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* Impact of US blockade on Cuba denounced at UNHRC
* IRGC targets US naval vessels and tankers in retaliatory strikes
* IRGC targets US naval vessels and tankers in retaliatory strikes
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00:00Nationwide protests and roadblocks paralyzed traffic across Guatemala as demonstrators
00:04rallied at clients, rising fuel prices and new tax measures.
00:12The negative impact of the U.S. blockade and its unilateral coercive sanctions on the Cuban
00:17people was announced at a meeting of the 63rd session of the U.N. Human Rights Council
00:22on Wednesday.
00:26And the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps circuited several U.S. ships attempting to pass through
00:30the prohibited zone of the Strait of Hormuz in the latest wave of Iran's retaliatory operations
00:36amid the ongoing Washington aggression.
00:42Hello, welcome from the South. I'm with Alberto Matos from Dresu Studios in Caracas,
00:46Venezuela. We begin with the news.
01:00On Tuesday, the Guatemalan Congress, approved under State of National Emergency Decree 21-2026,
01:07establishes a temporary mechanism to curb fuel prices and alleviate the impact that high costs
01:12have on family economies. The measure, approved by Abudo 130, allocates 1.5 billion quetzales,
01:18approximately $324 million to fund the subsidy. The mechanism establishes preferences prices
01:26for a gallon of regular diesel and regular gasoline. The support will be activated as agreed when market
01:32prices exceed the amount set by the legislature. This approval follows meetings between congressmen
01:37and authorities from indigenous communities who have insisted that rising fuel prices do not only affect
01:42those who own vehicles, but also lead to a higher cost of living for the population, especially for those who
01:49have historically been excluded.
01:54The problem with removing taxes is that it complicate certain programs run by the executive
02:00and the local authorities, and I believe it would be a more time-consuming process. I believe this
02:06decree is a good solution because the benefit is directly reflected at the pumps, and Guatemalans will have a fixed
02:13price price for the fuel from the date it comes into effect until December 31st.
02:24In this context, widespread protests and highway blockades erupted across Guatemala on Wednesday
02:29as transit operators and indigenous leaders reject the government's response to rousing fuel prices.
02:34Despite the Guatemalan Congress passing emergency legislation to cut price thresholds, demonstrators
02:39mobilized extra-urban post-caravans toward the capital demanding deeper tax cuts on fuel. Procedures
02:48to block transit corridors in Suci Tepeques and Zacapa while post-caravans paralyzed major avenues
02:54and public transport networks in Guatemala City. While the Constitutional Court granted an injunction to
03:00reserve freedom of movement, transport unions warned that the newly passed fuel price
03:04gaps remain unsustainable and threatened to drive passenger fires upward.
03:14And in Honduras, the NGO Association for a More Just Society, which is close to the nationalist
03:20government, seeks to criminalize all the lawmakers who manage social assistance funds for the poor
03:25during the previous administration. Our colleague Gerardo Torres Zelaya with the report.
03:32The NGO Association for a More Just Society filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office
03:39against all lawmakers from the Libre Party currently in the opposition who served in the previous
03:45National Congress alongside President Xiomara Castro. For over a decade, we have witnessed members of
03:52the National Congress employing and managing a system of political patronage that largely directs public funds
03:58toward coercing the popular will. What we are presenting is nothing new. 1.837 billion lempiras
04:06were spent between 2022 and 2025, allocated at a rate of 950 million lempiras annually through
04:15amendments to the general budget provisions. While these funds were dispersed through seven different
04:22state institutions, they were managed directly by members of Congress. Although the complaint
04:31generated significant media attention when it was first filed, it soon began to show weakness because
04:36it failed to accuse any deputies from the National or the Liberal Party and that the deputies currently
04:43facing accusation, in fact, did not handle the funds directly because the resources were allocated to various
04:49government ministries and the lawmakers merely directed where those funds should be deployed.
04:57Those seeking to tarnish the reputation of the deputies will not succeed because the public
05:02knows that those benefits reached those who needed them most. It is an attempt to damage one political
05:08party and benefit another to which they are aligned. That is what lies behind these types of accusations.
05:14These are allegations unsupported by documentation, yet the accusers claim they lack access to the very
05:21documents we have offered to provide them with. The program established under Xiomara Castro's
05:26administration allowed that any legislator, regardless of party affiliation, to request the creation of
05:33scholarship programs, the distribution of financial aid to vulnerable sectors, road and school repairs,
05:39or the implementation of water and sanitation initiatives in the poorest communities.
05:45There are some who dislike the existence of social programs, who believe that only the wealthiest in a
05:52country should receive benefits. The benefits provided by these social programs included scholarships and
05:59cash grants, all managed through official institutional channels. We lawmakers simply requested funding for
06:06specific areas. In our case, together with representative Russell Tomei, we created the Francisco Morizan
06:14scholarship program focused on education, which benefited 6,000 young people. The lawmakers in question have
06:21voluntarily submitted all documentation regarding their handling of funds to the public prosecutor's office
06:27and have demanded that the inquiry be expanded to include all deputies who utilize such funds, regardless of
06:35party affiliation. For Tele Sur and English, from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Gerardo Torres-Elaya.
