- 6/12/2025
FTS 16:30 12-06:
Colombian Pres. Petro leads rally for peace and democracy
Colombian Pres. Petro leads rally for peace and democracy
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00:00During the great rally for peace and democracy held on Wednesday in Cali, Colombia,
00:15President Gustavo Petro called for dialogue after attacks in the southwest of the country.
00:21An Air India flight carrying at least 242 people crashed shortly after taking off from the city of Ahmedabad,
00:32leaving reportedly one survivor.
00:38And thousands of activists worldwide arrived Thursday in Cairo, Egypt,
00:43in a humanitarian caravan bound for the Gaza Strip to demand the entry of aid to Palestine.
00:51Hello and welcome to From the South.
00:55My name is Belen de los Santos.
00:57I'm from the Telesaurus Studios in Havana, Cuba.
00:59We begin with the news.
01:12We now begin with the information.
01:13During the great rally for peace and democracy held on Wednesday in Cali, Colombia,
01:18President Gustavo Petro called for dialogue after attacks in the southwest of the country.
01:23During the rally, Petro addressed the people to reject the recent violent attacks that took place in Cauca, Valle del Cauca and Cali.
01:31He also denounced that an attempt was made to silence this region with terror and fear,
01:36leaving dozens of people injured and dead, including civilians and members of the security forces.
01:42Likewise, he highlighted the history of social struggles and proposed to recover that memory,
01:48to build a country based on justice, dignified work and participative democracy.
01:54Moreover, the head of state called for national unity, dialogue between opposing parties
01:58and to continue fighting without violence for a more just and peaceful Colombia.
02:03We stay in Colombia as the Minister of Justice Eduardo Montalegre has made a statement regarding the issuance
02:16of Presidential Decree No. 0639 that calls for a popular consultation to reform labor legislation.
02:24The Minister of Justice has identified at least five irregularities in the legislative process
02:29that violate the country's constitution.
02:32The denunciation arises after the vote of the bill in the Senate.
02:36Among the irregularities mentioned are the omission of the reading of the proposition
02:40and discrepancies in the vote count.
02:43Montalegre argued that the Congress of the Republic has openly violated the Colombian Constitution
02:48by issuing an unfavorable concept regarding the popular consultation.
02:53The President of the Republic signed a decree that calls for the popular consultation on August 7th, 2025.
03:11It is a decree that is signed by all the ministers of the office.
03:17The main foundation of the decree of the President of the Republic to summon the popular consultation
03:25by decree is that the Congress of the Republic openly violated the Colombian Constitution
03:34by rendering an unfavorable concept to the popular consultation.
03:41We continue in Colombia as the Clinic Santa Fe Foundation reported on the health condition of Senator Miguel Uribe Turvey.
03:51Through a press release, the health entity informed that the Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation
03:56informs at the request of the family that patient Miguel Uribe Turvey continues to be in intensive care.
04:03The monitoring and the various care measures implemented allows us to report stability with respect to the last clinical condition.
04:12He also remains in critical condition as reported.
04:15All efforts to mitigate the impact of the injuries continue to be made on a minute-by-minute basis.
04:27We now move on to other topics.
04:28Bolivian President Riz Arce affirmed that security forces will continue to clear out roadblocks across the country
04:35and that his government will resort to all its institutional powers to do so.
04:40The head of state regretted the death of three police officers doing clashes with supporters of former President Evo Morales
04:47in the departments of Yayagua and Cochabamba.
04:51Arce assured that he will not allow those who do not want elections and who do not want democracy
04:56for the Bolivian people to win.
04:58He also called for the Colombian people's help against destabilization, anti-patriotism
05:04and those who do not want the country to live in tranquility.
05:14The most recent report by the International Organization for Migration states that the number of people displaced in Haiti
05:21has increased by 24 percent in just six months.
05:25A report released on Thursday confirmed that the criminal group's violence has forced 11 percent of Haitian citizens to flee their homes.
05:34Amy Pope, the organization's director general, reiterated that urgent action cannot be delayed.
05:39She stated that the strength and resilience of the Haitian people can no longer be taken advantage of.
05:45Moreover, the United Nations Children's Fund adds that one in six Haitian children has been displaced due to violence.
05:52The International Organization for Migration points out that shelters are overcrowded
05:57and that it is impossible to meet the most basic needs of all of these people.
06:02And the Bolivarian Alliance for the peoples of our America has appointed Randal Peña as its new executive secretary.
06:15Through an official statement, the bloc informed the appointment seeks to continue with the work undertaken to achieve the 2030 ALBA-TCP strategic agenda
06:24with special emphasis on the Agro-ALBA and ALBA-Soul initiatives and the ALBA-TCP Development Cooperation Agency.
06:33In this regard, the Bolivarian Alliance expressed to be grateful for the work and dedication of Mr. Jorge Arreaza Montserrat
06:40for making solid progress towards the objectives of the strategic agenda,
06:45giving new drive to ALBA-TCP and wishes him success in his duties.
06:49The statement closes by expressing that the member countries congratulate the new executive secretary
06:55who is entrusted with consolidating the proposals and tasks set forth by the heads of state and government
07:03and ministerial authorities and express their full support for his new position.
07:08In this context, the former executive secretary of the bloc, Jorge Arreaza, addressed the decision through his Telegram account
07:19expressing to be grateful to the government of the 10 member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance
07:25for the trust they have placed in us.
07:28We're confident that the new executive secretary, our brother Randal Peña,
07:31will be able to coordinate ALBA's actions to deepen our union
07:36and continue to bring dignity and happiness to our peoples.
07:39United for life, we will prevail.
07:46Now we have a short break coming up, but first, remember you can join us on TikTok at Tell Us Your English
07:50where you will find news in different formats, news updates and much more.
07:55We'll be right back. Stay with us.
08:01Welcome back to From the South.
08:06We continue with more information.
08:08An Air India flight carrying at least 242 passengers and crew members
08:13crashed shortly after taking off from the city of Ahmedabad in the South Asian nation.
08:19Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, was headed to London's Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom
08:28with reportedly 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, 7 Portuguese and 1 Canadian on board.
08:37India's Minister of Civil Aviation informed that rescue teams have been mobilized
08:41while the army deployed 130 personnel, including doctors and paramedics,
08:47to assist civil authorities in clearing debris.
08:50The Ahmedabad police reported one survivor
08:53and unveiled that 240 bodies have been recovered from the site so far.
08:58The tragedy constitutes one of India's worst airline disasters in decades.
09:04The lone survivor from the plane crash has been identified by local media
09:15as 40-year-old British Indian citizen, Bishwash Kumar Ramesh,
09:19who lives in London and was in the Indian town visiting family.
09:24The passenger, who was reportedly lucid and conscious after sustaining impact injuries on his chest,
09:30eyes and feet, still had his boarding pass for the flight.
09:34Doctors at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital examined Ramesh and assessed
09:39he was disoriented but out of danger.
09:42While surge operations continue, 240 bodies have been recovered,
09:46among them those of several medical students,
09:49as the plane crashed on top of a medical college.
09:52Also in this context, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his social media X
10:07to address the accident, expressing that the tragedy in Ahmedabad
10:12has stunned and saddened us all.
10:14It is heartbreaking beyond words.
10:16In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it.
10:20have been in touch with ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.
10:34Meanwhile, while addressing lawmakers in the House of Commons on Thursday,
10:38British Foreign Secretary David Lammy informed that a crisis team
10:42has been set up in both India and the UK following the crash.
10:46Well, Mr Speaker, my thoughts, and I'm sure those of the entire House,
10:54are with those who've been affected by the tragic plane crash in India this morning.
11:01We know that British nationals were on board,
11:05and Mr Speaker, I can confirm that the FCDO is working urgently with local authorities
11:11to support British nationals and their families,
11:14and has stood up a crisis team in both Delhi and in London.
11:23And as international reactions to the crash pour in,
11:26Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel took to his Telegram channel
11:29to address the tragedy, expressing that the Cuban people's full support and solidarity
11:35with the government and the people of India following the tragic plane crash in the city of Ahmedabad.
11:41Our heartfelt condolences go to the families and loved ones of the victims.
11:46For his part, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Hill sent a solidarity message to India
11:58in the aftermath of the sinister.
12:01Hill shared,
12:02On behalf of President Nicolás Maduro,
12:04we extend our deepest condolences to the brotherly people of India
12:07and their government for the tragic plane crash that occurred on June 12,
12:12which has plunged the entire nation into mourning.
12:15The bonds of brotherhood between Venezuela and India call on us to unite in mourning,
12:20to pray for those who have deported,
12:22and to wish for the speedy recovery of the injured.
12:30The Nicaraguan government has also expressed its solidarity with India following Thursday's plane crash.
12:36In this regard, an official statement reads,
12:38We were shocked to learn of the tragedy that took the lives of over 200 people
12:44traveling from India to London.
12:46We convey our fraternal solidarity to all those affected
12:49and ask you to extend it to their communities and friends.
12:53We pray to God for relief from the pain of their absence.
12:57Our thoughts are with everyone affected.
12:59We now move on to other topics.
13:08Arrest numbers continue to rise after six days of demonstrations in the United States
13:14in rejection of President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
13:17A large-scale mobilization at Los Angeles City Hall was dispersed by police
13:23as a citywide curfew came into effect.
13:26According to a senior U.S. military official,
13:28troops deployed in the Californian city can temporarily detain individuals
13:33while law enforcement officers approach them.
13:36The Los Angeles District Authority has stated that it will defend
13:40the First Amendment rights of residents in the face of federal raids
13:43against the immigrant community.
13:52We have a second short break coming up,
13:54but before we invite you to visit our Facebook page at Tell Us Your English,
13:58there you'll be able to watch our top stories,
14:00special life coverages and much more.
14:02Follow the page and activate notifications to stay up to date
14:05on the world's most recent events.
