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☆ Meet the little people whose bodies may hold a key to longevity
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Sandra TorresTorres has a rare disorder called Laron syndrome that is caused by a genetic mutation. “This is how powerful this mutation seems to be.”What is Laron syndrome? Laron syndrome is a recessive gene, so only those who receive a copy from each parent will be affected. The condition leads to extreme obesity, a trigger for diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other diseases. While technically overweight at 100 pounds (45.4 kilograms), she was in good health, with no signs of diabetes or heart disease.

Persons: Paola Castro Torres, ” Torres, Torres, “, ” Nathaly Paola Castro Torres, Sandra Torres Torres, ”, Valter Longo, Longo, Laron, Jaime Guevara, Aguirre, Guevara, ” Longo, ” Guevara, Andrew Freeman, Freeman, ” Hope, it’s Organizations: CNN, gerontology, University of Southern, of Endocrinology, Laron, Jewish Health Locations: Los Angeles, Quito, Ecuador, University of Southern California, Israel, Yemen, East, United States, Croatia, Ireland, Denver

☆ Mexico ICJ hearing: Ecuador showdown over embassy raid begins Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A showdown between Mexico and Ecuador begins on Tuesday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the culmination of weeks of recrimination over an incident that saw Ecuadorian forces raid Mexico’s embassy in Quito in April, to arrest a former vice president who had been seeking asylum. Mexico is suing Ecuador at the world court over the armed raid, saying it violated the Vienna Convention, a United Nations treaty on diplomatic relations. The incident drew widespread international condemnation, but Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa remains unrepentant, telling CNN affiliate SBS news that he does not regret how Glas was arrested. Meanwhile, Ecuador filed a lawsuit of its own at the ICJ against Mexico over its decision to grant asylum to Glas. The diplomatic spat has seen a host of Latin American leaders across the political spectrum rally around Mexico, and several nations sever ties with Ecuador.

Persons: Jorge Glas, Ecuador’s, Daniel Noboa, Glas, Mexico’s, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Julian Assange, Alicia Barcena, Noboa, –, El, Bukele, Rafael Correa, Correa, CNN’s Abel Alvarado Organizations: CNN, International Court of Justice, Vienna Convention, United, UN, SBS, ICJ, Mexico, Ecuadorian Embassy, Mexican, SBS News, National Assembly Locations: Mexico, Ecuador, Quito, Vienna, United Nations, Mexican, Glas, Ecuador’s, London, Latin America

☆ Ecuador referendum: Early results and gang member’s arrest give President Daniel Noboa’s war on crime a boost
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Abel Alvarado | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Early results from Ecuador’s referendum suggest President Daniel Noboa has won public backing for security measures aimed at boosting his war on crime. And the good news for Noboa was compounded Monday when police announced they had arrested a notorious alleged gang leader. Both those proposals would require modifying Ecuador’s Constitution, which currently forbids the extradition of Ecuadorians under any circumstances. Gang leader arrestedIn another boost for Noboa, police said in a post on X that they had arrested notorious alleged gang leader Fabricio Colon Pico on Monday morning. Thirty-eight other inmates had escaped along with Colon Pico, of which 12 have since been recaptured, Ecuador’s penitentiary service told CNN.

Persons: Daniel Noboa, Noboa, ”, Guillermo Lasso, Fabricio Colon Pico, Colon Pico, Diana Salazar, Colon Pico’s jailbreak, – José Adolfo Macías, Choneros – Organizations: CNN, National Electoral Council, National Assembly, Noboa, Los Lobos Locations: Ecuadorians, Quito, Ecuadorian, Riobamba

☆ Ecuadorians head to polls for referendum as Noboa seeks backing for war on crime
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Abel Alvarado | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The referendum will ask 11 questions, five that will modify the Constitution if approved and six that are advisory. More than 13 million of Ecuador’s population of nearly 18 million are eligible to vote – and in Ecuador, voting is obligatory. “We require urgent reforms that allow us to protect our security,” Noboa told a military event in March. In response to the escape, the government deployed more than 3,000 police officers and members of the armed forces to find Fito. The referendum has met opposition among some groups who claim the matters can be dealt with in the National Assembly.

