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☆ Terrorized by Gangs, Ecuador Embraces the Hard-Line ‘Noboa Way’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Annie Correal | Federico Rios | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since Ecuador’s president declared war on gangs last month, soldiers with assault rifles have flooded the streets of Guayaquil, a sprawling Pacific Coast city that has been an epicenter of the nation’s yearslong descent into violence. They pull men from buses and cars looking for drugs, weapons and gang tattoos, and patrol roads enforcing a nighttime curfew. Yet when people see soldiers pass, many clap or give them a thumbs-up. “We applaud the iron fist, we celebrate it,” said Guayaquil’s mayor, Aquiles Álvarez. “It has helped bring peace.”In early January, Guayaquil was hit by a wave of violence that could prove to be a turning point in the country’s long-running security crisis: Gangs attacked the city after the authorities moved to take charge of Ecuador’s prisons, which gangs largely controlled.

Persons: “, ”, Aquiles Organizations: Guayaquil’s Locations: Guayaquil, Pacific Coast, Ecuador

☆ 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

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Nine members of the United Nations Security Council condemned “indiscriminate” airstrikes by Myanmar's military against civilians before an envoy briefed the council Monday as part of regional efforts to implement a peace plan that has so far been largely ineffective. Before the council meeting, nine of the 15 council members stood before reporters to support a statement read by Britain’s U.N. The United States pushed for an enforceable Security Council resolution to prevent Myanmar from getting jet fuel, the council diplomat said. According to the council diplomat, China, which has close ties to Myanmar, emphasized the need to give ASEAN's efforts time and space. Russia, which also has links to Myanmar, reiterated that the council shouldn’t be interfering in the country’s internal affairs.

Persons: Alounkeo Kittikhoun, —, Kittikhoun, Britain’s U.N, Barbara Woodward, Myanmar’s, Aung, Suu Kyi, United States —, Saleumxay Kommasith, Win Myint, U.N, Kyaw Moe Tun, Suu Kyi’s Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations Security Council, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Lao, Arakan Army, Bangladesh, Myanmar’s Border Guard Police, Democratic, Amnesty Locations: Myanmar, ASEAN, Laos, Suu, China, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, South Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Thailand, Rakhine, Bangladesh, Arakan, U.S, Union, Vietnam, Russia

Officials in Ecuador have named the likely source of contaminated ground cinnamon used in fruit pouches tied to more than 400 potential cases of lead poisoning in U.S. children, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. Carlos Aguilera, a cinnamon-processing company in Ecuador, supplied the spice added to WanaBana and other applesauce pouches sent to the U.S., according to the Ecuadorian regulatory agency ARCSA. The cinnamon, which was sent to another supplier, Negasmart, was found to be contaminated with high levels of lead and chromium, an FDA analysis showed. The unprocessed cinnamon sticks used in the products were originally imported from Sri Lanka. The sticks were tested and found to have no lead contamination, ARCSA told FDA.

Persons: Carlos Aguilera, ARCSA Organizations: Food and Drug Administration, FDA, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Ecuador, U.S, Ecuadorian, Sri Lanka

☆ Former Drug Smugglers Share How Drug Trafficking Actually Works
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Dylan Brzezinski | Ju Shardlow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Pieter Tritton, a former cocaine smuggler, speaks with Business Insider about trafficking cocaine from Ecuador to Europe through a cartel connection. Tritton was arrested in Ecuador and sentenced to 12 years in one of the world's most violent and corrupt prisons. David McMillan is a British Australian former drug smuggler. Shaun Attwood is a former drug smuggler who ran a successful ring trafficking MDMA pills in the US in the '90s. He speaks with BI about his experience with drug-dealing gangs and how the drug market works.

