20/09/2024
FTS 16.30
*In Honduras, the judiciary debates unconstitutionality of economic development zones.
*Israel targets residential suburb in Lebanon.
teleSUR
These and many more stories now!
FTS 16.30
*In Honduras, the judiciary debates unconstitutionality of economic development zones.
*Israel targets residential suburb in Lebanon.
teleSUR
These and many more stories now!
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00In Venezuela, the President of the National Assembly presented new evidence which ratifies
00:16that there was no coercion or pressure against the ex-presidential candidate of the far-right
00:21Edmundo González during their meetings at the Spanish embassy in Caracas.
00:28Honduran judiciary debates on the constitutionality of employment and economic development zones.
00:38Israel launched on Friday an aggression against a southern suburb of Beirut, the Lebanese
00:43capital, and eight people have been reported as far-right victims so far.
00:52Hello and welcome to From the South, I'm Alejandra GarcĂa from Telesur Studios in
00:56Havana, Cuba.
00:58In Venezuela, the President of the National Assembly, Jorge RodrĂguez, presented a document
01:03in which the former presidential candidate of the far-right Edmundo González recognizes
01:08the ratification of the triumph of President Nicolás Maduro by the Supreme Court of Justice.
01:13Our special envoy in Caracas, Ignacio Lemus, with the details.
01:20A day before leaving Venezuela, former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González
01:25Urrutia signed a document recognizing the Supreme Court of Justice's ruling ratifying
01:30the electoral victory of President Nicolás Maduro.
01:33The signing of the letter took place during a meeting with the Spanish ambassador, the
01:37Executive Vice President, Delsi RodrĂguez, and the President of the National Assembly,
01:43Jorge RodrĂguez.
01:48To Mr. Edmundo González Urrutia, Mr. President of the National Assembly, I have always been
02:01and will continue to be willing to recognize and abide by the decisions adopted by the
02:06organs of justice within the framework of the Constitution, including the aforementioned
02:11ruling of the electoral chamber.
02:18González Urrutia also stated that he recognizes the five institutions of the state.
02:23Through the document, the ex-candidate of the extreme right requested authorization
02:27for his asylum in Spain and promised that his public activity abroad would be limited.
02:33The government of Spain denies having dialogued with Venezuela, but in an exclusive interview
02:38with Telasser, the President of the Legislative Assembly verified that there were conversations.
02:46It was a two-way negotiation.
02:48It was a conversation.
02:49It was a negotiation between the Vice President and the government of Spain for the purpose
02:55of the documents, let's say legal.
03:04That has to do with the safe conducts that Venezuela has to grant so that people can
03:08leave the country, as in the case of González Urrutia, who had a request from the Public
03:14Prosecutor's Office of the Republic and also to give the approval to a plane of the
03:19Spanish Air Force that was to come to pick up González Urrutia, which is another thing
03:30that also has incongruities.
03:33Because they start to say that there was no negotiation, it is that a plane was flying
03:38around and decided to land.
03:40They think we are still in the 16th century or in the 17th century, when we were a colony
03:46of that empire, I am not talking about the 19th century, that hurts them a lot.
03:51But it is evident that if that plane lands and is kept in the hangar of the Vice Presidency
03:56of the Republic, it is because there is a permission from Venezuela, and that is part
04:02of the negotiation with the government of Spain.
04:10During the morning prior to the publication of the letter by the President of the National
04:14Assembly, Edmundo González's lawyer denied that the document had been signed.
04:24Edmundo González confirmed to me directly that he has not signed any document acknowledging
04:29the electoral results of the National Electoral Committee in BolotĂn No. 1 and No. 2.
04:40The lawyer's speech was refuted by Jorge RodrĂguez.
04:45I invite anyone to make a graphological analysis of the signature of Mr. Edmundo González.
04:51While we are also showing a photograph of Mr. Edmundo González signing, and I tell
04:56one more anecdote, that a friend of mine laughs at my absentmindedness, I did not have a pen
05:02at that time, and I asked Mr. González Urrutia to borrow his pen, my signature is written
05:09with Mr. González Urrutia's pen, because I did not have a pen.
