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☆ Ecuador Presidential Rivals Agree Tough Stance on Crime, Differ on Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Gonzalez won the first round with almost 34% of the votes while Noboa took a surprise second place. Outgoing President Guillermo Lasso called early elections in May when he dissolved the legislature to avoid an impeachment process. Both candidates promised in Sunday's debate to get tough on organized crime gangs, to strengthen the security forces and to seek international help to tackle spiraling insecurity. Gonzalez pledged to boost oil production and reiterated plans to inject $2.5 billion of international reserves into the economy. However, he also clarified that a previous proposal to use $1.5 billion of international reserves was for worst-case scenarios only.

Persons: Alexandra Valencia, Luisa Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Daniel Noboa, Gonzalez, Noboa, Guillermo Lasso, Oliver Griffin Organizations: Alexandra Valencia QUITO, El

☆ Brazil touts climate credentials as Amazon deforestation falls — but draws criticism over oil bet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

It's welcome news for Lula, who has promised to achieve zero deforestation in the Amazon by 2030 and is seeking to repair his country's environmental reputation. The government, however, has received criticism over its plans to open new oil fields near the mouth of the Amazon River. Dave Benett | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty ImagesThe Amazon is critical in absorbing the planet's carbon dioxide — making it a vital bulwark in the fight against climate change. Txai Surui, an indigenous leader and activist from the Brazilian Amazon, welcomed the trend of falling Amazon deforestation but criticized Lula's administration for its willingness to potentially develop offshore oil. "How are you doing agreements about deforestation and all these things and yet you want to explore [for oil]?"

Persons: Michael Dantas, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Lula, Jair Bolsonaro's, Guajajara, Bolsonaro, Sonia Guajajara, Txai Surui, Dave Benett, Buda Mendes, Rui Costa, Costa, Lula's, Surui, Brazil's, Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Andressa Anholete, Guillermo Lasso, Tipping, Brazil's Guajajara Organizations: Afp, Getty, CNBC, IBAMA, FUNAI, Indigenous Peoples, Petrobras, Reuters, Amazon, Nature Sustainability, U.N Locations: Manaquiri, Amazonas, London, Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, Annabel's, England, Brazil, Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Buda, Planalto, Brasilia, Ecuador

☆ Opinion | The Era of Prestige TV Is Ending. We’re Going to Miss It When It’s Gone.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Roy Price | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

I left Amazon Studios in 2017 (after accusations I dispute), and five years later, the larger industry picture looks exceedingly bleak. In the last year nearly every major studio, from Warner Bros. to Paramount, has announced layoffs and write-offs. Amazon was plagued by reports that its big investment in a “Lord of the Rings” series yielded disappointing viewership numbers. Many of its key writers and producers, including Judd Apatow and Steve Levitan, went on to broadly influence TV and film comedy. It’s HBO.” summed it up: Prestige TV was trying to be, as was sometimes said, “filmovision” — as dark and true to life or shockingly violent as necessary.

Persons: Bob Iger’s, HBO Max, Max, they’ll, Larry Sanders, “ Sanders ”, Judd Apatow, Steve Levitan, Oz, ”, “, Maisel, Ted Lasso ”, Pimple Popper, ” there’s Organizations: Amazon Studios, Warner Bros, Paramount, Disney, HBO, Showtime, City, Prestige, Netflix, “, Amazon, Golden Globes

☆ Notable remarks on Ukraine at UN Security Council
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has his address to the United Nations Security Council laid out on the desk in front of him as he attends a ministerial level meeting of the Security Council on the crisis in Ukraine at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 20, 2023. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN:"It's hard to imagine a country demonstrating more contempt for the United Nations and all that it stands for - this from a country with a permanent seat on this council. "The war is having an increasingly devastating toll on the people in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world. "The only pathway for a comprehensive peace ... is one that must be just and based on the charter of the United Nations, and international law." SWISS PRESIDENT ALAIN BERSET:"With Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, the (U.N.) Charter has been violated on a massive scale.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Brendan McDermid, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, BLINKEN, Putin, SERGEI LAVROV, GUILLERMO LASSO, NANA AKUFO, ALAIN BERSET, FUMIO, Gabriela Baczynska, Humeyra Pamuk, Don Durfee Organizations: United Nations Security Council, Security, REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, Wednesday, Security Council, Russia, OF STATE, United Nations, UN, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.N, New York, Russia, Soviet Union, .

