Amazonian Indians wielding spears

Amazonian Indians wielding spears

By Julian Robinson

Amazonian Indians wielding spears, some wearing war paint, sent police and soldiers fleeing in clashes on Tuesday and Wednesday over plans to use their land for mining and oil drilling.

Protesters with spears in the streets of Macas.

About 200 Shuar and Achuar protesters chased off officials in the Amazon town of Macas, in southeast Ecuador during confrontation.

At least two dozen police were injured in the clash which unfolded amid anger over President Rafael Correa’s refusal to consult indigenous people about mining and oil drilling on their traditional lands.

The Shuar and Achuar have occupied their area of jungle for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. Although the face paint and bearing of spears, is mostly symbolic today, they have been used frequently in recent years in conflicts of the government and mining and oil companies.

A protester in war paint.

The conflict is part of the bigger national strike called by indigenous people of Ecuador over a long list of complaints, including the possible adoption of a constitutional amendment that would allow Correa to seek anther term as president.

Isolated protests have persisted since the diverse coalition of anti-Correa forces called a general strike on August 13. On Thursday, there were more clashes on the Pan American Highway, that protesters are trying to block and police and soldiers are attempting to keep open. There were also marches in a number of cities, including Quito and Cuenca.

In addition to indigenous groups, various unions and retirees have joined the protests in marches and in the blocking of roads with tree trunks, rocks and burning tires.

Earlier this month, rockets were fired at police as protesters took to the streets in Macas and other communities in fury at the proposals.

Protest leaders say 105 from their ranks have been arrested and 35 injured, while authorities say 100 police have been hurt.

The Shuar and Achuar victory over the government was short-lived. By Friday morning, police and military enforcements were in firm control of Macas.

Transportation model for all of Ecuador

In Cuenca visit, Ecuador vice president says he’s satisfied with tranvía progress, sees it as an ‘avant-garde’ transportation model for all of Ecuador

Vice President Jorge Glas said on Tuesday that Cuenca’s tram system, scheduled to be completed in 2016, will serve as a transportation model for the country. “It is a highly sophisticated, avant-garde system that fits with Ecuador’s plan to convert to electric energy use,” he said.

Vice President Jorge Glas on a tour of Cuenca tram system on Tuesday. Photo credit: El Mercurio

“I understand that there is some discomfort during the construction process,” Glas added. “Once this is completed and once the system becomes operational, I think the people of Cuenca will be very proud to be the first city in South America with this means of transportation.”

Glas was accompanied by Ecuador’s Minister of Transportation and Public Works, Walter Solis, on his Cuenca visit. In addition to touring the tram project, the pair is meeting with mayors and transportation personnel from a number of Azuay Province communities.

During their visit, Glas and Solis met with Cuenca Mayor Marcelo Cabrera and Azuay Governor Leonardo Berrezueta to review tram project details and to discuss the city’s master transportation plan. Cabrera continues to push his plan for a freeway bypass of the city, a project estimated to cost more than $600 million, but said it would be discussed in private meetings at another time.

Glas said the tram is the country’s first major transportation project to take advantage of electricity produced by the country’s new hydro-electric generation plants. “This is a work of the next generation for Ecuador,” Glas said. “Unlike the buses, it will not pollute the atmosphere and will at the same time provide an efficient, rapid means of transportation for commuters.”

Cuenca officials brought up the subject of a $17 million funding shortfall in tram funding but Glas said it would not be covered by the federal government. He did, however, commit the government to providing a loan guarantee when the city seeks other funding.

Glas was reportedly shown preliminary plans for a future expansion of the tram system, although there are no present plans to fund it.

City officials say tram construction is 50% complete. Three of the three-car units are already in Cuenca with another three are en route from a factory in France. The tranvía is a $231,000 million project with 80% of the funding provided by the federal government.

Ecuador Receives $3.4 Billion in Foreign Support so far in 2015

Ecuador Receives $3.4 Billion in Foreign Support so far in 2015

QUITO -- Ecuador has received $3.4 billion in disbursements from abroad so far in 2015, according to the government.

The figures come from Ecuador's Finance Ministry, which has just released its external debt report with data through July 2015.

According to the report, the inflows include $1.2 billion from international organizations, $0.5 billion from governments, and $1.7 billion from international financial markets.

Aside from external debt disbursements, the government has also received around $1.4 billion through oil pre-sales, including $0.9 billion from China and $0.5 billion from Thailand. However, these disbursements are not included in the external debt report, since the government does not account for them as debt.

Including those, the government has now received close to $5bn in external funds to cover its financing needs, which analysts estimate at $9.5 billion in 2015.

Ecuador is hoping for other support from China and multilaterals, and the domestic market, to help the government complete this year’s financing.

