World News by Wild Rose

Quito security chief Carolina Andrade quits after three years, citing personal reasons, to work on Amazon environmental crime. Successor unconfirmed. The post Quito Security Chief Carolina Andrade Resigns After Three Years in Ecuador appeared first on The Rio Times.

Camilo has moved his Ecuador concerts from December 2026 to 9 April 2027 in Quito and 10 April 2027 in Cuenca, at new venues. No policy on existing tickets or refunds has been published. The post Camilo Ecuador 2027: Quito and Cuenca Shows Move to 9 and 10 April appeared first on The Rio Times.

Ecuador's central bank says the economy grew 2.1% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, while output fell 1.3% from the first quarter. The post Ecuador Economy Grew 2.1% in the Second Quarter, Central Bank Says appeared first on The Rio Times.

World Bank Ecuador program: up to US$800 million over ten years for municipal and provincial projects in energy, transport and housing. What it funds. The post World Bank Ecuador Program: Up to US$800 Million for Local Infrastructure appeared first on The Rio Times.

Ecuador is asking the US "every day" for more help fighting a cocaine trade President Daniel Noboa estimates is worth $30 billion a year. In an interview with Bloomberg Television's Francine Lacqua in New York on Sept. 21, Noboa said Ecuador is "going after the big fish" and needs help from the US and Europe. He says about 1,200 tons of cocaine move through Ecuador each year, with roughly 80% destined for the US and Europe. But Noboa says Ecuador will remain in charge of all operations, saying the country would "never give a blank check to any country." (Source: Bloomberg)

Ecuador asks the US ‘every day’ for more help fighting a cocaine trade worth an estimated $30 billion a year, President Daniel Noboa said Monday, while insisting local security forces should remain in charge.

The US is moving US$52 million in military financing from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama. The post US Shifts US$52 Million in Military Aid to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama appeared first on The Rio Times.

Venezuela comes off the US failed-drug list as a Trump–Rodríguez meeting is set for UNGA week. Colombia refuses an ELN hostage exchange and moves its navy command to Cartagena. Ecuador’s courts free 56 detained fishermen. The post Latin America Defense Monitor — September 12–19, 2026 appeared first on The Rio Times.

Ecuador China energy talks cover new power lines and up to 3,000 megawatts of solar, President Daniel Noboa said on 18 September 2026. The post Ecuador China Energy Talks Focus on Solar Power and Transmission Lines appeared first on The Rio Times.

ECUADOR · SAFETY & DAILY LIFE Key Facts —The decree President Daniel Noboa signed Executive Decree 498 on 15 September, declaring a 60-day state of exception in eight provinces and three cantons. —The curfew Midnight to 05:00, from 17 to 30 September, in Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos and El Oro only. There are no transit […] The post Ecuador’s New State of Emergency: Where Decree 498 Applies and What Expats Need to Know appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Facts — What happened Ecuador’s government ordered a new nighttime curfew starting September 17. — Where Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos and El Oro provinces, from midnight to 5 a.m., through September 30. — The catch Interior Minister John Reimberg says no special travel passes will be issued this time. — Context It is Ecuador’s […] The post Ecuador Imposes New Curfew in Four Coastal Provinces appeared first on The Rio Times.

Decree 496 removed Lieutenant General Salazar on 10 September. His internal memo on hosting US flights at Taura leaked days later. The post Ecuador Replaces Its Air Force Chief Two Days After a Leaked Memo appeared first on The Rio Times.

Ecuador's MúsicaOcupa festival puts classical music in markets, hospitals and metro stations across Quito, Cuenca and Loja. Almost every event is free, but the full programme is published in pieces. The post MúsicaOcupa Quito, Cuenca and Loja: Free Classical Music in Ecuador’s Streets appeared first on The Rio Times.

Ecuador · Security Key Facts —The designation. The United States designated the Ecuadorian gang Los Tiguerones as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist on September 9, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Quito. —The money. Rubio said he will seek US$45 million in security funding for Ecuador, as the designation […] The post Los Tiguerones Designated Terrorists as Ecuador Escalates Security Buildup appeared first on The Rio Times.

Ecuador · Energy Key Facts —What happened. A blown fuse at a processing plant triggered the emergency shutdown system at Ecuador’s Block 43-ITT, automatically switching off 161 oil wells between September 5 and 7, 2026. —The cost. Petroecuador puts the lost volume at about 25,000 barrels. National output fell from roughly 375,000 barrels per day […] The post Fuse Failure Shuts 161 Ecuador Oil Wells at Referendum-Hit ITT Block appeared first on The Rio Times.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington would seek $45 million in additional security funding for Ecuador and provide military equipment as the two countries deepen cooperation against drug trafficking. During a visit to Quito, Rubio also announced new sanctions and a terrorist designation.

The US military says it intercepted and sank a floating refueling station in the eastern Pacific.

For one grandmother, it was when bullets began hitting ⁠the rooftops of her neighbourhood that she decided she would have to leave the housing development ⁠where she had lived for nearly 20 years. A sharp rise in fighting between gang factions in Ecuador has prompted thousands of families to flee and abandon their homes to the gangs, who strip the houses for drug money or use them to hide kidnapping victims, according to residents and police. One of the areas that has been the site of the...

Dollarization Latin America style: Ecuador, El Salvador and Panama anchor a full-dollar bloc as Argentina debates currency competition in 2026. The post Noboa Locks Ecuador Into the Dollar as Argentina Weighs Currency Competition in Latin America appeared first on The Rio Times.

The Ecuador security crisis is strangling tourism, trade, and port revenue as the military struggles to contain gang violence ahead of the 2027 vote. The post Noboa Extends Ecuador Security Crackdown as 2026 Homicides Strain Investment appeared first on The Rio Times.

Ecuador referendum 2026 ended with voters rejecting foreign military bases and a constitutional assembly. What the result means for Noboa and investors. The post Noboa Faces Ecuador Referendum 2026 Reset After Voters Reject Foreign Bases appeared first on The Rio Times.

Families of eight Ecuadorian fishermen who vanished after reporting US surveillance at sea are demanding answers.

Firefighters brought a blaze in Ecuador's Los Ilinizas Ecological Reserve under control on 3 September after two days. About 200 hectares of páramo burned, a preliminary figure. The post Los Ilinizas Fire Burns About 200 Hectares in Ecuador appeared first on The Rio Times.

Former Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno and a former Chinese ambassador to Quito asked the country’s highest court on Thursday to spare them the five-year sentences handed down last week over a US$76 million bribery scheme. Moreno was convicted of bribery by a three-judge panel of the National Court of Justice over contracts for Ecuador’s largest hydroelectric project secured by a Chinese state contractor. The judges found unanimously that he had used his position as vice-president, held from...