☆ Ecuador nature reserve will take years to recover after oil exit-minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A pipeline of state-owned Petroecuador is pictured as Ecuador is preparing to shut down oil production in the Yasuni Amazon reserve, in Via Auca, Orellana province, Ecuador July 28, 2023. Ecuador is preparing to shut down block 43-ITT, which is operated by state-owned Petroecuador, after a majority of Ecuadoreans voted to close the project in August. While oil wells have been closed before, Ecuador has no experience in abandoning an entire block of this size, which includes three fields and about 230 operating wells, he said. Environmentalists and some communities nearby insist that prohibiting future oil operations and other extractive industries is the only way to take care of nature and curb climate change. While some groups have demanded the immediate cessation of operations at 43-ITT, Davalos said an orderly closure was necessary.

Persons: Karen Toro, Jose Davalos, Ecuadoreans, Guillermo Lasso, Davalos, Petroecuador, Alexandra Valencia, Chizu, Oliver Griffin Organizations: REUTERS, ITT, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ecuador, Via Auca, Orellana province, QUITO

☆ Watch Apple CEO Tim Cook take a customer service call: 'You guys thought I'd screw it up'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It's not everyday you see a CEO take a customer service call. Apple's Tim Cook helped a caller with an iPhone decision during a "CBS Sunday Morning" interview. You guys thought I'd screw it up," he jokingly told onlooking Apple employees after the call. After he got off, the room of onlooking employees burst into cheers and applauded Cook, who shook a few employees' hands. The caller "wanted to upgrade their iPhone," Cook told CBS anchor John Dickerson.

Persons: Tim Cook, onlooking, Apple's, Cook, John Dickerson, Ted Lasso, he's, Uber's Dara Khosrowshahi moonlit, Khosrowshahi Organizations: CBS, onlooking Apple, Service, Fortune, Apple, Apple Watch, GE Locations: Wall, Silicon, Apple's Austin , Texas

☆ Tim Cook says Apple's Vision Pro is on track for early 2024 release and he watched the entire third season of 'Ted Lasso' on the headset
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tim Cook says the Vision Pro is on track for a release early next year. Cook said he used the headset regularly and watched soccer drama "Ted Lasso" on it. In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the Apple CEO pushed back on reports the headset had been hampered by manufacturing delays. Cook said he was using the Vision Pro on a "regular basis" and had been able to watch the entire third season of "Ted Lasso" on it. Apple unveiled the mixed-reality headset at its annual developer conference in June, with a launch set for early 2024.

Persons: Tim Cook, Cook, Ted Lasso, Apple, he'd, Elon Musk Organizations: FT, Service, CBS, Apple, Financial Times Locations: Wall, Silicon

Here's a look at what's happening, and what may happen, with the awards that have been thrown off course. Because they are still tied to the traditional fall-through-spring broadcast television season, the Emmys have been among the few awards shows held in September. The January date will put the Emmys within the rest of Hollywood's awards season, when red carpets rule and performers are on the promotional prowl. It would also throw the Oscars, and the entire awards season, into doubt. ___For more on the actors and writers strikes, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/hollywood-strikes/

Persons: Ted Lasso, ”, Ted Lasso ”, Martin Luther King Day, —, Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Kimmel Organizations: ANGELES, Television Academy, Fox TV, Fox, Peacock, Golden Globes, Screen Locations: Los Angeles, Afghanistan, hollywood

☆ Six Takeaways From Romney’s Tea-Spilling Biography
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Annie Karni | More About Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Romney lives a hermitlike existence in Washington. Mr. Romney, 76, has few friends in Washington, and he did not follow President Harry S. Truman’s adage to get himself a dog. Publicly, Mr. Romney has long been on an island in a party subsumed by Trumpism. Mr. Romney also recalled a 2019 visit Mr. Trump made to the weekly Senate Republican lunch in the Capitol. But as soon as Mr. Trump left the room, the senators all burst out laughing.

Persons: Romney, Harry S, Ann, “ Ted Lasso ”, Saul, ”, Lisa Murkowski, Romney —, Trump, Mitch McConnell of, Donald J, ” Mr, Coppins, “ Organizations: Capitol, Republican, Publicly, Trumpism, Trump, Mr Locations: Washington, Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Russia

☆ Ecuador Youth Choosing Gangs as Route Out of Poverty, UN Expert Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Lawlessness has soared across Ecuador since the coronavirus pandemic, something outgoing President Guillermo Lasso blames on disputes related to drug trafficking and common crime. Some 27% of Ecuadoreans live in poverty, while 10.8% live in extreme poverty on a national level, according to the government's statistics office. Olivier De Schutter, the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, said impoverished youth were easy picking for gangs looking to recruit new members. Lasso, who brought forward elections to avoid impeachment, has repeatedly declared states of emergency in answer to outbreaks of violence. "We need a social Bukele, one that takes seriously the links between poverty and the rise in violence," he added.

Persons: Alexandra Valencia, Ecuadoreans, Guillermo Lasso, Olivier De Schutter, De Schutter, Lasso, Nayib Bukele, Luisa Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Daniel Noboa, Oliver Griffin, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Alexandra Valencia QUITO, UN, United Nations, Central American Locations: Ecuador, U.S, El Salvador

☆ Ecuador youth choosing gangs as route out of poverty, UN expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Persons: Guillermo Lasso, Santiago Arcos, Ecuadoreans, Olivier De Schutter, De Schutter, Lasso, Nayib Bukele, Luisa Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Daniel Noboa, Alexandra Valencia, Oliver Griffin, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, UN, United Nations, Central American, Thomson Locations: Guayaquil, Ecuador, Santiago, Rights QUITO, U.S, El Salvador

When television and movie writers went on strike in May, studios quickly suspended certain first-look deals — mostly those for lesser-established writers. In an escalation of the standoff between studios and the Writers Guild of America — it has entered its fifth month, with no end in sight — Warner Bros. moved late Wednesday to suspend deals with the 1 percent of television writers. Warner Bros. also suspended deals with Greg Berlanti (“Superman & Lois”) and Bill Lawrence (“Ted Lasso”), among others, the people said. A spokeswoman for Warner Bros. declined to comment. A spokesman for the Writers Guild of America had no immediate response.

Persons: Mindy Kaling, Abrams, Warner, Kaling, Greg Berlanti, Lois ”, Bill Lawrence, Ted Lasso ” Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Warner Bros, College Girls

☆ Leo Messi sparks a surge in Major League Soccer subscription sign-ups
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Soccer superstar Leo Messi’s arrival in America has sparked a surge in ticket prices, apparel and now, streaming subscriptions. MLS Season Pass, which is Apple’s streaming package that broadcasts the soccer matches, experienced 1,690% growth in sign-ups the day Messi first played for his new team Inter Miami, according to analytics firm Antenna. Newly released data shows that the streaming package had about 6,000 subscription sign-ups the day before, but that soared to 110,000 sign-ups on his July 21 debut in the Leagues Cup. But nearly half of MLS Season Pass sign-ups to date happened in July after Messi joined the league, showing the surge in interest that Messi brought to Major League Soccer. That isn’t a surprise since his deal with Inter Miami includes a cut of the revenue from new subscribers of MLS Season Pass, according to multiple reports.

