15/03/2025
FTS 12.30
*U.S. government expels South African ambassador.
*48 bodies recovered from mass grave in Palestine.
teleSUR
These and many more stories now!
FTS 12.30
*U.S. government expels South African ambassador.
*48 bodies recovered from mass grave in Palestine.
teleSUR
These and many more stories now!
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NewsTranscript
00:00Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro held a videoconference with his Russian counterpart
00:13Vladimir Putin on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between
00:18the two countries.
00:22In the United States, President Donald Trump's administration has declared South African
00:27Ambassador Efraim Rassouf persona non grata.
00:35And Gazan Civil Defense Agency confirmed that 48 bodies have been recovered from a mass
00:40grave found in the Al-Shifa Hospital.
00:48Hello and welcome to From the South.
00:50My name is Belinda Losantos.
00:51I'm from Tercer Studios in Havana, Cuba.
00:54We begin with the news.
01:07This March 14th marks the 80th anniversary of relations between Venezuela and Russia.
01:12In this context, the presidents of both countries held a videoconference in which they announced
01:17the deepening of their strategic cooperation.
01:20Details with our correspondent Roberto Hugo-Pereza.
01:26The relationship between Russia and Venezuela celebrates 80 years of history.
01:30Since 1945, the two nations have walked together in a relationship based on trust and respect,
01:36with a vision of sovereignty and cooperation without external intervention.
01:45The establishment of diplomatic relations in March 1945 allowed conditions for regular
01:50political dialogue and for expanding trade and cultural ties.
01:57The contemporary stage of operation of our countries is connected with the name of President
02:01Hugo Chavez.
02:06I fondly remember all our trustful conversations with him and thanks to his personal contribution.
02:15His brilliant ideas and his hard and firm position, this significant breakthrough in
02:18our relations was realized.
02:28This progress has made it possible this year to deepen strategic cooperation agreements
02:32in different areas.
02:34These agreements, according to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, raise relations
02:38to a very high level of understanding and maturity.
02:46We have made progress in the economic, commercial, financial and banking fields.
02:51In the field of energy cooperation, which is getting stronger and stronger now.
02:56In the field of industrial cooperation, public health, transport, agriculture, information
03:02technologies, cooperation in space, geology and subsoil use, tourism, science, education,
03:10culture, sport.
03:18The Venezuelan President invited his counterpart to the inauguration of a monument in tribute
03:23to the Russian Army, as part of the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Great Patriotic
03:28War against Nazi Germany in May 1945.
03:36The history of humanity cannot be understood without the great victory of the Soviet Union,
03:40of the Red Army, of the Russian people against Nazi fascism.
03:49And from Venezuela, I have given orders for there to be a profound commemoration, a celebration
03:54in the highest popular, political, institutional and military style of this great triumph.
04:03And in those days, we are going to inaugurate a great monument in homage to the liberating
04:08Army of Russia, of the Soviet Union, the Russian Army here in Caracas.
04:20In Caracas, the government held a commemorative act to highlight and reaffirm the nexus between
04:25the two nations for eight decades.
04:27The role of Russia in helping Venezuela to confront the illegal blockades of the United
04:31States where the COVID pandemic was highlighted.
04:39How can we forget also the issue of Russia?
04:43What was Russia's attitude towards the most important event of the decade, which was the
04:48COVID-19 pandemic?
04:53When the whole Western world, that civilized world, Europe, the United States, countries
05:00that call themselves Western or call themselves Western countries, denied us access to vaccines
05:07when people were dying by the millions in the world, Russia helped us.
05:19In the same context, earlier in the day, Vice President Delsi Rodriguez presided over the
05:27wreath-laying ceremony at the Mausoleum of the Liberator Simón Bolívar at the National
05:32Pantheon in Caracas, attended by the Russian ambassador and the diplomatic corps accredited
05:37in the country.
05:42And we go now to Cuba, as according to the latest report from the Ministry of Energy
05:46and Mines, the synchronization of the generation unit that strengthened the microsystems has
05:51already begun, this following a disconnection caused by a fault at the substation in Havana,
05:57the capital of the country.
05:59Within four hours of the fault being reported, numerous microsystems came into operation
06:04in almost all the provinces of the island, especially in the eastern provinces and in
06:09the central territories.
06:11Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, first secretary of the Communist Party in Santiago de Cuba, reported
06:15that in this province, the unit three of the thermoelectric plant Antonio Maceo has
06:21come into service.
06:22It is currently generating 42 megawatts and should reach 60 megawatts in the next few
06:28hours.
06:29The Ministry of Energy and the Electrical Union are currently working to fully restore
06:34the national electricity service in the country.
06:41And Mexico's National Seismological Service reported on Friday a 5.5 magnitude earthquake
06:48in the state of Oaxaca, with no damage reported so far.
