- 36 minutes ago
* Spanish congress rejects housing decrees despite protests
* US deploys 9,000 troops amid rising tensions with Iran
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NewsTranscript
00:11Welcome to From the South, I'm Luis Alberto Matos from Telesu Studios in Caracas, Venezuela.
00:16We begin with news.
00:23Despite widespread protests and political pressures, the Spanish Congress rejected on Friday
00:28the two government approved a decree seeking to regulate housing.
00:32This way, the pressure exerted by the government on Centro-Right Pro-Independence Group, Juntz Per Catalunya,
00:38in recent hours to change its announced position against the decree proved to be to no avail.
00:43The party, headed by Charles Puigdemont, joined forces with the People's Party and far-right party Vox
00:49to defeat the bills that were scheduled to be approved this Friday in the lower house.
00:53A surprise addressed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in which he asked lawmakers to think of the people
00:58failed to prevent the outcome.
01:00The decrees were intended to quell a public uproar following the televised eviction of an 87-year-old
01:06woman last week in Madrid that sparked nationwide protests and a campaign that has occupied Madrid's
01:12most important square ever since.
01:20And nearly 2,000 people were arrested in Paris, the capital of France, following a violent repression
01:26on student protests that escalated this Thursday at more than 1,000 schools and universities across the country.
01:33Young people at these institutions are denouncing the severe shortage of teachers and demanding
01:37better conditions in educational facilities.
01:40On a day marked by massive blockades and clashes that left 24 police officers injured,
01:45while the Ministry of the Interior described the unrest as acts of urban violence that go beyond
01:50legitimate protests, various sectors are questioning the excessive use of law enforcement force.
01:56Analyst Cristian Rodriguez reported that approximately 90% of those arrested are minors who suffer excessive
02:02repression by security forces through the use of tear gas and rubber bullets.
02:13And civil rights organizations in the United States have warned that over 26,000 migrant children face
02:19accelerated deportation proceedings following deep federal funding cuts to legal defense services.
02:24Legal advocacy groups report a 40% budget reduction in programs providing courtroom representation
02:29for unaccompanied minors, as the Trump administration slashes shelter-stay limits to four months
02:35and expedite court hearings to two weeks.
02:37The policy shift occurs along widespread family separation, with over 145,000 U.S. citizen children
02:43losing at least one parent to immigration arrest, while potential sponsors increasingly fear
02:48detention leaving vulnerable youth without legal protection.
03:16The United States Pentagon has confirmed the deployment of 9,000 additional military personnel
03:22toward the regional board and naval task force anchored by the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt
03:27and the amphibious assault group USS Mackin Island.
03:31The deployment comprising over 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines raises Washington's naval footprint
03:38in the region to more than 20,000 troops amidst ongoing tensions with Iran.
03:43The strategic bill comes as the U.S. administration leaves open the possibility of expanding air attacks
03:48against Iranian targets following the November 3 elections, highlighted by political analysts
03:53this as an attempt to leverage military force despite growing domestic opposition to foreign interventions.
04:20Brazilian President Lula da Silva is parading the streets of Rio together with thousands of supporters
04:25in one of its last main campaign actions ahead of Sunday's general elections.
04:30Our special envoy Belén de los Santos is there live and is with us here to share all the details.
04:35Welcome Belén from Rio.
04:38Hello, Luis.
04:39You were exactly correct.
04:40We are downtown Rio de Janeiro and Lula has just passed through these same streets.
04:45We were very, very close.
04:47We just had to step outside for a little bit in order to get this communication with you
04:52and let you know what is happening here.
04:54So you were exactly correct.
04:55This is the last days of campaigns and the last main act.
04:58And that means for the main candidates of this election going around the main states.
05:04We have been talking about this, the most important electoral districts.
05:07And of the three major ones, that is Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, this is the third
05:13one.
05:13And this is where Lula da Silva started his final campaigns, caravans here.
05:20So he has been going through the streets.
05:22There was a great concentration in downtown Rio de Janeiro and he is going through the streets with a caravan,
05:30greeting everyone.
05:31There's a lot of music.
05:32There's a lot of real spirits as well.
05:34It is a little bit of carnival meeting politics because we are just two days away from this major election.
