05/12/2023
FTS 14.30
*Syrian army leaves Hama city
*Venezuelan VP visits China to strengthen cooperation
FTS 14.30
*Syrian army leaves Hama city
*Venezuelan VP visits China to strengthen cooperation
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NewsTranscript
00:00French President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation Thursday after taking note of the
00:16resignation of the ousted Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
00:25The Syrian army said that terrorist forces have entered Hama city after intense fighting,
00:30prompting its own units to redeploy outside the strategic city.
00:38The Venezuelan Vice President, Delsi Rodriguez, held a meeting with her Chinese counterpart
00:42Han Seng in Beijing, aimed at reviewing the work route set by President Nicolás Maduro
00:49during his 2023 visit to the Asian nation.
01:01Hello and welcome to From the South.
01:02My name is Belén de los Santos from Telesur Studios in Caracas, Venezuela.
01:07We begin with the news.
01:19I begin with the news, French President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation on Thursday
01:23after taking note of the resignation of ousted Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
01:28This happens a day after a historic no-confidence vote at the National Assembly left France
01:34without a functioning government.
01:36Barnier's removal has come after snap parliamentary elections in June resulted in a hung parliament
01:42with no political force able to form an overall majority and the far-right holding the key
01:48to the government's survival.
01:51Macron is expected to address economic challenges as well as the future course for the government
01:56amid increased pressure for a quick decision and opposition leaders calling for his own
02:02resignation.
02:12Public workers in France are rallying on Thursday to demand better working conditions and salaries
02:17in rejection of the government's reform and job cuts plan for 2025.
02:22The mobilization occurs after the announcement of a plan to fight absenteeism, which fractured
02:28the relationship between the unions and the resigned Minister of the Civil Service, Guilhem
02:34Casparian.
02:35With the demonstrations, the unions are protesting, among other measures, the three-day waiting
02:40period for sick civil servants, the reduction from 100% to 90% of paid sick leave, and the
02:48non-renewal of the payment of a purchasing power support bonus.
02:59And the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced on Thursday at the ministerial meeting
03:03of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the OSCE, taking place in Malta
03:09the silence of international organizations before the actions of Ukraine.
03:14Lavrov also pointed out that the United States and its allies discarded the arms control
03:18treaties signed during the 80s to stop NATO's expansion in their aim to bring the organization
03:25back to the political forefront.
03:27Furthermore, Lavrov warned that the OSCE ministerial council has been pushed to the margins of
03:34political processes by the European Union and NATO member states.
03:39In this regard, the Russian Foreign Minister stressed the council actions are not useful
03:45in the meeting of European interests, mainly in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
03:57Western countries promised not to expand NATO and did exactly the opposite.
04:00They signed documents at OSCE summits that no organization in this region would claim
04:05dominance.
04:06NATO has been doing exactly the opposite all these years.
04:09There are many such examples, including with regard to the Ukrainian crisis.
04:16We do not want to attack anyone at all.
04:19But now the United States has attacked us using the hands of the Ukrainian regime, waging
04:23war against us via the forces of Ukrainian neo-Nazis, arming them, helping them to shell
04:28our territory with long-range weapons and directly participating in the preparation
04:32of such shelling.
04:34This is not our choice.
04:35And President Putin has repeatedly said that we had been left with no other option but
04:39to launch a special military operation.
04:45And in other news, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and North
04:48Korea entered into force on Wednesday after the instruments of ratification of the treaty
04:54were exchanged.
04:55The treaty is a legal framework for implementing a long-range plan of cooperation.
05:00The North Korean Central News Agency stressed that it will help in the establishment of
05:05a multipolar world order free of hegemony.
05:08Moreover, the fourth article of the document states that if one of the countries is attacked,
05:14the other will immediately offer military assistance.
05:17It also provides for the deepening of cooperation in areas such as trade, economy, investment,
05:23science and technology, and the space race, among others.
05:31We go now to South Korea, where the police opened an inquiry into the President Yun Sung-kyo
05:38in response to accusations of alleged treason for declaring the martial law in the country.
05:43The investigation was initiated after two complaints against the President.
05:47One was filed by the minority opposition, Rebuilding Korea Party, while the other was
05:52requested by 59 activists.
05:54The lawsuits charged not only Yun, but also the now former Defense Minister, the Army
06:00Chief of Staff, and the Interior Minister with treason and other offenses for their
06:04role in the declaration and subsequent lifting of the martial law.
06:09Likewise, 191 opposition parliamentarians presented to the National Assembly a motion
06:15to impeach the President, which could be voted on next Saturday.
06:24In this context, after massive protests on Wednesday, a group of former South Korean
06:29Marines rallied Thursday in front of the Presidential Office for demanding the President's dismissal.
