*Panama drops belt and road initiative, China responds
*Israel continues raids across West Bank
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*Israel continues raids across West Bank
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NewsTranscript
00:00In Ecuador, the election silence has started with three days left to go to the polls.
00:17China responded to Panama's forced decision to abandon the new Belt and Road infrastructure
00:21project rejecting Washington's coercion methods against the Panamanian people.
00:28And Israel continues its escalation of violence against Tulcrum in the West Bank, which has
00:35been going on for 12 days straight.
00:41Hello and welcome to From the South.
00:43I'm Alejandra Garcia from Telesur Studios in Caracas, Venezuela.
00:47We begin with the news.
01:03In Ecuador, the election silence has started with three days left to go to the polls.
01:08Near 14 million Ecuadorans are eligible to vote next Sunday, February 9th, so that they
01:14can decide among nominees the best for running the nation's future.
01:18These general elections will be held amid instability triggered by political violence,
01:23energy crisis and the accusations against President Daniel Novoa for not being abided
01:29by electoral rules.
01:30The National Electoral Council announced that the voting process initiated Thursday with
01:35the suffrage of those deprived of freedom without fixed sentence.
01:40Then it will continue Friday with the home voting program for people with physical limitations.
01:53Legislators of the ruling party in the Argentinian Chamber of Deputies passed the suspension
01:57of the open, simultaneous and mandatory primaries known as PASO elections.
02:02In less than 72 hours, the bill of these lawmakers reached 162 votes in favor, so that they achieved
02:09the measures half-sanctioned as they were only 28 votes.
02:15The party of President Javier Millet once again counted with support from right-wing
02:19and center parties such as Macri's pro-party.
02:22Now the proposal will go to the Senate, where this bill will be debated, but it could be
02:28approved despite warnings of the damage it implies to the democratic state and the rule
02:34of law.
02:49In Argentina, a river in Buenos Aires has turned a deep red, causing concern among residents
02:55who say it is due to pollution.
02:57The waters of the Sarandi River were stained in a deep red color on Thursday.
03:02The Ministry of Environment of the province issued a statement in which it detailed that
03:07water samples were taken to determine what substance caused the coloration, which by
03:12the end of afternoon had been diluted and lost intensity.
03:16The official party footer added that it's estimated that it could be some kind of organic
03:22dye.
03:23The neighborhoods of the municipality of Avellaneda, 10 kilometers from the center of the capital
03:27of the country, were concerned because the stream crossed an area of textile and leather
03:33treatment factories, and that some locals also say that it is not the first time that
03:39the stream has been dyed.
03:47The smell woke us up.
03:48In the daytime, when we looked at this side of the river, it was completely red, all stained.
03:54It looked like a river covered in blood.
03:56It's horrible.
04:04We have seen the river in other colors.
04:06We've seen it bluish, greenish, pink, purplish, with grease on top that looks like oil, brownish
04:11like cement.
04:13It looked like you could walk across it.
04:17In Chile, government authorities have announced a heat wave with temperatures of 37 to 40
04:23degrees, adopting measures to protect the population.
04:27According to the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response, the areas most affected
04:31by the event are the coastal mountain range, the valley, and the foothills of the Andes,
04:37where thermometers are expected to rise to 37 degrees Celsius and up to 40 in the southern
04:43communes of Pisa de Agua, Curico, and Talca.
04:46Likewise, a red alert was established from this Thursday until Sunday for the metropolitan
04:51regions of Santiago, the yellow face of Biobío, and the preventive alert in Valparaíso and
04:57Coquimbo.
04:58Authorities also recommend the population to avoid exposure to the sun for prolonged
05:03periods of time, stay hydrated, and use sunscreen.
05:14In Haiti on Thursday, a new contingent of Kenyan officers arrived in Port-au-Prince
05:20to support the multinational security support mission.
05:24Kenya's interior ministry said it had deployed 144 additional police officers to Haiti, bringing
05:30the total number in the country to more than 700.
05:33It must be noted that the Kenyan-led multinational security support mission, MSS, under United
05:39Nations auspices, has been in Haiti since 2023.
05:43However, the mission has been plagued by problems with a United Nations chief saying at the
05:48beginning of the year that more aid was needed for it to be effective.
05:53Today, we are honoured to receive the Kenyan contingent, which includes a very special
06:04team called SWAT ladies, which is equipped with unique skills and expertise that will
06:10be invaluable in this theatre of operations.
06:13Like their male counterparts, they will play a critical role while working alongside the
06:19HNP to enhance security and stability.
06:25We're engaged in a battle between good and evil, because a gang that kills children and
06:29rapes others is evil.
