International
Two new explosions reported in Cuenca, Ecuador, without casualties
September 1|
The National Police (PN) and the Fire Department of Ecuador reported that this Thursday two new explosions were recorded in the city of Cuenca, located in the center-south of the country, with no fatalities.
The first explosion was reported in the structure of a bridge near the parish center of the town of Sayausí, northwest of Cuenca, leaving damage to pipes and asphalt.
The second event was caused by the detonation of an explosive device inside a vehicle in the town of Totoracocha, in the east of the city.
After the events, authorities were deployed throughout the territory to support the work of the National Police and the Armed Forces in search of the perpetrators of the explosions.
These events are in addition to the detonation of two car bombs in Quito, the capital of the country, on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, without leaving people injured.
The PN reported on Wednesday that six people have been detained, allegedly related to the explosive attacks that occurred in Quito.
Ecuador’s unified command post, together with the PN, the Armed Forces and the National Service of Integral Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty (SNAI), took a series of decisions to recover order in the penitentiary system.
In a statement, the government of Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso said that until Thursday night seven police officers and 50 prison security and surveillance officers were being held in six detention centers.
He reported that the event would be a response of criminal groups to the interventions of public forces in prisons in the country, whose purpose is the seizure of prohibited objects that are used in violent acts.
In a message published on the social network X, formerly Twitter, Lasso said that “the measures we have taken, especially in the penitentiary system, have generated violent reactions from criminal organizations that seek to intimidate the state”.
“But we are firm and we will not back down in our objective of capturing dangerous criminals, dismantling criminal gangs and pacifying the country’s prisons,” added the president.
This week, some 2,200 police and military personnel arrived at the Latacunga prison, located in Cotopaxi province, south of Quito, and seized some 49 bladed weapons and two bulletproof vests, among other prohibited objects.
International
Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
President Donald Trump issued an executive order this Monday for the immediate construction of two new warships that will bear his name. These vessels will be the pioneers of what he described as the “Golden Fleet,” a future generation of “Trump-class” battleships that he claimed would be “100 times more powerful” than those currently in service.
The announcement took place at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The President indicated that following the initial two ships, the administration aims to commission up to 25 additional vessels. He is scheduled to meet with Florida-based contractors next week to expedite production, criticizing existing defense firms for failing to deliver results efficiently.
This naval expansion is a cornerstone of Trump’s goal to revitalized the American shipbuilding industry and address the strategic gap between the U.S. and competitors like China.
The move comes amid heightened geopolitical tension. Just last week, Trump ordered the seizure of all sanctioned tankers involved with Venezuela’s “ghost fleet” to cripple the country’s crude oil industry. Since December 10, the U.S. military—deployed in the Caribbean under the guise of counter-narcotics operations—has already detained two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil transport.
International
U.S. Judge Blocks ICE from Re-detaining Salvadoran Erroneously Deported Under Trump Administration
A U.S. federal judge ruled this Monday, December 22, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is prohibited from re-detaining Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García, who was erroneously deported to El Salvador earlier this year during the administration of President Donald Trump.
During a hearing in Maryland, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Ábrego García must remain free on bail through the Christmas holidays, concluding that his initial detention lacked a legal basis. The ruling follows a request from his legal team for a temporary restraining order to prevent ICE from carrying out a new arrest.
Earlier this month, on December 11, Judge Xinis ordered his release from a Pennsylvania migrant detention center after determining that the government had detained him without a formal deportation order. In 2019, an immigration judge had already ruled that Ábrego could not be returned to El Salvador because his life was in danger.
Despite that protection, Ábrego García was deported in March 2025 following a raid by the Trump administration. Officials argued at the time that he was a gang member, and he was sent directly to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) in El Salvador. In June, he was returned to the United States to face a new trial for alleged human smuggling—a charge he denies.
On Monday, Judge Xinis also temporarily invalidated a new deportation order issued by an immigration judge following Ábrego’s recent release, granting him legal protection through the coming weeks. His trial is scheduled to begin in Tennessee in January 2026.
International
Fire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco
The U.S. city of San Francisco was plunged into darkness Saturday night after a power outage left about 130,000 customers without electricity, although the utility company said service was restored to most users within hours.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) said in a statement posted on X that nearly 90,000 homes had their power restored by 9:00 p.m. local time (05:00 GMT on Sunday), while the remaining 40,000 customers were expected to have service restored overnight.
Large areas of the city, a major technology hub with a population of around 800,000, were affected by the blackout, which disrupted public transportation and left traffic lights out of service during the busy weekend before Christmas, a crucial period for retail businesses.
“I know it’s been a difficult day,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video posted on social media from the city’s emergency operations center. “There has been progress, but for those still without power, we want to make sure they are safe and checking in on their neighbors,” he added.
Lurie said police officers and firefighters advised residents to stay home as much as possible. He also noted that officers and traffic inspectors were deployed to manage intersections where traffic lights were not functioning.
The mayor confirmed that the outage was caused by a fire at an electrical substation. Parts of the city were also covered in fog, further complicating conditions during the incident.
As a result of the blackout, many businesses were forced to close despite it being the weekend before Christmas. The sudden drop in shopper traffic ahead of the holiday is “devastating” for retailers, the manager of home goods store Black & Gold told the San Francisco Chronicle.
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