News
Leading Colombian presidential candidate pushes for phase-out of oil and gas production
By Andrea Jaramillo and Oscar Medina Colombia’s presidential front-runner Gustavo Petro is calling on ideological allies across Latin America and the world to join him in forming a new bloc to lead the economy away from fossil fuels. Oil and coal currently account for nearly half of Colombia’s...
Lasso eliminates financial exit tax on fuel imports
By executive decree on Tuesday, President Guillermo Lasso, repealed Ecuador’s Foreign Currency Outflow Tax for suppliers of fuel and natural gas. The assessment, commonly called the exit tax, remains at 4.75 percent for other financial transfers out of the country but is being reduced by .25...
Covid-19 cases up by 300%; Drought forces water service cuts; Schools back online; Residents protest hydro project; Police warn of phone extortion scam
Martes, 18/1/2022 Hola, Todos - Actividades - Nada. Titular - Corresponsabilidad (Co-responsibility) <I think this concept comes more easily to a culture that still has mingas - less to someone from an Anglo-Saxon dominant culture where each individual is his own king> - At a press...
Moon over Vilcabamba
Don’t go to the library today, there are too many words already. Pick up an instrument instead. -- Rumi __________________ American-born photographer Thomas Ives has worked for international news and feature magazines for over 38 years. His photo essays and images have appeared in National...
Frustrated with court’s ‘soft’ response to crime, Lasso plans public referendum on justice reform
Ecuador will ask its citizens to vote in a 2023 consultation to reform its justice system, President Guillermo Lasso said on Tuesday, amid accusations that decisions by judges are holding back efforts to fight crime. Violence and crime, including within the prison system, soared in Ecuador late...
Although Omicron means it is sure to fail, China pushes on with its iron-fisted zero-Covid policy
By Li Yuan China’s “zero Covid” policy has a dedicated following: the millions of people who work diligently toward that goal, no matter the human costs. In the northwestern city of Xi’an, hospital employees refused to admit a man suffering from chest pains because he lived in a medium-risk...
American-style restaurant goes to the dogs; Public bike program needs a reboot; Forge a vaxx card, go to jail; Family produces natural products in Gualaceo
Lunes, 17/1/2022 Hola, Todos - Actividades - From the Ellos y Ellas Sunday supplement - Hangry Hippo <I'm not sure if I should put this here or in the advertising section, but it's an article so it's here.> - A new restaurant/bar that welcomes both people and perros (dogs) has opened in...
Thinking of hiring a maid or handyman? Check Ecuador’s labor laws before making the commitment
By Liam Higgins Almost every expat arriving in Ecuador has heard the pitch: You can hire a maid, gardener, or cook in Ecuador for a fraction of what you would pay in North America or Europe. This is true, although the cost has gone up considerably in recent years. What you don’t hear, however, is...
Commodities prices are on the rise but Latin American economies suffer from political uncertainty
By Michael Stott What was good for copper was good for Chile’s peso. The fortunes of the currency of the world’s largest copper exporter were closely tied to the price of its main export. Last year the pattern broke. World copper prices rose 25 per cent in 2021, but the Chilean peso’s value...
Rising Covid cases put Cuenca and other major cities on ‘red alert’ status; New restrictions ordered
In a Sunday night emergency meeting, the Cuenca Emergency Operations Committee reduced capacity for restaurants, theaters, gyms, markets, supermarkets, financial institutions and public offices to 30 percent. The action follows a rapid rise in Covid infections, most of them from the Omicron...
Tsunami warning called off following eruption of South Pacific volcano but the threat remains
Ecuador’s Oceanic Research Institute called off the tsunami warning Sunday that it had issued a day earlier, saying wave and sea level activity had returned to normal levels. The warning followed the eruption of the underwater Hunga Tonga-Ha’apai volcano off the coast of Tonga in the South...
A picture of a professor’s library is a tableau of ‘decor and delight’ and a tribute to a fading era
By Kate Dwyer On the first Tuesday of the year, the author and political activist Don Winslow tweeted a photograph of an avid reader’s dream library. Bathed in the buttery glow of three table lamps, almost every surface of the room is covered with books. There are books on the tables, books...
Expat Life
Moon over Vilcabamba
Don’t go to the library today, there are too many words already. Pick up an instrument instead. -- Rumi...
Thinking of hiring a maid or handyman? Check Ecuador’s labor laws before making the commitment
By Liam Higgins Almost every expat arriving in Ecuador has heard the pitch: You can hire a maid, gardener, or cook in...
Cuenca kids at dusk
There I was up in Cuenca on official business with the Ministerio de Franz Kafka. It hadn't been pretty …. I had to...
Nos vemos luego mis amigos
Thank you, all. It has been a grand ride for me these last nearly five years, writing a weekly love letter to Cuenca,...
Health News
In the U.S., Omicron is infecting both the vaxxed and the unvaxxed but the unvaxxed suffer more
By David Leonhardt and Ashley Wu Some of the timeliest data on Covid-19 outcomes by vaccination status comes from New...
As Omicron becomes dominant, it can finally be said that Covid-19 is no worse than the flu
By Dylan Housman Thanks to the arrival of the Omicron variant, it’s now accurate to say that Covid-19 is “just the...
Opinion
Although Omicron means it is sure to fail, China pushes on with its iron-fisted zero-Covid policy
By Li Yuan China’s “zero Covid” policy has a dedicated following: the millions of people who work diligently toward...
Chile’s left turn offers an opportunity to build an economic model that benefits the entire population
By Shannon O’Neil Latin America’s leftist leaders hailed last month’s election of Gabriel Boric in Chile, while...
Despite logistical advantages, Latin American economies will lag behind other regions in 2022
By Andres Oppenheimer Leading international financial institutions have published their economic forecasts for 2022,...
Community Posts
Must Sell: Rural 4 br Furnished Home Near Biggest Ecuador Pacific Ocean Beach
Like living in your own private park in rural Canoa, EC. Health issues force immediate sale. Price...
Your Dental Implants 100% Guaranteed by the Implant Specialists (“Find Health in Ecuador Dental Clinic”)
Yes indeed, you have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain, in making your mouth and...
Best way to fight COVID
Stay at home and let the professional do it for you. Looking for permanent residency, temporary...
Why insure your Vehicle in Ecuador?
Vehicle insurance in Ecuador can be very different from the one you are used to since in Ecuador...