Persons: Pieter Tritton, Tritton, David McMillan, Adi Jaffe, Jaffe, Shaun Attwood, Attwood, Neil Woods, Woods, incapablestaircase.com Adi Jaffe, Neil Organizations: University of California Locations: Ecuador, Europe, British Australian, Southeast, Central Asia, Los Angeles, American

☆ Chinese migrants are flocking to the southern border, and some have Chinese TikTok guides on how to enter the US: CBS
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese migrants hoping to get into the US are turning to an unlikely guide — the Chinese version of Tiktok. There has been a surge in the number of Chinese migrants crossing the US border in recent years. AdvertisementSome Chinese migrants attempting to cross the US southern border are getting a little help from Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, according to a report from CBS' "60 Minutes." Chinese migrants who spoke to 60 Minutes said they learned about the gap via the video application Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. Chinese migrants hoping to start a new life in the US have to trek through multiple countries before they arrive stateside.

Persons: —, It's, Manuel Monterrosa Organizations: Migrants, Service, CBS, CNN, US Customs, Reuters, New York Times, Business Insider Locations: Douyin, San Diego, crisscross, Turkey, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Mexico, Southwest, Texas, China, Venezuela, India

☆ Voting underway in El Salvador, where strongman president’s victory is all but assured
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( David Shortell | Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Polls are open in El Salvador, where the strongman president Nayib Bukele is expected to easily win a second term amid a dramatic turnaround in the country’s once-sky high levels of violence. Bukele, 42, faced little in the way of organized opposition and enjoys one of the highest favorability ratings in the region, regularly polling above 70% in independent surveys. His supporters trumpet a crackdown on criminal gangs in the country that resulted in a dramatic fall in the murder rate, once the highest in the world. But the mass arrests – El Salvador now has the world’s highest incarceration rate – have also triggered outcry from human rights groups, who allege Bukele’s government has detained innocent people and subjected prisoners to dehumanizing conditions behind bars, including torture. A lopsided win for Bukele would likely give the young leader more leeway to reform El Salvador in his heavy-handed vision.

Persons: Nayib Bukele, – El, Bukele’s, ” Jackelyne Zelaya, Bukele, autocrats, ” –, Latinobarometro Organizations: CNN, Bukele, El Salvador, courant Locations: El Salvador, – El Salvador, American, Honduras, Ecuador, Latin America

Crossings in recent weeks are down overall along the entire U.S. border, including areas without such a heavy security presence. The arrival of GOP governors to Eagle Pass rounds out a weekend that has kept the small border city of roughly 30,000 residents in an unwitting spotlight. The number of crossings in Eagle Pass has recently fallen to a few hundred a day. Mexico has bolstered immigration efforts that include adding more checkpoints and sending people from the northern border to southern Mexico. Melissa Ruiz, 30, arrived at the Piedras Negras shelter, across the river from Eagle Pass, along with her four children.

Persons: — Kyle Willis, “ It’s, It’s, ”, Willis, Greg Abbott, Joe Biden's, Joe Biden, Ron DeSantis, Biden, John Modlin, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Donald Trump, MAGA, Melissa Ruiz, Ruiz, Maria Verza, Mexico City anf Elliot Spagat Organizations: Texas National Guard, Texas Gov, Florida Gov, National Guard, U.S . Border Patrol, Border Patrol, –, U.S . Biden, Eagle, AP, Associated Locations: PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico, U.S, Texas, Grande, Eagle, Piedras Negras, Park, Tucson , Arizona, Mexican, Rio Grande, Central America, Ecuador, Peru, Honduran, Piedras, Mexico City, San Diego

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

☆ In El Salvador, self-styled ‘world’s coolest dictator’ Nayib Bukele heads for re-election amid human rights concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Employees of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal load boxes containing electoral material for the presidential and legislative elections at the Electoral Organization Directorate in San Marcos, El Salvador, on February 2, 2024. He adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador in 2021 and invited the tech-bros of the world to surf in the Pacific. Under Bukele, El Salvador’s homicide rate has plummeted. So, while El Salvador no longer faces record murder rates, it now boasts the highest incarceration rate in the world. Camilo Freedman/AFP/Getty ImagesA tale of two victimsJackelyne Zelaya does not see the enduring state of emergency as a problem.