Persons: Daniel Noboa, ”, he’s, ” Noboa, John Moore, Guillermo Lasso, Fernando Villavicencio, Adolfo Macias, Noboa, “, CNN’s Christiana Amanpour, Jorge Glas, Glas, Karen Toro Organizations: CNN, National Police, Armed Forces, Ecuadorian National Police, United Nations, Reuters, National Assembly Locations: Quito, Ecuadorian, Ecuador, Ecuadorians, Guayaquil, ”, Peru, Colombia, United States, Europe, Mexico, Mexican

☆ In a Country Awash in Violence, a Vote Will Test Its Leader’s Hard-Line Stance
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ecuadoreans will vote on Sunday in a referendum that could give their center-right president greater powers to combat drug-related gang violence and also gauge how he would fare in his bid for re-election next year. President Daniel Noboa, the 36-year-old heir to a banana empire, took office in November after an election season focused on drug-related gang violence, which has surged over the past five years to levels not seen in decades. In January, he declared an “internal armed conflict” and directed the military to “neutralize” the country’s roughly two dozen gangs, which the government labeled “terrorist organizations.” The drastic move allowed soldiers to patrol the streets and prisons, many of which have come under gang control. Two weeks ago, Mr. Noboa took the extraordinary step of arresting an Ecuadorean politician facing a prison sentence who had taken refuge at the Mexican Embassy in Quito, in what experts called a violation of an international treaty on the sanctity of diplomatic posts. The move drew widespread condemnation across the region.

Persons: Ecuadoreans, Daniel Noboa, Noboa Locations: Mexican, Quito

☆ Ecuador’s raid on Mexico’s embassy shocked Latin America. Here’s why it may still pay off for Daniel Noboa
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa during his inauguration at the National Assembly in Quito on November 23, 2023. A close ideological ally of Correa, Lopez Obrador had since December allowed Glas to live at the Mexican embassy—territory that is technically off limits for local authorities. Lopez Obrador last week seemed to criticize the election that brought Noboa to power, suggesting the climate of fear created by Villavicencio’s murder had favored Noboa. President of Mexico Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during a briefing at Palacio Nacional on March 12 in Mexico City. Hector Vivas/Getty ImagesWhile Lopez Obrador is at the sunset of his political career, Noboa is just getting started and seeks a strong platform to run for re-election next year.

Persons: “, ”, Jorge Glas, Ecuador’s, Daniel Noboa, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Noboa, Guillermo Lasso, Fernando Villavicencio, Alfredo ‘ Fito ’ Macias, RODRIGO BUENDIA, Glas, Rafael Correa, Lopez Obrador, Evo Morales, Peru’s Pedro Castillo, Correa, Villavicencio’s, Santiago Orbe, ” Orbe, Mexico Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Hector Vivas, Emilio Lezama, Bukele, Latinobarometro, It’s, it’s Organizations: Bogota CNN —, Colombian, National, Getty, Ecuadorian, CNN, Palacio Nacional, International Court of Justice Locations: Bogota, America, Guyana, Quito, Mexican, Mexico, Latin America, AFP, Ecuador, Glas, Vienna, Ukraine, Mexico City, El, El Salvador

Ecuador was once famous for sheltering a man on the lam: For seven years it allowed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to hole up in its embassy in London, invoking an international treaty that makes diplomatic premises places of refuge. Then, last week, the South American nation appeared to tear that treaty to shreds, sending the police into the Mexican Embassy in Quito — over Mexico’s protests — where they arrested a former vice president accused of corruption. President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador defended the decision to detain the former vice president, Jorge Glas, calling him a criminal and citing the country’s growing security crisis to justify the move. But his critics said it one of the most egregious violations of the treaty since its creation in 1961. They saw a more personal motive: Mr. Noboa’s political agenda.

