03/02/2025
FTS 12.30
*Latin America opposition and BBC at center of controversy over mismanagement of USAID funds
*Israel perpetrated more than 9,200 massacres in 471 days in Gaza, Palestine
FTS 12.30
*Latin America opposition and BBC at center of controversy over mismanagement of USAID funds
*Israel perpetrated more than 9,200 massacres in 471 days in Gaza, Palestine
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NewsTranscript
00:00On Sunday, February 2nd, Venezuela held the first national public consultation on several
00:18Camino projects.
00:27The scandal unleashed by the first investigations into the U.S. Agency for International Development
00:32could lead to its permanent closure.
00:34British media, Latin American far-right leaders are among the recipients of millions of dollars
00:39in aid.
00:46In Palestine, the Gaza Government Information Office disclosed that Israel committed 9,268
00:51massacres during more than 471 days of genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.
01:07Hello and welcome to From the South, I'm Luis Alberto Matos from the Televisual Studios
01:11in Havana, Cuba.
01:13We begin with the news.
01:29On Sunday, February 2nd, Venezuela held the first national public consultation on several
01:33Camino projects.
01:35All Venezuelan citizens over 15 years of age were summoned to the polls to decide on more
01:39than 36,000 projects presented by 5,334 communes in the country.
01:46These projects proposed solutions or initiatives in the areas of health, sports, education,
01:51roads, housing and public services.
01:54The voting centers remained open until all the people exercised their right to vote.
01:59This is the first public consultation held this year and it has had the highest participation
02:04compared to all previous ones, especially in the states of Zulia, MĂ©rida, Caracas and
02:09Zuategui, FalcĂłn and Barinas.
02:18The President of Haiti's Transition Council, Leslie Voltaire, has linked the increase in
02:23disappearances in the country to organ trafficking, one of the main ills plaguing the nation.
02:29Recently, the security forces confirmed that several kidnapped farmers were still unaccounted
02:33for.
02:34The Haitian media emphasized that there are no ransom demands or anything similar.
02:39The acting head of government claims in the context of these disappearances that there
02:42is an organ trafficking network known as Perro de Antilles, which is an organization with
02:48international connections that take advantage of the vulnerability of Haitian citizens in
02:54the midst of a tremendous political, social and criminal crisis.
03:13Flash floods in Northeastern Australia have resulted in one fatality and forced the evacuation
03:17of over 2,100 residents so far, as heavy rains continue to wreak havoc.
03:24The Queensland town of Ingham has been particularly hard hit, with the mayor confirming the death
03:29of a woman in her 60s after a rescue boat capsized.
03:33Queensland's Premier, David Crisafulli, warned that further rain and strong winds are expected,
03:39which could exacerbate the already dire situation.
03:42The Bureau of Meteorology has reported rainfall totals exceeding 600 millimetres in some areas,
03:48with predictions of continued severe weather into Monday.
03:51Authorities have issued emergency alerts for low-lying coastal areas, warning of life-threatening
03:56flooding as water levels rise rapidly.
03:59When the river bank broke, it just came down Mystic Avenue and wiped out one side of the
04:10street.
04:11Everyone went underwater.
04:12Everyone's got water through their houses.
04:13There's a lot of people down there with no food, no power obviously.
04:19People aren't coping.
04:20And there's no centre for anyone to go here to get some help.
04:24I definitely believe there's a change in mother nature because they're getting more severe
04:28and this one especially is being spread out.
04:33When you look at Cairns right down to Bowen, mate, something to think about.
04:37We now have a short break coming up, but first remember you can join us on TikTok at Telesport
04:41English where you'll find news in different formats, news updates and much more.
04:46We'll be right back, stay with us.
04:50Welcome back.
05:09The scandal unleashed by the first investigations into the U.S. Agency for International Development,
05:14USAID, could lead to its permanent closure.
05:18British media, Latin American framework leaders are among the recipients of millions of dollars
05:22in aid.
05:23Elon Musk, head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, has already administratively
05:28dismissed several officials who tried to block access to sensitive documents.
05:33The first revelations confirm the transfer of millions of dollars to alleged political
05:36leaders in Latin America to help migrants who are now being expelled by Washington in
05:41the probable conditions.
05:43The British BBC network is also at the center of the controversy, having been found to have
05:48received funds from the U.S. Agency, even though it is expressly forbidden to receive
05:53foreign funding.
06:02In this context, tech tycoon Elon Musk denounced that the United States Agency for International
06:06Development financed research for biological weapons such as COVID-19.
06:11Elon Musk exposed in his social networks that with tax money, the USAID helped to investigate
06:18and spread the pandemic that caused millions of deaths in the world.
