*Argentina: Pres. Announces agreement with IMF
*Unicef denounced over 10,000 cases of sexual violence in DRC
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*Unicef denounced over 10,000 cases of sexual violence in DRC
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NewsTranscript
00:00Ecuador decrees state of emergency in six provinces, including Quito, hours before elections due to increase in violence.
00:19This Friday night, Argentine President Javier Mele announced a 23rd agreement with the International Monetary Fund, but avoided mentioning the devaluation of the dollar.
00:32UNICEF denounced that children represent 45% of the almost 10,000 cases of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in January and February alone.
00:47Hello, welcome to From the South. I'm Luis Alberto Matos from Aderesu Studios in Caracas, Venezuela. We begin with the news. Stay with us.
01:03And just hours away from the runoff presidential election in Ecuador, the government announced a state of exemption for the city of Quito and seven other provinces due to increased violence.
01:28The measure went into effect on Saturday and will continue for at least 60 days in provinces like Guayas, Los Rios, Manavi and El Oro.
01:37In recent months, Ecuador has witnessed over 1,200 violent homicides linked to armed groups that seek to control drug trafficking routes and racketeering.
01:48On Sunday, Daniel Dobroa and Luisa Gonzalez will face off in a bid for the presidency of the country.
01:55And in this contest, we are going live to Ecuador with our special envoy, Jorge Gestoso, to have all the details as Ecuador gears up for this presidential runoff.
02:16Hello, Jorge. Welcome to From the South. What can you tell us from Ecuador?
02:23We are about less than 20 hours away from the beginning of the runoff.
02:28And the president, Daniel Novoa has agreed the state of exception in seven provinces out of the 24 of this country.
02:38That means that that gives the armed forces authority to be running on the streets.
02:45There is also involved a curfew starting at 10 p.m.
02:50On the other hand, last day, yesterday, President Novoa has agreed to remove the security guards of the candidate,
03:03her rival, Luisa Gonzalez, and replace for another team of the armed forces,
03:09which is something that has been observed as a real mean decision because the only interpretation that it had even from the presidential candidate,
03:22Luisa Gonzalez, is trying to destabilize her point of view and her family and herself,
03:31meaning that she is not secure because she has received many, many, many death threats.
03:39And on the other hand, now the big question mark is what is going to happen with the undecided,
03:46with the vote that has been voted in blank in the first round.
03:51Different areas says different results.
03:55And according to the National Electoral Council, around 9 p.m. is expected,
04:02emphasis in expected, to have an irreversible trend of the results.
04:10And so what we know is that out of the four exit post companies that they were ready and approved to run exit posts,
04:23only two of them are going to do it.
04:26They are going to have to present their results before 5 p.m.
04:31That is the moment that the polls close, but they are going to present it to the National Electoral Council
04:38and then the National Electoral Council will decide when they are going to release it.
04:44So there is a lot of expectations and most definitely we have never seen that level of disparities on the viewpoints of the people.
04:57There is a lot of tension, but in the streets of Quito things are looking pretty quiet.
05:04This is the second day of what they call the electoral silence.
05:08People cannot do electoral campaigns.
05:11They cannot pass any ads.
05:13But what the President Candidate Novoa is doing is running on TV.
05:19They are not commercials, but they say that they are achievements because it is creative,
05:26the way they presented achievements from the armed forces, the police, the National Electoral Council.
05:34That is a way to try to show that his government and himself is efficient.
05:41So we are following all that and we are going to share it with you throughout the day.
05:45We get back to you now.
05:47There is also one question before finishing this report.
05:52What can you tell us on how the people are perceiving this recent declaration of emergency,
05:57this state of emergency decree in Ecuador?
05:59We know that this election is taking place amidst a severe insecurity crisis.
06:03How could this impact the electoral day tomorrow?
06:09Depends on whom you just ask a question.
06:13For many people say that Ecuador has been living almost on a permanent basis on a state of exception.
06:22So there is no surprise for most of them.
06:27There is another part of the population that sees that as a trick of the President Candidate Daniel Novoa
06:36that is trying to dissuade in a way people to leave their homes and go to the polls,
06:44creating the perception that the streets are more dangerous than usual
06:51and therefore that could eventually work on his favor.
06:55That is his expectation.
06:58So depending on whom you talk is the answer that you get.
07:03Thank you, Gestoso, for this report.
07:06We are going to stay in touch for the upcoming news brief
07:09to continue having everything as Ecuador gives up for this presidential runoff.
07:13Thank you for being with us at these early hours.
07:17Let's continue now with urban news.
07:19We stay in Ecuador because presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez
07:23denounced the actions of the government of Daniel Novoa
07:26after preventing the entry of delegations and international observers to the ballot of April 13th.
07:31Gonzalez pointed out that President Daniel Novoa is opposed to having the international political delegations
07:37and political observers that seek to guarantee the transparency of the electoral process,
07:42a fact for which he ordered the control authorities to take the measures in borders and maritime ports
07:47during the development of the second electoral round using Decree 597
07:51to block the citizens' oversight and restrict rights.
