Ione Wells
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Talks between Israel and Hamas continue in Qatar
The immediate hope is that this move will lead to the release of some of the protesters who were detained after the brutal crackdown on huge anti-government protests in Cuba over the nation's economic decline.
Global News Podcast
Talks between Israel and Hamas continue in Qatar
But this decision is also significant, because it can be seen as a step towards normalising relations between Cuba and the US, which could pave the way for dialogue on other contentious issues. It could also help Cuba's dire economic situation, as some major banks and foreign investors have struggled to operate there legally.
Global News Podcast
Talks between Israel and Hamas continue in Qatar
Cuba was last removed from the list under President Obama, but days before Donald Trump left office in 2021, his government placed Cuba back on it. It's unclear whether Mr Trump will reverse this latest decision when he returns to office. The president-elect's nomination as the next US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has long advocated for sanctions on Cuba.
Global News Podcast
Talks between Israel and Hamas continue in Qatar
His family left the country in the 1950s, before the communist revolution that put Fidel Castro in power.
Global News Podcast
EU retaliates as Trump tariffs expand globally
I'm standing in what was once a protected area of the Amazon rainforest. There are huge lush green trees on either side as you would expect but through the middle there is now this huge cleared space where a new highway is being built. There are piles of logs on the side where trees have been deforested.
Global News Podcast
EU retaliates as Trump tariffs expand globally
This is where the government is building a new highway to ease traffic for the city ahead of the COP climate summit. You can see machines and diggers clearing and paving the road. Claudio Veracchi lives in the forest about 200 metres from here. He used to make his living from harvesting acai berries from trees here. Now that isn't possible. Those acai trees are gone.
Global News Podcast
EU retaliates as Trump tariffs expand globally
The government in Brazil has made a big deal about hosting the COP summit in the Amazon, about it being used to show the world the importance of protecting the Amazon. And yet preparations for this summit have already deforested some of the last remaining protected forests in this area.
Global News Podcast
EU retaliates as Trump tariffs expand globally
Someone who knows a lot about the potential impact that the road might have here is Professor Silvia Sarginha, a vet and wildlife researcher. At this university hospital, she looks after injured wild animals and releases them back into the wild, something that now might get a lot harder.
Global News Podcast
EU retaliates as Trump tariffs expand globally
This highway is part of a whole range of construction works that are happening in this city to prepare it to host tens of thousands of people for COP in November. New hotels are being frantically built, the airport is tripling in size, a conference centre is being developed and the port is getting ready to hold cruise ships to house some of the people that there won't be hotel rooms for.
Global News Podcast
EU retaliates as Trump tariffs expand globally
Adler Silveira, the state government's infrastructure secretary, thinks the highway and other works here will bring benefits.
Global News Podcast
EU retaliates as Trump tariffs expand globally
In Veropesso, the city's huge open-air market, some business owners are hopeful all this development will bring positive economic benefits to their region.
Global News Podcast
EU retaliates as Trump tariffs expand globally
That's the hope of those who organise these climate summits too. But with tens of thousands of people flying around the world to attend them and the infrastructure needed to host them, scrutiny is growing over whether they're counterproductive to their cause.
Global News Podcast
Turkey: thousands protest against Istanbul mayor arrest
You've recently announced a partnership with the military contractor Eric Prince to help your war on crime. What is this partnership for? Is he going to be bringing mercenaries to Ecuador to help fight violent gangs? Are these the special forces from abroad that you've said are coming soon?
Global News Podcast
Turkey: thousands protest against Istanbul mayor arrest
Can I just clarify, yes or no, are you planning to bring in forces from abroad to fight against gangs here in Ecuador?
Global News Podcast
Turkey: thousands protest against Istanbul mayor arrest
So you would like to bring in mercenaries from aboard, for example?
Global News Podcast
Turkey: thousands protest against Istanbul mayor arrest
So your message to the rest of the world, in a way, is effectively you would like soldiers from other countries to join this fight in Ecuador?
Global News Podcast
Turkey: thousands protest against Istanbul mayor arrest
I want to talk about security now as well. This January, Ecuador saw a record number of homicides. Is your iron fist approach to tackling this, militarizing the streets and prisons, not working?
