Latest QUITO Stories

By Alonso Soto QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters)- Ecuador heads to a presidential vote in October with no clear favorites, raising fears it could fail to elect a leader with enough popular support to stave off social protests and rebellious legislators. Both leading candidates -- leftist academic Leon Roldos and conservative Cynthia Viteri -- are far off winning enough votes to win a majority in a restive Congress that has fired three presidents in less than ten years. Ecuador's Amazon region...

By Alonso Soto PINGUE, Ecuador (Reuters) - Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spewed ash, gas and molten rock for a second day on Saturday, driving hundreds of evacuated villagers into nearby schools and churches in search of refuge. Tungurahua, located about 80 miles south of Quito, has been increasingly active since May, when it blew out big clouds of hot gas and prompted officials to renew a limited state of emergency in nearby towns. Civil defense authorities and police continued to...

QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spewed ash, gases and molten rocks on Friday, forcing authorities to evacuate four nearby villages after the crater registered its most volatile activity since a 1999 eruption. Tungurahua, located about 81 miles south of Quito, has been increasingly active since May when it shot out large clouds of hot gas and prompted officials to renew a limited state of emergency in nearby towns. Civil defense authorities ordered evacuations in...

QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Ecuadorean President Alfredo Palacio's right-hand man has quit after a split in the Cabinet over the reach of a law forcing oil companies to share part of their windfall revenues, a government spokesman said on Monday. Administration Secretary Jose Modesto Apolo stepped down over the weekend following a row over the final draft of the oil law that some inside the government saw as a watered-down version meant to favor foreign petroleum companies. Palacio last...

By Alonso Soto QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Andean leaders meet this week in Ecuador to try to salvage their five-nation commerce bloc after disputes over U.S. free trade agreements revealed deep political divisions in the region. Tuesday's meeting in Quito comes after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a fierce critic of the U.S. government, abandoned the group, saying free trade deals that Colombia and Peru reached with Washington had scuttled the bloc known as the Andean Community....

QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano increased its activity on Wednesday, spewing large clouds of hot gas and prompting the government to renew a limited state of emergency in nearby towns. President Alfredo Palacio late on Tuesday renewed a state of emergency in areas surrounding the 16,460-foot (5,020 meters) conical-shaped Tungurahua, located 81 miles south of the capital Quito. Authorities said there are currently no plans to evacuate area residents. "The...

QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano increased its activity on Wednesday, spewing large clouds of hot gas and prompting the government to renew a limited state of emergency in nearby towns.President Alfredo Palacio late on Tuesday renewed a state of emergency in areas surrounding the 16,460-foot (5,020 metres) conical-shaped Tungurahua, located 81 miles south of the capital Quito.Authorities said there are currently no plans to evacuate area residents."The volcanic...

By Doug Palmer WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States warned Ecuador on Thursday that a proposed free-trade agreement was at risk unless Quito acted on a growing list of investment and other concerns. "No date has been scheduled for continuation of talks with Ecuador. A number of difficult issues remain in the U.S.-Ecuador free trade negotiations, particularly but not exclusively in the area of agriculture," Neena Moorjani, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office,...

QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Ecuador said on Tuesday it wanted to set an example for other nations with a proposal to legalize thousands of undocumented workers from neighboring countries. Ecuador's proposal comes as the United States is embroiled in a fierce debate over an immigrant law overhaul that has spurred weeks of massive marches through U.S. cities. There are tens of thousands of undocumented workers in Ecuador, most from Colombia and Peru, experts say. Many of the workers...

By Alonso Soto QUITO, ECUADOR (Reuters) - Ecuadorean troops firing tear gas cleared Indian protesters from highways they had blocked as protests against a U.S. free-trade deal waned and officials began talks with Washington over the pact. Thousands of Indian peasants have blockaded roads with piles of rubble and burning tires since last week to pressure the government to abandon trade talks. The protesters, many of whom are potato or corn farmers, fear that that they will not be able...