Neighborhoods in Guayaquil, Ecuador, are in blackout after the government announced new power cuts of up to ten hours a day to "avoid a collapse" of the national electricity system. "Sales are at rock bottom. If we have no power during the day, it's even worse at night," says Andres Piguave while working in the dark at a pharmacy in Guayaquil. Ecuador's Energy Minister, Antonio Goncalves, has resigned amid a severe electricity crisis triggered by the worst drought the country has faced in six decades, the government reported on October 9. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES