02/01/2025
FTS 8.30
*Cuba and Bolivia formalize BRICS membership as Associate Nations
*Ecuadorian families mourn the four murdered children of Guayaquil
FTS 8.30
*Cuba and Bolivia formalize BRICS membership as Associate Nations
*Ecuadorian families mourn the four murdered children of Guayaquil
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NewsTranscript
00:00In Palestine, at least 12 people, including three children, were killed during a shelling
00:14carried out by the Israeli occupation forces in the southern Gaza Strip.
00:21On January 1st, Cuba and Bolivia officially acquired the status of associate countries
00:27to the BRICS group.
00:31And the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil bid farewell on Wednesday to the four minors who were murdered
00:37by the military.
00:39Hello, and welcome to From the South.
00:43My name is Belén de los Santos, I'm from Telesur Studios in Havana, Cuba.
00:47We begin with the news.
01:05We now begin with the news.
01:06In Palestine, at least 12 people, including three children, were killed during a shelling
01:11carried out by the Israeli occupation forces in the southern Gaza Strip.
01:15According to local media, this new attack targeted tens of displaced people located
01:20in the so-called humanitarian zone of Al-Mawassi, leaving also 15 other people injured.
01:27In this sense, the Palestinian authorities sent civil protection teams and medical personnel
01:32to the place to recover the bodies and assist the wounded.
01:35In addition, it was confirmed that the director general of the Palestinian police in the Gaza
01:39Strip, Mahmoud Salah, was killed in the airstrike perpetrated by the Israeli Zionist army.
01:45And the Center for the Protection of Palestinian Journalists once again called on the international
01:59community, especially to the UN, to stop Israeli attacks against journalists in the Gaza Strip.
02:05In a statement, the entity warned that the number of professionals killed in the coastal
02:10enclave since October of 2023 represents three times the number of communicators killed
02:17during the Second World War.
02:19They also warned that the high number of journalists killed in Gaza will have long-term effects
02:24in Palestine.
02:26In this regard, they stress that the world must assume its responsibilities and take
02:30decisive action to stop Israeli violations and ensure respect for human rights in the
02:36occupied territories.
02:48And more on the recent Israeli strike.
02:51At least 11 people, including three children, were killed and 15 were injured in the latest
02:57Israeli strike bombardment in the town of Hamawasi, in the southern Gaza Strip.
03:02As we were saying, civil defense teams and medical personnel were dispatched to the site
03:07of the attack to recover the bodies and treat the wounded.
03:11Palestinian media also denounced that the Director General of the Palestinian Police
03:16in the Strip, Mahmoud Salah, was martyred in this airstrike.
03:21Since October 2023, as we were saying, Israeli has killed over 45,500 Palestinians, most
03:29of them women and children.
03:41And in the midst of the Israeli's judicial actions against the Palestinian people, resistance
03:46is maintained, and not only at a military level, but also through culture.
03:51These are images of local musicians rejecting Talebib's crimes.
04:51And in the United Kingdom, some areas were flooded Wednesday as heavy rains and strong
05:01winds continued to disrupt New Year celebrations.
05:05Several communities in the Manchester area were flooded, with homes evacuated and cars
05:09submerged up to the roofs after nearly a month's worth of rain fell in just two days.
05:16A major incident was declared and mountain rescue teams were called in to help firefighters
05:21deal with flooded homes and stranded vehicles.
05:25In Stockport, rivers were overflowing and local flood chiefs warned that extra measures
05:31may have to be taken.
05:33At one point, more than 150 communities across the United Kingdom were under flood warnings,
05:40most of them in Northern England.
05:42By the end of the day, dozens of those warnings had already been lifted.
05:53We go now to Brazil, as during 2024 there was a 42 percent increase in the number of
05:58forest fires recorded in the Amazon and the highest number since 2007.
06:04According to the National Institute for Space Research, in the last year, 186,463 forest
06:12fires were recorded, while the agency insists that there were indications that the total
06:18area that suffered deforestation could be the lowest in years.
06:23According to reports, deforestation in the region from 2023 to August of 2024 had decreased
06:30by more than 30 percent and was at the lowest in nine years.
06:34At the same time, the director of Amazon Watch, Andrew Miller, pointed out that the fires
06:40and drought experienced in 2024 in the Amazon rainforest could be indicators of an ecological
06:47turning point.
