In Ecuador, a state of emergency has been declared in five provinces that have been hotbeds of protest against trade talks with the US. Thousands of indigenous Ecuadorians have taken part n blockades and protests that have shut down commercial activity in several parts of the country. Under the new emergency measures, public gatherings will be barred and curfews will be imposed. Ecuadorian officials will be in Washington for trade talks Thursday for talks on a so-called “free trade” agreement. In an interview with the Latin American television network Telesur, protest leader Luis Macas said: “We want the government to act with prudence … What is more important, selling our country or holding on to our sovereignty?”