- 2 days ago
15/8/2026
FTS 14.30
*Over 30,000 companies close in Argentina.
*Indonesia: magnitude 6.4 quake strikes northern Sumatra.
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FTS 14.30
*Over 30,000 companies close in Argentina.
*Indonesia: magnitude 6.4 quake strikes northern Sumatra.
teleSUR
These and more stories now! 🌐Join teleSUR's community and be part of a space where your ideas matter. https://chat.whatsapp.com/KLABTE41aSj3ioYabXQQ6K 🗣 Don't be left behind, join teleSUR's Channel https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va98Z437Noa2tjytCt1N Web💬 https://www.telesurenglish.net/ X🧶 https://twitter.com/telesurenglish Instagram 📸 https://www.ins tagram.com/telesurenglish/?hl=es Facebook 📱 https://www.facebook.com/teleSUREnglishOfficial Youtube ⏯ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmuTmpLY35O3csvhyA6vrkg Tiktok👌🏼 https://www.tiktok.com/@telesurenglish?_t=8hMLCY0a6z7&_r=1
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NewsTranscript
00:09Colombia's government will coordinate multi-ministerial reconstruction efforts in Chocó,
00:13where recent seismic activity destroyed over 100 homes and devastated local communities.
00:20More than 30,000 companies closed in Argentina between November 2023 and May 2026,
00:27resulting in the loss of over 400,000 registered jobs.
00:33A powerful magnitude 6.4 aftershock has struck northern Sumatra,
00:38compounding, panicking in Indonesia just hours after a devastating 7.7 quake killed at least 47 people in Flores.
00:49Hello and welcome to From the South. I am Lorena Fon from the Telestudios Studios in Caracas, Venezuela.
00:54We begin with the news. Stay with us.
01:12In Colombia, the government announced new measures to support the reconstruction of Chocó,
01:17one of the departments most affected by the earthquake that struck the South American nation,
01:21in August 10. President Abelardo de la Esprea announced that he will appoint a special manager
01:26to coordinate aid and align the region's needs with the various national government agencies.
01:31The president also proposed a comprehensive recovery plan involving several ministries
01:35and announced periodic visits to monitor progress.
01:38According to official figures, the earthquake left 13 people dead,
01:42more than 100 homes collapsed,
01:43and more than 2,000 affected in the department,
01:46although information regarding indigenous communities remain uncertain.
01:57Let's take a look at the latest update of the figures following the 7.4 earthquake that struck Colombia.
02:03Amid a lack of consolidated reports and unified figures on the human casualties following the disaster,
02:07the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management compiled data showing 285 deaths
02:12and 3,975 injuries as well as 379 missing persons and 348 rescued.
02:21Also, at least 127 buildings are reported to have collapsed,
02:2512,828 homes destroyed, another 73,455 damaged,
02:31and 198 roads affected.
02:41The collective impact campaign Petronio Solidario has raised nearly 2,500 million pesos,
02:47equivalent to approximately $803,000 and 160 tons of humanitarian aid during its first hours of operation,
02:56establishing itself as a key response and recovery mechanism from the affected areas of Colombia's Pacific coast.
03:03The initiative coordinates public, corporate, and citizen resources under a financial model
03:08strictly focused on addressing the region's official priorities for social and physical reconstruction,
03:13going beyond simple initial emergency aid.
03:16From the productive sector, Maria del Mar Palau, president of the Cali Chamber of Commerce,
03:21highlighted regional solidarity and issued an open call to citizens, companies, and organizations,
03:27both nationals and international, to contribute to this common cause.
03:39At the Miraflores Palace, Venezuela's acting president, Elsie Rodriguez,
03:43led a working meeting to evaluate the progress of the national government's restructuring and re-engineering plan,
03:47a process that is nearing the conclusion of its initial 90-day space.
03:52During the meeting, national authorities presented the technical and administrative results achieved
03:57in the areas of procedural simplification process, digitization, and institutional redesign.
04:02At the same time, they reviewed each of these areas with the goal of establishing a more agile,
04:08motor, and efficient government that increases its operational capacity
04:11and guarantees high-quality public services for the Venezuelan people.
04:20Recent polls showed that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Silva still holds lead
04:25over Senador Flavio Bolsonaro in the upcoming presidential election.