14:07Final short break. Don't go away.
14:13Welcome back to From the South.
14:34Thousands of activists worldwide arrived on Thursday in Kaido, Egypt,
14:38in a humanitarian caravan bound for the Gaza Strip
14:41to demand the entry of aid to Palestine.
14:43Over 3,000 citizens from some 54 countries joined the relief convoy
14:48led by more than 1,500 activists from Tunisia.
14:53Such delegation planned to enter the Rafah border crossing on June 15th.
14:58Concurrently, the caravan of Stadfadnes remained in Libya,
15:02awaiting the approval of the Egyptian government to transit its territory
15:06and continue its passage towards the Gaza Strip.
15:10The caravan hoped to meet the other participants of the global march in Al-Adesh,
15:15some 50 kilometers from the border,
15:17although Kaido's authorities have not yet granted the necessary permits to reach there.
15:22In other news, both the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization
15:33have condemned the anti-Iranian resolution adopted
15:36by the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors.
15:40In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry described the resolution
15:44as the board's new instrumental use for political objectives lacking technical and legal ground.
15:50The statement further emphasized that none of the agency's reports
15:55refer to Iran's non-compliance with its obligations
15:59nor to any deviations in nuclear materials or activities.
16:04Iranian President Masoud Pesekian confirmed
16:06that they would not vow to foreign injustices.
16:11We will continue down our own path, we will have enrichment,
16:20we will build the country with these young people,
16:22and it is not as though if they destroy our facilities with bombs,
16:25everything is gone, all these capabilities are in our minds,
16:28and therefore whatever they do, we will rebuild.
16:30I don't know how we should cooperate with the outside world to make them stop evil acts
16:38and let the people live independently in this country.
16:41And we now move on to other topics.
16:56Russia and Ukraine carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war
17:00amid negotiations in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
17:03The Russian Ministry of Defense informed that a group of Russian prisoners of war
17:08returned this June 12th from captivity in Ukraine.
17:12At the same time, a group of Ukrainian servicemen was handed over to Kiev.
17:17The Russian servicemen are now on the territory of Belarus,
17:21where they are provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance.
17:25Then they will be transferred to Russia to receive rehabilitation in medical facilities.
17:33And thousands of citizens celebrated Russia Day across the Eurasian nation
17:42with parades and festivals.
17:44The date commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty
17:48of the Soviet Federative Socialist Republic of Russia
17:51within the framework of the Soviet Union on June 12, 1990.
17:58This initiated the constitutional reform and paved the way for the creation of the Russian Federation.
18:06On Russian Day, President Vladimir Putin awarded medals and state awards
18:11in the field of science, technology, literature and art.
18:14During that ceremony, President Putin highlighted the challenges
18:18that the country faces to protect truth and justice.
18:22It is important that today, when we celebrate this holiday,
18:33and at the same time, respond to difficult challenges,
18:37protect truth and justice, defend our traditional values,
18:41we think about the future, confidently set large-scale development goals for ourselves,
18:46move forward, and step-by-step reach new heights,
18:49build up the industrial, technological and scientific power of Russia.
18:54And in South Africa, heavy precipitations and snowfalls have led to some 57 fatal casualties
19:16in the past couple of days.
19:18Local outlets reported that the natural disaster mainly hit the Eastern Cape province
19:23with heavy rainfall gusts and snow.
19:27Among the dead were some students who had been swept away by the current
19:31due to their school bus got trapped in a river in Mtata City.
19:36In this context, the Eastern Cape Authority informed emergency crews were searching for the missing,
19:42while hundreds of residents had been evacuated and housed in community centers.
19:48And in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
19:57more than 15,000 people are reported to be without drinking water
20:01due to fighting between rebels and militias in the province of North Kibu.
20:06According to local media, residents of localities such as Meleusa, Catrisa and Kilambo
20:12have not received clean water supplies for several days
20:16because the collection system and distribution network were destroyed
20:20in the fighting between the M23 movement and the Wazalendo militia.
20:25In this context, many families are resorting to untreated water sources,
20:30which can increase the risk of getting infected with several viruses, including cholera.
20:36In South Sudan, Upper Nile State is at risk of famine in two of its counties.
20:49Political observers pointed out that the violence is preventing the arrival of humanitarian aid,
20:55deeply affecting the counties of Nasir and Oulang, putting them at risk of famine,
21:00while 11 other regions are in an emergency situation due to clashes between the army and local militias.
21:07They also emphasize that 57 percent of the country's population suffers from serious food needs.
21:14The World Food Programme, for its part, lamented the devastating impact of the conflict,
21:19assuring that it not only destroys homes and livelihoods,
21:23but also breaks up communities, hinders access to markets,
21:27and causes prices of basic goods to skyrocket.
21:36And like this, we have come to the end of this year's proof.
21:38You can find this and many other stories on our website at tellsofenglish.net.
21:42Also join us on social media.
21:43We are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok as well.
21:47For Tells Your English, my name is Belen de los Santos.