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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, March 25th 2025 - 21:58 UTC

Tag: Ecuador

  • Tuesday, March 18th 2025 - 19:01 UTC

    Nearly 500,000 people affected by oil spill in Ecuador

    Petroecuador blamed a landslide due to heavy rains in recent weeks for the spill

    Local communities in the Ecuadorean province of Esmeraldas were still protesting Tuesday after a major oil spill last week left some 500,000 residents with no access to drinking water, in addition to other environmental damages.

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  • Tuesday, March 18th 2025 - 09:04 UTC

    Europol/Ecuador, large cocaine bust, 73 tons and coordination with major EU ports

    The criminal structure Ecuador is part of an intercontinental criminal network involved in multi-ton cocaine trafficking via sea containers from South America to Europe.

    A large-scale drug trafficking investigation, supported by Europol, led to the dismantling of an Ecuadorian criminal cell involved in supplying wholesale cocaine to the EU via major ports. The international operation, led by the Ecuadorian National Police (Policía Nacional del Ecuador), also involved the German Criminal Police (LKA Baden-Württemberg), German Customs (ZFA Stuttgart) and the Spanish Guardia Civil.

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  • Wednesday, March 5th 2025 - 09:28 UTC

    State of Emergency extended in 7 Ecuadorean provinces

    Citing “grave internal commotion,” Noboa issued Executive Decree 552, extending the measure

    Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa extended this week the state of emergency for 30 more days in seven provinces and two municipalities, including the capital, Quito, to curb insecurity and maintain public order, social peace, and peaceful coexistence.

  • Monday, February 17th 2025 - 09:30 UTC

    Ecuadorean Anti-Drug Lieutenant Colonel slain

    Cedeño was in charge of military operations against drug trafficking and mafias hitting the city of Durán

    Ecuadorean Lieutenant Colonel Porfirio Cedeño was murdered by hitmen near a Guayaquil prison. The commanding officer of the Armed Forces' anti-drug trafficking Special Operations Group took at least 20 shots, according to local media.

  • Saturday, February 8th 2025 - 09:42 UTC

    Runoff seems inevitable after Sunday's elections in Ecuador

    All pollsters foresee Noboa and González qualifying for the second round

    A runoff scheduled for April 13 seems inevitable in Ecuador after this coming Sunday's elections. Pollsters do not seem to agree on the exact figures but all of them foresee that incumbent President Daniel Noboa and his leftwing challenger Luisa González would finish among the two top contenders with neither clinching a decisive majority of at least 50%.

  • Friday, January 31st 2025 - 09:40 UTC

    Dengue epidemic reported in Ecuador

    An increase in circulation of dengue type 3 was deemed the cause for a recent surge in Brazil

    Ecuador's Health Ministry confirmed Thursday that the South American country was going through a dengue epidemic. Surveillance, Prevention, and Epidemiological Control Undersecretary Teresa Aumala made the announcement during a virtual press conference after 2 deaths and over 4,500 cases were recorded.

  • Tuesday, December 10th 2024 - 19:58 UTC

    Ecuador's President announces end of blackouts

    As of December 20, there will be no more blackouts throughout Ecuador, Noboa announced

    Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa announced Tuesday that the end of the nationwide blackouts is in sight. “As of December 20, there will be no outages throughout the country. This decision is based on the recovery of the installed capacity, which for 10 years was irresponsibly neglected,” the head of State posted on X.

  • Friday, November 22nd 2024 - 19:47 UTC

    At least 12 arrested in Ecuador anti-gov't demonstration

    Villavicencio said the mobilization was in rejection of the economic crisis, the insecurity hitting the country, and the energy crisis that has affected employment

    Ecuador's law enforcement forces arrested at least 12 people during Thursday's anti-government protests in Quito, which also left three policemen injured out of 2,000 deployed to disperse the demonstrators who opposed the administration of President Daniel Noboa amid an unprecedented energy crisis that made electricity a scarce commodity as daily blackouts last up to 14 hours. The mobilization had been called by the United Workers' Front (FUT) and by several student federations to protest against Noboa's policies.

  • Monday, October 28th 2024 - 21:21 UTC

    Noboa hopes Colombia will help Ecuador through the energy crisis

    “If I were a normal citizen, I would be upset with the president if there were blackouts,” Noboa admitted

    Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa asked neighboring Colombia for help getting through the electricity crisis with power cuts dating back to Sept. 23 affecting households up to 14 hours a day, it was reported Sunday. The head of state admitted his popularity was waning ahead of the Feb. 9, 2025, elections.

  • Wednesday, October 23rd 2024 - 09:45 UTC

    Citizens of Ecuador, Costa Rica, Chile, and Uruguay turn to 'iron fist' policies to fight insecurity

    The study identifies politicians, weak judicial systems, and media sensationalism as key drivers of public fear.

    A recent study conducted by the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) and the University of Santiago de Chile (USACH) reveals that citizens in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Chile, and Uruguay are increasingly open to harsh punitive measures, or mano dura, as a response to rising insecurity.

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