International
Liga de Quito expresses concern over former player’s alleged kidnapping in Esmeraldas
Ecuador’s police reported on Tuesday that they are investigating the involuntary disappearance of player Pedro Pablo Perlaza.
Meanwhile, the popular club Liga de Quito, where he played four years ago, expressed concern about what it referred to as the news of the athlete’s kidnapping.
On its X account (formerly known as Twitter), the police stated that “due to the alleged involuntary disappearance” of Perlaza and Juan M. in the city of Esmeraldas, and following the formal complaint filed by their families, authorities immediately began “investigative and operational work around the incident.”
The Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Police is handling the investigation, according to the statement.
Last weekend, 33-year-old Perlaza had finished the Ecuadorian first-division season with the Delfín club and traveled to the city of Esmeraldas, located 182 kilometers northwest of the capital. His whereabouts have been unknown since Sunday. He had been part of Delfín’s 2019 Ecuadorian Championship-winning team.
Liga de Quito, in a statement on X, expressed its “deep concern and solidarity over the news of the kidnapping of our former player” and extended its solidarity to the athlete’s family and friends. Perlaza played for Liga de Quito in 2020 and the team is set to play the first of two championship matches this weekend.
Esmeraldas province, whose capital bears the same name, is considered one of the regions where criminal groups have extended their control, engaging in activities such as extortion and kidnapping. Other provinces facing similar situations include Guayas and Manabí.
Since 2021, Ecuador has been experiencing a spiral of criminal violence driven by local groups linked to drug cartels from Colombia and Mexico, seeking to control trafficking routes and territories. One of the signs of conflict between local gangs is the frequent massacres in the country’s prisons.
International
Delta Airlines cancels 1,100 flights amid winter storm chaos
More than 3,000 flights were canceled on Friday, and thousands more were delayed due to a winter storm in the southern United States, according to airlines and the flight tracking website FlightAware. Delta Airlines crews expect to return to normal operations on Saturday, the company stated in a release.
“Unforeseen severe winter conditions at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Georgia) caused the closure of all five runways for more than two hours on Friday morning,” the airline said. Delta canceled about 1,100 flights across its network on Friday due to the “freezing rain that fell throughout the day and early afternoon, leading to diversions.”
Additionally, a Delta Airlines aircraft had to abort its takeoff due to a motor issue, also at Atlanta Airport.
More than 200 passengers and crew members aboard a Boeing 757-300 bound for Minneapolis were evacuated via emergency slides, according to a statement from the airline reported by U.S. media. An investigation is underway.
Airports in Dallas Fort Worth (Texas) and Charlotte Douglas (North Carolina) were also affected by the severe weather, with over 1,200 flights canceled.
International
At least 20 injured in tram collision at Strasbourg Train Station tunnel
On Saturday afternoon, two trams collided in the tunnel leading to the Strasbourg train station in northeastern France, resulting in at least 20 injuries, according to the local prefecture. “The initial assessment indicates that 20 people are in a state of relative emergency,” said a spokesperson, noting that the circumstances of the accident had not yet been determined.
A security perimeter was established in front of the station, where several ambulances arrived, as reported by an AFP journalist.
A video taken by a witness and shared on social media shows a chaotic scene, with two heavily damaged trams in the tunnel near the station. One of the trams appears to have derailed due to the impact.
Since Strasbourg revamped its tram network in 1994, no major accidents had been reported until this incident.
International
Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case
-
International5 days ago
The US ambassador says goodbye to Mexico without regretting “anything” despite bilateral tension
-
International5 days ago
Argentine Jorge Fernández Díaz wins the 81st Nadal Award with ‘El secreto de Marcial’
-
International5 days ago
A military judge sends the Supreme court trial against colonels accused of coup in Brazil
-
International3 days ago
Trump considers declaring National Economic Emergency to justify universal tariffs
-
International3 days ago
Israeli forces recover hostage remains amid ceasefire talks with Hamas
-
International3 days ago
Thirteen cuban military members missing after explosion at arms warehouse
-
International3 days ago
At least 13 civilians killed in russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia
-
International3 days ago
American citizen killed by mexican police officer in Ciudad Juárez shooting
-
International3 days ago
Venezuelan opposition candidate Enrique Márquez detained ahead of Maduro’s inauguration
-
International2 days ago
María Corina Machado kidnapped and forced to record videos before being released, says opposition
-
International2 days ago
Maria Corina Machado calls for nationwide protests ahead of presidential inauguration
-
International1 day ago
OAS chief calls for strengthening democracy in the region amid Venezuela’s crisis
-
International5 days ago
Donald Trump insists that Canada should be part of the US after Justin Trudeau’s resignation
-
International5 days ago
The Pentagon reaches an agreement with LGTBIQ veterans discharged for their sexual orientation
-
International1 day ago
María Corina Machado urges Edmundo González Urrutia not to return to Venezuela for his safety
-
International2 days ago
Governor Jenniffer González expresses solidarity with Venezuela’s struggling opposition
-
International1 day ago
Canada imposes sanctions on 14 venezuelan officials for human rights violations
-
International2 days ago
Hundreds of venezuelan protesters demand ‘democratic change’ in Rome
-
International5 days ago
Cuba records just under 13,000 earthquakes in 2024, a record year of earthquakes
-
International1 day ago
Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case
-
International9 hours ago
At least 20 injured in tram collision at Strasbourg Train Station tunnel
-
International9 hours ago
Delta Airlines cancels 1,100 flights amid winter storm chaos