LENIN MORENO

A surging pandemic that has brought new lockdown measures has pushed the upcoming elections to the background for many weary voters in the neighboring South American nations of Ecuador and Peru.

August 2010: Swedish prosecutors issue arrest warrant for Assange based on one womans allegation of rape and anothers allegation of molestation. November 2010: Swedish police issue an international arrest warrant for Assange. July 2014: Assange loses his bid to have an arrest warrant issued in Sweden against him canceled. May 1, 2019: Assange is sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for jumping bail in 2012. June 25, 2020: US files new indictment against Assange that prosecutors say underscores Assanges efforts to procure and release classified information.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that seeks to protect the U.S. electricity system from cyber and other attacks in a move that could eventually put barriers on some imports from China and Russia. A senior Energy Department official said that the order was not directed at any new threat, but the result of a process to bolster the power system. The order allows the energy secretary, in consultation with other officials, to prohibit acquisition, importation, transfer or installation of power equipment from an adversary that they determine poses a risk of sabotage to the U.S. power system. It is imperative the bulk-power system be secured against exploitation and attacks by foreign threats, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said in a news release. The power system not only delivers electricity to homes and businesses, but supports the military and emergency systems.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump listens to questions while meeting with Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 12, 2020. REUTERS/Tom BrennerWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that seeks to protect the U.S. electricity system from cyber and other attacks, the Energy Department said in a release. It is imperative the bulk-power system be secured against exploitation and attacks by foreign threats, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said in the release. The order will greatly diminish the ability of foreign adversaries to target our critical electric infrastructure, he said. A senior Energy Department official said that the order was not directed at any new threat, but the result of a process to bolster the power system.

President Donald Trump speaks while meeting with Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, February 12, 2020. President Donald Trump pushed forward with his campaign to throttle his former attorney general's ambitions on Tuesday night. The president endorsed Tommy Tuberville over Jeff Sessions in Alabama's Republican Senate primary runoff. In the state's Republican primary a week ago, Tuberville garnered about 33% of the vote, compared with 31% for Sessions. Tuberville leads Sessions in the runoff by a dozen percentage points, according to a Cygnal poll released this week.

U.S. envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Richard Grenell speaks during a joint press conference held with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (not seen) following their meeting in Belgrade, Serbia on January 24, 2020. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, a fierce defender of the administration's policies, acting director of national intelligence. The move would make Grenell the head of the U.S. intelligence community, overseeing 17 agencies and organizations. "I am pleased to announce that our highly respected Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, will become the Acting Director of National Intelligence," Trump said in a tweet Wednesday. Grenell is also openly gay and has also used his ambassador role to push for gay rights across the globe.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trumps re-election campaign and his Republican Party raised more than $60 million in January, against the backdrop of impeachment that threatened Trumps presidency. The campaign, fundraising committees, and the Republican National Committee brought in a $60.6 million last month and now have more than $200 million in cash on hand, according to the campaign. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, raised $25 million in January, the best single month in his campaign. The website Open Secrets found that Trumps campaign committee and outside groups had raised $232.09 million as of Feb. 3, based on Federal Elections Commission data. Steyers campaign committee has $205.38 million, with no outside funds, and Bloombergs committee has $200.36 million with no outside funds, according to the site.

Violence has persisted since last week, when President Lenn Moreno's decision to end subsidies led to a sharp increase in fuel prices. Indigenous protesters occupied two water treatment plants in the city of Ambato, south of the capital, raising concern about supply to residents, according to municipal authorities. A demonstrator is detained by members of the security forces during a protest against Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno's austerity measures, in Quito, Ecuador, October 8, 2019. Demonstrators run during a protest against Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno's austerity measures, inside the National Assembly building, in Quito, Ecuador, October 8, 2019. Indigenous protesters played a major role in the 2005 resignation of Ecuador's president at the time, Lucio Gutirrez, though the military's tacit approval was key to his removal.

Ecuador TV via CNN(CNN) - Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno has announced that his government will leave the capital city of Quito amid violent protests over his move to end state fuel subsidies. The military stepped in to rescue dozens of personnel held by indigenous groups protesting the end to fuel subsidies, Ministry of Defense officials said Monday. On Monday, Ecuador's Secretary of State Juan Sebastian Roldan asked indigenous groups leading the protests to put an end to the ongoing looting and violence. Moreno blamed foreign influences such as Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and leftist former president Rafael Correa for the unrest engulfing the nation. The president enjoys support from businesspeople and the military, and has moved Ecuador towards the political center after taking over from Correa.