18/03/2025
FTS 12.30
*Colombia witnesses’ rallies in defense of govt. social reforms
*In Palestine death toll rises to 412
FTS 12.30
*Colombia witnesses’ rallies in defense of govt. social reforms
*In Palestine death toll rises to 412
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00The 4th International Colloquium Patriarch continues on Tuesday in Cuba with the presentation
00:17of the documentary Soundtrack to Yakuta and different workshops.
00:27In Colombia, citizens rallied to support the social reforms promoted by Gustavo Petro's
00:31administration, which have been obstructed by the country's congress.
00:35And in Palestine, the Israeli regime broke the ceasefire deal and launched heavy airstrikes
00:44against the Gaza Strip, leaving over 400 dead so far.
00:53Hello, welcome to From the South, I'm Luis Alberto Matos from Eterosu Studios in Caracas,
00:57Venezuela.
00:58We begin with the news.
01:12In Colombia, the national government called for a day of mobilizations to support the
01:16social reforms promoted by Gustavo Petro's administration, which have been obstructed
01:20by the country's congress.
01:22As of 9 a.m. local time, different cities in Colombia take part in rallies aimed at
01:27rejecting the blockade against health, pension and labor reforms.
01:31Since his inauguration, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has proposed a series of reforms
01:35that seek to improve the living conditions of millions of citizens.
01:38Among the projects promoted by the state, the indefinite renewal of temporary contracts,
01:43the increase in overtime pay and access to free health care stand out.
01:56In Ecuador, several rivers got polluted as a result of an oil spill, which contaminated
02:01drinking water of over 500,000 locals, in addition to hampering the livelihood of fishermen
02:07in the Esmeralda's northwestern province.
02:10A landslide caused Thursday the rupture of the Trans-Ecuadorian oil pipeline, polluting
02:15rivers that supply the population and the agricultural activity of Esmeralda, Río Verde,
02:20Atacames and Quirindé parishes.
02:23In this regard, the mayor of Quirindé, Ronald Moreno, reported that 600 residents had been
02:28treated for skin infections, asphyxiation and stomach ache, among other health issues.
02:34Authorities said that the oil slick has covered some 82 km along rivers connecting with the
02:40ocean so that free beaches had to be closed.
02:48The oil slick has reached our shrimp sector and continues to advance and has gotten to
02:53Roca Fuerte.
02:54This is the effect that we have.
02:56Therefore, they have not been able to use the boats.
02:58As you can see, they are all stranded because they have not been able to go out to fish
03:02as their fishing instruments had been stained and they had not pulled out any products.
03:11Russian President Vladimir Putin disclosed that exactly 28,595 sanctions are currently
03:16in place against Russian citizens and legal entities, which exceeds any number of sanctions
03:21against other countries in the world.
03:23During his speech at the plenary session of the Congress of the Union of Industrialists
03:26and Entrepreneurs of Russia, the President stated that in spite of the large number of
03:31Western coercive measures, national companies have been able to adapt and continue their
03:35activity.
03:36President Putin affirmed that these pressure measures seek to weaken economic and technological
03:41capabilities.
03:42But with these sanctions, Russia has strengthened its sovereignty and growth in all areas.
03:53And in France, the Parisian police evicted several hundred immigrants occupying the Guide
03:57Lyric theatre building in the center of the capital.
04:01During the police operation that took place in the morning hours, the uniformed officers
04:05were confronted by several migrant rights activists who tried to prevent the eviction.
04:10According to witnesses, the police used tear gas, which caused demonstrators to be affected
04:14and many had to receive medical attention.
04:18Despite protestors' efforts, the police evicted 450 migrants who had occupied the theatre
04:23since December 10, 2024, most of them coming from African countries.
04:41And the Chinese government assures that military exercises in the Taiwan Strait are a decisive
04:45response to the collusion and foreign support given to the separatist attempts in the Chinese
04:50island.
04:51Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning affirmed that China's military actions are
04:56necessary, legal and justified.
04:59Measures to defend the country's sovereignty, security and integrity.
05:03Mao Ning also warned that separatism for Taiwan's independence is incomplete and will only lead
05:09to self-injury.
05:10In this regard, she urged the United States to honor the commitment to stop provocative
05:14actions that cross red lines.
05:30Australian authorities closed two beaches in the South Australia state due to the sudden
05:34appearance of suspicious foam that could be linked to fish kills and a flu outbreak at
05:39the site.
05:41White Pinga and Parsons Beaches, located in the Newland Head Conservation Park, are
05:46under investigation by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions after images of dead
05:50fish were published on the beach.
05:52Local authorities disclosed to local media that over 100 surfers had several symptoms
05:57such as coughing, eye and throat irritation after having visited the White Pinga Beach.
06:04We're going to have a short break coming up right now, so we'll be right back, stay with
06:11us.
06:32Welcome back.
06:33In Havana, Cuba, the second day of the fourth edition of the International Colloquium Patria
06:37dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the news multi-platform Telesur moves forward.
06:42The event seeks a greater integration between media outlets from the region and the world.
06:47Venezuelan Minister of Communication Freddy Náñez opened the second day of activities
06:50with the conference, From Propaganda to Cognitive Warfare, Strategies of Resistance and Construction
06:56of Informative Autonomy.
06:58And then continue with the dialogue Culture, Communication and Geopolitics, Music as the
07:03Power of Destabilizing Processes, which was inspired by the documentary Soundtrack to
07:07a coup d'etat by Belgian Johan Grimmond Press.
07:11The documentary narrates an episode of the Cold War where two U.S. musicians burst into
07:15the United Nations Security Council.
07:26And as the fourth International Patria Colloquium continues on the second day, let's go live
07:29with our correspondent Belén Losantos in Havana to have all the details.
07:33Hello Belén, welcome again to From the South.
07:35What can you tell us?
07:36Hello Luis, once again here from the University of Havana.
07:42And exactly as you were saying, we continue at this Patria Colloquium fourth edition.
07:47We continue bringing you everything that is happening here.
07:50And as you were just mentioning, one of the highlights of today is the screening of a
07:55documentary.
07:56We're talking about digital platforms, we're talking about news, but we're also talking
08:00about how culture artifacts can also be a part of this debunking of imperialist narratives.
08:08For example, how can movies, documentaries, TV series, also productions for social media
08:15from a cultural aspect also impact in this discussion?
08:19And for this, we are joined today by Hannah Craig.
08:23She is Director of Culture at the People's Forum from the US.
08:27So hello Hannah, thank you for joining us here in Tell Us Your English.
08:30And please tell us your perspective.
08:33Why is it important to come down here to Havana to have these discussions with partners from
08:38all around the world?
08:39Well thank you so much, thank you for having me.
08:42You know, this Patria Colloquia is an incredible example of the way that people from all over
08:48the world, but particularly from the Americas, can come together to really discuss and debate
08:54the next steps that we have to take as people.
08:56Because it is all of our movements, all of our people who are coming together to be able
09:00to fight against the structures of injustice that are unfortunately all around us, but
09:07that we know will be successful when we come together and able to really communicate and
09:11connect in order to make the next kind of intervention that we have to make in the world.
09:18Just like you said, we really know that culture is an important part of the way we do that.
09:22The imperialists, the ruling class, they're always using culture to try to change ideas
09:29about the way the world should be, or to try to uphold their own hegemony, to try to uphold
09:34their own culture and their own rules and laws and things.
09:39But we have to be producing our own people's culture in order to really transform the world
09:45and to be able to bring more and more people along for that journey.
09:49In order to show the rights that we have for each other, the responsibility that we have
09:56to each other, to transform the world.
10:00And what a better place to do that than Havana, where we've seen the transformation of society
10:05happen over the course of years, and the resistance to the imperialist aggression constantly.
10:11The U.S. blockade is something that, of course, we all have to fight against, and we can use
10:14culture to fight against that narrative as well.
10:17So we were saying that today we have the screaming of not only a documentary, but also we've
10:23seen different experiences that are being showcased here, for example, linked to the
10:29ongoing genocide in Gaza.
10:31We've had major attacks just overnight, breaking a ceasefire once again.
10:38This is all part of the imperialist narrative that we are day in and day out trying to expose,
10:45to debunk, to show really what is happening.
10:48And we're talking about technology, we're talking about artificial intelligence, and
10:52we're also talking about how movies and documentaries can play a significant role in how to emotionally,
11:00how to touch a different sensitivity to really transfer what is happening in the world.
11:07Can you tell us a little bit about those experiences, the screening that is happening today?
11:12Just a few concrete experiences of how can art and culture affect this discussion?