06:52According to the SSN, the tremor occurred at 9 p.m. local time and its epicenter was
06:59located 15 kilometers southeast of the city of Tlaxiaco, in Oaxaca, at a depth of 64 kilometers.
07:07The earthquake was felt in several locations in the southern Mexican state, as well as
07:12in the city of Veracruz, and even triggered the activation of the seismic alert in Mexico
07:17City.
07:18Local and national authorities urged the population to stay informed through official channels
07:23and to review safety measures in case of new tremors.
07:30And on Friday, a massacre was reported in the Ecuadorian province of Orellana, in which
07:35at least four people were killed by a group of armed men.
07:39According to local media, the massacre occurred during the early hours of the morning in a
07:43neighborhood in the city of Ilcoca, in the Amazon region of the South American country.
07:49The residents of the neighborhood contacted the police and an investigative group advanced
07:54to the site of the massacre.
07:56The police cordoned off the area where it was found that four people had been killed.
08:01Despite efforts to tackle the wave of violence and insecurity, Ecuador has the worst murder
08:07rate in its history so far in 2025, since records began with an average of one murder
08:13per hour in January.
08:24And now we have a short break coming up, but first remember you can join us on TikTok at
08:27TELUS or English, where you will find news in different formats, news updates and much
08:31more.
08:33Stay with us.
08:42Welcome back to From the South.
08:43We continue with more information.
08:45In the United States, President Donald Trump's administration has declared South African
08:49Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool persona non grata in the country.
08:53In a social media post on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote that the South
08:57African ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country.
09:03He also said that they had nothing to discuss with him and that this is why they considered
09:08him persona non grata.
09:10Rubio accused the envoy of hating the country and President Donald Trump, but neither he
09:15nor the State Department provided an immediate explanation for this decision.
09:20Rasool's expulsion is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to punish
09:25South Africa, a country that has supported Palestinian rights and helped lead a case
09:31at the International Court of Justice, the ICJ, accusing US-allied Israel of genocidal
09:37acts in Gaza.
09:42And on Friday, the US Senate passed at the last minute a bill extending federal funding
09:47for six months, averting a partial government shutdown.
09:50The upper chamber of the Senate, where Republicans are in control, with 53 seats, passed the
09:56bill in a 54-46 vote.
09:59The approval came after Democrats backed down in their fight against President Donald Trump's
10:04campaign to cut the federal workforce, at a time when Trump is locked in a trade war
10:09with some of the United States' closest allies, which has triggered a major stock sell-off
10:15and heightened fears of a recession.
10:22We continue in the United States as the massive deportations of undocumented immigrants are
10:27demolishing the construction industry in the country.
10:30Our correspondent in New York, Enrique Melo, explains why.
10:38Construction sites completely abandoned, labor shortages and exponential increases in the
10:42final costs of projects in this sector, is the panorama left by the new immigration policies
10:48of the Trump administration.
10:49Leaders of the trade show their concern in this regard.
10:57From New York to Texas, from California to Florida, the feeling of the lack of Hispanic
11:03labor in construction has been noticed.
11:06The one that has felt it more is the subcontractor, the one that manages the groups, the one that
11:11brings the community to work, where they have noticed the lack of people.
11:21We have had conversations where almost 50% of the community has not come to work either
11:26because they moved to another state or simply because the policy has worked and they have
11:31deported themselves.
11:40Immigration projects such as these have been stalled for lack of labor, as many workers
11:44have been absent for fear of immigration rates.
11:50According to the National Association of Hispanic Contractors, 64% of the Latin immigrant community
11:56tends to work in the construction industry, seven out of 10 Hispanics work in this sector.
12:04However, fear of heavy fines has caused construction employers to refrain from hiring undocumented
12:10immigrants.
12:13Work has decreased.
12:14People are returning because of the economic situation we are seeing in this country.
12:19We are suffering, yes.
12:21We thought this was going to get better.
12:23Unfortunately, it is not so.
12:25It is getting worse every day.
12:32Immigration raids have literally reached construction sites, where from the roof of a house an immigrant
12:37has challenged immigration and customs enforcement agents to come up and arrest him.
12:45I am the construction worker who endured more than six hours up there on the roof and I
12:48thank all those who are concerned about me.
12:53Several people have sent me messages worried about me.
12:55Thank God I was saved and here I am hanging on.
13:02But how feasible is it for Anglo-Saxon workers to fill the construction jobs left by the
13:08immigrant community?
13:13I don't think there is a way for United States citizens who are used to other types of work
13:17to work in construction.
13:22They are not mentally there anymore and to be honest, nobody gets up in the morning thinking
13:26they want to put roofs on and start demolishing.
13:33They are industries and they are jobs that many times necessity leads us to.
13:37But I don't think there are enough people interested in working.
