FTS 8:30 20-03: Pres. Maduro supports rallies to demand release of Venezuelan migrants

teleSUR English

20/03/2025 FTS 8.30  *Ecuador: communities affected by oil spill denounce govt. inactivity *Israel launches new genocidal operation in Gaza

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00:00The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, supported the demonstrations carried out by

00:13the Venezuelan people to demand the release of more than 200 nationals kidnapped by the

00:18United States government in El Salvador.

00:23In Ecuador, affected communities denounced government inactivity and lack of transparency

00:29in response to a shortage of drinking water due to a recent oil spill.

00:37And the genocidal forces of Israel carried out a ground offensive in Gaza, leaving more

00:42than 500 dead and 80% of health centers out of operation.

00:51Hello and welcome to From the South, I'm Alejandra Garcia from Telesur Studios in Havana, Cuba.

00:56We begin with the news.

01:10The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, supported the demonstrations carried out by

01:14the Venezuelan people to demand the release of more than 200 nationals kidnapped by the

01:19United States government in El Salvador.

01:22During the 48th edition of the National Fair of Cebu and its crosses, President Nicolás

01:28Maduro reiterated his condemnation of the kidnapping of 238 Venezuelan migrants in the

01:35concentration camp of El Salvador, the main center of the repressive prison system of

01:40the Nayib Bukele regime.

01:42Likewise, the Venezuelan President highlighted the unity of the Venezuelan people during

01:47the collection of signatures carried out in every Bolivar square of the country by

01:53the Venezuelan people in solidarity with the illegally detained young Venezuelan nationals.

01:59In this sense, the Venezuelan head of state highlighted the work of the Bolivarian government

02:03together with human rights organizations to achieve the release of the Venezuelan nationals

02:08and their safe and dignified return to the country.

02:17This Wednesday night, the plenary of the National Electoral Council of Ecuador approved

02:22the modification of the calendar for the second round of the 2025 general elections and established

02:29the spending caps.

02:30The electoral campaign will be extended from Sunday, March 23rd to April 10th.

02:36As will be recalled, it was initially set to begin one day later, that is to say on

02:42March 24th.

02:44According to the plenary of the highest electoral body, the purpose of the modification is to

02:49give the voter more time to know the proposals of the candidates.

02:53Likewise, the board of directors of the council fixed in $2,197,810.24 the limit of electoral

03:04expenses for both candidates.

03:23In Ecuador, affected communities denounced government inactivity and lack of transparency

03:28in response to shortage of drinking water due to recent oil spill.

03:33The incident caused by a landslide that damaged the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline has caused an

03:38unprecedented environmental emergency.

03:40The situation has worsened due to the lack of access to drinking water for more than

03:45500,000 people.

03:47Although measures have been implemented to distribute water through water tankers and

03:52Ecuadorian Navy ships, local authorities and indigenous communities have denounced inactions

03:57on lack of transparency on the part of the government.

04:01The affected communities are demanding a more effective and transparent response on

04:06the impact of the spill on public health and biodiversity, as well as an efficient contingency

04:12plan to clean up the oil and restore access to drinking water.

04:20In Mexico, the Megapolis Environmental Commission suspended on Wednesday the atmospheric contingency

04:27in the metropolitan area of the Mexico Valley after a decrease in ozone concentrations.

04:32According to a press release from the entity, most recent information from the Air Quality

04:37Monitoring System forecasts that a high-pressure system over the Mexico Valley bussing move

04:44away from the area.

04:46This will lead to a forecast of more ventilation, with a medium cloudy to cloudy sky for most

04:51of the day, and a decrease in the ambient temperature.

04:55Moreover, the Commission plans and executes actions for environmental protection, preservation

05:01and restoration of the ecological balance in the region of the Mexico Valley.

05:12In Brazil, ten months after the worst floods in its history, the state of Rio Grande do

05:17Sul is trying to recover normality.

05:19However, new extreme weather events and the lack of response from local authorities are

05:24raising alarms among the population.

05:27Our correspondent Ignacio Lemus tells us more.

05:32Porto Alegre bears the scars of the biggest flood in its history, but everything indicates

05:37that the heavy rains that Rio Grande do Sul suffered ten months ago will not be the last

05:41extreme weather event.

05:43The state's climatic reality is one of contrasts.

05:46A week ago, the heat was record-breaking, reaching 40 degrees Celsius.

05:53It is not normal how hot it was last week.

05:55It was horrible.

06:01Porto Alegre is usually hot and humid in summer, but the relative humidity in the air is currently

06:06around 30 to 20 percent.

06:08This is due to a meteorological phenomenon characterized by the elevation of the water

06:12temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which generates dry periods in the south of

06:16Brazil and rainy periods in the southeast and northeast.

06:20If you were working in that heat, a lot of people felt sick.

06:24They had high blood pressure, they fainted.

06:31The most vulnerable were the most impacted by the floods.

