Ecuador imposing overnight blackouts as drought saps hydroelectric power capacity
CBSN
Ecuador's government was to begin imposing nationwide nighttime blackouts Monday evening in a bid to conserve energy. The move has been forced by widespread drought conditions depriving Ecuador of vital hydroelectricity capacity.
The office of Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa announced the blackouts in a message posted on social media last week, saying there would be daily eight-hour power cuts from Monday until Thursday, lasting from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m.
The statement said the measure was due to "the worst drought in the last 61 years and in order to responsibly manage the control of our electrical system."
Sydney, Australia — A shark bit and killed a 17-year-old girl swimming off an eastern Australian island on Monday, officials said, in the country's third reported fatal attack in just over five weeks. Paramedics rushed to Woorim Beach in Queensland to treat the teenager, who had sustained serious injuries to her upper body, an ambulance service spokesperson said.
Tel Aviv — American-Israeli dual national Keith Siegel was among three hostages released by militants in the war-torn Gaza Strip on Saturday, more than 15 months after they were taken captive by Hamas. Siegel was freed in Gaza City about two hours after Israelis Yarden Bibas and Ofer Calderon were released in the southern city of Khan Younis. The Israeli military confirmed Siegel's transfer from militants to Red Cross personnel.
Six Americans who had been detained in Venezuela in recent months were freed by the government of President Nicolás Maduro after he met Friday with a Trump administration official tasked with urging the authoritarian leader to take back deported migrants who have committed crimes in the United States.