FTS 8.30
*Palestine: Israeli attacks in Rafah displace more than 80.000 people
*Russian and Cuban presidents meet in Moscow
*Palestine: Israeli attacks in Rafah displace more than 80.000 people
*Russian and Cuban presidents meet in Moscow
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NewsTranscript
00:00Argentina faces this Thursday the second general strike against the government's
00:16law of bases and the neoliberal measures taken by the administration of Javier
00:20Milley. In Palestine, intense Israeli attacks on East Rafa have left dozens of
00:28people killed. And as part of his trip to Russia, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel
00:36met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a bilateral meeting in
00:40Moscow. Hello and welcome to From the South. My name is Belén de los Santos and
00:50from the Telesur studios in Havana, Cuba, we begin with the news. Argentina is
00:54experiencing on Thursday the second general strike against the so-called law
00:58of bases and the neoliberal measures taken by the government of Javier Milley.
01:02The main trade union confederations of the country, headed by the General
01:07Confederation of Labor, issued a document denouncing the dismantling of the state
01:12and lack of social protection, affirming that the strike is in defense of
01:17democracy, labor rights and a living wage. The unions are protesting against
01:22Milley's policies and the structural reforms including in the so-called law
01:26of bases, which proposes the delegation of legislative powers to the executive,
01:30the privatization of companies, a special investment regime and the labor reform
01:35that attacks the workers' rights.
01:44And also in this context, voices continue to condemn the decision of the Argentine
01:49government to remove Telesur from open digital television. The journalist
01:54called to say no to the censorship against a multimedia platform.
02:02Hello, my name is Horacio Embon, a journalist, and this message is to say no
02:08to censorship, no to lifting Telesur from open digital television,
02:13freedom. Is it understood? No to censorship, yes to freedom, and Telesur yes to the
02:19open digital television screen. Is that understood? Likewise, writer and teacher
02:25Hernan Bacanar Baja said the democratic governments are not built by silencing
02:30public media. A government that bets on the censorship of public media is not a
02:36democratic government. Javier Milley closed the lamp, silenced public media and now
02:40wants to eliminate Telesur from open digital television. Let's defend plurality
02:45of voices, let's defend democracy, not to the exclusion of Telesur from open
02:49digital television. In other news, AstraZeneca withdrew its COVID-19 vaccine
02:55after acknowledging in court documents it can cause a rare side effect. The
02:59Venezuelan government had already denounced this, refusing to receive the
03:03vaccine back in 2021. The fact could pave the way for a multi-million pound
03:08legal payout. The pharmaceutical giant is being sued in a class action over claims
03:14that its vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, caused death and
03:19serious injury in dozens of cases. TTS stands for thrombosis with thrombocytopenia
03:25syndrome and causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count.
03:35In Venezuela, Sucre municipality citizens rallied in support of candidate and
03:40president Nicolás Maduro. Vice president of the United Socialist Party of
03:45Venezuela Diosdado Cabello led a massive mobilization in support of the
03:51re-election of the Venezuelan president. Social movement took part in this rally
03:56in support of the candidate who, in their opinion, represents the choice of the
03:59Venezuelan people against the candidate who represents the interests of the U.S.
04:04government. Demonstrators also rejected the imposition of the U.S. unilateral
04:08coercive measures against the country.
04:18We have come to visit you, to see your faces, to greet you, to hug you with love,
04:24with respect, with admiration to a people that never surrenders, never, ever.
04:39The liberator came to Trujillo State when history was at its worst and here
04:44his morale soared. Father Bolivar signed in Trujillo State the regularization of
04:49the war and the armistice document written by Antonio José de Sucre.
05:02The name of your municipality. But here Bolivar came with his known values to
05:07mountains that he knew like no one else. Here, in this state, the liberating army was
05:13recognized for the first time by the Spanish invaders.
05:17In Mexico, almost 20,000 public offices will be renewed all over the country in
05:23the next general elections on June 2nd. More than 98 million Mexicans will go to
05:28the polls on June 2nd to renew the presidency of the Republic, the Senate,
05:35the Chamber of Deputies and the governorships of Chiapas, Guanajuato,
05:39Jalisco, Morelos, Puebla, Tabasco, Veracruz, Yucatán and Mexico City.
05:45The candidates for the presidency are Clara Sheinbaum Pardo for the Let's Keep
05:48Making History Coalition, Berta Chótiles, Galvez Ruiz for Strength and Heart for
05:55Mexico Coalition and Jorge Álvarez Maínez for the Citizens Movement National
06:00Political Party.
06:05Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called on citizens to exercise
06:10their right to vote on June 2nd.
06:17Sunday, June the 2nd, we have to vote. Yes, we have to vote here. We all have to vote.