Persons: Jocelyn Zelaya, ”, Jackelyne, ” Jackelyne Zelaya, Marcela, Jocelyn, Mara Salvatrucha, Zelaya, “, isn’t, Nayib, Yuri Cortez, Bukele, El, Camilo Freedman, Jackelyne Zelaya, won’t, Maria, tipster, Marvin Reyes, EFE, Guillermo Villatoro, Villatoro, Salvadorean Sandra Hernandez, Jose Dimas Medrano, Stringer, ‘, ’, Ilhan Omar, Samuel Rodriguez of MOVIR, “ Bukele, Daniel Noboa, Latinobarometro, she’s, Maria ’, ” Maria Organizations: CNN, World Bank, El, Employees, Electoral, Getty, FMLN, Civil, Justice Department, Army, “, Congress, Police, National Police, Security Ministry, Human Rights, Democratic, Barrios, Washington DC Locations: San Salvador, Zelaya, El Salvador, American, San Marcos, AFP, America, Latin America, United States, New York, El Salvador’s, Santa Ana, El Rosario, Honduras, WOLA, Washington, Ecuador, El

☆ 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

☆ Return of bullfighting met by protests in Mexico City
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Animal rights activists took to the streets of Mexico City on Sunday to protest the return of bullfighting to the capital after almost two years. “Bullfighting is more alive than ever and our fans are making the most of an enjoyable family atmosphere,” reads one post. Rodrigo Oropeza/AFP/Getty ImagesBullfighting was suspended in 2022 as part of a long-running legal case, but in December Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that the events could take place once more, according to Reuters. Bullfighting has taken place in Mexico for centuries, but in recent years opposition to the practice has grown. In 2013, Sonora state became the first of Mexico’s 32 states to ban bullfighting, and a total of four states have now done so.

Persons: Joselito Adame, Rodrigo Oropeza, APASDEM, —, Carl De Souza, Andrés Manuel López Obrador Organizations: CNN, Animal, Getty, Facebook, México, Reuters, Protesters, Riot Locations: Mexico City, Plaza México, AFP, Spanish, Mexico, Sonora, Ecuador, Spain, Colombia, France, Peru, Portugal, Venezuela

☆ 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: As terror grips the streets, even the armed forces live in fear
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( David Culver | Abel Alvarado | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Suddenly, residents, including Camille and Diego, found themselves seeking a safe place for themselves and their loved ones. Ecuadorean Police/Handout via ReutersHours after terror broke out in Guayaquil, President Daniel Noboa took an unprecedented step. Noboa, who had only been inaugurated two months earlier, declared an “internal armed conflict” in the country and ordered Ecuador’s armed forces to “neutralize” the members of more than 20 gangs, which he labeled as terror groups. Since then, Ecuador’s national police and armed forces have been carrying out raids of homes of those with suspected ties to terror groups. Experts warn that Ecuador’s terror groups are aligned with a wider criminal network, including the notorious Sinaloa Cartel out of Mexico, complicating Noboa’s attempts to “neutralize” criminal groups operating within his borders.

Persons: Ecuador CNN — Camille Gamarra, Diego Gallardo, Camille, Diego, “, ’ ” Camille, ” Camille, – José Adolfo Macías, ” –, Jose Adolfo Macias, Daniel Noboa, they’ve, ”, Jaime Vela Erazo, Fito, Sean Walker, Noboa, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, It’s, Carlos Jimenez, ” Jimenez, Jimenez, he’s, “ I’ve, I’ve, “ I’m, Noboa’s, Cesar Suarez Organizations: Ecuador CNN, Ecuadorean Police, Handout, Reuters, CNN, Joint Command, Ecuador’s Armed Forces, Colombian, RCN, Residents, TC Television Locations: Guayaquil, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, United States, Europe, Sinaloa, Mexico, Aire, Golfo

