9/02/2023
FTS 90.30
*Palestine: worldwide concern over Israeli incursion into Rafah
*DRC: humanitarian organizations denounce escalation of violence
FTS 90.30
*Palestine: worldwide concern over Israeli incursion into Rafah
*DRC: humanitarian organizations denounce escalation of violence
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:11 In the midst of serious complaints from different sectors,
00:14 the electoral body of El Salvador assured that Nayib Bukele,
00:17 candidate for re-election, obtained 2.6 million votes.
00:24 The United Nations joins all humanitarian agencies from Gaza
00:27 in their call to the world to avert a tragedy in Rafa.
00:34 And in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
00:36 Doctors Without Borders and other humanitarian organizations
00:39 denounce attacks on hospitals as escalating violence is keeping
00:43 thousands of people trapped in crossfire.
00:50 Hello and welcome to From the South.
00:52 My name is Belén de los Santos and from the Telesor studios in Havana, Cuba,
00:56 we begin with the news.
00:58 In the midst of serious complaints from different sectors,
01:00 the electoral body of El Salvador assured that Nayib Bukele,
01:04 candidate for re-election, obtained 2.6 million votes.
01:07 Despite the fact that on Sunday the candidate of New Ideas
01:11 proclaimed himself the winner, it was this Thursday night
01:14 when the Supreme Electoral Tribunal delivered the cut corresponding
01:17 to 98.7% of the tallied votes.
01:22 The result is not free of suspicion.
01:24 The Supreme Electoral Tribunal has not released the data on participation
01:28 or the results for the parliament, although the candidate Bukele assured
01:32 on Sunday that they had 58 of the 60 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
01:38 On the other hand, a leaked audio of the same magistrate who presented
01:42 the results affirms that the elections "were a mistake".
01:51 The Venezuelan National Assembly rejected and condemned a resolution
01:55 approved by the European Parliament that it will not recognize the elections
01:59 or the results of the upcoming presidential elections.
02:02 The resolution comes after the plenary session of the European Parliament
02:06 demanded the Bolivarian government to allow the participation of political leaders
02:10 who had been disqualified for serious crimes against the country,
02:14 such as calls for foreign military intervention and the economic blockade.
02:18 The Venezuelan Parliament denounced that the European decision also intends
02:23 to cover up the terrorist actions planned against President Nicolás Maduro
02:27 and to undermine the normal functioning of the democratic institutionality of the nation.
02:32 The Venezuelan National Assembly also accused the European resolution
02:36 of violating the principles of international law regarding the respect
02:40 for the independent sovereignty and self-determination of the Venezuelan people.
02:49 In Colombia, social organizations marched to ratify their solidarity and support
02:54 for President Gustavo Petro and against the institutional breakdown
02:58 promoted by sectors of the extreme right-wing.
03:02 Thursday's event was called by political workers, indigenous and farmer movements.
03:07 During the mobilizations, the citizens reiterated their support
03:10 to the administration of the Colombian head of state, Gustavo Petro,
03:14 while demanding guarantees for the union and social movement.
03:18 They also called for compliance with the constitutional mandate
03:21 to appoint the new Attorney General and respect for democracy
03:25 and the people's decision to elect a democratic and progressive government.
03:30 [Silence]
03:40 Amid these mobilizations, the Supreme Court of Justice
03:43 failed to select a new Attorney General.
03:45 After two rounds of voting, none of the three candidates
03:48 proposed by President Gustavo Petro obtained the required majority.
03:52 This determination means that the Deputy Attorney General Marta Mancera
03:56 will take over as acting Attorney General as of Tuesday, February 13.
04:01 She will remain in office until the full court elects a new Attorney General.
04:05 Any of the candidates received at least 16 votes in order to be chosen,
04:10 so the election was postponed to next February 22.
04:15 [Silence]
04:18 Also in this context, President Petro denounced that infiltrators
04:22 in the mobilizations harassed the headquarters of the Supreme Court
04:26 where the vote for the new prosecutor was underway.
04:30 The court did not decide, so the controversial Deputy Attorney General Marta Mancera
04:34 is the prosecutor in charge as of Thursday.
04:38 The head of the corporation denounced the siege,
04:40 which has already been condemned by the head of state.
