International

Noboa assures that Ecuador will not have any more blackouts in 2025 and 2026

The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, assured on Tuesday that the country will not suffer any more blackouts in 2025 and 2026 as it did in previous years in periods of droughts where the electricity system could not supply national demand, which led to electricity rationing of up to 14 hours a day.

“There will be constant generation throughout 2025 and 2026,” Noboa said during a morning interview with the TC Televisión channel, which is under state control.

The president pointed out that there has been much more rain in recent months that has allowed to have the main reservoirs almost at their full capacity and recover 500 megawatts of thermoelectric generation, as well as start a new 200 mega hydroelectric power plant.

Noboa also recalled the rental of three floating power plants rented to a Turkish company that are already in the country, although he clarified that the third and last to arrive will only be paid on the days when it is used by necessity, while the company will not invoice if it is not put into use.

“We are now even selling electricity to Colombia,” said the president, after during much of the last blackout period Ecuador imported energy from the neighboring country to alleviate its crisis.

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Since the end of 2023, Ecuador has been in an energy crisis that has resulted in different periods of scheduled blackouts and electricity rationing, which coincide with periods of drought where the country’s main hydroelectric plants are left without enough water to operate.

The last period occurred between September and December 2024 and had a strong impact on the national economy, since in the industrial sector there were blackouts of several consecutive days, especially in industrial mines, which has caused mineral exports to suffer.

International

Maduro urges UN to intervene for venezuelan migrants detained in El Salvador

Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for a third term in January following his controversial re-election, urged United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to intervene on behalf of Venezuelan migrants detained in El Salvador after being deported from the United States.

During a broadcast on the state-run Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Maduro claimed these Venezuelans were “kidnapped”, forcibly disappeared, and held in “concentration camps.”

He also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for failing to release the list of migrants deported on March 16, who were allegedly accused of belonging to the transnational gang Tren de Aragua, which originated in a Venezuelan prison.

“Reports say there are 238 Venezuelans kidnapped in prisons, in concentration camps, in El Salvador. A week after they were taken and thrown into these camps, neither the U.S. government nor Nayib Bukele have published the list of those they have kidnapped in El Salvador,” Maduro stated, calling it a “forced disappearance.”

International

Canada updates U.S. travel advisory amid immigration policy changes

In a coordinated action with several European allies, Canada has updated its travel advisory for citizens visiting the United States, citing changes in immigration policies and law enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Finland have issued similar warnings, highlighting stricter border screenings, tighter visa restrictions, and new federal guidelines that particularly affect transgender and non-binary travelers.

These advisories reflect growing diplomatic concerns over how the recent U.S. policy shifts are impacting foreign visitors, especially tourists and long-term travelers. Additionally, this marks a rare instance in which multiple NATO allies publicly warn their citizens about travel to the United States.

International

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to meet with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on friday

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem will meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum next Friday.

According to statements made to Fox News, the Trump administration official will travel this week to El Salvador, Colombia, and Mexico.

On Wednesday, Noem is scheduled to meet with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, with whom she will tour the mega-prison built to detain gang members in the country.

On Thursday, she will visit Colombia, where she will hold talks with President Gustavo Petro and top law enforcement officials.

On Friday, Noem will be in Mexico, where she is expected to meet with President Claudia Sheinbaum and Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente.