- 3 years ago
29/08/2023
FTS 8.30
*Electoral authorities confirm triumph of Semilla Movement in Guatemala
*Hurricane Idalia hits Western Cuba
FTS 8.30
*Electoral authorities confirm triumph of Semilla Movement in Guatemala
*Hurricane Idalia hits Western Cuba
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Ecuador's National Electoral Council has decided to reform the regulations and authorize
00:15 in-person voting.
00:17 Guatemala's highest electoral body has made official the electoral triumph of the Zemilla
00:24 movement's ticket, which had been suspended by the Citizens' Registry.
00:32 And Hurricane Idalia became the fourth hurricane of the current season as it moves away from
00:37 Cuba, leaving rains in the west of the country.
00:46 Hello from the headquarters of Telesur English in Havana, Cuba.
00:50 This is From the South.
00:51 I'm your anchor, as always, Gladys Quesada.
00:54 And now we begin with the news.
01:08 On Monday, Ecuador's National Electoral Council has decided to reform the regulations and
01:13 authorize in-person voting.
01:15 The electoral body reformed the regulations of the extraordinary presidential and legislative
01:20 elections in view of the October 15 runoff.
01:24 In this way, Ecuadorians living abroad will vote in person both in the second round of
01:28 the presidential and legislative elections.
01:31 After the problems faced with the electronic vote attributed by the authorities to alleged
01:36 attacks, the measure comes in response to the claims of the Ecuadorian diaspora regarding
01:42 the right to vote for a new president and the lawmakers.
01:50 In Guatemala, the highest electoral body has made official the electoral triumph of the
01:54 Zemilla Movement's ticket, or the ballot, which has been suspended by the Citizens'
01:59 Registry.
02:00 A week after the second round of the presidential elections was held, and after a meeting between
02:05 the president-elect Bernardo Arevalo and the current president of Guatemala, Alejandro
02:10 Giammattei, to discuss a transition of governments, the registry of the citizens of the Supreme
02:15 Electoral Tribunal suspended the Zemilla Movement.
02:18 Weeks later, the directive of the same body officially acknowledged the triumph.
02:23 In this way, the elected president reiterated the court's decision and clarified that
02:27 the ruling of the registry was not appropriate.
02:34 And the Guatemalan police arrested former representative of an anti-corruption commission,
02:39 Claudia González.
02:41 González is part of a group of around 30 former justice operators who investigated
02:46 corruption cases in the country and are now in detention or exile.
02:50 The 56-year-old former official described her detention as a criminalization, harassment
02:56 and unnecessary criminal persecution by the public prosecutor's office.
03:01 The office has conducted a crackdown against former justice operators and also opened a
03:06 case for alleged money laundering against José Ruén Zamora, the owner of a newspaper
03:12 that investigated corruption cases and who was sentenced in May to six years in prison.
03:18 The prosecutor's office has also criticized for its interference in the recently concluded
03:22 electoral process and for opening an investigation against the Zemilla party with the alleged
03:28 purpose of preventing its candidate from winning the August 20 presidential runoff elections.
03:38 The Colombian president, Gustavo Pedro, met on Monday with his Costa Rican counterpart,
03:43 Rodrigo Chávez, and with the head of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San
03:47 José, the capital of Costa Rica.
03:50 The meetings take place during a two-day visit by the Colombian president to the Central
03:54 American nation, following an invitation by his Costa Rican counterpart, Rodrigo Chávez.
04:00 The leaders of the two nations agreed to work together to defend their coffee in the world
04:05 market.
04:06 According to Gustavo Pedro, the agreement seeks to obtain greater income for an emblematic
04:11 product of both countries, at a time when the international price of the grain and the
04:16 export of both nations are falling.
04:19 The presidents also discussed tourism, security and migration issues, which will be addressed
04:24 later in working commissions headed by the foreign ministers of both countries.
04:34 We have discussed very, very strategic matters, such as climate change, peace for the region,
04:49 and taking a huge amount of resources away from the bad people.
04:57 We have discussed even more complex issues, like migration, a new and growing phenomenon
05:03 on which we have to build a common Latin American policy.