06:42Officials from the Executive Secretary of the National Public Security System reported that the
06:47intention of homicide rate in Mexico decreased by 53 percent during the month of August, compared to the
06:52same period last year. The head of the agency, Marcela Figueroa, highlighted that this decrease equals 46 fewer
06:59in detention of homicides per day so far this year, falling from 86.9 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
07:06in September 2024 to 40.8 so far in 2026. Furthermore, when comparing the first eight months of 2025 with
07:13the same period in 2026, 30 states show a decrease in their daily average number of murders, with significant
07:20reductions in states across the country. Figueroa pointed out that the national security strategy implemented by
07:26the fourth transformation has led to a reduction in the intention of homicides across the country.
07:37And in Peru, Senator Mirtha Vasquez filed a constitutional complaint against the Ombudsman
07:42Josue Gutierrez and requested his removal from office and disqualification for 10 years.
07:47The complaint alleges that the official filed several articles of the constitution during his tenure.
07:51Controversy aroused after the Ombudsman noted that Peruvian presidents who have dissolved Congress
07:57have seen their approval of ratings rise. And as part of that hypothetical analysis, he mentioned the
08:02possibility that a similar scenario could involve President Keiko Fujimori. Another point raised by
08:07the senator concerns Gutierrez's response to the human rights violations that occurred during the protests
08:12of 2022 to 2023 and 2025. The complaint will be evaluated by the Constitutional Impeachment Committee,
08:18which will determine whether to launch an investigation.
08:27We don't have our first break coming up. Remember you can join us on TikTok at
08:29TelesfulEnglish. We'll find news in new formats, news updates and more. We're going to be right back. Stay with us.
08:57Welcome back. We now report to the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, the special reporter on
09:02the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights,
09:06contempt the U.S. blockade against Cuba, denouncing its effects on the population.
09:10Our correspondent, Henry Camilo, has details.
09:16Hello, greetings to you and the Telesur audience. The situation in Cuba returned to the agenda of the UN
09:22Human Rights Council in Geneva, where the special reporter presented the report following her visit to
09:29the island. The report notes that sanctions imposed by the United States have a profound impact on the
09:36economic and the enjoyment of fundamental rights. It describes difficulties in important medicine,
09:42medical equipment, spare parts and fuel, as well as limitations on accessing the international
09:48financial system. According to the reporter, these constraints affect the country's ability to
09:55maintain basic services, ranging from health care to public transport. During the debate,
10:00the Cuban delegation was the first to speak. Ambassador Rodolfo Benitez welcomed the report,
10:07stating that it confirms what Cuba has denounced for decades. He asserted the measures have
10:14intensified since the reporter's visit and denounced an energy blockade intended. He said to exacerbate
10:22the internal crisis. He added that this impacts hospitals, schools, transport and food productions. Maintained that
10:32these measures violate the UN charter and the human rights of the Cuban population. Brazil intervened to
10:41reiterate its long-standing instance against unerary coercive measures not authorized by the Security Council,
10:50stressing that such measures hindered national development and ultimately affect the civilian population.
10:57China, for its part, emphasized such measures are incompatible with the UN charter, noted that they
11:05disrupt Cuba's economic and social development and expressed support for the report's recommendations.
11:12The session concluded without the adoption of a resolution. The reporter's findings are not binding,
11:19but become part of the Council's official record and might serve as a reference in future debates.
11:26That's all what I have from New York. Back to you, in the studio.
11:32And five days before the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, New York City Major
11:38Soran Mandani released more than 170,000 pages of records that call into question public claims that the
11:44air around Ground Zero was safe to breathe following the incidents. At a news conference Tuesday,
11:50Ma'am Dani revealed initial trope, including documents found at the Department of Environmental
11:56Protection in 2025. That date, back to the aftermath of the attacks, the records contained a fraction of the
12:05air quality reports taken at Ground Zero, including documents in which officials raised alarms regarding
12:11environmental testing between October and November 2001, which regularly detected elevated levels
12:17of toxins, including asbestos and hard-to-detect chemicals. Thousands of people exposed to the
12:23toxic dust and debris after the incidents have since died from illnesses associated with the attacks,
12:29while many more continue to suffer from health conditions. The documents provide further evidence
12:33that city officials knew air surrounding the Twin Towers was toxic but misled the public into thinking it was safe.
13:03The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps targeted several U.S. ships attempted to pass through the prohibited
13:09sun of the Strait of Hormuz in the latest wave of Iran's retaliatory operations amid the ongoing
13:14Washington aggression. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the IRGC said the strikes were carried
13:19out in response to the U.S. military's attack on five Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
13:26Precisely, the Persian navy struck two vessels, eight oil tankers, and ten other ships after attempting to pass
13:33through a prohibited and unsafe area of the Strait of Hormuz. The statement reaffirmed Iran continues
13:39to exercise full control over Hormuz. The waterway has increasingly become a key arena in the U.S. war
13:45on Iran, prompting Tehran to assert greater control over maritime activity in the Iran Strait.
