19/04/2025
FTS 12.30
*United States’ President Trump to fire Jerome Powell as Head of Federal Reserve.
*Colombia in Yellow Fever health emergency.
teleSUR
These and many more stories now!
FTS 12.30
*United States’ President Trump to fire Jerome Powell as Head of Federal Reserve.
*Colombia in Yellow Fever health emergency.
teleSUR
These and many more stories now!
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary Easter pause in hostilities with
00:15Ukraine from Saturday and last until midnight on April 21st.
00:24U.S. President Donald Trump is considering removing the head of the Federal Reserve,
00:29Jerome Powell, for his criticisms on the tariffs imposed by Washington.
00:38And the President of Colombia, Gustavo Pedro, declared a sanitary emergency due to yellow fever
00:43and activated an integral national plan for massive vaccination.
00:53Hello and welcome to From the South. My name is Belen de los Santos. I'm from the tercer
00:57studios in Havana, Cuba. We begin with the news.
01:09We begin with some breaking information as the Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced
01:15a temporary Easter pause in hostilities with Ukraine, which is set to begin at 6 p.m. Moscow time
01:21on Saturday and then last until midnight on April 21st. The announcement came during the Russian
01:27President's meeting with Chief of the General Staff, Beledi Verasimov, in Moscow. In the sense,
01:34Putin expressed hope that Kiev would demonstrate goodwill and adhere to the ceasefire, although he
01:39highlighted that troops would be ready to respond to any provocations or aggressive behaviors.
01:46Finally, Putin stated that Ukraine's reaction to the ceasefire would be a clear indicator of whether
01:52Kiev is sincerely willing to engage in negotiations to end the conflict. Shortly after the President's
01:58statement, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the ceasefire, calling on Kiev to reciprocate.
02:05the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the ceasefire, calling on Kiev.
02:10Guided by humanitarian considerations, today from 1800 hours to midnight, Sunday to Monday,
02:17the Russian side declares an Easter ceasefire. I order all hostilities to cease during this period.
02:27We proceed from the assumption that the Ukrainian side will follow our example.
02:31We continue with other topics. Israel continues its suicidal campaign against the Palestinian population
02:54in the Gaza Strip. At least 30 people were killed early on Saturday morning by Israeli shelling. Several
03:01wounded Gazan children were taken to the Nassau hospital in Han Yunus following an Israeli attack on Amawasi area,
03:09established as a humanitarian zone, allegedly, by Israel there. At least nine people were killed,
03:16including three children, while dozens were injured after shelling hit their tents. On the other hand,
03:23in northern Beylaya, Israeli forces attacked a group of citizens, killing four of them.
03:30Palestinian health authorities report that Israel has killed 51,157 people, wounded over 116,000, while
03:41thousands of others remain under the rubble since the start of the genocidal campaign on October 7th of 2023.
03:49And meanwhile, in Lebanon, the Secretary General of the Islamic resistance movement, Hezbollah Naim Qasem stated
04:01that the resistance would not accept the calls for disarmament by the Israeli occupation. During a speech broadcast,
04:07he announced that the Israeli army continues its attacks despite the ceasefire agreement. According to Qasem's statements,
04:15the Israeli regime's talks of disarming the Lebanese resistance comes in the context of plans to occupy
04:22most of the Lebanese territory as part of the Sionist expansionist project and also aim at weakening
04:29Lebanon. The leader also highlighted that the resistance in the territory has made great achievements in
04:35the last 40 years, assuring that thanks to it, the Israeli occupiers were expelled from Lebanon in the year 2000.
04:45We will not allow anyone to disarm Hezbollah or disarm the resistance because Hezbollah is one
04:56resistance. The idea of disarmament is out of the dictionary. Does anyone expect a strategic defense
05:05dialogue while warplanes are flying over our heads? The occupation is in the south and the US is applying
05:13pressure so that the discussion takes place under coercion and according to imposed dictates? This is
05:19considered not a dialogue. This is considered... And the death toll from recent US airstrikes on the
05:26port of Ras Isa in western Yemen has risen to 80 with 150 wounded. According to the public health office in
05:34Hodeidah Governorate, these are preliminary figures and are expected to rise as search and rescue efforts
05:41continue. This new offensive has become the most lethal since the United States began its operations
05:46against Yemen under Donald Trump's administration. The United States Central Command, CENTCOM,
05:52justified the operation as an attempt to cut off illegal revenues which, according to Washington,
05:58financed for the actions in the region. However, Yemeni authorities denounced that the real objective
06:04is to weaken their resistance.
06:10And in other topics, Iran and the United States will resume indirect nuclear talks in Rome mediated
06:17by Oman's foreign minister. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Bakay announced that the second
06:25round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States is about to begin. The upcoming
06:30meetings follows an earlier round of indirect engagement in Muscat Oman which marked the highest
06:37level talks between the two countries since the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive
06:43Plan of Action. This plan, designed to manage Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief,
06:50has remained a point of contention since Washington's unilateral exit in the year 2018.
