FTS 22:30 01-03: 8th CELAC summit held in St Vincent and the Grenadines

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Venezuelan CNE receives agreements and proposal  For electoral calendar 2024. // 8th CELAC summit held in St Vincent and the Grenadines. // UN rapporteur accuses Israel of starving Gazans to death. teleSUR  Visit our website: https://www.telesurenglish.net/ Watch our videos here: https://videos.telesurenglish.net/en

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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:03 The eighth SELAC summit was held in St. Vincent

00:10 and the Granadines.

00:11 Peace and regional integration were the central themes

00:14 of discussion.

00:15 Honduras assumed the pro-temporary presidency

00:17 of the bloc under the commitment to reserve peace

00:19 in the region.

00:20 The National Assembly of Venezuela

00:24 delivered to the National Electoral Council

00:26 the document with dialogue agreement

00:28 and the proposal for the 2024 electoral calendar.

00:31 And the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights

00:36 in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Alpaniz,

00:40 accused Israel of trying to start

00:42 the population of the Gaza Strip.

00:43 Hello, welcome to From the South.

00:50 I'm Luis Alberto Matos from the Lesus Studios in Havana, Cuba.

00:54 We begin with the news.

00:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:58 In St. Vincent and the Granadines,

01:07 the eighth summit of the community

01:08 of Latin American and Caribbean states, SELAC,

01:10 focused on peace and unity in the region.

01:13 During the day, leaders of the three free member countries

01:16 of the organization ratified their commitments

01:18 to fight against violence in order

01:19 to guarantee a region of peace as part of the integration

01:22 policy.

01:23 The heads of state urged to be bold for the benefit of peace

01:26 and the planet in the face of the effects of climate change,

01:30 also affirming that if we want to change the economy,

01:32 we must take into account the dynamics of conflicts,

01:34 military powers, and support for bombs,

01:36 as in the case of the imperial support to Israel

01:39 to commit the murder of Palestinian civilians.

01:42 During his speech at the SELAC summit conference,

01:50 the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro,

01:51 referred to the presidential electoral process

01:53 to be held in Venezuela in 2024, criticized the West media

01:57 for trying to discredit the elections

01:58 and called the regional bloc and the Secretary General

02:01 of the United Nations to send observers to his country

02:03 to supervise the whole process from beginning to end

02:06 in order to testify to the world the transparency of the event

02:09 and the strict observance of the Venezuelan Constitution

02:12 and the rule of law.

02:14 So by asking the SELAC to evaluate the possibility

02:19 to prepare a delegation of international observers

02:27 to join the process of preparation and realization

02:31 of the presidential polls from this day

02:35 to the day of elections.

02:39 In another part of his speech, President Maduro

02:41 called the Latin American and Caribbean community

02:43 to rise in support of the human rights in Palestine

02:46 and questioned the capacity of the international justice

02:49 to deal with genocide being committed

02:51 by evil in that country.

02:53 So if a man is capable of firing himself up,

02:57 we're not capable of rising Latin American, the Caribbean,

03:01 for the life, for the international right,

03:03 for the human rights.

03:06 Where is the international court of justice?

03:09 Where are the organisms of justice

03:13 in the international level?

03:14 Or they're not seeing, they're not hearing?

03:19 The president of Honduras, Fidel Maracasso,

03:21 emphasized that peace in Latin America and the Caribbean

03:23 is based on respect for the principles of non-interference

03:26 in the internal affairs of every state.

03:28 [SPEAKING SPANISH]

03:32 Peace in Latin America and the Caribbean

03:34 must be based on respect for the principles of non-interference

03:40 in the internal affairs of any state

03:42 and the principles of national sovereignty,

03:48 equal rights, and self-determination

03:50 of the peoples.

03:50 We must foster friendship, cooperation,

03:57 and exchange among us.

03:58 The Honduran president said that conflicts

04:04 in Latin America and the Caribbean

04:05 must be resolved through dialogue and without violence.

04:07 To maintain our historic habit of being a zone free of armed

04:15 conflict and warfare, today we must ratify our commitment

04:25 that never a people of Latin America and the Caribbean

04:28 will use violence against a brother country,

04:35 and that the problems and differences

04:37 of the countries of this bloc must be resolved among ourselves

04:40 without interference or external pressures.

04:44 The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro,

04:46 highlighted the need for political, economic,

04:48 and military peace in the region.

04:50 Peace in our region is political, economic,

04:57 and military autonomy of Latin America and the Caribbean.

05:00 And I finally refer to the military

05:07 because it sounds naive to think that we're

05:09 going to make a peace zone that will

05:11 be a peaceful zone if we're aligning

05:19 to the great blocs of military powers

05:21 in the conflict for commercial reasons of business

05:23 in the world.

05:24 The Colombian head of state said that the West's support

05:30 for genociding Palestine is a message to countries seeking

05:32 to change the economic system.

05:34 It is not the old dynamic of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict

05:40 that is being shown today.

05:42 But in addition, and because of that,

05:44 Germany supports genocide.

05:45 France and the European Union and the United Kingdom,

05:52 and above all, the United States of America

05:54 in its democratic version, supports dropping bombs

06:00 on people because they are making a demonstration

06:03 on the whole humanity.

06:09 If we want to change the economy towards the decarbonized

06:12 economy, nothing more, nothing less,

06:14 they are telling us, look at our military power.

06:16 What happens to Palestine can happen to any of you

06:24 if you dare to make the changes without supervision.

06:26 Secretary General of the United Nations,

06:31 António Guterres, during his participation,

06:33 urged member countries to practice solidarity

06:36 to contain poverty and hunger.

06:37 We need solidarity for sustainable development.

06:39 Sustainable development is a [INAUDIBLE]

06:41 sleeping away.

06:42 Millions of people in the region face poverty and hunger.

06:49 You made a plan for food security and nutrition.

06:51 But this requires financing, and many countries

06:56 are still mired in debt.

06:57 The global financial system has not yet

07:02 provided long-term financing for countries in need.

07:05 And you have not yet offered a financing network.

07:07 Guterres also called for the definition

07:12 of an effective action plan to address the climate emergency

07:15 experienced by island-developing countries.

07:16 We need solidarity to address the climate emergency, which

07:23 threatens the very existence of small island-developing states.

07:26 As extreme events go beyond the borders of the United States,

07:32 as extreme events strike with increasing ferocity,

07:37 all countries must commit to making

07:38 new nationally determined economy-wide contributions

07:41 by 2025.

07:46 The global climate change agenda should

07:47 be aligned with limiting global temperature rise

07:50 to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

07:51 These plans should be used for both transition and investment.

08:01 During a press conference on Friday

08:02 after the closing of CELAC summit,

08:04 Prime Minister of San Vicente and the Grenadines,

08:06 Rafa González referred to the bloc's decision

08:09 to set up a permanent secretariat.

08:11 You see, to have continuity, CARICOM

08:15 has a permanent secretariat.

08:18 The European Union has a permanent secretariat.

08:22 The OECS has a permanent secretariat.

08:25 The Association of Caribbean States

08:27 has a permanent secretariat.

08:28 The Association of Caribbean States

08:30 is not as powerfully bodied as CELAC,

08:35 though it deals with five important subjects, the ACS,

08:38 that is, tourism, trade, transportation, and technology,

08:46 plus disaster preparedness.

08:50 CELAC has been addressing the issue

08:54 of marine and air transportation.

08:57 That is an ongoing problem,

08:58 and we have to keep it on the agenda.

09:02 In another part of the press conference,

09:04 González talked about the need of integration

09:07 and referred to the cooperation potentials

09:09 in the pharmaceutical area.

09:12 Mexico and Brazil have developed

09:16 a lot of pharmaceutical products, Cuba too.

09:20 And Cuba developed the vaccines, the Abdala, among others.

09:25 But Cuba couldn't get its vaccine

09:28 approved by any agency outside of Cuba.

09:34 The Americans aren't approving it.

09:35 The Europeans aren't approving it.

09:37 The British aren't approving it.

09:39 You have to wait on the World Health Organization,

09:41 which is a long process.

09:43 And if you're not with the European agency,

09:49 or the British, or the Americans, the CDC,

09:53 the Food and Drug Administration, and so on,

09:55 you have a problem.

09:57 Well, we have to do our own.

10:00 Let's take now a short break,

10:01 but remember you can join us on TikTok @Telesudenglish,

10:05 where you will find news in different formats,

10:07 news updates, and much more.

10:09 Other stories coming up.

10:10 Stay with us.

10:11 Welcome back from the South.

10:17 The National Assembly of Venezuela

10:19 delivered to the National Electoral Council

10:20 the document with the dialogue agreement

10:22 and the proposal for the 2024 electoral calendar.

10:25 The delivery of the document was headed

10:27 by the President of the National Assembly,

10:28 Jorge Rodriguez,

10:30 and other members of the legislative board.

10:32 The magistrates of the National Electoral Council

10:34 were present.

10:35 Rodriguez pointed out that the document

10:37 transmits the will of the 53 participating political parties

10:41 to respect the decisions

10:42 issued by the National Electoral Council.

10:44 At the same time, Rodriguez pointed out

10:46 that during the dialogues,

10:47 the idea of broadening the participation

10:49 of all the political parties of the country was expressed.

10:52 In that process, we proposed to expand,

11:02 to make more inclusive,

11:03 what had already been initiated

11:09 and which produced a document

11:10 that has been called a Barbados Agreement.

11:12 It is not, and was not the first attempt

11:19 to bring the parties closer to the factors

11:20 to paint the field,

11:21 or to make a proposal so that the field would be painted

11:30 and everyone, everyone would feel comfortable,

11:33 included and with sufficient guarantee

11:41 to participate in the electoral events.

11:47 The President of the Venezuelan Parliament, Jorge Rodriguez,

11:50 highlighted the participation of the main sectors

11:52 of the South American country.

11:54 But now we have taken the call

11:58 to the most inclusive level possible.

12:00 Here are the signatures of the most important

12:02 religious sectors of Venezuela,

12:04 of businessmen and businesswomen, of peasants.

12:13 Here are the signatures of 52 political parties

12:15 that represent 84% of the popular vote.

12:18 If we look at the result of the last election

12:27 held in Venezuela in 2021, 84%.

12:31 But it also correspond to 97% of the total number

12:40 of political parties duly accredited

12:42 before the National Electoral Council.

12:44 In Brazil, the government proposed to the G20

12:47 the implementation of a global tax on super-rich

12:49 to promote sustainable development

12:51 and reduce the high poverty rates.

12:53 The proposal was presented by Brazil's

12:55 Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad,

12:57 who stated that if all the nations of the world

13:00 collaborated with each other,

13:01 they could make a few individuals

13:03 contribute positively to society.

13:05 The minister previously instituted

13:07 an investment fund tax on billionaires in Brazil,

13:10 which allowed for the creation of a new tax

13:12 in Brazil, which allowed for a notable increase

13:15 in tax collection, reaching $830 million in one year.

13:20 The government of Luis Inácio Lula Celva

13:22 is currently leading the G20 until the end of 2024

13:25 and has proposed to focus the group

13:28 on the issue of poverty and the struggle

13:29 for a more equal society.

13:31 In Haiti, at least 20 people were injured

13:39 in a new day of violence perpetrated

13:41 by various armed gangs that control

13:43 different neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince.

13:45 Arab-Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis

13:48 assured that Haiti's leader, Edwin Rui,

13:50 had pledged to hold elections.

13:52 By August 31st, 2025, heavily armed gangs

13:55 reportedly wreaked havoc throughout Port-au-Prince.

13:58 Shootings took place in and around the capital.

14:00 A police station was raided by the gangs

14:02 and schools sent their students home.

14:04 The head of the G9 criminal group,

14:06 ex-cop Jimmy Cherichier, announced

14:09 that this is the beginning of an alleged revolution

14:11 and that the government are now in control.

14:13 The United States Congress approved on Thursday

14:23 a short-term budget to finance the federal government

14:26 and avoid its partial shutdown.

14:28 In the House of Representatives, the bill

14:30 was approved with 320 votes in favor and 99 against,

14:34 while on the Senate side, the initiative

14:36 obtained 77 votes in favor and 13 against.

14:39 The measure, known as the continuing resolution,

14:42 postpones the funding of certain government departments

14:45 until next Friday, March 8th, while at the same time

14:48 postpones the deadline for the rest of the agencies

14:50 until March 22nd.

14:52 In this context, the Senate rejected both the attempts

14:55 to add additional aid to Israel and the inclusion

14:58 of the border security bill, HR2,

15:00 passed by the Republican House.

15:02 [BIRDS CHIRPING]

15:05 We have a "Founder's Break" coming up,

15:08 but before we invite you to join our WhatsApp community

15:11 for our English-speaking audience,

15:12 you can scan the QR code on screen to join directly

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15:17 Constant news coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean,

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15:22 Stay connected and informed with TeleSUR.

15:24 "Founder's Break," don't go away.

15:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]

15:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]

15:32 Welcome back from the South.

15:51 On Friday, the UN Special Rapporteur

15:53 on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,

15:55 Francesca Albanese, accused Israel

15:57 of trying to starve the population of the Gaza Strip.

16:00 Her questioning comes against the backdrop of the massacre

16:03 that took place Thursday in Gaza City,

16:05 when Israeli soldiers fired on a crowd of citizens

16:07 waiting for the arrival of vehicles loaded with food.