13:56A multiple Israeli military strikes and gunfire across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday left several
14:01Palestinians injured, according to local sources, in the northern and southern regions. In northern
14:07Gaza, military forces fired towards Beit Lahaya, while a woman was wounded by gunfire in Alawah refugee
14:13camp. In this context, an Israeli drone strike targeted a group near the Abdul Al-Intersection
14:19in western Gaza City, killing several civilians. Additionally, in southern Gaza City, two Palestinians
14:25sustained critical injuries when a drone strike targeted a motorcycle near a mosque. The operations
14:30caused injuries across multiple residential and transit areas of the Gaza Strip.
14:41On Wednesday, at least 14 people were killed and 11 others wounded in an explosion in a weapons
14:47warehouse in northwestern Syria. The cause of the blast near the town of Zarmada, in Idlib province,
14:53was not immediately clear. Syria's Defense Ministry said that weapons and war remnants were being stored
14:58temporarily on the site before being transported elsewhere. The explosion in an area full of volatile
15:03materials led to secondary explosions and fires that hampered the emergency response. Civil Defense
15:09and Syrian Red Crescent first responders are continuing to search for survivors trapped under the
15:15rubble.
15:22Let's now take a short break. We invite you to visit our Facebook page at TeleZone English.
15:26They will be able to watch our top stories, special life coverage and much more. Follow our page
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15:34be right back. Don't go away.
15:59Welcome back. On Wednesday, President Putin welcomed his Vietnamese counterpart, Lam,
16:04for bilateral talks. Both nations continue to strengthen their economic ties and their cooperation
16:09in other areas such as security, culture and education. In this regard, the Russian leader highlighted
16:15the existence of projects that have stood the test of time, as well as new and interesting initiatives.
16:22The Vietnamese leader arrived in Moscow on Monday for a state visit at Putin's invitation. Lam will remain
16:28in Russia until September 9th, accompanied by his wife and a high-level delegation.
16:39On Wednesday, Serbian President Alexander Vujic disbanded parliament and called for early
16:44parliamentary elections on October 25th and made public attentions. Vujic made the announcement
16:49from the Serbian presidency where he stated that the measure would take effect once it is published
16:53in the official cassette. The head of state acknowledged turbulence in Serbian society,
16:58but blamed significant interference by foreign powers for inspiring student-led anti-corruption protests
17:05that have fueled the country's political turmoil over the past two years. The decision was made more
17:10than a year before the elections originally scheduled for December 2027.
17:20And flight disruptions are expected to continue across the United Kingdom after a technical failure
17:24in the air traffic control system caused widespread delays and cancellations. The outage began Tuesday
17:30afternoon and affected several major airports, including London Heathrow, Cadwick, Manchester and Stansted.
17:35One hundred thousand flights had been cancelled by Tuesday evening, with at least 177 additional
17:41cancellations scheduled for Wednesday, most of them at Heathrow. The National Air Traffic Services said it
17:47had restored its flight processing system after nearly four hours, but warned that the disruption would take
17:52time to clear across the aviation network. The disruption also affected flights across Europe, with some
17:58incoming aircraft held at airports abroad.
18:06Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez appeared before Congress and provided an update on the worsening
18:11migration crisis in Ceuta. While waiting for the declassification of the Ceuta report scheduled for
18:18Wednesday, the minister asserted that the mass influx, in his opinion, constitutes a hybrid attack,
18:24but he argued that the government must act on evidence and not on suspicions. However, he has
18:29acknowledged that the state must be better prepared to deal with incidents of this nature and announced
18:33reinforcements for the border of Ceuta and Melilla. The executive branch maintains that they didn't receive
18:38any alerts that would have allowed it to anticipate massive arrival of this magnitude.
18:58On Spain commemorated National Agricultural Day, a few organizations highlighted persistent structural
19:04challenges affecting the agricultural sector's long-term sustainability. Despite managing over 16
19:10million hectares of farmland and employing nearly 800,000 workers, producers faced severe pressures from
19:16extreme climate events and international trade friction. Agricultural unions wound at an aging workforce
19:22and rising production costs jeopardized for livelihoods across the country. Sector leaders call for increased
19:28public investment, streamlined land access for young farmers and modernizing infrastructure to ensure crop
19:35resilience, food security and financial viability for agricultural communities amidst global market uncertainties.
19:55On Tuesday, the president of Venezuela's National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, Lady Zambrano, said rising temperatures and changes in
20:03the oceans are contributing to increasingly extreme weather events.
20:07Zambrano stressed that Venezuela is not isolated from this scenario and called for stronger monitoring,
20:12prevention and emergency response systems to prepare for possible extreme events. He attributed rising temperatures,
20:18among other factors, to intensive fossil fuel use and increasing carbon dioxide emissions.
20:24Zambrano also highlighted the role of oceans, which absorb more than 90 percent of the additional energy
20:30accumulated in the climate system.
20:37With this information, we have come to the end of this news report, where you can find this and many
20:41other stories
20:41on our website at www.telestoryenglish.net and also on social media, on Facebook, Instagram, Instagram and TikTok.
20:48For Telestory English, Professor Alberto Matos, thank you for watching.
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