Telconet Deploys Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi Network Across Ecuador

SUNNYVALE, Calif. and GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador, Aug. 18, 2015

SUNNYVALE, Calif. and GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador, Aug. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruckus Wireless, Inc. (NYSE: RKUS) announced today that Telconet, a leading Ecuadorian provider of telecommunication services, is deploying Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi products and technology across the country. With Ruckus, Telconet is providing wireless access to many municipalities in Ecuador, supporting thousands of concurrent users of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Telconet has 20 years of expertise in providing Internet access and managed services. Before selecting Ruckus for its nationwide Smart Wi-Fi network, Telconet field-tested it, along with competing equipment from different brands. Upon completing their tests, Telconet chose Ruckus, which provided the best, most reliable coverage, with the ability to successfully handle high user density per access point (AP).

According to Ecuador's Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society (Mintel), in 2014, 1.3 million homes in the country had Internet access. Over 5 million mobile clients were in use, accessing the Internet via Wi-Fi to review and update social media profiles, visit news sites, share multimedia data, and play games on the web, among other online activities.

Telconet's nationwide Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi network features over 4,000 Ruckus ZoneFlex™ indoor and outdoor access points. The network is centrally managed with a combination of Ruckus SmartCell™ Gateways (SCGs) and Ruckus ZoneDirector™ controllers, plus FlexMaster™ software for comprehensive system management and control. Telconet is also utilizing the Ruckus SmartCell Insight (SCI) data analytics platform, a comprehensive reporting and analytics engine purpose-built for carrier grade Wi-Fi infrastructure, to help them analyze the overall operation of their network.

"We chose Ruckus because we found their technology to be very reliable and the best performing solution for our nationwide network," said Arturo Velasco, chief technology officer, Telconet. "Currently, the Telconet network provides Wi-Fi coverage to over 100,000 users. It took just 15 days to deploy the first set of controllers and access points. Ruckus technology has enabled us to deploy rapidly, while providing the high-performance and network capacity to support large numbers of concurrent users across the country—a tremendous advantage for us versus our competitors."

Ruckus—The Smart Wi-Fi Choice for Service Providers

Telconet tests left no doubt that Ruckus is carrier-class Wi-Fi. "The Ruckus test results were great, even though the environment where we ran the tests was the worst possible," added Velasco. "We installed equipment in a test city in Ecuador on an avenue with a large number of physical obstructions, including many trees and diverse vegetation, and the Ruckus ZoneFlex access points outperformed competitors in all of our tests. Another reason we chose Ruckus was its easy deployment and management."

Telconet incorporated the Ruckus SmartCell Gateway (SCG), part of the Ruckus SmartZone™ platform, to help manage its nationwide network because of its ability to scale to easily support the thousands of Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi access points deployed. The Ruckus SCG 200 is a unique NEBS-3/ETSI compliant solution, and is one of the industry's most scalable and versatile on-premises wireless LAN (WLAN) management platforms, with dynamically scalable clustering that maintains carrier-class availability and resiliency through N+1 redundancy and hot-swappable components. The Ruckus SCG streamlines WLAN administration, and provides feature-rich management, including control over self-organizing smart networking behaviors such as RF management, load balancing, adaptive meshing, and backhaul optimization.

"With Ruckus, we have a very reliable solution as the backbone of our new nationwide network. Additionally, the ease of installation was invaluable, saving us time and money. We're confident our network will grow and serve millions of Ecuadoreans well for years to come," concludes Velasco.

Follow Ruckus Wireless on Linkedin and Twitter for all the latest on #SimplyBetterWireless.

ABOUT TELCONET Telconet is an Ecuadorian company, part of Grupo Empresarial Telconet, established in 1995, dedicated to provide telecommunications solutions for corporate, SMBs, and government segments in Ecuador. It has diversified telecommunication services such as dedicated Internet, data transmission, unified communications, logic security, electronic security, electronic signatures, electronic billing, FTTH, fiber plant, Panamerican submarine cable, cloud computing services and two tier III data centers and the first tier IV in Latin America. Telconet is certified with ISO 9001 and ISO 27001, with a solid platform of fiber infrastructure with a high level of capillarity that has enabled us to develop businesses along with the other companies that belong to Grupo Empresarial Telconet, as well as with its business partners. At Telconet, we know that the essence of our business lies in the deep understanding of our customers' needs. We are a service company committed to providing value to each solution offered. That is why our service portfolio delivered through our NGNs (Next Generation Networks) is aimed at covering those needs, offering quality from the initial contact with the customer to every day service provided. For more information visit: www.telconet.net / FB: TelconetEcuador / TW: @TelconetEcuador.