05:19The lawyer's statements contradict those of his client, who from Spain acknowledges
05:24having signed, but assures that it was under duress and considers that the document is
05:28null and void.
05:30Jorge RodrĂguez gave 24 hours for Edmundo González to rectify the accusations made.
05:38I have other evidence to the contrary.
05:41Do not force me to show them, because I am willing to do so.
05:45I have recordings of the meeting I personally had with Mr. González Urrutia.
05:50Do you want me to show them?
05:55The officialization of the letter comes at a time when the National Assembly is advancing
05:59in the investigations on the fascist actions that generated the death of 27 people against
06:04the electoral result of last July 28th.
06:07Now let's see the pieces of evidence presented by the President of the Venezuelan National
06:15Assembly, Jorge RodrĂguez, where on a first audio, you can see the cordial climate of
06:20the meeting held between Edmundo González and Venezuelan authorities, Jorge RodrĂguez
06:24and the Vice President, Teresa RodrĂguez.
06:51Other pieces of evidence show González Urrutia's urgent desire to leave the country.
07:06Likewise on a third audio, Jorge RodrĂguez ratifies that Edmundo González Urrutia would
07:11respect the powers and institutions of Venezuela.
07:34In Venezuela, the President, Nicolás Maduro, held on Friday a phone conversation with the
08:03Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, in which they have addressed
08:07the political situation of the country after the destabilization attempts from the extreme
08:12sectors of the far right.
08:14In an official statement, President Nicolás Maduro Moros informed he held a fraternal
08:19conversation by phone with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in which they discussed the
08:24global political situation, especially that of Venezuela.
08:27During the conversation, President Maduro detailed the aggressions undertaken against
08:32Venezuelan institutions after far-right wings' attempts to disregard the election results
08:37of July 28th, a violence that left a death toll of 27 people killed.
08:42For his part, Secretary-General Guterres expressed that the United Nations is against any intervention
08:48in internal affairs that affect the sovereignty and self-determination of nations and advocates
08:54for the dialogue among Venezuelans.
08:56Both officials agreed to support the consultations with different political, social and economic
09:01sectors promoted by the Bolivarian government, looking to the future and dispelling any threat
09:07of destabilization in Venezuela.
09:15The National Telecommunications Commission of Venezuela, CONATEL, announced at the start
09:20of the public bid to develop the first-generation frequency of mobile telephony technologies
09:26in the country.
09:27On the opening of the second edition of the International Telecommunications FITELF 2024
09:33Fair, which took place in Caracas, the sectoral vice-president of public works and services
09:39and general director of CONATEL, Jorge Márquez, confirmed that he gave accounts to President
09:44Nicolás Maduro to warranty the operation of the project.
09:48The plan aims to advance with new technologies and put them at the service of the population.
09:58Let's take a short break, but remember you can join us on TikTok at Telecid English,
10:04where you'll find news in different formats, news updates and more.
10:08We'll be right back, stay with us.
10:19Welcome back.
10:20Honduran judiciary debates on constitutionality of employment and economic development zones.
10:26The head of the bench of the Liberty and Refoundation Party, Rafael Sarmiento, considers
10:31that the Supreme Court of Justice has the opportunity to determine the constitutionality
10:36of the employment and economic development zones.
10:39During the meeting, the plenary of magistrates will also debate the political amnesty for
10:44the ex-major of San Pedro de Sula, Rodolfo Padilla Sonseri.
10:48Meanwhile, four magistrates of the court announced their participation via virtual means in the
10:54controversial plenary meeting convened by the president of the judicial body, Rebeca Raquel Obando,
11:00to settle the legal status of these instances.
11:08The zones of employment and economic development said that it is a project promoted by American
11:13and European investors that suppress the sovereignty of Honduras by granting full international
11:19domain in these limited areas, promoted by the former president Juan Orlando Hernández,
11:24who is currently incarcerated in Washington for drug trafficking, and of which it is assured
11:30that one of the zones was in charge of a personal assistant of the Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
11:41The negative effects of the employment and development zones in Honduras include the
11:45violation of the constitution and the international treaties subscribed.
11:49Likewise, the people are victims of the expropriation of their natural resources, militarization
11:54and precarious employment.