05:08 In other topics, the Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Argentinean
05:12 Economy Minister Sergio Maza met to deepen cooperation ties.
05:17 Da Silva and Maza addressed issues on the bilateral agenda, such as using the Chinese
05:22 currency the yuan in their trade exchanges, the opening of agricultural markets, the Biden
05:28 process for the second section of the President Néstor Kirchner gas pipeline, and Argentina's
05:33 BRICS membership.
05:35 The Argentinean minister also met with his Brazilian counterpart Fernando Guedade, with
05:40 whom he discussed a payment mechanism worth $600 million for bilateral trade.
05:52 The Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced that he will sign a
05:56 bill that makes permanent a regularly adjusted minimum wage.
06:02 On August 24, the Senate approved the temporary provision on minimum wage adjustment.
06:07 The temporary order determined the value of the new minimum pay at 1,320 reals, about
06:14 272 US dollars, an increase of 2.8% over the amount set during the previous administration
06:22 of Jair Bolsonaro.
06:23 The increase takes into consideration the accumulated inflation in the previous year,
06:28 the increase in the gross domestic product, ensuring that there is a real year-on-year
06:33 valuation of the minimum wage.
06:34 Thus, Lula is fulfilling one of his main campaign promises.
06:44 In the United States, a faculty member of the University of North Carolina was reported
06:48 dead on Monday after a shooting in the campus of that learning institution.
06:53 Chancellor Kevin Gushwish said at a Monday evening news conference that shots were reported
06:59 at 1.02 pm local time at the school's Caudill Laboratories and that a suspect had been taken
07:05 into custody shortly after 2.30 pm.
07:09 Officials reported no injuries or fatalities, or other fatalities.
07:12 According to the reports from the independent organization Archive of Violence, there have
07:17 been at least 476 mass shootings so far in 2023.
07:23 Twice the number reported in 2022.
07:49 And despite the US sanctions and Western media narratives of a spiraling economy, Venezuela
07:54 thrives thanks to its resilience and the strength of its people.
07:58 To showcase the reality of the South American nation beyond misconceptions or fake news,
08:04 Telesur presents the series Venezuela on the Move, touring the nation from north to south,
08:10 from the mountains to the plainlands.
08:13 In this first episode, our colleague Adriana Sivori takes us to Portuguesa state, where
08:17 prosperity rises from the cornfields.
08:20 Let's see.
08:21 In oil-rich Venezuela, corn is planted.
08:26 It is part of Venezuelans' daily diet and, depending on the variety, is also used for
08:31 animal feed.
08:34 Its cultivation responds to climate behavior.
08:37 However, experts assure that with good soil moisture management is well maintained.
08:43 The land here is privileged, with very good yields.
08:49 In previous years, we have been declining, but we are trying to get ahead with good production
08:55 and good yields.
08:58 Production seems to be advancing in the center of the nation, where Los Maneres is located,
09:03 one of the private farms that produces corn.
09:06 Antonio works here.
09:08 He's an expert in crop specialist.
09:13 I graduated in 2018, but I have been working with my father since I was a child.
09:19 A great teacher with empirical knowledge, very valuable to put into practice here, and
09:24 greatly complements the scientific knowledge the university gave me.
09:29 They carefully check each plant.
09:31 This farm is expecting this year's production of corn cob to exceed 9,000 kilograms.
09:38 Normal plague, and here is the will of God, as we say.
09:42 Everything is normal here.
09:43 Everything is out of danger.
09:45 The only thing left to do is to remove weeds.
09:48 But everything is under control.
09:51 Corn is the most important crop in the agricultural sector, which increased by 52 percent, something
09:57 that was achieved despite the blockade imposed by the United States, according to government
10:02 data.
10:03 We already have businessmen from Argentina, from China, from Turkey, from Uruguay, who
10:08 are cultivating in alliance with our producers.
10:11 It was not that they came here and grabbed the land.
10:14 No, no.
10:15 It is with our producers financing that production, which was one of the drawbacks we had regarding
10:21 financing, because if we did not have any revenue with reeds, how could we finance ourselves,
10:28 right?
10:30 In this Caribbean country, according to government data, the overall cereal production grew by
10:36 48 percent compared to the previous year.
