IMF loan will pay off another IMF loan; Surveillance is upgraded in public spaces; Another trafficking bust; Reservoir water levels rise; Cartoon expo at La Lira

Viernes, 26/4/2024

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Exposición de caricaturas ‘Hoy sí vino Vini’ en La Lira (Cartoon exhibition ‘Hoy sí vino Vini’ (Vini did come today) at La Lira) – An exhibit of cartoons by artist Vinicio Jiménez Morales is open at the Casa de la Lira until el 14/5 with hours from 8:30 to 17:00. The goal of the show is to use humor to generate reflection for positive change around issues such as justice, freedom of expression, migration, the environment, and others without the use of words.<A perfect show for those of you who have not bothered to learn Spanish yet. I think that using the word “yet” makes me a delusional optimist.>

Titular –

The Cuenca Security Agency has opened a new monitoring room with 16 operators where the surveillance system can see what happens in public spaces including facial details, unusual behavior, and vehicle license plates in real time. (El Mercurio)

FMI y CAF darán créditos (IMF and CAF to provide loans) – The IMF will extend a $4 billion loan to Ecuador. An IMF spokesperson said the loan would support the efforts of the government to improve the lives of Ecuadorians and promote sustainable growth. The minister of the Economía y Finanzas said these new funds would help sustain citizen safety, boost public works, and guarantee social protection. However, other experts said that there is very little that can be done with the money since most of it will go to repaying a previous $2.8 billion loan from the IMF making this agreement basically a debt swap. The loan has a term of 4 years during which Ecuador will be committed to a program of economic policies and structural reforms as well. The $1.2 billion left after repayment of the previous loan is about what the Government will need to pay public employees’ salaries.

Economist Carlos de la Torre was worried about the conditions the IMF has placed for the disbursement of the money. He is certain that the increase in the IVA and approval of labor contracts for hourly employment in the recent referendum were part of these requirements. When that question was not passed, the Government failed the IMF’s conditions. So now the Gov´t is looking for other options and the only one left is to eliminate the subsidy on extra gasoline even though this signifies a final blow to the economy, mainly to the middle class. <Out of the frying pan into the fire. And when did you ever get money without strings attached?>

Sucesos –

Nueva sala de monitoreo de cámaras de seguridad (New security cameras monitoring room) – The Consejo de Seguridad (CSC) de Cuenca opened a modern monitoring room with 16 operators where the surveillance system can see what happens in public spaces including facial details, unusual behavior, and vehicle license plates in real time. The room has a 10 meter x 2.8 meter LED video wall on which camera images, data, maps, etc. can be projected. The software can integrate all the cameras. Currently there are 398 with 1,000 projected initially. The goal is to integrate technology with artificial intelligence. The videos can be stored and accessed for up to 60 days. The objective of the process is to integrate the CSC and ECU 911 cameras with those in buses, taxis, shopping centers, and zones with lots of people.

De El Mercurio del jueves, 25/4 (1 article):
Siete detenidos durante el operativo “Venecia” contra tráfico de droga en Ecuador (Seven arrested during “Venecia” operation against drug trafficking in Ecuador) – <This is your latest drug bust article – let me know if you get tired of these.> The Policía Nacional and the Prosecutor’s office conducted the “Gran Fénix 29 Venecia” operation in Guayas, Loja, Carchi and Pichincha and arrested 7 people involved in organized crime to traffic in controlled substances. Different people had different roles in the organization such as providers, logistics, transporters, security, stockpiling and others. 11 rented locations were raided and 1 ton and 370 kilos of cocaine seized.

Nacional –

Mejora en Mazar redujo cortes de luz (Improvements at Mazar reduced power outages) – The water level in the Mazar reservoir rose about 1 meter compared to el 24/4 which allowed a reduction of the early morning energy cuts yesterday. The ministro de Energía, Roberto Luque, said that if the hydrological conditions in Paute and Mazar cause the reservoir to continue rising, there could be continued decreases in electrical outages nationally. This would mean that Empresa Eléctrica Quito could reduce the shutoffs from 6 to 4 hours. However, he pointed out that if the electrical emergency persists, this would be reason to implement mechanisms for immediate actions such as prioritizing funds for the installation of 37 generating units in Quevedo y Santo Domingo. <But prioritizing funds is only the 1st step, assuming there are funds available to be prioritized. Or do we wait until the IMF disburses the loan and then see if there’s anything leftover to address the energy problems. Might be faster to wait for Pacha Mama to bring rain.> Another action would be implementing a campaign for co-responsibility involving the private sector and citizenry.

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne
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Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper (please don’t ask her for them). If information is incorrect, it is the responsibility of El Mercurio. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.