FTS 14:30 28-06: Iran: voting time extended in current presidential elections
28/06/2023
FTS 14.30
*Palestine: FAO issues new Gaza famine alert
*China announces measures to strengthen global south cooperation
FTS 14.30
*Palestine: FAO issues new Gaza famine alert
*China announces measures to strengthen global south cooperation
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NewsTranscript
00:00At 8 a.m. local time, polling stations opened in Iran to begin the presidential election.
00:15Latest report from the Election Commission announced that polls will stay open for two
00:19more hours.
00:24The United Nations Organization warned again about the high risk of a mean that threatens
00:29the entire population in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli attacks.
00:37And China's President Xi Jinping announced new measures to strengthen global south cooperation
00:42and promote a new world architecture.
00:50Hello and welcome to From the South.
00:51I'm Alejandra Garcia from Telesur Studios in Havana, Cuba.
00:54We begin with the news.
00:56On Friday, at 8 a.m. local time, polling stations opened in Iran to begin the presidential election.
01:12This way, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei,
01:17while voting in the city of Hosein Niyah, called on the more than 61 million voters
01:22to cast their ballots to achieve a historic and massive participation.
01:26In this sense, local authorities stressed that 59,000 polling stations opened on time
01:31to a calm electoral environment.
01:34In the meantime, the latest report from the Election Commission announced that despite
01:37the process being set to close at 6 p.m. local time, polls will stay open for two more hours.
01:48God willing, I'll definitely vote because it's a right given to me.
01:52If I don't use it, then I will be unfair to myself.
01:54I must vote so that I, not outsiders, can have a role in the destiny of my country.
02:02We are going to learn more about the four presidential candidates running for the top
02:05government position at the Islamic Republic of Iran.
02:08To start, let's review some highlights of Sayyid Khalili's political career.
02:12Khalili officially started his diplomatic and political career in 1989 at the Iranian
02:17Foreign Ministry.
02:19In 2001, he was Director of Policy Planning for the leader of the Islamic Revolution,
02:23Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei.
02:25Between 2007 and 2015, he served as Secretary of the Iranian Supreme Security Council.
02:32During 2015, he opposed to the nuclear deal with six world powers.
02:37In addition, Khalili was a presidential candidate in 2021 but withdrew in favor of Ebrahim Raisi,
02:43who was the Iranian president until his death on May 19, 2024.
02:49Let's see more about the political career of Mohammad Baker Calibaf, one of the country's
02:57leading political figures.
02:59He was announced as one of the six candidates after evaluation and approval by the Constitutional
03:04Council of Iran.
03:06A founder of the Islamic Students' Association, Calibaf's political career includes his election
03:11as Major of Tehran in 2005 for a 12-year term.
03:16He has also served as Speaker of the Iranian Parliament since 2020, getting re-elected
03:21for a position a few weeks ago.
03:24The present polls are not the politician's first, as he also ran for the position in
03:282005 presidential elections and then again was a candidate in 2013 but lost to Hassan
03:35Rouhani.
03:36In 2017, Calibaf announced his run for a third time but withdrew in favor of late Ebrahim
03:43Raisi's candidacy.
03:44With his background and on the last day of registration, the politician submitted his
03:49candidacy for the current elections.
03:53We continue with Massoud Pesashian.
03:56Born in 1954, he was a PhD in Medicine and General Surgery from Tabriz University.
04:02He was appointed Health Minister from 2001 to 2005, during former President Khatami's
04:08term.
04:09From 2016 to 2020, he served as First Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
04:14He has previously run for the elections in 2013 and 2021.
04:18In 2013, he resigned in favor of Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, while in 2021,
04:25the Guardian Council didn't pass him as candidate.
04:29Finally, let's review the profile of candidate Mustafa Por Mohammadi.
04:36He started in the Islamic Revolution when he was 20 years old, ascending to the position
04:40of Prosecutor of the Court of the Revolution of Masyed Suleiman, position that he held
04:45until 1985.
04:47He served as Minister of Intelligence and later, between 2013 and 2017, as Minister
04:53of Justice.
04:54He is currently a member and political secretary of the Society of the Fighting Clergy, an
04:59organization of the Osullaran Kurend, the conservative wing of the Iranian political
05:04system.
05:25The United Nations Organization warned again about the high risk of famine that threatens
05:29the entire population in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli attacks.
05:33The Office for Food and Agriculture warned about the seriousness of the humanitarian
05:37crisis in the territory of the Gaza Strip.
05:40According to the most recent report, more than a quarter of the Palestinian population
05:44in the region is facing a situation of catastrophe and food insecurity due to the destruction
05:50of infrastructures and land for livestock farming.
05:53The United Nations estimates that the crisis will continue to escalate as long as the Israeli
05:58incursions and bombardments continue to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid.
06:07In this sense, the Office for Women's Affairs of the United Nations alerted that there are
06:11557,000 women in Gaza suffering from food insecurity.
06:17A study in the area has determined that many mothers and adult women gave priority to feeding
06:23other people, such as children, the elderly or pregnant women.
06:27Many skipped meals or reduced them specially to ensure their children's intake.
06:32In this context, more than 80% of the women in Gaza currently depend on food aid.
06:43The United Nations reports that Gaza needs aid in the face of severe medicine shortages.
06:48The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, for Palestine Refugees, issued an urgent
06:54statement highlighting the pressing needs for medical care in Gaza, affected by the
06:58violent Zionist occupation.
07:01The United Nations Agency warns that power outages caused by fuel shortages are putting
07:06the lives of critically ill patients at risk, including newborns, people on kidney dialysis
07:11and those in intensive care.
07:13In addition, the UNRWA reports that the extraction of groundwater, the main source of water in
07:18Gaza, has dropped dramatically by more than 50%, from 35,000 to only 15,000 cubic meters
07:25per day.
07:31On Thursday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stor confirmed that the Nordic country
07:36will accept and treat Palestinians injured as a result of the Israeli genocide in the
07:41Gaza Strip.
07:42The announcement comes after the World Health Organization, together with the European Union,
07:48said that 9,000 Palestinians need urgent medical evacuation by the end of 2024 amid a brutal
07:55Israeli offensive in Gaza.
07:57Norway will participate in the international effort to help Palestinians in urgent need
08:02of hospital treatment.
08:03In addition, the Nordic country will contribute to airlifting Palestinian patients to other
08:08countries.
08:09According to the Norwegian Prime Minister, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic
08:14and its health system has collapsed.
08:17And last month, Norway officially recognized Palestine as a state.
08:24Let's take a short break, but remember you can join us on TikTok at Telesuri English
08:28where you will find news in different formats, news updates and more.
08:31All the stories coming up, stay with us.
08:39Welcome back.
08:53The Argentine Chamber of Deputies approved on Friday the law of bases proposed by President
08:58Javier Milley, which may enter into force since it was previously endorsed by the Senate.
09:04The vote resulted in 147 votes in favour, 107 against and two abstentions after more
09:10than 12 hours of debate.
09:12The initiative was supported by the ruling party Liberty Advances and most of the right-wing
09:17friendly opposition.
09:18For their part, leftist opposition Union for the Homeland and the Left Front, in addition
09:23to the two socialist deputies of the province of Santa Fe, voted against it.
09:28The outcome represents the first legislative success for the President, who after more
09:33than six months of government, succeeded in getting Congress to approve an initiative
09:37that is fundamental to his political project.
09:45The President of Bolivia, Luis Arce, held a meeting with several journalists about the
09:49failed COPD attack against his government.
09:51In statements delivered from the Casa Grande del Pueblo, the President made comments related
09:56to the failed COPD attempt led by former Army Commander General Juan José Zúñiga.
10:01In his speech, he reviewed the events which threatened to destroy democracy in Bolivia,
10:06comparing the violence generated during this act with previous actions.
10:10He also highlighted the conviction of the members of his cabinet in the defence of the
10:16democratic process in Bolivia.
10:19The press conference concluded with a round of questions from several journalists.
10:31I had the command, that button, that characterizes me to
11:01or characterize the General Captain of the Armed Forces, that is also used in the public
11:19acts.
11:20I take the button, I go down, to be able to face, to those who were heading the operation,
11:31coup operation, to the three commanders, I order them to stand down, and to General Zúñiga
11:49I order to redeploy all the forces, all the military forces that were deployed there in
11:55Plaza Murillo.
11:59The Minister of the Presidency of Bolivia, Marianela Prada, also gave details about the
12:03attempted COPD carried out by former Army Commander Juan Zúñiga against President
12:08Luis Arce.
12:09Then, when he managed to open the doors of the Palacio Quemado, what happened is that
12:19there was our President.
12:21I was with him, and he tells me, come right, I'm going to face Zúñiga, and I'm going
12:26to do it to avoid a bloodshed, assuming all the consequences, and those are the images
12:32that are made public.
12:33The Vice President went with the President, and I also went with the President, and we
12:38went down.
12:39When Zúñiga was already entering the Presidential Palace to later seize the Casa Grande del
12:44Pueblo, and our President confronted him directly, the first thing he told him was, the President
12:51was holding the baton of concrete delivered to him as President, and he says, as you Captain
12:57General of the Armed Forces, I order you at this moment to demobilize the troops, demobilize
13:04the armored vehicles that are in Murillo Square, and comply with our Constitution and
13:10don't put the Bolivian people at risk.
13:16On Thursday, the Peruvian Public Prosecutor's Office filed a constitutional complaint before
13:21Congress against former President Pedro Castillo.
13:24This complaint comes days after the Constitutional Court declared inadmissible a habeas corpus
13:28lawsuit filed by the defense of the former Peruvian head of state, seeking his immediate
13:33reinstatement as President of the South American country.
13:37The new complaint accuses Castillo of allegedly committing the crime of incompatible negotiation
13:42or taking on the advantage of the position and a legal appointment of the detriment of
13:47the state.
13:48Pedro Castillo has been detained under preventive detention since 2022, when he was ousted amid
13:53massive demonstrations in support of his government that were violently repressed by now-President
13:59Dilma Rousseff.
14:05The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, extended an invitation to U.S. entrepreneurs
14:10to invest in the country's oil fields.
14:12From Petro Boscan, southeast of the capital of Zulia State, one of the oil Venezuelan
14:17poles, the head of state highlighted the good health of oil production.
14:21Currently, this facility alone produces 86,000 barrels per day, which at the end of 2024
14:28will reach 96,000 barrels per day, according to projections.
14:32Maduro assured potential partners that invest in the Venezuelan oil industry is warrantied
14:37on account of the high qualification of its workforce, among other factors.
14:46We have a final short break coming up, but before we invite you to join our WhatsApp
14:49community for our English-speaking audience, you can scan the QR code on screen to join
14:54directly and share the link to reach more people.
14:56Constant news coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the rest of the
15:00world.
15:01Final short break, don't go away.
15:21Welcome back to From the South.
15:23In the United States, the first presidential debate of 2024 between Joe Biden and Donald
15:28Trump took place on Thursday in the city of Atlanta.
15:31For the first time, a sitting president and a former convicted president faced off in
15:35front of millions of viewers in an early discussion ahead of the national conventions of the Democratic
15:41and Republican parties.
15:42A third candidate was vetoed.
15:44Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not meet the threshold required by organizers
15:49to occupy the podium.
15:51Biden and Trump came to the debate with a tie in the polls at the national level, but
15:56with the Republican ahead in most of the states that will be key in the November elections.
16:01In Colombia, at least 10 people were killed by heavy rains that hit the department of
16:21Antioquia in the northwest of the country.
16:24The heavy rains have also left 11 people missing and caused considerable material damage in
16:29the region.
16:30The authorities informed that the last incident left two minors dead and several families
16:34affected in a landslide in the municipality of AbriaquÃ.
16:38For its part, the government of Antioquia set up a unified command post to monitor the
16:42situation, attend to all the roads affected by the landslides and make progress in the
16:47emergency work generated by the heavy rains.
16:53Meanwhile, in Peru, at least three people have been reported injured after a strong
17:00earthquake of magnitude 7 was registered early morning on Friday in the southern region of
17:06Arequipa.
17:07In regard to the event, the Geophysical Institute reported it was felt in several districts
17:11of the capital Lima.
17:12Afterwards, the Navy issued a tsunami warning.
17:16That authority is assured that it had a preventive measure and is intended to keep the citizens
17:20away from the coast.
17:22So far, two aftershocks have been registered, none greater than 4.2 in scale, and with no
17:28risk of tsunami.
17:29The major of the province of CaravelÃ, Roberto Soto, confirmed that the quake caused severe
17:34structural damage to public and residential buildings, leaving many people temporarily
17:39on the streets.
17:45China's President Xi Jinping announced new measures to strengthen global south cooperation
17:51and promote a new world architecture.
17:52The Chinese President assured that the country will create the Center of Studies of the Global
17:57South, where it will grant more than 100,000 scholarships for education and training through
18:03the program Young Leaders of the Global South.
18:06He also stressed the need to strengthen cooperation in the implementation of initiatives that
18:11contribute to the economic development of the countries of the Global South.
18:15In addition, Xi Jinping urged the countries of the world to promote the construction of
18:20a community with a shared future for humanity.
18:38Now on Copa America USA 2024, where Panama had a historic victory before United States
18:44and keeps fighting for a good position in Group C.
18:47After a convincing defeat against Bolivia, the U.S. team tried to impose conditions against
18:52a team that appeared to be one of the weakest in the tournament, but in turn they lost and
18:57endangered their place in the quarterfinals.
19:00Panama will be looking for a heroic qualification against Bolivia, the most vulnerable team
19:05of the tournament, while the United States will have a tough battle against Uruguay,
19:09one of the candidates for the title.
19:11The resulting Atlanta will surely determine the future of both teams.
19:18More on Copa America, Uruguay crushed Bolivia 5-0 and is one step away from the quarterfinals
19:26of the tournament.
19:27This is the second victory for La Celeste with the goals of Pallistri.