10:40 Adriana Siburi, Jesús Romero, Telesur.
10:43 And now let's take a short break.
10:45 But remember you can join us on TikTok @TelesurEnglish, where you will find the news in different formats,
10:50 news updates and more.
10:55 Other stories coming up.
10:56 Stay with us.
10:57 [Music]
11:14 [Beeping]
11:27 Welcome back.
11:29 On Tuesday, Hurricane Italia became the fourth hurricane of the current season as it moves
11:34 away from Cuba, leaving rains in the west of the country.
11:38 Cuban authorities declared cyclone alarm phase for the provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa,
11:44 and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, and the alert phase for the provinces
11:49 of Havana and Mayaguez as the storm nears the Cape San Antonio, the western most point
11:55 of the island.
11:56 According to the Meteorological Institute, Tropical Storm Italia became a Category 1
12:01 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour.
12:06 As it continues to move away from Cuba, the probability of heavy and intense rains will
12:10 remain high in the western region.
12:13 The feeding brands of this tropical organism may also cause rains in the central region.
12:23 Poland and the Baltic states, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, warned
12:27 that they will close their borders with Belarus in the event of any military incident or a
12:32 massive migration pushed by Minsk.
12:35 The governments of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia argued that the warnings were
12:39 due to growing tensions at NATO and European Union borders with Belarus, with alleged troops
12:45 which they claim are diverting African and Middle Eastern migrants to Europe, despite
12:50 the established barriers.
12:52 The nations demanded that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko expel the Wagner mercenaries
12:57 and immigrants from his territory, as well as from the border areas.
13:01 The Polish Interior Minister, Mariusz Kiemiński, acknowledged that closing all the borders
13:05 with Belarus will have negative consequences.
13:13 On the other hand, the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that if the Lithuanian,
13:18 Latvian and Polish authorities close their borders with Belarus, they will only harm
13:22 themselves and their citizens.
13:24 The head of state stressed that Belarus is a peaceful country and has no pretensions
13:29 towards its western neighbours, reiterating that Belarus does not need Polish, Lithuanian
13:34 or Latvian lands, as his country does not work through any of them.
13:44 The French President Emmanuel Macron informed that his ambassador will remain in Niger,
13:49 despite the expiration of the interim government's ultimatum.
13:53 The French head of state insisted that Paris condemns the coup and will not change its
13:57 position and asserted that it will continue its full support to President Mohamed Bassem.
14:03 Macron also said that the French ambassador did not heed the ultimatum as he considers
14:07 that the order did not come from legitimate authorities.
14:11 The Nigerian foreign ministry issued on Friday a 48-hour deadline for Sylvain Yitz to leave
14:18 the African country after he refused to meet with the new Niamey leaders.
14:26 We have to be clear, coherent, consistent, otherwise who will listen to us?
14:31 In which African capitals will they be able to say that we have a policy of partnership
14:37 with the leader if when something like this happens we cannot support him?
14:41 So I think our policy is the right one.
14:43 It is based on the courage of President Bassem and the commitment of our diplomats and our
14:49 ambassador on the ground, who stand firm despite the pressure.
14:54 And the French President also reminded that his country does not recognize or support
14:58 the fascist government under any circumstances.
15:03 Our policy is simple.
15:05 We do not recognize the Bouchistes.
15:07 We support a president who has not resigned, to whom we remain committed, and we support
15:13 the diplomatic actions, and if decided, the military actions of ECOWAS, in a partnership
15:19 approach which is the one I presented last February.
15:23 In other topics, India's government reported that trade between New Delhi and Moscow grew
15:27 by 190% in the first half of 2023.
15:32 According to New Delhi's Ministry of Trade and Industry, the growth reached US$33.5 billion
15:37 between January and July this year.
15:40 During the period, imports of Russian products in India reached US$31.5 billion, three times
15:46 more than in the first half of 2022.
15:48 Meanwhile, the support of crude oil and oil derivatives, the main item of these imports,
15:54 multiplied 4.4 times, reaching US$25.2 billion.
15:59 Meanwhile, Indian exports to Russia increased by 70% to US$1.9 billion.
