International

Ecuador’s prison population exceeds 31,000 inmates

Photo: PL

June 30 |

Ecuador’s prison population currently stands at 31,321 people in 36 detention centers, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC).

The results of the census carried out by this institution and published by the Government, indicate that there are 29,356 men and 1,965 women in the penitentiaries, most of them between 30 and 44 years of age.

The study also revealed that around half of Ecuadorian inmates have only a basic education and only 7.7 percent have higher education.

Of the prisoners who have already received sentences, the majority were charged with drug trafficking-related crimes, followed by theft, homicide or murder, rape and carrying weapons.

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

Ten percent of those in prison (3,245) are foreigners, mostly Colombians, Venezuelans and Peruvians.

The numbers disclosed indicate a reduction in overcrowding, since the capacity of the prisons is 29 thousand people, i.e. there are four percent more inmates, a figure that reached 28 percent in 2021.

The INEC census was carried out between August and December last year, a process that was interrupted on several occasions due to the massacres and riots that occurred in different prisons in the country.

Ecuador’s prison system is experiencing a crisis that has worsened in the last three years with massacres that have left more than 400 dead.

These violent clashes are due, in the authorities’ opinion, to the power dispute between criminal gangs within the prisons, a conflict that has also taken to the streets.

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.