06:56Now, we have a short break coming up. But first, remember, you can join us on TikTok at
07:03Tell us for English where you will find news in different formats, news updates and much more.
07:07We'll be right back. Stay with us.
07:18Welcome back from the south. We continue with more information. U.S. President Donald Trump is
07:22considering to remove the head of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, for his criticisms of the
07:28tariffs imposed by Washington. Jerome Powell opted not to lower interest rates and warned that it is
07:34highly likely that the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump will increase inflation and slow down
07:40the country's economic growth. On April 2nd, the U.S. head of state announced the imposition of tariffs on
07:47almost all imported products, creating a global trade war. In view of the negative impact on the
07:53international economy, Trump ordered a 90-day pause for imports from countries that have entered into
07:59trade negotiations with the White House.
08:02And in addition to being arrested and present and subsequently deported, undocumented immigrants
08:12in the United States will now have to pay high fines for each day that they remain in the country
08:18illegally. Our correspondent Henry Camelo with more details.
08:21With a hefty fine of $998 a day, President Trump's government is planning to punish undocumented
08:31immigrants with deportation orders who do not leave the country.
08:36I don't think it's fair what Trump is doing in these circumstances. That would be like an abuse,
08:40and it would also be like a violation of human rights.
08:48A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security said they must use the CBP home application
08:54to self-deport or they will face consequences, including a $998 fine for each day they exceed
09:02their deportation order. The measure derives from an old law and warns that if they do not pay,
09:08their property will be confiscated.
09:19This represents a fine, almost a daily tax that is being imposed on these people without an act of
09:27Congress authorizing it. And although the chances are great that the courts will approve these measures
09:33there is always the possibility of being able to challenge these measures imposed by the Trump
09:40administration based on the fact that this does not arise from an act of Congress. But we are facing a
09:48situation of a pitched war of the United States by President Trump towards everything that is.
09:55foreign. Among the agencies that could handle the fines and seizure of goods would be the customs and
10:10border protection offices, but they would need more staff and the penalties could be challenged.
10:16I think there should be a reform for everything that is happening, an immigration reform instead of
10:27doing all these things of charging immigrants. They are people that if they are given help,
10:31they are going to be a contribution to our country.
10:33A country that for constitutionalists is moving further away from democracy every day.
10:43President Trump is neither a conservative, nor a Republican, nor a defender of liberties,
10:51and is using the immigration issue to agglomerate power in the presidency.
10:56According to the White House, these fines of $998 a day will be retroactive for up to five years and
11:07will affect more than 1,400,000 immigrants with pending deportation orders.
11:21Meanwhile, China's foreign ministry warned on Friday that it will take countermeasures
11:26measures against the U.S. if the White House imposes tariffs on ships manufactured in the Asian
11:32nation. The Trump administration reported that rates would start at $50 per ton net in mid-October.
11:40However, Chinese exports to the U.S. are currently subject to a cumulative tariff of up to 245%.
11:48Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Yang indicated that the implementation of these tariffs would harm the
11:53U.S. as it would affect the stability of industrial and supply chains. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce
11:59also urged the United States to respect the principles of market economy and to stop blaming
12:05others and correct its mistakes as soon as possible.
12:12In Canada, only ten days before the elections, polling stations have started to operate throughout
12:16the country, receiving citizens who wish to vote in advance. Canadians are able to vote early,
12:21from April 18th to 21st, at their assigned polling stations to elect members of the House of Commons
12:28for the 45th session of the National Assembly. All Canadians over the age of 18 can also vote
12:35by mail until April 22nd. According to polls and recent debates between the main candidates,
12:41the leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, remains the favorite so far.
12:47Carney maintains his speech to defend Canada against the tariffs imposed by the President of the United
12:53States, Donald Trump.
12:58We move now to other topics. In Ecuador, the state-owned company PetroEcuador confirmed that a pipeline
13:05rupture caused a new oil spill on a highway in the Amazonian province of Orellana. Authorities confirmed the
13:12incident hours after it began due to the citizens posting several videos showing how the crude oil
13:18was spreading across the road and nearby areas. PetroEcuador stated that the pipeline damage occurred
13:24due to the impact of a low-boid-type vehicle that was traveling through the area. Currently,
13:30PetroEcuador and the Ministry of the Environment are assessing the magnitude of the oil spill and its
13:36potential consequences. On March 13, another rupture occurred near the municipality of Quininde that
13:43left 150,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance.
13:52We have a second short break coming up now, but before we invite you to visit our Facebook page,
13:56at Sales for English, there you'll be able to watch our top stories, special live coverages,
14:01and much more. Follow our page and activate the notification button to stay up to date on the
14:06world's most recent events. Final short break, don't go away.
14:19Welcome back to From the South. We go now to Colombia, as President Gustavo Petro declared a
14:24sanitary emergency due to yellow fever and activated an integral national plan for massive vaccination.
