FTS 8:30 23-09: 78th Session of the UN General Assembly continues in New York

teleSUR English

23/03/2020 FTS 8.30  *Over 10,000 U.S. automotive workers strike demanding better conditions *Brazil: bushfires in the Amazonia continues to burn

Transcript

00:00 The fifth day of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly is set to kick off

00:14 in New York.

00:17 13,000 workers of the United States and the Union demonstrated at 38 work sites of General

00:24 Motors and so on cemented high salaries and better working conditions.

00:33 And four fires are raging in the Brazilian Amazon, many caused by deforestation and worsened

00:38 by an intense heat wave affecting the country.

00:48 Hello and welcome to From the South.

00:49 I'm Ana Razaval from the Delos Estudios in Havana, Cuba, we begin with the news.

01:09 The fourth day of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly closed on

01:14 Friday in New York as the city prepares on Saturday for another day of general debates.

01:20 The fifth day of the debates will open at 9 a.m., as world leaders continue to debate

01:25 for issues at the UN's General Assembly.

01:28 Representatives from the UN member nations focused on the challenges regarding global

01:33 peace, sustainable development and climate change, with global self-leaders uniting the

01:38 demands for a more equal world society.

01:41 Prime Minister François-Bisset de Grenades, Rafael Gonçalves, Russian Foreign Minister

01:45 Sergei Lavrov and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Hill are among the speakers addressing

01:50 the United Nations General Assembly on the fourth day of ongoing debates.

01:59 During his intervention at the United Nations General Assembly, Bahamas, Foreign Minister

02:04 Frederick A. Mitchell called climate change the most serious issue his country is facing

02:09 and regretted one of the developed nations' position that there won't be any reparation

02:14 for climate change damage.

02:17 It was actually shocking to us to hear one of our developed nation partners and their

02:21 position on climate reparations for loss and damage on the part of his country.

02:27 Their response was that under no circumstances would there be reparations for loss and damage

02:32 from climate change.

02:35 Mr. President, small island developing states like the Bahamas have been negotiating for

02:39 loss and damage for over 30 years.

02:42 So it begs the question, how much are 399,314 lives worth?

02:52 During his speech at the 78th United Nations General Assembly, Grenades' Prime Minister

02:57 Dido Mitchell called for international units and cooperation to face human suffering wherever

03:03 and whenever it happens.

03:07 We all must never forget that whenever and wherever there are severe challenges and especially

03:14 human suffering, the United Nations and its members must come together and respond to

03:22 such crisis with the greatest urgency to its multilateral efforts and cooperation so that

03:29 we can all come together in the aid of our neighbors and citizens in the time of their

03:36 needs.

03:38 Prime Minister of Haiti Ariel Henry said safety was a priority of his government and expressed

03:45 his concern about the violence in the country.

03:48 I have come here today on behalf of my people to raise our security question which remains

03:56 the key priority of my government.

04:00 To highlight that the circulation of arms, massacres, kidnappings are major concerns

04:08 for my administration.

04:14 During his speech, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, Arnaldo Ricardo Andretti

04:19 Noco, spoke about the proposals made by his country to seek to accelerate the decision-making

04:24 process so that our organizations can get out of the ditch in which they have fallen.

04:30 Costa Rica is an example that dialogue can be more powerful than guns.

04:37 When it comes to fair competition criteria, these are more important than selfish criteria.

04:48 Our people have no fear when it comes to countering those who think that might is right.

04:58 We depend on the international system and those of us who do depend on that system understand

05:02 the need to have a global system in place which meets the needs of the most vulnerable.

05:07 The proposals that Costa Rica has made seek to accelerate the decision-making process

05:14 so that we can get out of the stupor that our organization has fallen into.

05:19 We find ourselves at a turning point.

05:23 If ever there was a time for a call to action, it is now.

05:30 The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Brown, urged the United Nations Assembly

05:36 to address the issue of increased arms imports into the Caribbean from the United States.