06:57And now we have a short break coming up, but before we invite you to visit our TikTok channel
07:02at Tell Us Your English, there you will be able to re-watch our interviews, top stories
07:06and also news updates.
07:09Stay with us.
07:32Welcome back to From the South.
07:33We continue with the information.
07:35On January 1st, 2025, Cuba and Bolivia officially acquired the status of associate countries
07:41to the BRICS Group.
07:43This expansion was agreed at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, last October, and marks
07:49a significant step towards a multipolar economic and political order.
07:54By 2025, the BRICS will account for more than 35 percent of the world's gross domestic product.
08:01Meanwhile, its influence continues to grow, consolidating itself as an alternative to
08:07the hegemonic system led by Western economies.
08:11The inclusion of new partners in Latin America, such as Cuba and Bolivia, aims to strengthen
08:17the economic and political cooperation of the bloc and promote the integration of the
08:22countries of the Global South in a more equitable international scenario.
08:32We go now to South Korea, as the surge continued early on Thursday for the wreckage of the
08:38Jeju Airplane that crashed and killed 179 people.
08:43All but two of the 181 passengers and crew died when it crashed at the Muan International
08:50Airport in southern South Korea on Sunday.
08:54Reports said that the pilot had been warned by air traffic controllers about possible
08:59bird strikes and the plane had sent a distress signal before the crash.
09:04Families of the victims visited the site for the first time for an emotional memorial service.
09:11The country is observing seven days of national mourning following one of the deadliest disasters
09:16in South Korea aviation history for decades.
09:20We continue in South Korea, as demonstrators gathered in front of the residence of the
09:32ousted President Yun Sung-kyo on Thursday as the former head of state continues to resist
09:38arrest for a third day following his impeachment over a failed martial law declared on December
09:433rd.
09:45This way, Yun's legal team warned that police officers attempting to detain him could be
09:50arrested by his presidential security service or even civilians.
09:54In this context, the ousted president issued a message to his supporters vowing to fight
10:01to the end.
10:02The Seoul's court order of detention issued after he evaded multiple requests to appear
10:08and obstructed an investigation into whether his brief seizure of power on December 3rd
10:15amounted to rebellion.
10:20In China, import tariffs have been lowered to increase domestic demand and stimulate
10:33the economy.
10:34The authorities announced that they will apply provisional import tariffs, which are lower
10:39than most favored nation tariffs on 935 products, as part of an annual tariff adjustment plan.
10:48On the other hand, import tariffs on the same goods will be raised to support the
10:52development of domestic industries.
10:55Economist Tian Yong pointed out that China's large-scale liberalization, as the main ally
11:02of more than 150 countries in the world, opens up new opportunities for developing countries.
11:14We continue with other topics.
11:15Italian authorities continue the search for 20 missing people, including five women and
11:20three children, off the coast of Lampedusa after attempting to cross the Mediterranean
11:25Sea.
11:26The youngest among the survivors is an eight-year-old Syrian boy who lost his mother in the shipwreck
11:32and is now under the temporary custody of the juvenile court of Palermo, while his remaining
11:38relatives are being searched for.
11:41For 2024, UNICEF reported that the number of people killed and missing while attempting
11:47to cross the Mediterranean Sea exceeded the 2,200, with 1,700 lives lost on the Central
11:55Mediterranean route alone.
11:57In this regard, the director of UNICEF's regional office for Europe and Central Asia,
12:01Regina De Dominicis, stressed that hundreds of children were among the victims.
12:16And in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the military court of the Butimbo base sentenced
12:2113 soldiers to death for murder, simple theft and desertion.
12:26During the hearing, another 23 soldiers were convicted of serious crimes.
12:31In addition, four soldiers were sentenced to between one and 10 years, while six others
12:37were acquitted for lack of evidence.
12:39However, according to Captain Miyamungo Munanira, the investigation is still ongoing.
12:45The Democratic Republic of the Congo resumed the death penalty in March of 2024 after a
12:5220-year moratorium where several military personnel were convicted for crimes related
12:57to the confrontation with armed groups affecting the country.
13:08And we now have a second short break coming up, but before we invite you to visit our
13:11YouTube channel, AdSense for English.
13:14There you will be able to re-watch our interviews, top stories, special broadcastings and more.
13:18Hit the subscribe button and activate the notification bell to stay up to date on the
13:22world's most recent events.
13:24Final short break, don't go away.
13:27Welcome back to From the South.