Persons: Julian Assange, Daniel Noboa, Jorge Glas Organizations: Quito — Locations: Ecuador, London, American, Mexican, Quito

☆ Ecuadorians wanted an action man. President Noboa has fulfilled that role — embassy raid included
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The President of the Republic of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, during the Spain-Ecuador business meeting at the headquarters of the CEOE, on 25 January, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. "President Noboa has given a strong message to the nation," said Carlos Galecio, a political communications consultant and coordinator of the communications program at Ecuador's Casa Grande University. "I am in favor of President Noboa's actions. "The priority is to clean, sanitize, continue with a process as important as President Noboa's to put the house in order." "The United States takes very seriously the obligation of host countries under international law to respect diplomatic missions," said Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

Persons: Daniel Noboa, Daniel Noboa's, Ecuadorians, Noboa, Carlos Galecio, Rafael Correa, Nayib Bukele, Cedatos, Jorge Glas, Glas, Noboa's, Gabriela Sandoval, Roberto Aspiazu, Will Freeman, Freeman, Brian Nichols Organizations: Ecuadorian, Associated Press, Casa Grande University, Statistics, Police, Vienna Convention, America's Pacific Alliance, Foreign Relations, Mexico's, Jalisco New Generation, United, Western Hemisphere Locations: Republic of Ecuador, Spain, Ecuador, Madrid, Belgium, El Salvador, Quito, Vienna, Mexico, The Hague, Noboa, York, Latin America, Colombia, Peru, Mexico's Sinaloa, Jalisco, U.S, United States

☆ Ecuador’s former vice president hospitalized days after arrest in Mexican embassy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Marlon Sorto | Mitchell Mccluskey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ecuador’s former vice president Jorge Glas has been hospitalized, days after his arrest during a high-profile raid of the Mexican embassy in Quito. Glas was taken a hospital in Guayaquil after falling ill, the country’s national prison agency SNAI said Monday. He became ill after he refused to eat food provided to him while in detention, the agency also said. The news came as Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa on Monday defended the controversial police raid on Friday that led to Glas’s arrest. Glas, who has previously been convicted twice on corruption charges, served under leftist ex-President Rafael Correa between 2013 and 2017.

Persons: CNN — Ecuador’s, Jorge Glas, Glas, SNAI, Daniel Noboa, Rafael Correa, ”, Noboa, “, ” Noboa, Argentina –, António Guterres Organizations: CNN, Ministry of Public Health, Naval Hospital of, International Court of Justice, Twitter, Brazil, Vienna Convention, Diplomatic Relations, United Nations Locations: Mexican, Quito, Guayaquil, Naval Hospital of Guayaquil, Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, Nicaragua, Vienna

Authorities found a former Ecuadorean vice president, Jorge Glas, in a “deep self-induced coma” in jail on Monday, just days after he was captured by the police in a dramatic arrest inside the Mexican embassy in Quito. Mr. Glas ingested anti-depressants and sedatives, according to a police report, and was being transferred to a military hospital for observation. The former vice president faces a charge of embezzlement in Ecuador, and he had sought refuge in the Mexican embassy in an attempt to avoid arrest. He became the subject of a diplomatic scuffle last week when police in Quito entered the embassy and successfully captured him, eventually transferring him to a detention center in the large port city of Guayaquil. A 1961 diplomatic treaty says that governments cannot enter foreign embassies without permission from the embassy’s host country, establishing a line that has been crossed only on rare occasions.

Persons: Jorge Glas, Glas Locations: Mexican, Quito, Ecuador, Guayaquil

☆ Mexico suspends diplomatic relations with Ecuador after ‘barbaric’ arrest of ex-vice president
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Fidel Gutiérrez | Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ecuadorian police stormed the Mexican embassy in Quito on Friday night to arrest a former vice president seeking asylum there, in an escalation of tensions that Mexico decried as “an outrage against international law.”Mexico’s foreign minister said the country would break off diplomatic relations with Ecuador after the arrest of former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas. The rift between the two Latin American countries had been growing since Mexico’s decision to grant political asylum to Glas, Ecuador’s former vice president under leftist ex-President Rafael Correa between 2013 and 2017. “It is impossible for them to violate the diplomatic premises as they have done.”Former Ecuador Vice President Jorge Glas speaks during an interview at his office in Quito on September 12, 2017. Dolores Ochoa/APA spokesperson for Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena told CNNE that the country is “breaking” diplomatic relations with Ecuador and immediately removing all diplomatic personnel from the country. Mexico plans to lodge a complaint with the International Court of Justice to denounce the Ecuadorian police’s actions, she added.