05:41 The United Nations General Assembly gave us the opportunity to come here and to speak

05:47 about those issues.

05:49 More recently we have seen a proliferation of ammunition and guns.

05:59 We have seen an increase in homicides as a result of these guns.

06:02 But the irony is they are not manufactured in the Caribbean.

06:05 They are imported primarily from the United States.

06:08 They represent a significant threat to us in terms of the amount of homicides.

06:12 In fact we now have about three times the amount of homicides per thousand of the global

06:18 average and it is because of those guns that are being imported in the Caribbean.

06:25 Obviously mostly used by those involved in the narcotics trade, but they are also using

06:30 those guns to hurt innocent people.

06:33 It's an issue that many of us would have addressed during this Assembly.

06:38 In an interview for TELUSURA correspondent Aiza Garcia from New York, the Prime Minister

06:43 of Antigua and Barbuda demanded a lifting of unilateral coercive measures imposed by

06:47 the United States on Cuba and Venezuela.

06:50 Cuba and Venezuela, we think what the United States is doing to Cuba is cruel and we continue

06:58 to advocate for the sanctions to be lifted.

07:00 They say for example that Cuba is involved in state sponsored terrorism.

07:04 They know it's not true and they need to take them off the list.

07:07 I mean the situation in Venezuela, we have made a plea as well for them to discontinue

07:12 the sanctions against Venezuela.

07:14 They are hurting the Venezuelan people.

07:17 They are literally contributing to the exodus of Venezuelans because of the hardships that

07:21 the sanctions have created.

07:23 But even within the Caribbean region, those of us who benefited from Petro-Caribbean,

07:27 we too are suffering and we are innocent.

07:29 We haven't done anything to offend the United States, but at the same time we can't avail

07:33 ourselves of fuel from Petro-Venezuela, which in the past would have acted as a price stabilization

07:39 mechanism for Caribbean countries who were getting petroleum products on the Petro-Caribbean.

07:45 So these are some of the inequities that we continue to advocate within the UN forum and

07:51 we are hoping that our voices will not fall in deaf ears and that there will be some transformational

07:57 changes.

07:58 Premier Brown also thanked President Nicolás Maduro for providing support to the Caribbean

08:03 countries.

08:04 I have to take the opportunity to thank President Maduro in that he would have assisted a number

08:09 of Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, with a partial debt right to

08:14 offer 50% of the amounts owed for the petroleum products.

08:18 And that in itself would have helped to reduce our debt to GDP.

08:21 I believe Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and other countries that have benefited.

08:26 And you know what is interesting, you have a country that is struggling, providing that

08:31 kind of relief for others, and you find wealthy countries, even the United States in this

08:34 hemisphere, which is the wealthiest country on the planet, you know, has not been, or

08:40 have not been as responsive as even countries that do not quite have resources.

08:44 So kudos to President Maduro and the government people of Venezuela for the responsiveness

08:49 to the needs of the Caribbean people.

08:52 Let's take a short break, but remember you can join us on TikTok @ElSueroEnglish, where

08:56 you'll find news in different formats, new dates and more.

08:59 Other stories coming up, stay with us.

09:21 Welcome back.

09:22 On Friday, 13,000 workers at the U.S.-Ara Union demonstrated at 38 work sites of General

09:28 Motors and St. Lawrence.

09:31 According to statements by Union President John Fain, they are ready to shut down more

09:35 plants if negotiations for a negotiated labor agreement do not move forward.

09:40 The demand includes 40% wage increases distributed over the next four years and the elimination

09:46 of wage differences between workers in plants of the same companies.

09:50 Better job security guarantees and the recovery of benefits they have received up to 2009

09:56 to compensate workers for the increase in the cost of living.

10:00 Meanwhile, the Union has decided not to call strikes at the move for plants in recognition

10:05 of the progress of its negotiations with the manufacturer.

