United News of Bangladesh

Ecuadorian football fans are holding on to hope that the national team can deliver a strong World Cup run, offering a rare moment of joy as the country grapples with worsening violence and instability. Across the country, many provinces remain under a state of emergency. Security forces are deployed in large numbers to combat rising crime linked to drug trafficking. Night curfews are common, a fuel crisis has disrupted daily life, and tensions remain high along the border with Colombia. Despite the turmoil, optimism around Ecuador’s national team, La Tri, remains strong. The team qualified second in South America behind world champions Argentina, losing only twice in 18 matches, both narrow away defeats in Argentina and Brazil. Fans believe this squad has the potential to go further than ever before, possibly beyond their best performance of reaching the round of 16 in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. “I bought a giant TV on credit so I could watch Ecuador win the World Cup,” said Mario Uquillas, a 43-year-old shopkeeper in downtown Guayaquil. “At the very least, I hope they reach the quarterfinals. This team deserves it.” In markets like La Bahía in Guayaquil, merchants are cashing in on World Cup excitement, selling jerseys featuring stars such as Arsenal defender Piero Hincapié, Chelsea midfielder Moisés Caicedo, and Paris Saint-Germain defender Willian Pacho. Hincapié recently drew attention after Arsenal won the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years, adding to national pride. Fans may soon see more success stories as Hincapié and Pacho prepare to meet in the Champions League final next weekend. However, the backdrop to Ecuador’s football dream is a grim one. Local football has not escaped the country’s violence. Five players were killed last year and three others died in separate attacks. One of the most shocking incidents happened last December in northern Guayaquil, when gunmen killed Mario Pineida, a former national team player and defender for Barcelona SC. He was shot while at a butcher shop with his mother and partner. His partner died and his mother was injured. The motive remains unclear. Guayaquil, located about 270 kilometers southwest of Quito, is ranked among the most violent cities in the Americas, according to Numbeo’s crime index. Ecuador recorded 9,216 violent deaths last year, with a rate of 50.1 per 100,000 people, according to the Ecuadorian Observatory of Organized Crime.   Rising insecurity has changed daily life, especially in poor neighborhoods where children once played freely in the streets but now often stay indoors after dark due to fear of shootings and robberies. Still, football continues to offer hope, particularly through clubs like Barcelona SC, the country’s most popular team. Its youth academy provides a rare safe space for children, including nearly 300 trainees. “My dream is to play for PSG or Real Madrid,” said 10-year-old Piero Ortega, who has trained at the academy for five years. “I want to become a professional footballer.” Another young player, Washington Vera, also dreams of representing Ecuador internationally. “I want to play for the national team and score goals as a right winger,” he said. Academy coordinator Enrique Benavides said insecurity has forced families to rely on such structured programs. “Fear has entered every community. Nobody feels safe anymore,” he said. “Now children can only train here, because playing in the streets is no longer possible.” For many Ecuadorians, the World Cup represents more than football. It is a brief escape from daily fear and hardship. “Earlier we only dreamed of qualifying. Now we hope for the quarterfinals or even semifinals,” said Guayaquil lawyer Daniel Sánchez. Barcelona SC sporting director Matías Oyola also believes the national team can continue its strong form. “What they did in qualifying was excellent. The World Cup could be a continuation of that,” he said.  

The Trump administration has launched a joint military operation with Ecuador targeting what it calls “designated terrorist organizations,” opening a new front in its expanding anti-narcotics campaign in Latin America. US Southern Command said Ecuadorian and American forces began operations on March 3, reports Al Jazeera. General Francis Donovan described the move as a demonstration of regional commitment to combating “narco-terrorism.” Video released by the US military showed helicopters taking off and aerial surveillance footage. US officials indicated the operation is currently limited to logistical and intelligence support for Ecuadorian troops. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the two countries were taking “decisive action” against criminal networks blamed for violence across the hemisphere. President Donald Trump has increasingly labeled major drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations” and adopted a more militarized strategy, including aerial strikes on suspected smuggling vessels. Critics argue such actions blur the line between law enforcement and acts of war, raising concerns about civilian casualties and violations of international law. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who has pursued a tough “iron fist” approach to crime, welcomed the cooperation, calling it a “new phase” in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal mining.

At least 13 inmates were killed and another two injured in a prison riot on Monday in the Ecuadorean city of Santo Domingo following a fight among inmates in the prison. The National Police, the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Public Health were called to the emergency and the situation was brought under control, the National Comprehensive Care Service for Persons Deprived of Liberty said in a report. The same prison was hit by violence on May 9, resulting in the death of 44 inmates. Read: Earthquake shakes Ecuador’s coast, teen killed by power line The Ecuadorean prison system has been afflicted with a serious crisis due to confrontations between rival drug trafficking gangs. In 2021, the country saw a wave of prison riots that left more than 300 inmates dead. The government has declared a crackdown on drug trafficking. 

An earthquake of preliminary magnitude 5.7 shook Ecuador’s coast Thursday, causing one death when a teenager was electrocuted by a fallen power line, authorities said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of about 80 kilometers (49 miles) and was centered nearly 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of the port of Guayaquil. Read: Earthquake jolts Dhaka, other areas The Geophysical Institute of Ecuador said the tremor was felt over most of country, though “weakly” in the mountains. Jorge Vera, mayor of the Simón Bolívar canton in the coastal Guayas province, said a 16-year-old was killed. He said a high voltage cable fell while the victim was engaged in “a sports activity,” but gave no further details.

Officials in Ecuador on Saturday confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the South American nation and Mexico reported two more to raise the country's total to four.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen met the Vice Minister for Foreign Trade of Ecuador Diego Caicedo in Quito and discussed ways to further strengthen the existing bilateral relations.

A volcano on an uninhabited island in the Galapagos has begun erupting, spilling lava down its sides toward the sea.

Ecuadorian Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner inaugurated the country's biggest electric charging station for electric cars, taxis and buses in the southwest port city of Guayaquil on Friday.

Quito, OCT 15 (AP/UNB) — Thousands of indigenous demonstrators, student volunteers and local residents launched a mass cleanup Monday of a Quito park where anti-austerity protesters fought police for days, leaving piles of burning tires, trees and construction material.

Quito, OCT 14 Ecuador (AP/UNB) — Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno and leaders of the country's indigenous peoples have struck a deal to cancel a disputed austerity package and end nearly two weeks of protests that have paralyzed the economy and left seven dead.