International
Relatives of Ecuador inmates clamor for news after bloody riot
AFP
Relatives gathered Friday at a morgue in Ecuador, clamoring for news about loved ones locked up at a prison where 118 convicts were killed in a flare-up of gang violence, some beheaded.
They shared their worry in frantic tones as they circulated rumors that some of the bodies had been dismembered or burnt beyond recognition, and that police have yet to remove all the corpses from the scene of one of the bloodiest prison riots in South American history.
“I came because I saw a video, sent to me by cell phone, where I recognized his head,” said Ermes Duarte, desperate for word on his son who he said had just 15 days left to serve at Guayaquil prison in the port city of the same name.
“I haven’t spoken to my son since Monday,” the 71-year-old told AFP.
The riot broke out Tuesday as prisoners believed to have links to rival Mexican drug gangs went to war armed with guns and grenades.
Police had retaken control by Thursday evening after a massive security operation involving some 900 officers and members of tactical units while soldiers and tanks were stationed outside the jail.
Six inmates were beheaded in the massacre that left 86 wounded, six critically, according to Ecuador’s prisons authority.
So far, 41 of the bodies have been identified, officials said, and 22 turned over to their families.
– Three sons dead –
A woman at the morgue, in search of her brother, told AFP she had seen an image of a severed head “which looked like his”.
Ecuador’s prisons are the scene of frequent clashes between thousands of inmates with ties to drug gangs — mainly the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.
The prison system has 65 facilities designed for about 30,000 inmates but houses 39,000 — 8,500 of them in Guayaquil.
The country has about 1,500 guards — a shortfall of about 3,000, according to experts.
Corruption is rife, enabling prisoners to acquire all sorts of contraband, including arms and ammunition.
So far this year, riots have claimed 237 inmates’ lives — up from 103 in 2020 — and left 166 injured.
At the morgue, Daniel Villacis, 57, said he lost three sons in the latest prison clash.
Clutching a banner that read “You left without saying goodbye…” and a picture of one of his children, Villacis told AFP two of his sons’ bodies were already at home, and he was waiting for the third.
Police continued searches of the prison Friday for arms and ammunition. On Thursday, they had seized three pistols, several rounds of ammunition, 25 knives and three explosive devices.
The government decreed a state of emergency after Tuesday’s riot, suspending the civil rights of prisoners and allowing it to deploy the armed forces to restore and maintain order.
– ‘A war’ –
On February 23, simultaneous riots at four jails including Guayaquil left 79 inmates dead, several of them also beheaded.
Two weeks ago, Guayaquil’s Prison Number 4 was attacked by drones, part of “a war between international cartels,” prison authorities said. There were no casualties in that attack.
Jaqueline Cox, 52, said she identified the body of her son Jorge Mojarras, 28, from a tattoo on his back in a picture shown to her by forensics experts at Guayaquil morgue.
He was in jail for stealing a mobile phone, she said.
Located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s leading cocaine producers, Ecuador is a key transit for drug shipments to the United States and Europe.
Guayaquil is Ecuador’s most populous city and its main port.
International
Chile enters runoff campaign with Kast leading and Jara seeking a last-minute comeback
Chile’s presidential runoff campaign for the December 14 election kicked off this Sunday, with far-right candidate José Antonio Kast entering the race as the clear favorite in the polls, while left-wing contender Jeannette Jara faces an uphill scenario, hoping for a comeback that some experts describe as “a miracle.”
The final polls released in Chile—published before the mandatory blackout on survey dissemination—give Kast, an ultraconservative former lawmaker running for president for the third time, a lead of between 12 and 16 points. His opponent, the communist former minister in Gabriel Boric’s current administration, is weighed down not only by the government’s low approval ratings but also by a fragmented electorate.
Although Jeannette Jara received the most votes in the first round with 26.9%, her lack of alliances beyond the left makes it difficult for her to expand her support. Kast, who secured 23.9%, has already brought key figures on board: ultralibertarian Johannes Kaiser (13.9%) and traditional right-wing leader Evelyn Matthei (12.4%), both now backing his candidacy.