Global News Podcast
Turkey: thousands protest against Istanbul mayor arrest
I've spoken to some people here in Ecuador who, as a result of criminal gang violence, have had to witness relatives of theirs being mutilated by criminal gangs. Do you empathise with people who just want to flee the country? They feel it's too violent for them here.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
He essentially kind of accused the electoral system of not being fit for purpose, basically casting doubt on the democratic process in total, which that and his sort of undermining of democracy in doing that led to him being banned from running for office until 2013.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
Although, interestingly, at the moment, there is a bill going through Congress in Brazil which could reduce the period of ineligibility from eight years to two years if somebody is, you know, if someone's received a conviction for abusing political or economic power from the electoral authorities in the way that Bolsonaro has.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
There is a sort of bill that is debating whether that ban should be reduced. Now, if that's passed... the ban that Bolsonaro is facing could potentially be shortened. But at the moment, he is not allowed to run for office by the time of the next election, which is expected next year in 2026.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
He's also faced numerous other legal accusations, accusations by police of faking his COVID vaccine certificate, of embezzlement. related to watches and jewellery received from Saudi Arabia. There's lots of different kind of legal challenges that he's faced but none of them so far have managed to sort of properly dampen his base or momentum really.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
That's right. So as we discussed, obviously his supporters taking to the street to try and sort of physically overthrow power in those government buildings. Behind the scenes, the allegation is that Jair Bolsonaro was essentially plotting a coup in other means. There are various different allegations against him, including that he had conversations with leading members of the military to try and
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
get them on side to overthrow President Lula. There were also even allegations that he planned to poison President Lula or assassinate one of the top Supreme Court judges, for example. So there is a whole host of crimes that... President Bolsonaro has now been charged with by the top prosecutor in the country. They include instigating a coup, posing serious threats to federal property.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
There are accusations as well that he may have encouraged, spurred on some of his supporters to do some of the acts that they subsequently did. And this is part of a
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
long long investigation that has been going on it follows a hefty police report that came out a couple of months ago and now the top prosecutor in the country has basically considered that report said there's enough evidence in there to charge him and it's now going to the Supreme Court so if the Supreme Court agree with this prosecutor's assessment Bolsonaro could well be in a lot of trouble indeed could face a trial potentially sometime later this year.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
I think so. Yeah, I think there's a lot of debate actually at the moment about whether if Bolsonaro faces trial, and it is still an if at the moment, it will sort of help or hinder him.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
I remember actually when I was in the US for the US election in November, going to some of the Donald Trump rallies, for example, there was merchandise for sale, you know, t-shirts saying things like, I'm voting for the convicted felon.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
You know, his fan base almost using the criminal allegations that had been brought against Donald Trump as a form of sort of energy, really something that really riled up Donald Trump's base.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
What do you think of the conviction? He's still going to be president.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
They believed, like many of Bolsonaro's supporters believe about him, that he was a victim of political persecution. And I think it's quite likely that Bolsonaro will have seen that and thought that that is actually something that he can sort of play to as well.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
In Brazilian politics, he rose up before he was elected, he was in the army, he was in Congress, and then eventually, of course, won Brazil's presidency in 2018.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
They certainly do have a sort of good relationship. And even though Jair Bolsonaro himself wasn't allowed to travel to go to the inauguration of Donald Trump, certainly when I was at the inauguration of Donald Trump, I saw a lot of Brazilian fans there, people who were Bolsonaro supporters. There was even actually a Bolsonaro impersonator on my flight from Sao Paulo to Washington.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
He did. He looked identical to, I actually thought it was Bolsonaro. I thought I'd got my hands on this amazing story that Bolsonaro somehow managed to defy his travel ban and end up on my flight. But it was actually not him. It was a professional lookalike, I should say, who had gone all the way to Washington just to be there for Donald Trump's inauguration.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
So that sort of friendship, alliance, whatever you want to call it, between both Donald Trump and Bolsonaro, but also between their fans, I think is certainly significant.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
In terms of what Trump could do to help him, interestingly, this week, actually, as well, less than 24 hours after these charges were brought against Bolsonaro, Trump's media company sued the Brazilian Supreme Court judge, Alexander de Moraes, accusing him of illegally censoring right-wing voices on social media.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
Now, this is a slightly complicated angle to all of this, but Alexander de Moraes is one of the Supreme Court judges who essentially will now decide Bolsonaro's future, will decide whether he goes to trial, essentially. Moraes has become a bit of an international name because he's
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
in the past ordered social media platforms to take down certain accounts that have been investigated for disinformation, for particularly political disinformation or undermining democracy. And Trump's media company are now sort of taking him on legally. But I think the timing of this is significant. The fact that it's less than 24 hours after this charge was brought.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
And suddenly the judge at the centre of it all is actually now being sort of taken on legally by Donald Trump and his company is quite interesting. On your wider point, though, of, you know, what could Trump actually do to assist Bolsonaro?