13:40I don't think that if you were to find someone from the Anglo community to work, it would
13:44be at the prices we are paying a Latin person, it would definitely triple or quadruple the
13:48cost.
13:54According to the U.S. Business Immigration Coalition, the reduction of immigrant workers
14:00could reduce U.S. GDP by as much as 4.2%.
14:04They contribute to the economy by generating more than $80 billion in annual taxes.
14:09Their absence is not only affecting productivity, but also the country's economic growth.
14:23And in Canada, the new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, was sworn in amid looming threats
14:28from the United States.
14:30Following the resignation of Justin Trudeau, Mark Carney, an economist and former head
14:34of Canada's central bank, took office on Friday as the country's 24th prime minister.
14:40He comes in with a smaller and more experienced council of ministers that will act quickly
14:45to secure the country's economy and to protect its future.
14:49The new Prime Minister has underscored the threat that the annexation intentions of the
14:54United States pose to Canada's integrity and sovereignty.
15:01We have a second short break coming up, but before we invite you to visit our Facebook
15:04page at Tell Us Your English, there you'll be able to watch our top stories, special
15:08live coverages and much more.
15:11Follow our page and activate the notification button to stay up to date on the world's most
15:15recent events.
15:16Final short break, don't go away.
15:19Welcome back to From the South.
15:43We continue with more information, in this case, in the Middle East.
15:47The Gaza Civil Defense Agency confirmed on Saturday that 48 bodies have been recovered
15:52from a mass grave found in the Al-Shifa Hospital, once the largest health center in the Strip.
15:58According to Brigadier General Rayed Dachan, the total number of bodies estimated by rescuers
16:03exceeds 160, but the work is complex due to limited resources.
16:09This process began last Thursday and has the support of doctors and families of the victims.
16:15Of the bodies exhumed, 38 have been handed over to their relatives, who have recognized
16:20them by the clothes they were wearing when they disappeared.
16:24The other 10 are at Forensic Department of Gaza Health Ministry for identification.
16:33We go now to other topics.
16:35Authorities and environmentalists in Zambia fear that the long impact of the acid spill
16:40at a Chinese-owned mine that contaminated a major river and could potentially affect
16:46millions of people.
16:47The spill happened on February 18th when a tailings dam that holds acidic waste from
16:53a copper mine in the north of the country collapsed, according to investigators from
16:58the Engineering Institution of Zambia.
17:01The collapse allowed some 50 million liters of waste containing concentrated acid, dissolved
17:07solids and heavy metals to flow into a stream that links to the Kafr River, Zambia's most
17:13important waterway, the Engineering Institution said.
17:18According to some activists in the region, the event is an environmental disaster with
17:23truly catastrophic consequences considering the whole ecosystem of the river was destroyed.
17:30Prior to the 18th of February, this was a vibrant and alive river.
17:40We had cormorants, we had kingfishers, there was small masangas, the fishing was good.
17:50Now everything is dead.
17:52It's just like a totally dead river.
17:54It's unbelievable.
17:55Overnight, this river died.
17:57If you look at the communities in the immediate vicinity of the river, the entire livelihoods
18:02have been destroyed.
18:03There are farmers, their soil is disturbed, their harvest, we're very close to harvest
18:10time, two months away from harvest, what they had invested in has all gone down the drain.
18:16Apart from that, if you look at the aquaculture in the Kafr River, it's also been completely
18:21destroyed.
18:22I do not even know how a simple solution like restocking can bring it back to its natural
18:29position.
18:30And in other news in Serbia, anti-government protesters overturned a tractor in the capital
18:36on Friday night as thousands gathered in Belgrade on the eve of a large anti-government rally.
18:43University students have been pouring into central Belgrade from across the country,
18:47while tens of thousands more are expected to gather for Saturday's demonstration.
18:53The protest is seen as the culmination of months of anti-government demonstrations in
18:59the Balkan country and a test for President Aleksandar Bučić's government.
19:18We go now to culture, as in Venezuela, the 20th edition of the International Book Fair
19:24began in the state of Miranda with the participation of 45 exhibitors.
19:29The opening ceremony of the fair, Miranda Chapter, was attended by the Minister of Culture,
19:35Ernesto Villegas, the Secretary of Culture of Miranda, Gabriela Simoza, among other government
19:40authorities.
19:41The event has the objective of promoting reading among the new generations and in this regard
19:46the President of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, highlighted the work of the Commander
19:51of the Bolivarian Revolution, Hugo Chávez Frías, in involving the Venezuelan population
19:56in literature and writing.
19:58This fair will be held until March 16th at Plaza Bolívar in Petare.
20:06And like this we have come to the end of this news brief.
20:08You can find these and many other stories on our website at telus4english.net and also
20:12join us on social media, we are on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and also on TikTok.
20:17For Telus4English, my name is Belén de los Santos, thank you for watching.