Analysts note that although Kast’s support base consolidates more than 50% of the electorate, it does not guarantee an automatic transfer of votes. Populist economist Franco Parisi, who placed third with 19.7%, emerges as the major wildcard. His party, the People’s Party (PDG), is set to decide this Sunday through an internal consultation whether to endorse one of the two finalists.
International
Trump says asylum decision freeze will remain in place “for a long time”
U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that the suspension of decisions on asylum applications—implemented as part of his order to “halt” immigration from third-world countries following Wednesday’s shooting in Washington—will remain in effect “for a long time.”
The president declined to specify how long the freeze, imposed last Friday by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), would last. The suspension affects individuals waiting for an asylum ruling from that agency, though it does not apply to cases handled by U.S. immigration courts.
The delay is part of a series of measures enacted by the Trump Administration after a shooting on Wednesday in which an Afghan national allegedly opened fire on the National Guard in Washington, D.C., killing one officer and leaving another in critical condition.
Trump has ordered a permanent halt to immigration from 19 countries classified as “third-world.” He also indicated on Sunday that “possibly” more nations could be added to the list.
“These are countries with high crime rates. They are countries that do not function well… that are not known for success, and frankly, we don’t need people from those places coming into our country and telling us what to do,” Trump said, adding: “We don’t want those people.”
USCIS had already announced on Thursday a “rigorous review” of green cards held by migrants from 19 “countries of concern,” including Afghanistan, Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti.
International
Sri Lanka and Indonesia deploy military as deadly asian floods kill over 1,000
Sri Lanka and Indonesia deployed military personnel on Monday to assist victims of the devastating floods that have killed more than a thousand people across Asia in recent days.
A series of weather events last week triggered prolonged torrential rains across Sri Lanka, parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, southern Thailand, and northern Malaysia. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Monday in North Sumatra that “the priority now is to deliver the necessary aid as quickly as possible.”
“There are several isolated villages that, with God’s help, we will be able to reach,” he added. Subianto also stated that the government had deployed helicopters and aircraft to support relief operations.
Floods and landslides have claimed 502 lives in Indonesia, with a similar number still missing.
This marks the highest death toll from a natural disaster in Indonesia since 2018, when an earthquake and subsequent tsunami killed more than 2,000 people.
The government has sent three military ships carrying aid and two hospital vessels to the hardest-hit regions, where many roads remain impassable.
In the village of Sungai Nyalo, located about 100 kilometers from Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, floodwaters had receded by Sunday, leaving homes, vehicles, and crops coated in thick mud.
Chile enters runoff campaign with Kast leading and Jara seeking a last-minute comeback
Trump says asylum decision freeze will remain in place “for a long time”
Sri Lanka and Indonesia deploy military as deadly asian floods kill over 1,000
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
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Central America3 days agoTrump Pardons Former Honduran President Hernández and Warns of Aid Cuts Ahead of Election
-
Central America5 days agoPanama reinforces security with new helicopters and Super Tucano Aircraft purchases
-
Central America1 day agoHonduras Extends Voting by One Hour Amid High Turnout, CNE Announces
-
Central America2 days agoHonduras’ China–Taiwan Future Hinges on Sunday’s Presidential Election
-
Central America5 days agoTrump urges hondurans to back conservative candidate Nasry Asfura in november elections
-
International5 days agoArchbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
-
International12 hours agoHong Kong police arrest 13 over deadly high-rise fire that killed 151
-
Central America5 days ago
Washington calls for oversight as Honduras faces allegations of electoral interference
-
International3 days agoMeta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
-
International12 hours agoChile enters runoff campaign with Kast leading and Jara seeking a last-minute comeback
-
International12 hours ago
Trump says asylum decision freeze will remain in place “for a long time”
-
International12 hours agoSri Lanka and Indonesia deploy military as deadly asian floods kill over 1,000