Ecuador approves measure regulating abortion for rape cases
Ecuadorian legislators approved a measure Thursday setting regulations for terminating pregnancies resulting from rape, following a Constitutional Court ruling that decriminalized such abortions. Previously, Ecuador allowed abortions only when a woman's life was endangered by pregnancy. The Constitutional Court ruled last April that abortions in rape cases must be decriminalized, but left it to the legislature to implement regulations.
news.yahoo.comEye Opener: A stark warning from President Biden to Vladimir Putin over Russia’s threat to Ukraine
President Biden issued a stark warning to Vladimir Putin over the Russian threat of an invasion in Ukraine. Also, daily COVID-19 deaths have reached their highest numbers in nearly a year. All that and all that matters in today’s Eye Opener.
news.yahoo.comBattle among Ecuador prison gangs kills at least 68 inmates
Ecuador Prison EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - The body of a prisoner lies next to police on the roof of the Litoral penitentiary the morning after riots broke out inside the jail in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. The killing erupted before dawn at the prison in the coastal city of Guayaquil in what officials said was the latest outbreak of fighting among prison gangs linked to international drug cartels. The bloodshed came less than two months after fighting among gangs killed 119 people at the prison, which houses more than 8,000 inmates. The bloody fighting inside Litoral prison that killed 119 inmates in late September was described by authorities as the South American country’s worst ever prison massacre. Arosemena said authorities in Ecuador will deal with the prison overcrowding by granting pardons, relocating inmates and transferring some foreign inmates back to their homelands.
wftv.comEcuador battle between prison gangs leaves at least 58 dead
(AP Photo/Jose Sanchez) (Jose Sanchez)QUITO, Ecuador — (AP) — A prolonged gun battle between rival gangs inside Ecuador’s largest prison early Saturday left at least 58 inmates dead in the latest violence to hit the Litoral Penitentiary, which recently saw the country’s worst prison bloodbath. The fighting lasted for almost eight hours in the lockup in the coastal city of Guayaquil and authorities attributed the fighting to prison gangs linked to international drug cartels. In late September, a battle among gang members in Litoral prison killed at least 118 people in what authorities described as the South American country’s worst prison massacre. Outside the Litoral prison on Saturday, relatives of inmates gathered for news of their loved ones. According to prison services’ data, the Litoral prison was designed to hold only 5,000 people.
wftv.comPolice: Ecuadorian prison clash leaves at least 52 dead
Videos circulating on social media purporting to be from inside the prison showed bodies, some burned, lying on the ground. The prison violence comes amid a national state of emergency decreed by President Guillermo Lasso in October that empowers security forces to fight drug trafficking and other crimes. Ecuador’s penitentiaries are seeing a wave of brutal violence authorities attribute to prison gangs linked to international drug cartels fighting for control. In late September, a battle among gang members in Litoral prison killed at least 118 people and injured 79 in what authorities described as the South American country’s worst prison massacre. Outside the Litoral prison on Saturday, relatives of inmates gathered for news of their loved ones.
wftv.comThe Latest: COP26: Ecuador vows to expand Galapagos reserve
Climate COP26 Summit Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso delivers his message during the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Experts says oceans are particularly vulnerable to climate change and the Galapagos Islands are considered one of the world’s biodiversity jewels. They have been bonded by years of Zoom calls and collaboration in the fight against climate change. Christian pastors have joined forces with Native American tribes to protect their hurricane-prone coastal lands as climate change contributes to rising sea levels. Biden is attending a U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, for a second and final day Tuesday.
wftv.comOlympic sprinter Alex Quiñónez fatally shot in Ecuador
Ecuador-Sprinter Killed FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2019. file photo, Alex Quiñónez, of Ecuador, gestures after a men's 200 meter heat at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. Olympic sprinter Alex Quiñónez was fatally shot in the port city of Guayaquil in Ecuador on Friday night, Oct. 22, 2021, police said. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) (Petr David Josek)GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — (AP) — Ecuadorian sprinter Alex Quiñónez was fatally shot in the port city of Guayaquil, police said early Saturday. Quiñónez's death was also confirmed by the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee Olympic Committee in a statement on Saturday. Andrea Sotomayor, the secretary general of the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee, expressed her sorrow and outrage on Twitter, decrying “so much evil."
wftv.comEcuador declares prison emergency after 116 killed in riot
Ecuador Prison Violence Women hug while waiting for some information about their relatives who are inmates at Litoral Penitentiary, after a prison riot, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Wednesday, September 29, 2021. The authorities report at least 100 dead and 52 injured in the riot on Tuesday at the prison. Ecuador's president said that care points had been set up for relatives of the inmates with food and psychological support. In July, the president decreed another state of emergency in Ecuador’s prison system following several violent episodes that resulted in more than 100 inmates being killed. In July, 22 more prisoners lost their lives in the Litoral penitentiary, while in September a penitentiary center was attacked by drones leaving no fatalities.
wftv.comAt least 116 dead in gang battle at Ecuador jail; 5 beheaded
APTOPIX Ecuador Prison Violence A relative of an inmate awaits news outside the Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Wednesday, September 29, 2021. The authorities report at least 100 dead and 52 injured in a riot on Tuesday in the prison. President Guillermo Lasso decreed a state of emergency in Ecuador's prison system, allowing the government to deploy the police and soldiers to penitentiaries among other powers. He added that a $24 million program to address the country's prisons will be accelerated, starting with investments in infrastructure and technology in the Litoral prison. In July, 22 more prisoners lost their lives in the Litoral penitentiary, while in September a penitentiary center was attacked by drones leaving no fatalities.
wftv.comEcuador president decrees emergency in prisons after clashes
Ecuador Prison Violence People wait outside Litoral Penitentiary for news of their incarcerated family members after deadly fights inside the jail in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Thursday, July 22, 2021. Rival gangs of inmates fought in two prisons in Ecuador, killing at least 18 people and injuring dozens, authorities said Thursday. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) (Dolores Ochoa)QUITO, Ecuador — (AP) — Ecuador's president declared a state of emergency Thursday in the country's prisons following fighting between rival gangs that killed 22 inmates and injured dozens. Riots and deadly clashes in prisons in Ecuador are relatively frequent. In February, fighting in Ecuadorian prisons killed about 80 prisoners.
wftv.comFormer banker Guillermo Lasso becomes president in Ecuador
Ecuador Presidential Inauguration Ecuador's new President Guillermo Lasso wears the presidential sash after his inauguration ceremony outside the National Assembly in Quito, Ecuador, Monday, May 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) (Dolores Ochoa)QUITO, Ecuador — (AP) — Former banker Guillermo Lasso was sworn in as president of Ecuador on Monday, saying he will escalate efforts to vaccinate people to protect them from COVID-19 and work to revive an economy hit hard by the pandemic. “It will not be a government that only promises,″ said 65-year-old Lasso, who was elected in April in his third run for the presidency, replacing President Lenín Moreno. In the runoff election, Lasso defeated Andrés Arauz, a protégé of former President Rafael Correa who governed Ecuador from 2007 through 2017. His inauguration was attended by dignitaries including Spanish King Felipe VI, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and the president of Haiti, Jovenel Moise.
wftv.comEcuador goes with conservative banker in presidential vote
Voters in Ecuador appear to have turned to a conservative businessman in their presidential runoff election, rebuffing a leftist movement that has held the presidency for over a decade while ushering in an economic boom and then a yearslong recession.
Ecuador looks to runoff vote for president in April
It remains undecided which of the two has the votes to advance to the run-off race in April to face frontrunner Andres Arauz. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)QUITO – Final results from a Feb. 7 presidential election in Ecuador confirmed that former banker Guillermo Lasso came second behind leading candidate Andrés Arauz, meaning the two will contest a runoff vote in April, election officials said Sunday. Pérez alleged fraud after the results that indicated he had fallen just short of defeating Lasso and making it to the runoff. The council “may declare fraudulent electoral results, but the true results are in the hearts of Ecuadorians who supported a new political project that reflects the dreams of a dignified and honest Ecuador,” Pérez tweeted. Indigenous communities led protests in October 2019 that forced Ecuador’s government to back down on a move to end fuel subsidies.
Leftist leads in early returns for Ecuador presidential vote
(AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)QUITO – A young leftist backed by a convicted-but-popular former president led the field of 16 candidates in early returns from Ecuador’s presidential election Sunday, which was held under strict sanitary measures due to the coronavirus pandemic. Arauz got 31.5% of the votes, while Pérez had 20.04% and Lasso had 19.97%, according to the Electoral Council of Ecuador. To win outright, a candidate needed 50% of the vote, or to have at least 40% with a 10-point lead over the closest opponent. Pérez's challenge to grab second place surprised some observers as he had trailed behind Arauz and Lasso in pre-election polls. That conviction barred him from running as Arauz's vice presidential candidate.
Ecuador to pick new president amid deepening economic crisis
Supporters of presidential candidate Yaku Perez, representing the Indigenous party Pachakutik, take part in a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. Voters in Ecuador are heading to the polls to pick a new president amid a deepening economic crisis exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)QUITO – Evidence of the crisis in Ecuador is everywhere: shuttered restaurants, soaring oxygen tank prices and countless “for sale” and “for rent” signs hanging from buildings. Jaramillo said the top two challenges for Ecuador’s next president go hand in hand: A proper vaccination campaign of the majority of the population will be necessary to start the country’s economic recovery. The pandemic paralyzed 70% of businesses last year and left 600,000 unemployed, bringing the country’s unemployment rate to almost 68%.