FTS 16:30 20-08: Venezuelans to vote on community development plans
20/08/2024
FTS 16.30
*In Paraguay, police kill ruling Party Deputy Eulalio Gomes in raid.
*Israel shells a school housing displaced Gazans.
teleSUR
These and many more stories now!
FTS 16.30
*In Paraguay, police kill ruling Party Deputy Eulalio Gomes in raid.
*Israel shells a school housing displaced Gazans.
teleSUR
These and many more stories now!
Transcript
00:00Venezuelan people get ready to go to the pool again on Sunday for the second
00:14popular consultation to define projects of local interest and the benefit of
00:18communities. In Paraguay, the deputy of the ruling party, Eulalio Lalo Gomez, was
00:27killed in his home by members of the police force during a riot. The Israeli
00:35occupation army committed a new war crime by bombing a school that has
00:41served as a shelter for the displaced people in the Gaza Strip.
00:50Hello, welcome to From the South. I'm Ana Marrero from the Tele Sur headquarters in
00:54Caracas, Venezuela. We'll be with the news, stay with us.
01:10Venezuelan people are getting ready to go to the pools again on Sunday in the
01:15second popular consultation to define projects of local interest and benefit
01:19the communities. In this regard, citizens will participate in elections to
01:23elect the communal projects that will have priority for their execution in the
01:28communities of the country as an exercise to strengthen the participatory
01:34democracy. The elections will allow more than 49,000 communal councils of
01:41the country to choose the local development plan to benefit the
01:45communities who are working to improve self-management and social control. For
01:50his part, the Minister of Communities and Social Movement, Angel Prado, stressed
01:55that the Bolivarian government is going for a new victory.
02:07On an exclusive interview for Tele Sur, Minister of Communities and Social
02:11Movement of Venezuela, Angel Prado, noted that the popular consultation on
02:16August the 25th will severe that the communal councils to address the social
02:21projects to provide solutions to the Venezuelan people.
02:26A communal circuit is integrated by several communal councils. In this case,
02:34each communal council raises three projects. In its first instance, that is
02:40the communal council then goes to the great assembly of the circuit, each one
02:43with its three projects. And there you define between six and seven projects
02:49that will be submitted to vote, in this case next August 25. There the people
02:54will vote for the project they are interested in resolving first, but there
02:58is a second, third project that even has the possibility of having a transfer of
03:02resources to financing if it is not through the presidency of the republic.
03:06It can be a mayor's office, a governor's office, or a ministry.
03:13With this regard, Venezuelan Minister Angel Prado assured us, since the government of
03:17President Hugo Chavez, the country needs a participative and inclusive policy.
03:24This sets off by that hopeful time in 1998, a little earlier with Commander
03:30Hugo Chavez, and by 1999 a constituent assembly was proposed and we approved a
03:35new constitution, where we left behind the representative politics to initiate
03:40a participative politics of inclusion of the people, where the people can be
03:43involved in administering domestic resources and the people can be part of
03:47the planning, before. There were only neighborhood associations that were
03:51obsolete organizations, where only one person, having little contact with some
03:55authority of the ruling political party, would send information. However, nothing
04:00happened at all, there was no transfer of resources of competence. Neither the
04:05management of the regional government existed, nor popular organization was
04:09allowed. The Venezuelan Minister of Communes also points out that the popular
04:15organization through the communes allows the people to govern the allied
04:19authorities as a whole. The communal councils are born in the communal
04:27councils as legal figures, that even have a legal account in a bank, they have an
04:31executive structure of government, they have a work committee, they have a
04:34territorial scope, that have a name, that has a charter, that has a development
04:38plan, and that the citizens assembly is the highest decision-making body, that
04:42exercises a social control, and that has a project and transfer of resources we
04:47advanced in this country with the housing mission. Well, thanks to the
04:50birth of the communal councils, those small cells of self-government in 49,000
04:55spaces of the national territory, there was a boom, it was a real joy in our
04:58people from that moment of the government. They know how to administer,
05:02they know how to manage, they organize themselves, they execute courses, and well
05:07we say they're at the base, we learn to be political.
05:11In Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro celebrated the exit of social network X from Brazil,
05:18after the Supreme Court of Justice proved that it either inoculates hate
05:23messages and spread of false information. During the broadcast of his
05:28program Comodoro Mas, the Venezuelan president denounced that Elon Musk
05:32incited a hate campaign throughout social networks, summoning Venezuelan
05:38influencers and artists abroad to be tried at their homeland. In this sense,
05:43the Venezuelan president asserted that the extreme right is no longer based on
05:48political parties, leaders, or ideologies, but on influencers who manage a large
05:53number of followers. President Maduro also celebrated the exit of social network X
05:58in Brazil, and assured that America will defeat these media campaigns that
06:03seek to undermine peace and the institutionality of the nations of the region.
06:08I have a report that they sent me from Brazil, look here I have it. See, it is
06:25quite long, it turns out that. A judge of the Supreme Court of Brazil, surname
06:31Moraes, applying the law and the laws that exist in Brazil against false
06:38information, hate crimes, which are laws that every country has the right to
06:44approve, to defend their society, discovered all the campaigns of hate and
06:50lies, which were applied in Brazil in the last election campaign of Elon Musk
06:57through X, previously called Twitter, against Brazilian citizens. As Elon Musk
07:04openly supported, in a vulgar way, violating the laws of Brazil, to Jair
07:10Bolsonaro, as he later supported the assault to power on January 8th. Then in
07:18those investigations the court took precautionary measures, with Twitter, with
07:24X, then Elon Musk. As he gives himself a bravo, seeing that he was lost before the
07:31highest court of Brazil, announced yesterday that he is leaving Brazil. Very
07:37good Brazil, excellent, you have one mental health and peace. Out Elon Musk
07:46and out X from Latin America. Let's take a very first break, but remember you can
07:51now join us on our TikTok account at Celeste English, where you'll be able to
07:55see news in different formats, news updates and more. Stay tuned for more news.
08:04Welcome back to From the South. On Monday, the deputy of the ruling party of
08:09Paraguay, Eulalio Lalo Gomez, was killed in his home by members of the police
08:15force during a riot. The police operation was part of a series of riots carried out
08:20in the city of Pedro Juan Caballero. One took place in the home of the
08:24congressman of the Colorado Party and another in the home of his son,
08:30Alexander Rodrigo Gomez. In this regard, preliminary information revealed that
08:35both had offered resistance, which provoked an exchange of fire with the
08:39authorities, that resulted in serious wounds to the lawmakers who passed on
08:43the way to the hospital.
08:51Police officers mounted a raid to inspect and seize evidence related to
08:56the punishable offense of money laundering, association to commit a
08:59crime, etc. While they were on the raid, a confrontation arose, which led to a
09:05fatality.
09:06For us, there was no need to carry out that search at 3 in the morning. Even
09:24though the law foresees that possibility, it foresees it in case of urgency. It is
09:28foreseen in case the person is with the intention of escaping or if a burning of
09:32files is happening or if there is an attempt to destroy the elements
09:36contemplated in the search warrant. They could have waited quietly until 6 in
09:40the morning, carry out the procedure in a normal way and not enter hooded, breaking
09:44doors, to generate, or due to that it ended up generating, the outcome that we
09:49all know. In addition, Director of Legal Medicine of the Prosecutor's Office,
09:56Pablo Lemir, describes the cause of the death of a legislator, Eulalio Gomez.
10:03Both wounds are caused by high-velocity ammunition and specifically the wound on
10:08the left side causes total destruction of the heart, a cardiac arrest, as well as
10:14lung and liver injuries. In the Chinese Autonomous Region of Xishan, previously
10:21known as Tibet, aims U.S. accusations the population positively evaluates the
10:27government's policies aimed at bettering their access to basic infrastructure and
10:32services and preserving the region's cultural and religious values. From Xishan,
10:37Telesur collaborator DeMauro Ramos offers more details. The Democratic Party
10:42has chosen Kamala Harris's running mate, Minnesota government Tim Walz. The
10:46Democrat was a congressman for six terms since 2006 and is also known for his
10:51interest in China. Walz was a member of the Congressional Executive Commission
10:55on China, a body that claims to monitor human rights in the Asian country. The
10:59Chinese government has repeatedly expressed strong dissatisfaction and
11:03opposition to the reports released by the Commission. China also has just taken
11:07countermeasures on Congressman Jim McGovern, a member of the Commission and
11:11a very close ally of Tim Walz. Because of his actions meddling in China's internal
11:15affairs, McGovern will be banned from doing business or traveling to China. In
11:19recent years, Walz and McGovern have focused on reporting alleged human rights
11:23abuses in Xizang, known as Tibet in the West. We were invited to be part of a
11:28delegation to visit Xizang first-hand. We spoke with peasants, teachers and
11:32monks from different cities in the autonomous region.
11:37As a Tibetan, I can mention two significant actions that the Communist
11:40Party of China took in Xi'an. Politically, the party freed millions of serfs, granting
11:45them freedom economically. By 2019, all 74 impoverished counties in Tibet had
11:50been lifted out of poverty. Now, we are entering a phase of rural revitalization.