04:28The new East quiz poll commissioned by media group Globo found the Brazilian president leading
04:35Bolsonaro 38-31% for the first round of the election and 43-40% in the eventual runoff.
04:41In the first round, scenario candidates for the Mexican party, Renan Santos and Social Democratic party,
04:47Ronaldo Callado, would get each 4%, while that for the Partido Novo, Romeu Sema, 2%.
04:54Under Brazilian electoral rules, the top two candidates advance to a runoff if no one wins
05:00more than half of the ballot votes.
05:07The Brazilian president announced that he is arranging a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump
05:12to ask him not to interfere in Brazil's October presidential election.
05:16In an interview on the podcast, now in viabilism, and as Cunha's president, Lula's accused the Trump administration
05:24of meddling to favor his main electoral opponent.
05:28For a rise, Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, during the interview, the president emphasized that he never interfered
05:34in the U.S. elections and reiterated his willingness to engage in dialogue to encourage good relations
05:39with the United States.
05:40On the trade front, the Brazilian president recalled that the United States imposed additional
05:45tariffs of 25% and 12.5% on Brazilian products, based on what he described as false information
05:52about deforestation and slave labor.
05:54In response, he announced that Brazil had initiated the process to apply the reciprocity law
06:00against the study measures.
06:07And with Brazil's presidential election less than two months away, the United States government
06:12is intensifying its efforts to destabilize the Lula administration.
06:16Our correspondent, Ramir, has more details.
06:20Since Donald Trump took office, politicians with close ties to the international far-right have
06:25won controversial elections in country after country in Latin America.
06:29With elections only a few weeks off in Brazil, the Trump administration is working to bolster
06:34far-right candidate Flavio Bolsonaro by destabilizing the Lula administration with the hopes that
06:39one of the last progressive governments in South America will fall this year.
06:43For the first time in 15, 20 years, the overwhelming majority of the countries in the Western
06:48Hemisphere are now led by pro-American leaders and pro-American governments.
06:53It's an extraordinary achievement.
06:54All of it happening through a success, virtually every election that's happened in the Western
06:58Hemisphere since you were elected president has elected someone who is pro-American.
07:02And I think this is an incredible situation.
07:05The U.S. has imposed new tariffs on Brazilian imports.
07:08It's removed Brazil from its friendly nations list.
07:11It tried to send inspectors to delegitimize Brazil's electronic voting system and held workshops
07:16for Brazilian far-right influencers to teach strategies for attacking the Lula administration.
07:21Meanwhile, Republicans like Congressman Carlos Jimenez have posted disinformation about Brazil
07:26and AI-generated memes encouraging a Maduro-style kidnapping of President Lula on social media.
07:32Today, especially with Marco Rubio in the Department of State, the government of the United States
07:39has become an activist for the international far-right here in Latin America.
07:43Now the Trump administration has canceled the visa of Brazil's ambassador to the U.S., calling
07:48it reciprocity for Brazil's refusal to fast-track authorization of Trump's ambassador nominee to
07:54Brazil, Daniel Pérez, demonstrating a complete lack of regard for or ignorance of the Vienna
08:00Convention, of which the U.S. and Brazil are both signatories, and its diplomatic protocols.
08:07They proceeded with a confirmation procedure in the U.S. Senate without a Brazilian agreement.
08:13This behavior is totally contrary to international law.
08:17This is curious as well, because I don't think that these things should be seen as isolated incidents.
08:22This didn't happen randomly.
08:24The U.S. went for over a year and a half without nominating an ambassador to Brazil.
08:29When the Biden administration stepped down, their ambassador went home, and for a year
08:34and a half it seemed like Brazil had no importance to the U.S.
08:37Suddenly, as the elections approached, they moved hurriedly to try to appoint an ambassador
08:42without our consent.
08:45Brazil's elections will take place on October 4th.
08:48Brian Mir, Telesur, Recife.
08:52And now we have a short break coming up.
08:54But first, remember, you can join us on TikTok at Telesur English.
08:58There you will find news in different formats, news updates, and much more.
09:03Stay with us.
09:12Welcome back from the South.
09:14Argentina continues to see a downward trend in the numbers of companies and jobs,
09:18with figures dropping even further the numbers of business closures as rising steadily during
09:24Javier Mele's administration, with more than 30,000 seats in operations on a net basis
09:29since the end of the Peronist government.