14:31Petro explained that in two months, the entire Colombian population must be vaccinated and insisted
14:36that health and education personnel, as well as soldiers, must be prioritized. At least 20 people
14:43have lost their lives since the beginning of the year due to an increase in yellow fever cases,
14:48which has led the government to declare this emergency. The spread of the disease is related to
14:54climatic conditions, since high temperatures allow mosquitoes to ascend the mountains and reach the cities.
15:01And in Ecuador, the president of the Citizens Revolution Movement, Luisa Gonzalez, reiterated her
15:10denunciation of electoral fraud after the second round of elections in the country. The statement
15:16comes after a report of the observers of the Organization of American States, which points out
15:22identified inconveniences, for example, that the ink used to mark the ballots was transferred between
15:29the political options. And this generated confusion in the interpretation of the vote, and in some cases
15:35derived in their annulment. Luisa Gonzalez declared that the Citizens Revolution will present evidence of the
15:42manipulation of the voting records. From Ecuador and other parts of the world, experts have pointed out that the elections were held
15:49without minimum democratic conditions and guarantees.
15:57And the United Kingdom plundered the Malvinas Islands in Argentina with illegal oil extraction amidst the
16:04silence of President Javier Milley. The Israeli company Navidas Petroleum is leading this offensive
16:10initiative on the Malvinas hydrocarbons with a 65% majority shareholding in the project, together with the British
16:17company Rockhopper with 35%. According to recent reports, the mega project to be developed in the South Atlantic waters
16:26foresees the extraction of 300 million barrels of oil in 30 years. The development of this oil field brings not only economic and
16:36political implications, but also environmental ones as shareholders continue to exploit natural resources, which belong to Argentina, a country that
16:45continues to demand their sovereignty over this asurbed territory.
16:49And in Cuba, the city of Santiago de Cuba prepares to host a new edition of the Caribbean Festival, also known as the Fire Party, from July 3rd to the 9th this year. This event, considered one of the most important in Cuba's cultural calendar, brings together representatives of Caribbean popular
17:19cultures in a celebration of traditions, art and regional thought. This year's edition will be dedicated to Curaçao and will feature activities such as the International Colloquium, the Caribbean that unites us, where participants will discuss the history, identity and culture of Caribbean peoples.
17:39Among the festival's most notable events are the Serpent Parade, the Cimarron Tribute in El Cobre, and the Burning of the Devil, a closing ceremony symbolizing
17:49spiritual renewal.
17:54A group integrated by Latin American migrants living in Brazil visited Colombia for the first time, accompanied by the rhythms and cumbia airs, an example of integration. A correspondent, Hernán Tobar, with the details.
18:08They came to Colombia from Sao Paulo, Brazil. With their instruments and folkloric sounds, they retake musical elements of the cumbia, a rhythm that has crossed the entire South American continent.
18:24The essence of Cumbia Calavera is in our sacred heart, the Latin American heart, and the cumbia that was born in Colombia, and that crossed everything and became another story of the cumbia.
18:42And now we are telling another story. We came to Colombia to know the cumbia because there is not a Colombian member in our group yet, but here we are researching. The cumbia created and still brings a message of Latin American integration of peace of being together. It's a very nice rhythm.
19:05Their costumes are inspired by the iconography of the Mexican Day of the Dead and their members represent an amalgam of nationalities, migrants who reside in Sao Paulo from Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Uruguay and Togo, an aspect that nourishes cumbia calavera both culturally and musically.
19:27There is no Brazilian cumbia. The language is another frontier so the fact that we are migrants and that we play wind and percussion instruments with that rhythm helps us to integrate in some way, to be in community because the language as I said is a frontier so the rest of South America speaks Spanish so we communicate in Spanish, no matter if someone has an Uruguayan accent.
19:54Argentinian accent. Argentinian accent, in the end, cumbia brings us together, art brings us together and makes us show our culture.
20:04The group founded in 2016, participated with great success in the carnival of Sao Paulo Street in 2017, which earned them local and international recognition, maintaining their iconographic attire adorned with flowers and skull makeup, and the instrumental contribution that gives their music expressive force, relevance and a capacity of remembrance in the listener.
20:30I think the challenge and the great thing was to be able to play cumbia to understand many places where that cumbia comes from. Because we have Colombian cumbia and also, for example, we mix with Andean rhythms. There are things from Argentine cumbia and things from Brazilian rhythms placed within cumbia. So it's like that a great commonplace that we have.
20:55Their presentations recreate a party atmosphere using circus elements, providing the audience with musical magic and a carnival atmosphere.
21:04And like this, we have come to the end of this news brief. You can find these and many other stories on our website at telestoryenglish.net. And also join us on social media. We are on Facebook X, Instagram, Telegram, and also on TikTok.
21:22And also on TikTok. For Telestory English, my name is Belinda Los Santos. Thank you for watching.