International
Up to 13 hours of power cuts in Ecuador due to severe drought
Ecuador lives this Thursday with power cuts of up to 13 hours, a measure caused by the reduction of hydroelectric energy generated due to the drought and that led the Government to ask, without much success, that working hours be suspended.
The reservoirs register alarming storage levels on the eve of the holding of a binding referendum on the measures proposed by President Daniel Noboa to try to tackle the growing violence linked to drug trafficking.
The movement in the large urban transport stations of Quito was the usual one, despite the Government’s request. The buses left for several points in the capital, bypassing the lack of traffic lights in some sectors, where the electricity service had been suspended.
The cuts began on Sunday without warning, for shorter periods, but they have been getting longer with the passage of the days.
“Yesterday I was taken from eight to eleven (in the morning) and it is the time it takes to work. Today with eight hours (of suspension) it will be worse, it affects us a lot,” Segundo Guacho tells AFP.
The 45-year-old man owns a computer rental business in downtown Quito and maintains that in three days he has lost about $200 in income due to the interruption of the service.
The Executive suspended the working day in the public and private sectors on Thursday and Friday, as well as classes, after announcing that the Mazar (the most important) and Paute reservoirs, both in the south of the Andean area, are in “critical conditions” by registering storage levels of 0% and 4%, respectively.
The flow rate in the largest hydroelectric power plant, Coca Codo Sinclair (northern Amazon), with the capacity to generate 1,500 MW of power to cover 30% of national demand, is 60% of the historical average.
International
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.
International
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.
International
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.
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.
-
International4 days agoJamaica faces widespread destruction as hurricane Melissa hits the island
-
International1 day agoHurricane Melissa kills over 30, leaves thousands displaced in the Caribbean
-
International5 days agoColombian president Gustavo Petro denies alleged ties to criminal networks
-
International3 days agoMelissa leaves path of destruction in Caribbean, 735,000 evacuated in Cuba
-
International5 days agoMexican journalist reporting on drug cartels killed in Durango
-
Central America4 days agoNew dismembered bodies found in San Juan river days after mass killing in Palencia
-
Central America4 days agoFour guatemalan soldiers arrested for stealing weapons from Northern Air Command
-
International2 days agoHurricane Melissa leaves Jamaican residents homeless as recovery efforts begin
-
Central America4 days agoArévalo accuses Porras and judge of undermining democracy in Guatemala
-
Central America5 days agoEl Salvador cracks down on narcotics: 24 tons confiscated in major anti-drug operation
-
International3 days agoArgentina’s Milei opens dialogue with parties to push “Second-Generation Reforms”
-
International1 day agoU.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
-
International2 days agoUS Deputy Secretary criticizes Mexico’s call to end Cuba trade embargo at UN
-
International2 days agoVenezuela warns citizens who call for invasion risk losing nationality
-
Central America5 days agoEl Salvador’s FGR prosecutes 89,875 gang members under state of exception
-
International2 days agoBrazilian president defends coordinated anti-drug operations after deadly Rio raid
-
International2 days agoTrump orders immediate U.S. nuclear testing, ending 30-year moratorium
-
International1 day agoTrump sets historic low refugee cap at 7,500, prioritizes white South Africans
-
International2 days agoMexico advances continental shelf claims at UN Commission in New York
-
International1 day agoU.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
-
International7 hours agoFloods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
-
International2 days agoSimeón Pérez Marroquín, ‘El Viejo,’ detained for role in Miguel Uribe Turbay assassination plot
-
International1 day agoUNICEF: Over 700,000 children affected by Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean
-
International1 day agoPope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
-
International7 hours agoFBI foils ISIS-Inspired attack in Michigan, arrests five teens



























