Ecuador

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. military carried out three strikes Monday in the waters of the Eastern Pacific against boats suspected of carrying drugs, killing 14 and leaving one survivor.

The announcement made on social media Tuesday, marks a continued escalation in the pace of the strikes, which began in early September spaced weeks apart. This was the first time multiple strikes were announced in a single day.

Hegseth said Mexican search and rescue authorities “assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue” of the sole survivor but didn’t say if that person would stay in their custody or be handed over to the U.S.

In a strike earlier in October which had two survivors, the U.S. military rescued the pair and later repatriated them to Colombia and Ecuador.

Hegseth posted footage of the strikes to social media in which two boats can be seen moving at speed through the water. One is visibly laden with a large amount of parcels or bundles. Both then suddenly explode and are seen aflame.

The third strike appears to have been conducted on a pair of boats that were stationary in the water alongside each other. They appear to be largely empty with at least two people seen moving before an explosion engulfs both boats.

Hegseth said “the four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics.”

The death toll from the 13 disclosed strikes since early September is now at least 57 people.

US leader says suspected drug traffickers to be sent to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia.

President Donald Trump says two surviving “narcoterrorists” from a semi-submersible vessel destroyed by the US military in the Caribbean will be sent to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia.

“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 transit route,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.

He said that US intelligence has confirmed the vessel was carrying fentanyl and other narcotics.

The vessel was targeted on Thursday in what Trump described as a strike aimed at disrupting a major drug trafficking route.

Two crew members were killed, he said, while two others survived and were airlifted by US forces in a helicopter rescue operation to a nearby US Navy warship.

The US military held the survivors on board at least until Friday evening.

The press office for Ecuador’s government said it was not aware of the plans for repatriation. There was no immediate comment from Colombian authorities.

At least six vessels, most of them speedboats, have been targeted by US strikes in the Caribbean since September, with Venezuela alleged to be the origin of some of them.

Washington says its campaign is dealing a decisive blow to drug trafficking, but it has provided no evidence that the people killed were drug smugglers.

With Trump’s confirmation of the death toll on his Truth Social platform, that means US military actions against vessels in the region have killed at least 29 people.

The president has justified the strikes by asserting that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. He is relying on the same legal authority used by the administration of former President George W Bush when it declared a war on terrorism after the September 11 attacks on the US. This includes the ability to capture and detain combatants and use lethal force to take out their leadership. Trump is also treating the suspected traffickers as if they were enemy soldiers in a traditional war.

Previous similar strikes have raised concerns from Democratic lawmakers and legal experts who argue that such operations may exceed accepted wartime authority and risk violating international law.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said the latest targeted vessel had been “built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs”.

US military buildup

The mission comes amid a sharp US military buildup across the Caribbean, involving guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear-powered submarine and about 6,500 troops. The escalation has fuelled accusations that Washington is inching towards direct confrontation with Venezuela.

On Wednesday, Trump confirmed that he had authorised the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela, intensifying fears in Caracas that the US is attempting to topple President Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro has repeatedly denied involvement in drug trafficking and accused Washington of fabricating a narco-terrorism narrative as a pretext for trying to change the government. He condemned the recent maritime strikes as “a violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty and international law”.

Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, has formally requested the UN Security Council to issue a determination that the US strikes are illegal and to reaffirm Venezuela’s sovereign rights.

A car exploded outside a shopping mall in Ecuador’s largest city Guayaquil, killing at least one person and injuring several more. Authorities say the blast was a deliberate act by criminal groups as police hunt for those responsible.

Nearly three weeks of striking bus drivers and roadblocks by angry farmers have put Ecuador President Daniel Noboa in one of the tensest moments of his presidency.

The outcry comes in response to the government’s increase in diesel fuel costs, after a subsidy was cut last month.

With no signs of dialogue after 18 days, one protester has been killed, numerous protesters and authorities injured, and more than 100 people arrested.

The army announced a large deployment to the capital on Thursday, saying it would prevent vandalism and destruction of property. As many as 5,000 troops were being deployed after dozens of protesters had marched at various sites in the city earlier in the day.

Though the demonstrations called for by Ecuador’s largest Indigenous organisation, CONAIE, are supposed to be nationwide, the most acute impact has been in the northern part of the country, especially Imbabura province, where Noboa won in April’s election with 52 percent of the vote.

On one side is “a president who assumes that after winning the elections he has all of the power at his disposal, who has authoritarian tendencies and no disposition for dialogue”, said Farith Simon, a law professor at the Universidad San Francisco in Quito.

On the other side, he said, is “an Indigenous sector that has shown itself to be uncompromising and is looking to co-govern through force”.

Protesters attacked Noboa’s motorcade with rocks on Tuesday, adding to the tension. The administration denounced it as an assassination attempt.

The Indigenous organisation CONAIE, however, rejected that assertion. It insists its protests are peaceful and that it is the government that is responding with force.

What led to the demonstrations?

The protests were organised by CONAIE, an acronym that translates to the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador.

The group mobilised its supporters after Noboa decreed the elimination of a subsidy on diesel on September 12.

Diesel is critical to the agricultural, fishing and transport sectors in Ecuador, where many Indigenous people work. The move raised the cost of a gallon (3.8 litres) of diesel to $2.80 from $1.80, which CONAIE said hit the poor the hardest.

The government tried to calm the backlash by offering some handouts, and unions did not join the demonstrations. The confederation rejected the government’s “gifts” and called for a general strike.

What are the protests like?

The Indigenous confederation is a structured movement that played a central role in violent uprisings in 2019 and 2022 that nearly ousted then-Presidents Lenin Moreno and Guillermo Lasso.

Its methods are not always seen as productive, particularly when protests turn violent.

Daniel Crespo, an international relations professor at the Universidad de los Hemisferios in Quito, said the confederation’s demands to return the fuel subsidy, cut a tax and stop mining are efforts to “impose their political agenda”.