04:44 [Silence]
04:51 On Thursday, United Nations experts urged the United States
04:55 to review its domestic frameworks that trigger specific sanctions
04:59 against different states that have been designated as sponsors of terrorism.
05:04 UN specialists declared that the unilateral designation in itself
05:08 goes against the fundamental principles of international law,
05:11 including the principle of sovereign equality.
05:14 Furthermore, the process through which the designation is made
05:17 is unclear and non-transparent.
05:20 It was also said that relevant U.S. legislative acts
05:24 exacerbate fear and uncertainty.
05:26 At the same time, they urged the United States to fully comply
05:30 with its international obligations, including outside of their borders.
05:34 The experts called on the U.S. government to deploy
05:37 to deeply review the current SST designation framework
05:42 to prevent negative humanitarian impacts.
05:45 [Silence]
05:52 And with Telesur, you can now celebrate one of the largest festivals
05:56 in the South American continent.
05:58 Gladys Quezada brings you all the details in this Carnival Time 2024.
06:03 Tune in every day this week at 7 p.m. Caracas
06:06 through our Facebook Live @TelesurEnglishOfficial
06:09 and X-Account @TelesurEnglish
06:11 and discover our most colorful celebrations.
06:14 Other stories coming up. Stay with us.
06:17 [Music]
06:40 [Music]
06:57 Welcome back to From the South.
06:59 The United Nations joins the urgent appeal of all humanitarian agencies from Gaza
07:04 and their call to the world to press an avert of tragedy in Rafa.
07:09 There are more than 1.5 million refugees in that city,
07:12 located in the south of the street.
07:14 The Israeli prime minister's order makes them all targets of war.
07:18 More than half of the residents of Gaza were pushed to the south
07:22 because Israel agreed that it would be a safe zone.
07:25 However, for more than a week now,
07:27 the bombardments have been constant against residencies, hospitals, and refugee camps.
07:32 On Wednesday, the Zionist premier ordered his troops to prepare for an incursion
07:36 that, according to the UN, will have a terrifying cost.
07:40 And Palestinian authorities reported dozens of dead and wounded
07:52 in the recent hours after an Israeli bombardment of the Gazan towns of Rafa and Khan Yunis.
07:58 The Palestinian government denounced that in addition to the shelling and raids by the occupation forces,
08:04 Israel had placed snipers in the vicinity of one of the main hospitals in Khan Yunis.
08:09 The authorities indicated that the Israeli artillery also fired dozens of rockets at the eastern areas of the city,
08:16 which has been the epicenter of a ground offensive by the occupation army.
08:20 On the other hand, the international community has expressed its concerns
08:24 over Israel's orders to continue the raids on Rafa,
08:27 where about 1.5 million people are currently sheltering.
08:33 And in the midst of the Israeli siege,
08:37 Palestinian authorities denounced that at least 10,000 cancer patients
08:42 are suffering the consequences of the raids of the occupying forces
08:46 and the aggression against the health system, including lack of medical care and medicines.
08:51 The Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza was providing care to these patients,
08:56 but ceased to work after the Israeli attacks.
08:59 On the other hand, the World Health Organization said that Israel has restricted requests for medical treatment abroad since 2021.
09:07 We move on to other topics.
09:26 The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, announced on Thursday
09:29 the activation of the National Reconstruction Fund for the victims of the forest fires in the Valparaiso region.
09:35 Boric explained that this fund was created after the earthquake that hit Chile in February 2010,
09:41 during the first term of the former president Sebastián Piñera,
09:45 to allocate aid from the private world to attend to specific needs of the affected families, communities and municipalities.
09:52 The recent fires have mainly damaged the communities of Viña del Mar, Quilpué and Germán Villa in Valparaiso.
10:00 According to the legal medical service, at least 131 people have died and 50 bodies have been identified.
10:07 The emergency in the Valparaiso region has also left some 15,000 homes affected.
10:17 In southwestern Iceland, a volcano erupted on Thursday for the third time since December,
10:22 spewing lava into the sky and triggering the evacuation of the Blue Lagoon Spa,
10:27 one of the island nation's biggest touristic attractions.