11:17Yeah, absolutely.
11:19So tonight the screening will be of the documentary soundtrack to a coup d'etat, which really
11:25tells the story of a lot of historical moments, but it's not just a relic of history, it's
11:31actually a call to action.
11:33The film is specifically talking about the assassination of Lumumba and the involvement
11:39of Belgium and the U.S. governments in that assassination.
11:43But also it talks about the U.S. State Department sending jazz ambassadors, so jazz performers
11:51from the U.S. to the continent of Africa in order to perform jazz as a way to kind of
11:57impose the U.S. agenda onto the people of Africa.
12:01Of course, at the same time, we also see amazing revolutionary jazz performers who
12:06also have played an important role in building a people's culture, and so these two narratives
12:12kind of push against one another.
12:16But it's important for us to have documentaries like this that do tell the real story, the
12:20real truth, expose the truth of the past, because it helps us to understand what's happening
12:26in the present.
12:27The situation in the Congo right now is extremely dire.
12:31And just like you said, the genocide in Gaza, it's been something that we've been mobilizing
12:36for around the world for decades, to be honest.
12:40And of course, in the last year and a half, it's only intensified with the genocide being
12:46so intense and so ongoing.
12:49To all be here today on this day where the Israelis have murdered over 400, I'm sure
12:57it's more at this point, Palestinians, it's a reminder that we have to come together,
13:03we have to act, we have to be telling and exposing the truth of what is happening.
13:08And art and culture can be an important way that people are able to connect to those stories,
13:14especially because, like you said, art and culture can often be the thing that stirs
13:18someone emotionally from inside, and they're able to really connect with the real situation.
13:24It can call people to action.
13:27And so I'm part of a network of over 15,000 artists and cultural workers who are using
13:34their practices as tools against the genocide, against apartheid.
13:40It's called Artists Against Apartheid.
13:41And we think it's important for all artists and cultural workers to come together and
13:46to join the movement.
13:47Definitely.
13:48And it's great to hear that in events such as this one, that is taking place as well.
13:53Hanna, I do not want to end our interview without asking you, the U.S. is entering a
13:59whole new stage with the second administration of Donald Trump, and that is affecting just
14:05geopolitical relations around the world with a particularly severe, harsh view on the peoples
14:13of our Americas, for example.
14:15And as part of a news outlet that targets and also fosters solidarity with our peoples
14:23in the Global South, how are you looking at, what are the challenges of producing news
14:29and telling the state of the world today in this new stage of U.S. politics?
14:37I mean, there are lots of challenges, but I think there are lots of opportunities as well.
14:42The current administration is really showing itself bare for what it is.
14:49And every day as the situation unfolds and there is more and more kind of devastation
14:57or destruction of people's lives inside the U.S., people being deported, people being
15:03sent to ICE detention centers who really shouldn't be there, it's opening up a lot of outlets
15:11for us to understand really what is at the root of this administration.
15:17And rather than being frozen by fear, our responsibility is actually to be out in bigger
15:25numbers than we've ever been before and really show that we're not going to let this slide.
15:29We're not going, the people of the world, the people inside the U.S., but also in solidarity
15:35with the people of the entire world, are going to stand up against the attacks and the bullying
15:41of this administration and all of those on the ultra-right who are attacking people,
15:47people's rights.
15:48I mean, even our right to free speech is under attack right now, and it's important for us
15:54to be constantly recognizing that we're not alone, actually, that we're all together in
16:00this struggle, and it's something that will unify us.
16:04And so I think there has been a lot of fear, a lot of people saying, you know, we want
16:08to, we'll just stay home, like, there's no possibility for change.
16:13But actually exactly the opposite is true.
16:16What we're seeing, even in the last couple of weeks in the U.S., tons of support and
16:21solidarity for Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian student who was sent to an ICE detention center
16:27after his activities as part of the Columbia University encampments against the genocide.
16:34So many people are out in the streets.
16:36We're not going to be scared by the bullying of this administration, in fact.
16:40We're going to continue to stand together, to be united, and to show the world that we're
16:47not going to stop anywhere before we get justice.
16:50Well, the idea of weaving networks is one of the slogans of this event.
16:55So definitely we are not alone.
16:58It's great to have these discussions in this context in Havana.
17:01Hannah, thank you so much for joining us in Tell Us Your English.
17:04It's a pleasure to have Hannah Gregg from the People's Forum in Tell Us Your English.
