Ecuador court delivers final blow to opposition election challenge
QUITO, May 6 (Reuters) - Ecuador's electoral court dismissed a request from the nation's biggest opposition party contesting the results of April's presidential election, a document published on Tuesday showed, leaving the group with no further recourse.
Incumbent President Daniel Noboa has already been widely recognized by international elections observers and the nation's electoral council as the winner of last month's run-off.
However, leftist challenger Luisa Gonzalez, of the Citizens' Revolution party, decried the results as a product of fraud and her coalition had filed a series of challenges.
The court ruling, dated Monday, said the opposition's request was unfounded.
Gonzalez's mentor, former President Rafael Correa, said on social media after the ruling was released that ballot boxes should be opened for a recount and repeated allegations that Noboa's victory was "impossible."
Noboa has scoffed at the fraud claims.
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Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Spanish court approves extradition of Ecuadorian tied to TV station attack
MADRID, June 24 (Reuters) - Spain's High Court on Tuesday authorised the extradition of William Jofre Alcivar Bautista, accused of leading a violent attack on an Ecuadorian TV station in early 2024, provided that Ecuador guarantees his safety in custody. Bautista, known as "Commander Willy" and alleged head of the criminal group Los Tiguerones, was arrested in Spain alongside his brother Alex in October 2024. Ecuadorian authorities accuse the pair of orchestrating car bombings, contract killings, extortion, and a live on-air raid of TC Television's studio in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city - part of a wave of violence that led President Daniel Noboa to declare a war on gangs that he branded as terrorist groups. The court rejected arguments against extradition but insisted on additional assurances from Ecuador due to concerns over violence in its prison system. His brother's extradition had been approved earlier under similar conditions. The raid on the TV station unfolded live for about 20 minutes, as 13 masked and heavily-armed men stormed the studio, forcing staff to the floor. Police eventually rescued the hostages and the attackers surrendered.
The Independent
6 days ago
- The Independent
California is to examine its Amazon oil ties following pleas from Indigenous leaders from Ecuador
An oil tanker sat docked at Chevron's sprawling refinery in Richmond on Thursday — a visible link between California's appetite for Amazon crude and the remote rainforest territories where it's extracted. Just offshore, bundled in puffy jackets against the Bay wind, Indigenous leaders from Ecuador's Amazon paddled kayaks through choppy waters, calling attention to the oil expansion threatening their lands. Their visit to California helped prompt the state Senate to introduce a landmark resolution urging officials to examine the state's role in importing crude from the Amazon. The move comes as Ecuador's government prepares to auction off 14 new oil blocks — covering more than 2 million hectares of rainforest, much of it Indigenous territory — in a 2026 bidding round known as 'Sur Oriente.' The Indigenous leaders say the move goes against the spirit of a national referendum in which Ecuadorians voted to leave crude oil permanently underground in Yasuni National Park. The preservation push in Ecuador comes as another South American country that includes part of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil, is moving ahead with plans to further develop oil resources. On Tuesday, Brazil auctioned off several land and offshore potential oil sites near the Amazon River as it aims to expand production in untapped regions despite protests from environmental and Indigenous groups. Juan Bay, president of the Waorani people of Ecuador, said that his delegation's coming to California was 'important so that our voices, our stance, and our struggle can be elevated' and urged Californians to reexamine the source of their crude from the Amazon — 'from Waorani Indigenous territory." On Thursday, the Indigenous delegation joined local Californians in Richmond for a kayaking trip near a Chevron refinery, sharing stories about the Amazon and perspectives on climate threats. For Nadino Calapucha, a spokesperson for the Kichwa Pakkiru people, the visit to California's Bay Area was deeply moving. Spotting seals in the water and a bird's nest nearby felt ¨like a gesture of solidarity from nature itself," he told The Associated Press on a kayak. 'It was as if the animals were welcoming us,' he said. The connection between the Amazon and California — both facing environmental threats — was palpable, Calapucha said. ¨Being here with our brothers and sisters, with the local communities also fighting — in the end, we feel that the struggle is the same,¨ he said. California is the largest global consumer of Amazon oil, with much of it refined and used in the state as fuel. Ecuador is the region's top producer of onshore crude. Bay highlighted a March 2025 ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which found that Ecuador had violated the rights of the area's Indigenous groups by allowing oil operations in and around a site known as Block 43. The court ordered the government to halt extraction in protected areas and uphold the 2023 referendum banning drilling in Yasuni National Park, where the country's largest crude reserve lies, estimated at around 1.7 billion barrels. Bay appealed to the California government to reconsider if it 'should continue receiving crude from the Amazon' — or continue to be 'complicit in the violation of rights" happening on Indigenous territory. Defending Indigenous rights State Senator Josh Becker, who introduced the new resolution, praised the visiting leaders for defending both their land and the global climate. 'Their communities are on the front lines asserting their rights and resisting oil extraction," Becker said on the Senate floor on Monday. 'They are defenders of a living rainforest that stores carbon, regulates the global climate, and sustains life.' Long criticized by environmental justice advocates, the refinery has processed millions of barrels of Amazon crude, fueling concerns over pollution, public health, and the state's role in rainforest destruction. The delegation also helped launch a new report by Amazon Watch, an Oakland-based non-profit dedicated to the protection of the Amazon Basin, which outlines the climate, legal and financial risks of operating in Indigenous territories without consent. 'Addiction to Amazon crude' Kevin Koenig, Amazon Watch's director for climate, energy and extraction industry, said the impacts of Amazon crude extend far beyond Ecuador. He joined the Ecuadorian delegation on the kayaking trip on Thursday. 'The Golden State, if it wants to be a climate leader, needs to take action," he told AP. 'California has an addiction to Amazon crude.' Californians need to "recognize their responsibility and their complicity in driving demand for Amazon crude and the impact that that is having on Indigenous people, on their rights, on the biodiversity and the climate,' he added. California's future is closely tied to the Amazon's — the state relies on the rainforest's role in climate regulation and rainfall, Koenig said, warning that continued Amazon crude imports contribute to the very destruction increasing California's vulnerability to drought and wildfires. He said environmental and public health damage tied to oil drilling is not confined to South America. 'We're seeing the same impacts from the oil well to the wheel here in California, where communities are suffering from contamination, health impacts, dirty water,' he said. 'It's time that California lead an energy transition." California, one of the world's largest economies and a major importer of Amazon crude, must take stronger climate action, Koenig added and called on the state to phase out its reliance on oil linked to deforestation, human rights abuses, pollution, and climate damage. The resolution commends the Indigenous communities of Ecuador for their struggle in defending the rainforest and Indigenous rights. It also marks the first time California would examine how its energy consumption may contribute to the region's deforestation and cultural loss. The resolution is expected to be up for a vote within a few weeks, according to Koenig. ___ ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
The Independent
18-06-2025
- The Independent
Takeaways from AP report on President Javier Milei's dramatic cuts to Argentine health care
Argentina used to have an extensive, free public health system that pretty much ensured that everybody who couldn't afford private insurance was covered for everything. But in the year-and-a-half since President Javier Milei rode to power on a promise to eliminate the nation's sky-high inflation and huge budget deficits, the radical economist's austerity program has taken a brutal toll on the nation's public hospitals and its population of poor, retired and unemployed patients who have lost access to vital treatment. In gutting key federal health agencies, Milei's sweeping layoffs and deep spending cuts have mirrored moves taken by the administration of his close ally, U.S. President Donald Trump. Here are takeaways from an Associated Press report about how a libertarian revolution cheered by the global far-right is affecting the health of Argentines. President Milei's suspension of a government agency, known as DADSE, that provided prohibitively expensive medication to uninsured cancer patients and others with rare diseases has left thousands of Argentines without lifesaving treatment. The changes forced patients to seek help outside the traditional health care system. Some surreptitiously manage to secure spare drug donations via Facebook groups. Others are not so lucky. A lawsuit filed by patient advocacy groups said at least 60 cancer patients died last year due to the government's suspension of the DADSE medication program. The AP spoke with four families whose loved ones died while waiting for the agency to pay for cancer drugs that it had covered and delivered before Milei took office. A federal judge ordered the government to resume drug deliveries, but the state has appealed, saying DADSE no longer exists. Milei's spokesperson, Manuel Adorni, did not respond to requests for comment. Health Minister Mario Lugones did not respond to questions on the impact of policy changes. Officials have also gutted the National Cancer Institute, suspending early detection programs for breast and cervical cancer. Progress against infectious diseases upended Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has slashed Argentina's health care budget by 48% in real terms. His administration fired over 2,000 Health Ministry employees — nearly a quarter of its workforce — including 1,400 over just a few days in January. Employees describe the worst funding crunch in the ministry's recent history and say the layoffs have allowed an upsurge of diseases once under control. The National Directorate for HIV, Hepatitis and Tuberculosis has lost 40% of its staff and 76% of its annual budget. Hospitals now face shortages of everything from virus testing supplies to medications to condoms. Patients who have the near-totally drug-resistant form of HIV say they're not being treated. The cuts have coincided with a surge in sexually transmitted infections. Last year HIV cases spiked by 20% and syphilis by 50%. Tuberculosis cases also climbed by 25% last year. TB clinics report delays in obtaining test results and say that family members of infected people are not being put on preventive therapy. Overwhelmed hospitals The government has curtailed medical coverage for retirees and lifted price controls on prescription medication and private health plans, causing prices to spike by 250% and 118% respectively, official data shows. Free public hospitals have been flooded with Argentines who dropped their private plans due to increased premiums or who lost their jobs — and with it, social security plans funded through payroll contributions. Buenos Aires facilities reported a 20%-30% increase in demand in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year. Pharmacists have reported drug shortages as mass layoffs caused administrative chaos and the government froze a program that provided basic medications to Argentine public health centers. With hiring frozen, doctors said they're handling double the patients they did a couple years ago. Besieged by staff burnout and ever-increasing workloads, Argentina's leading public Garrahan Pediatric Hospital in Buenos Aires has hemorrhaged 200 medical professionals since Milei took office. As annual inflation neared 200% last fall, their salaries lost half of their purchasing power. Doctors left for jobs abroad or better-paying work in private clinics. None were replaced. Mass protests and strikes by low-paid medical residents paralyzed Buenos Aires last month. Vaccines on the chopping block Milei froze federal funds for immunization campaigns, hobbling vaccine access as Argentina confronts a measles outbreak that in April led to its first measles death in two decades. Authorities did not renew national contracts with vaccine suppliers, in some cases disrupting deliveries to provinces. Last month Argentine officials welcomed Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Trump administration's Health and Human Services secretary and a longtime vaccine skeptic, for meetings on health policy in Buenos Aires. Health Minister Lugones, vowed to refocus the ministry's functions on holistic health rather than infectious disease, in line with Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement. Milei finalized Argentina's decision to follow the U.S. in withdrawing from the World Health Organization, which had provided the nation with discounts on vaccines and medications and helped it track outbreaks. 'Argentina has been one of the most advanced South American countries and here we see it abandoning public health,' said Dr. Stanley Plotkin, an American physician who helped develop the measles vaccine in the 1960s.
