Western Hemisphere
Three out of six Mirage-50 aircrafts donated by Venezuela to Ecuador landed on Thursday on a base of the Ecuadorian site of Taura, 280 km southwest of Quito. Three other planes will arrive in one-month term.

The aircrafts, manned by Venezuelan pilots, landed three days after the scheduled time, due to a controversy over Colombia's clearance to cross its territory.

An official of the Ecuadorian air force (FAE) told AFP that the planes were coming from Panama, where they were since last Monday, waiting for the authorization. According to the Colombian government, the permit was granted one week ago.

Venezuelan aviation second commander, General José Gregorio Pérez, disclosed that the gift also includes missiles for the fighters. However, he did not specify the type or the amount.