07:54More than 45,000 military personnel from the land, naval and air forces, including reservists,
08:00will be deployed during the election day.
08:03We have a first break coming up. We'll be right back.
08:13Welcome back.
08:37On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Seger Lavrov spoke to reporters about a meeting he held
08:42with his Venezuelan counterpart Ivan Hill in Turquille while taking part of the Antalaya Forum.
08:47According to Russian media, amid global tensions, the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Venezuela,
08:52two nations equally targeted by the imposition of illegal U.S. sanctions,
08:56discussed, among other issues, preparations in Moscow for the celebration of Victory Day
09:00and Venezuela's participation in the ceremony.
09:03This new anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, in honor of the victory of the Red Army over the Nazi troops,
09:09is being held at a time when humanity was in an alarming resurgence of Nazi and fascist ideologies.
09:25And on Friday night, Argentine President Javier Mele announced the 23rd agreement with the International Monetary Fund,
09:32but avoided mentioning the devaluation of the dollar.
09:35Surrounded by his cabinet, the President mentioned that the amount of the bailout is $42 billion.
09:41The huge amount is the result of contributions from the IMF, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.
09:48This new debt that adds to the enormous accumulated debt.
09:51The President announced the end of the exchange rate, hedged as a success,
09:56but many analysts assured that it is one more defeat for him and his Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo,
10:01who, as will be remembered, repeatedly denied the possibility of a devaluation.
10:05And despite Trump's 90-day pause on tariffs and the European Union's decision to pause its response,
10:18uncertainty remains for Catalan industrialists.
10:20Let's see the details with our correspondent, Andrés Flores.
10:24The tariffs imposed by Trump shook the world, and despite the decision to pause them for 90 days, uncertainty continues.
10:35The trade war remains open with China, a factor that is viewed with concerning Europe.
10:40The old continent suspends its tariff response to the US and sits down to negotiate.
10:45Andrés owns a 150-year-old family-owned textile company in Barcelona that exports to the world.
10:51What we do is both weaving and manufacturing.
10:56We buy the yarn.
10:57We weave.
10:58We paint.
10:59We print and other qualities.
11:00The company creates, and we transform, always adding value.
11:04According to data from the Generalitat de Catalunya, if the United States tariff threat materializes,
11:14it would have a direct impact on the business of more than 3,000 Catalan companies.
11:19Despite the pause, Andrés views the situation with uncertainty and compares the potential tariff applications that his competitors would have.
11:26In the end it attacks all of us.
11:32In other words, everything that is happening now is uncertain, but it is true that our tariff exchange rate is lower than that of our major competitors.
11:40In the textile world, the main manufacturers are China, Pakistan, India, and in apparel, also Vietnam.
11:47It has a negative impact because in the end it will cost more for our previous fabric, but we see that our increase is lower than that of our major competitors.
11:55Unions fear that if the U.S. tariffs are implemented, jobs will be lost.
12:05This will make trade between the two areas of the world more expensive.
12:12It will certainly lead to inflation and, most likely, a slowdown in trade.
12:17If the escalation of the tariff battle continues for a long time, it will surely paralyze or restrict economic activity and have repercussions on employment.
12:30In the meantime, Andrés is looking for alternatives to avoid a possible tariff levy.
12:37We are producers of fabrics, but Morocco is a very strong power in the apparel sector.
12:46In the case of the United States, for example, it has a free trade agreement, so it has zero tariffs on fabrics that can be called made in Morocco, or with fabrics that are made in the United States.
12:57So, in this case, we also have trade in fabrics, which once they are made up, are also free of tariffs.
13:03The search for export alternatives and the waiting period are the order of the day in Catalonia, where trade unions and industrialists are closely following the outcome of the trade war.
13:17Andrés Flores, Telesur, Barcelona.
13:21We have a second short break coming up.
13:23Before we invite you to visit our Facebook page at Telesur English.
13:26There you'll be able to watch our top stories, special live coverage, and much more.
13:30Follow our page and activate the notification button to stay up-to-date on the world's most recent events.
13:35Final break, we're going to be right back with more.
13:53Welcome back.
13:54The United Nations Children's Fund denounced the increase in sexual violence against children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
13:59during January and February 2025.
14:02The UN agency pointed out that children could represent 45% of the almost 10,000 cases of sexual violence and rape.
14:09In this sense, studies highlight that every half an hour a girl is raped,
14:14which affirms that sexual aggression is a weapon of war and a tactic to implant terror among families and communities.
14:21UNICEF said that the reported figures could be higher due to the growing tension that exists in the territory between the M23 armed group and government forces.
14:30And on Friday in the South African capital of Pretoria, a crowd of protesters staged a demonstration against gender-based violence as part of a national outcry after an alleged rape of a seven-year-old girl.
14:49This is the latest protest sparked by allegations that the girl referred to as Tue-Tue to protect her identity was raped at her school last year and that the matter was only reported a month later.
15:02Demonstrators were dressed in mostly black outfits and held placards with slogans condemning rape and violence against women and children.
15:09The protesters have called on the South African government to declare gender-based violence a national crisis and imposed the harshest sentences on those convicted of related crimes.