06:22The tycoon also stated that the U.S. Agency also contributed to the production of heroin
06:27in Afghanistan, accusing them of being a criminal organization.
06:31Musk accused as well the USAID of being linked to coups d'Ă©tat in Haiti, Ukraine, Egypt
06:37and other countries in the world.
06:45Also in the United States, rescue operations continue after a mid-air collision between
06:49a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet over Washington, D.C. on January 29th
06:54that claimed 67 lives.
06:57Rescuers have recovered dozens of victims from the icy Potomac River, with 55 identified
07:02so far.
07:04Rescuers are working to lift the plane's fuselage as human remains are sent to the
07:07medical examiner.
07:09Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly expressed confidence that all victims will be retrieved,
07:14despite the challenging conditions.
07:16The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the cause of the tragedy,
07:20which caused 64 passengers killed and one crew on the jet and three soldiers aboard
07:26the helicopter.
07:33And South Africa joined the list of countries attacked by U.S. President Donald Trump on
07:37Sunday, who assured that he will suspend all future funding to the country.
07:42Without presenting further details or evidence, he assured that land is being confiscated
07:46in that nation and that certain classes of people are being treated very badly.
07:51South Africa is one of the member countries of the powerful BRICS bloc, an alliance that
07:55the new tenant of the White House has already harshly criticized and intimidated, as he
08:00has done with Mexico, Canada and the European Union, with the imposition of tariffs that
08:05could even reach 100%.
08:06The Republican also assured that the serious facts that he accuses the African nation of
08:11are silenced by the extremist left-wing media.
08:23South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday rejected his U.S. counterpart's comments,
08:28saying that Pretoria, like Washington, had always had laws regulating land use.
08:34President Trump said he would suspend aid to South Africa, accusing his government of
08:38illegal land expropriation and human rights abuses.
08:42But the South African president reiterated that his country is a constitutional democracy
08:46rooted in justice and equality.
08:49He also reminded the White House that the expropriation act was not an instrument of
08:53confiscation but a legal process, and that the only funding they received from Washington
08:57is related to the HIV-AIDS program.
09:07Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on Canadians to boycott U.S. products and only buy national
09:13ones.
09:14The Prime Minister urged citizens to check product labels and choose products manufactured
09:18in the country, suggesting that, whenever possible, choose Canada.
09:22Trudeau also called on Canadians not to vacation in the U.S., but to do so in Canada.
09:27The call aims to fight against the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
09:31According to information from the Oval Office, President Trump scheduled a meeting with Mexican
09:35President Claudia Shinbon and the Canadian Prime Minister.
09:46And European Union leaders have further convened to respond to the U.S. President Donald Trump
09:49threats.
09:50The 27 EU members have met Monday morning at the Royal Palace in Brussels.
09:55Briefings referred that the first part of the agenda will focus on geopolitics and the
10:00relations with the U.S.
10:02They further recalled that U.S. President Trump announced to impose very soon tariffs
10:06on the European Union.
10:09The GOP head of state had justified such hostile policy by accusing Europe of taking advantage
10:15of the U.S.
10:16Moreover, the agenda includes both a meeting with NATO Secretary to discuss issues related
10:20to Russia and an encounter with the British Prime Minister.
10:30And several Panamanian sectors are demanding that President JosĂ© RaĂșl Molina resign after
10:34having welcomed the U.S. Secretary of State.
10:38They accused the President of lacking transparency on the agreements reached with the head of
10:42U.S. diplomacy, Marcos Rubios.
10:45Former Supreme Court Justice Harry DĂaz rejected the decision on Panama's relations with China
10:50and wondered if the legal costs of the lawsuits that could be brought by Chinese companies
10:54would be taken by the United States.
10:56Meanwhile, trade union leader Saul Mendes demanded clarity on the unilateral agreements
11:00made by the President and accused him of lying to the people in a shameless manner.
11:14This lie can't bring about less than demanding that Molina resign, as he is informing that
11:19Rubio has clearly left in relation to the canal, that everything is fine, etc., and
11:26Rubio just said that they gave an ultimatum, and that he is going to inform the Central
11:32American countries that they are going to retake the canal.
11:36Rubio is declaring war on the Panamanian people by declaring that they are not interested
11:41in either sovereignty or self-determination.
12:11Welcome back.
12:31In Palestine, the Gaza Government Information Office disclosed that Israel committed 9,268
12:37massacres during more than 471 days of genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.
12:44According to statistics published in a report, Israeli aggressions against Palestinians in
12:48the coastal enclave left more than 61,000 people dead.
12:51In addition, Israeli attacks damaged 150,000 houses and displaced 2 million Palestinians
12:58from their homes.
13:00The report also noted that Israeli forces killed 1,155 health sector workers in Gaza,
13:06205 journalists, and 194 members of civil defense teams since October 2023.
