https://www.scmp.com/rss/520228/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Peruvians will choose from a bewildering array of 35 presidential candidates this Sunday, electing the next leader of an Andean nation beset by crime and a string of short-lived, scandal-tainted presidencies. “Now any old person runs for office,” said 51-year-old teacher Jane Layza, pondering the plethora of presidential hopefuls, and how she will cast her ballot. A few in the field are well known – a popular male comic, the daughter of a brutal autocrat, and a former Lima mayor who likens... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349325/peru-set-choose-bewildering-array-35-presidential-hopefuls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349325/peru-set-choose-bewildering-array-35-presidential-hopefuls?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 04:12:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Latin American nations to use military power against the “cancer” of drug cartels and offered to support them with US missile strikes targeting narco kingpins. Trump, currently waging a war with Iran, laid out a muscular position for advancing Washington’s interests in the western hemisphere, pronouncing that communist-led Cuba was “in its last moments of life” and advocating tough action by allies against organised crime blighting the region. He... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345839/trump-offers-latin-american-leaders-us-missile-strikes-hit-drug-cartels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345839/trump-offers-latin-american-leaders-us-missile-strikes-hit-drug-cartels?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:46:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The warming El Nino weather phenomenon could form later this year, potentially pushing global temperatures to record heights. There is a 50-60 per cent chance of El Nino developing during the July-September period and beyond, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The World Meteorological Organization will issue an update on El Nino on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know about El Nino and its cooler sister, La Nina. Why the name? El Nino and La Nina are two... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3345180/el-nino-may-return-2026-making-planet-even-hotter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3345180/el-nino-may-return-2026-making-planet-even-hotter?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:43:31 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Hong Kong’s public airmail services to 24 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia have been affected after a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran forced flight cancellations to two Gulf states and disrupted transit journeys. A Hongkong Post spokesman said on Sunday evening that the department’s airmail services to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were suspended with immediate effect until further notice. “Airmail services transiting through these locations will also be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3345053/hongkong-posts-airmail-services-24-countries-affected-strikes-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3345053/hongkong-posts-airmail-services-24-countries-affected-strikes-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 15:45:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Washington is “not disputing” a report by five European countries that imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was fatally poisoned with a rare frog “toxin”. Rubio said the report released on Saturday by Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden was “very troubling”. Britain, which has outright blamed Russia for Navalny’s death, said it was considering new sanctions on Moscow as a result. Navalny, a staunch critic of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343650/us-not-disputing-troubling-european-report-navalny-poisoning-rubio-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343650/us-not-disputing-troubling-european-report-navalny-poisoning-rubio-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 17:16:17 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat China’s trade with some South American nations is accelerating after the opening of Peru’s Chancay port, underscoring Beijing's push to secure resources and bolster industrial supply chains under the Belt and Road Initiative, analysts said. The surge in two-way trade builds on years of Chinese investment and comes as the United States seeks to roll back Beijing’s influence in the region under a strategy US President Donald Trump has called the “Donroe” doctrine – invoking a 19th-century policy... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342512/trumps-south-america-threats-fizzle-chinas-trade-surges-powered-peru-port?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342512/trumps-south-america-threats-fizzle-chinas-trade-surges-powered-peru-port?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 23:30:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Colombian President Gustavo Petro and US President Donald Trump appeared to bury the hatchet on Tuesday, after a year of sparring that culminated in threats by Trump to topple the left-wing leader like in Venezuela. “My impression of the meeting a few hours ago is first and foremost that it was positive,” Petro told reporters after meeting Trump at the White House behind closed doors. Trump said he “got along very well” with the leader whom he recently accused of pumping cocaine into the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3342295/trump-makes-colombias-petro-fireworks-free-meeting-hes-been-very-nice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3342295/trump-makes-colombias-petro-fireworks-free-meeting-hes-been-very-nice?