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
I think a lot of it is about sort of their support that they show online, the way that they're managed to really rally up people, use them as a cause that they can get international media's attention on, get their sort of fan base energised by. Practically, though... he is potentially going to face a legal process in Brazil.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
So there is a bit of a question mark about whether that support, that rhetoric, only goes so far, really. If...
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
Yeah, I think to make another comparison with the US here, you know, the election that's due here in 2026 has a lot of parallels with the last US election. You have an elderly incumbent on the left who has had some recent health issues, who will be nearly 81 by the time of the next election, who is probably going to face pressure not to run again. That's President Lula.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
I think one of the reasons, though, he became very well known across the world was really the platform and the rhetoric that he stood on.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
Then you have, if, as you say, if Jair Bolsonaro is in some way allowed to run again, if this ban were to be lifted or if he wasn't to face trial and legal challenges ahead, you know, you then have this very popular right-wing figure who is energised by, you know, presumably, if he's got to that point, overcoming various legal barriers and and still has a big base in Brazil.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
He is still very much the figurehead of the right in Brazil. His Liberal Party is the largest in Congress. He's still able to attract big rallies across the country. He, as I say, has big support among evangelical Christians, among farmers, agriculture business. Polls still suggest that he's the most popular right-wing figure. So I think that base is certainly still there.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
I think where, again, there are parallels to Donald Trump is you do have some figures on the right, too, who can't really stomach him and feel like he is a toxic brand and basically privately probably would much rather that he does potentially go to jail and that they can kind of rebuild a more moderate right wing challenge to President Lula and the left in Brazil.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
He campaigned on a platform of very socially conservative populist policies at a time when that was a bit of a zeitgeist around the world and other parts of the world to aimed at voters generally quite frustrated with crime, with corruption, with the economy not being very good. I think there's a kind of familiar nostalgia that he appealed to that we've seen with other populist figures as well.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
But I think it is fair to say that, yeah, were he to overcome these barriers, he would be a really significant electoral force, not least because he still has the sort of campaigning material behind him. He's still got a big base on social media and in real life here.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
Thank you for having me.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
This sort of idea of a better time in the past. There had been four elections that had been won by the left in Brazil before. And I think there was a sense of people kind of wanting change, basically. In terms of sort of things that he talks about on social media, in his speeches, he often attacked political correctness. He was accused at times of
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
saying sort of homophobic remarks, praising the country's former dictatorship, some of his comments about women, for example, sparking controversy online. One really interesting thing, actually, as well, which really shone an international spotlight on him, and I think is interesting to remind people of now, he was stabbed.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
during his campaign rally in 2018, which really mobilised his supporters and gained him this increased media attention.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
And it's interesting because, of course, not dissimilar to how that assassination attempt on Donald Trump in the last US election campaign did a similar thing and really mobilised his base as well and sort of suddenly got the international media talking about it for days and days and days.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
Definitely. I think in terms of policies, they're quite similar, both socially conservative, appealing to their base on so-called anti-woke issues, anti-net zero, anti-environmental protections. They want a sort of low tax society pledged to be tough on crime. On his rhetoric too, again, quite a lot of parallels with Donald Trump. He's very outspoken, particularly on social media.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
His family also very involved with his brand as well, especially his sons. So again, a bit of a parallel there with Donald Trump. In terms of his base as well, I think there are some similarities. He's got a big backing in particular in Brazil among evangelicals, a religious group that has grown a lot in Brazil in particular.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
the left in Brazil typically do better in more metropolitan areas among unionised manufacturing workers, for example, whereas Bolsonaro has really managed to grow quite a base in some of the more rural areas, appealing to the so-called, you know, sort of left behind parts of the country.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
And I think in that sense, yeah, there are lots of parallels, both in terms of policy rhetoric, but also who their base is as well.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