16:06 Pharmaceuticals continue to be the most important item, with sales growth of 4.5% to US$84 million.
16:20 And Telus for English launches its own videos on the band's site for you to go and revisit
16:24 our interviews, the top stories, the special broadcastings and more.
16:29 Just go to the top left corner in our website homepage and click on the video option to
16:33 access our VOD platform.
16:38 And now we will have a short break.
16:40 Stay with us.
17:01 Welcome back.
17:02 Libya's unity government temporarily suspended its top diplomat, Nashla Mangush, after he
17:08 unexpected meeting with her Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen.
17:12 The High Council of State described the meeting as an offence to the rich history of struggle
17:17 by the Libyan people in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
17:21 The government body urged all the competent authorities to take the necessary measures
17:26 and responsibility.
17:27 Following the decision, the government authorities announced the launching of an administrative
17:31 investigation to be carried out by a commission presided over by the Minister of Justice.
17:37 The meeting between Mangush and Cohen also sparked social protests in several cities
17:41 against the top diplomat's actions.
17:48 In this context, on Monday, Libyan Prime Minister visited the Palestinian Embassy in the capital,
17:53 Tripoli, to affirm his country's continued support to the Palestinian cause.
17:58 The visit came after Debaba suspended Foreign Minister Nashla Mangush and referred her for
18:03 an investigation over a meeting last week with her Israeli counterpart in Italy.
18:08 Mangush fled the country, a day after Israel revealed the visit, news that prompted scattered
18:13 street protests in the chaos, stricken North African recognition.
18:17 During his meeting with Palestinian Ambassador Mohamed Rahal, Debaba affirmed his country's
18:22 support of Palestinians and that his previous foreign minister does not represent the government's
18:28 position.
18:34 The United Nations Special Representative to Mali, Ilh Ghazim Gwani, said the second
18:40 phase of the withdrawal of the UN peacekeepers from the country would be challenging.
18:44 The UN representative said the size of the convoys, involving hundreds of lorries and
18:49 the long distance since they travelled over inhospitable terrain, leave them vulnerable.
18:54 The UN peacekeeping mission, known as MINUSMA, has until December 31 to exit Mali after a
18:59 decade of struggling to stabilise the country's security environment amid separatist rebellions.
19:05 The 13,000-man mission was ordered to withdraw earlier this year under the demands of Mali's
19:11 ruling junta, following the pull-out of French troops in 2022.
19:16 Earlier this month, four UN soldiers were wounded in an attack on operations to exit
19:21 the birthplace in the north of the country.
19:24 Operation Tuwain, withdrawal operations in other areas, have also been targeted.
19:33 The mission continues to encourage parties to reach an agreement to avoid unnecessary
19:39 incidents whose consequences could be considerable.
19:44 Such incidents would complicate the withdrawal process, negatively impact the work of UN
19:50 bodies following the mission's closure, and seriously impair prospects for the resumption
19:56 of the implementation of the peace agreements.
20:01 Sudan's Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan told troops in Port Sudan on Monday that time
20:05 has come to end the rebellion, but the paramilitaries promise a victory four months into a brutal
20:11 war.
20:12 The Army Chief comments come a day after his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Diaglo
20:17 released a statement detailing a ten-point vision to end the war and build a new state.
20:23 The plan calls for civilian rule based on democratic norms, and a single professional
20:28 national military institution, the very sticking point which turned the former allies into
20:34 rivals.
20:35 The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by Diaglo had besieged the Army Chief inside
20:39 military headquarters in Khartoum for the past four months.
20:43 But last week, Burhan made his first public foray outside the headquarters to review the
20:48 troops in parts of the war-scarred country, leading to speculations that both leaders
20:53 had negotiated a deal, a move that the Army Chief staunchly denied in his defiant speech
20:58 to soldiers in Port Sudan.
21:05 And like this, we have come to the end of this news brief.
21:07 Remember, you can find this and many other stories on our website at telswedeenglish.net.
21:13 And also, if you feel so inclined, please join us on social media for all the latest
21:17 news.
21:18 We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram and TikTok.
21:23 For TELUS Sweet English, I'm your anchor Gladys Quesada.
21:26 Thank you for watching.
21:26 [MUSIC]