthquake hit the southern region,
17:01Kimamoto prefecture, on Tuesday,
17:04knocking out power to thousands of homes,
17:06rupturing roads, stopping rail services,
17:08and triggering tsunami warnings and aftershocks.
17:11The quake's epicenter was about 20 kilometers south of
17:14Kumamoto Central, Kiyushu Island.
17:17This is the largest city with a population of around 700,000 people.
17:21Around 300,000 people have been instructed to go to evacuation centers,
17:26the prefecture's disaster management agency said.
17:29A tsunami warning was issued immediately after the quake,
17:32but was later left.
17:34According to emergency services,
17:36one hospital had reported more than 50 injuries,
17:40including some trapped inside a partially collapsed shopping mall.
17:45Several other buildings were also on fire or partially collapsed while large cracks appeared on major roads,
17:51including an elevated highway.
17:53Speaking to reporters at the office in Tokyo,
17:56Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaisi said the number of casualties and extent of the damage in the area were still
18:04being assessed.
18:13Firefighters in France and Spain are racing to contain a series of major wildfires before another heat wave is expected
18:20to hit later this week.
18:22Officials said the next two days will be critical as temperatures are forecast to climb again from Wednesday,
18:28bringing hotter conditions and stronger winds.
18:30Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned the country faces difficult hours ahead as crews continue to battle the flames.
18:39In western Spain,
18:40a wildfire in the province of Ávila has become the largest ever recorded in the country,
18:44destroying around 50,000 hectares.
18:47Two more fires burning northwest of Madrid have pushed the total scorched area near the capital to 7,000 hectares.
18:54Spain Weather Agency says the heat wave is expected to last at least throughout Sunday,
18:59making efforts to control the fires even more difficult.
19:08And firefighters in France are also racing to contain major wildfires
19:12before another heat wave pushes temperatures even higher this week.
19:16Forecasters say some part of the country could reach 40 degrees Celsius,
19:19creating even more challenging conditions for crews on the ground.
19:23In southwestern France,
19:25the wildfire in Toronto has already burned 42,000 hectares.
19:29Officials described the place as extremely intense and unpredictable,
19:34with shifting winds driving toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area.
19:38Authorities are preparing for possible new evacuations,
19:42as the fire remains about 15 kilometers from the city.
19:45During a visit to Bordeaux,
19:47President Emmanuel Macron warned that the coming weeks will be difficult,
19:50while urging continued caution.
20:16And in the Middle East, Iran warned the United States that any threat or hostile act against
20:21vessels will not go unanswered and will be met with an inappropriate military response.
20:26The Indian Armed Forces Headquarters condemned Washington as part of an illegal naval blockade
20:32has intensified its hostile acts over the last three days, which constitutes an escalation
20:38of the conflict and amounts to an expansion of the war in the region.
20:42In this regard, Iran referred that as it has demonstrated on the ground, it would respond
20:47firmly to any aggression after the United States resumed its attacks against the country
20:52on July 7 after accusing Tehran of attacking vessels in the southern part of the Strait
20:58of Hormuz.
20:58Tehran closed the Strait once again after Washington violated the Memorandum of Understanding by
21:05attempting to escort traffic through a legal route.
21:17The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Tog, is calling on Israel
21:22to end its occupation of parts of southern Lebanon and halt the demolition of civilian homes.
21:28Speaking in Beirut, at the end of a two-day visit, Turk said the Israeli forces should withdraw
21:33from from occupied Lebanese territory and allow displaced residents to return safely to their
21:40communities, warning that the widespread destruction of homes could amount to a war crime.
21:45During his visit, Turk met with Lebanese officials, civil society representatives and families displaced
21:51by the conflict, as well as a United Nations team investigating Israeli attacks during the
21:56recent war.
21:57According to Lebanese authorities, the conflict has killed more than 4,000 people and displaced
22:03over 1.2 million civilians.
22:12It's clear that there needs to be an end to that presence.
22:16I mean, I made it, I also said it again, parts of the Charter of the United Nations is about
22:24sovereignty, territorial integrity and no external interference by anyone.
22:32Demolition of this type raises huge flags about compliance with international humanitarian
22:39law because this, I mean, you cannot use military necessity when it comes to civilian objects and
22:47that seems to be the case here.
22:50And, you know, wholesale destruction just doesn't make any sense on international humanitarian law.
22:56Israeli occupation forces announced the release of 60 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza who had been
23:02held captive since October 7, 2023.
23:05According to official reports issued by the Israeli Defense Forces, these individuals were captured
23:10during Israel ground incursions.
23:12Israel stated that the individuals were released after completing the interrogation processes and
23:18clarified that they are not considered members of terrorist organizations, unlike prisoners
23:23released in previous political exchanges.
23:25The releases are taking place amid ongoing operations that have been condemned by organizations defending
23:33the rights of Palestinian prisoners, who stated that there are more than 10,800 prisoners,
23:39including hundreds of children and women in Israeli prisons.
23:49And like this, we have come to the end of this brief.
23:52Remember, you can find this and many other stories on our website at telestudyenglish.net
23:56and join us on social media via our Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram and TikTok.
24:01For Telestudy English, I am Lorena Foam. Thank you for watching.