Yeah, I think that's right. And I think his even his sort of sense of humour at times has been something that might raise eyebrows among if it was sort of any other politician that said it. But with him, it's not really surprising. I mean, he did a joke recently, for example, when he was doing an interview with The New York Times, where he talked about being sort of energised.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
And he even mentioned, joked about sort of not using Viagra anymore and things like that, which is just sort of comments that you wouldn't imagine most politicians to sort of be caught dead saying. And yet somehow when Bolsonaro says that he's allowed to sort of get away with that among his base. They think it's funny. It's part of his brand, I suppose.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
And in that case, he's not afraid to shock in a similar way to Donald Trump, I think.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
Yeah, I think he was always a real, as we say in the UK, a Marmite figure. People love him or hate him. As president, he did do lots of things. He slashed environmental protections in the Amazon, which his critics hated because it fuelled deforestation. But his supporters loved it because it promoted farming, mining, business in the area.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
He still actually got quite a lot of support in that sort of Amazon region where... People that are working in agriculture, for example, want more development in the area, want less environmental protections. He did things like raise the minimum wage, relaxed gun ownership laws. He was very opposed to abortion, same-sex marriage.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
He also oversaw the country's COVID response, which again was quite divisive because... Brazil had one of the worst death tolls in the world. Brazil has now surpassed China's official death toll from the coronavirus, but the country's president continues to downplay the threat from the virus.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
His supporters praised him for some of what he did, including, you know, big, big cash handout programs for some of the poorest in the country. But... His critics accused him of really downplaying the virus. There was a famous viral clip of him where he essentially just sort of dismissed it as a little flu, you know, was accused of not taking it very seriously.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
And I think that period, especially, you know, I think actually we did see this a bit around the world everywhere, that no matter what the policy of the person in charge during Covid, you know, the response to it could really energise people.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
the leaders supporters, but it could also really turn people against them because of, you know, some of the struggles that people were going through at the time. So he definitely did face a sort of big backlash, you know, by his critics, but I think he has still managed to maintain a very strong base, even to this day now in Brazil.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
That's right. President Lula da Silva, now President Lula da Silva, who he was running against, ran again in 2022, which did give the left a big boost because he's a big name, a well-known figure, had been president before. Lula won the first round of that election in 2022, but not quite by enough to secure it for him. In the second round, Lula only received 50.9% of the vote. Bolsonaro got 49.1%.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
So this was the closest presidential election result in Brazil to date. which I think really laid the ground for a very, very controversial result either way. When that result happened, Bolsonaro neither conceded defeat nor really challenged the results that divided the nation. There was a lot of kind of uncertainty as to why he wasn't really saying much at the time.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
His supporters didn't want to recognise President Lula as their new president. We saw some of Bolsonaro's supporters, for example, driving lorries to set up roadblocks across the country, protest the election result. And in a video statement, Bolsonaro had said to his supporters that blocking roads wasn't a legitimate protest.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
There was a bit of a confusion about what he was really doing. There were these ongoing protests, including some of his supporters trying to attack the headquarters of the police in Brasilia, demonstrating near military bases as well. But despite this, on the 1st of January in 2023, President Lula was sworn in.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
And he's vowed to rebuild Brazil, which he said was in a terrible state, terrible ruins, since Bolsonaro had been in power.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
No, he wasn't at that ceremony. He had left Brazil a time and had gone to Florida, which I think some of his supporters were a bit disappointed by, that he was sort of seen by some as a sort of sulking, but others felt very much still that they had his back. They were going to protest this result.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
A week after that inauguration ceremony, loads of Bolsonaro supporters were bussed into Brasilia wearing their flagship Brazil green and yellow football shirts, which is sort of much to the dislike of left-wing football fans, has sort of become the de facto uniform of Bolsonaro supporters in Brazil.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
They broke into and vandalised government buildings in Brasilia, the Supreme Court, Congress, the presidential palace, seeking to overthrow the new president, even though there was a sort of recess period at the time. So these buildings were actually not very occupied. But the scenes were reminiscent of the January 6th Capitol riots in 2021 in the US after Donald Trump lost that election.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
Some rioters said publicly that their purpose was to encourage the military to join them, effectively calling for a coup. And President Lula himself also wasn't in Brasilia at the time. He was in Sao Paulo state, but he declared an emergency, a sort of state of emergency, essentially, before dispatching the National Guard to Brasilia to try to restore order.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
There were lots of clashes between police and these protesters before the police eventually managed to control the situation. Since then, there have been ongoing... legal battles with some of these protesters. Again, a bit of a parallel there with the US. Lula has called the riots terrorist acts, said that those who took part in it would be punished.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
And in the end, more than 1500 people were detained, some of them even given jail sentences. But what is interesting is this case now has really, it's still very much part of the dialogue here in Brazil because of questions about Bolsonaro's involvement in it.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
That's right. He said he had no responsibility. He said it was wrong that people were protesting in that way. And of course, physically, he was in a different country at the time in Florida. So on the surface claimed that he was distancing himself from what his supporters were doing.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
Yeah, definitely. I think the reason why the mention of a coup or the call for a coup in Brazil is very troubling still, and actually Latin America more generally, is that military dictatorships are not distant history here. The military dictatorship in Brazil was in place until 1985. And that was caused by the Brazilian army at the time and conservative sectors of society and
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
Some politicians, but also some figures from the Catholic Church with support from the US initiating that coup to overthrow the governments at the time. And what resulted was years of extensive censorship of human rights abuses, torture, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances. Very, very traumatic period of time for many in Brazil until eventually democracy elections were restored.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
And so I think it's a very different context in Brazil and in other parts of Latin America, too, when people talk about the threat of a coup or calling for a coup, because that is for many people living memory for them.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
That's right. What's interesting as well, and maybe this is where we kind of rewind a little bit almost, because Jai Bolsonaro, it's thought, essentially saw opinion polls ahead of that election and almost started to roll the pitch a little bit for him not winning it.
Global News Podcast
The Global Story: Bolsonaro: Is it all over for the 'Trump of the Tropics'?
By doing things like casting doubt on the Brazilian voting system, he falsely claimed on state TV, for example, that Brazil's voting system was vulnerable to fraud.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
Eva Morales was supposed to show up for a hearing on a possible retrial detention in this case, but failed to do so. That led to a judge issuing an arrest warrant. The case has fiercely divided Bolivia. Mr. Morales has claimed he is a victim of what he's characterized as legal warfare by his former ally and now rival, the current president, Luis Arce.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
The two have been in a very public dispute over who should run the party. Last year, thousands of his supporters blocked roads leading to the Cocoa Growers Union headquarters where Mr Morales is living to try block his potential arrest for statutory rape. Today, women also protested outside the courthouse with banners demanding justice and saying girls are not to be touched.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
It has been a bit of a shock result, particularly for the incumbent Daniel Noboa, because electoral authorities here in Ecuador have called this a technical tie after both Daniel Noboa and his main challenger, Luisa Gonzalez, received pretty much identical percentages of the vote. Now, it was expected that it could go to a second round in April, but polls say
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
had suggested that Daniel Noboa was significantly ahead. This result is more narrow than expected, indicating that second round could be much harder to call. And certainly the result dashed the hopes of Noboa's supporters, many of whom had been really buoyed by an early exit poll suggesting that he might even clinch victory outright.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
I spoke to some of the supporters of Daniel Noboa, some of whom are... frustrated that he hasn't won this outright, but hopeful that he may well clinch victory in the second round.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
He's really defined his presidency by this tough crackdown on violent drug gangs and criminal activity in the country by militarising the streets, militarising prisons, giving security forces sweeping new powers to try and tackle violence. So when I spoke to some of his supporters, they told me that their main hope is that they want his work in that field to continue.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
