International
Ecuador government drops fuel prices following protest deal
AFP
Ecuador’s government on Friday reduced fuel prices as part of a deal that ended more than two weeks of disruptive protests paralyzing the country.
The reduction came after thousands of Indigenous protesters left the capital Quito on Thursday evening after their leaders signed the agreement with the government to end 18 days of cost-of-living demonstrations.
Following mediation by the Catholic Church, the government agreed to drop fuel prices by 15 cents. On Friday, a gallon of gasoline dropped from $2.55 to $2.40 and diesel fell from $1.90 to $1.75.
Fast-rising fuel prices were the catalyst for the protests called by the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) and marked by burning roadblocks and sometimes violent clashes with the security forces.
Five civilians and a soldier died in the protests that started on June 13, hundreds were injured on both sides, and some 150 people were arrested.
Some 10,000 Indigenous protesters had congregated in Quito from their homes in Andean and Amazon regions for the protests.
On Thursday night, they began boarding trucks and buses adorned with Ecuador flags and the Wiphala, the colorful Indigenous flag.
Thursday’s deal included an end to the disruptive countrywide roadblocks and the lifting of a state of emergency in four of the country’s 24 provinces.
It also provides for a review of government decrees on oil exploitation and mining in Indigenous lands.
These 18 days amounted to the longest period of social action launched by Conaie, which is credited with unseating three presidents between 1997 and 2005.
Indigenous people make up more than a million of the South American nation’s 17.7 million inhabitants.
International
Trump says Venezuela is ‘feeling the heat’ amid U.S. anti-drug operations in the Caribbean
President Donald Trump said he believes Venezuela is “feeling the heat” as his administration intensifies its military campaign against alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean — operations that have resulted in the destruction of at least two boats over the past week.
While Trump has stated that the missions aim to curb the flow of narcotics into the United States, analysts and several lawmakers argue that the operations have a broader political goal: to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down.
“The Trump administration is likely trying to force Maduro to voluntarily relinquish power through a combination of diplomatic moves and now military action — or the threat of it,” said Brandon Buck, a foreign policy analyst at the Cato Institute, in an email to Fox News Digital. “Whether that amounts to ‘regime change’ or something else is largely a matter of semantics.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly stated that it does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state, describing him instead as the leader of a drug cartel. In August, Washington raised its bounty for information leading to Maduro’s capture to $50 million, calling him “one of the world’s most notorious drug traffickers.”
So far, U.S. officials have remained tight-lipped when questioned about potential plans targeting Maduro. On Wednesday, Trump declined to say whether the CIA had the authority to “eliminate” the Venezuelan leader.
International
U.S.-Colombia Tensions Escalate as Trump Ends Subsidies, Criticizes Petro
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday accused his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, of tolerating drug production and announced that the United States will end “large-scale payments and subsidies” to the South American nation.
The relationship between the two historically allied countries has reached a low point with the arrival of Trump in office and Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president in history, assuming power.
“As of today, these payments, or any other form of payment or subsidies, will no longer be made,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that Petro is “strongly encouraging mass drug production.”
In response, Petro took to X (formerly Twitter), claiming that the U.S. president is “misled” by his advisors. He added, “I recommend Trump carefully read about Colombia and distinguish where the drug traffickers are and where the Democrats are.”
Last month, Washington revoked Colombia’s status as a key ally in the fight against narcotrafficking, a certification that had previously enabled the country to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid.
International
María Corina Machado: “Venezuela is closer than ever to regaining freedom”
Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado declared on Friday that Venezuela is facing “the most decisive moment in its contemporary history” and that the country is “closer than ever to regaining freedom and democracy.”
Her remarks were delivered via video message during the 81st General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Machado emphasized that the situation in Venezuela remains “extremely serious” due to censorship and repression imposed by Nicolás Maduro’s regime, particularly in a global context where “society is built on information.”
She warned that authoritarian governments manipulate public opinion through “psychological warfare” and disinformation, while shutting down media outlets and persecuting journalists.
“The only way to topple these regimes is through the constant, relentless, and unrestricted preaching of the truth. It is absolutely true that the truth will set us free,” she stated.
Trump says Venezuela is ‘feeling the heat’ amid U.S. anti-drug operations in the Caribbean
U.S.-Colombia Tensions Escalate as Trump Ends Subsidies, Criticizes Petro
María Corina Machado: “Venezuela is closer than ever to regaining freedom”
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International3 days agoMillions to join “No Kings” march in U.S. amid Trump’s growing authoritarian backlash
-
International2 days agoMaría Corina Machado: “Venezuela is closer than ever to regaining freedom”
-
Central America3 days agoEnvironmental groups denounce Nicaragua’s mining deals as ‘ecocide’ in protected areas
-
International4 days agoPetro expresses concern over fatal shooting during mass protests in Lima
-
Central America4 days agoNicaragua grants 2,500-hectare mining concession to chinese firm in protected region
-
International4 days agoPeru’s interim president José Jerí refuses to resign after protester’s death in Lima
-
Central America4 days agoPanama’s president accuses U.S. Embassy official of visa threats amid China tensions
-
International22 hours ago
U.S.-Colombia Tensions Escalate as Trump Ends Subsidies, Criticizes Petro
-
International3 hours agoTrump says Venezuela is ‘feeling the heat’ amid U.S. anti-drug operations in the Caribbean