10:14 Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro signed a bill for the promotion of non-oil exports.

10:19 The bill was signed during a meeting between the head of states and the National Economic

10:23 Council and needs the approval of the National Assembly to become law.

10:28 The legal instrument will give Venezuela the power to organize and facilitate all activities

10:33 in the field in order to threaten the economy.

10:37 It also establishes incentives for special non-oil exports and promotes a single window

10:42 for foreign trade.

10:55 Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro approved a four-point agreement to rescue the stability

10:59 of the country.

11:01 The agreement was reached at a working meeting of the National Productive Economic Council

11:05 and seeks to recover the country's economic and financial growth.

11:10 The first point looks to guarantee the peace of citizens, and the second to condemning

11:15 criminal sanctions against Venezuela, as well as to demand from the government of the United

11:19 States the immediate lifting of the coercive measures against the homeland.

11:24 The third represents a consensus for economic prosperity, and the fourth a plan to recover

11:29 the welfare of the Venezuelan people.

11:48 In the South Amazonas, forest fires are raging in Brazil, many caused by deforestation and

11:53 worsened by an intense heat wave affecting the country.

11:57 Reports indicate that there are ongoing fires in the town of Audazes, located in the Brazilian

12:02 Amazon.

12:03 These fires have caused damage to trees and have affected people with smoke, leaving them

12:09 fearful that their homes may also be affected.

12:12 The National Institute of Special Research has recorded 5,186 fire outbreaks in the Brazilian

12:19 state of Amazonas in the first 20 days of September, which is 72% higher than the same

12:26 period last year.

12:27 The Brazilian Amazon is facing threats from illegal mining and the expansion of the agricultural

12:32 sector, which often involves burning the forests to create more cultivation areas or pastures.

12:43 The authorities in Libya on Saturday stressed that search and rescue efforts are continuing

12:48 for victims and bodies under the rubble more than 10 days after the passage of strong Daniel

12:53 through the Libyan city of Derna.

12:56 The Libyan Red Crescent is stepping up its effort to collect medical and food supplies

13:01 to meet the needs of the city and other flood-affected areas.

13:05 Almost two weeks after the storm brought down two dams for live teams and paramilitaries

13:10 continued to search for bodies and treat the injured amid fears of the spread of disease

13:15 due to unsanitary conditions.

13:17 Alaa Al-Faghari, a Red Crescent doctor, said the situation in the city of Derna remains

13:23 tragic.

13:24 "There are still people under the rubble who are still trapped and no one can recover them,"

13:29 added Al-Faghari.

13:30 We have a second short break coming up but before we invite you to visit our YouTube

13:41 channel Natal's Good English.

13:42 There you'll be able to re-watch our interviews, sub-stories, special broadcasts and more.

13:48 Hit the subscribe button and activate the notification bell to stay up to date on the

13:52 world's most recent events.

13:55 Final short break, don't go away.

13:58 Welcome back.

14:18 And now we go to China, more specifically to the world capital of pandas, the city of

14:22 Chengdu.

14:23 There, the provincial government of Xi'an organized the first Golden Panda Awards for

14:28 international film and television productions.

14:31 The ceremony was attended by the famous actor Jackie Chan and her Latin American as the

14:36 winner of the Best Actor award.

14:39 RTVT collaborator in China, Manuel Ramos, attended these events.

14:43 Let's see.

14:47 The new Chinese international movie and series award, Golden Panda, called for production

14:51 from countries in various regions.

14:53 Vietnam, Iran, Argentina, Russia, Czech Republic, Thailand and Colombia were some of the countries

14:59 with nominated productions, in addition to countries that usually dominate renowned international

15:05 awards such as the USA, France, UK and Italy.

15:14 According to the organizers, the new festival aims to increase cultural exchanges between

15:19 countries under the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity, or a community

15:24 of common destiny.

