By Lisa Drayer Portion sizes of some of your favorite foods have been getting bigger and bigger. Ultraprocessed foods and beverages, including chocolate, french fries, fast-food hamburgers and soda, are being sold in sizes up to five times larger than when they were...
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Indigenous activists win award for using drones to spot unauthorized mining in Ecuador’s Amazon
By Vanessa Buschschlüter Two indigenous activists from Ecuador who successfully fought against mining on their ancestral lands have won an international environmental prize. Alex Lucitante and Alexandra Narváez were awarded the Goldman Prize, which recognises...
City struggles to upgrade water service; Feds seize illegal beer at restaurants, stores; 276 political parties are approved; Lasso promises new highways
Miércoles, 25/5/2022 Hola, Todos - Actividades - Dawi: paisajes y fragmentaciones nacen del pincel (Dawi: landscapes and fragmentations born from the brush) - The formal opening of Ariel Dawi's new exhibit at the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno (MMAM - calles Sucre y...
Former U.S. Secretary of State Kissinger urges Ukraine to cede territory to end Russian invasion
Former U.S. secretary of state Henry A. Kissinger said Monday that Ukraine should cede territory to Russia to help end the invasion. Speaking at a conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Kissinger urged the United States and the West to not seek...
The fabulous beaches of the Galapagos: Although they get little mention, they are among the best in South America — and maybe the world
By Katie Benson The Galapagos Islands may be best known for the unique animals that live there and the incredible landscape, but the Galapagos beaches are pretty damn incredible too. In fact, the Galapagos Islands are home to some of the most beautiful beaches in...
With the government in crisis, Lasso delivers annual report to the nation, offering ‘hope and conciliation’
Striking a markedly different tone toward the National Assembly than he did two months ago, President Guillermo Lasso said Tuesday that it is time to “cross the bridge toward new opportunities for Ecuador.” In his annual report to the nation at the National Assembly,...
Cuenca a century ago: Good weather, ‘dreamy loafing’ in a city isolated from the outside world
Editor’s note: Ever wonder what Cuenca was like a 110 years ago? The following is an excerpt from Vagabonding Down the Andes by Harry A. Franck. Published in 1917, the book is a travelogue of the author’s 1912-1913 journey, mostly by foot, from Panama to Buenos Aires....
Lasso gets poor ratings after first year in office; Trade agreement with Chile goes into effect, Negotiations for Mexican deal almost complete
Martes, 24/5/2022 Hola, Todos - Titular - Vacunas, inversiones y matanzas (Vaccines, investments and slaughter) - See the Tuesday afternoon edition of CHL for story on Pres. Lasso's first year. Disapproval ratings for the president are high. 71.18% of Ecuadorians rate...
At the one-year mark of his presidency, Lasso struggles to fulfill campaign promises
By Alexandra Valencia President Guillermo Lasso's efforts to combat insecurity and economic problems amid rising violence and fierce legislative opposition are falling short, putting at risk foreign investment, according to analysts and residents. Lasso, a former...
City looks to contain urban sprawl; Cañar railroad chugs back to life; Local femicides mount; Park attracts thieves; Nights of Tango, symphonic rock
Lunes, 23/5/2022 Hola, Todos - Actividades - From el sábado, 21/5/2022 - Pista abierta para los "tangueros" (Open floor for the "tangueros") - There will be a "Noche de Tango" el miércoles, 25/5 in the Casa de la Lira. Claudio Ullauri formed a group six years ago to...
Battle of Pichincha: How a brilliant general, British mercenaries and Cuencano liberated Quito in 1822
Editor' note: Today is the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Pichincha, generally considered Ecuador's independence day. The victory, which included the heroics and martyrdom of Cuenca native son Abdon Calderon, almost didn't happen. By Jerome Long His men were...
China’s economic collapse is underway and will have severe impacts on the rest of the world
By Gordon Chang “What we are going to see with China, for the first time that anyone can remember who’s alive, is an economy that’s twice the size of the U.S., possibly three times the size of the U.S., and it’s going to be very weird living in that world,” said Elon...
Young Ecuadorians join the fight against oil production pollution in the Amazon
By Anastasia Moloney When 11-year-old Ecuadorean Leonela Moncayo sees the flames from a gas flare flickering above the jungle canopy near her home in the Amazon rainforest, anger makes her determined to fight the pollution caused by decades of oil drilling. Moncayo...
Courts chief suspended, sparking claims of political interference; Murders up locally but most follow domestic disputes; No monkeypox cases reported
Ecuador’s National Judiciary Council has suspended Iván Saquicela, president of the country’s court system, for 90 days "for serious infractions and negligence." Coming on the same day a three-judge panel in Santa Elena Province revoked the habeas corpus of former...
The world’s food system is on the brink of collapse — just like the banks in 2008
By George Monbiot For the past few years, scientists have been frantically sounding an alarm that governments refuse to hear: the global food system is beginning to look like the global financial system in the run-up to 2008. While financial collapse would have been...
Omicron can cause multiple reinfections, research shows, dodging natural immunity and vaccination
By Apoorva Mandavilli A virus that shows no signs of disappearing, variants that are adept at dodging the body’s defenses, and waves of infections two, maybe three times a year — this may be the future of Covid-19, some scientists now fear. The central problem is that...
Lasso’s approval rating drops below 30% but the National Assembly’s is even lower
As he marks his first year in office, President Guillermo Lasso’s approval rating among Ecuadorians has hit a new low. In a new poll by Click Report, only 29% gave him a “good” rating. The poll results mirror that of two other recent polls showing deep dissatisfaction...
Covid-19 deaths drop worldwide but cases increase
The number of coronavirus deaths globally dropped by about 21% in the past week while cases rose in most parts of the world, according to the World Health Organization. In its weekly report on the pandemic released Thursday, the U.N. health agency said the number of...
Court revokes former VP Glas’ habeas corpus; Secretly recorded video could have been a factor
A court in Santa Elena Province has withdrawn the habeas corpus granted former vice president Jorge Glas on April 9 and ordered him taken into custody and returned to prison. A three judge panel ruled that Manglaralto judge Javier Moscoso lacked the authority to...
As overdose deaths soar, anti-drug efforts shift focus from natural to synthetic products
By German Lopez For much of human history, people got their drugs from nature. Marijuana comes from the cannabis plant, cocaine from coca leaves, heroin from poppies and magic mushrooms really do come from mushrooms. Even legal drugs, like alcohol, tobacco and coffee,...