News
Ecuador’s Carapaz holds on to win Tour of Switzerland, considered Europe’s toughest cycling race
Ecuadorian cyclist Richard Carapaz resisted all challengers to win the Tour de Suisse on Sunday. The Ineos Grenadiers team rider was left with just one crew mate three kilometres from the finish but managed to fight off his challengers to take the win, 17 seconds ahead of Colombian Rigoberto Urán....
Today is a good day to be refreshed
I awoke to the first day of my seventieth year last Sunday. The morning was still quietly snoozing on pillows of clouds drifting downwind when I started my routine of photographing the neighborhood and the goings-on along the river. I stood on one of my favorite bridges crossing the Tomebamba and...
The U.S. Fed considers launching a ‘digital’ dollar to strenthen its world reserve currency status
By Victoria Guida The Federal Reserve is taking what may be the first significant step toward launching its own virtual currency, a move that could shake up banks, give millions of low-income Americans access to the financial system and fortify the dollar's status as the world’s reserve currency....
Indigenous protest is small and peaceful; 19% of Azuay population is vaccinated; Gov’t to reduce tax exemptions, loopholes; Gasoline, diesel prices rise
Friday’s indigenous protest against rising fuel prices and International Monetary Fund (IMF) restrictions was peaceful, attracting about 1,000 participants in Latacunga. Fears that the protest would spread to other communities and block highways proved unfounded. Protest leader, Leonidas Iza,...
Despite high vaccination rate, Chile locks down again; New cases are among the non-vaccinated
Chile has announced a lockdown in its capital, Santiago, home to more than a third of the country's population, amid a rise in coronavirus cases, despite more than half of the country’s population being fully vaccinated. Under the new lockdown order, millions of people living in Santiago will be...
Called the most biodiverse place on earth, the Yasuní reserve also has the highest concentration of jaguars
Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, which contains much of the country's oil reserves and a place where oil companies are expected to soon expand drilling, likely has a higher density of jaguars than any other place on earth. Yasuni is arguably world's most biodiverse place. Its incredible riches...
El Salvador is first nation to make Bitcoin legal tender; Some worry about its extreme value swings
El Salvador has become the first country in the world to officially classify Bitcoin as legal currency. Congress approved President Nayib Bukele's proposal to embrace the cryptocurrency, with 62 out of 84 possible votes on Tuesday night. The president said the government had made history, and that...
Real estate market faces a high inventory – low demand crisis as the pandemic extends time-to-sale
For Ecuador real estate agents and developers, the Covid-19 pandemic has only made a bad situation worse. Already in a slump in 2018 and 2019, those selling property today have seen the time on the market increase by as much as 50 percent since late 2019. “The market is in crisis and even as we...
In Cuenca, VP admits health system is ‘sick’; Seniors get telecom price reductions; Fines hiked for zoning violations; Corpus Christi sweets on sale til Saturday
Jueves, 10/6/2021 Hola, Todos - Actividades - Del cuerpo del periodico - Dulces de Corpus (Corpus sweets) - 58 producers will be selling Corpus Christi sweets until el sábado from 10-20:00 at the Portal Artesanal (Huayna Cápac y Bolívazr) and Cemuart (General Torres y Pres. Córdova). Another 45...
Despite its high quality, Ecuadorian coffee exports continue to decline during the pandemic
By Robert Bradley The production and export of coffee in Ecuador continues its drastic decline, particularly in coastal regions. However, production per hectare is growing. The export of soluble, or "instant” coffee, represents 95 percent of total exports. Exports of specialty coffee beans...
Untold stories from the vaccine trail: What you don’t know about the Covid-19 fraud can kill you
By Max Rorschach The so-called Covid-19 virus and the deadly vaccines it has inspired is truly the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on the human race. Civil liberties have been trampled, international commerce has been decimated, families have been separated and millions have died under false...
Indigenous protest against fuel prices begins tomorrow as government warns against road blocks
Indigenous leader Leonidas Iza says Friday’s mobilization against rising fuel prices will be peaceful but says he may not be able to control the anger of some of his followers. The protest is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in Latacunga and may spread to other areas of the inter-mountain valley. Iza,...
Expat Life
Stories of pain, sheer grit and determination
I recently joined folks at a relief center waiting their turn to receive a box of groceries. I asked them about the...
Do expats contribute to inequality in Cuenca and other Latin American expat communities?
By Matthew Hayes When Ana Jane turned 60, she decided she wanted “a complete life change.” Approaching retirement, she...
EU maintains travel restrictions for US and UK while the UK clamps down on Portugal visits
The European Union will maintain restrictions on non-essential travel from the U.S. and U.K., meaning visitors from...
Remember when … reflections on Memorial Day
By Jan Dynes I felt like returning to the days when I was still a teenager for Memorial Day to reflect on the last 50...
Health News
Covid pandemic highlights the health risks of obesity but also the difficulty of losing weight
By Associated Press Health Staff Jennifer Bergin was already obese and pre-diabetic before the pandemic, and learning...
Despite its sudden popularity, the Wuhan lab leak hypothesis is still a conspiracy theory, not science
By Ethan Siegal At the very end of 2019, a new disease began to emerge in humans: COVID-19. Originally described as a...
Opinion
Untold stories from the vaccine trail: What you don’t know about the Covid-19 fraud can kill you
By Max Rorschach The so-called Covid-19 virus and the deadly vaccines it has inspired is truly the greatest fraud ever...
Despite its sudden popularity, the Wuhan lab leak hypothesis is still a conspiracy theory, not science
By Ethan Siegal At the very end of 2019, a new disease began to emerge in humans: COVID-19. Originally described as a...
What the liberals miss by focusing on the Chinese Uyghurs and ignoring the bigger picture
By Chris Hedges Global capitalists have turned back the clock to the early days of the Industrial Revolution. The...
Community Posts
Benefits of combining your health insurance, by Blue Box.
On more than one occasion you probably wondered if it was worth paying so much for a health...
Need to renew your Certificate of Deposit? Or change the bank you have it in??
You used your Bank CD to get your Residency Visa, or maybe even for some other purpose. Many...
Medical and General Facilitation Services
Hello Expats. I would like to offer my services for medical facilitation and general help with...
Second Painting Tours
Second Painting Tour “All you need is your creativity and the desire to create beautiful things on...