06:35These veterans described the fact that the government declared the martial law as unacceptable,
06:40and President Yun Sung-kyo had announced the measure accusing the opposition of sympathizing
06:48with North Korea and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities.
06:53The Yun Suk-yeol regime is over.
07:04The question is whether he will step down in a stable way, or be dragged down by the
07:08blood of the people.
07:12The most important thing now is that the People Power Party join the impeachment reflecting
07:16the will of the people.
07:25This person should voluntarily step down.
07:28The truth cannot be hidden, even if you try to hide it.
07:31The right and honorable way would be for him to step down, but I think he has no desire
07:37to do so and will never step down.
08:07Welcome back to From the South.
08:23The Syrian army said that terrorist forces have entered Hama city after intense fighting,
08:28prompting its own units to redeploy outside this strategic city.
08:33According to army authorities, a redeployment from Hama was done to preserve civilian lives
08:38and prevent urban combat.
08:41This announcement comes after the Syrian army neutralized more than 300 terrorists in Jawal
08:46Sin Al-Bidin, a rural area in the north of Hama, and the joint Syrian-Russian air forces
08:53bombed terrorist concentrations and convoys, causing numerous casualties and destroying
08:59a large part of their equipment and war machinery.
09:24And we continue with Palestine, as the Israeli occupation army committed five massacres against
09:30the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip during the last 24 hours.
09:34Zionist forces attacked the different areas north of the Strip with unmanned vehicles
09:39targeting the Indonesia Hospital in Beirut and a house that served as a shelter for displaced
09:45women near the Kamal At-Wan Hospital, killing seven civilians and wounding several more.
09:51At the same time, the Israeli troops carried out an airstrike in eastern Gaza Strip, raising
09:56the death toll of their ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people to 44,580, while the
10:03number of injured due to the aggression exceeds 105,739 people since October 7th of 2023.
10:18In this context, the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate launched a campaign against gender-based
10:23violence to raise awareness of the aggression towards Palestinian women, especially on media
10:28outlets.
10:29The 16-day campaign is aimed at highlighting women journalists' courage in times of aggression,
10:35in addition to raising awareness and speak out against gender-based violence.
10:39The syndicate has recorded over 25 murders of women journalists, in addition to dozens
10:46who have been injured.
10:47However, hundreds of thousands of women remain steadfast in resilience to the Israeli aggressions
10:53and incursions.
11:02And we move on to other topics.
11:03In Namibia, the first woman to be elected president in the country's history, Natumbo
11:08Nandi Ndwua, of the ruling Swapo party, said on Thursday that she recognizes the significance
11:13of her election for women in the Southern African nation, and vowed to address the plight
11:18of the Namibian people during her government.
11:22Comrades, fellow Namibians, as a woman, I am the first to admit that my election to
11:34hold the highest office in the land is definitely one that is breaking the glass ceiling for
11:48a Namibian woman to lead at this level.
11:54And I repeat, it's not going to be business as usual.
11:59We must have a radical shift in addressing the plight of our people, especially the downtrodden
12:10and the vulnerable communities.
12:13The time is now to address all known gray areas and challenges that we face without
12:23fear or favor.
12:29And also in other news, Senegalese artisans, exhibitions, and hippopotamuses stood out
12:34at the Dakar 2024 Biennial of Contemporary African Arts.
12:38Five artisans participated for the first time in such art events, a space that has become
12:43one of the foremost artistic showcases of Africa.
12:47Some of the outstanding works exhibited include a giant wooden sculpture of a sleeping hippo,
12:52earrings and necklaces with the animal shape, and a bag in the form of this mammal as well,
12:58as well as paintings, tapestries with the same theme.
13:01Other artists, curators, and art lovers from other countries are getting familiar with
13:06these works at the Dakar 2024 Biennial.
13:16And now we have a second show break coming up, but before we invite you to visit our
13:19YouTube channel, Atelier Sir English, there you will be able to re-watch our interviews,
13:24top stories, special broadcastings, and more.
13:26Hit the subscribe button and activate the notification bell to stay up to date on the
13:30world's most recent events.
13:32Final show break, don't go away.
13:49Welcome back here from the South.
13:57Venezuelan Vice President, Delsi Rodriguez, held a meeting with her Chinese counterpart,
14:01Han Sang in Beijing, aimed at reviewing the work route set by President Nicolás Maduro
14:06during his 2023 visit to the Asian nation.
14:10In this regard, Rodriguez assured that since the Venezuelan head of state's visit, bilateral
14:15exchanges among the countries have increased considerably, with energy and financial cooperation
14:20as the central axis from which other strategic sectors are derived.