15:20Last week, thousands of protesters in the city of Cape Town and earlier this week, another demonstration took place in Matatile, an area where the alleged rape took place.
15:29The police are called on the South African government, a national police officer in the South African government to declare gender-based violence against women and women.
15:33Yeah, because I want to add my voice to the voices of all of these women that are gathered here today because we have decided enough is enough.
15:43Our sisters deserve better, our women deserve better.
15:46We are hearing too many stories of our sisters being heard and I want our leaders to recognize that this is really a national disaster.
15:55Because once our leaders recognize this problem, we will feel safer, we will feel we can start working towards solutions to help make this a safer space for all of us.
16:05But it is more than just a casket, more than just a symbol.
16:09This casket carries the lives of thousands of women.
16:14Every bead represents a woman who was murdered.
16:18Every stitch marks a family torn apart and a child growing up without a mother.
16:27As we look at this casket, we are forced to unbury the truth.
16:31The truth that 5,578 women were killed in South Africa in one year only.
16:39A large scale protest erupted in Sanaa, Yemen on Friday as tensions between the United States and the Houthi group continued to escalate.
17:00The protests were triggered by recent U.S. unrestricts on Houthi control areas which have increasingly targeted civilian infrastructure.
17:07Demonstrators gathered in southern Sanaa's 70 square waving Yemeni and Palestinian flags and denouncing U.S. aggressions.
17:15A senior Houthi media official emphasized that the U.S. actions would not deter their support for Gaza promising further escalation in response to U.S. actions.
17:24The deployment of additional U.S. military assets such as the USS Carl Vinson to the Red Sea has heightened tensions in the region.
17:32And since the collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on March 18th, more than 400,000 Gazans have been displaced due to intensified fighting in the Gaza Strip.
17:52Israel's unilateral breach of the truce included massive airstrikes and a military buildup that has devastated large areas of Gaza,
17:59reducing entire neighborhoods and agricultural land to rubble.
18:02Israel authorities have implemented a killing zone as a border buffer, prohibiting the return of civilians and systematically destroying homes and crops.
18:11The humanitarian situation in Gaza is critical, with thousands of people forced to flee their homes as hostilities continue.
18:18International mediators such as Egypt and Qatar have condemned the Israeli blockade and on the entry of humanitarian aid,
18:24which further aggravates conditions for the displaced.
18:27And the fourth International Progressive Theatre Festival takes place in Venezuela until April 20th through a great diversity of artistic languages.
18:52This edition celebrates the struggle of the peoples of the world from a humanist perspective.
18:57Our correspondent Chad Afol was at the opening ceremony and tells us all the details.
19:02The fourth International Progressive Theatre Festival of Venezuela opened this Thursday at the Municipal Theatre of Caracas.
19:12With the participation of 26 companies from 22 countries, the event will offer the public an immense diversity of genres, languages and themes over the course of 10 days.
19:22Venezuela is a country that has always been known for overcoming adversity, isn't it?
19:31And we welcome the world.
19:32And we welcome the world.
19:33We welcome the world through the performing arts and the opportunity to represent and bring us together as a nation, as people, as a planet, which we need so much and as human beings.
19:46This year, the festival paid tribute to Russian theatre, a symbol of the cultural resistance of counter-hegemonic countries.
19:57And with the motto, making humanity more humane, this great meeting also became a mirror of friendship and solidarity among peoples.
20:08At a time when we have a process of oppression against the country, of sanctions, I think it is fabulous that 22 countries are coming to represent their culture.
20:16To be with us as brothers, it is great.
20:22In this spirit, the inaugural gala celebrated the 200th anniversary of Bolivia's independence.
20:29With a show that blended reading, music, visual arts and dance, retracing the history of that country's struggle, as well as its long-standing relationship of brotherhood with Venezuela.
20:41The theatre is like a mirror of society, and it is a powerful vehicle of expression.
20:48We are going to be able to explain in a play what we feel, what we think, how complicated we are sometimes, but also how beautiful we are when we are grateful to your people who have helped us to be independent.
21:00The festival's program goes beyond the walls of the theatre and traditional stages.
21:12Street art, circus, exhibitions, seminars, children's shows, screenings and workshops make up the axis of special events and trainings, favoring a real exchange among participants.
21:23These are spaces for dialogue with international groups, with national and international masters, who come to show the best of their art, the best of their thinking in favor of the development of Venezuelan theatre.
21:38And beyond the activities is the effervescence of the meetings and the passion for art that creates the magic of the festival.
21:48I carry the theatre here in my skin, in my soul, and when it comes to different peoples, well, we are dedicated to that immense joy. Long live the theatre, long live Venezuela, and long live the peoples of the world.
22:03It is not necessary to travel to Caracas to enjoy the activities.
22:10The festival also has a national circuit that reaches twelve states of the country, giving international groups the opportunity to meet other regions, other cultures, and other audiences in Venezuela.
22:25Like this, we have come to the end of this news brief. You can find this and many other stories on our website at www.telesureenglish.net.
22:32So join us on social media, Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok.
22:38For Telesure English, I'm Luis Alberto Matos. Thank you for watching.