The confederation says it’s just trying to fight for a “decent life” for all Ecuadorians, even if that means opposing Noboa’s economic and social policies.

What are Noboa’s policies?

Noboa is a 37-year-old, politically conservative millionaire heir to a banana fortune. He started his second term in May amid high levels of violence.

One of the steps he has taken is raising the value-added tax rate to 15 percent from 12 percent, arguing that the additional funds are needed to fight crime. He has also fired thousands of government workers and restructured the executive branch.

The president has opted for a heavy-handed approach to making these changes and rejected calls for dialogue. He said, “The law awaits those who choose violence. Those who act like criminals will be treated like criminals.”

What has been the fallout?

A protester died last week, and soldiers were caught on video attacking a man who tried to help him.

The images, along with generally aggressive actions by security forces confronting protesters, have fuelled anger and drawn criticism about excessive use of force from organisations within Ecuador and abroad.

The Attorney General’s Office said it was investigating the protester’s death.

Experts warn that the situation could grow more violent if the protests that have largely been in rural areas arrive in the cities, especially the capital, where frustrated civilians could take to the streets to confront protesters.

Some party needs to intervene and lead the different sides to dialogue, perhaps the Catholic Church or civil society organisations, Crespo and Simon agreed.

A government official in Ecuador has accused protesters of attempting to attack President Daniel Noboa, alleging that a group of approximately 500 people surrounded his vehicle and threw rocks.

The attack, which unfolded in the south-central province of Canar, took place as Noboa arrived in the canton of El Tambo for an event about water treatment and sewage.

Environment and Energy Minister Ines Manzano said Noboa’s car showed “signs of bullet damage”. In a statement to the press, she explained that she filed a report alleging an assassination attempt had taken place.

“Shooting at the president’s car, throwing stones, damaging state property — that’s just criminal,” Manzano said. “We will not allow this.”

The president’s office also issued a statement after the attack on Tuesday, pledging to pursue accountability against those involved.

“Obeying orders to radicalise, they attacked a presidential motorcade carrying civilians. They attempted to forcibly prevent the delivery of a project intended to improve the lives of a community,” the statement, published on social media, said.

“All those arrested will be prosecuted for terrorism and attempted murder,” it added.

Five people, according to Manzano, have been detained following the incident. Noboa was not injured.

Video published by the president’s office online shows Noboa’s motorcade navigating a roadway lined with protesters, some of whom picked up rocks and threw them at the vehicles, causing fractures to form on the glass.

A separate image showed a silver SUV with a shattered passenger window and a shattered windscreen. It is not clear from the images whether a bullet had been fired.

Noboa, Ecuador’s youngest-ever president, was re-elected in April after a heated run-off election against left-wing rival Luisa Gonzalez.

May marked the start of his first full term in office. Previously, Noboa, a conservative candidate who had only served a single term in the National Assembly, had been elected to serve the remainder of Guillermo Lasso’s term — a period of around 18 months — after the former president dissolved his government.

Combatting crime has been a centrepiece of Noboa’s pitch for the presidency. Ecuador, formerly considered an “island of peace” in South America, has seen a spike in homicide rates as criminal organisations seek to expand their drug trafficking routes through the country.

Ecuador’s economy has also struggled to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Noboa has faced multiple protests since taking office.

In recent weeks, for example, he has faced outcry over his decision to end a fuel subsidy that critics say helps lower-income families.

Noboa’s government, however, has argued that the subsidy drove up government costs without reaching those who need it. In a presidential statement on September 12, officials accused the subsidy of being “diverted to smuggling, illegal mining and undue benefits”.

The statement also said that the subsidies represented $1.1bn that could instead be used to compensate small farmers and transportation workers directly.

But the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), the country’s most powerful Indigenous advocacy organisation, launched a strike in response to the news of the subsidy’s end.

It called upon its supporters to lead protests and block roadways as a way of expressing their outrage.

Nevertheless, on Tuesday, the group denied that there had been an organised attack on Noboa’s motorcade. Instead, CONAIE argued that government violence had been “orchestrated” against the people who had gathered to protest Noboa.

“We denounce that at least five comrades have been arbitrarily detained,” CONAIE posted on X. “Among the attacked are elderly women.”

It noted that Tuesday marked the 16th day of protest. “The people are not the enemy,” it added.

CONAIE had largely backed Noboa’s rival Gonzalez in the April election, though some of its affiliate groups splintered in favour of Noboa.

This is not the first time that Noboa’s government has claimed the president was the target of an assassination attempt.

In April, shortly after the run-off vote, it issued a “maximum alert” claiming that assassins had entered the country from Mexico to destabilise his administration.

At the time, the administration blamed “sore losers” from the election for fomenting the alleged plot.

Sept. 18 (UPI) — Ecuador President Daniel Noboa announced Thursday plans to call a voter referendum to ask whether they want a constituent assembly. He said the country must “free itself from institutional captivity” and establish a new legal framework to confront organized crime.

In an official statement, he said Ecuadorians will set the rules for a “new Ecuador” and accused traditional political structures of blocking reforms needed to strengthen his security policy.

According to the presidential message, earlier questions submitted by the executive branch for a public vote “were rejected” by the Constitutional Court, a decision Noboa attributed to “political activism” without naming a specific institution or giving dates.

Noboa’s decision follows other recent measures, including the Sept. 1 replacement of the entire military leadership, which the Defense Ministry described as a new phase in the war against criminal gangs.

The Security Bloc has seized 135 tons of drugs in maritime operations so far this year, a record that already surpasses all seizures made in 2024. Between January and August, authorities confiscated 68.1 tons of cocaine at the ports of Guayaquil, Machala and Posorja, including 27.3 tons at Posorja, which accounted for 40% of the total.

Posorja, a fishing town in the southwest that is home to Ecuador’s most modern port, has become a symbol of the international fight against drug trafficking. Built to boost legal exports, it is now at the center of battles over cocaine routes.