Persons: Leo Messi’s, Messi, Ted Lasso, Eddy, Tim Cook, ” Messi, signups, Apple, “, ” David Rumsey, he’s, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN — Soccer, Inter Miami, Leagues, Major League Soccer, Apple, MLS, Front Office Sports, CNN Locations: New York, America

CNN —Fifty prison guards and seven police officers have been freed after being taken hostage by inmates held in six prisons across Ecuador, authorities said, part of a coordinated protest against security operations being conducted inside the country’s violence-plagued penitentiaries. The SNAI said on Saturday that all hostages had been freed following a “coordinated operation” and that prison was now running normally. The SNAI said in July that it had successfully executed an operation to free 106 prison guards taken hostage by inmates across five different prisons. A detainee uprising in the port city of Guayaquil left 31 people dead, according to the Ecuador Attorney General’s office. Ecuador’s prison system has long been dogged by violence and infighting between gangs powerful enough to overwhelm the guards meant to keep the facilities, many of which are overcrowded, safe.

Persons: SNAI, Guillermo Lasso, Ecuador Attorney General’s, Fernando Villavicencio, “ Organizations: CNN, Ecuador’s Ministry, Ecuador Attorney Locations: Ecuador, Latacunga, Quito, Guayaquil

☆ Quito says security operations within prisons may have led to car bombs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Firefighters work on the remains of a car, that according to authorities was loaded with two gas tanks and later exploded when suspects set it on fire, seemingly targeting Ecuador's prison agency SNAI, in Quito, Ecuador August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Toro Acquire Licensing RightsQUITO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Two car explosions targeted at Ecuadorean prisons agency SNAI may have been set off in response to government security operations at prisons this week, President Guillermo Lasso and a top security official said on Thursday. "There are violent actions like that of the two cars burned in Quito last night, clearly that's a reaction to an action. The action of imposing order in the prisons, the reaction to intimidate," Lasso said at a housing event in Los Rios province. Bravo also said the Quito explosions could be related to prisoner transfers.

Persons: SNAI, Karen Toro, Guillermo Lasso, Lasso, Fernando Villavicencio, Juan Zapata, Zapata, Wagner Bravo, Bravo, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, David Holmes, Cynthia Osterman, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Interior, Security, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Rights QUITO, Los Rios, Cuenca

☆ Even with price hikes for Netflix and Disney+, streaming is still a cheap deal and way better than cable TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But streaming TV is still a good deal. I wrote in May about why a wave of price hikes for ad-free streaming services was on the horizon. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhat's really coming to an end right now is not the end of cheap streaming but the end of cheap ad-free streaming. That's why cable TV mostly has ads (with some add-on exceptions like HBO and other premium cable channels). "Streamflation" is a drag, but I'm not pining for the cable bundle — and I doubt other cord-cutters are either.

Persons: I'd, It's, Ted Lasso Organizations: Disney, Netflix, Financial Times, Nielsen, Hulu, Free, Paramount, Apple

Gonzalez, a protege of former President Rafael Correa who has promised to revive his social programs, won 33% support, while Noboa, son of prominent banana businessman and former presidential candidate Alvaro Noboa, was a surprise second-place with 24% of the vote. The contest was darkened by the assassination of anti-corruption candidate Fernando Villavicencio earlier this month. The crime is still under investigation, but Villavicencio, who was replaced as a candidate by his friend and fellow investigative journalist Christian Zurita, came third with 16%. Noboa seemingly gained support after performing well in the only televised debate of the campaign. Reporting by Alexandra Valencia and Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luisa Gonzalez, Daniel Noboa, Ecuador's, Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Noboa, Alvaro Noboa, Fernando Villavicencio, Villavicencio, Christian Zurita, Sharp, Correa, Guillermo Lasso, Alfredo Espinosa, Espinosa, " Espinosa, Villavicencio's, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Amazon, Thomson Locations: QUITO, Quito, Choco

☆ Security Is the Main Worry as Ecuador Votes on Sunday. Here’s What to Know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | José María León Cabrera | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Presidential elections will be held in Ecuador on Sunday at a tumultuous moment for the country. President Guillermo Lasso called snap elections in May amid impeachment proceedings against him over accusations of embezzlement. Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming vote. The impeachment proceedings were permanently halted once Mr. Lasso dissolved congress. The move came amid a moment of extraordinary political turbulence for Ecuador, a country of 18 million on South America’s western edge.