11:56On the other hand, there was no prior and informed consultation with the inhabitants
12:00before the installation of the CDES project.
12:04The Plurinational Government of Bolivia invited once again former president Evo Morales to
12:09hold a meeting in order to avoid internal clashes between brothers belonging to a single people.
12:15Through the Minister of the Presidency, Marianela Prada, the executive has called the meeting
12:21to be held on Friday at the Ministry of Education in La Paz, headquarters of the Plurinational
12:28Executive.
12:29Since the march organized by Evo Morales, some confrontations have been reported, the
12:33last of them related to the retention of a press team from the national television station.
12:38In order to prevent an escalation of the conflict and more violence, the executive insists on
12:44dialogue.
12:50Argentina's government policies have been changed.
12:54Argentina's government policies have left more than 450,000 unemployed during the last
13:01six months of 2024.
13:03The National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina, through a report, detailed that
13:09unemployment affects 5.7% of economically active population.
13:14The increase in the unemployment rate coincides with an economic recession prolongation, explained
13:21by a significant drop in consumption and cuts in public spending, which is one of the fiscal
13:26adjustments measures implemented by President Javier Millet.
13:30Reports indicated that Buenos Aires leads the unemployment rate with 8.3%, followed
13:36by the northeast region with 7.8%, while some procedures recorded a drop in consumption of
13:43around 30%.
13:51We have a second short break coming up, but before we invite you to visit our YouTube
13:55channel at Telesur English, there you'll be able to re-watch our interviews, top stories,
14:00special broadcastings and more.
14:02Hit the subscribe button and activate the notification bell to stay up to date on the
14:06world's most recent events.
14:08Final short break, don't go away.
14:10Welcome back to From the South.
14:21Israel launched on Friday an aggression against the southern suburb of Beirut, the Lebanese
14:26capital, and eight people have been reported as fatal victims, so far among them at least
14:31five children.
14:32The death toll was confirmed by the Lebanese health ministry, which also informed that
14:37nearly 59 people were injured during the four missile attacks that targeted buildings in
14:43the capital's southern suburbs near the Al-Qa'im mosque complex.
14:47In this context, ambulances, Red Cross and civil defence fighting teams rushed to the
14:52targeted location and are working to transport the injured amidst the army's deployment.
14:59In Palestine, an Israeli attack caused the deaths of more than 13 people in the last
15:0424 hours in several residential areas of the Gaza Strip.
15:07Local media reported that the Israeli aerial aggression was against the Gaza city and indicated
15:14that emergency teams are searching for survivors under the rubble.
15:18Also, Israeli forces demolished several residential buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian
15:25enclave and destroyed multiple structures in the northern part of the Al-Nusayrah refugee
15:30camp.
15:31The frequent Israeli aggression against Gaza since October 7th, 2023, has caused the death
15:36of 41,272 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left over 95,000 wounded.
15:55In Central Europe, storm Boris leaves at least 24 people dead and around 4,000 displaced
16:10due to a flooding.
16:12Meteorological authorities reported that 250mm of rain fell in the last 24 hours, affecting
16:18countries such as Romania, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Italy.
16:23Meanwhile, local authorities have enabled schools and sports centres as shelters for
16:27those most affected and are urging some of them to stay on the upper floors of their
16:32homes or abandon them due to the flooding.
16:35In the meantime, authorities are distributing humanitarian aid and emergency services while
16:40working on the cleaning and recovery of the damaged areas.
16:44Meanwhile, in Hungary, authorities closed roads, train stations and suspended ferry
16:55service due to flooding after storm Boris.
16:58Also, report that in the Danube Bend region, houses and restaurants close to rivers were
17:04covered with water.
17:06They also report that more than 6,000 professionals were mobilized to fill sandbags to fortify
17:12the Polish city of Worklo.
17:20The Government of Bolivia announced that it will receive equipment to combat the forest
17:24fires that have ravaged a part of the country in recent weeks and have devastated more than
17:294 million hectares.
17:31The President of Bolivia, Luis Arce, informed that on September 21st, a tanker plane and
17:36an electro-tanker 481 will arrive with a capacity for multiple water discharges of
17:4211,300 litres.
