06/03/2025
FTS 12.30
*EU leaders meet to discuss Ukraine
*U.S. threatens Gaza, but holds talks with Hamas
FTS 12.30
*EU leaders meet to discuss Ukraine
*U.S. threatens Gaza, but holds talks with Hamas
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00In Colombia, the debate on the health care reform moves forward as 88 legislators vote
00:15in favour of 12 more articles of the bill.
00:21The leaders of the European Union hold an emergency meeting to discuss the situation
00:25in Ukraine and the rift with the United States.
00:31And the Palestinian resistance movement claim on Thursday that the US President Donald Trump's
00:36abiding threats to the Palestinians are upholding Israel's decision on not complying with the
00:41ceasefire agreement.
00:46Hello and welcome to From the South, I'm Alejandra Garcia from Telesur Studios in Havana, Cuba.
00:51We begin with the news, stay with us.
00:55In Colombia, the debate on the health care reform moves forward.
01:10Close to midnight on Wednesday, 88 legislators voted in favour of 12 more articles of the
01:15bill.
01:16Twenty-one dissenting votes were not enough for the extreme right to prevent the approval
01:21of key articles 14 to 20, which are related to the primary health care accounts and the
01:26strengthening of the public hospital network.
01:29The debate, which lasted more than seven hours, was preceded by an attempt to postpone it,
01:35with the progressive parliamentarians prevented.
01:38Eight more articles remain to be debated, starting Thursday at 8 am local time.
01:43Representative Marta Alfonso highlighted the importance of the achievements obtained.
01:51Being almost 12 o'clock at night, the session is adjourned, in which we finally make progress
01:59in the approval and discussion of the health reform.
02:03So far 55 articles of 62 have been approved.
02:06Now we have left a package of new articles endorsed and not endorsed that we will have
02:10to discuss.
02:11But, well, this is finally unlocked.
02:16Venezuelans spread out all over the country to pay tribute to Supreme Leader Commander
02:21Rafael Chávez FrĂas on the 12th anniversary of his physical departure amidst nostalgia
02:26and commitment.
02:27Leonardo Urrieta tells us more.
02:33Since early in the morning, the city of Caracas, in the populous parish of 23 de Enero, witnessed
02:38how the Chávezda people visited the mountain barracks, emblematic site of the capital where
02:43the remains of Commander Chávez, who governed Venezuela along with the people between 1999
02:49and 2013, rest.
02:56A tribute called In Your Hands Is Your Flame was held at the place, a meeting in which
03:01honor was paid to the civic-military union promoted by Commander Chávez, and which is
03:05the basis of the fight against the actions of the extreme right, the defense of the sovereignty
03:10and dignity of the Venezuelan people.
03:12He was a man who gave his life for social justice, inclusion, love, the rescue of our
03:19own idiosyncrasy, and above all that the constitution be respected with the full independence of
03:24our Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
03:32Remembering Chávez for me is something very nice.
03:35Every time I remember him I cry, because for us he is the best thing that has happened
03:39For us he is the best thing that has happened to Venezuela, for our children, for our grandchildren.
03:44This is not for us, this is for our grandchildren.
03:54Chávez, besides being a political leader, touched the heart of the Venezuelan people
03:58with the For Now of February 4th, 1992, the genuine love between the people and Commander
04:04Hugo Chávez grew until it became invincible.
04:09Chávez awakened this revolutionary people, this Bolivarian people.
04:14Thanks to him, the boot of the United States will never again tread on us, because we learned,
04:19from our eternal commander, many things, to survive with blockade, without blockade, with
04:24economic war or without economic war, we are surviving, moving forward and taking our country forward.
04:34It is an honor to have him in our office, to have him in our homes, because he fought
04:38so hard for us and gave his life for the Venezuelan people.
04:52Hugo Chávez was the pioneer in Latin America and the Caribbean in raising the flags
04:57in the defense of women, whose protagonism made women of the world and the continent
05:02feel visible and included in the project for the development of programs that benefit the population.
05:08Because by declaring state policy, Bolivarian feminist socialism, what did it do?
05:22To recognize the human race, that we are the women and men of the world.
05:26The Venezuelans are very aware of the importance that Commander Hugo Rafael Chávez Frias
05:31gave shape to an international geopolitics, vital for the creation of integration mechanisms
05:36within the framework of the South-South agenda, in addition to deepening Latin American unity
05:41with instances such as community of Latin American and Caribbean states and ALBA-TCP.
05:46But we must also remember him as a man who always wanted the union of all the peoples
05:50of the Americas to build and create a great power.
05:57Chávez continues to be a key symbol for the struggles of the peoples of the world.
06:01His geo-strategic vision in favor of safeguarding the human rights of the Venezuelan people
06:06and the protection of the human rights of the Venezuelan people.
06:09Chávez continues to be a key symbol for the struggles of the peoples of the world.
06:13His geo-strategic vision in favor of safeguarding humanity and love of neighbor
06:18is recognized by national and international popular movements and organizations.
06:26This people will never forget the President who gave back the smile and dignity to Venezuelans.
06:39The government of Panama assures that there is no toll adjustment
06:42for any vessel arriving from the United States.
06:45Canal authorities on Wednesday denied statements by White House Spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt,
06:51claiming that they had eliminated tariffs on US ships.
06:54The Spokeswoman's statements arose in response to a journalist's question
06:58regarding President Trump's remarks a day earlier in Congress,
07:02where he reiterated that the US will take over the administration of the canal.
07:06The Panamanian executive also denied these statements.
07:28In Ecuador, the death toll of the torrential rains impacting the country has risen to 16
07:33as authorities report at least 77,000 residents affected.
07:38The National Secretariat of Rescue Management briefed that floods,
07:41landslides and mudslides led to the fatalities, also leaving 91 people injured.
07:47Furthermore, authorities estimated that the weather event caused structural damage
07:51in at least 20,400 houses.
07:54They further reported losses in agriculture, namely 1,000 hectares of harvest
07:59and about 45,000 dead farm animals.
08:03In view of the forecast of non-stop rainfall until March 7,
08:07the Rescue Management Entity has issued an emergency red alert for six of the 24 provinces.
08:18And now we have a short break coming up,
08:20but first remember you can join us on TikTok at TELUS in English
08:23where you'll find news in different formats, news updates and more.
08:26We'll be right back, stay with us!
08:29TELUS
08:56Welcome back from the south.
08:58After meeting in the United Kingdom,
09:00the leaders of the European Union held an emergency meeting
09:03to discuss the situation in Ukraine and the rift with the United States.
09:07The heads of the bloc and the president of Ukraine are meeting again in Brussels
09:11to secure their military defences and to check that Kyiv is properly protected.
09:16Less than 48 hours ago, the United States halted all codes and intelligence exchanges
09:21and afterwards deactivated the guidance systems for the HIMARS rocket launchers.
09:26In view of this situation,
09:28the Ukrainian head of state has asked Washington for a new opportunity to talk about peace.
09:37The Kremlin issued a statement rejecting Emmanuel Macron's claims
09:40that Russia was a threat to be counteracted,
09:43even alluding to Europe's nuclear rearmament.
09:46On Wednesday, the French president encouraged nations to a major European rearmament
09:52and noted that France is ready to harness its nuclear deterrent
09:56to safeguard Europe in the face of supposed threats from Russia.
10:00In this regard, the Russian Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov
10:03called Macron's remarks highly confrontational
10:06and stressed this stance is aimed at keeping up with war,
10:10even willing to use its nuclear weapons to hold its regional leadership.
10:14Likewise, Peskov underscored that Macron failed to acknowledge
10:18the fact that Russia has been under threat from NATO
10:22as the bloc continues to approach its borders.
10:30In this context, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
10:33responded on Thursday to the French president's remarks
10:36on the use of nuclear weapons in Europe,
10:38calling them a threat to Russia.
10:43This is a threat to Russia.
10:45If Macron considers us a threat,
10:48calls a meeting of the Chiefs of General Staff
10:51of European countries and Britain,
10:54says that it is necessary to use nuclear weapons,
10:58prepare to use nuclear weapons against Russia,
11:01this, of course, is a threat to Russia.
11:05On Thursday, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin
11:08announced the appointment of Alexander Dashev
11:10as the country's new ambassador to the United States.
11:13The diplomat-designate has a distinguished career,
11:16having served as a consular at the Russian embassy in the US
11:19for five years and as ambassador to Canada from 2014 to 2021.
11:24The appointment ends several months
11:26without a head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Washington
11:29after previous ambassador Anatoly Antonov
11:32returned to the Russian nation in October 2024.