05:42The campaign and activities continue, although they have some limitations.
05:46Some yesterday, there were the last, the final TV spots as allocated to the different candidates.
05:53And also some restrictions in terms of the way that the meetings need to be had in the last few
06:00days.
06:00But caravans are still allowed.
06:02Walk-ins to cities are still allowed.
06:04And this one was one of the most important ones.
06:08And also main closing rallies will be held in Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais and in Sao Paulo for the
06:15final closing of this campaign.
06:17That we'll have the first round of election this October 4th.
06:22There's a lot of chanting here for Lula on the first term.
06:26That is beating those, reaching those 50 percentage points that would allow him to be elected in this first round
06:34of elections.
06:35Of course, polls say that we're still not there yet.
06:38That the scene is heading towards a runoff.
06:41But of course, the militants, the activists are also very hopeful.
06:45So that is what we're seeing here.
06:48For the details coming from that campaign rally happening, that parade in Rio de Janeiro,
06:54with all the details of everything that campaign is taking place for Lula da Silva, Belén de los Santos have
06:59them.
06:59But now let's continue talking about these electoral days ahead of Sunday in Brazil.
07:05And for that, let's welcome to From the South, Arthur Muta.
07:08He has a PhD from the University of Sao Paulo.
07:11And is an international relations professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo as well.
07:17Welcome, Arthur, to From the South. Thank you for taking the time to be here with us.
07:24Thank you. Thank you for the invitation.
07:27Arthur, my first question will be, we have seen this throughout the electoral campaign,
07:31lots of attempts of foreign interference putting a risk to the sovereignty of the electoral system and democracy of Brazil.
07:38So from your standpoint, from your analysis, how do you describe all these electoral processes
07:44and the impact that this will have, because that foreign interference has a goal, has an aim,
07:49the impact it will have for the stability of Brazil and the region?
07:57Yeah, I think we are living here in Brazil, we're facing here in Brazil and actually not only here in
08:03Brazil,
08:03but in entirely South America.
08:07those different perceptions and different interventions of the U.S. here.
08:14I mean, when we look, for example, for what happened in Colombia, in Peru, in those, or even in Honduras
08:22very lately,
08:23what we saw, it was basically the U.S. trying to participate on those domestic processes.
08:33And I think we are living the same pattern here in Brazil right now.
08:38I mean, when we look to the news here in Brazil on the past few days, what we see is
08:45basically the government of the United States
08:49trying to participate of our electoral process.
08:55And basically, the way the U.S. trying to participate is trying to make one of the candidates more likely
09:06to win the run to the presidential office.
09:10This election affects Brazil's international role in the regional and international arena,
09:16taking into account that Brazil is a very important country in the global South.
09:25Yeah, basically, I think we are right now living in Brazil, a very defining, defining moment for the global South,
09:34because what we see here in Brazil, Brazil, it is one of the largest democracies of the world,
09:41and it is the largest democracy of Latin America, one of the main regional powers of the world.
09:49When you talk about, like, regional powers internationally, Brazil always rise up as one of the main global leaders,
09:57or at least Brazil is one of those countries that are reclaiming that place to be an international leader or
10:05a global leader.
10:06So, when we talk, when we think that we are having this electoral process here in Brazil,
10:12Brazil and our population, it is basically exposed to those international attempts of changing the results of the elections,
10:24I think we face a problem that is not only a problem for Brazil domestically, but I think it is
10:30a problem for the global South,
10:33and especially for Latin America, what we are seeing here in Latin America in those, like, 12 months or little
10:42less.
10:43It is a lot of international participation trying to change the results of the elections.
10:49And, as I previously said, we saw that happen in Peru, in Colombia, in Honduras very recently.
10:58So, I think this is a major problem here in Brazil right now that we are facing.
11:03Of course, media, international media, is putting a lot of emphasis on the presidential race and the vice-presidency,
11:10but on Sunday, Brazilians are also going to vote, going to renew governorships and also states in the Senate.
11:17As for the national politics of the country, what is the key to see in these regional elections that are
11:24taking place that same day, as part of the general elections?
11:30Yeah, I think here, this Sunday election here in Brazil, it is a defining moment for our country,
11:37because, as you just said, our population is going to vote not only for president, but for people from the
11:44Congress,
11:45for governors, for senators, and everybody from the Chamber of Deputies here in Brazil.
11:52And it is very likely that our population will vote for conservative people, for conservative congressmen and congresswomen and senators.
12:06Here in Brazil, when you look to all of the polls, to the very, I mean, this last week, this
12:13week that we are current in,
12:15it is a very important week to look to those public opinion surveys and polls,
12:21because basically the majority of our population will choose our deputies and our senators this week.
12:28What I'm trying to say, it is the vote for governor, the vote for president.
12:34It is a vote that the majority of Brazilian population has taken a month ago, probably.
12:41When you look to the polls to see how many people are still trying to define who they will vote
12:48for governor,
12:49or who they will vote for president, sorry.
12:53The majority of the population has already decided.
12:57However, the population, it is right now, I mean, we are two days from the general elections here in Brazil.
13:04I would say that a lot of people are still trying to decide who they will vote for deputies or
13:12for senators,
13:13but probably the majority of our population, it is voting for conservative leaders.
13:20So, although a lot of people do not know still, do not know yet who they will vote,
13:26they know basically the shape of the leader, the people they will vote.
13:35And when I talk about the shape, I'm talking about the theoretical view, the political views.
13:46And I think here in Brazil, and we saw that in the past two elections,
13:53our population has been voting for more conservative leaders here in Brazil.
13:59So, probably what we will see here in these general elections of this next Sunday,
14:05it is our population trying again to vote for more conservative views here in Brazil.
14:14Alfred, you are currently researching issues that have to do with sexuality and gender,
14:19and taking into account what you were saying that conservatism is probably going to have a lineage
14:24in terms of Congress and in local authorities.
14:29How will these electoral results, or the possible electoral results coming on Sunday,
14:34will impact the issues of rights of the sexuality and gender in Brazil?
14:43Yeah, probably this is one of my main concerns right now here in Brazil,
14:48because all of the reproductive rights and LGBT rights are under attack here in Brazil,
14:57and they are under attack here in Brazil for at least 10 or 15 years.
15:02We saw here in Brazil in the first 10 years of this 21 century some sort of evolution on rights,
15:15on gender, on sexuality.
15:17However, since 2014 or 2015, we are facing here in Brazil a huge backlash on those rights.
15:27And what is very important to say is that our legislative has never, until today, legislated nothing, for example,
15:36to protect lives of LGBT people or any sexual minorities here in Brazil.
15:42So, every kind of right that we LGBT people have here in Brazil, for instance, the right to marriage, the
15:50right for abdutation,
15:52and even the right for blood donation, which is a kind of new right here in Brazil,
15:59because LGBT people, they were not allowed to be donating blood until 2020, I guess, I think.
16:07So, all of those rights that we have now in Brazil are basically because of the decisions of the Supreme
16:15Court.
16:16So, a change in the executive, a change, a conservative change on the executive,
16:23and a very like what we, as I just said, what we probably will see here in Brazil, a more
16:31conservative Congress,
16:32the results of that is going to be if we are probably being looking to a huge, huge, we probably
16:43will face a huge backlash on those rights here in Brazil.
16:47So, I would say that if we change to a more conservative president, all of those LGBT rights and all
16:56of those reproductive rights will be even more in target and even more under attack here in Brazil.
17:05So, just to finish, I would like to address, I'd like to sustain that even though Lula win the election,
17:15and I'm talking about Lula because Lula currently represents those progressive views,
17:21even if he, even if he, even if he wins the elections, because of the Congress, it's very unlikely that
17:31we will see here in Brazil during the next four years an advance on those reproductive rights or even in
17:38LGBT rights.
17:39But, at least, I think, if he wins the elections, what we probably will see is some sort or some
17:49attempt to at least guarantee the rights that we, right now, have already guaranteed here in Brazil.
17:58Thank you very much, Arthur, for your inputs and time here with us in From the South.
18:05Thank you for having me.
18:07It was a pleasure.
18:08Well, with our interview with our international analyst, Arthur, we have come to the end of this news brief.
18:14Remember, you can join us on our website at teresoryenglish.net for this and more information, and also on our
18:19social media.
18:20We're on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok.
18:24For Teresory English, I'm with Alberto Matos.