Persons: ”, Jorge Glas, Ecuador’s, Rafael Correa, Glas, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, “, X, ” Roberto Canseco, ” Canseco, Dolores Ochoa, Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena, CNNE, Bárcena, Canseco, Lopez, Fernando Villavicencio’s Organizations: CNN, Ecuadorian, Foreign Affairs, International Court of Locations: Quito, Mexico, Ecuador, Glas, ”, Mexican, Ecuadorian

☆ Mexico Breaks Diplomatic Ties With Ecuador After Arrest at Embassy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( John Yoon | More About John Yoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ecuadorean police officers entered the Mexican embassy in Quito on Friday night to arrest Ecuador’s former vice president who had taken refuge there, prompting Mexico to suspend bilateral relations. Jorge Glas, the former vice president, had been sentenced to prison and there was a warrant out for his arrest before Mexico granted him asylum, Ecuador’s presidential office said in a statement announcing the arrest. Mr. Glas had lived at the embassy since December and was granted political asylum earlier on Friday. The statement said that “no criminal can be considered politically persecuted.”The statement, from the office of President Daniel Noboa, added that the arrest had gone forward because Mexico had abused the immunities and privileges granted to the diplomatic mission and that Mr. Glas’s asylum was given “contrary to the conventional legal framework.”Shortly after the arrest, Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, issued a statement saying that the arrest was a “flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico,” and that the Ecuadorean police had entered the embassy forcibly.

Persons: Ecuador’s, Jorge Glas, Glas, Daniel Noboa, Andrés Manuel López Obrador Locations: Quito, Mexico

CNN —A rift between Mexico and Ecuador is growing, with a series of diplomatic provocations this week that culminated in Ecuador rejecting Mexico’s ambassador to the country, and Mexico announcing that it would offer asylum to a wanted Ecuadorean politician. Mexican Ambassador Raquel Serur Smeke was declared “persona non grata” in Ecuador on Thursday after Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador appeared to criticize Ecuador’s recent elections. Ecuador’s 2023 run-off vote took place in a “very strange” manner, Lopez Obrador said, suggesting that presidential candidates used the media, candidate Fernando Villavicencio’s assassination, and overall violence in their favor while campaigning. In a statement posted on X, Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry called Lopez Obrador’s comments “unfortunate” and said the country is still mourning Villavicencio’s assassination. It also reiterated its focus on ensuring “respect for the dignity and sovereignty of the Ecuadorian State” and “non-intervention in the internal affairs of other States.”President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is speaking at the morning conference in front of reporters at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, on April 3, 2024.

Persons: Raquel Serur Smeke, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Ecuador’s, Lopez Obrador, Fernando Villavicencio’s, Lopez, Villavicencio’s, Solrac Santiago, Jorge David Glas Espinel, Gabriela Sommerfield, ” Glas, Rafael Correa, Glas Organizations: CNN, Ministry, Ecuadorian State, Mexican Foreign Ministry, Ecuador’s, Reuters Locations: Mexico, Ecuador, Mexican, Mexico City, Quito

☆ Spring equinox: First day of spring arrives
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The spring equinox will arrive exactly at 3:06 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on Wednesday, March 20, according to EarthSky. Click here to look up the exact moment of the spring equinox where you’re located. Spring equinox has another nameIf you ever hear anyone say “vernal equinox,” it means the same thing. Zhang Xiaoyu/Xinhua News Agency/Getty ImagesIn Japan, Vernal Equinox Day is a public holiday (on Wednesday, March 20, this year). In China, trying to stand an egg upright is a popular game during the spring equinox, according to VisitBeijing.com.

