Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso said Friday he will not seek reelection in the early elections prompted by his decision to dissolve the National Assembly two weeks ago. Lasso, who disbanded the assembly just when it appeared on the verge of ousting him in impeachment proceedings, announced his decision not to run in Aug. 20 balloting at a news conference surrounded by members of his Cabinet and family. “This has been the greatest honor of my life, but I love democracy way beyond the role of president,” Lasso said. "If my duty as president requires me to give up my position and protect democracy, then I will do so. Without fear and with a clear conscience.” Lasso, a conservative former banker, was elected in 2021 on a business-friendly platform and clashed from the start with the left-leaning majority coalition in the 137-member National Assembly. In May, lawmakers launched impeachment proceedings against him on allegations that he failed to intervene to end a faulty contract between the state-owned oil transport company and a private tanker company. Faced with likely removal from office on what he called frivolous charges, Lasso disbanded the National Assembly, calling it “the best possible decision,” giving Ecuadorians “the power to decide their future in the next elections.” Ecuador's constitution includes a provision that allows the president to disband the assembly during a political crisis, but then requires new elections for both the assembly and presidency. Mauricio Alarcón, an analyst with Ecuador's nongovernment organization Citizenship and Development Foundation, praised Lasso's decision to step aside, telling The Associated Press that the level of confidence in the president “had hit rock bottom.” An estimated 13.4 million Ecuadoreans will go to the polls in August to elect president, vice-president and 137 legislators. They will complete the current term of office, which end in May 2025. If no winner is declared in a first round, a second one is scheduled for Oct. 15. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

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By Naomi Rovnick, Marc Jones and Alun John LONDON It was not meant to be this way. The

Snoop Dogg recently announced his decision to quit smoking and since then a clip has resurfaced where the rapper revealed the 'only person' who can out-smoke him. The 52-year-old - whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr - took to Instagram yesterday (November 16) to share the news with fans. "After much consideration and conversation with my family, I've decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time," he wrote. The announcement surprised fans, given Snoop's well-documented love for weed and the responses ranged from wishing him well to questioning whether it was some kind of publicity stunt. Meanwhile, a clip from 2018 when Snoop appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been making rounds, where he revealed the only person - a musician - that could out-smoke him. The conversation began with Kimmel asking Snoop who he would put on a ‘Mount Rushmore' of pot smokers. "Seth Rogen was here last week, and we were talking about Mount Rushmore of pot smokers, and of course, you are on. "And I think that Seth is on Mt. Rushmore. Who would you put on that Mt. Rushmore?" Kimmel put to the Drop It Like It's Hot rapper. Snoop pondered for a moment before he gave his answer: "I would put Bob Marley." “I would put Cheech and Chong - they were the first faces on the mountain, they're the ones who showed us what a mountain was." "Willie P. Nelson is definitely on there," he added. "And by the way, Willie Nelson is the only person who has ever out smoked Snoop Dogg. I had to hit the 'time out' button." When questioned by Kimmel as to whether he's had to hit the 'time out' button before, Snoop insisted: “Never, never.” Nelson has also recalled the time he spent with Snoop, as he told the Daily Beast in 2021 how they connected when they were both in The Netherlands. “That was over in Amsterdam!" the country musician said, a city where smoking marijuana in coffee shops is accepted. “I called Snoop and I said, 'Hey buddy, you gotta come over here. This is where it’s at!' "So, he came over and we hit every bar, every smoke place in Amsterdam. We had a helluva time." How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Johan Santana threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Minnesota Twins before Game 3 of the AL Division Series

The Trump Organization said it sold its lease for a New York golf course with sweeping views of Manhattan to Bally's Corporation, ending several years of controversy.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 28, 2023--