11:55May marks 73 years since the peaceful liberation of Xizang. At that time,
12:00aristocrats, local officials and high-ranking lamas in monasteries
12:04represented only about 5% of the Tibetan population owned almost all of the
12:09region's wealth. The other 95% were feudal serfs, enslaved people. By 2019,
12:15628,000 people had been lifted out of absolute poverty in the 74 counties
12:21mentioned by Yang Zong. Part of the policies focused on relocating families
12:25from places that are difficult to access and without base infrastructure or
12:29services. Ziwang Pintuo, a resident of Sige Village, was one of the relocated
12:34Tibetans. We come from a small village in Medij County, Nyingki. It used to take
12:41five or six days to walk from our village to the county town. Sometimes
12:46when we went to Bom County to buy things, we had to carry everything, whether big
12:50or small, on our backs. In our hometown, the most common means of transportation
12:55to cross the Yarlung Zangbo River was the iron rope. So, it was obviously
13:00difficult to send children to school and for the elderly to see the doctor. It is
13:05fair to say that our quality of life was low. With the help of the country and the
13:09government, we moved to our current home in 2003. In addition to the different
13:14commissions in the US Congress, Human Rights Watch is another US entity that
13:18negatively evaluates these policies in Sijiang. In different reports, the
13:22organization claims that the relocations were forced and that the Tibetan language
13:27and culture have been repressed, although the Sijiang Autonomous Region has a
13:31bilingual education system in Mandarin and Tibetan. Wang Dui is a primary school
13:35teacher. He talks about the education offered in schools in the region.
13:40We are committed to preserving and transmitting our culture. In our
13:46classes, each teacher incorporates this tradition into their classes, sharing
13:50knowledge with everyone. Whether it is about passing on tradition or learning
13:55about it, our goal is to pass this content on to our students so they can
13:59better preserve it in the future. Wang Dui has been teaching Tibetan for 24 years.
14:04He states that in addition to the language, the teaching of Tibetan
14:08calligraphy in schools is being increasingly prioritized. In the past, we
14:13did not have convenient transportation like today. The road we used to use to go
14:18to school was difficult to walk on. In the past, we needed ink and paper to
14:23practice Tibetan calligraphy, but we didn't have it, so we had to follow
14:26tradition and write on wooden tablets. But now students have good quality paper
14:31and ink. They are very lucky. Human Rights Watch also accuses China of
14:36restricting religious freedom in Sijiang. Buddhism is one of the main religions
14:40practiced in China, along with Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism.
14:45Although the state is secular, there are policies to support monasteries and
14:49monks due to the cultural and historical value of Tibetan Buddhism, which is the
14:53second largest branch of this religion in the country.
14:56Dong Zhu, guide at the Changzhu Temple, explains this policy.
15:01The government takes care of our monks in various aspects, such as medical care
15:06and social security. For example, all temples in Sijiang, including Changzhu Temple,
15:12offer a free annual medical check-up for monks. The check-up results are kept in
15:18the monks' personal records. Our temple's main source of income comes from our
15:22small tea shop and the sale of items such as butter lamps, barley lamps, and
15:27cottas, all made by the temple itself. These sources of income are usually
15:33enough to support each monk. Barkhor Street and Jokhang Temple are in
15:37the center of the old city of Lhasa, the capital of Sijiang. The temple is under
15:41state protection and became a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2000.
15:46More than 90% of the population of Sijiang is Tibetan Buddhist. The Jokhang
15:50Temple was built over 1,300 years ago, and the temple receives up to 80,000
15:56people a day on special dates for Tibetan Buddhism.
15:59With the country's strong support, transportation and economy here are
16:06relatively developed compared to before, and there are many more tourists and
16:10worshippers than before. As the internal staff of Jokhang Temple, we monks must
16:17maintain and protect this World Cultural Heritage, make our own efforts to pass
16:23it on to the next generation, and strengthen our research on religious
16:27knowledge.
16:32Let's take our last break, but before we invite you to visit our YouTube channel
16:36at Telestudy English, where you'll be able to watch an interview, sub stories,
16:40special broadcasts, and more. Hit the subscribe button and activate the
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16:46final short break, don't go away.
16:48Welcome back. In the United States, pro-Palestinian activists demonstrate
16:53near the National Convention of the Democratic Party in Chicago to demand an
16:58end to the government's armed shipment to Israel. This is the way activists and
17:03members of human rights organizations call for the current administration to
17:08end the policies for support to Israel. The demonstrators also demand that
17:13the government of President Joe Biden exert pressure on Tel Aviv to end the
17:18genocidal Israeli war against the Palestinians in Gaza. The mobilizations
17:22were concentrated outside the city's United Center, where the Democratic
17:27National Convention is being held, with the participation of Biden and
17:31Vice President Kamala Harris.