☆ 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

☆ UN Urges Measures to Stop Arms Trafficking Fueling Haiti's Gang Wars
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Sarah Morland(Reuters) - The head of the United Nation's drugs and crime office on Thursday warned of a "vicious cycle" of arms trafficking to increasingly powerful Haitian gangs, fueling an internal conflict and worsening violence across the Caribbean. "It's more important than ever to take every measure possible to prevent illicit flows," the UNODC's executive director, Ghada Waly, told a U.N. Security Council meeting, saying arms trafficking and gang activity were feeding off each other. A recent UNODC report found that most illegal firearms seized in Haiti came from the United States, notably Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and California. After the Dominican Republic shut its border with Haiti, smugglers were turning to more remote routes including clandestine airstrips, the report said. No date has been set for deployment, which Haiti requested in October 2022.

Persons: Sarah Morland, Ghada Waly, U.N, Robert Wood, Kenya's, Tirana Hassan, Hassan, Jose de la, Michelle Nichols, Leslie Adler Organizations: Reuters, Security, Taurus, Glock, Beretta, Smith, Wesson, Kenyan, Rights Watch, Tirana Locations: Haiti, United States, Florida , Arizona, Georgia, Texas, California, Caribbean, U.S, Dominican Republic, Ecuador

☆ Pope Francis takes on vested interests to speak out on humanitarian crises
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Analysis Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Pope Francis received an emotional welcome on the island during a visit showing solidarity with migrants fleeing war and poverty. ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis confesses in St. Peter's Basilica during the Vatican's Penitential Celebration on Friday, March 4, 2016. Alessandro Di Meo/AP Pope Francis arrives for his visit with prisoners in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Friday, July 10, 2015. Franco Origlia/Getty Images Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I address the faithful in Istanbul on Sunday, November 30, 2014. Gokhan Tan/Getty Images Pope Francis speaks during the feast-day Mass while on a one-day trip to Italy's Calabria region in June 2014.

Persons: Pope Francis, Cardinal Michael Czerny, Francis, “, ”, Regina Coeli, Vincenzo Pinto, Juan Manuel Santos, Santos, Alessandra Tarantino, L'Osservatore Romano, VINCENZO PINTO, Simon Bar Sabbae, Pope, FILIPPO MONTEFORTE, Karekin, TIZIANA FABI, Giuseppe Ciccia, MAX, Pope Francis tries, Pope Benedict XVI, Alessandro Di Meo, Evo Morales, OSSERVATORE ROMANO, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Federico Lombardi, Lombardi, Gregorio Borgia, Getty Pope Francis, Raul Castro, Castro, GABRIEL BOUYS, ANDREAS SOLARO, Kurukkal SivaSri, Mahadeva, Pope Francis in, Eranga, Franco Origlia, Bartholomew I, Gokhan Tan, San Gregorio Magno, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh, Oli Scarff, Barack Obama, SAUL LOEB, Santa Sabina, Max ROSSI, Daniele De Sanctis, Pope Francis ', FABIO FRUSTACI, Benedict XVI, Benedict, L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO, Osservatore Romano Pope Francis, Vinicio Riva, Riva, CLAUDIO PERI, Rainbow Association Marco Iagulli Onlus, Fotografia, Father Don Renzo Zocca, Osservatore Romano, LUCA ZENNARO, Jorge Saenz, Dan Kitwood, Jesus, Internationalis Paulus VI, Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Roman Catholic Church's, Peter Macdiarmid, Pope Francis Prev, it’s, He’s, Filippo Monteforte, Donald Trump’s, Czerny, Trump, Donald Trump, Melania, Evan Vucci, Reuters “, ” Cardinal Czerny, Cardinal Czerny, doesn’t, Francis ’, “ Jesus Organizations: CNN, Getty Images, Colombian, Revolutionary Armed Forces, International Catholic Rural Association, Vatican, AFP, Getty, Catholic Chaldean, St, Mercy, ARIS MESSINIS, MAX ROSSI, Getty Images Bolivian, Cuban, Sunday, Queen, getty, Rainbow Association, Renault, Catholic, Roman Catholic, Intelligence, Warner Bros, Discovery, “, Republican, Reuters Locations: St, AFP, Colombia, Rome, Tbilisi , Georgia, Auschwitz, Birkenau, Poland, Etchmiadzin, Yerevan, Armenia, Vatican City, Moria, Lesbos, Peter's, Mexican, Havana, Cuba, Mexico, Santa Cruz , Bolivia, South America, Ecuador, Paraguay, La Paz, Bolivia, Italian, Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, Havana and Washington, Vatican, Pope Francis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Istanbul, Italy's Calabria, Jerusalem's Old City, Argentina, Roman Parish, San, Rome's, Santa, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Argentine, America, Gaza, Nove, Lampedusa, Italy, Ciampino, Czechoslovakia, Canada, United States, Africa

