Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will face off with his right-wing rival, Flavio Bolsonaro, on Friday, in their second and last television debate, in a final attempt to win over hesitant voters before the runoff.
Bolsonaro advanced in the first round of the presidential elections held on October 4, obtaining 47 percent of the votes, compared to 45 percent for Lula, who is seeking to win a fourth non-consecutive term.
According to Agence France-Presse, this result led to widespread mobilization among the ranks of the Brazilian left, which organized mass rallies before the decisive round scheduled for Sunday.
A Datafolia Institute poll published on Thursday evening showed the candidates tied, after Bolsonaro was leading by four points in polls published two weeks ago.
Brazilians are awaiting the debate, which will be broadcast on Friday evening by TV Globo, the largest television network in the country, from Rio de Janeiro.
The first debate, on Sunday, quickly turned into an exchange of insults, with very limited space to present programs and proposals.
An electronic petition signed by more than a million people called on the Globo channel to adopt a direct fact-checking system during the debate to verify the candidates’ statements. Each camp accuses the other of spreading large amounts of misinformation in the election campaign.
Eight people were killed and ten others were injured during riots that broke out in two prisons on Thursday, prison officials in Ecuador reported today.
Officials reported that four inmates were killed in Cotopaxi prison, while four others were killed in Pichincha prison.
More than 500 prisoners have been killed in Ecuadorian prisons since 2021.
Although some correctional facilities are under the control of the military, drug trafficking gangs continue to challenge the authorities from inside prisons, issuing orders to liquidate or blackmail prisoners.
Officials indicated that those involved in the riots have been identified and will be transferred to El Encuentro maximum security prison.
The government of President Daniel Noboa created this prison specifically to house the country's most dangerous and wanted criminals.
Argentina has designated five Latin American criminal and armed groups, including the powerful Mexican Sinaloa Cartel, as terrorist organizations, in a move consistent with the security policies of its close ally, the United States.
The decision of the government of President Javier Milley, which was published today, Thursday, in the Official Gazette, came a month after the administration of US President Donald Trump expanded its list of Latin American criminal groups classified as foreign terrorist organizations to include 21 groups.
Argentina's new classifications include the Mexican "Nueva Familia Michoacana" cartel and the Ecuadorian "Los Tijerones" cartel, both of which are also on the US list.
The measure also targets the Colombian National Liberation Army and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) - the People's Army, a name used by splinter factions of the former FARC rebel group that rejected a peace agreement signed a decade ago and is still active. The United States has previously designated both groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
Milley's office said in a statement issued Wednesday evening that the five groups are linked to drug trafficking and organized crime.