17:08So as we were saying, as we have been saying for the past day, Luis, this is just some
17:13of the discussions that are being held here in the University of Havana, as you see, with
17:18people from different backgrounds, different countries, different experiences, and all
17:23focused on just a way of thinking how to keep that struggle moving around the global south
17:30and around the world.
17:32So I go back to you, Luis.
17:33Now we'll continue to keep in touch throughout the day.
17:37Thank you, Belén, for the information.
17:38Of course, thank you to your guest, Hannah, for her inputs here from the south, everything
17:42that is happening and the impact that these kind of colloquiums can have in sharing news
17:46and experiences to continue moving forward.
17:49For now, let's continue with another topic in our news brief.
17:52We are going to Palestine as Israel ended the ceasefire and it has so far killed 412
17:57people in Gaza.
17:59Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he has instructed the
18:03army to resume attacks on Gaza.
18:05He claimed that this decision was due to the fact that the Hamas resistance movement has
18:09repeatedly refused to release Israeli detainees.
18:12The Gaza Civil Defense Agency announced that a series of Israeli strikes, consisting of
18:16aerial bombardment and artillery fire, have injured 562 people.
18:27The war is back with more intensity than before.
18:30Last night was harder than 20,000 other nights for us and our children.
18:34What is this?
18:37It is unacceptable what is happening.
18:39Since the bombing started, we haven't been able to sleep.
18:42All our neighbors died, the poor people, they were all women.
18:45No fighters died.
18:47Those who died were women and children.
18:49And one of the massacres perpetrated by the Israeli regime came after bombing hundreds
18:55of displaced people's tents in al-Mawassi, west of Hanjounis.
18:59The attacks follow a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israel has blocked the
19:03entry of all aid and goods for over two weeks.
19:06Since the onset of their genocidal campaign in October 2023, the occupation forces killed
19:10more than 48,572 citizens, most of them children and women, and injured over 112,000 people.
19:27And the White House confirmed that it was notified in advance of Israel's latest attack
19:31on the Gaza Strip.
19:33The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump said that the regime of Benjamin Netanyahu
19:37consulted with the White House about the aggressions that occurred between the night of March 17
19:42and the early hours of March 18.
19:44Earlier, President Trump sent a threatening message to Hamas and its allies, saying that
19:49all those who seek to harm not only Israel but also the United States will have to pay
19:53the price.
19:58UNICEF warns of precarious situation of one million children in Gaza.
20:05According to the UN organization, the lack of supplies after two weeks of siege by Israel
20:09has led to a precarious situation for the young.
20:12The organization's West Asian office has said that one million children in Gaza are struggling
20:17to survive without basic commodities and hundreds of thousands are without clean water and sanitation.
20:22Since last March 2, the Israeli prime minister ordered to block the entry of all humanitarian
20:27aid to Gaza after the expiration of the first phase of the ceasefire.
20:38And in Syria, over 30 Israeli airstrikes have hit to death.
20:42Some three people and 19 others got injured in Daraa province.
20:45The Syrian civil defense ministry noted that four children, a woman and two volunteers
20:50of its corps had been among the wounded.
20:53Likewise, the Daraa governorate unfolded that Israel attacked the military residential compound
20:58in Isra City and its headquarters in Daraa province, some 100 km south of Damascus.
21:04Lately, satellite images show the Israeli occupation forces have pitched seven new military
21:09sites in border areas stretching from Mount Hermon to Tel Kutna in the south.
21:22And during Monday night, the United States carried out new bombings against the coastal
21:26area of Yemen, including the capital city of Sanaa.
21:29As a result of these new airstrikes, the al-Habashi iron factory in al-Salif district was destroyed
21:34and Houthi positions in al-Hodeidah province were attacked.
21:38In response, the Houthis claim to have successfully attacked the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier.
21:43This new action comes on a day when the Yemeni population came out in protest to denounce
21:48the attacks by Washington and that have caused the death of more than 50 people in the last
21:52few days.
21:53Like this, we have come to the end of this newsbrief.
22:05You can find this and many other stories on our website at TELESORINGLISH.NET.
22:07You can also join us on our social medias, Facebook, Instagram and Telegram, Tiktok.
22:13TELESORINGLISH, I'm Luis Alberto Matos, thank you for watching.
22:22And I'll see you in the next video.