13:46The Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil has said goodbye on Wednesday to the four missing minors
13:52whose death were confirmed on Tuesday.
13:55The children were mourned at their homes from Tuesday to Wednesday.
13:59Judge Daniel Orr granted 10 days for the government, through the Ministry of Defense, to make a
14:05public apology to the families.
14:07As stipulated in the sentence, the state must carry out a public act of recognition of the
14:13events that occurred, which will be broadcasted on national television.
14:18On Tuesday, a judge ordered preventive detention against the 16 active duty members of the
14:24Ecuadorian Air Force who are being prosecuted for these events.
14:37Ecuadorians on Wednesday demanded justice as they buried the four minors murdered during
14:42a military operation in Guayaquil, whose remains were found on Christmas Eve.
14:47The children, identified as brothers Jose and Ismael Arroyo, Saul Arboleda and Steven
14:53Medina, were between 11 and 15 years old.
14:58Authorities have said that they will investigate whether the crime was an extrajudicial execution
15:03or linked to organized crime, as Guayaquil is one of the main cities affected by drug
15:09violence.
15:10The bodies were found near an Air Force facility in Taura, about an hour from Guayaquil.
15:30We go now to Honduras, as President Xiomara Castro warned on Wednesday that she will force
15:35out U.S. military bases if President-elect Donald Trump orders massive deportations of
15:40Hondurans when he takes office on January 20th.
15:52To Honduran people, I would like to say that we hope that the new U.S. administration's
16:00President Donald Trump is open to constructive and friendly dialogue, and does not take unnecessary
16:07reprisals against our migrants, who usually make a great contribution to the U.S. economy.
16:15In the face of a hostile attitude of mass deportation of our people, we will have to
16:20consider changing our policy of cooperation with the United States, especially in the
16:25military field, where for decades they have maintained military bases in our territory
16:32without paying a penny, which in this case will lose all reasons to exist in Honduras.
16:39Meanwhile, in the United States, the number of people dead after a mass shooting in New
16:44Orleans rose to 15 during the course of the day.
16:48The authorities have qualified the event as a terrorist attack.
16:53Some 30 people were injured in the attack, which occurred when the driver of a pickup
16:57truck mowed down dozens of people on downtown Bourbon Street, the tourist heart of the city,
17:04and closed to traffic during New Year's celebration.
17:08After charging into the crowd, the attacker got out of the vehicle and began firing a
17:13gun.
17:14The authorities identified the perpetrator as Shamsuddin Bahar Jarbar, a 42-year-old
17:20U.S. citizen who was shot dead by police.
17:32In this context, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, stated that the alleged
17:36perpetrator of the mass shooting had served in the U.S. Army and was inspired by the Islamic
17:42State.
17:44The FBI has reported to me the killer was an American citizen born in Texas.
17:50He served in the United States Army on active duty for many years.
17:53He also served in the Army Reserve until a few years ago.
17:58The FBI also reported to me that mere hours before the attack, he posted videos on social
18:04media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill, a desire to kill.
18:13The ISIS flag was found in his vehicle, which he rented to conduct this attack.
18:18And in Puerto Rico, a second major blackout was reported over the holidays after power
18:23was restored following an earlier outage.
18:26Many of the country's inhabitants had been affected by this second blackout, which has
18:31left several municipalities in the country without electricity.
18:35The blackout came after the electricity supply was restored following a blackout on December
18:4031st.
18:42Previously, more than a million people on the island had been left without electricity
18:47after one of the country's power stations broke down at the height of the tourist season
18:53and just hours before New Year's Eve celebrations.
19:12And on Wednesday, the renowned Argentinean singer Leodan died at the age of 82.
19:20His career began in the early 1960s and he soon became famous for songs such as Celia
19:26and Fanny.
19:27The singer and songwriter who composed more than 1,500 songs was one of the figures of
19:35the Nueva Ola, a Latin American movement that adopted and brought the rock and roll rhythm
19:41to Latin America from the late 1950s to the 1970s.
19:46During his career, Leodan received a large number of awards, including a Grammy in 2012
19:53for musical excellence.
19:55He also won several gold records, selling more than $40 million over the course of his
20:01career.
20:08And like this, we have come to the end of this news break.
20:10You can find these and many other stories on our website at TELUSforEnglish.net.
20:13And also join us on social media.
20:15We are on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and also on TikTok.
20:19For TELUSforEnglish, my name is Belén de los Santos.