Only hours after Ecuadorian voters approved sweeping new anti-crime measures, police announced the capture of the fugitive leader of one of the country’s most powerful criminal gangs. Fabricio Colón Pico, leader of Los Lobos, had been on the run since escaping prison in early January and was included among the country’s “most wanted” men. Fabricio Colón Pico Officials said they had traced 44-year-old Colón Pico, who had dyed his hair in an attempt to allude capture, to the town of Puerto Quito in western Pichincha Province. Colón Pico had been accused of plotting to kill Attorney General Dia ..read more

Ecuador’s new Energy Minister Roberto Luque said Saturday that electric power blackouts will resume Monday but suggested blackout periods may be reduced. In two Saturday interviews, Luque blamed the crisis on “rare and extraordinary climatic conditions” but said “ineffective communication and possibly incompetence” led to a lack of preparation. The Mazar hydroelectric plant on the Paute River. “We understand citizen indignation for the suddenness of the crisis and also for the posting of incorrect schedules and we are working to correct this,” he said. He added that scheduling of blackouts r ..read more

With most of the votes counted, Ecuadorians have overwhelmingly supported President Daniel Noboa’s referendum measures to fight crime in Sunday’s referendum, particularly ones that allow the armed forces to assist the police. On the other hand, voters rejected two unrelated questions, signaling they are not willing to give the president a blank check. The questions that passed will allow the armed forces to provide support to the National Police; and allow the armed forces to carry out controls on roadways and in public institutions of weapons, ammunition, explosives. Other questions that pass ..read more

By Michelle Cohan In 1960, on the banks of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, one young British woman would set out to change what we know about primates forever. Jane Goodall, in 1960, searching an African forest for chimpanzees. Jane Goodall defied conventional scientific methods by immersing herself in the jungle, which led to groundbreaking discoveries about chimpanzees; most notably that they use tools, are omnivores and that they are socially complex beings. More than six decades later, her unorthodox field work – and her conservation efforts – are still celebrated around the world. Today, the ..read more

President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day national emergency Friday aimed at “managing the commotion and public calamity” of Ecuador’s electricity crisis. “Current conditions require urgent state intervention to protect and guarantee electricity service to citizens,” the government said in a statement. Friday’s rain helped replenish rivers and reservoirs near hydroelectric plants but much more is needed, officials say. The new emergency expands and extends the emergency declared on Monday, which the presidential news office said was “narrow and technical in nature.” Since Sunday night, power ..read more

The manager of the Rio Paute-Mazar hydroelectric complex in eastern Azuay Province is disputing a claim that the release of water at the Mazar reservoir was an act of sabotage. “This information is incorrect and no actions were taken at Mazar to disrupt electric generation,” Jose Gomez of Celec Sur said Thursday. “All procedures at the complex are intended to increase production.” Earlier in the day, National Communication Secretary Roberto Izurieta told a reporter that he believed water was intentionally released at the Mazar reservoir in an “act of sabotage” to damage the country’s power sup ..read more

By Juana Casas Latin American nations must be on high alert as the weather phenomenon known as El Niño rapidly switches over to La Niña, experts said on Thursday, leaving populations and crops little time to recover. A fisherman stands on the shore of the Magdalena River, the longest and most important river in Colombia, in March in the city of Honda. El Niño and its usually abundant rains could soon turn into droughts caused by La Niña as well as an intense hurricane season across South America, experts said at a panel organized by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO ..read more

By Dana G. Smith According to some estimates, consumers spend $62 billion a year on “anti-aging” treatments. But while creams, hair dyes and Botox can give the impression of youth, none of them can roll back the hands of time. Scientists are working to understand the biological causes of aging in the hope of one day being able to offer tools to slow or stop its visible signs and, more important, age-related diseases. These underlying mechanisms are often called “the hallmarks of aging.” Many fall into two broad categories: general wear and tear on a cellular level, and the body’s decreasing ab ..read more

The government has ordered a “work holiday” Thursday and Friday as part of the national energy emergency. According to acting Energy Minister Roberto Luque, the suspension of public and private working hours will allow the government to impose longer blackout periods to make repairs in hydroelectric power generation equipment. All public and private school classes will also be suspended. Cuenca’s Rio Tomebamba shows the effects of prolonged drought. Luque said the blackouts will total an average of eight hours on Thursday and Friday and could be longer in some areas. He added that earlier st ..read more

Miércoles, 17/4/2024 Hola, Todos – Actividades – Presentación de libro — There will be a book launch of “Los recicladores” by José Luis Crespo el jueves, 18/4 a las 18:30 in the Salón del Pueblo Efraín Jara Idrovo (Sucre y Benigno Malo). Free. Taller de danza Shuar – The FIDAF Ecuador will hold a Shuar dance workshop taught by Jimmy Chamik el jueves, 18/4 from 18:30 – 20:00 in th Sala de Ensayos of the Casa de la Cultura (Pres. Córdova 7-89, 4th floor.) Cost: $5.00. Despite the country’s energy emergency, preparations of Sunday’s national referendum continue in Cuenca and throughout the count ..read more