Persons: Tuesday •, •, • Chiang Mai, David Silverman, Alex Pena, It’s, you’ve, it’s, Hugo Borges, Itzá, El Castillo, Zhang Xiaoyu, ” Organizations: CNN, Tuesday, United, Southern, Anadolu Agency, Getty, NASA, Northern Hemisphere, Northern, Southern Hemisphere, National Weather Service, Heritage, Xinhua News Agency Locations: • Anchorage, Alaska, Vegas ( Nevada, Tuesday • Guadalajara, Mexico, Chicago, Illinois, Toronto, Canada, Jacksonville, Florida, Halifax, • Dublin, Ireland, Accra, Ghana, • Berlin, Germany, • Alexandria, Egypt, • Ankara, Turkey, • Dubai, United Arab Emirates, • Mumbai, India, Thailand, • Hong Kong, • Tokyo, Japan, Stellenbosch , South Africa, Northern, South, Quito, Ecuador, Singapore, San Andrés, Zapotitán, El Salvador, Pole, Scandinavia, Itzá, Yucatan State, AFP, England, Malta, Yoyogi, Tokyo, Vernal, Persian, China

☆ JetBlue cuts routes spanning Los Angeles to Lima in race to lower costs
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A JetBlue Airways plane prepares to take off from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 31, 2024. The carrier will reduce its departures from Los Angeles International Airport from about 34 a day to 24, focusing on profitable transcontinental routes that include its Mint business class cabin, according to a memo to staff, which was seen by CNBC. Cuts include service from Los Angeles to San Francisco; Seattle; Miami; Las Vegas; Reno, Nevada; and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Along with transcontinental flying, JetBlue said it will focus on "bread and butter" routes along the East Coast, and those serving Caribbean vacation destinations. JetBlue is charting its path as a stand-alone airline after a judge blocked its plan to purchase Spirit Airlines in January.

Persons: Dave Jehn, Joanna Geraghty, Carl Icahn Organizations: JetBlue Airways, Fort, Hollywood International, Spirit Airlines, Pratt & Whitney, Airbus, Los Angeles International Airport, CNBC, JetBlue, American Airlines Locations: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, Las Vegas ; Reno , Nevada, Puerto Vallarta , Mexico, Bogota, Colombia, Quito, Ecuador, Lima, Peru, Kansas City , Missouri, Austin, Atlanta, Nashville, Salt Lake City, New York, Detroit, East Coast, Northeast

☆ I Trafficked $5 Million Worth of Cocaine Internationally
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Dylan Brzezinski | Ju Shardlow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Pieter Tritton, a former cocaine smuggler, returns for a second interview with Business Insider about his experience trafficking drugs from South America to the United Kingdom. Tritton says he started selling cocaine in the illegal rave scene in the UK in the 2000s. The National Crime Agency estimates the UK cocaine market is worth $13.8 billion, or £11 billion, a year. In the year ending March 2023, over 92 metric tons of illegal drugs were seized by police and Border Force, the highest volume since 2003 to 2004. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Pieter Tritton, Tritton, Garcia Moreno, El Organizations: Business, Crime Agency, Border Force Locations: South America, United Kingdom, Europe, Ecuador, Quito, Litoral Penitentiary, Guayaquil

☆ Julian Assange makes last-ditch attempt in UK court to avoid extradition to the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Claudia Rebaza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Assange attends a seminar at the Swedish Trade Union Confederation in Stockholm on August 14, 2010. LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Assange and his bodyguards are seen after a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 2010. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images Assange, on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, holds up a United Nations report in February 2016. Carl Court/Getty Images Assange speaks to the media in May 2017, after Swedish prosecutors had dropped their investigation of rape allegations against Assange. Jack Taylor/Getty Images Assange was seen for the first time in months during a hearing via teleconference in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2018.