Ecuador has also strengthened cooperation with the United States. The Trump administration pledged $13.7 million in security aid and $6 million in drones to bolster maritime surveillance, along with updates to the extradition treaty and intelligence sharing to combat criminal groups.

The government says this year’s seizures have caused losses of more than $9.3 billion for criminal networks.

“Our goal is to financially strangle drug trafficking and cut off every supply route,” Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo said.

QUITO, Ecuador — The United States is designating two Ecuadorean gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, marking the Trump administration’s latest step to target criminal cartels in Latin America.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement Thursday while in Ecuador as part of a trip to Latin America overshadowed by an American military strike against a similarly designated gang, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua. That attack has raised concerns in the region about what may follow as President Trump’s government pledges to step up military activity to combat drug trafficking and illegal migration.

“This time, we’re not just going to hunt for drug dealers in the little fast boats and say, ‘Let’s try to arrest them,’” Rubio told reporters in Quito, Ecuador’s capital. “No, the president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because they’ve been waging war on us for 30 years and no one has responded.”

Two more gangs designed as terrorist groups

Los Lobos and Los Choneros are Ecuadorean gangs blamed for much of the violence that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. The terrorist designation, Rubio said, brings “all sorts of options” for Washington to work in conjunction with the government of Ecuador to crack down on these groups.

That includes the ability to conduct targeted killings as well as take action against the properties and banking accounts in the U.S. of the group’s members and those with ties to the criminal organizations, Rubio said. He said the label also would help with intelligence sharing.

Los Choneros, Los Lobos and other similar groups are involved in contract killings, extortion operations and the movement and sale of drugs. Authorities have blamed them for the increased violence in the country as they fight over drug-trafficking routes to the Pacific and control of territory, including within prisons, where hundreds of inmates have been killed since 2021.

U.S. strike in the Caribbean takes center stage

The strike in the southern Caribbean has commanded attention on Rubio’s trip, which included a stop in Mexico on Wednesday.

U.S. officials say that the vessel’s cargo was intended for the U.S. and that the strike killed 11 people, but they have yet to explain how the military determined that those aboard were Tren de Aragua members.

Rubio said U.S. actions targeting cartels were being directed more toward Venezuela, and not Mexico.

“There’s no need to do that in many cases with friendly governments, because the friendly governments are going to help us,” Rubio told reporters. “They may do it themselves, and we’ll help them do it.”

A day earlier, Rubio justified the strike by saying that the boat posed an “immediate threat” to the U.S. and that Trump opted to “blow it up” rather than follow what had been standard procedure: to stop and board, arrest the crew and seize any contraband.

The strike drew a mixed reaction from leaders around Latin America, where the U.S. history of military intervention and gunboat diplomacy is still fresh. Many, such as officials in Mexico, were careful to not outright condemn the attack. They stressed the importance of protecting national sovereignty and warned that expanded U.S. military involvement might backfire.

Ecuador has struggled with drug trafficking

Ecuador has its own issues with narcotics trafficking.

President Daniel Noboa thanked Rubio for the U.S. efforts to “actually eliminate any terrorist threat.” Before their meeting, Rubio said on social media that the U.S. and Ecuador are “aligned as key partners on ending illegal immigration and combatting transnational crime and terrorism.”

The latest United Nations World Drug Report says various countries in South America, including Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, reported larger cocaine seizures in 2022 than in 2021. The report does not give Venezuela the outsize role that the White House has in recent months.

“I don’t care what the U.N. says. I don’t care,” Rubio said.

Violence has skyrocketed in Ecuador since the pandemic. Drug traffickers expanded operations and took advantage of the nation’s banana industry. Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter of the fruit, and traffickers find shipping containers filled with it to be the perfect vehicle to smuggle their contraband.

Cartels from Mexico, Colombia and the Balkans have settled in Ecuador because it uses the U.S. dollar and has weak laws and institutions, along with a network of long-established gangs, including Los Choneros and Los Lobos, that are eager for work.

Ecuador gained prominence in the global cocaine trade after political changes in Colombia last decade. Coca bush fields in Colombia have been moving closer to Ecuador’s border due to the breakup of criminal groups after the 2016 demobilization of the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Ecuador in July extradited to the U.S. the leader of Los Choneros, José Adolfo Macías Villamar. He escaped from an Ecuadorean prison last year and was recaptured in June, two months after being indicted in New York on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the U.S.

Lee, Cano and Martin write for the Associated Press. Lee and Cano reported from Mexico City. AP writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., contributed to this report.

MEXICO CITY — Security, sovereignty, tariffs, trade, drugs and migration — all hot-button issues for the Trump administration and its neighbors in the Western Hemisphere — will top Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s agenda this week on his third trip to Latin America since becoming the chief U.S. diplomat.

In talks with leaders in Mexico and Ecuador on Wednesday and Thursday, Rubio will make the case that broader, deeper cooperation with the U.S. on those issues is vitally important to improving health, safety and security in the Americas and the Caribbean.

Yet, President Trump has alienated many in the region — far beyond the usual array of U.S. antagonists like Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela — with persistent demands, coupled with threats of sweeping tariffs and massive sanctions for not complying with his desires.

Mexico has been a focus for Trump

Mexico, the only country apart from Canada to share a border with the U.S., has been a particular target for Trump. He has demanded, and so far won, some concessions from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government, which is eager to defuse the tariff threats.

Just a few hours before Rubio’s arrival Tuesday, Sheinbaum was set to lead a meeting of the country’s most important security forum, which brings together all 32 governors, the army, navy, federal prosecutor’s office and security commanders to coordinate actions across Mexico.

Sheinbaum had been talking for weeks about how Mexico was finalizing a comprehensive security agreement with the State Department that, among other things, was supposed to include plans for a “joint investigation group” to combat the flow of fentanyl and the drug’s precursors into the U.S. and weapons from north to south.

“Under no circumstance will we accept interventions, interference or any other act from abroad that is detrimental to the integrity, independence and sovereignty of the country,” she said Monday in her State of the Nation address marking her first year in office.