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 21:40:23 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A 5-year-old boy arriving home from preschool in Minnesota was taken by federal agents along with his father to a detention facility in Texas, school officials and the family’s lawyer said, making him the fourth student from his Minneapolis suburb to be detained by immigration officers in recent weeks. Federal agents took Liam Conejo Ramos from a running car in the family’s driveway Tuesday afternoon, Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik told reporters on Wednesday. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340998/ice-detains-5-year-old-minneapolis-school-officials-claim-child-was-used-bait?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340998/ice-detains-5-year-old-minneapolis-school-officials-claim-child-was-used-bait?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:50:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned airlines on Friday to exercise caution when flying over Mexico, Central America and parts of South America, citing the risks of potential military activities and GPS interference. The FAA said it had issued “Notices to Airmen” covering Mexico and Central American countries, as well as Ecuador, Colombia and portions of airspace within the eastern Pacific Ocean. They say: “Potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including during... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3340243/us-airlines-warned-potential-risks-when-flying-over-mexico-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3340243/us-airlines-warned-potential-risks-when-flying-over-mexico-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 04:34:51 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma China congratulated ultraconservative José Antonio Kast on his victory in Chile’s presidential race, as the country competes with the United States for influence across Latin America. “China stands ready to work with Chile’s new government to further deepen mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation in all areas,” a foreign ministry spokesman said Monday. A day earlier, Kast, a 59-year-old former lawyer, clinched victory over the government-backed communist candidate Jeanette Jara in a... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336759/china-seeks-greater-influence-us-backyard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336759/china-seeks-greater-influence-us-backyard?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 09:00:17 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Hong Kong’s HK$141.5 billion (US$18.1 billion) investment in the expansion of its airport with a third runway is all about exploiting the city’s position as an international air cargo and passenger hub, and its connectivity with the mainland, amid rising air and sea competition. The pay-offs come in passenger and traffic volume and a network of destinations that circles the world. The latter has just received a big boost from the signing of aviation agreements with seven countries – mostly in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3336456/hong-kong-stepping-its-competitiveness-aviation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3336456/hong-kong-stepping-its-competitiveness-aviation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 22:45:08 +0000 Zhang Zhipeng Zhang Zhipeng The global artificial intelligence community’s attention was recently focused on DeepSeek’s latest open-source model, Math-V2, the first open-source AI model to score a gold medal-level performance at the International Mathematical Olympiad. But while California might hone in on the test scores, Jakarta and Nairobi are looking at something else entirely. For the Global South, the critical question is more likely to be whether that reasoning capability can optimise fertiliser distribution in a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335420/global-south-chinese-ai-principles-resonate-deeply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335420/global-south-chinese-ai-principles-resonate-deeply?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 01:30:19 +0000 Reuters Reuters Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado will not receive the Nobel Peace Prize in person at Wednesday’s award ceremony in Oslo, the director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute said on Wednesday, with her current whereabouts unknown. Machado, 58, was due to receive the award at a ceremony at Oslo City Hall in the presence of King Harald, Queen Sonja and Latin American leaders including Argentine President Javier Milei and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa. The ceremony starts at 1pm (8pm... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335810/machados-nobel-press-conference-called-peace-prize-winners-whereabouts-unknown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335810/machados-nobel-press-conference-called-peace-prize-winners-whereabouts-unknown?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 16:37:19 +0000 Harvey Kong Harvey Kong Hong Kong has signed aviation agreements with seven countries – mostly in Latin America – to expand its global reach and make better use of the airport’s three-runway system, according to a senior official. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Tuesday revealed that the government had signed deals with the Latin American countries of Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru and Cuba, along with Poland in Europe and Togo in West Africa, over the past two months. The new deals add to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3335729/hong-kong-signs-aviation-deals-7-countries-expand-global-network?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3335729/hong-kong-signs-aviation-deals-7-countries-expand-global-network?