Persons: Guillermo Lasso, Fernando Villavicencio, mafias, Lasso Locations: Ecuador, South

Gonzalez is set to face the surprise second-place finisher Daniel Noboa in a run-off election in October, according to the National Electoral Council of Ecuador (CNE), as neither candidate won more than 50% of the ballot. Ecuador presidential candidate Daniel Noboa makes remarks as he arrives to participate in a presidential debate on August 13. Crime has topped the agenda of this year’s presidential race, which was punctuated by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, an outspoken anti-corruption journalist. Gunfire interrupted Noboa’s caravan on Thursday as he was traveling in Guayas province, but authorities say the presidential candidate was not the target of the incident. But the winner of October’s run-off vote will have relatively little time to work on a solution.

Persons: CNN — Luisa González, Gonzalez, Daniel Noboa, Ecuadorians, Diana Atamaint, González, Rafael Correa –, Álvaro Noboa –, Guillermo Lasso, Karen Toro, Fernando Villavicencio, Pedro Briones, Christian Zurita, October’s Organizations: CNN, Movimiento Revolución, Sunday, Electoral, Accion Democratica Nacional, Electoral Council Locations: Ecuador, Belgium, Esmeraldas province, Guayas, Quito, Russia, Ukraine, China, Bangladesh

☆ Ecuador election: assassinations cast a grim shadow as country selects a new president
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Nearly 100,000 troops will be dispatched to ensure public safety and order across Ecuador on election day, Ecuador’s government says. Friends, family members and supporters of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio attend a tribute at Quito Exhibition Center. Henry Romero/ReutersEverything to play forAnything could happen in Sunday’s presidential vote, say analysts, who point to the killing of Villavicencio as potentially changing voters’ preferences. Journalist and presidential candidate Christian Zurita gestures next to his running mate, vice presidential candidate Andrea Gonzalez (R), in Quito on August 13, 2023. Ecuador presidential candidate Yaku Perez looks on as he arrives to participate in a presidential debate, in Quito, Ecuador August 13, 2023.

Persons: CNN —, Fernando Villavicencio, Otto Sonnenholzner, Guillermo Lasso, Henry Romero, ”, Laura Lizarazo, “, Glaeldys González, …, Pedro Briones, Luisa González, Rafael Correa, Lizarazo, Rodrigo Buendia, Correa, González, Villavicencio, Christian Zurita, Andrea Gonzalez, Martin Bernetti, Moreno, Erika Paredes, Marcos Pin, ” Lizarazo, Yaku, Yaku Perez, Karen Toro, El, Nayib Bukele –, Bukele, Jan, Vicente Gaibor del Pino Organizations: CNN, Quito Exhibition Center, Reuters, ”, Crisis, Movimiento, Getty, CNN En, Construye’s, Alianza Actuemos Locations: Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, United States, Guayaquil, Esmeraldas province, Quito, AFP, Belgium, Samborondon

☆ Villavicencio: Family of assassinated Ecuadorian presidential candidate accuse state of 'murder by willful omission'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Florence Trucco Ana María Cañizares | Florence Trucco | Ana María Cañizares | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNNE —The family of assassinated Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has accused the state of the crime of “murder by willful omission” two days before polls open on Sunday. The Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to CNN that they received a complaint from the family on Friday. The complaint names President Guillermo Lasso and the Minister of the Interior, Juan Zapata, essentially accusing the government of failing to protect him. The family argued that Villavicencio had stated publicly in the past that he had received threats from various criminal groups that, according to him, controlled the Ecuadorian state. The murder of Villavicencio, an outspoken anti-corruption candidate and former investigative journalist, has shaken the country ahead of this Sunday’s crucial presidential and legislative elections.

Persons: CNNE, Fernando Villavicencio, Guillermo Lasso, Juan Zapata, “, ”, Marco Yaulema, Villavicencio, Zapata, Lasso Organizations: Ecuadorian, Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office, CNN, Ecuador’s, ”, Villavicencio Locations: Ecuadorian, Quito, Ecuador

☆ A Minute With: Singer-songwriter Sam Ryder on riders, hair care and his hero
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Lucy Marks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 34-year-old Eurovision 2022 runner-up spoke with Reuters about how "Fought & Lost" echoed his own journey in the music industry, collaborating with his hero Brian May and his hair care routine. Tell me the secrets to your hair care routine? Ryder: “My hair care routine is going to kind of be quite controversial. Ryder: "On my rider is lots of fruit and vegetables, lots of ginger shots, and also loads of vegan chocolate. "Every country we go to we want to try the best vegan chocolate they can find.

