International

Noboa assures that Ecuador will not have any more blackouts in 2025 and 2026

The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, assured on Tuesday that the country will not suffer any more blackouts in 2025 and 2026 as it did in previous years in periods of droughts where the electricity system could not supply national demand, which led to electricity rationing of up to 14 hours a day.

“There will be constant generation throughout 2025 and 2026,” Noboa said during a morning interview with the TC Televisión channel, which is under state control.

The president pointed out that there has been much more rain in recent months that has allowed to have the main reservoirs almost at their full capacity and recover 500 megawatts of thermoelectric generation, as well as start a new 200 mega hydroelectric power plant.

Noboa also recalled the rental of three floating power plants rented to a Turkish company that are already in the country, although he clarified that the third and last to arrive will only be paid on the days when it is used by necessity, while the company will not invoice if it is not put into use.

“We are now even selling electricity to Colombia,” said the president, after during much of the last blackout period Ecuador imported energy from the neighboring country to alleviate its crisis.

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Since the end of 2023, Ecuador has been in an energy crisis that has resulted in different periods of scheduled blackouts and electricity rationing, which coincide with periods of drought where the country’s main hydroelectric plants are left without enough water to operate.

The last period occurred between September and December 2024 and had a strong impact on the national economy, since in the industrial sector there were blackouts of several consecutive days, especially in industrial mines, which has caused mineral exports to suffer.

International

Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids

Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.

The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.

In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.

He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”

The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.

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The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.

International

Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win

Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.

“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.

In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”

International

Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains

Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.

The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.

“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”

Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.