11:36The US government gave the go-ahead
11:38for the new diplomat on February 27th
11:41during consultations with the Moscow delegation in Turkey.
12:06The Palestinian resistance movement claimed on Thursday
12:09that US President Trump's abiding threats to the Palestinians
12:12are upholding Israel's decision
12:14on not complying with the ceasefire deal.
12:17A senior Palestinian authority confirmed,
12:19having held a meeting with a special envoy of the White House.
12:22The leader further asserted the talks left a positive impression,
12:26although Washington has just focused
12:28on releasing Israeli hostages, namely those with US citizenship.
12:32In this context, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt
12:36confirmed that the Trump administration
12:38engaged in direct talks with Hamas,
12:40saying the discussions aligned with US interests.
12:44The encounter, facilitated by Qatari intermediaries,
12:47has been the first ever since 1997
12:50and breaks the US rule of not engaging in direct talks
12:54with those that Washington labeled as terrorist groups,
12:57as is the case of Hamas.
13:03The United Nations lately warned
13:06of an impending food shortage in the Gaza Strip.
13:09The United Nations alerted that current food stocks
13:12will just supply less than two week operations
13:15of bakeries and kitchens,
13:17posing at risk the food security of thousands of people.
13:20The entity noted that it may be necessary
13:23to reduce the size of rations
13:25to cover the needs of more people
13:27and to fuel available to maintain bakeries and food transport.
13:31Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry's latest briefing
13:34accounted Israel's offensive against Gaza Strip
13:37for over 48,440 deaths
13:40and 111,845 injured.
13:49The Children's Fund
13:51and the United Nations World Food Program
13:54warned about the crisis facing the population of Gaza
13:57after Israel's decision to prevent humanitarian aid
14:00from entering the territory.
14:02In a statement, UNICEF said
14:04that if medical supplies are not delivered to the territory,
14:07routine vaccinations will stop
14:10which will have a severe impact on children.
14:17Violence unleashed during operations
14:19ordered by Syria's de facto government
14:21has left 13 people dead so far
14:23in the southwest of the country.
14:25In this regard, it was reported
14:27that forces loyal to the de facto president
14:29Mohammed al-Julani,
14:31a former member of al-Qaeda,
14:33now calling himself Ahmed al-Sharra,
14:35carried out brutal raids
14:37in the Daraa governorate.
14:39This way, they sieged the rural town
14:41of al-Sanamayn
14:43with the aim of capturing supporters
14:45of former president Bashar al-Assad.
14:47The action led to heavy fighting
14:49between rebel groups and al-Julani forces
14:51that, according to a preliminary report
14:53of the de facto authorities,
14:55killed eight members of their troops,
14:57four civilians and four rebels
14:59and left several wounded,
15:01among them women and children.
15:27China's President Xi Jinping
15:29visited Thursday the National Political Advisers
15:31attending the joint group meeting
15:33at the 14th National Committee
15:35of the People's Political Consultative Conference.
15:37The head of state,
15:39Li Jinhui,
15:41said the meeting
15:43was a good opportunity
15:45to learn more about the situation
15:47in the region.
15:49He said the meeting was a good opportunity
15:51to learn more about the situation
15:53in the region.
15:55The head of state,
15:57who is also the secretary-general
15:59of the Communist Party and chairman
16:01of the Central Military Commission,
16:03took part in the discussion
16:05of the political sectors of the Chinese Democratic League,
16:07the Chinese Association
16:09for the Promotion of Democracy
16:11and the education sector.
16:13This is the highest political advisory body
16:15in the country.
16:17The simultaneous meeting is known as
16:19two sessions because it brings together
16:21currently the plenary sessions
16:23of the Political Consultative Conference
16:25of the Chinese people
16:27and the National People's Assembly of China.
16:31On Thursday in South Korea,
16:33fighter jet accidentally
16:35dropped eight bombs on a civilian area
16:37during training,
16:39reportedly injuring seven people.
16:41In a communique, the Air Force
16:43explained that the Mk 82 bombs
16:45dropped abnormally
16:47by the KF-16 fighter
16:49fell outside a firing range
16:51and caused unspecified damage
16:53to civilians.
16:55Furthermore, it was clarified in the statement
16:57that a committee will be established
16:59to investigate the causes of this terrible accident
17:01as well as to examine the extent
17:03of the damage caused.