Last week, however, a senior State Department official downplayed suggestions that a formal agreement — at least one that includes protections for Mexican sovereignty — was in the works.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview Rubio’s meetings, said sovereignty protections were “understood” by both countries without having to be formalized in a document.

Sheinbaum lowered her expectations Tuesday, saying during her morning news briefing that it would not be a formal agreement but rather a kind of memorandum of understanding to share information and intelligence on drug trafficking or money laundering obtained “by them in their territory, by us in our territory unless commonly agreed upon.”

Mexico’s president touts keeping close ties with the U.S.

Of her meeting with Rubio on Wednesday, she said it was always important to maintain good relations with the United States.

“There will be moments of greater tension, of less tension, of issues that we do not agree on, but we have to try to have a good relationship, and I believe tomorrow’s meeting will show that,” Sheinbaum said. “It is a relationship of respect and at the same time collaboration.”

To appease Trump, Sheinbaum has gone after Mexican cartels and their fentanyl production more aggressively than her predecessor. The government has sent the National Guard to the northern border and delivered 55 cartel figures long wanted by U.S. authorities to the Trump administration.

The Trump-Sheinbaum relationship also has been marked by tension, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announcing a new initiative with Mexico to combat cartels along the border that prompted an angry denial from Sheinbaum.

Despite American officials singing her praises, and constantly highlighting collaboration between the two countries, Trump glibly said last month: “Mexico does what we tell them to do.”

Migration and cartels are a focus of Rubio’s trip

In announcing the trip, the State Department said Rubio, who has already traveled twice to Latin America and the Caribbean and twice to Canada this year, would focus on stemming illegal migration, combating organized crime and drug cartels, and countering what the U.S. believes is malign Chinese behavior in its backyard.

He will show “unwavering commitment to protect [U.S.] borders, neutralize narco-terrorist threats to our homeland, and ensure a level playing field for American businesses,” the department said.

Rubio’s first foreign trip as secretary of state was to Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, during which he assailed Chinese influence over the Panama Canal and sealed deals with the others to accept immigrant deportees from the United States. Rubio later traveled to Jamaica, Guyana and Suriname.

The senior State Department official said virtually every country in Latin America is now accepting the return of their nationals being deported from the U.S. and, with the exception of Nicaragua, most have stepped up their actions against drug cartels, many of which have been designated foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S.

The official also said progress has been made in countering China in the Western Hemisphere.

Lee and Janetsky write for the Associated Press. AP writer María Verza in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Mining proponents are expecting to see an increase in activity under President Noboa, a right-wing candidate who won re-election in April.

In 2024, Noboa travelled to the World Exploration and Mining Convention in Canada and signed six agreements worth $4.8bn.

And just this month, Noboa issued a presidential decree that would dissolve the Ministry of Environment and fold its duties into the Ministry of Energy and Mining.

Critics warn these developments threaten to undercut environmental causes and the right for Indigenous communities to have prior consultation before development projects.

To prevent conflicts like Rio Blanco’s, experts emphasise that implementing these rights in good faith is key. They also say communities need more resources, so that mining is not the only way out of poverty.

“These places often have no government support, leaving people to fend for themselves,” said Patricio Benalcázar, a sociology professor and mining conflict researcher at the University of Cuenca.

“The government should create programmes that improve people’s lives, provide basic utilities, schools, healthcare — and should help create other ways for people to earn money, besides mining.”

Alfaro, however, believes that communities cannot rely on the national government’s support. Activists, nonprofits, universities and others need to step in.

“Río Blanco is the best example we have of a community working together to stop a big international mining project,” he said.

“But that doesn’t mean the next steps will be easy. How do you rebuild and heal families after the industry’s damage? For a small place like Río Blanco, they can’t do it alone.”

Community members, however, are taking small steps to begin healing the rifts the mining caused.

In May, Durazno — the local leader — organised a Mother’s Day event to bring together Rio Blanco’s residents.

A mother of four herself, she felt the holiday could be unifying. Still, the attendance was not what Durazno had hoped for.

As she watched a dozen children from pro- and anti-mining families play together in a sunlit courtyard, she reflected on the toll the conflict has taken.

“It took too much to drive mining out,” she said. “People are tired and don’t want to hear about mining any more. If the company comes back, I don’t know if we’d have the strength to take them on again.”

With the 1980s came an influx of Western women ascending in white-collar professions — and their increase in power demanded some formidable work wear to match.

As ruthless as she is seductive, Spanish businesswoman Marioneta Negocios (voiced by Pepa Pallarés) is among them. We meet her when she lands in Quito, Ecuador, to wreak havoc in Gonzalo Cordova’s stop-motion animated show, “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads,” Adult Swim’s first-ever Spanish-language program, which premiered Sunday.

In the South American country, cuys (guinea pigs) are part of the local diet, but the conniving Marioneta wishes to change the local mindset so that the creatures are seen as pets. Her plan angers Doña Quispe (Laura Torres), who makes a living selling cuys to be eaten, leading to a melodramatic feud.

True to her name, Marioneta is a puppet whose look is immediately recognizable as that of Carmen Maura’s character Pepa in Pedro Almodóvar’s 1988 “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.” The show is profoundly indebted to Almodóvar’s universe.

Cordova, 39, lived in Ecuador and Panama until he was 6 years old, when his family moved to South Florida. He discovered American culture through copious hours of TV, with “The Simpsons” and comedian Conan O’Brien becoming key influences on his sensibilities.

“It’s just such a joy to have this TV show that mixes together all these childhood memories of Ecuador, but also TV and movies, smashing them together into one thing,” he says during a recent video interview from his home in Pasadena.

“Women Wearing Shoulder Pads” from creator Gonzalo Cordova.

(Warner Bros)

The genesis of “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads” occurred at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cordova had been working on a Mexican American project, but he ached to create a story that specifically reflected his Ecuadorean background.