06:23It is voluntary but it is very important to participate. In this context, the
06:30Mexican president preferred not to comment on Argentina due to differences
06:35with its government. I don't want to comment on that because we have known
06:41differences with the government of Argentina and I don't want to quarrel
06:51about it. Once he referred to me and I answered him and that's where we left
07:01off and it will be up to the Argentinians as it is up to the Mexicans
07:11to judge their governments. Now let's take a short break but remember you can
07:18join us on TikTok at TELUS for English where you will find news in different
07:22formats, news updates and much more.
07:26Other stories coming up, stay with us.
07:56Welcome back to From the South. On Wednesday, the Brazilian government
08:06reported that the death toll from the storms that have affected the state of
08:10Rio Grande do Sul since the end of April rose to over 100 people. Authorities also
08:15reported that some 128 people are missing and 372 are injured. The
08:22government added that more than 230,000 people have been displaced from their
08:27homes of which 63,700 are in shelters and 163,000 in family or
08:34front homes. So far the state has 417 out of 497 municipalities with storm-
08:42related issues. In Honduras, the Secretariat of Risk Management and
08:50National Contingencies declared on Tuesday a red alert due to high
08:54atmospheric pollution in Tegucigalpa, the capital of the country. The authorities
08:58reported that there is poor air quality due to a dense layer of smoke that
09:02affects the health of the capital's population. The situation is caused by
09:06the burning of land for agricultural purposes in the region, some forest fires
09:11and pollution from vehicle emissions. The institution declared a green alert for
09:16the rest of the country for an indefinite period to monitor the
09:19phenomenon and protect people's health.
09:26Meanwhile, a strong heat wave hit El Salvador. Weather authorities recorded
09:31temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius, the highest so far in the year. Authorities
09:36of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources reported that high
09:40temperatures have been maintained since April, representing an unprecedented
09:45record of over 41 degrees Celsius during the next few days, especially in
09:50the afternoon and the evening. And more than 700 people have been evacuated in
09:59Uruguay as a result of heavy rains and floods. According to the country's
10:04national emergency system, the rains and floods have blocked roads and affected
10:08the water and power supply in several regions of the South
10:12American nation. On the other hand, the Meteorological Institute issued an
10:16alert on the rains and storms that are expected in the next few days.
10:26Mhm.
10:29Mhm.
10:32Mhm.
10:36Mhm.
10:38Mhm.
10:40Mhm.
10:42Now we move on to other topics. In Palestine, intense Israeli attacks on
10:47East Rafa have left dozens of people killed and thousands displaced. After
10:52the latest escalation in attacks launched by Israeli aircraft, thousands
10:56of Palestinians have been forced to take dangerous evacuation routes to
11:00central Gaza. More than 80,000 people have been displaced from Rafa alone in
11:05recent days, according to U. N. Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees.
11:10Simultaneously, Israeli forces besieged the city of Gaza, where they
11:14attacked at least 10 homes in the Satan neighborhood, killing and wounding
11:18dozens, as reported by Waffen News Agency. Since the beginning of the
11:22genocidal aggression in Gaza, Israel 34,904 people, most of them women and
11:30Children.
11:31Mhm.
11:35I will stay in Palestine as more than 1.4 million people are currently
11:40displaced in Rafa Southern Gaza as Israeli forces continue their
11:44genocidal aggression against the coastal enclave. Many in Rafa have been
11:48displaced several times during the seven month war and are now heading
11:52back north after Israeli forces called for the evacuation of the eastern part
11:57of the city, home to tens of thousands of people. Life for displaced
12:02Palestinians has completely changed, with the streets empty and markets
12:06destroyed. In addition, many Gaza residents are currently homeless.
12:14The situation is very hard. All the schools have been evacuated. Everything
12:19has been
12:21in our lives. There was a complete evacuation. There is no sign of any
12:26life at all. Their humanity is doomed. There is nothing there. No markets, no
12:30life, no food or water. People don't know where to go anymore.
12:35The Israeli army threatened Rafa after they have finished their operation.
12:40They destroyed count down is they want to take us back to destruction back to
12:44the stone ages. There is no more infrastructure, no water, no
12:47electricity. As people, our rights have been violated in every aspect. In
12:52everything, our rights have been violated. The African Union condemned
12:57Israel's military operations in the border town of Rafa, south of the Gaza
13:01Strip. In a statement, the multilateral bloc strongly rejected the offensive by
13:05Israeli troops, which resulted in the blockade of humanitarian aid. The
13:10statement expressed concern over the thousands of death and the systematic
13:14destruction of the quality of life of the Palestinians due to the aggression
13:18of Tel Aviv. The organization urged the international community to coordinate
13:22collective action to stop Israel's advance in the only passage allowed for
13:26humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
13:33Meanwhile, in the United States, police forces detained students during a pro
13:37Palestinian demonstration and dismantled the encampment and George Washington
13:41University. Approximately 33 students were arrested during pro Palestinian
13:47protests. This occurred hours after demonstrators marched to the home of the
13:52president of George Washington University to ratify the rejection of
13:56the Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people. It is important to
14:00note that tensions have increased in the clashes with the students, which has
14:04generated a broad rejection in the student community.