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 07:30:57 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for a high-level security meeting with the United States, China and regional partners, arguing that recent US military deployments and strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific are escalating tensions in the region. Joining other regional voices condemning the operations, he stressed that Latin America and the Caribbean should be treated with respect and repeated his proposal for talks in Pearl Harbour, noting that he... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3333166/colombia-pushes-talks-include-china-over-us-military-build-near-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3333166/colombia-pushes-talks-include-china-over-us-military-build-near-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 19:06:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ecuadorian voters roundly rejected the return of US military bases to the country in a referendum on Sunday, a major political blow to Trump-friendly President Daniel Noboa. With three-quarters of the vote counted, about 60 per cent of Ecuadorians had voted ‘no’ to lifting a long-standing ban on foreign bases. The rejection effectively blocks the US military from returning to an airbase at Manta on the Pacific coast - once a hub for Washington’s anti-drug operations. US Homeland Security... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333041/ecuador-voters-reject-return-us-bases-blow-trump-ally-noboa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333041/ecuador-voters-reject-return-us-bases-blow-trump-ally-noboa?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 04:20:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he was scrapping US tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruits and a broad swathe of other commodities – a dramatic move that comes amid mounting pressure on his administration to better combat high consumer prices. Trump has built his second term around imposing steep levies on goods imported into the US in hopes of encouraging domestic production and lifting the economy. His abrupt retreat from his signature tariff policy on so many staples key to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332898/trump-cuts-tariffs-beef-coffee-and-other-foods-inflation-concerns-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332898/trump-cuts-tariffs-beef-coffee-and-other-foods-inflation-concerns-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 22:32:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The White House on Thursday announced trade agreements with Argentina, Guatemala, Ecuador and El Salvador, the latest deals since US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs around the world. Bananas and coffee are among the groceries whose prices could fall for stretched US consumers, it said, amid growing discontent about the cost of living under Trump’s second presidency. The four countries, all in America’s backyard in South and Central America, agreed to open their markets to US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332715/bananas-and-beef-white-house-unveils-latin-america-trade-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332715/bananas-and-beef-white-house-unveils-latin-america-trade-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 23:38:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Authorities said at least 27 inmates were found dead by asphyxiation on Sunday afternoon at an Ecuadorian prison where an armed riot left four others dead and dozens injured in the morning. In a statement, prison authorities said the 27 individuals found dead at the Machala prison in El Oro province had “among themselves committed asphyxiation, which caused immediate death by suspension”. Authorities said they were still working to “fully clarify the facts”, and forensic medical personnel were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332152/least-31-dead-riot-hit-ecuador-prison-many-asphyxiated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332152/least-31-dead-riot-hit-ecuador-prison-many-asphyxiated?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 04:46:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said on Thursday that an unknown assailant had attempted to poison him with chocolate and a jam laced with chemicals, gifted to him at a public event. Noboa told CNN the presence of three “highly concentrated” toxic substances in the sweets “could not have been accidental”, saying his team had proof to back up his claims. The 37-year-old president said the toxic substances could not have come from the products themselves or their packaging. The military body... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330180/ecuadors-president-says-he-was-target-attempted-poisoning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330180/ecuadors-president-says-he-was-target-attempted-poisoning?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 06:14:25 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The United States will slash assistance to Colombia and enact tariffs on its exports because the country’s leader, Gustavo Petro, “does nothing to stop” drug production, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday, escalating the friction between Washington and one of its closest allies in Latin America. In a social media post, Trump referred to Petro as “an illegal drug leader” who was “low rated and very unpopular”. The Republican president warned that Petro “better close up” drug operations “or... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329594/trump-calls-colombias-petro-illegal-drug-dealer-and-says-he-will-slash-us-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329594/trump-calls-colombias-petro-illegal-drug-dealer-and-says-he-will-slash-us-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 17:34:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The two survivors of an American military strike on a suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean will be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday. The military rescued the pair after striking a submersible vessel on Thursday, in what was at least the sixth such attack since early September. “It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329543/us-send-survivors-strike-suspected-drug-vessel-back-ecuador-and-colombia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329543/us-send-survivors-strike-suspected-drug-vessel-back-ecuador-and-colombia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2025 22:18:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa escaped injury after his car was attacked by a crowd throwing rocks on Tuesday, in what a top minister said was an assassination attempt that had left signs of bullet damage on the vehicle. Environment and Energy Minister Ines Manzano, who filed a formal report of an assassination attempt on the president, said five people were detained after Noboa’s motorcade was surrounded by around 500 protesters throwing stones. Noboa’s office said those arrested would be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3328167/ecuador-detains-5-after-shots-fired-president-noboas-car?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3328167/ecuador-detains-5-after-shots-fired-president-noboas-car?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 21:42:25 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim China has formally joined a South American trade bloc as an observer in a move analysts said would strengthen its strategic foothold in the region and help power industries ranging from artificial intelligence to electric vehicles. Xinhua reported last week that China had been formally accepted as an observer state of the Andean Community, a regional organisation comprising Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. China has engaged with the Andean Community since 1999, when the two sides reached an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327978/china-joins-south-american-trade-bloc-boosting-its-ai-and-ev-industries-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327978/china-joins-south-american-trade-bloc-boosting-its-ai-and-ev-industries-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 10:00:11 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Global order fracturing, status quo unlikely to return, EU warns in new report After months of being pummelled with trade tariffs and security threats from the United States and years of pushing back against a rising China, the European Union in September sounded a death knell for the global... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3327446/xi-trump-phone-call-reaction-beijings-military-parade-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3327446/xi-trump-phone-call-reaction-beijings-military-parade-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:30:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Inmates in Ecuador fought each other with guns and explosives in a riot that left 13 prisoners and a guard dead, police said. The mayhem was the latest in a series of bloodbaths to engulf gang-ridden, overcrowded prisons in a once peaceful country now at ground zero of the violent Latin American drug trade. An unknown number of inmates escaped in the clash between rival gangs, during which another 14 people were injured, a masked police officer identified as commander Colonel William Calle told... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3326442/ecuador-prison-riot-leaves-14-dead-amid-gang-violence-and-drug-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3326442/ecuador-prison-riot-leaves-14-dead-amid-gang-violence-and-drug-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 16:05:20 +0000 SCMP SCMP Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Takeaways from Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun’s speech at Xiangshan Forum As China hosts its annual defence conference, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, Defence Minister Dong Jun outlined the country’s priorities and aims. 2. US Fed cuts rates for first time in 2025 amid pressure from Trump, weaker job outlook The US Federal Reserve has announced that it... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3326021/chinese-defence-ministers-speech-us-fed-cuts-rates-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3326021/chinese-defence-ministers-speech-us-fed-cuts-rates-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:15:08 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Former Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno on Tuesday denounced as “a farce” the bribery charges that prosecutors say link him and his family to US$76 million in payments from a Chinese state builder that managed part of one of the biggest South American projects in Beijing’s global Belt and Road Initiative. Lenin insisted the accusations are a political vendetta orchestrated by former president Rafael Correa, under whose government the controversial Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3325917/ex-ecuador-president-calls-bribery-case-over-belt-and-road-dam-farce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3325917/ex-ecuador-president-calls-bribery-case-over-belt-and-road-dam-farce?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 16:50:45 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Two Venezuelan military aircraft flew over an American naval vessel in international waters off the coast, according to the Pentagon, a fresh escalation between the two adversaries after the US struck a speedboat purportedly carrying drugs from the country. “This highly provocative manoeuvre was designed to interfere with our counter-narcotics operations,” the Pentagon said. It said the “cartel” running Venezuela is “strongly advised” not to interfere with any other operations by the US. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3324425/us-says-venezuelan-aircraft-flew-over-navy-vessel-international-waters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3324425/us-says-venezuelan-aircraft-flew-over-navy-vessel-international-waters?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 03:38:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday promised security aid to Ecuador and announced terrorist designations as he vowed to ramp up a regional fight against criminals following a US strike on a boat allegedly linked to Venezuela. Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, an emerging ally of US President Donald Trump, has deployed troops to combat violence that has transformed the country from one of Latin America’s safest to one of its most dangerous. Rubio, meeting with Noboa in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324392/us-secretary-state-marco-rubio-eyes-tough-security-ally-ecuador?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324392/us-secretary-state-marco-rubio-eyes-tough-security-ally-ecuador?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 16:09:15 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick As US destroyers closed in on Venezuela’s coast on Thursday, China condemned Washington’s military build-up and warned against foreign interference, backing Nicolas Maduro in a showdown that is drawing in powers far beyond the Caribbean. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that China opposed “any move that violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and a country’s sovereignty and security”. She added that Beijing rejected “the interference of external forces in Venezuela’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322712/china-warns-us-over-military-build-warships-head-towards-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322712/china-warns-us-over-military-build-warships-head-towards-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 17:37:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Ecuadorian government on Sunday extradited notorious drug trafficker Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito”, to the United States, a month after he was recaptured following a 2024 escape from a maximum-security jail, the country’s prison authority said. The US Attorney’s Office filed charges in April against Macias, the head of the “Los Choneros” gang, on suspicion of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms violations, including weapons smuggling. A letter filed by the US Department of Justice on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3318936/ecuadors-biggest-drug-lord-fito-extradited-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3318936/ecuadors-biggest-drug-lord-fito-extradited-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jul 2025 23:33:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ecuador’s president announced Wednesday that the country’s most-wanted fugitive, Los Choneros gang leader “Fito”, had been recaptured over a year after his escape from prison triggered a wave of violence. “We have done our part to proceed with Fito’s extradition to the United States, we are awaiting their response,” Daniel Noboa wrote on X. Drug lord Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as Fito, escaped custody in Ecuador in early 2024 and American prosecutors charged him, in absentia, with seven... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3315863/ecuador-recaptures-most-wanted-gang-leader-fito-army-operation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3315863/ecuador-recaptures-most-wanted-gang-leader-fito-army-operation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 03:09:06 +0000 Ecuador is on maximum alert over an alleged assassination plot against recently reelected President Daniel Noboa, the government said on Saturday. Noboa won the race in an April 13 run-off vote, but his main rival Luisa González has accused him of committing “grotesque electoral fraud.” A military intelligence report saying that assassins entering Ecuador from Mexico and other countries planned to carry out “terrorist attacks” against Noboa was leaked on social media this week. “We strongly... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3307179/violence-plagued-ecuador-alert-over-alleged-assassination-plot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3307179/violence-plagued-ecuador-alert-over-alleged-assassination-plot?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Apr 2025 13:24:48 +0000 Ecuador’s national electoral council on Sunday declared President Daniel Noboa the winner of the country’s presidential race, after he held a steady and unexpectedly wide 12-point lead over leftist Luisa Gonzalez throughout the count. Gonzalez told chanting supporters she did not accept the results and would demand a recount, calling it “the worst and most grotesque electoral fraud in the history of Ecuador”. With 92 per cent of ballot boxes counted, Noboa had 55.8 per cent of votes, compared to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3306383/ecuadors-president-wins-re-election-opponent-demands-recount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3306383/ecuadors-president-wins-re-election-opponent-demands-recount?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Apr 2025 02:25:50 +0000 Hitmen on Friday gunned down an Ecuadorian colonel in charge of anti-drug operations in a city hard-hit by the narcotics crime that has plunged this once-peaceful South American country into violence. Police said Colonel Porfirio Cedeno, who led an air force special operations unit, was shot multiple times in the city of Guayaquil while travelling to a military ceremony. More than 20 shots were fired at the pickup truck transporting him, and the driver was hit in the leg, said police official... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3298802/hitmen-mow-down-cartel-busting-colonel-violence-torn-ecuador?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3298802/hitmen-mow-down-cartel-busting-colonel-violence-torn-ecuador?