09:31According to a report by the Argentine Center for Political Economy, based on official data
09:36from Superintendency of Occupational Risk, the total number of registered businesses in
09:42Argentina decreased by 30,633 between November 2023 and May 2026.
09:48Furthermore, business closures intensified in May.
09:52Data published by the Superintendency shows there were 2,371 fewer employers reported in
09:58that month alone, compared to a decrease of 1,814 companies in April.
10:04Employment also declined.
10:05In net terms, over 400,000 registered jobs were lost between November 2023 and May 2026,
10:14representing a 44.2% reduction.
10:26In Bolivia, the government led by President Rodrigo Paz has officially reduced the size of
10:32the cabinet, cutting the structure of the central administration from 14 to 12 government ministries.
10:39The measure, enacted through our Presidential Decree 5,675, introduces significant organizational
10:46adjustments and incorporates new approaches to government management.
10:50The regulation formalizes the elimination of the Ministries of Development, Planning and
10:55the Ministry of Sustainable Tourism, Culture, Foucloire and Gastronomy, although the creation
11:00of an independent agency for tourism and culture had initially been announced.
11:04The regulation ultimately stipulates that the Vice Ministry of Sustainable Tourism and Culture
11:09will operate within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
11:12A central provision of Decree 5,675 is the authorization for the President to continue exercising his
11:20or her mandate throughout digital means when temporarily outside the country.
11:25This provision stipulates that in the case of a proven inability to use technological means,
11:30as a temporary transfer of authority to the Vice President, Edmund Lara, shall take place.
11:39Mexican President, Cláudia Sheinbaum, accused the United States of political interference
11:43after it revoked the United States visa of the son of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador
11:49of el elege political issues.
11:51The President criticized Washington for applying double standards against the region,
11:55an act that constitutes interference in Mexico's internal affairs.
11:59She also ruled out that the measure was motivated by immigration issues.
12:03She requested that if there is evidence linking Mexican citizens to illegal acts,
12:08U.S. authorities must present evidence to the country's prosecutor's office.
12:12In accordance with due process, Sheinbaum criticized sectors of the Mexican opposition
12:16for turning to foreign authorities to pressure political opponents
12:20and disrupt the country's democratic process.
12:29And in the early hours of Saturday morning, a shooting was registered at Virginia State University
12:34in the United States.
12:35The campus that is located 20 miles south of Richmond, Virginia's capital, was in lockdown
12:41when police released initial details of the shooting but has since lifted the restrictions,
12:46even though a large law enforcement presence is still present at the university.
12:50News outlet reported that five people have been injured, one currently in critical condition.
12:55The university said in a statement that the shooting involves multiple suspects.
12:59As of Saturday morning, the Gun Violence Archive had recorded 298 mass shootings.
13:05This year, at the shooting site, the Virginia State University is a historically black university
13:10located in Ettrick, Virginia, with about 5,700 students.
13:15It is historically recognized as the first fully state-supported four-year college for black Americans.
13:26Moving to Africa, more than 40 journalists in Burkina Faso have taken part
13:30in a military-style training course imposed by the ruling junta.
13:34According to the nation's government, the six-day training was organized by the security ministry
13:38and held at a police academy near the capital, Ouagadougou.
13:42Sub-Saharan Africa Bureau Director at Media Watchtok Reporters Without Waters,
13:47Sabibu Marong, told AFP Friday that journalists were not soldiers
13:52and must not be turned into mouthpieces for the war effort,
13:56dressed in military uniforms and with weapons in their hands.
14:00The military-led authorities require public and private media outlets
14:03to participate in what they call the annual patriotic immersion.
14:07On the other hand, high school students sitting in their end-of-school living exams
14:11have been required to do a similar type of training since last year.
14:20And now let's take a short break, but before we're invited to visit our Facebook page
14:24at Telesur English, there you'll be able to watch our top stories,
14:27special life coverage and much more.
14:29Follow our page and activate the notification button
14:31to stay up to date on the world's most recent events.
14:35Final short break.
14:36Don't go away.
14:51Welcome back from the south.
14:53A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has hit Indonesia's north Sumatra province on Saturday,
14:58just hours after an even more powerful magnitude 7.7 quake struck off the country.
15:03According to the U.S. Geological Survey, killing at least 47 people.
15:07According to the National Disaster Management Agency,
15:10the 6.4 earthquake knocked down some buildings and led hundreds to evacuate
15:14amid fears of a tsunami warning, officials said.
