
-
Greenland PM visits Denmark as Trump threats loom
-
Philippines, US test air defences as China seizes reef
-
25 killed, fires still burning in huge Iran port blast
-
India and Pakistan troops exchange fire in Kashmir
-
Eighteen killed, fires still burning in huge Iran port blast
-
No handshake at muted India-Pakistan border ceremony
-
Maligned by Trump, White House reporters hold subdued annual gala
-
Austria trials DNA testing to uncover honey fraud
-
Trump trade war pushes firms to consider stockpiling
-
D'Backs' Suarez becomes 19th MLB player to hit four homers in one game
-
Continuity or rupture: what direction for the next pope?
-
Surridge scores four as Nashville smash seven past Chicago
-
Chinese tea hub branches into coffee as tastes change
-
Diplomacy likely to trump geography in choice of new pope
-
All eyes turn to conclave after Pope Francis's funeral
-
Doves, deaths and rations: Papal elections over time
-
Progressive Canadians say social issues blown off election agenda
-
Liverpool primed for Premier League title party
-
Buenos Aires bids farewell to Francis with tears, calls to action
-
Thunder sweep past Grizzlies in NBA playoffs, Cavs on brink
-
Major blast at Iran port kills 14, injures 750
-
'What we live for': Kounde after winning Barca Copa del Rey final
-
More McIlroy magic at PGA pairs event but Novak and Griffin lead
-
Fire rages after major blast at Iran port kills 14, injures 750
-
Denkey wonder-strike keeps Cincinnati on track in MLS
-
Barca edge Real Madrid in extra-time to win wild Copa del Rey final
-
'Legendary' Eubank Jr beats Benn in grudge bout
-
Thunder sweep past Grizzlies into NBA playoffs 2nd round, Cavs on brink
-
South Korea's Ryu and Japan's Saigo share LPGA Chevron lead
-
Canada leaders make closing pitches in campaign upended by Trump
-
De Bruyne's Man City exit 'so difficult' for Guardiola
-
'No regrets' for Amorim over Man Utd move
-
Lyon and Strasbourg win to close in on Europe, Montpellier relegated from Ligue 1
-
Toulouse thrash Castres as Top 14 pursuers stumble
-
Djokovic crashes to nervous Arnaldi in Madrid opener, Swiatek advances
-
Olympic champs Russell, Davis-Woodhall win at Drake Relays
-
Browns end Sanders long draft slide
-
Cavs crush Heat, on brink of NBA playoff sweep
-
Fire rages after major blast at Iran port kills 8, injures hundreds
-
Kiwi Beamish wins Penn Relays 1,500m crown with late kick
-
Mbappe on Real Madrid bench for Clasico Copa del Rey final
-
England survive France fightback to seal Women's 6 Nations slam
-
Palace sweep past Villa to reach FA Cup final
-
CAF appoint Moroccan Lekjaa first vice-president
-
Major blast at Iran port kills 5, injures hundreds
-
Rodgers vows to stay with Celtic after fourth successive Scottish title
-
Ipswich relegated as Newcastle, Chelsea boost top five bids
-
Canada leaders make final pitches in campaign upended by Trump
-
Mullins -- Ireland's national training treasure
-
US, Iran say progress in 'positive' nuclear talks

Ecuador hit by power cuts of up to 13 hours amid drought
Parts of Ecuador were facing power cuts of up to 13 hours on Thursday amid an electricity crisis sparked by a drought that has left key hydroelectric reservoirs nearly depleted.
A government decree ordering workers to stay home went largely ignored, with buses running as usual in the capital Quito, where traffic lights were out in some areas due to blackouts.
The electricity crisis comes days before a key referendum on Sunday, in which Ecuadorans will decide whether to greenlight tougher measures against organized crime in a country gripped by bloody gang wars.
Electricity provider Emelnorte detailed power cuts in northern Ecuador of up to 13 hours.
"Yesterday, they cut me off from eight to eleven (in the morning) and that is time that is needed to work. Today with eight hours (of blackouts) it is going to be worse," said Segundo Gaucho, 45, who owns a computer rental business in Quito.
According to Ecuador's Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (INAMHI), aside from some areas in the north, much of the country has received below-average rain for this time of year.
Ecuador found itself in a similar drought-induced power crisis last year in October, when former president Guillermo Lasso struck a deal with Colombia to import electricity.
Faced with its own severe dry spell, Colombia this week halted the export of electricity to Ecuador.
- 'Saboteurs' -
Power cuts began on Sunday without warning and have progressively worsened.
Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa declared an emergency in the electricity sector on Tuesday, and replaced Energy Minister Andrea Arrobo, who the government said had been involved in a sabotage plot to hide the severity of the crisis.
Noboa has accused political rivals of targeting the electrical sector in a bid to impede the upcoming referendum on organized crime.
His government has filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office against 22 "saboteurs who sought to harm all Ecuadorians."
Quito ordered all workers to stay home on Thursday and Friday.
"A large part of the sacrifice that we Ecuadorians are making today and tomorrow and on Saturday is to ... guarantee that the elections take place because what is at stake in the consultation is national security" Roberto Izurieta, secretary of communication in the presidency, told the Teleamazonas channel.
Among the questions posed in Sunday's referendum will be whether to allow the military to be deployed to combat organized crime, and for increased penalties for those found guilty of drug crimes.
Izurieta said that alerts about the energy crisis "were not given in time" and the government considered this an "attack" by its political enemies ahead of the referendum.
Izurieta added that Ecuador has had "an energy policy for the last 20 years that has not adapted to the climate crises."
A government statement said the reservoir serving the country's Mazar hydroelectric dam stood completely empty, while the nearby Paute dam had storage levels of four percent.
Water at Ecuador's largest hydroelectric plant, Coca Codo Sinclair, is 40 percent lower than its historic average.
M.Thompson--AMWN