☆ 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

☆ How the three-year cruise fell apart
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

CNN —In April 2023, George Fox was gearing up for the adventure of a lifetime: a three-year cruise taking him around the world. The high hopes and eventual failure of the Life at Sea cruise reads a bit like a Greek tragedy. When Miray objected, he resigned, along with much of his team, and told passengers the cruise was off. When the cruise was canceled in November, Bayramoğlu told passengers that only 111 cabins were booked. On October 24, Miray’s PR spokesperson told CNN that the departure date had been moved to November 30.

Persons: CNN —, George Fox, “, ”, ‘, Miray, who’d, Meredith Shay, Shay, she’d, Jenny Phenix, I’d, Mikael Petterson, Petterson, “ I’ve, Ethem, Miray’s, “ Vedat, ’ ”, Vedat, Cruises, hadn’t, Kendra Holmes –, –, Petterson –, they’d, Bayramoğlu, Sharon Lane, she’s, ” Shay, ” Holmes, Marit Hommedal, NTB Scanpix, Noel Hansen, Kendra Holmes, Hansen, ’ ” Hansen, ’ Rebecca Varner, Lorna Bolduc, Rebecca Varner, Holmes, Bonnie Kelter, Kelter, Varner, Ugurlu, Phenix, “ I’m, couldn’t, ’ George Fox, he'd, Bolduc, Miray’s Bayramoğlu, ” Miray, who’s, ” Hansen Organizations: CNN, Fox, Miray Cruises, Cruises, Passengers, Gemini, Carnival, Facebook, Life, Getty, US Foreign Service, ‘, Miray’s, ”, Miray Locations: Istanbul, ’, Turkey, Florida, Germany, Bayramoğlu, Petterson, AFP, Clermont , Florida, Costa Rica, New Jersey, Maine, that’s, Miami, Europe, Ecuador, Southern Florida

☆ 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

☆ 3-Year Cruise Passengers Seek Fraud Charges Over Cancellation
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Ceylan Yeginsu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

By now, they were supposed to be well into the first leg of the three-year Life at Sea cruise, sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Punta Arenas in Chilean Patagonia. On Tuesday, 78 would-be Life at Sea passengers sent a letter to Markenzy Lapointe, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, asking him to investigate whether Miray, a Turkish cruise company, defrauded them out of millions of dollars. They claim that the company collected an estimated $16 million and used it toward a deposit to acquire a new ship that it did not end up purchasing. Dozens of passengers quit their jobs, sold their homes and withdrew their life savings to pay for what promised to be the adventure of a lifetime: a cruise with 382 ports of call over 1,095 days. But in late November, just days before the cruise was scheduled to depart, the voyage was canceled because Miray had failed to acquire a suitable ship.

