QUITO, Nov. 10  — The Ecuadorian national prison administration agency SNAI confirmed Sunday that another 27 prisoners have died of asphyxiation in a prison riot in a southern coastal province, bringing the total death toll to 31.

The riot broke out in the early hours of the same day at a prison in Machala, the capital of the southern coastal province of El Oro, leaving four prisoners dead and many others, including a police officer, injured, according to initial official reports.

Local media reported that the riot was sparked by the “reorganization” and transfer of inmates to a maximum-security facility.

Machala is one of the most violent cities in the South American country.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a new 60-day state of emergency on Nov. 5 in five coastal provinces and three municipalities in the central provinces of Cotopaxi and Bolivar to quell “grave internal unrest” fueled by escalating violence from organized crime. (Xinhua)

ADEN, Yemen, Nov. 10  — Each morning under the pale sun, clusters of young Yemenis gather at busy intersections, hoping to secure a day’s work before the heat rises.

This daily wait has become a familiar sight across a nation where job opportunities continue to vanish as a prolonged conflict grinds the economy to a halt.

Once home to expanding businesses and promising development projects, Yemen has seen its labor market shrink dramatically.

Factories have closed, investors have withdrawn and thousands of young graduates now search for work that no longer exists.

According to government figures, Yemen’s economy has contracted by nearly 50 percent, while poverty rate has climbed to around 80 percent.

Earlier this month, Yemen’s Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammed Al-Zaouri said youth unemployment had approached 60 percent.

In major cities like Aden, Taiz, and Lahj, the crisis manifests in groups of young men waiting near construction sites and crossroads, wishing for temporary work.

For many, employment has become a matter of chance rather than qualification. “Some days I find work, many days I don’t,” said 28-year-old laborer Ammar Nasser, who waits daily at a roadside in Aden.

“No one imagined a future where we would compete for a few hours of work.” Muath Salem, 32, graduated with an arts degree six years ago but never found work in his field.

He turned to construction and contracting in Aden, helping build homes and offices. Now even those jobs have disappeared. “There was a time when patience paid off and you would eventually find work,” he said.

“Now I spend the whole day waiting and return home with nothing. It is painful to want to work and have no chance.” For 26-year-old economics graduate Nisreen Ali, the struggle is similar.

“There is no space for us in the labor market,” she said. “Many of my male classmates are trying to leave the country.” Local aid groups warned that prolonged unemployment leaves young Yemenis vulnerable to exploitation and recruitment by armed groups or other informal or risky work.

“The economy is at a standstill, and families are under heavy pressure,” said Aden-based humanitarian official Haithm Rashdi.

“If youth remain outside workplaces, the damage will last for generations.” And even those who find work are struggling to survive, as wages have lost much of their value.

“A public-sector employee earns between 150,000 and 200,000 Yemeni rials a month — about 90 to 120 U.S. dollars. With the rapid depreciation of the currency and rising prices, salaries no longer cover basic needs. Many people are forced to take two or three jobs simply to put food on the table,” said economic analyst Ramzi Sultan.

“The core of the problem is a sharp imbalance between supply and demand. Jobs are scarce, but those searching for work are increasing every day,” he said.

For 35-year-old Hamdi Abdullah, the loss of a banking job forced him to make a painful choice. After months of unsuccessful job searching, he had to sell his wife’s jewelry to fund his travel to Saudi Arabia, hoping to try his luck there.

“Leaving my children was the hardest part,” he said. “But staying without income was not possible.” Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthi group seized several northern provinces, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee capital Sanaa.

The war escalated in 2015 with the intervention of a Saudi-led coalition, fueling what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. (Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Nov. 10  — Israeli soldiers killed at least two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, the military said, describing them as militants who crossed a demarcation line separating areas under Israeli military control.

In a statement, the army said that two “terrorists” were shot after crossing the “yellow line” and approaching Israeli troops in southern Gaza, claiming they “posed an immediate threat.”

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson confirmed to Xinhua that the incident occurred in the Khan Younis area. The statement added that Israeli forces remain deployed “in accordance with the ceasefire agreement” but would “continue to act to remove any immediate threat.”

According to Palestine’s official news agency WAFA, two Palestinians, including a child, were killed on Monday in an Israeli drone strike east of Khan Younis.

Citing medical sources, WAFA said the victims were hit when a drone targeted a group of civilians in the town of Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis.

Although a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been in place since Oct. 10, skirmishes between the two sides continued.

At least 242 Palestinians have been killed and 622 wounded since Oct. 11, the Gaza health authorities said, bringing the total death toll from Israeli fire since Oct. 7, 2023, to 69,179, with 170,693 injured. (Xinhua)

MOSCOW, Nov. 10 — The Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday that its forces have launched a coordinated strike against Ukraine’s military-linked energy and transport infrastructure.

In a statement, the ministry said Russian tactical aviation, strike drones, missile troops, and artillery units from the Russian Armed Forces have hit targets in 143 areas.

These include energy facilities supporting Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, transport infrastructure used by Ukrainian troops, as well as temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries.

Additionally, the ministry said that over the past 24 hours, Russian air defense forces shot down one Neptune long-range cruise missile, seven U.S.-made HIMARS rockets and 247 Ukrainian drones.

According to the ministry, a total of 95,801 Ukrainian drones have been destroyed since the start of its special military operation. (Xinhua)

SANAA, Nov. 10 — The Houthi group warned on Sunday that it would resume missile and drone attacks against Israel if the ceasefire in Gaza collapses, according to a letter sent to the Palestinian Hamas movement.

The threat, broadcast by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV channel, comes amid heightened regional tensions that could undermine the fragile U.S.-brokered truce in Gaza, as well as renewed friction between Iran and the United States over stalled nuclear talks.

In the letter, the Houthis’ newly appointed chief of staff, Yousif al-Madani, told Hamas, “We remain steadfast in our pledge and promise to stand with you, no matter the sacrifices.”

Madani was appointed by the group last month to replace Mohammed Abdulkarim Al-Ghamari, who was killed along with dozens of Houthi officials in Israeli airstrikes on a building in Sanaa in August.

Since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, the Houthis had launched hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones toward Israel — most of which were reportedly intercepted — until the current ceasefire went into effect on Oct. 10.

The group also targeted Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea, sinking four. Last week, the Houthis declared a state of general mobilization, recruiting hundreds of tribal fighters, tightening security measures in their areas, setting up additional checkpoints, and detaining more UN employees on alleged accusations of spying for Israel.

They also sent reinforcements to frontlines near Marib, an oil-rich province under the control of Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.

These developments followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s televised speech last week, in which he said the Houthis pose a threat to Israel and that “work is underway to eliminate it.” (Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Nov. 10 — Israel said on Sunday that Turkish troops would not be part of the planned multinational force expected to take control of Gaza once Israeli forces withdraw.

“There will be no Turkish boots on the ground,” government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told reporters. U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas calls for a temporary international stabilization force to gradually take over security in Gaza from the Israeli army.

Washington has reportedly been in talks with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Türkiye, and Azerbaijan to contribute to the force.

On Friday, Türkiye’s Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 37 Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on charges of “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar denounced the warrants, calling them a “PR stunt” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Xinhua)