14:12In the same context, students in Belgium also held demonstrations in support of
14:17the Palestinian people and against the Israeli genocide against Gaza.
14:21Demonstrators demand to the university authorities break ties with Israel for
14:25maintaining its genocidal actions against the Palestinian people. During
14:29the day, students have taken over several areas of the university with the aim of
14:34having their demands heard. In this context, mobilized students reiterated
14:38the rejection of the recent attacks by Israel. It should be noted that these
14:42mobilizations have been reported all over Europe and in other areas of the
14:47world.
14:52We therefore have three main demands. The first is an end to all links and
14:57collaboration between the ULB and Israel. The second is a transparent list of all
15:02these links because we are not sure that we are aware of all the links there are
15:07so that we can have a critical opinion and be able to give our verdict on them.
15:13Thirdly, we call on the cancellation of the visit of the former Israeli
15:17ambassador to our campus, who has been invited by the rector.
15:22We have a final short break coming up, but before we invite you, join our WhatsApp
15:25community for our English-speaking audience. You can scan the QR code on
15:29screen to join directly and also share the link to reach more people. Constant
15:33news coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the rest of the
15:36world. Stay connected and informed with Telesurf. Final short break, don't go away.
15:42Welcome back to From the South. In the framework of his trip to Russia, Cuban
16:06President Miguel Diaz-Canel met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a
16:11bilateral meeting in Moscow. The Russian president thanked the Cuban president
16:15for his presence at the military parade on the occasion of the 79th anniversary
16:20of the victory of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and welcomed Cuba's
16:26participation as an observer in the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, as he
16:31emphasized that Moscow rejects US attempts to curb Cuba's development
16:35through sanctions. In turn, Diaz-Canel referred to NATO's rapprochement to the
16:40Russian borders and the geopolitical manipulation that is currently being
16:45carried out by the US.
16:57In this context, the Russian president thanked the presence of current and
17:02historical allies to his nation, such as Cuba.
17:33We welcome the people of the countries where underground members of the
17:38National Liberation Movement were active during the Second World War. Their
17:43struggle became the prologue to the emergence of independent sovereign
17:48states in Asia, which today play a growing role in the global economy and
17:53world affairs. And we stay in Russia as the government accused the European
17:58Union of inciting terrorism after the bloc backed Ukraine's alleged right to
18:03attack the Crimean Bridge. The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign
18:07Ministry, Maria Sakharova, described as unacceptable the statement of the
18:11European bloc and said that it not only demonstrated the bloc's support for the
18:15Kiev regime, but incites Ukraine to maintain its attack against Russia.
18:20Sakharova stressed that the European Union openly ignores its own
18:23international obligations and becomes an accomplice of Ukraine's terrorist
18:27activities. She also noted that the European Union has admitted that there
18:32was a quick solution to the conflict, but that they don't do anything to put
18:36an end to Kiev's hostilities.
18:43The president of China, Xi Jinping, and his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar
18:47Butic, signed on Wednesday a joint statement on building China-Serbia
18:52community of shared future. Both countries agreed to deepen their
18:56bilateral relations and enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership
19:00between China and Serbia. The leaders also signed a series of cooperation
19:04documents in the areas of construction, ecological development, digital economy,
19:09e-commerce, among others. In this regard, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping,
19:13assured that the objectives of the agreement are to realize the aspiration
19:18of the two peoples for a better life in the social and economic spheres.
19:27As a Serbian proverb says, mountains do not meet, but people always do.
19:33Similarly, we Chinese say, distance cannot divide two friends who are
19:37thousands of miles apart. Mr. President has warmly invited me many times to
19:42visit friendly Serbia.
19:47And I'm here today, as promised. Good friends should meet and communicate more
19:52often. During this visit, we will sign a joint statement on deepening and
19:56upgrading the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership
20:03and building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era, so
20:09as to open a new historic chapter in bilateral relations, standing at a new
20:13historical starting point. A brighter future for China-Serbia relations is
20:17unfolding.
20:20On Wednesday, Cuba's 31st edition of the Artistic Youth Festival came to a
20:24close after seven days of concerts, exhibitions and cultural expressions
20:28from the participating countries. The closing of the Romerías de Mayo took
20:33place with the planting of a new tree of friendship in the city of Olguín.
20:37The multicultural event concluded with a closing show, where delegates from the
20:4110 nations bid farewell to the edition and called for the next one.
20:46Shouts for peace in support of the Palestinian people, book presentations
20:49and more than 20 parallel events were held during the 31st edition of the
20:54Artistic Youth Festival.
21:01And like this, we have come to the end of this news brief. You can find these
21:04and many other stories on our website at srenglish.net and also join us on
21:09social media. We are on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and also on TikTok.
21:16For TeleSrenglish, my name is Belén de los Santos. Thank you for watching.