A prison riot in the southern port city of Machala on Monday left 14 people dead and 14 wounded after clashes between rival gangs, Ecuadorean police said.
The violence erupted during a confrontation between inmates from the criminal groups Los Lobos and Sao Box, according to authorities. A prison guard was killed and prisoners abducted police officers before some managed to flee the facility. Officials said that 13 escapees have since been recaptured.
“Uniformed officers confronted heavily armed inmates who tried to escape and maintain control of the cellblock,” Police Chief William Calle told broadcaster Ecuavisa, adding that guards were attacked and several officers were taken hostage during the unrest.
Ecuador has seen repeated deadly outbreaks of prison violence in recent years as organised gangs fight for territory and dominance inside the penitentiary system.
The government of President Daniel Noboa has vowed to crack down on crime, blaming the clashes on rival gangs vying for control.
Local and national security forces deployed to restore order, and injured inmates were taken to nearby hospitals, officials said.
Authorities are investigating what sparked Monday’s confrontation and say they will press criminal charges where appropriate.
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Central Asia’s population could reach 96 million by 2040, according to the head of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), highlighting both the region’s economic potential and the growing strain on infrastructure, trade routes and long-term development models.
A British national was among at least 19 people killed when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway into the Trishuli river in Nepal before dawn on Monday (23 February), authorities said. A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among those injured.
Against a backdrop of mounting environmental pressure across Central Asia, the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has announced that the Regional Ecological Summit (RES) 2026 will take place from 22–24 April in Astana.
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has drawn international attention after forming an unusual bond with a stuffed orangutan toy after being rejected by its mother.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
Pakistan said it carried out cross-border strikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from Afghan territory.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has approved new sanctions targeting Russian maritime operators, defence-linked companies and individuals connected to Moscow’s military and energy sectors, according to official decrees issued on Saturday.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said on Monday it had received “credible reports” that at least 13 civilians were killed and seven others injured in overnight Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.
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The European Parliament on Monday (23 February) postponed a vote on the EU’s trade deal with the U.S. after President Donald Trump imposed a blanket 15% import duty.
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned key elements of President Donald Trump’s global tariff policy, creating uncertainty ahead of his March meeting with China’s Xi Jinping. The ruling raises fresh questions about the future of U.S.-China trade relations and the stability of the global economy.
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