06:34We in the government, and our international partners who are helping us, have decided
06:39to put an end to insecurity, and it won't be for long.
06:42And now we have a short break coming up, but first remember you can join us on TikTok at
06:49TELUS El English, where you'll find news in different formats, news updates and more.
06:53We'll be right back, stay with us.
06:59♪ MUSIC ♪
07:29Welcome back from the south.
07:34U.S. President Donald Trump met Thursday at the White House with GOP leaders to present
07:39his priorities on tariffs.
07:41One of the policies will directly impact social security beneficiaries.
07:45The encounter was held behind closed doors in which the U.S. right wing learned of the
07:50president's tax priorities.
07:52Reports estimated that the tax cut will affect the Internal Revenue Service with the intention
07:57of modifying the administration of social security so retirees will be hit directly.
08:02Although the initiative may be positive for thousands of beneficiaries, it could generate
08:07an economic imbalance.
08:09Forty-one states eliminated income taxes and pensions years ago, with a target of avoiding
08:14economic crisis for this age group.
08:24China has responded to Panama's forced decision to abandon the new Silk Road infrastructure
08:29project and re-approaches the U.S. coercion and pressure against the future of the Panamanian
08:34people.
08:35Lin Yang, the foreign ministry spokesperson, said that the government regrets that Panama
08:40will not renew the memorandum of understanding, noting that Beijing opposes Washington's
08:46methods.
08:47The diplomat reaffirmed his nation's rejection of using pressure to denigrate and undermine
08:51cooperation.
08:53Likewise, President Xi Jinping highlighted Friday that China advocates for an equal,
08:58multipolar, and orderly world as part of his message to foreign leaders attending the opening
09:03of the ninth Asian Winter Games.
09:13The minister of foreign affairs of Honduras, Enrique Reyna, presented on Thursday before
09:17the United Nations agencies the program of attention designed by the executive branch
09:22to assess the migrants expelled by the Republican government of the United States.
09:26The Migration Governance Council, which is made up of several institutions, has presented
09:31one of its most important plans to United Nations agencies.
09:35The comprehensive program Hermano, Hermana, Vuelve a Casa, or Brothers System, Come Home,
09:41focused on strengthening the legal coverage of the nationals in the United States, protecting
09:46and assisting the most vulnerable migrants, and promoting their social and economic integration,
09:51It was discussed with the multi-state agencies to define their participation in each of them.
10:03In Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro reiterated his denunciation of the acts of corruption
10:08of the extreme right, stressing that the sanctions requested by this sector have robbed the country
10:14of more than $600 billion during the closing of the first congress of the United Socialist
10:20Party of Venezuela.
10:22The Venezuelan president denounced that in the last few years, the country has been in
10:26the presence of an extreme right wing that used politics to enrich itself.
10:31In this sense, the Venezuelan head of state condemned the terrorist actions that this
10:35group has promoted in the country, promoting violence and economic destabilization.
10:41President Nicolás Maduro also stated that with these actions, they forced the Venezuelan
10:46families to migrate to other countries, profiting with their groups of coyotes who were in charge
10:51of mobilizing migrant citizens.
11:01Because if we are saying that they pocketed $31,000 million directly, that they put their
11:09hand in the pocket of the gringos with their actions of sanctions and blockades, they made
11:18the country lose more than $630,000 million.
11:36They forced thousands of families to leave the country and set up mafia companies of
11:42coyotes to take them first to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and down there.
11:52And then in the year 2021-2022, the same companies of coyotes directed by the same people will
12:03take them to the United States.
12:12The Kennedy administration imposed the unfair blockade against Cuba on February 7th, 1962,
12:1963 years ago.
12:21The then U.S. president enacted the current blockade in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban
12:26Revolution.
12:27Later, succeeding U.S. governments have pursued other coercive policies, as the Helms-Burton
12:32Act and the inclusion of the country in the state's sponsoring terrorism list.
12:37All these smothering policies have brought about Cuban economic losses of over $1.49
12:43trillion since 1962.
12:46In this regard, since November 24th, 1992, the United Nations General Assembly has voted
12:53overwhelmingly in favor of abrogating the blockade against Cuba.
13:05We have a second show-break coming up, but before we invite you to visit our YouTube
13:08channel at Telesur English, there you'll be able to re-watch our interviews, top stories,
13:13special broadcastings, and more.
13:15Hit the subscribe button and activate the notification bell to stay up-to-date on the
13:20world's most recent events.
13:22After a short break, we'll be right back.
13:47Welcome back to From the South.
13:49Twelve days passed by since the Israeli occupation began their offensive against Tulkarem, one
13:54of the main West Bank cities in the Palestinian territory.