15:17At least six others were injured and two more are missing.
15:21Emergency crews, including members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces,
15:25were conducting evacuations and assessing damage.
15:28The earthquake, which struck shortly before 5 a.m. local time,
15:32was strongly felt across the province of Itnusa-Tengara.
15:43France is enduring its third prolonged heat wave of the summer,
15:46with temperatures soaring to 40 degrees Celsius across major cities,
15:49including Paris, Tours and Carcassonne.
15:52National Weather Agency, Meteo France, maintains orange alerts across 83 departments.
15:57As an unprecedented drought and extreme temperatures accelerate the spread of major wildfires
16:02in the southwestern region, firefighting crews in the lands department
16:07are battling an uncontrolled blaze that has burned over 1,300 hectares of pine forest
16:12and forced hundreds of precautionary evacuations.
16:15Meteorologists warn that while a slight dip in temperatures is expected over the weekend,
16:20no significant rainfall is forecasted, prolonging critical drought conditions
16:24and heightening fire risks across the country.
16:32In Japan, record-breaking rainfall has pounded cities east of Tokyo,
16:37causing overnight flooded roads and homes,
16:39surrounded thousands of people and left at least four people dead and one missing.
16:43The Japan Meteorological Agency downgraded its most severe warning for heavy rain
16:48in more than a dozen municipalities in Sheba Prefecture,
16:51as rain subsided Friday morning.
16:54Photos and television footage showed widespread damage with homes, cars
16:57and parts of railway trucks flooded with muddy water.
17:01The Ground Self-Defense Force said it dispatched buses to pick up about 4,000 stranded people
17:06who stayed overnight at the Soga train station.
17:10Thousands more were stuck overnight at the Manarita Airport serving the Tokyo region,
17:14with trains out of the area stopped.
17:17Service partially resumed Friday morning with delays,
17:20while flights in and out of the airport were operating normally Friday,
17:24with many people returning home at the end of Japan Bonespot's holiday week.
17:28Record-breaking rainfall were seen also in Sheba City and Sakura,
17:32both experiencing over 3.5 inches of rain in one hour.
17:42This Saturday, on the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice between South Korea and North Korea,
17:48President Lee Jae-myung has proposed to Pyongyang that they open negotiations to bring the war to a definite end.
17:55He made this statement during his speech marking the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule.
18:02The South Korean president called on his North Korean counterpart to place the unstable armistice system
18:08with a lasting peace regime on the peninsula.
18:11He called also North Korea to mutually abandon the logic of threats
18:14and begin to put a definitive end to the prolonged war as directly involved parties.
18:44Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Qasem Qaribabadi responded to the threat by U.S. President Donald Trump,
18:49who stated on Friday that he would take control of the Strait of Hormuz.
18:53The diplomat was categorical in reminding the United States president that the Strait is and will remain Iranian.
18:59Tehran reiterates that war is not won with social media posts and that ownership of a territory is not decided
19:05by anyone in speech.
19:07The Deputy Foreign Minister also reminded President Trump that neither his nuclear-powered aircraft carriers
19:12nor his warfare technology have been able to achieve any progress in the Gulf.
19:24At least seven people were killed and three wounded in an Israeli attack on a home located on the outskirts
19:30of the city of Ansar in southern Lebanon.
19:32According to a report by the Lebanese news agency ANN, the airstrike war was launched by Israeli warplanes early Saturday
19:39destroying the coast completely.
19:41The news outlet also reported that rescue teams were working to clear the rubble and transport the dead and wounded
19:48to hospitals in Nabatie.
19:50Since the early morning hours of the same day, Israel has intensified its attacks on Al-Itaher hills as well
19:56as on the valley between the towns of Ansar and Sbarie.
20:00According to the Lebanese authorities, the Zionist offensive have left more than 4,000 dead, 12,000 wounded,
20:07and has forced more than 1 million people to flee their homes.
20:11In late June, the Israeli regime and Lebanon signed a United States-procured framework agreement
20:16under which hostilities would cease while they negotiated a lasting peace in the Arab country.
20:28And like this, we have come to the end of this news brief.
20:31Remember, you can find this and many other stories on our website at telestudyenglish.net
20:35and join us on social media.
20:37We are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok.
20:41For Telestudy English, I'm Lerna Pham.
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