Persons: London CNN — Julian Assange’s, Priti Patel, Assange, Julian Assange, Jack Taylor, LEON NEAL, BERTIL ERICSON, FABRICE COFFRINI, Carl Court, Geoff Caddick, Oli Scarff, CARL COURT, Leon Neal, Philip Toscano, Ricardo Patino, Frank Augstein, David Paul Morris, John Stillwell, Mike, Pompeo, Maria Sol Borja, Chelsea Manning, Alastair Grant, Daniel Leal, Elizabeth Cook, Assange’s, Edward Fitzgerald, ”, “, ” Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald, Assange “, ” Mark Summers, Stella, Julia Hall, Rebecca Vincent, ” Vincent, Nick Vamos, “ It’s, Vamos Organizations: London CNN, WikiLeaks, European, of Human Rights, Ecuadorian, Guardian, Getty, Swedish Trade Union Confederation, St, Paul's, Court, British, Ecuadorian Embassy, Oxford Union Society, Ecuadorian Foreign, Southwest Festival, Bloomberg, United Nations Human Rights, United, United Nations, CIA, CNN, Army, Ecuador, Southwark Crown, Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, Eastern, of, Department, US, UK’s, Media, Foreign Press Association, Amnesty, International Campaigns, US Espionage, Peters & Peters, Prosecution Service Locations: United States, British, Belmarsh, Queensland, Australia, Westminster, London, Afghanistan, AFP, Stockholm, Iraq, Geneva, Switzerland, Sweden, Ecuador, Austin , Texas, Ecuadorian, United Nations, United Kingdom, Quito, Southwark, America, of Virginia, Guantanamo, Australian, Europe, UK’s

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador’s high court on Wednesday decriminalized euthanasia and ordered lawmakers and health officials to draft rules and regulations for the procedure. The decision of Ecuador’s highest court came in response to a lawsuit from a terminally ill woman diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ASL, who had argued that she should be allowed to have death with dignity. In Latin America, Colombia previously had been the only country to decriminalize euthanasia, while Uruguay and Chile are debating the matter. The lawsuit in Ecuador was filed by Paola Roldán in August 2023. She argued that a death with dignity is a right of “those who suffer and have suffered serious or incurable diseases."

Persons: Paola Roldán, ” Roldán Locations: QUITO, Ecuador, America, Colombia, Uruguay, Chile

☆ Ecuador Top Court Recognizes Right to Euthanasia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Alexandra ValenciaQUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's Constitutional Court on Wednesday approved a request from a terminally ill patient to decriminalize euthanasia and ordered the National Assembly to approve a law regulating the procedure within a year. Paola Roldan, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2020, petitioned Ecuador's top court in August last year to recognize her right to euthanasia, given her deterioration and pain caused by the illness. The resolution is immediately applicable and Roldan can choose to be euthanized whenever she decides, her lawyers told journalists. Ecuador is the latest country in the region to authorize euthanasia, following Cuba - which gave it the green light in December - and neighboring Colombia, which allows euthanasia in certain instances. "This has been a very special moment for me," Roldan told journalists, adding she will now take time to assimilate what this means alongside her lawyers.

Persons: Alexandra Valencia, Paola Roldan, Ecuador's, Roldan, Oliver Griffin, Sandra Maler Organizations: Alexandra Valencia QUITO, National Assembly, Ministry of Health Locations: Ecuador, Cuba, Colombia

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) —A diplomatic rift between Ecuador and Russia appeared to intensify over the weekend after the European nation decided to ban some imports of bananas from Ecuador. The two countries have been at loggerheads recently after Ecuador decided to transfer some of its old Russian military equipment to the United States, in exchange for $200 million in new military gear. Ecuador is the world’s leading banana exporter, with sales worth around $3.5 billion in 2022. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesRussia’s decision to ban some banana imports came after President Daniel Noboa announced in January that Ecuador would transfer several tons of old Russian-made military equipment to the United States. Russia’s foreign ministry protested Noboa’s decision, saying that it violated a contract which stipulated that Ecuador could not sell the equipment to third parties without Russia’s consent.

Persons: Daniel Noboa, Noboa, Noboa’s, Carlos Estarellas, ” Estarellas, Richard Salazar, ACORBANEC, ”, Russia’s, “, ” Salazar, hadn’t Locations: QUITO, Ecuador, Russia, loggerheads, United States, Ecuadorian

☆ Ecuador to Begin Cutting Fuel Subsidies in Q2
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Noboa wants the measures to help finance his military offensive against criminal gangs, which he has designated as terrorist groups. "We agree with targeting subsidies," Noboa said in an interview with Ecuavisa, a local television channel. Subsidies will be removed gradually from gasoline, he said, adding that domestic gas and diesel will not be affected by the change. Last year Ecuador expected to allocate more than $2.6 billion of its budget to fuel subsidies. The government is looking for foreign investment to build a diesel refining system in Ecuador and improve the electrical grid to make eliminating the subsidies sustainable, Noboa said.