14:25In addition, the South American Vice President emphasized China and Venezuela's alliance
14:31in the rejection of the hegemonism and unilateralism that threatens the sovereignty of countries,
14:37stating that both nations recognize in the BRICS, a geopolitical bloc that seeks an inclusive
14:42economy accessible to the global South.
14:51And in other news, China introduced new sanctions against 13 U.S. companies and 16 U.S. executives
14:57for supplying and selling arms to Taiwan.
14:59On a statement, the Chinese Ministry of Internal Affairs condemned the U.S. sale of arms to
15:04Taiwan, arguing that the arms deal violates the one-China principle and goes against the
15:10Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity.
15:13On November 30, the U.S. Defense Ministry reportedly approved the sale to Taiwan of
15:18spare parts of F-16 fighter electronic scanning drones and other military equipment, valued
15:26at $385 million.
15:41The Taiwan issue is at the core of China's main interests.
15:44The United States has repeatedly announced emergency sales of weapons to Taiwan, seriously
15:49violating the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, interfering
15:54in China's internal affairs and severely damaging China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
16:00In accordance with the relevant provisions of the anti-foreign sanctions law of the People's
16:03Republic of China, the government has decided to take countermeasures against U.S. military
16:08industrial enterprises and senior executives.
16:15We go now to Argentina, where trade unions and social movements mobilized on Thursday
16:20against the neoliberal policies of President Javier Milley.
16:24Leaders and activists pointed out that the protest is a measure to press Milley's government
16:29to reverse the economic policies that brought about high rates of poverty and indigence.
16:35Social organizations rejected the measures against the most vulnerable sectors and the
16:39state's dismantling that directly affects retirees, migrants, students and women.
16:44The unions further demanded a halt to the layoff policy, the closure of public companies
16:50and the violation of labor rights of the Argentinian people.
16:58Also in this context, retired workers and senior citizens rallied against President
17:03Javier Milley's decision to cut free medicines from the elderly.
17:06The plenary of retired workers summoned seniors to march onto the headquarters of the comprehensive
17:13medical assistance program, the PAMI, across the country.
17:16The measure stipulates that retirees earning over $389,000 argentinian pesos, that is less
17:24than half of a basic food basket, will now not automatically receive up to five free
17:29medicines and also establishes that seniors with higher income will have to pay for their
17:35medicines.
17:36The elderly are among the sectors most affected by Milley's policies, receiving a sharp
17:41cut to their incomes in the first month of the Libertarian government.
18:12It's not fair to go through this at this stage of life. If I had access to free medication,
18:17maybe I could afford something to eat at the end of the year. Instead of spending it on
18:21medication, I could treat myself to a barbecue, which I haven't done in 10 months.
18:29And the head of states of Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia will participate
18:34in the 65th Summit of the Southern Common Market, the MERCOSUR, together with associated
18:39states on Friday in the Uruguayan capital.
18:42The conclave will be held at MERCOSUR's permanent headquarters, and it will be the first time
18:47that Javier Milley, Luis Inácio Lula dos Selvas, Santiago Peña and Luis Lacalle Poe
18:52will participate together in a summit of presidents of the MERCOSUR, as the Argentine far-right
18:58president did not attend the last one.
19:01On the agenda of the meeting is the discussion on the European Union-MERCOSUR agreement,
19:06which is considered to be one of the central issues.
19:15And on Wednesday, Uruguay's electoral court proclaimed Yamandú Orsi of the Broad Front
19:20as president-elect of the South American country, and Carolina Cossé as vice president.
19:25In the act of proclamation, the president of the court, Wilfredo Penco, read the corresponding
19:29act where it was ratified that the formula of Orsi and Cossé was the winner of the ballot
19:35held on November 24th against the binomial of Álvaro Delgado and Valeria Ripoll.
19:40After the proclamation, Orsi recalled the words sent to them by international leaders
19:45on the night of the results in which they were announced.
19:54And Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula dos Selvas signed decrees for the legalization
19:59of three new reserves.
20:01These bring to 13 the number of native people territories recognized by the government since
20:06the beginning of his mandate in 2023.
20:09Numerous experts consider that these territories play an essential role in the fight against
20:14global warming, as a shield against deforestation and fires devastating the Amazon and other
20:20regions of Brazil.
20:21In April of 2023, Lula had already legalized by decree the first six reserves of his mandate,
20:28putting an end to a five-year wait of the native peoples.
20:37And like this, we have come to the end of this news brief.
20:39You can find these and many other stories on our website at telusorenglish.net and also
20:43join us on social media.
20:45We are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram and also on TikTok.
20:49For Telusore English, my name is Belén Díaz Santos, thank you for watching.