Having worked as a story editor and producer on the animated series “Tuca & Bertie,” Cordova had a relationship with Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s programming block aimed at mature audiences. He pitched them his idiosyncratic idea inspired by Almodóvar’s ‘80s films, Ecuadorean culture and his love of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, an L.A. institution.

At first, Cordova did not tell Adult Swim that he intended for the show to be in Spanish. He tried to ease them into the idea. “I did not mention that in the pitch,” he admits. “They showed some interest and when I was writing the script, I started telling them, ‘This really should be in Spanish.’ But I always knew that was the correct way to do it.”

Executives were surprisingly receptive and allowed him to move forward with the pilot, with the caveat that they could change course. “I’m not going to lie and say that it was just smooth sailing,” Cordova explains. “But Adult Swim really listened to me and was very supportive. It has taken a big risk.”

The funniest version of this TV show had to exist in Spanish, he thought. His conviction derived from his experience writing jokes and testing them in front of an audience.

“I did stand-up comedy for eight years in New York, and if you don’t believe in the thing you’re doing and don’t fully commit, it’s not going to work,” he says. “The audience feels it. And to me, doing it in Spanish was just part of the commitment to the bit that I’m doing.”

The HBO Max show “Los Espookys,” which set the precedent that a U.S. production could premiere in Spanish, deeply emboldened Cordova in his creative impulse. “That show gave me a little bit more of chutzpah in asking for this,” he adds.

For Cordova, “Los Espookys,” created by Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega and Fred Armisen, conveyed “a Latin American sensibility and sense of humor,” which he describes as “a little offbeat and a little quirky.” That tone is also what he sought for his show.

First, Cordova wrote “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads” in English over two months with an all-Latino writers’ room, where each person had different levels of Spanish proficiency. Writing in English, their dominant tongue, allowed them to “shoot from the hip,” as he puts it. “The show really relies on absurdism, which heavily relies on instinct,” he explains.

To ensure that the jokes were not getting lost in translation, Cordova worked closely with Mexico-based Mireya Mendoza, the translator and voice director on the show. Once they had made way in the Spanish translation, the production brought on Ecuadorean consultant Pancho Viñachi to help make the dialogue and world in general feel more authentic.

“Pancho started giving us these very specific, not only slang, but also Quechua words and things that would make it feel very specifically Ecuadorean,” Cordova says. “I took that very seriously too. We spent maybe as long translating it as we did initially writing it.”

That “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads” is decidedly a queer show with no speaking male characters came from Cordova’s desire to further exaggerate the fact that in melodramas or classic “women’s pictures” the male parts are secondary to their female counterparts.

“Once you go, ‘No male characters,’ your show’s going to be queer,” he says smiling. “You wrote yourself into a corner because you can’t do a parody of these kinds of work without sex in it and without romance or passion. I was like, ‘The next step is to also make this very queer.’”

As for the decision to use stop-motion, Cordova credits Adult Swim for steering him in that direction. “Initially, when I pitched the show I wanted to do an Almodóvar film with marionettes and Adult Swim very wisely said, ‘This is going to create more complications for you,’” he recalls. “They suggested stop-motion and connected me to Cinema Fantasma.”

Based in Mexico City, Cinema Fantasma is a studio that specializes in stop-motion animation founded by Arturo and Roy Ambriz. The filmmaker brothers are also behind Mexico’s first-ever stop-motion animated feature, “I Am Frankelda.”

Cordova visited the studios throughout the production, gaining a deeper appreciation for the painstaking technique in which every element has to be physically crafted.

For Cordova, creating “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads” entailed mining his memories of Ecuador in the late ‘80s, including growing up hearing over-the-top, partially fictionalized family stories. Those recollections also helped shape the look of the puppets.

“We used a lot of film references. That’s why some of the characters just looked like they come straight out of a Pedro Almodóvar’s film,” he says. “But I also sent Cinema Fantasma a large Google Drive folder with tons of family photos. And we started finding like, ‘Doña Quispe is going to look like this relative mixed with this drawing from ‘Love and Rockets.’”

In this scene, Marioneta leads a “guinea pig rights group.”

(Warner Bros.)

The prominence of cuys in the show also stemmed from remembering how seeing them at restaurants or in cages would shock him when he returned to Ecuador as a teen after living in the U.S. for many years. Now he looks at the practice with a more mature perspective.

“I understand that this is a food and it’s no different than being served duck in a restaurant,” he says. “The show tries to make that point, but also preserves my childhood perspective on it through other characters.”

The line between the creative and the personal blurred even further because many of the costumes were based on designs that Cordova’s mother created when she was studying fashion in Panama and thought would never see the light of day.

Though she was delighted by this homage, her thoughts on the show surprised him. “My mom’s reaction has been interesting because she was like, ‘This is just a good drama.’ The comedy elements are not on the forefront for her,” Cordova says with a laugh. “For her it’s like, ‘I want to know what happens next,’ which I didn’t really expect.”

By putting Ecuador in the forefront of his mind and of this hilarious work of collage, Cordova made a singular tribute to his loved ones.

“There are so many weird little moments in the show when my family was watching and they were like, ‘Oh, that’s your tía’s name, that’s your sister’s nickname.’” Cordova recalls fondly. “It’s almost like how in superhero movies they’ll put Easter eggs, these are Easter eggs for my family only.”

But there’s another opinion Cordova is eager to hear, that of Almodóvar himself. His hope is that, if the Spanish master somehow comes across the show, he feels his admiration.

“I hope that if he does watch it, that he knows it is just very lovingly inspired by his work and that it’s not a theft,” Cordova says. “I make it very obvious who I’m taking from. I may have borrowed from him quite a bit, so I hope he sees that it’s done out of a deep respect.”

Aug. 1 (UPI) — Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has introduced a bill in the National Assembly to regulate the funding and activities of non-governmental organizations, particularly those that receive money from abroad.

The proposal would create a mandatory registry for nonprofit entities, require regular financial reporting and allow the government to suspend or revoke operating permits if NGOs engage in “activities incompatible with the national interest.”