17:05The Air Force apologized for the damage caused
17:07and wished the injured a successful recovery,
17:09to whom compensations
17:11and other necessary measures will be actively taken.
17:17In other news,
17:19the World Food League is once again trying
17:21to prevent the introduction of genetically modified
17:23food and seeds into Kenya
17:25through the court system.
17:27Oscar Abelda with the details.
17:31They challenged the sudden
17:33lifting of the ban on genetically modified
17:35food when William Rudeau
17:37became president of Kenya in 2022.
17:39Two years later,
17:41they were still waiting for the trial to begin.
17:43After the High Court ordered the interim
17:45suspension of the lifting of the ban,
17:47the government's lawyers tried to change jurisdiction.
17:49If they eventually succeeded in winning
17:51the case, it was when the judge was
17:53changed and replaced by another judge.
18:07The case was closed
18:09and the injunction was lifted in November
18:112024 on the day of this recording.
18:17It's a huge force.
18:19It will take
18:21the efforts of the masses
18:23to allow their health
18:25and their lives to be put at peril.
18:29The Peasants League appeal
18:31highlighted the procedural flaws
18:33of the presidential cabinet's decision,
18:35the lack of public participation
18:37and of the prior scientific reports
18:39required by law. Furthermore,
18:41it appealed to the principle of precaution
18:43in consideration of the risk to health and life
18:45if they lose their agricultural
18:47and farming techniques and the original
18:49seeds that are the basis of what they eat
18:51and what they are.
19:01If the Court of Appeal now refuses
19:03to suspend the introduction of transgenics
19:05as a precautionary measure,
19:07it could mean the beginning of the end of the systems
19:09that farmers are putting in place
19:11to protect and promote agroecology.
19:15It means that the world today
19:17is producing enough food to feed 14 billion people.
19:21Kenyan Peasants League rejects
19:23arguments about the need for genetically
19:25modified seeds as a weapon
19:27to fight hunger.
19:29The issue of hunger is not
19:31lack of food. It's poverty.
19:33People can't buy the food.
19:35So if I don't have money to buy food,
19:37to buy indigenous meals now,
19:39and you bring GMOs, I still don't have money.
19:41How will I buy it?
19:43One of the systems they are creating
19:45is the Food Cop, where producers
19:47and consumers ensure the production
19:49and distribution of healthy food.
19:51This undeveloped urban area of Nairobi
19:53had a reputation for heroin addiction
19:55and crime, but they have joined the Food Cop
19:57and thanks to a safe market,
19:59they now produce chemical-free food
20:01and are growing. They produce care for the
20:03environment and expand a model
20:05that seeks social justice first.
20:09This office from where the
20:11economy Food Cop is coordinated has just
20:13been demolished after this recording last
20:15December. But the system devised
20:17is working computerized.
20:19Anyone living in the urban and rural farming
20:21communes can place their weekly order
20:23and share shares. The numbers are still
20:25small, but it has the potential to leave
20:27the people in charge of deciding what they want
20:29to eat and be, even if the government
20:31does not take any notice.
20:35These are two confronted
20:37and incompatible models.
20:39One exceeds, accompanied by other
20:41legislations that promote mechanized agriculture,
20:43cornering the rights of peasants
20:45versus agroecology, adapted
20:47to the climate crisis, in theory
20:49able to feed everyone by cooling the planet.
20:51From Kenya, Oscar Repelde for Telesur.
21:21Rio Carnival director Laila,
21:23who passed in 2021 after
21:25a lifetime of contributions
21:27to the festivity. Like this,
21:29Beja Flor became the third biggest winner
21:31in Rio Carnival's history with 15
21:33titles. For the 2025
21:35competition, the second place went
21:37to the Grande Rio School,
21:39while the third prize was awarded
21:41to the Imperatriz Leopoldinense
21:43Ensemble. The parade was held
21:45as a tradition at Rios Marques
21:47de Sabucay, Sambadrome,
21:49in front of 70,000 people
21:51and millions of viewers from all over
21:53the world.
21:57And like this, we have come
21:59to the end of this news brief, but you can
22:01find this and many other stories on our
22:03website at telesurenglish.net
22:05and join us on social media.
22:07We are on Facebook, X, Instagram,
22:09Telegram and TikTok as well.
22:11For Telesur English, I'm Alejandra Garcia.
22:19TELESUR ENGLISH