Persons: Sam Ryder, Kerry Davies, Ted Lasso, Brian May, Queen’s Brian May, Ryder, I'm, “, What’s, Sam Ryder’s, we've, Lucy Marks, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Apple, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Buckingham Palace, London, Britain, British

☆ After killing of Ecuador candidate Villavicencio, speculation and recrimination
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Police said last week their investigation includes questions about why an armored vehicle normally used by the candidate was in Guayaquil and not with Villavicencio on the day of the murder. "He should have had a much stronger (security) structure," Patricio Carrillo, a former interior minister and legislative candidate who was with Villavicencio at the event where he was murdered, told Reuters. After the event, Villavicencio exited out the front of the sports center, where many people had gathered, Carrillo said, adding that he himself had stayed inside chatting to some friends. Christian Zurita, Villavicencio's replacement candidate for the Construye party, was also at the sports center on the day of the murder. Correa, who in office regularly clashed with Villavicencio, has called the killing a false flag operation to hurt his Citizen's Revolution party.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Villavicencio, Patricio Carrillo, Carrillo, Villavicencio's, Christian Zurita, Guillermo Lasso, Luisa Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Correa, Gonzalez, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Police, Reuters, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: QUITO, Quito, Guayaquil, Ecuador

☆ Ecuador presidential hopefuls close campaign clouded by violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Christian Zurita, who is replacing slain presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, and vice presidential candidate Andrea Gonzalez gesture after a news conference, in Guayaquil, Ecuador August 16, 2023. Candidates have pledged to fight crime and improve the struggling economy, amid sharply rising violence blamed on drug traffickers and unemployment woes, which has increased migration. Luisa Gonzalez, a protege of former President Rafael Correa, led polling before Villavicencio's murder with about 30% of voting intention. "We are committing to have zero tolerance for corruption, for organized crime, for all structural violence." Businessmen Otto Sonnenholzner and Jan Topic have rallies planned in Guayaquil, where violence has been acute, and have both promised economic reactivation and security.

Persons: Zurita, Fernando Villavicencio, Andrea Gonzalez, Vicente Gaibor del Pino, Guillermo Lasso, Milton Oleas, Luisa Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Gonzalez, Correa, Yaku Perez, Perez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Villavicencio's, Christian Zurita, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Guayaquil, Ecuador, Rights QUITO, Quito, Mexico

☆ Factbox: Top five candidates vying for presidency of Ecuador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

She was leading voting intention with about 30% in recent polls, though no polls have been published since Villavicencio's killing. The 54-year-old widower has promised to fight crime with better social programs and data-driven security policies. OTTO SONNENHOLZNERSonnenholzner, a 40-year-old businessman and economist, has promoted himself as a young policymaker seeking to bring "peace, money and progress" to Ecuador. JAN TOPICTopic, 40, a private security and telecommunications businessman, has promised security would be his first and most important focus if elected. Already-printed ballots will show Villavicencio's name and photo, but the electoral authority has said votes will be counted for his replacement.

Persons: Yaku Perez, Henry Romero, Guillermo Lasso, Fernando Villavicencio, LUISA GONZALEZ Lawyer Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Gonzalez, Correa, YAKU PEREZ, Perez, Carlos, Yaku, OTTO SONNENHOLZNER Sonnenholzner, Lenin Moreno, Moreno, Sonnenholzner, El, Nayib Bukele, CHRISTIAN ZURITA Zurita, Zurita, Fernando, Alexandra Valencia, Oliver Griffin, Julia Symmes Cobb, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, French Foreign Legion, Central, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Rights QUITO, Here's, Belgium, Choco, Ukraine, Central American

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