16:10 According to official figures, at least 112 Palestinians

16:13 were killed and 760 others were wounded.

16:17 The UN official also criticized Western media

16:19 coverage of the Israeli aggression

16:22 against the coastal enclave, home to 2.3 million people.

16:26 "The Western media simply cannot report honestly on Gaza,"

16:29 she said on the same social media.

16:31 The Israeli aggression against Gaza

16:38 continues for the 147th consecutive day.

16:41 Let's go with our correspondent in Gaza, Noor Harassin.

16:46 Day 147 here in the coastal enclave.

16:50 And while things supposed to get better,

16:53 however, the situation here on the ground

16:55 is just getting worse.

16:57 Talking about the highlights of the latest Israeli attacks

17:00 on Gaza, more than 100 people were killed

17:04 in an Israeli attack on a group of Palestinians

17:08 that were waiting for humanitarian aid

17:11 at the Arashid Street.

17:12 This action by Israel actually triggered

17:15 the international community condemnation.

17:19 There were protests all over the world,

17:22 social media campaigns.

17:25 Everyone is trying to show their support to the Palestinian

17:29 people throughout condemning this act by Israel.

17:34 It is not only an attack on Gaza,

17:37 but it is an attack where a big number of Palestinians

17:42 were killed while waiting for food for humanitarian aid.

17:47 And talking also about the latest numbers

17:50 coming from the Palestinian Health Ministry,

17:52 more than 30,000 people were reported killed here in Gaza

17:57 since the 7th of October.

17:59 At the same time, on the ground, the Israeli tanks

18:03 continue shelling and shooting towards the eastern side

18:07 of Al-Barejd refugee camp, the Rafah, and also Khan Younis.

18:12 Noor Harassin, Telesur, Gaza.

18:16 In Israel, hundreds of activists demonstrated in Tel Aviv

18:18 to demand a permanent ceasefire and an end to the genocide

18:21 against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.

18:24 The demonstration took place outside the Tel Aviv Cinematheque,

18:28 where some 300 people showed up with placards displaying

18:31 messages calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza.

18:34 During the event, Jewish and Arab-Israeli demonstrators,

18:38 as well as authorities from charitable organizations

18:40 and relatives of the Gaza victims,

18:42 gave several speeches that were preceded by a minute of silence

18:45 in honor of all those killed by the Israeli occupation army.

18:49 The call entitled "Only Peace Will Bring Security"

18:52 was signed by 19 leftist organizations.

18:55 The government of Nicaragua denounced the German state

19:02 before the International Court of Justice for violating

19:04 the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment

19:07 of the Crime of Genocide by sending military equipment to Israel.

19:10 The text reads, "The government of reconciliation and national unity

19:14 informs the people of Nicaragua and the international community

19:17 that it filed a lawsuit before the International Court of Justice

19:20 against the Federal Republic of Germany for violations of the Convention

19:24 on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,

19:27 the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols,

19:31 the Inalienable Principles of International Humanitarian Law

19:35 and the Imperative Norms of International Law."

19:38 The text continues, "Germany has provided political,

19:41 financial and military support to Israel,

19:44 knowing at the time of the authorization that the military equipment

19:47 would be used to commit serious violations of international law.

19:51 The German government has also cut off assistance

19:53 to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees

19:58 in the Near East, which is the main agency responsible

20:01 for delivering aid to the occupied Palestinian territories."

20:04 The statement reads, "In view of this situation,

20:07 on February 2, 2024, Nicaragua sent a verbal letter to Germany

20:12 urging its government to immediately stop the supply of arms,

20:16 ammunition, technology and/or components to Israel

20:20 and reminded it of its obligations under international law.

20:23 Nicaragua also condemns Germany's decision to suspend funding to UNRWA."

20:27 And it concludes the statement, "Nicaragua takes this decision

20:31 in accordance with its obligation under international law

20:35 to guarantee respect for this fundamental international text

20:39 and customary international law.

20:41 The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity reaffirms its commitment

20:45 to the international rule of law and the peaceful settlement

20:48 of disputes between states."

20:49 Managua, March 1, 2024.

20:52 Like this, we have come to the end of this news brief.

21:00 You can find these and many other stories on our website at www.eleswinglish.net.

21:04 Also join us on our social media on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and TikTok.

21:09 For TELESWINGLISH, I'm Luis Alberto Matos.

21:12 Thank you for watching.

21:13 (upbeat music)

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