International
Daniel Noboa, a ‘millennial’ president, unpredictable and with a heavy hand
Daniel Noboa, the youngest president of Latin America and the democratic history of Ecuador, seeks at the age of 37 to be re-elected for a full term (2025-2029), after fourteen months of government marked by the “hard hand” against organized crime and by controversial and unpredictable actions for his adversaries, who denounce a “dictatorial attitude”.
At the age of 35, he gave the surprise by winning the extraordinary elections of 2023 and assuming a leading country in homicide rate in Latin America and with a fiscal deficit of almost 5 billion dollars. Without hesitation, he declared a “war” on organized crime, which has been tarnished in terms of human rights, and implemented unpopular economic reforms to balance public accounts.
He did not tremble his pulse to make decisions even sometimes outside the law, as the Constitutional Court has ruled in several controversies, such as irregularly promulgating by decree a rule that had previously been denied by the National Assembly (Parliament).
Thus, last April he ordered the police assault on the Mexican Embassy to arrest former Correísta vice president Jorge Glas, who had received diplomatic asylum by declaring himself politically persecuted for the convictions and processes for corruption that he has accumulated since 2017 in Ecuador.
This led to a serious crisis with Mexico, whose government unsuccessfully asked for the delivery of Glas, currently in prison to serve a pending prison sentence.
Far from doing something to ease the tension, Noboa recently announced that it will impose tariffs of 27% on Mexico.
Another controversial episode is his particular confrontation with his vice president Verónica Abad, who has accused him of harassment to force her to resign. Abad and the Government have counterclaimed for alleged political gender violence, which can even be punished with dismissal from office.
In his pulse with Abad, Noboa has made it clear that he is a “terrible enemy to have” – as he said of himself during a public act – and has found ways to keep her away from office.
First he sent her to Israel as ambassador, then the Government suspended her from office, which was annulled by the Justice, and then appointed by decree a “vice president in charge” to delegate the Presidency during the election campaign, something recently declared unconstitutional by the constitutional court.
With his first wife, Gabriela Goldbaum, from whom he is divorced, he is judicially confronted for the custody of his firstborn and before being president he confronted the Spanish insurer Mapfre for an alleged leak of bank data in his divorce process.
His detractors call him capricious and speak of dictatorial attitudes, but he has also demonstrated political cunning to apply, without social revolts, measures that made other Governments stagger, such as the increase in VAT and the reduction of gasoline subsidies.
Noboa is a man of few words. His speeches last a few minutes and he hardly lavishes himself in interviews with the media.
As a ‘millennial’ (born between the early 1980s and early 2000s), he speaks mainly through social networks. His style of communication has misseted more than one.
With pieces that last seconds and phrases as short as they are sharp, he has often left politicians whom he cass in “old Ecuador” and links with corruption or drug politics without a response capacity.
Raised in a house where politics was breathed, he trained in prestigious foreign institutions and was focused on family businesses before making the leap to the political arena as an assemblyman in 2021.
Daniel Noboa was born in Miami (United States), just like, as a ruler, Furio, his third child and the second of his marriage to the ‘influencer’ and nutritionist Lavinia Valbonesi, with whom he shares a taste for sport. On social networks he shows off his gym routines and wears recent tattoos of the phoenix, as his safety program for the country is called.
He usually dresses in youthful fashion but imposing style, with jeans, shirts, leather jacket and polarized sunglasses, and he is not afraid to be the target of memes when combining a formal suit with imposing Prada platform shoes, as he did in his investiture.
His distance from the protocol was evident when he received the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, in the Galapagos Islands with a white shirt and bermuda shorts in a shing color.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
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