15:25 The idea has Confucian and Marxist roots and has been promoted by the Chinese government

15:30 for about a decade in its bilateral relations and in the various international platforms

15:35 in which it participates.

15:43 As the world capital of the giant panda, Chengdu seems like the ideal city to host the festival.

15:48 Through the so-called panda diplomacy, initiated more than half a century ago, China sends

15:53 pandas to other countries for a certain period as a symbol of friendship.

16:02 South American films are close to us, such as the Brazilian Central Station, which had

16:07 a great influence in China.

16:09 We hope that through these film exchanges and events, we can further promote communication

16:13 between filmmakers, foster more collaborative projects and inject more elements and vitality

16:19 of cinema into the peaceful development of the world and the awareness of a shared future

16:23 for humanity.

16:33 Different countries, they have different cultures, and I think for me, I really hope in the future

16:38 I can play with different people in different countries, and I can learn from them and they

16:43 can learn from me, because I think a culture always needs to be exchanged, right?

16:48 And we can bring a lot of different things together, and we can create the new thing.

16:53 So that's why I want to meet more people like Brazilian musicians, right?

16:58 And probably we can learn from each other, and so we can use this way to bring a lot

17:03 of new things coming and to make the whole world more peaceful and more happy.

17:24 Prominent figures from the Chinese film industry were present at the award ceremony in the

17:29 Land of the Pandas.

17:30 Among them were Jackie Chan, Kwan-Hsiao Tong and Wu Jing.

17:34 As part of the awards, the organizers held a forum where themes of cooperation, dialogue

17:39 and mutual learning were discussed.

17:41 Former senior officials from the United Nations, former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva

17:47 and former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy participated in the event.

17:51 You were talking about mutual understanding, and we believe from UNESCO that when we share

17:58 our cultures, when we are able to showcase actually what they bring actually to communities,

18:06 to individuals, this is when we actually develop further, when communities are able to flourish

18:15 so that individuals as well are able to exchange and share across countries.

18:22 Argentine director Leandro Martinez had his work, Aru, nominated for Best Animation.

18:28 He believes that spaces like these promoted by China outside the hegemonic circuit can

18:32 contribute in terms of dissemination and support for productions in South America.

18:40 China's total box office during this summer broke a record, surpassing the equivalent

18:44 of more than 20 billion yuan, with domestic productions gaining an increasingly large

18:50 proportion as a result of a long trajectory of tax incentives and subsidies to the industry.

18:57 For us to reach Hollywood, whether from Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil or wherever it may be, it

19:05 is a much longer path than the exposure you can achieve at an event like this, for example.

19:10 So imagine my short film is an independent work made by myself in my own home, and suddenly

19:15 I'm invited and nominated for an award without any kind of prejudice.

19:19 In other words, I didn't have to go through any political process, have connections in

19:24 the industry or be invited first to other smaller festivals.

19:27 No, it's as if, simply because they liked her or found that has something to say, I

19:32 have the opportunity to be here.

19:37 Another Latin American present at the Golden Panda Award Ceremony was Argentine actor Nahuel

19:42 Pérez Vizcayart, who ended up winning the award for Best Actor of the Festival for the

19:47 film Persian Lessons, a co-production between Russia, Germany and Belarus.

19:56 I know that the award from this event points a little to that, to the expansion of borders.

20:01 Mine is a very particular case, but it really coincides very well with today's logic, which

20:06 is that I am Argentine and worked on a Russian-German film, playing a Belgian who speaks French

20:11 and German, and now we are here with a Chinese award.

20:14 I think it is the most beautiful thing about cinema and art in general, when political

20:18 borders are erased a little, and for at least a moment it seems that we understand each

20:23 other and can create a common language.

20:27 We have come to the end of this brief.

20:28 You can find these and many other stories on our website, www.talsurenglish.net.

20:33 And join us on social media, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and TikTok.

20:38 For Talsur English, I'm Ana Rosabal.

20:42 Thank you for watching.

20:43 [music]

20:53 you

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