Persons: Markenzy Lapointe, Mr, Lapointe, Miray Organizations: Punta Arenas, Southern, Southern District of Locations: Ushuaia, Argentina, Punta, Chilean Patagonia, Istanbul, Ecuador, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Turkish

☆ Organized Crime Prosecutor in Ecuador's Guayas Killed-AG's Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean prosecutor Cesar Suarez, who focused on pursuing organized trans-national crime in Guayas province, one of the country's most violent areas and the site of an on-air attack on a television station last week, has been killed, the attorney general said on Wednesday. In response President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency, including a nighttime curfew, and designated 22 criminal groups as terrorist organizations. "The criminals, the terrorists, will not hold back our commitment to Ecuadorean society," attorney general Diana Salazar said in a video posted to social media. "We call on the forces of order to guarantee the security of those who are carrying out their duties." Her office was conducting a preliminary investigation at the site of the killing, Salazar said, expressing her grief for Suarez's family but giving no further details about the crime.

Persons: Cesar Suarez, Daniel Noboa, Diana Salazar, Salazar, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb Organizations: TC Television Locations: QUITO, Guayas province, Ecuador, Guayaquil

☆ Cesar Suarez: Ecuadorean prosecutor investigating TV station attack has been assassinated, attorney general says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Tara John | Abel Alvarado | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An Ecuadorean prosecutor, who was reportedly leading an investigation into an attack on a local TV network, was assassinated on Wednesday in Guayaquil, according to Ecuador’s Attorney General Diana Salazar. Cesar Suarez was killed in the northern part of the city, known for being one of the most violent cities in the country. The TV station attack led Noboa to declare an “internal armed conflict” in the country, ordering security forces to “neutralize” several criminal groups accused of spreading extreme violence in the Latin American nation. Since then, Ecuadorian military and police have spread throughout the city of Guayaquil, a CNN team on the ground witnessed. This comes as rival criminal organizations fuel Ecuador’s worsening security situation in their battle to control drug trafficking routes.

Persons: Diana Salazar, Cesar Suarez, Salazar, Suarez, “, ” Salazar, ”, Daniel Noboa, Adolfo “ Fito ” Macias, Oliver, Noboa, “ Leo Organizations: CNN, Ecuavisa, TC Television, United, Ecuadorian, Ecuador’s Armed Forces Locations: Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuadorian, Ecuador, Fito, Mexico, United States, Sinaloa, Colombia, Los Tiguerones, Victoria del, “, Peru, Europe

Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesDemocrats are also encouraged by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz eking out reelection in 2018 by less than 3 percentage points over Democrat Beto O'Rourke. In Florida, meanwhile, Republican Sen. Rick Scott won his seat that year by around 10,000 votes out of 8.1-plus million cast. In Texas, Democratic Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas will have to overcome primary challenger Roland Gutierrez, a state senator from San Antonio, before he can take on Cruz. “Just 'cause they’re the best options they have doesn’t mean they're winnable, doesn't mean they're competitive,” said Texas Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak. National Republicans are eying Ohio, where Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown was first elected in 2006, and Montana's Jon Tester, also a three-term Democratic incumbent.

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☆ Ecuador Cracks Down on Prisons to Restore Order After Hostage Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's police and military on Sunday were aiming to restore order inside the country's dangerous prisons where dozens of staff were held hostage by inmates amid an uptick in violence in the Andean nation. Images on social media shared by Ecuadorean armed forces showed shirtless prisoners on their knees with hands on their heads as armed soldiers entered the seven jails that were the scenes of a hostage crisis that ended Saturday evening. Security forces were conducting searches and regaining control of the prisons, the military said. We are doing so in a very calm manner," Norman Cano, police chief at the Esmeraldas prison, said on social media. The hostages, which the SNAI prison agency previously said were 158 guards and 20 administrative staffers, were held since last Monday in at least seven prisons before they were freed.

Persons: Norman Cano, Daniel Noboa's, Alexandra Valencia, Cassandra Garrison, Mark Porter Organizations: Security Locations: QUITO

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