17:44The Bolivian President explained that a helicopter with a capacity of 1,000 water litres will
17:50also arrive.
17:51In this sense, the head of state, Luis Arce, stated that the aircraft will implement the
17:55Brechas de la Esperanza plan to fight fires by land and the Guardian aerial mitigation
18:01plan to attack the fire by air.
18:07In Colombia on Friday, the National Unity of Risk Management of Disasters has reported
18:14249 wildfires in September, with 10 of them still actively raging.
18:20In this sense, the most affected region is Condinamarca, in the centre of the country,
18:24as it has faced 66 of the wildfires, while Huila and Tolima have notified 44-ish.
18:31In this context, the Agency proposed pursuing a technical management strategy to put out
18:36the wildfires, which have already destroyed 23,000 hectares of the domestic forests.
18:43In addition, the National Directorate of the Firefighters stated that more than $7 million
18:48have been allocated to purchase cutting-edge equipment to better tackle these incidents.
18:54Regarding the fires in Tolima, the Director of the Regional Autonomous Corporation provided
18:59an update.
19:01And of course a recommendation to the whole community of Tolima, Western Colombia, since
19:10a large part of the fires are caused by human actions, so we need to avoid them, remember
19:15that controlled burnings are absolutely forbidden at this moment.
19:20These fires in Tolima, Western Colombia are consuming a number of hectares, some of which
19:25are of strategic and ecosystemic importance and affect our wildlife, and we have asked
19:29the Minister of the Environment to help us.
19:32In Brazil, aggravated by the drought, forest fires have been ravaging the country in the
19:37past weeks, with authorities revealing that most of them were man-made.
19:41Our correspondent in the South American nation, Brian Meir, brings us more details.
19:48Capitalizing on conditions caused by the worst droughts in decades, forest fires have been
19:53raging across Brazil for weeks.
19:55According to the federal government, 99% of these fires have been started by humans.
20:00On September 19th, the government announced that since the start of the crisis last month,
20:05187,580 square kilometers have been destroyed by fire, an area over twice the size of Austria.
20:13The concrete fact is that it looks very unusual to me.
20:21Some fires happen every year.
20:24It's the worst drought in recent memory and the worst heat wave in recent memory around
20:29the world, but to me, something reeks of the opportunism of some sectors trying to spread
20:35chaos in this country.
20:38Every year during dry season in countries across South America, local actors in global
20:42commodity chains for products like soy and beef start fires on environmentally protected
20:49land, then illegally occupy it when the smoke clears to start farming and ranching for agribusiness
20:55corporations in the global north.
20:57This year, however, top officials in environmental and policing agencies believe that something
21:02even more nefarious is underway.
21:07There are forest fires going on in Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, and other places around the
21:13world.
21:14The difference is that there is a criminal group here in Brazil enacting a kind of climate
21:19terrorism in which they use conditions generated by climate change to further aggravate the
21:24problem.
21:25This is a crime against public interest, against public financing, and it definitely requires
21:31stiff sentences.
21:33Spreading chaos is a common tactic of the internationally aligned far right, and some
21:38leaders are already under investigation for possible roles financing the fires.
21:43Another hypothesis for motive is to discredit the Lula government during the lead up to
21:48the October 6th local elections.
21:52Pastor Silas Malafaia is a religious leader connected to the Brazilian far right who regularly
21:58financially backs their demonstrations, including the anti-Supreme Court rally on September
22:047th in Sao Paulo.
22:07He posted invitations to it on his social media channels saying, Brazil is going to
22:12burn.
22:13Immediately, the number of fires increased across Brazil.
22:17On September 18th, environmental minister Marina Silva said that firefighting brigades
22:22had extinguished 290 fires, contained 179, and were battling the remaining 108 man-made
22:30forest fires burning across Brazil.
22:33Brian Meir, tell us sir, Recife.
22:37We have come to the end of this news brief, but you can find these and many other stories
22:41on our website at telecityenglish.net and join us on social media.
22:46We are on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok as well.
22:50For Telecity English, I'm Alejandra Garcia.