13:13Also, 34 hospitals were out of service due to attacks by the Israeli army.
13:23The Russian Federation extends to 40 deletes of states with access to foreign exchange
13:27and financial derivatives markets after authorizing the entry of Mexico and Argentina.
13:32Until now, Brazil, Cuba, and Venezuela were the only Latin American countries authorized
13:37to participate in the Russian foreign exchange and financial derivatives market, which was
13:41established last September 2023.
13:44The government reported that this measure would make it possible to increase the efficiency
13:48of the mechanism of direct conversion of the national currencies of friendly and neutral
13:53countries, and the formation of direct robo-quotations to meet the demand of the Russian economy
13:58for payments in national currency.
14:00Cambodia, Ethiopia, Laos, Nigeria, and Tunisia also joined the list of authorized countries.
14:14The North Korean government condemned Monday the statements of U.S. Secretary of State
14:17Marco Rubio, who called the nation a rogue state.
14:21Rubio's statements posed a serious political provocation, willing to tarnish the image
14:26of a sovereign state.
14:27The North Korean administration ensured that Rubio had expressed the White House's incorrect
14:32view of the Asian nation.
14:33Furthermore, following the U.S. Secretary of State's remarks, the North Korean government
14:37stated that they will never help boost Washington's interests in the region.
14:41Meanwhile, U.S. experts had described Rubio's statements as reckless, especially since the
14:47U.S. president has designated Richard Grenell as his special representative for North Korea.
14:58And Paris hosted a special parade on Sunday celebrating the Year of the Snake with a burst
15:15of color and excitement.
15:17Thousands of expectators were able to appreciate the beauty of Chinese culture and its rich
15:21traditions.
15:25On Sunday, Paris and the Champs-ĂlysĂ©es celebrated the arrival of the Year of the
15:31Wooden Snake.
15:32On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, which is based on the lunar calendar, the Champs-ĂlysĂ©es
15:38celebrated again this year with an impressive parade to which everyone was invited to dress
15:42up in traditional Chinese costumes to follow the procession.
15:46It's a very, very important festival for all the Chinese.
16:00And this year, it's a celebration of intangible culture.
16:06We're really excited.
16:08It's a way of showing off Chinese culture to the whole world.
16:18The snake is the sixth animal in the zodiacal cycle and an important symbol in Chinese mythology.
16:23Traditionally, it is associated with traits such as intuition, wisdom, cunning and charm.
16:30This year is considered a time of reflection and personal growth.
16:33On this occasion, the parade featured two main acts, a 300-year-old Chinese folk dance
16:39symbolizing luck and peace, and a lion dance, an emblematic tradition of the celebrations,
16:45both performed majestically by dance artists and martial artists.
16:50First, I feel so proud because even in China, I never saw this show.
17:00Like personally, I only saw it on TV, and I was so excited, almost crying, because it's
17:07so lively.
17:08Everyone performs, tries to express the spirit of Chinese New Year to everyone.
17:14I feel so lucky and so, so excited.
17:19In all, more than 300 dancers and actors brought the colorful show to life.
17:26This celebration on the Champs-ĂlysĂ©es is part of a series of events to mark the
17:31Chinese New Year in Paris.
17:33It will be followed on Sunday, February 9th, by the traditional Grand Parade in the 13th
17:39arrondissement, offering two consecutive weekends of exceptional festivities.
17:49In Brazil, the Inhabit Indigenous Village inaugurated the first cinema in an Amazon indigenous
17:53territory.
17:54The Cine Aldeia project, led by indigenous filmmaker Thais Kocama, and launched in 2019,
18:00has become a cultural hub for film screenings and workshops.
18:04The opening features Kocama's documentary Traces de Resistencia, or Traces of Resistance,
18:11along with eight short films showcasing indigenous talent from across Brazil.
18:22The importance is that we are becoming the protagonists of our own story and bringing
18:26cinema to people who are impacted by the drought.
18:29The drought makes it difficult for us to leave the village.
18:32When the river is low, we are caught by the impact of the drought.
18:35We walk for two and a half hours, which makes it hard for our community to watch a movie.
18:41But today, we will be able to watch it in our own village.
18:51The goal is a dream come true, where children will be able to watch films, documentaries
18:56and things that happen outside, because not everyone has access to the city.
19:02We try to keep our children, our kids, studying within the village, so they aren't at risk
19:07of suffering.
19:08How can I put it?
19:09There is still prejudice.
19:11Like this, we have come to the end of this news brief.
19:16Remember you can find this and many other stories on our website at telestroenglish.net,
19:21so join us on social media, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok.
19:26For Telestro English, I'm Luis Alberto Matos, thank you for watching.