Ecuador faces long reconstructionQUITO, Ecuador — The death count from Ecuador’s worst earthquake in a decade rose to at least 587 on Thursday even as the country faced another grim toll: a long and costly reconstruction effort likely to cost billions of dollars.President Rafael Correa announced Wednesday night that he would raise sales taxes and put a one-time levy on millionaires to help pay for reconstruction.The damage from the 7.8-magnitude quake adds to already heavy economic hardships being felt in this OPEC nation because of the collapse in world oil prices. Even before the quake, Ecuador was bracing for a bout of austerity, with the International Monetary Fund forecasting the economy would shrink 4.5 percent this year.In a televised address Wednesday night, Correa warned the nation of a long and costly post-quake recovery and said the economic pain shouldn’t fall only on hard-hit communities along the coast.“I know we’re at the most-difficult stage right now, but it’s just the beginning,” he said.

Obama gives queen birthday wishes LONDON — President Barack Obama was delivering 90th birthday greetings to Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle today.Britain’s oldest and longest-serving monarch celebrated her birthday Thursday, the same day Obama opened what likely is the final visit here in his presidency.The two were sitting down to lunch today at the castle, west of London. Afterward, Obama planned to have dinner with Prince William, his wife Kate and brother Prince Harry at the younger royals’ Kensington Palace home in central London. William is second in line to inherit the British throne after his father, Prince Charles.Obama’s wife, Michelle, was flying in from Washington to attend the royal engagements. The queen’s husband, Prince Philip, was attending the lunch.Obama also was to have talks with Prime Minister David Cameron about the multinational campaign against the Islamic State group, counterterrorism efforts, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, and the global economy.