06:35Recycling cooperatives, which are essential to prevent waste from clogging drainage systems,

06:39have yet to receive support from local governments to recover the pressing machines that were

06:43damaged by the floods.

06:49We have to rebuild the floor.

06:51The presses, they got wet.

06:52It's still difficult.

06:53It's just the beginning.

06:57In the last month, a severe drought affected 210 of the 497 municipalities in the state

07:04of Rio Grande do Sul.

07:06The losses between 2020 and 2024 amount to about $54 billion.

07:11However, agribusiness, the sector responsible for the highest greenhouse gas emissions,

07:16does not take measures to diversify crops and reforestation to prevent climate change.

07:26That investment in the agenda to protect biodiversity, combat desertification and confront climate

07:31change is an action to protect the environment.

07:35But for those who are not moved by protecting Mother Nature, you can be sure that they will

07:39be moved by what will come out of their pockets every year.

07:47The price of real estate fell exponentially in the regions that were flooded and the increase

07:52in rents is putting pressure on the population of popular neighborhoods previously considered

07:56dangerous due to real estate speculation.

07:59The number of homeless people grew by almost 15 percent in the months following the floods.

08:07There are areas that were not directly affected by the rains, but were affected by the increase

08:11in population in those neighborhoods, as if the periphery was inflated.

08:17Fourteen solidarity kitchens of the Landless Movement deliver tons of food daily to the

08:23vulnerable population of Porto Alegre.

08:26The humanitarian actions continued in partnership with federal government programs after the floods.

08:34Since then, we have not stopped helping and we started to discover more and more people

08:38who needed our help.

08:41The sediments of the floods in the rivers that reach the large cities of Rio Grande

08:45do solely hinder drainage to the sea in the event of new torrential rains, a bad omen

08:50for a population that has not yet erased from its memory what happened in May 2024 and is

08:55already experiencing new extreme weather events.

09:03And now we have a short break coming up, but first remember you can join us on TikTok,

09:07at Telesur English, where you'll find news in different formats, news updates and more.

09:11We'll be right back, stay with us!

09:31Welcome back to From the South.

09:34Welcome back to From the South.

09:36Mexico's Attorney General reported on Wednesday irregularities in an investigation by state

09:41authorities into an alleged cartel killing site and training camp at a ranch in the state

09:46of Jalisco.

09:47Six months after the ranch in Tuscitlan, Guadalajara, was found by authorities.

09:54A so-called search collective found shared bone fragments and personal items, raising

10:00questions about the original investigation by the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office.

10:04Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero said that investigators in Jalisco failed to register

10:11evidence and fingerprints and process vehicles found at the ranch, three of which were later

10:17stolen.

10:18He also stated that federal prosecutors were also not alerted about the site, as is standard

10:24procedure and cast blame on the State Prosecutor's Office despite the National Guard carrying

10:30out an operation last year at the site.

10:39There is still no conclusive report in that sense.

10:43They did find remains, this is very important.

10:48They did find a series of bone remains, small pieces of bones.

10:54The report sent to us by the Prosecutor's Office does not guarantee the credibility

11:02and the specific characteristics of such bone remains.

11:10During her official visit to Mexico, Laura Sarabia, Foreign Affairs Minister of Colombia

11:15met with the head of the Ministry of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard.

11:18The main point of the agenda has been the strengthening of trade and customs cooperation

11:24between both nations.

11:26Likewise, the officials agreed to work on projects that promote agriculture and transportation.

11:32In order to consolidate this reinforcement of bilateral cooperation, they also agreed

11:37to establish a technical team to simplify customs and physical sanitary procedures.

11:44The head of the Colombian Diplomacy also proposed, within the framework of this visit,

11:50to expand the meeting of foreign ministers within the framework of the Community of Latin

11:55American and Caribbean States to strengthen regional markets.

12:03Nicaragua advances in the modernization of its port infrastructure with strategic investments

12:09that will strengthen the operational capacity of one of its main ports.

12:13Our colleague Kenny Adona with the details.

12:23In an effort to strengthen the technical and operational capabilities of Port Corinto,

12:2740 Port Equipment acquired this important investment as part of the project to modernize

12:33and improve port infrastructure, with the objective of boosting Nicaragua's logistical

12:37and commercial growth.

12:44We are strengthening the capacities of our port, the Port of Corinto, and we are thus

12:52linking ourselves more with those companies that come to work in Nicaragua.

12:56And once they are here in Nicaragua, they will help us to promote more projects and

13:00more investments, which will also benefit our people.

13:03And so here we are fulfilling our people in our main task, which is the fight against poverty.

13:14The Government of Nicaragua continues to develop high-impact works at Port Corinto to optimize

13:22services to national and international companies, guaranteeing greater efficiency and safety

13:28in operations.

13:32All of this will result in a significant advance in service and efficiency so that port operations

13:39can gradually improve and advance along the path we have to follow to turn the Port of

13:43Corinto into an important port in the Central American region.

13:54It is worth mentioning that the Port Corinto moves more than 80% of the country's export

13:59and import products, establishing itself as a key axis for national and international trade.