10:30 According to the Meteorological Office of Iceland, the eruption began around 6 a.m. local time,
10:36 along a 3-kilometer fissure off the northeast mount of Sungunkur.
10:41 The site is about 4 kilometers northwest of GrindavĂk, a coastal town of 3,800 people,
10:48 evacuated before an earlier eruption on December 18.
10:52 The meteorological office also added that lava was flowing westward
10:56 and that there was no immediate threat to GrindavĂk nor to a major power plant in the area.
11:02 This is the third eruption since December of the volcanic systems in the Reykjanes Peninsula,
11:07 which is home to KeflavĂk Island's main airport and several large cities.
11:13 During the last nearly 800 years, this area was dormant on land.
11:22 There were a few eruptions in the sea just off the peninsula,
11:26 but on land nothing happened for nearly 800 years.
11:30 And in that time the rest of Iceland experienced probably getting on for 150, 200 eruptions.
11:35 So naturally people thought this area was fairly safe.
11:40 And so they started building and you know, you've got a number of important towns in the area.
11:46 And it's been a bit of a shock that this has come back to life,
11:49 especially when people realize that the past evidence that we gathered only quite recently
11:56 is that eruptions could go on for decades, if not centuries, sporadically in this particular peninsula.
12:02 We now have a second short break coming up,
12:05 but before we invite you to join our WhatsApp community for our English speaking audience.
12:09 You can scan the QR code on screen to join directly and also share the link to reach more people.
12:14 Constant news coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean as well as the rest of the world.
12:19 Stay connected and informed with Telesurf. Final short break, don't go away.
12:23 Welcome back to From the South.
12:46 In France, workers of the Paris Autonomous Transport Administration
12:50 demanded better working conditions on Thursday.
12:53 Maintenance workers of this administration, known for being the largest public transport company in Paris,
12:58 took over the headquarters of the entity during a protest on Thursday.
13:03 The protesters demanded a wage increase of 300 euros, equivalent to $324,
13:10 as well as improvements in working conditions.
13:13 The agency's administration stated that a system has been established to strengthen communications
13:18 with representatives of the Transport Workers' Union.
13:25 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping
13:29 highlighted the strong diplomatic ties between their countries via phone call.
13:34 Russian President aide Yuri Ushakov declared on Thursday's briefing
13:38 that China and Russia are planning to continue joint energy projects this year.
13:44 He added that Putin and Xi spoke about building financial infrastructure that ensures reliability of payments,
13:50 while Moscow and Beijing have increasingly carried out trade in rubles and yuan.
13:55 During the call, the two leaders discussed the conflict in Ukraine
13:58 and the intensification of the aggressions by the Taliban army against the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip.
14:04 Both leaders confirmed a common approach
14:07 and seek to work towards a more just world order based on international law.
14:14 Doctors Without Borders and other humanitarian organizations
14:20 are denouncing attacks on hospitals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
14:24 where escalating violence is keeping thousands of people trapped in the crossfire.
14:29 Hospitals in the North Kivu region in the east of the country have come under attack,
14:34 and the safety of their patients and medical staff is at risk.
14:37 Fighting attributed to the resurgence of the M23 movement has intensified in the town of Mueso,
14:43 where several civilians have died inside their homes, hit by bullets.
14:48 In view of this serious situation, the organizations are temporarily relocating their teams.
14:53 The coordinator of Doctors Without Borders stated that the situation is highly worrying.
15:03 Also, Sudan's warring sides have agreed to meet for talks to enable needed aid delivery
15:08 in their conflict-torn country, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
15:12 The UN also appealed for $4.1 billion to help civilians impacted by the 10-month civil war in Sudan,
15:20 warning the conflict had fuelled epic suffering.
15:23 The conflict that erupted in April last year between Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
15:29 and his former deputy Mohamed Hammam Daglo, commander of the paramilitary rapid support forces,
15:35 has killed thousands, including between 10,000 and 15,000 in a single city in the western Darfur region.
15:42 It has sparked a humanitarian collapse, leaving over half of the country's population,
15:47 around 25 million people, in need of assistance and protection.
15:52 [Silence]
15:57 [Music]
16:18 And in several Brazilian cities, the various activities for the celebration
16:22 of one of the most important carnivals in the world have already begun.