If approved, Ecuador would join a regional push that has taken shape over the past year in countries such as Peru, El Salvador and Paraguay.

According to the Ecuadorian government, the bill aims to bring greater transparency to the operations of NGOs, many of which it says operate without clearly disclosing their funding sources, international ties or true objectives.

“I’m not attacking NGOs. Some of them do honorable work and help people in Ecuador. Those organizations won’t have problems because they’ll be able to explain where their money comes from,” Noboa said.

Although the bill does not yet specify penalties, it would require organizations to disclose their donors, provide documentation for expenses and avoid political activities not explicitly authorized in their charters.

Civil society groups in Ecuador have voiced concern, warning the measure could open the door to arbitrary restrictions and potential censorship.

In March, Peru’s Congress passed a law expanding the powers of the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation to audit foreign-funded projects. The law allows fines of up to $500,000 and authorizes the suspension of organizations that use those funds to bring legal action against the state — a common practice in human rights and Indigenous advocacy.

Despite opposition from more than 70 domestic NGOs and international groups, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Human Rights Watch, President Dina Boluarte’s government defended the law as a way to “organize” international cooperation.

In El Salvador, the ruling-party-controlled legislature approved the Foreign Agents Law in May. The law imposes a 30% tax on foreign donations, requires registration in a special government registry and gives the executive branch authority to sanction or shut down organizations it accuses of meddling in domestic affairs.

Human rights groups have condemned the Salvadoran law, saying it restricts the work of humanitarian organizations and independent media.

In Paraguay, a regulation enacted in November 2024 requires all nonprofit organizations to register with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, file biannual reports on income and expenses and disclose any ties to international agencies.

The measure prohibits unregistered NGOs from signing agreements with the state and includes penalties ranging from suspension of activities to the permanent revocation of legal status.

Paraguayan and regional organizations have warned that the law criminalizes international cooperation and could seriously undermine human rights advocacy.

Critics say these measures echo laws previously adopted in Venezuela and Nicaragua, where “foreign agent” and “sovereignty defense” legislation has been used to shut down organizations that report human rights violations or criticize the government, under the pretext of foreign interference.

Governments backing these laws argue they aim to strengthen transparency, prevent illicit financing and block foreign influence.

But organizations including Amnesty International, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and the IACHR warn the measures are part of a broader pattern of shrinking democratic space in the region, where state control is prioritized over civic participation.

The South American nation has reeled under a substantial increase in violent crime over the last several years.

Gunmen in Ecuador have killed at least 17 people, including a child, in an attack on a bar, the latest incident to underscore the South American nation’s challenges with rising violent crime.

The country’s attorney general said on Monday that more than 40 pieces of ballistic evidence were recovered from the bar in the small town of El Empalme, located about 160 kilometres [100 miles] north of the city of Guayaquil in the coastal province of Guayas.

Images shared by Ecuadorian media show bodies and pools of blood across the floor of the bar.

Ecuador has reeled from a surge in violent crime over the last several years, which experts say is largely driven by criminal groups sparring over territory and lucrative drug trafficking routes.

Police said that groups of gunmen in two trucks opened fire on the bar with pistols and rifles on Sunday night in an attack that also injured at least 11 people, with other reports putting the number as high as 14.

One minor hit in the attack ran more than a kilometre before collapsing in the street and dying from his wounds.

The news agency AFP reported that the trucks full of men also shot and killed two more people at a different location, and that the men shouted “Active Wolves!” during the attack on the bar.

El Empalme police chief Oscar Valencia said the term was a possible reference to the criminal group Los Lobos, which competes with another group, Los Choneros, for control of drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and illegal mining operations.

Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa has pushed for expanded powers for the executive and state security forces in the name of addressing crime, measures that have mostly won over public support despite concerns over potential abuses.

Adolfo Macias, who was recaptured in June after escaping from a prison last year, will appear in a New York state court on Monday.

Ecuadorean gang leader Adolfo Macias Villamar, also known as “Fito”, is set to appear in a federal court in the United States, where he will plead not guilty to international charges of drug and weapons trafficking, his lawyer says.

The Ecuadorean government on Sunday extradited the notorious drug trafficker, a month after he was recaptured following a 2024 escape from a maximum-security penitentiary, the country’s prison authority said.

Macias, the leader of the Los Choneros gang, was serving a 34-year sentence at a prison in Guayaquil for a slew of crimes, including drug trafficking, organised crime, and murder.

The flight transporting Macias landed in New York state on Sunday night, the report said. His lawyer told the Reuters news agency that Macias “will plead not guilty” before the Brooklyn federal court on Monday.

Details of the handover to the US government and the extradition were not specified. The US government has yet to issue an official statement following the extradition.

The US Attorney’s Office had filed charges in April against Macias on suspicion of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms violations, including weapons smuggling.

The former taxi driver turned crime boss agreed in a Quito court last week to be extradited to the US to face the charges.

He is the first Ecuadorean extradited by his country since a new measure was written into law last year, after a referendum in which President Daniel Noboa sought the approval of moves to boost his war on criminal gangs.

Ecuador, once a peaceful haven between the world’s two top cocaine exporters, Colombia and Peru, has seen violence erupt in recent years as rival gangs with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control.

Cult following

Soon after Macias escaped from prison in January 2024, Noboa declared Ecuador to be in a state of “internal armed conflict” and ordered the military and tanks into the streets to “neutralise” the gangs. The move has been criticised by human rights organisations.

As a drug lord, Macias cultivated a cult status among fellow gang members and the public.

While behind bars in 2023, he released a video addressed to “the Ecuadorian people” while flanked by armed men. He also threw parties in prison, where he had access to everything from liquor to roosters for cockfighting matches.

Macias’s Los Choneros has ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, Colombia’s Gulf Clan, which is considered the world’s largest cocaine exporter, as well as Balkan mafias, according to the Ecuadorian Organised Crime Observatory.