14:09We are approximately handling almost 4 million tons a year.

14:134 million tons are arriving in different types of ships.

14:21Last year we handled 487 ships and obviously that gives us about 200,000 20-foot containers

14:27handled in the year.

14:29Corinto moves more than 80% of the export and import product.

14:39These actions by the Government of Nicaragua reflect its commitment to sustainable development

14:45and regional integration, positioning the country as a logistical reference in Central America.

14:55Costa Rica is facing a significant increase in cases of respiratory viruses, which has

15:00generated a health alert in the country.

15:04The situation has been particularly noticeable in recent weeks with an increase in demand

15:09for medical services related to respiratory symptoms.

15:13Health authorities are working to strengthen epidemiological surveillance and ensure that

15:18health centres are prepared to deal with the increasing cases.

15:22In addition, vaccination campaigns are being implemented and recommendations are being

15:27distributed to the population on how to protect themselves against these viruses.

15:32The community has been urged to follow public health recommendations, such as the use of

15:37masks in enclosed areas and frequent hand washing to help control the situation.

15:48And we have a second short break coming up.

15:50But before we invite you to visit our Facebook page at TeleCity English, there you'll be

15:55able to watch our top stories, special live coverage and much more.

15:59Follow our page and activate the notification button to stay up to date on the world's

16:04most recent events.

16:05Fun and short break.

16:07Welcome back to From the South.

16:29Amid great controversy, 64,000 files related to the assassination of US President John

16:36F. Kennedy were released in 24 hours.

16:39The US government released to the public more than 1,000 documents related to the controversial

16:44assassination of former President John F. Kennedy following a presidential order from

16:49Donald Trump issued on March 17th.

16:52Through photographs, reports and manuscripts, the new files support the official version

16:57of the crime, pointing once again to Lee Harvey Oswald as the possible one responsible.

17:03The release of the documents became a reality after Justice Department lawyers spent hours

17:08reviewing the documents, seeking to ensure that their release would not violate US law.

17:14Trump said the documents would be released uncensored, although early reviews indicate

17:19that there is information that has been reading up.

17:33The General Said that forces of Israel carried out a ground offensive in Gaza, leaving more

17:47than 500 dead and 80% of health centers out of operation.

17:52Israel launched a ground offensive in central and southern Gaza Strip after breaking ceasefire.

17:58The offensive follows the bombardment of Gaza by Israeli aircraft this week and under

18:03the justification of increasing the security zone.

18:06The attacks have left more than 500 dead and hundreds of wounded, while health centers

18:12have also been affected.

18:14In this context, Israel has assured that this is only the beginning and the operation will

18:19be doubled in strength in the coming hours.

18:22During the early hours of Thursday morning, the Israeli Defense Forces claimed to have

18:33intercepted a Yemeni projectile before it reached its targets.

18:37They also confirmed that sirens were activated in several areas of the country.

18:43This is the second Yemeni missile to be registered since the unilateral breaking by Israel of

18:48the ceasefire agreement reached in Qatar.

18:51Yemen warned the genocidal occupier that should it resume its crimes against the Palestinian

18:56people, it would resume its attacks against the occupation.

19:13Venezuela celebrated on March 19 the National Day of the Craftsman and Craftswoman with

19:19a festival of knowledge and makes.

19:21The event, held in Plaza Bolívar in Caracas, includes live demonstrations of various artists

19:27and disciplines, such as carving, weaving and ceramics, as well as an intimate concert

19:33with singers and writers such as Marta Daudier and Luisa Díaz.

19:37The celebration, made official by President Nicolás Maduro through a decree in the official

19:42Gazette, seeks to honor the work of craftsmen and craftswomen as an essential part of the

19:49country's cultural identity.

19:51The Ministry of Culture, through the Art Network Foundation, organized a special program during

19:56the whole month of March, where activities will be carried out in several Bolívar squares

20:01of the country, including offerings to the liberator Simón Bolívar and recognitions

20:07to outstanding artisans.

20:13In the United Kingdom, the Screen Cuba Festival celebrates its second edition, an event that

20:18allows to rediscover Cuban filmmaking and culture.

20:22The festival, which runs from March 16 to 29, offers films ranging from classics of

20:28Cuban cinema to more current films and includes parallel activities such as talks at universities

20:35and dialogues with British specialists.

20:37The festival's special guests include the Vice President of the Cuban Institute of Film

20:42and Art Industry, Gladys González Martínez, and the specialist in Cuban film, Silvia Padrón-Durán.

20:49This event, organized by the Cuba Solidarity Campaign and the Cuban Fund for Music, seeks

20:55to raise funds for the restoration and preservation of Cuban cinematographic heritage.

21:05And like this we have come to the end of this news brief, but you can find this and many

21:09other stories on our website at telecineenglish.net and join us on social media.

21:14We are on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and TikTok as well.

21:18For Telecine English, I'm Alejandra García.

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