The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, denounced an alleged “sabotage” and asked for an investigation into the power cuts generated since last weekend in different parts of the country, in the face of the impossibility of meeting all the national demand.
“We have initiated an investigation for sabotage, because, in certain areas, in certain power plants, there has been sabotage. We are not going to allow that to happen, and they do it miserable the last week before a popular consultation because they know that they had it lost,” he said without mentioning any name of possible perpetrators.
Noboa added that they have declared the country’s energy sector in an “emergency” and said that he has requested the resignation of the Minister of Energy and Mines, Andrea Arrobo, who last Friday had assured that there would be no blackouts in the short term despite pointing out that the largest reservoir in the country was at its minimum level.
“This investigation is not going to rest, we have already submitted (the complaint to) the Prosecutor’s Office,” he said, adding that “every person involved will be considered, not only a traitor to the homeland, but a threat to national security.”
The ruler added: “No one is going to ‘count’ me (tell a story) in the last second that we have to give five hours of blackout to (the province of) Guayas. We are not going to give more blackouts this week,” he said without mentioning whether the decision applies only to Guayas, whose capital is the port city of Guayaquil, or to the whole country.
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“To counteract the actions of these miserable people, we will cover 50% of the electricity sheet of the homes of the month of April,” he said amid the applause of the attendees of a scholarship ceremony.
The ruler opined that there are those who “today want to deceive Ecuador into saying that we are not prepared for this fight, that we are not prepared to face narco-terrorism.”
“But here, forcefully, with courage, we will not give rest to any of these criminals, nor to the politicians, nor to the former officials, nor to the former presidents, nor to any of these terrorists who today want to end the hope of our youth and the Ecuadorian family,” he added.
His adversaries, he said, take advantage of the needs of the most vulnerable “to see if they turn around a popular consultation that Ecuador requested and that Ecuador is going to vote ‘Yes’.”
More than 13 million Ecuadorians are called to the polls next Sunday to vote in a referendum on security, justice and employment issues.
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Among the questions are the possibility of the military permanently supporting the Police in the control of the security of the country and the extradition of Ecuadorians required by the Justice of other countries, among other issues such as the recognition of international arbitrations in any jurisdiction and hourly labor contracts.
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in central Vietnam has risen to 28, with six people reported missing and 43 injured, local newspaper VnExpress reported Friday night.
More than 22,100 homes remain flooded, primarily in the cities of Hue and Da Nang. Floods and landslides have destroyed or swept away 91 houses and damaged another 181, the report added.
Around 245,000 households are still without electricity, particularly in Da Nang, where over 225,000 homes are affected.
Additionally, 80 stretches of national highways are blocked or disrupted due to landslides. Authorities expect the flooding to continue for another day or two in the region.
FBI foils ISIS-Inspired attack in Michigan, arrests five teens
Kash Patel did not provide further details, but police sources told CBS News that the potential attack was “inspired” by the Islamic State (ISIS).
“This morning, the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested several individuals in Michigan who were allegedly planning a violent attack during the Halloween weekend,” Patel wrote on X.
“Thanks to swift action and close coordination with our local partners, a possible terrorist act was prevented before it could be carried out,” he added.
CBS reported that five people between the ages of 16 and 20 were arrested on Friday. At least one of them was reportedly acquainted with a former member of the Michigan National Guard, who was arrested in May for plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on a U.S. military facility in the Detroit suburbs.
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed concerns over China’s growing military activity near Taiwan during a meeting on Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Kuala Lumpur.
“It was a constructive and positive meeting,” Hegseth wrote on X. “I emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and raised U.S. concerns about China’s actions around Taiwan,” the self-governed island that Beijing claims and does not rule out invading.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea. According to Trump, Taiwan was not discussed during their talks.
“The United States does not seek conflict and will continue to firmly defend its interests, ensuring it maintains the capability to do so in the region,” Hegseth added in his message.
Friday’s encounter followed a September 9 video call between Hegseth and Dong. Their previously planned meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was canceled due to Dong’s absence from the event.
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Trump’s sit-down with Xi — their first since 2019 — resulted in some trade agreements but avoided addressing the issue of Taiwan, a long-standing source of tension between the world’s two largest powers.
Trump has taken a more ambiguous stance on Taiwan’s future compared with former President Joe Biden, who repeatedly stated that Washington would support Taipei if China launched an invasion. The Republican president has also criticized Taiwan for “stealing” the U.S. semiconductor industry.