ABOUT RUCKUS WIRELESSHeadquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, Ruckus Wireless, Inc. (NYSE: RKUS) is a global supplier of advanced wireless systems for the rapidly expanding mobile Internet infrastructure market. The company offers a wide range of indoor and outdoor "Smart WiFi" products to mobile carriers, broadband service providers, and corporate enterprises, and has approximately 56,000 end-customers worldwide. Ruckus technology addresses WiFi capacity and coverage challenges caused by the ever-increasing amount of traffic on wireless networks due to accelerated adoption of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Ruckus invented and has patented state-of-the-art wireless voice, video, and data technology innovations, such as adaptive antenna arrays that extend signal range, increase client data rates, and avoid interference, providing consistent and reliable distribution of delay-sensitive multimedia content and services over standard 802.11 WiFi. For more information, visit http://www.ruckuswireless.com.

FlexMaster, Ruckus, Ruckus Wireless, SmartCell, SmartZone, ZoneDirector, and ZoneFlex are trademarks of Ruckus Wireless, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other product or company names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Ecuador declares state of emergency over volcano

• 16 August 2015
 
• From the sectionLatin America & Caribbean

Eruptions at the Cotopaxi volcano have sent plumes of ash and smoke into the sky

Ecuador President Rafael Correa has declared a state of emergency over increasing activity at the Cotopaxi volcano near the capital, Quito.

The declaration gives authorities more flexibility in using government funds to address the situation.

Officials evacuated several hundred people from nearby villages after the volcano began to erupt on Friday.

Cotopaxi is among the world's most dangerous volcanoes and is prone to fast-moving rock and mud flows.

Evacuated residents looked on from a safe distance as the volcano belched ash

Residents fled the zone around the volcano and soldiers were on the streets to assist

Cotopaxi is considered one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes - its glacial cover means it is prone to fast-moving mud flows

Small eruptions have already shot ash more than 5km (three miles) into the sky, spreading fine grey powder over as far as the capital 50km (30 miles) to the north.

Authorities have restricted access to the park that surrounds the volcano and barred mountaineers from climbing the snow-capped peak.

Cotopaxi last had a major eruption in 1877.

Do I Need to Use Iodized Salt?

Do I Need to Use Iodized Salt?

By Linda B. White, M.D.

“Do I need iodized salt in my diet?”

Without knowing your location or diet, my answer is a qualified “yes.”

We obtain iodine from food grown in soils that contain it, but large areas of the world’s soils lack sufficient iodine. So, seasoning your food with iodized salt is the best way to be sure you’re getting as much of this essential nutrient as you need.

Iodine has one main function in the body: The thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped gland nestled at the base of the throat, needs it to make thyroid hormones, which affect every cell in the body by regulating metabolism. They’re also critical to optimal growth and development, including that of the skeletal and central nervous systems in fetuses and infants. According to the National Institutes of Health, iodine may also have a positive effect on immune function and in preventing fibrocystic breast disease.

If a person becomes iodine-deficient, his or her thyroid gland will enlarge to form a “goiter.” Other symptoms of an underactive thyroid, called hypothyroidism, include fatigue, constipation, cold intolerance, depression, dry skin and hair, weight gain, and muscle weakness. In 1924, the iodization of table salt in the United States successfully addressed deficiencies caused by the consumption of foods grown in soils lacking in iodine. Before that, illnesses due to iodine deficiency were widespread throughout the Great Lakes, Appalachians and Northwestern regions — known as the “goiter belt.”

If a woman is iodine-deficient during pregnancy, her infant may have mental disabilities, stunted growth, and problems with speech and hearing. In fact, the World Health Organization calls iodine deficiency the most preventable cause of brain damage. Mild iodine deficiency has also been linked with attention deficit disorder.

While the typical U.S. diet contains a lot of salt in the form of processed foods, these foods are mainly made with non-iodized salt, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. Table salt is thus the main source of iodine in most U.S. diets. (The label will specify whether the salt is iodized.) A half-teaspoon of iodized table salt contains about 140 micrograms of iodine. Adults need 150 micrograms a day. Requirements rise to 220 micrograms during pregnancy and 290 micrograms while nursing.

Reliable dietary sources of iodine include saltwater fish, shellfish and seaweed. Breads and other grains often contain iodine as well.

Ecuador Training Ship to Visit Germany

Berlin, Aug 8 (Prensa Latina) The training ship Guayas, from Ecuador, will arrive in the German port of Bremerhaven on Tuesday with the aim of promoting the culture of that Latin American nation, diplomatic sources reported. According to the embassy in Quito, the ship will participate in the international festival of sailing Sail Bremerhaven, to be held from August 12 to 16, attended by representatives from more than 20 nations. Also, the Ecuadorian delegation will be received by German authorities and the training ship will open its doors to the public on Friday 14. Guayas weighed anchor from Guayaquil on May 12 this year to visit 23 countries and show the cultural wealth of its country. After its stay in German port, the ship will set sail on the 15th of this month to Amsterdam, Netherlands. The ship is named after the Indian chief of Huancavilca, native tribe settled on the Ecuadorian river of the same name.