International
60% of participation ninety minutes before the closing of the vote in Ecuador
60% participation in the referendum was reported this Sunday by the National Electoral Council (CNE) ninety minutes before the polling stations were closed in Ecuador, where the day took place with “tranquility” until the murder of the director of a prison was recorded.
The percentage was confirmed by the president of the CNE, Diana Atamaint, in the second report on the electoral process to which more than 13.6 million Ecuadorians are summoned to answer eleven questions related to security, justice, investment and employment.
Atamaint publicly invited the population to come to vote because “the country needs them,” he said in a public appearance.
This vote will be a turning point for Noboa, who plays in it the high popularity achieved in the first months of his mandate by having elevated the fight against criminal gangs to the category of “internal armed conflict.”
During the opening ceremony of the day, Noboa remarked that this referendum “will mark the direction of the challenge to face organized crime, the fight against corruption and job creation.”
“Today is our time to make history, to mark a before and after,” said Noboa, for whom “this consultation collects several political flags.”
The referendum is held at one of the most delicate moments for Noboa in the nearly five months he has been in power, with an international diplomatic crisis due to the assault on the Mexican Embassy to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas and with an internal energy crisis with blackouts of up to eight hours a day this week.
In case of winning the plebiscite, Noboa will be reinforced with a view to the new general elections that will take place in less than ten months and where the president evaluates running for re-election, but if he loses he can be weakened for the remainder of his mandate, until May 2025.
Criminal violence has also rebounded in the week of the referendum with the murder of two mayors in rural towns in whose territories there is the presence of illegal mining, an activity in which organized crime has also incursion, which has drug trafficking as its main business.
Among the eleven questions there are five that imply changes in the 2008 Constitution approved during the presidential term of Rafael Correa (2007-2017), while the remaining six must be processed through the National Assembly (Parliament), in case of receiving the support of the population.
Most propose legal tools to strengthen the fight against organized crime, which is attributed the wave of violence that has led the country to be among the first in Latin America in homicides, with about 45 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023.
Therefore, he proposes that the Armed Forces support the Police in operations against organized crime on a permanent basis, and that the military be in charge of controlling access to prisons, the epicenter of this crisis having been dominated until a few years ago by criminal gangs, with large arsenals of weapons in their possession.
It also seeks to allow the extraditions of Ecuadorians required by the Justice of other countries and raise the penalties for crimes related to organized crime, as well as eliminate the prison benefits for several of these criminal figures.
To this is added the proposals to create a crime of possession and carrying of weapons for the exclusive use of the Police and the Armed Forces and that the weapons seized from crime immediately move on to equip police and military, in addition to expediting the process of expropriation of illegal property.
Other issues focus on establishing a system of constitutional courts, accepting international arbitrations in any jurisdiction and allowing hourly labor contracts.
In Ecuador, voting is mandatory for people between 18 and 65 years old, while it is optional for adolescents between 16 and 18 years old and also for those over 65 years of age, as well as for police, military and prisoners without a final sentence.
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.
International
U.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
The United States may soon carry out airstrikes on military facilities inside Venezuela as part of an escalating offensive against Nicolás Maduro’s regime, according to reports Friday from the Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal, citing sources close to the Trump administration.
Airstrikes could take place “within days or even hours,” the Herald reported. The Journal noted that while the option is under serious consideration, President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on authorizing strikes on Venezuelan soil.
Potential targets allegedly include military-controlled ports and airports used in drug trafficking operations, such as naval installations and airstrips, officials told the Journal.
The Herald also quoted a source saying that “Maduro’s time is running out”, suggesting that more than one Venezuelan general may be ready to detain and hand him over. However, officials declined to confirm whether the Venezuelan leader would be among the military targets.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to block the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, following nearly two months of airstrikes against vessels in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Those operations have destroyed 15 boats and left 61 people dead and three survivors since September 1.
“We are finally waging a war against the cartels — a war like they’ve never seen before — and we are going to win that battle. We are already winning at sea,” Trump told U.S. troops during a speech in Japan.
The reports on possible airstrikes come on the same day the United Nations accused the U.S. of violating international law with its maritime operations, saying those killed at sea may have been victims of extrajudicial executions.
International
Pope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
Pope Leo XIV announced on Friday that he will revive and update the Global Compact on Education, an initiative launched by the late Pope Francis aimed at deeply transforming global culture through education.
The announcement was made during an audience in St. Peter’s Square, held on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Educational World, which this week gathers more than 20,000 participants from 124 countries in Rome.
During his address, the pontiff — who is of U.S. origin and Peruvian nationality — emphasized the importance of restoring the value of educators and reinforcing the principles that support the pact.
“We must be careful: damaging the social and cultural role of educators means mortgaging our own future,” he warned before thousands in attendance. “A crisis in the transmission of knowledge leads to a crisis of hope.”
The Global Compact on Education, launched by Pope Francis, seeks an integral and long-term cultural transformation. It is structured around five pillars: dignity and human rights; fraternity and cooperation; technology and integral ecology; education for peace and citizenship; and culture and religions. To date, the initiative has been joined by over 553 schools and nearly 410,000 students, according to Catholic Schools data.
Pope Leo XIV also expressed concern over the widespread inner fragility affecting both students and teachers — many of whom feel overwhelmed by bureaucratic burdens.
He additionally addressed the role of artificial intelligence in education, warning that it may worsen emotional isolation among learners: “It can further isolate students who are already isolated, giving them the illusion that they do not need others — or worse, the feeling that they are unworthy of them,” he said.
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
Pope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
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
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