These are the main news and informative projections for the day of Wednesday, December 20, 2017:
Draw of the Copa Libertadores de América and Copa Sudamericana 2018 matches
The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) will draw the schedule of matches for its two major tournaments, the Copa Libertadores de América and the Copa Sudamericana, on Wednesday (18:00 Ecuador time) at its headquarters in Asunción.
The Libertadores, the most important tournament in the region, will be played in eight groups of four teams, but there will be three qualifying phases before.
The tournament will start on January 22 and the finals will be played on November 7 and 28. If it is decided to play a single final, it will be held on December 1.
In Ecuador, Delfín will register its name for the first time in the history of the Copa Libertadores. The club from Manta became runner-up and in the draw it will be Ecuador 2.
In addition to the team from Manta, the champion Emelec, Independiente del Valle and the debutant Macará will also play the Libertadores next year.
The Manta team was placed in the last group of teams that go directly to the group stage, where it will face Atlético Tucumán from Argentina, Deportivo Lara and Monagas from Venezuela.
The most prestigious of the Ecuadorian teams will be Emelec, which will once again aim for the top in the Copa Libertadores. The electric team will play its 27th Libertadores and was placed in the second pot with Universidad de Chile, Bolívar, Palmeiras, Cerro Porteño, Independiente, Estudiantes and Libertad.
In contrast, the Copa Sudamericana will be played on a single elimination basis between all the qualifiers, and in the second phase it will receive the teams that finish third in their groups in the Copa Libertadores. It will start on February 14 and the finals will be held on December 5 and 12.
The Almirante building in Bahía de Caráquez is demolished by implosion
The Almirante building, one of the buildings affected in Bahía de Caráquez by the earthquake of April 16, 2016, will be demolished on Wednesday. This demolition will take place at 14:00 using the implosion system and the debris clearance will extend until December 23, in order to not affect tourism, according to José Herrera, Undersecretary of Transportation and Public Works of zone 4.
The building occupies an area of 380 square meters, has nine levels, plus the terrace, which adds up to a total constructed area of 1,800m2, stated Jordy Muntasell, representative of the Tragsa company, responsible for the implosion.
According to Manuel Gilces, mayor of Sucre, the company in charge of the task has verified that the impact on the urban area is minimal and has socialized with several families and leaders from the Julio Marín Barreiro citadel, so that they are aware of the work, its duration and the mitigation measures that will be carried out after the implosion.
Implosion is an inward explosion type. This technique was used in at least four buildings in Portoviejo.
Deadline to qualify the political trial against Jorge Glas
Wednesday marks the first of the three days given for constitutional judge Manuel Viteri Olvera to prepare a preliminary ruling of admissibility of the political trial against vice president without functions Jorge Glas, proposed by the opposition and a legislator from Alianza PAIS.
The case No. 0001-17-DJ was drawn on Tuesday among the nine members of the Constitutional Court (CC) and, according to the procedure, the three-day period for the report began yesterday.
Glas was sentenced to six years in prison by a Tribunal of the National Court for racketeering in the Odebrecht case and is in jail at Quito's prison No. 4.
Viteri Olvera's ruling will state if the request complies with the Constitution; if the infringement attributed to Glas is identified; and if the legal classification of the infringement corresponds to the type of offenses provided for in the Constitution.
If there is a positive ruling and it is supported by the judges, the case will return to the Assembly.
Fair of the buñuelos starts in Tungurahua
In Antonio Clavijo street, in the Sur market sector, vendors start the fair of the traditional buñuelos of the Christmas season at 17:30, where in addition to this delicacy, visitors can find chicken tamales, corn empanadas, quimbolitos and other culinary products from the Ecuadorian highlands.
The fair will last until January 6, 2018, so that the people of Ambato, as well as tourists, can come and taste these delicious typical dishes. (I)