16:26 From the city of Rio de Janeiro, the carnivals of Brazil are positioned as one of the most popular festivals
16:32 in the region, with dances, parades and samba, to the point of being declared by UNESCO
16:37 as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
16:40 Rio de Janeiro offers one of the biggest and most awaited events by the population
16:44 that will take place from February 9th to 13th.
16:48 It is estimated that one million people from different parts of the world will arrive to the place
16:53 to witness the display of the comparsas in the SambĂłdromo.
16:57 [Silence]
17:01 Also in Bolivia, in the city of Ferro do Carnaval began this Thursday with the realization of the Andean Anata,
17:08 while the details from the official entrance of the festivity are being finalized.
17:13 More than 50,000 people are expected to witness a traditional dance of the tobas
17:18 that will go through the main streets of the folkloric city until arriving at the sanctuary of the SocavĂłn.
17:25 The celebration is scheduled to begin this Saturday at 7 a.m. local time.
17:30 [Silence]
17:34 Meanwhile in Venezuela, in the capital city of Caracas, cultural activities began for the carnival.
17:39 In the popular parish of El Valle, hundreds of children and young people took part in the carnival's shout
17:45 with a caravan that traveled along the intercommunal avenue.
17:49 The event was attended by the Executive Vice President, Delcy RodrĂguez,
17:53 and authorities of the governmental entity, among other members of the cultural movement of the area.
18:00 [Silence]
18:04 On Saturday, February 10th, Carnaval kicks off at the SambĂłdromo in Sao Paulo
18:09 and the communities are preparing for the biggest event in Brazilian popular culture.
18:14 Our team tells us in detail what it's like in the most populated city in Brazil in the run-up to the event.
18:22 The Anembe SambĂłdromo is ready to receive the samba schools of Sao Paulo.
18:27 In the countdown to the biggest party of Brazilian popular culture,
18:33 the Samba School Unidos da Vila Maria is moving at a fast pace to finish the last details.
18:39 The school has 70 years of tradition in the neighborhood.
18:43 We started small and grew with the rhythm of the community and the samba school helps in all areas,
18:48 both in commerce and inclusion because it also generates income.
18:54 Throughout the year, the neighborhood has been preparing for a challenge where the collective is sacred.
19:00 Sometimes you need a lot from the community and the community needs a lot from us too.
19:06 So everything has to be integrated. The carnival must be together with the people who produce.
19:12 Everything, anything must be discussed among all of us, otherwise it doesn't work out well.
19:20 The resources from Carnival Conquest and television broadcasting are sources of profit for the samba schools,
19:26 as well as events during the year and donations.
19:30 Dropping out of the special group of the competition can mean abrupt losses in resources with incidents
19:36 on the budget of social activities such as those developed today by Unidos da Vila Maria.
19:43 Beyond the carnival, there is a part that is the regard of the community.
19:50 We also have dance history, physiotherapy, ballet, judo, capoeira, theater, music.
19:58 So the work that the samba school does is much greater than that of the samba drum.
20:03 But the samba drum is very important because there we get support to do all this.
20:10 In the school shed, Brazilians are working against the clock to finish making the floats.
20:16 In 2024, the school will pay homage to Ogum, a Italian patron saint,
20:23 by traveling the passage from Africa to the syncretism in Brazil with San Jorge.
20:29 To tell that moment of the Vila Maria with that energy, with strength, with battle of wanting to go up to the special group from where she fell,
20:38 made this the theme that had to be for this year for her to talk about her own patron and warrior.
20:44 Despite its custom of being among the biggest samba school in 2023, Vila Maria was relegated to the access group.
20:52 The energy of Ogum and the strength of the community of workers that day by day gives battle,
20:57 promised the return of the school to the special group of the carnival of Sao Paulo.
21:02 Inacio Lemus and Juliana Sif for Telesur.
21:06 And like this, we have come to the end of this news brief.
21:09 You can find these and many other stories on our website at TelesurEnglish.net.
21:14 And also join us on social media. We are on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and TikTok.
21:20 For Telesur English, my name is Belen De Los Santos. Thank you for watching.
21:25 [Music]