So that was one supporter of the incumbent, Daniel Noboa, hoping that he might win in the second round in April. Certainly, as other Noboa supporters have said too, one of the reasons they want him to stay on is because he's only been in office for 15 months so far after his predecessor resigned. resigned. So they feel like he's only really just got started.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
As for the opposition, Luisa Gonzalez, her supporters are certainly very excited tonight, given that she seems to have performed better than opinion polls were suggesting. She went into this campaign heavily criticising Daniel Noboa, not only for, in her words, sort of not delivering on promises to tackle violent crime, given it is still such a
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
not delivering on other issues like tackling unemployment and solving the country's energy crisis too. Her supporters as well felt that Neboa was not doing enough to tackle some of the root causes of crime.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
So that was one of supporters of Luisa Gonzalez, hoping that she will be the one who is victorious come that runoff in April. I think, though, why this election really matters is whoever is successful in April has a huge task ahead of them. Ecuador has gone from being one of the safest countries in the region to one of the most dangerous.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
In January this year alone, there were 750 homicides in the country. Kidnappings, murders are things that happen daily here. People are really, really worried about their security and want security. desperately for there to be solutions.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
Some people I've spoken to in the last week or two say that if there aren't, they simply feel there is no choice but to leave the country and flee to other places, whether that be to the US or other neighbouring countries in South America or to Europe, for example. So this is a country desperate for change. And I think that is what is at stake for whoever is victorious come April.
Global News Podcast
Putin responds to Trump's ceasefire plan
So there has to be a lot of communication between us and the other health departments because it's their case and they're doing the investigation and identifying where that person's been.
Global News Podcast
Putin responds to Trump's ceasefire plan
But then we're working on the health care side, whether or not there was any health care exposures, and then making sure that we're notifying anybody that might have been unvaccinated and exposed to that individual with measles.
Global News Podcast
2024 warmest year on record
Well, I think it's going to be quite a tightly controlled ceremony.
Global News Podcast
2024 warmest year on record
As expected, he is going to be inaugurated despite the fact that there have been huge anti-government protests in the last 24 hours, despite the fact that he's not been recognised as the president-elect by a lot of countries overseas, whether that be the US, EU, UK, but also even neighbouring countries like Brazil and Colombia, whose left-wing presidents do have historical links with countries
Global News Podcast
2024 warmest year on record
The sort of political movement that Maduro inherited from his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, even they have said that they don't recognise the result of the election. But despite this and despite the pressure that's been applied to his government by the international stage in terms of things like sanctions as well, he is still set to be inaugurated soon. later today.
Global News Podcast
2024 warmest year on record
Now, it's a very tightly controlled event, as I say. Foreign media aren't allowed in. There is going to be some press there, but I think essentially his speech will be televised in the country and it is expected to be highly, highly militarised around the city today. There has been quite a significant crackdown again on any kind of anti-government protest.
Global News Podcast
2024 warmest year on record
There were quite big crowds that turned up yesterday in Caracas to demonstrate ahead of the inauguration, but there was a very, very high armed military and police presence on the streets too.
Global News Podcast
2024 warmest year on record
That's right. It was a really big moment yesterday because, as you say, she hadn't really been seen in public since August. She had done some interviews. She had still been posting, for example.
Global News Podcast
2024 warmest year on record
She had called people to go out into the streets yesterday to protest, but she hadn't been seen because she's been in hiding until yesterday, where she sort of stood in quite a sort of defiant image on top of. what was essentially the top of a vehicle, addressing crowds, aggressing her supporters, lots of people out taking photographs with her, supporting the opposition cause.
Global News Podcast
2024 warmest year on record
Now, her team say that when she was leaving that rally, she was, in their words, violently intercepted in the east of the city as part of her motorcycle convoy. They say that she was then
Global News Podcast
2024 warmest year on record
held for a period of time forced to record some videos but was eventually released this is something that the Venezuelan government have denied and they've called this a media distraction but it is quite significant that she decided to come out of hiding given that there is an arrest warrant against her
Global News Podcast
2024 warmest year on record
Edmundo Gonzalez, who was the opposition candidate in the election, has said that he would return to Venezuela to, in his words, claim victory in sort of tying into this inauguration. However, he hasn't really outlined how and when. And I think that would be a significant risk for him, given there's also an arrest warrant for him and authorities have made it very clear he would be detained.