The Warring Prison Cartels Carving up Ecuador

In our final episode on the rise and fall and rise of the Pablo Escobar of Pakistan, he negotiates his own surrender to the DEA, maneuvers his way into the U.S. while dodging Pakistani intelligence agents out to kill him, and enjoys the hospitality of the American justice system. ...  Show more

In Albania's turbulent Nineties, the small, seaside town of Vlore became a gangster’s paradise, playing host to hundreds of crooks ferrying drugs, weapons and people into nearby Puglia alongside Italian mafiosi. One of them was a slim, slick-haired former military man named Artur ...  Show more

Ecuador heads to the polls gripped by spiraling violence and political uncertainty. Once one of South America’s safest nations, it now has the highest homicide rate in the region. The presidential run-off pits Daniel Noboa, the incumbent who’s militarised the streets, against Lui ...  Show more

BBC South America correspondent Ione Wells speaks to Daniel Noboa, President of Ecuador, ahead of the close-run presidential election.Since Mr Noboa came to power 16 months ago, he has taken an uncompromising stance on the violence gripping his country. With criminal gangs locked ...  Show more

Growing cocaine demand and booming coca leaf cultivation is fueling unrest in Ecuador. The Economist’s Ana Lankes and Will Freeman of the Council on Foreign Relations explain what’s happening in the place that until recently was Latin America’s safest country. This episode was pr ...  Show more

Just as the country was moving towards democracy, its generals have overthrown the civilians—again. We look at what sparked the unrest, and why coups in Africa are on the rise. Ecuador declared a state of emergency last week over a wave of violent crime. It’s just one of sever ...