Persons: Alexandra Valencia, Daniel Noboa, Noboa, Ecuavisa, Oliver Griffin, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Alexandra Valencia QUITO, National Assembly, ITT Locations: Ecuador

☆ Ecuador Police Destroy Over 20 Metric Tons of Cocaine
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean Police on Thursday destroyed some 21.5 metric tons of cocaine which they seized over the weekend as part of a military offensive declared by the government to combat organized crime. The drugs were found on Sunday stored in hundreds of blocks in storage space built under a pig farm located in the city of Vinces, officials said. Authorities used a technique known as encapsulation to destroy the drug, pulverizing the seized blocks with waste before mixing the resulting fine powder with cement, sand and glass. The method prevents cocaine from contaminating the environment or being recovered, authorities say. (Reporting by Tito Correa and Karen Toro; Writing by Oliver Griffin; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Persons: Tito Correa, Karen Toro, Oliver Griffin, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Ecuadorean Police, Authorities Locations: QUITO, Vinces

☆ Opinion | When Chaos Erupted in Ecuador, Disinformation Followed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Iván Ulchur-Rota | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

One of the most terrifying spates of violence in Ecuador’s modern history began on Jan. 7. In quick succession, two jailed gang leaders escaped, riots broke out in the country’s main prisons and bombs exploded in several cities. Watching the chaos unfold on their phones and televisions, Ecuadoreans were gripped by an unfamiliar fear. The streets of Guayaquil, the largest city, and Quito, the capital, were nearly empty as citizens were advised to stay home. As all of these frightening and very real events occurred, an overwhelming flood of disinformation on social media further disoriented the nation.

Persons: Daniel Noboa, Fernando Villavicencio Locations: Guayaquil, Quito, Ecuador

☆ Ecuador Police Capture Leader of Colombian Dissident Rebel Group
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's police on Monday said they have captured the leader of Colombian armed group Oliver Sinisterra and that Ecuadorean authorities will return him to Colombia. News of the capture comes amid a military offensive launched by Ecuador's government to combat criminal gangs. "An immigration hearing will be held so that he can be expelled from Ecuador and sent to Colombia," Ecuador police commander Cesar Zapata told reporters. Oliver Sinisterra is a faction of the Segunda Marquetalia group of dissident rebels of the now-demobilized Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) which abandoned a 2016 peace deal with the state. The Oliver Sinisterra front operates in Colombia's Narino province and Ecuador's Esmeraldas province.

Persons: Oliver Sinisterra, Daniel Noboa, Carlos L, El Gringo, Cesar Zapata, Zapata, Alexandra Valencia, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Colombian, Segunda Marquetalia, Revolutionary Forces of Locations: QUITO, Colombian, Colombia, Imbabura, Ecuador, San Lorenzo, Revolutionary Forces of Colombia, Colombia's Narino, Ecuador's Esmeraldas

☆ Ecuadorean Prosecutor Killed by Gang, Two Arrested -Police
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Yury Garcia and Alexandra ValenciaGUAYAQUIL/QUITO (Reuters) -Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of Ecuadorean prosecutor Cesar Suarez who was allegedly targeted by a gang, police said on Thursday, as security forces continued interventions in prisons. Incidents this month have included an attack by armed gunmen on the TC television station, the hostage-taking of more than 200 prison staff and the kidnapping of police officers. Suarez was in charge of investigating the television station attack, when journalists and others were briefly held hostage, as well as cases connected to corruption and drug trafficking, Herrera said. Police detained 13 people, including two minors, in connection with the television station attack. Ecuadorean bonds continued to rise on Thursday on views the crisis could become a catalyst for policy action.

Persons: Yury Garcia, Alexandra Valencia, Cesar Suarez, Daniel Noboa, Suarez, Victor Herrera, Herrera, Adolfo Macias, Ecuadorean, Rodrigo Campos, Julia Symmes Cobb Organizations: Alexandra, Alexandra Valencia GUAYAQUIL, TC, Police, Security Locations: QUITO, Ecuador, Guayas province, Guayaquil, America, Quito, New YorkWriting

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