His escape from prison prompted widespread violence and a massive military and police recapture operation, including government “wanted” posters offering $1m for information leading to his arrest.

On June 25, Macias was found hiding in a bunker concealed under floor tiles in a luxury home in the fishing port of Manta, the centre of operations for Los Choneros. Noboa declared he would be extradited, “the sooner the better”.

“We will gladly send him and let him answer to the North American law,” Noboa told CNN at the time.

More than 70 percent of all cocaine produced in the world now passes through Ecuador’s ports, according to government data. In 2024, the country seized a record 294 tonnes of drugs, mainly cocaine.

Notorious gang leader has agreed to be extradited to the United States to face cocaine and weapons smuggling charges.

Ecuador’s most infamous drug lord has agreed to be extradited to the United States to face cocaine and weapons smuggling charges, a court in the capital Quito has said.

The announcement on Friday is the latest chapter in the dramatic underworld tale of Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito”, who was recaptured in June after escaping from a maximum security prison 18 months ago in a jailbreak that triggered a bloody wave of gang violence.

Macias, head of the “Los Choneros” gang, is wanted in the US on charges of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms-related crimes, including weapons smuggling.

After Macias vanished from his prison cell in the southwestern port of Guayaquil in January 2024, authorities had been scouring the world for him, offering a $1m reward for information leading to his capture. But it emerged that the country’s most wanted man was hiding out at a family member’s mansion in his hometown.

Ecuadorian security forces recaptured the drug kingpin last month at an underground bunker beneath a marble-walled house in the port city of Manta, some 260km (160 miles) southwest of the capital, Quito.

The former taxi-driver-turned-crime-boss had been serving a 34-year sentence since 2011 for involvement in organised crime, drug trafficking and murder.

In a country plagued by drug-related crime, Los Choneros members responded with violence as the manhunt began after their leader’s escape – using car bombs, holding prison guards hostage and storming a television station during a live broadcast.

President Daniel Noboa’s right-wing government had recently declared, “We will gladly send him and let him answer to the North American law.”

Macias, dressed in an orange prison uniform, took part in a court hearing Friday via videolink from a high-security prison in Guayaquil.

In response to a judge’s question, he replied, “Yes, I accept (extradition).”

This would make Macias the first Ecuadorian extradited by his country since the measure was written into law last year, after a referendum in which Noboa sought the approval of measures to boost his war on criminal gangs.

Ecuador, once a peaceful haven wedged between the world’s two top cocaine exporters, Colombia and Peru, has seen violence erupt in recent years as rival gangs with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control.

These gang wars have largely played out inside the country’s prisons, where Macias wielded immense control. He was the unofficial boss of his Guayaquil prison, where authorities found images glorifying him, weapons and US dollars.

Videos of parties he held in the prison captured fireworks and a mariachi band. In one sequence, he appeared waving, laughing and petting a fighting rooster.

Macias earned a law degree behind bars. By the time he escaped, he was considered a suspect in the assassination of presidential candidate and anticorruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio in 2023.

Soon after Macias’s prison break, Noboa declared Ecuador to be in a state of “internal armed conflict” and ordered the military and tanks into the streets to “neutralize” the gangs.

Los Choneros has ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, Colombia’s Gulf Clan – the world’s largest cocaine exporter – and Balkan mafias, according to the Ecuadorian Organized Crime Observatory.

More than 70 percent of all cocaine produced in the world now passes through Ecuador’s ports, according to government data. In 2024, the country seized a record 294 tonnes of drugs, mainly cocaine.

Ecuador in South America is a country steeped in culture, rich in history and bursting with natural beauty – yet it doesn’t see many tourists. Here’s why it should be on your list

Fancy a getaway to an under-the-radar destination? Though bursting with cultural heritage and stunning landscapes, the South American gem of Ecuador tends to slip under the tourist radar but truly deserves a spot on your bucket list.

In 2023, Ecuador welcomed just shy of 1.5 million wanderers to its shores. In comparison, with a whopping 125 million holidaymakers flocking to Spain in the same timeframe, Ecuador certainly isn’t topping the charts as a travellers’ favourite. Yet, adventure gurus from Adventure Life have dished out all the insider info on why you should be writing Ecuador into your next adventure itinerary, reports the Express.

READ MORE: ‘I’m a beauty writer – the new ghd curling wand gave me perfect waves in 15 mins’

Things to do

“The archipelago consists of 19 islands and numerous smaller islets, each offering a unique glimpse into nature’s unparalleled creativity, as this unique ecosystem hosts a variety of species not found anywhere else in the world.”

The Galápagos Islands promise remarkable encounters with the animal kingdom – snorkel alongside playful sea lions or watch in awe as giant Galápagos tortoises roam their native turf. Curious explorers can join expert-guided excursions, delving into the mysteries of the islands and their extraordinary residents.

A volcanic past has sculpted the islands into an extraordinary geological tapestry, from Sullivan Bay’s black lava flows to Bartolomé Island’s spatter cones – the terrain is as diverse as its furred and feathered inhabitants.

Rainforest

The Ecuadorian Amazon, a treasure trove of biodiversity, offers guided tours through its lush greenery where visitors can marvel at exotic orchids, ancient towering trees, and an array of wildlife including vibrant macaws and the elusive jaguar.

Tourists have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of the Amazon’s inhabitants, learning about their use of rainforest resources, traditional cuisine, and age-old ceremonies.

For the more adventurous souls, there are options to kayak along serene rivers, trek jungle paths, or zip-line across the rainforest canopy.

Nature

Nature enthusiasts and thrill-seekers alike can ascend the formidable Cotopaxi volcano, one of the planet’s highest active volcanoes, or traverse the Quilotoa Loop with its breathtaking volcanic crater lake.

Adventure Life highlights the cultural vibrancy of the Andes, especially during the many festivals that dot the calendar. “The Andes are also alive with cultural richness, evident in the numerous festivals that fill the calendar. One of the most vibrant is the Inti Raymi, or Festival of the Sun, which celebrates the Inca sun god and marks the winter solstice with music, dancing, and ritual ceremonies,” they say.

