At least 68 prisoners were killed and a dozen injured in overnight violence at Ecuador's Penitenciaria del Litoral prison, the government said on Saturday, in what has been characterised as fighting between gangs.
The penitentiary, located in the southern city of Guayaquil, is the same prison where 119 inmates were killed in late September in the country's worst-ever incident of prison violence.
The government has blamed fighting between drug trafficking gangs for control of prisons for the violence.
The latest disturbance was set off by a power vacuum following a gang leader's release, governor of Guayas province Pablo Arosemena said in a press conference.
"The context of this situation is that there was no leader of the gang that has this cell block because a few days ago that prisoner was released ... for completing 60 per cent of his sentence," Mr Arosemena said. "Other cell blocks with other groups wanted to subdue them, get inside and have a total massacre."
Videos on social media purportedly posted by detainees overnight showed them begging for help to stop the violence as shots and explosions sounded in the background.
There has been a wave of disturbances in the South American country's prisons, which house some 39,000 detainees. Incidents in February and July at various prisons left 79 and 22 people dead respectively.
Some of those killed in September at the penitentiary were decapitated or burned, the attorney general's office has said, and dozens were injured.
A total of 11 people were found hung in Penitenciaria del Litoral in October, which authorities have said may have been suicides.
President Guillermo Lasso in September declared a 60-day state of emergency in the prison system, freeing up funding and allowing heightened controls with military assistance.
Police operations since the state of emergency was declared - especially at Penitenciaria del Litoral - have turned up guns, grenades, knives, munitions, cell phones and drugs.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The%20specs
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Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
'Falling%20for%20Christmas'
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The five pillars of Islam
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
