A State of Exception has been declared in 17 of Ecuador’s 24 provinces due to the “El Niño” phenomenon, whose effects are expected to be “merciless” this year. Meteorologists predict that they could be similar to those felt in 1997, when they were responsible for losses equivalent to 14.5% of the country’s GDP. This week experts noted some of the warmest temperatures ever registered across swaths of the Ecuatorial Pacific. teleSUR