17:33In this context, several Democratic National Convention delegates
17:37covered their mouths during U.S. President Joe Biden's speech on Monday
17:43at the first night of the Paris gathering in Chicago. With the action
17:48the delegates protest, the government stands in the Israeli genocide of the
17:52Palestinian people in Gaza, which is a major issue for the United States.
17:56The demonstrators also demand that the government of President Joe Biden
18:01end the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza, which Biden's
18:03administration has been funding for 10 months. Some delegates expressed their
18:08open disagreement with the government's actions, including Washington State
18:13Representative Sovereign Oden.
18:18We wanted to send a message that we don't agree with what Biden has been
18:25doing, and he has been funding genocide of the Palestinian people for 10
18:31months now. And to be quite honest with you, you know, we knew we had to do
18:38something because the people of Gaza need us to amplify their voices.
18:43My vote is not secure. I feel very comfortable saying that. I recognize,
18:47you know, as I said, over 80 percent of Democrats agree with me. Everybody
18:50comes here and sees my keffiyeh and they say, we support you. We support
18:54your message. And so it's now the responsibility of our elected officials,
18:58right now, President Biden and Vice President Harris, to listen to all of us.
19:03Everybody here is in agreement. This is we don't want to continue killing babies.
19:07We don't want to continue killing women. And so we need them to listen to us.
19:24On Tuesday, the Israeli occupation army committed a new war crime by bombing a
19:33school that served as a shelter for displaced people in the Gaza Strip. In this regard,
19:38civil defense spokesman Mohamed Bassal reported that at least 10 people were killed,
19:42including two children, in the strike that targeted Mustafa al-Hassan School in West
19:47Gaza City. Bassal added that they are still recovering bodies from the schools whose
19:53building collapsed after being directly hit by a bomb. In this context, social activists
19:58condemned the attacks as a violation of international law and called it a call
20:03outside. It is worth noting that the Israeli army has bombed more than 400 schools,
20:10universities and educational institutions in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
20:14And also in Palestine, the Israeli genocidal force killed an 18-year-old teenage boy
20:26in an incursion into the town of Dura in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian
20:32Wafaa News Agency reported that Mohamed Ibrahim al-Baroud was shot and then died in the hospital.
20:39Our earlier occupation forces stormed the city located in southern Hebron,
20:45leading to clashes during which soldiers for ammunition, stun grenades and poison gas
20:51at the youth. Since the outset of the genocide in Gaza, the Israeli army skyrocketed its already
21:01frequent attacks on the occupied West Bank, killing 636 Palestinians since then, either
21:08at the hands of Israeli soldiers or as a result of violent riots mounted by Jewish soldiers.
21:21On Tuesday, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas,
21:24underscored that the U.S. substantially changed its ceasefire proposal to buy time for Israel
21:33to continue its genocide. The movement noted that a forced U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
21:40arrived in Egypt to hold talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about alleged negotiations
21:48for the ceasefire in Gaza. Playing the role of mediator alongside Egypt and Qatar, the U.S.
21:54urged Hamas to accept a very different proposal from ones endorsed by the United Nations a couple
22:00months ago. These new proposals were passed by Israel since they do not demand the withdrawal
22:06of Israeli genocidal forces from the Gaza Strip. In this regard, Hamas does point out the U.S.
22:12hypocrisy of promoting a ceasefire in Gaza.
22:17And in the devastated city of Qana, U.N.E.'s Agricultural Engineer Survivor Inaz Akuld
22:30created a water field vital for supplying drinking water, which is
22:37stored in the Gaza Strip. The 15-year-old engineer used wood from fuel panels and
22:45entry in Gaza and windows panels from abandoned buildings to assemble a glass
22:53coverthrow. The scientist made up a whole process based on solar energy to turn water
23:00into potable. Her device has become crucial for the inhabitants due to the phased power
23:08outages on water charges. Indeed, water availability has plummeted by 94 percent
23:15since October 2023, averaging 4.7 liters daily, which is less than a single toilet flush per
23:24person.
23:43This device is not just for war. It also addresses the issue of salinity,
23:47specifically the salinity of water wells in the Gaza Strip. In a few years,
23:51we won't have fresh water to drink in the Gaza Strip. All the fresh water is used by farmers
23:56to grow strawberries, which require fresh water and which are then exported. The same applies
24:01to growing flowers. This project came at exactly the right time. It was able to provide us with
24:09clean drinking water. And for about two months, we relied on it entirely.