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Feb 2025 00:45:59 +0000 Incumbent President Daniel Noboa clutched onto a razor-thin lead in violence-hit Ecuador’s election on Sunday, after a stronger-than-expected challenge from a leftist rival who looked set to force a second-round run-off. With about 90 per cent of the ballots counted, Noboa had garnered 44.4 per cent of the vote and rival Luisa González was on 43.9 per cent, official results showed. Breaking his silence on the result, which came despite pre-election polls giving him a strong lead, Noboa said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3297997/polls-close-incumbent-president-daniel-noboa-tipped-win-violence-hit-ecuador-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3297997/polls-close-incumbent-president-daniel-noboa-tipped-win-violence-hit-ecuador-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Feb 2025 23:10:05 +0000 Jasmine Tookes and her husband Juan David Borrero may be one of the hottest “It” couples out there right now. The 33-year-old former Victoria’s Secret model and Borrero, the son of a politician, lead a private family life, only occasionally sharing snippets of their romance and holidays together in paradise. Those who have been keeping up with Tookes may know that she welcomed a baby girl with her beau last year too. Here’s what we know about Jasmine Tookes’ handsome hubby: Juan David Borrero’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3293129/meet-jasmine-tookes-husband-juan-david-borrero-victorias-secret-models-partner-went-stanford-was-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3293129/meet-jasmine-tookes-husband-juan-david-borrero-victorias-secret-models-partner-went-stanford-was-one?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jan 2025 21:00:08 +0000 When Donald Trump emerged victorious from the US presidential election in November, some at Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs lamented the result but none professed surprise. For months, officials and analysts linked to the ministry had prepared for the outcome, anticipating the former president was the favourite to win the White House. And the prevailing view was that any alarm was unwarranted, a senior diplomatic source said. Many forecast that Trump’s Latin American agenda would likely... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3292807/donald-trumps-choice-marco-rubio-top-us-diplomat-leaves-latin-america-bracing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3292807/donald-trumps-choice-marco-rubio-top-us-diplomat-leaves-latin-america-bracing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:00:08 +0000 Hong Kong’s young bucks succumbed to a more experienced Ecuador 3-2 in their topsy-turvy Davis Cup tie at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium on Sunday. There was some joy for home fans when Coleman Wong Chak-lam served more notice of his potential with a clinical 6-4, 6-2 dismissal of Andres Andrade. The 20-year-old’s singles triumph was sandwiched, however, by a straight sets doubles defeat for the Hong Kong team of Wong and Kevin Wong Chun-hun, and a 6-1, 6-3, victory for 35-year-old Ecuadorian... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3278617/young-hong-kong-team-lose-tight-davis-cup-clash-ecuador-despite-coleman-wong-victory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3278617/young-hong-kong-team-lose-tight-davis-cup-clash-ecuador-despite-coleman-wong-victory?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Sep 2024 12:52:21 +0000 Coleman Wong Chak-lam overcame the heat, dizzy spells and a battling opponent ranked more than 1,000 places below him to draw Hong Kong level in their Davis Cup tie against Ecuador on Saturday. The Hongkonger finally saw off Marcos Lee Chan Baratau in three sets at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium, to send his side into Sunday’s reverse singles level at 1-1. Lee, 1,320 in the world, was 4-0 up at one point in the second set and battled through injury in the third, and proved to be a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3278547/davis-cup-hong-kongs-wong-battles-heat-dizziness-level-world-group-ii-tie-ecuador?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3278547/davis-cup-hong-kongs-wong-battles-heat-dizziness-level-world-group-ii-tie-ecuador?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Sep 2024 13:10:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters Panama’s government announced on Thursday additional deportation flights for migrants apprehended in the Central American nation to China, India and Ecuador, in a bid to reduce of flow of mostly US-bound migration. Panama’s recently-inaugurated President Jose Mulino, who campaigned on a pledge to end his nation’s status as a major migrant transit point, made the announcement during his weekly press conference. Financed by Washington, the deportation flights kicked off earlier this week with a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3275536/panama-unveils-deportation-flights-china-india-and-ecuador-stem-us-bound-migration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3275536/panama-unveils-deportation-flights-china-india-and-ecuador-stem-us-bound-migration?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Aug 2024 17:25:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ecuador on Tuesday announced the suspension of an agreement with China that had waived visas for Chinese citizens travelling to the South American country, citing a “worrying” increase in irregular migration. Ecuador’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the suspension of the bilateral agreement is temporary and it will start on July 1. It added that the measure was taken after authorities saw that around 50 per cent of Chinese nationals entering Ecuador didn’t leave the country “through... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3267138/ecuador-suspends-visa-waiver-chinese-citizens-citing-irregular-migration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3267138/ecuador-suspends-visa-waiver-chinese-citizens-citing-irregular-migration?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Jun 2024 17:06:20 +0000 Spiralling criminal violence in one of Ecuador’s most dangerous cities caused a build-up of unidentified and unclaimed bodies that exceeded the capacity of Guayaquil’s main morgue, officials confirmed Thursday. The government of Guayas, the province of which Guayaquil is the capital, said Thursday afternoon in a statement that “the problem that has arisen in recent days in the morgue” has been resolved, its first acknowledgement the problem existed in the first place. Local television and media... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3266564/killings-ecuador-city-causes-morgue-overflow-corpses-foul-odours-spread?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3266564/killings-ecuador-city-causes-morgue-overflow-corpses-foul-odours-spread?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jun 2024 04:01:11 +0000 Ecuador’s fledgling president got a resounding victory in a referendum that he touted as a way to crack down on criminal gangs behind a spiralling wave of violence. An official quick count showed that Ecuadorians overwhelmingly voted “yes” to all nine questions focused on tightening security measures, rejecting only two more controversial economic proposals. The quick count was announced on Sunday by the head of the Electoral National Council, Diana Atamaint. It confirmed a private exit poll... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3259872/ecuador-voters-back-referendum-approve-tougher-fight-against-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3259872/ecuador-voters-back-referendum-approve-tougher-fight-against-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2024 05:26:20 +0000 Ecuadorean prison director Cosme Damian Parrales Merchan was killed on Sunday, the South American country’s SNAI prisons agency said in a statement, even as citizens head to the polls to vote in a referendum over a raft of security measures. SNAI did not give more details on the death of Parrales, who headed the Manabi No 4 prison in the west of the country. The agency said it would work with the investigating authorities to determine those responsible. Ecuadorans were voting on Sunday in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3259836/ecuador-prison-director-killed-voters-head-polls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3259836/ecuador-prison-director-killed-voters-head-polls?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Apr 2024 22:20:36 +0000 The global condemnation of Ecuador’s government for its decision to break into the Mexican embassy snowballed with more presidents and other leaders expressing disapproval, shock and dismay. The criticism came as Mexico’s ambassador and other personnel arrived in Mexico City on Sunday afternoon after departing Ecuador’s capital, Quito, on a commercial flight. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador immediately after Friday’s raid, which international law... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3258163/international-leaders-condemn-ecuador-after-police-raid-mexican-embassy-quito?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3258163/international-leaders-condemn-ecuador-after-police-raid-mexican-embassy-quito?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Apr 2024 18:38:50 +0000 Ecuadorian authorities stormed the Mexican embassy in Quito on Friday to arrest former vice-president Jorge Glas, who was taking refuge there, prompting Mexico to sever diplomatic ties after the “violation of international law”. Images showed police special forces massed outside the embassy and at least one of them scaling its walls, which were already surrounded by police and military. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said authorities “forcibly entered” the building to arrest... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3258069/mexico-cuts-diplomatic-ties-ecuador-after-ex-vp-jorge-glas-arrested-embassy-raid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3258069/mexico-cuts-diplomatic-ties-ecuador-after-ex-vp-jorge-glas-arrested-embassy-raid?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Apr 2024 06:28:31 +0000 Ecuador’s security forces on Sunday took back control of several prisons that had fallen into the hands of gang members, after securing the release of more than 200 officials held hostage inside the jails. The country’s simmering security crisis erupted last week as the government and powerful narco gangs declared all-out war on each other, after the prison escape of a dangerous drug lord. Inmates rioted in jails where gangs wield outsize control, taking prison guards and administrative workers... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3248446/ecuador-regains-control-prisons-amid-war-drug-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3248446/ecuador-regains-control-prisons-amid-war-drug-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jan 2024 05:20:38 +0000 Ecuador’s armed forces were engaged in a brutal stand-off with organised crime, deploying more than 22,400 soldiers to put down a campaign of terror waged by gangs that has claimed 16 lives. With an armed presence on the streets, patrols by land, sea and air, random body and car searches, prison raids and the enforcement of a curfew, the government of President Daniel Noboa has vowed not to yield in its “war” with 22 criminal gangs. “They wanted to instil fear, but they aroused our ire,” Defence... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3248162/ecuador-vows-crush-gangs-deploys-more-22000-soldiers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3248162/ecuador-vows-crush-gangs-deploys-more-22000-soldiers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jan 2024 03:51:13 +0000