A trip to the Andes wouldn’t be complete without delving into its market towns. Otavalo boasts one of South America’s largest and most renowned indigenous markets, brimming with handcrafted textiles, jewellery, traditional musical instruments, and artwork.

History

“You can explore significant architectural landmarks such as the ornate La Compañía de Jesús, which is adorned with gold leaf interiors, and the imposing San Francisco Church, which houses masterpieces of the Quito School of Art.”

Quito’s vibrant culinary scene is another highlight, offering everything from upscale restaurants that showcase local staples like Andean potatoes and exotic Amazonian fruits to street vendors serving up traditional empanadas and hornado.

The capital’s proximity to nature is best experienced at the nearby TelefériQo. The cable car provides stunning views over the city and ascends towards hiking paths on the Pichincha Volcano’s slopes.

“Ecuador seamlessly blends a rich history, unparalleled natural beauty, and vibrant cultural expressions into a journey that feels both timeless and essential,” according to Adventure Life.

“For those looking to explore beyond the familiar, Ecuador presents an unmatched choice of activities and scenery in which to immerse yourself.”

Jose Adolfo Macias, alias ‘Fito’, is due to be extradited to the US on drug trafficking and weapons smuggling charges.

The fugitive leader of Ecuador’s Los Choneros gang has been recaptured after nearly 18 months on the run, according to President Daniel Noboa.

Jose Adolfo Macias, also known as “Fito”, escaped from Guayaquil prison in January 2024, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking and murder.

Following his capture, Macias will now be extradited to the US, where he was indicted by a federal court for charges related to drug trafficking and firearms smuggling, Noboa said on the X social media platform on Wednesday.

Noboa had previously offered $1m for assistance in Macias’s capture and dispatched thousands of police officers and members of the armed forces to find him.

“My recognition to our police and military who participated in this operation. More will fall, we will reclaim the country. No truce,” Noboa said on X.

Para los que se opusieron y dudaron de la necesidad de las leyes de Solidaridad e Inteligencia: gracias a esas leyes, Fito fue capturado hoy y está en manos del Bloque de Seguridad.

Mi reconocimiento a nuestros policías y militares que participaron en esta operación. Caerán más,…

— Daniel Noboa Azin (@DanielNoboaOk) June 25, 2025

Macias reportedly escaped ahead of his transfer to a maximum-security prison, but authorities have yet to explain how he succeeded.

The successful escape “triggered widespread riots, bombings, kidnappings, the assassination of a prominent prosecutor, and an armed attack on a TV network during a live broadcast”, according to the United States government, leading Noboa to declare a 60-day state of emergency across Ecuador.

The Ecuadorian president also designated 22 gangs, including Los Choneros, as “terrorist groups”.

The US Department of the Treasury separately sanctioned both Macias and Los Choneros in February 2024 for drug trafficking and instigating violence across Ecuador.

Ecuador was once one of Latin America’s most peaceful countries, but its proximity to Peru and Colombia – the world’s top producers of cocaine – has made it a prime target for criminal groups exporting drugs abroad.

Competition between rival local gangs, backed by foreign criminal syndicates from Mexico to as far as Albania, has led to an explosion in violence across the country.

RICHMOND, Calif. — An oil tanker sat docked at Chevron’s sprawling refinery in Richmond, Calif., 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.

Indigenous voices

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 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 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 Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park), who introduced the new resolution, praised the visiting leaders for defending 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 nonprofit 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 effects of Amazon crude extend far beyond Ecuador. He joined the Ecuadorian delegation on the kayaking trip 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 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.

Grattan and Vasquez write for the Associated Press.

SANTIAGO, Chile, June 16 (UPI) — President Daniel Noboa’s administration won legislative approval for two key laws aimed at strengthening its response to rising organized crime and violence in Ecuador.

However, the limited debate surrounding the passage of the Intelligence Law and the National Solidarity Law has drawn criticism.

Noboa has defended both laws as essential tools to fight drug trafficking, but some legal experts disagree with the measures.

“Even if Noboa’s actions are well-intentioned, both laws must be reviewed to ensure the fight against drug trafficking doesn’t violate the Constitution,” legal expert Pablo Encalada said.

The Intelligence Law aims to combat organized crime, protect civilians and support economic recovery in violence-plagued areas.

But Ana Belén Cordero, Ecuador’s former secretary for Anti-Corruption Public Policy, called the law authoritarian.

“It violates every principle of the rule of law by granting enormous power to the head of the intelligence system, bypassing prosecutors and judges,” she said.

The new law also would expand the authority of the Strategic Intelligence Center, or CIES, allowing it to collect personal data, conduct wiretaps and carry out raids without a court order.

The National Solidarity Law would create a legal framework for Ecuador’s national intelligence and counterintelligence system. It allows funds seized from drug traffickers to be transferred to security forces without oversight or reporting requirements.

“It makes sense for the state to have confidential funds for intelligence operations, but there must be accountability to the National Assembly on how those resources are used,” Cordero said.

The law would allow security forces to receive real estate, equipment and other contributions from domestic or international organizations. Donors would be eligible for tax breaks.

“This opens the door to massive leaks of both public and private funds,” said Luis Córdova, a researcher at the Ecuadorian Conflict Observatory (Llamas), in an interview with local outlet Primicia.

He also raised concerns about a proposal to increase penalties for juvenile offenders.

While Cordero acknowledged the need to address youth involvement in crime, she argued that minors should not face the same penalties as adults. She emphasized that the state’s absence in the country’s poorest areas drives many young people to join drug gangs.

Because the Intelligence Law has faced criticism from human rights organizations, which argue it violates constitutional protections, it must be reviewed by Ecuador’s Constitutional Court before it can take effect.

In 2024, Ecuador recorded an average of 38 homicides per 100,000 people — the highest rate in Latin America, according to Insight Crime and other sources.