Posts:
Most people visiting Peru or Ecuador for the first time quickly realize that the rich indigenous heritage makes the countries what they are today. Particularly in the Andes, a prime reason for many visits is to connect with, and learn about indigenous traditions --...
A week of road blockades in Bolivia has led to food and fuel shortages as supporters of former president Evo Morales protest his disqualification from 2025 elections, authorities said Monday. Protesters, led by coca growers -- the mainstay of Morales' political base...
By Stephen Vargha Fundación GRACE began the second leg of its journey to help migrants in Cuenca. On January 26, the five-year-old non-profit organization had an open house for its new location on Av. Ordóñez Lasso. “The landlord of our old place raised our rent to...
By Matt Rivers As the migrant crisis continues to weigh on cities across the United States, immigration advocates and international groups contend that most Americans are not aware of the depths of despair that have forced the migrants to relocate from country to...
Following meetings with European Union and Spanish officials, President Daniel Noboa said that “Europe stands with Ecuador in our fight against narco terrorists.” Noboa returned Saturday from Europe, saying that agreements reached in Madrid last week will provide...
By Jeremiah Reardon At the time of last year’s Independence Festival I had coffee with my musician friend Walt at Cuenca’s main plaza. Sharing with him my musical adventures, I pointed out the Old Cathedral. “That’s where I began building my first guitar two years...
By Javier Cordoba Many Costa Ricans on Friday welcomed a ruling this week by the country's Supreme Court of Justice eliminating the requirement that people use their father's surname before their mother's on identification documents. In Spanish-speaking nations,...
Venezuela’s Supreme Justice Tribunal has upheld a ban which prevents presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado from holding office, upending the opposition’s plans for elections planned for later this year. Machado, a former lawmaker, won the opposition’s...
The Constitutional Court approved 10 of President Daniel Noboa’s referendum questions on Friday, including ones that would strengthen the role of law enforcement to combat criminal organizations, but rejected 9 others. Among the questions approved, voters will be...
Viernes, 26/1/2024 Hola, Todos - Actividades - 'Streetwear', el código de vestimenta del hip-hop (Streetwear', the dress code of hip-hop) - 3 stores specializing in 'streetwear' clothing from the 80's and 90's are collaborating on a show and sale, "Fresco desde la...
The joint National Police and Armed Forces command says it has confiscated an "incredible collection of lethal and unauthorized items" from the country's prisons in eight days of security sweeps. The command says inspections are "ongoing" at eight prisons and will...
By Kashmir Hill This time of year, everyone asks what you like least about your life, but they phrase it as, “What’s your New Year’s resolution?” My biggest regret of 2023 was my relationship to my smartphone, or my “tech appendage” as I’ve named it in my iPhone...
Although President Daniel Noboa has joined several National Assembly members in recommending a delay in ending oil production in Yasuní National Park, legal experts say the idea is a “no go.” In the May national election, Ecuadorians voted 60% to 40% to end operations...
National Police reported Tuesday that Ecuador recorded 8,009 murders in 2023, the most since crime record-keeping began 70 years ago. The country’s murder rate per 100,000, soared from 27 in 2022 to 44 in 2023, giving it one of the highest rates in Latin America....
Miércoles, 24/1/2024 Hola, Todos - Actividades - Postulaciones abiertas para fondos culturales (Applications for cultural funds now open) - The Dirección de Cultura del Municipio de Cuenca has opened the call for their Competitive Funds. It will consider innovative...
By Alvaro Murillo and Isabel Woodford Long a byword for laidback environmental tourism, Costa Rica is now wrestling with a surge in violence so striking that its government is borrowing a page from nearby El Salvador, which took draconian steps to tackle its own crime...
President Daniel Noboa said Tuesday he is open to discussing fuel subsidies as part of a package to increase government revenue. “I think it is possible to reduce the subsidy by as much as 25% without affecting lower-income people,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “I...
Sunday’s massive cocaine bust on a farm in Minces, Los Ríos Province, was stunning even for National Police. The raid, which did not conclude until early Tuesday, netted 22 tons of packaged cocaine worth $1.3 billion and possibly more, depending on its final market....
In a new executive decree, the government has eliminated the nightly curfew in 160 of the country’s 221 cantons based on a low risk of gang-related violence. Cuenca is considered at medium risk and will have a 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. Until Monday night, the curfew...
By Alexander Busch In August last year, contract killers shot and killed Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. He had previously denounced links between the Los Choneros drug gang and top judicial, military and political figures – and revealed that...
