Blinken heads to G20 in Brazil;
Blinken heads to G20 in Brazil;
Ukraine, Gaza expected to dominate agenda;
LogOn: AI helps people with voice disorders speak more clearly;
Over P1-B worth of damage to infrastructure recorded due to bad weather in Mindanao
Ukraine, Gaza expected to dominate agenda;
LogOn: AI helps people with voice disorders speak more clearly;
Over P1-B worth of damage to infrastructure recorded due to bad weather in Mindanao
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Good day, I am Sujin Kim and this is PTV News Now.
00:09 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Brazil this week for a G20 Foreign Ministers
00:14 meeting where the wars in Ukraine and Gaza are expected to dominate talks.
00:19 He will also meet with Brazil's President then travel to Argentina.
00:23 VOA's Cindy Sane reports.
00:26 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to Brazil for the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting
00:33 and talks on Wednesday with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
00:39 The independent-minded Brazilian leader has strongly criticized Israel's war on Hamas
00:45 and the high number of Palestinian civilians killed.
00:49 He had this to say on Sunday on a visit to Ethiopia.
00:53 "What's happening in the Gaza Strip isn't a war.
00:58 It's a genocide.
00:59 It's not a war of soldiers against soldiers.
01:02 It's a war between a highly prepared army and women and children."
01:08 At the State Department Tuesday, Spokesperson Matthew Miller said the Biden administration
01:14 disagrees with Lula's comments.
01:16 "We have been quite clear that we do not believe that genocide has occurred in Gaza.
01:25 We want to see the conflict ended as soon as practical.
01:28 We want to see humanitarian assistance increased in a sustained manner to innocent civilians
01:34 in Gaza, but we do not agree with those comments."
01:37 One expert says Lula is trying to make his voice heard about matters over which his country
01:43 has little influence.
01:45 "He tried to punch above its weight, trying to influence the war in Ukraine, the war in
01:58 Gaza.
01:59 And there are limitations.
02:02 We should recognize that Brazil, in terms of foreign policy, has no power, has no strength
02:13 to interfere in this area.
02:16 On the contrary, we are very strong and we are a power, a world power in environment,
02:24 in food security, in energy transaction.
02:29 We should concentrate on these areas."
02:31 Barbosa says he does not know why Lula has been silent on the political situation in
02:38 neighboring Venezuela.
02:40 A likely blink in topic of discussion during the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Rio
02:45 de Janeiro and his visit Friday to Argentina.
02:50 Venezuela's government and opposition met Monday in Caracas to discuss their differing
02:55 views on the detention of a prominent human rights attorney and an agreement to work on
03:01 conditions for a free and fair presidential election this year.
03:07 On the eve of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, a top Brazilian diplomat said that
03:12 conflicts around the world have reached the level of the Cold War and that global leaders
03:19 need to adapt the international system to prevent new conflicts.
03:24 In Argentina, Blinken will hold talks with its outspoken new president, Javier Mele,
03:30 who is a staunch supporter of Israel.
03:33 Cindy Sane, VOA News.
03:37 Groundbreaking AI-assisted technology can help people with voice disorders speak in
03:44 their natural voices, giving millions of people a chance to have clearer conversations.
03:49 VOA's Julie Tabo has more.
03:53 "Whispering."
03:54 "Yuris Kastamans has a slight stutter."
03:57 "I'm a light stutterer."
04:01 "But like many people who stutter, when he whispers..."
04:04 "And you hear my whisper."
04:06 "His speech is fluent and flawless."
04:08 "Because when you're whispering, you don't use your vocal cords."
04:12 This explains why people with severe stutters can reduce their stuttering frequency by as
04:17 much as 85 percent while whispering.
04:20 That amazing fact inspired Kastamans to develop Wisp, an AI-assisted voice technology and
04:26 calling app that can empower people with severe stutters and voice disorders to speak more
04:31 clearly.
04:32 One of those people is George Koster, who has vocal cord paralysis.
04:36 "Since then, I speak like this."
04:40 But thanks to Wisp technology, Koster was able to hear his old, healthy voice again.
04:45 "Hello, my name is George Koster."
04:47 "I never have heard my old voice."
04:51 Users can choose to personalize their Wisp voice with in-app recordings or use recordings
04:55 from their past healthy voice.
04:57 "Old, healthy voice, back again."
05:00 Ruud van Noorden has undergone a total laryngectomy, which is a surgery to remove his voice box.
05:06 But Wisp's advanced AI technology "Yes, I'm Ruud."
05:10 breathes life into his voice, allowing him to speak in his old, natural voice in real
05:14 time.
05:16 Users like van Noorden can also make in-app phone and video calls.
05:20 "The ideal situation is to have a seamless conversation with a flow, right?
05:27 So without a delay.
05:29 Our big, bold dream would be to have Wisp in each smartphone and laptop worldwide."
05:34 Kosterman says the technology is designed to transform not just speech, but people's
05:39 quality of life.
05:41 "It's remarkable."
05:43 Julie Thabo, VOA News.
05:51 The worth of damage to infrastructure due to the landslide and massive flooding in Bindendal
05:56 has reached over a billion pesos.
05:58 Based on the latest report of the NDRRMC, over 500 million pesos worth of damage in
06:04 agriculture has been recorded.
06:06 Meanwhile, a total of 1,762 houses were damaged, 751 totally and some 1,011 partially.
06:15 So far, over 257 million pesos worth of assistance has been provided to the victims.
06:22 More than a million and a half people or 471,819 families have been affected, with over 15,000
06:30 people still staying in evacuation centers.
06:33 This is Sujin Kim, stay informed, get ahead and get the news right here.
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