13:58Israeli troops have hit to death civilians as part of their target to take over residential
14:03buildings.
14:04As a result, countless of Palestinian families have been forced to move out due to threats.
14:09Currently, the Zionist forces have turned Palestinian homes into military posts, while
14:14villagers denounce the destruction of their buildings.
14:17In addition, Palestinian Red Crescent personnel have been evacuated in the elderly and sick
14:22to other cities.
14:23A study has ensured that over 2,100 families have been displaced from the refugee camp
14:30and that only about 400 ones remain at present.
14:43Today, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, UNICEF, denounced that over
14:47one million Gazan children are facing psychological trauma after more than 15 months of genocide
14:53at the hands of Israel.
14:55The Zionist aggression has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians since October 2023, according
15:02to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
15:04The death toll has left over 38,000 orphaned children who now deal with the sequels of
15:10the genocidal operation.
15:11In this context, UNICEF alerted on the magnitude of the humanitarian situation in the Strip
15:16and the challenges Palestinians currently face, including the lack of clean water, food
15:21and basic services and commodities.
15:24In this regard, UNICEF stressed that the entry of humanitarian aid is insufficient to meet
15:29the demands of their needs.
15:41President Trump imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, ICC, for having issued arrest
16:00warrants against Netanyahu.
16:02This order was carried out in the context of the visit to the White House of the Israeli
16:08Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court
16:12for the genocide against Gaza.
16:14The Trump administration alleges that the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and the investigations
16:19against Israel pose an extraordinary threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy.
16:25It is important to note that neither the United States nor Israel recognize the court which,
16:31in its warrants, held Netanyahu directly responsible for the war crimes in the Strip.
16:38The United Nations warned of the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe between the states
16:54of Kordofan and Blue Nile on the border of Sudan and South Sudan.
16:58The United Nations Humanitarian Coordination in Sudan denounced the isolation of residents
17:03of both states and the difficulty in receiving vital aid, which further hampers the functioning
17:09of basic services due to the escalation of violence in the country.
17:13The authority further condemned the use of women and children as human shields during
17:17the clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary forces of rapid support since
17:22April 2023.
17:37Two years have passed since the deadly earthquake that claimed more than 53,000 lives in southeastern
17:43Kyiv, particularly in the city of Antakya, where 90% of the buildings were lost and more
17:49than 20,000 people died.
17:51Today, local artists in Ankatya used art to overcome this tragic event while exhibiting
17:57their works.
18:02On the early morning of February 6th, 2023, two back-to-back earthquakes struck 11 provinces
18:08in the country, killing 53,725 people, injuring 107,213 and forcing hundreds of thousands
18:16to relocate.
18:18Antakya, the capital of Hatuy province, was completely destroyed.
18:22On Thursday, commemorating two years of the tragic date, ceremonies were held in several
18:27cities of the country to commemorate the victims of the earthquake.
18:31Among these commemorations was an exhibition in the city of Antakya of works of art by
18:36artists from the region itself.
18:41I suffered from my loss.
18:42Art healed and motivated me.
18:44I was not in a good psychological state.
18:47After losing my brother, I was introverted quite a bit.
18:50Art motivated me and I got better.
18:52I healed with mosaic.
18:54I dedicated myself to art to heal.
19:03Numerous World Health Organization studies indicate that enjoying artistic performances
19:07can have lasting emotional health benefits in addition to positive impacts on self-esteem.
19:12For the people of Antakya, who lost so many friends and family members and have not yet
19:17even recovered their homes, art is a breath of fresh air in an oasis of stress.
19:22The aim of this initiative was to create a space that would bring back local artists,
19:26many of whom had left, offering them a place to show their work and creating a social meeting
19:31point for the community.
19:34An entire city has disappeared.
19:42Other lives have disappeared.
19:43We have accumulated so much that when one asked us to define nothingness, we were able
19:48to do that.
19:49When one asked us to define helplessness, we were able to do that too.
20:01The main purpose here was to bring back the artists, who are the memory of the city.
20:06You can build buildings and houses, but it may not be possible to bring a city back to
20:10its feet.
20:16Only with the return of the artists, who are the memory of the city, it may be possible
20:20to fully restore the city to its former state.
20:29That tragic event forever altered the lives of those who survived.
20:32An estimated 14 million people, equivalent to 16 percent of the population of the country,
20:38were affected physically, mentally, and materially.
20:41According to United Nations development experts, some 1.5 million people were left homeless.
20:51And with this information, we have come to the end of this brief.
20:54I'm Alejandra Garcia for Telesur English.