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Every few years, usually around election season, someone digs up the old slogan “Make America Great Again” and waves it around as if it were a detailed policy document rather than a vague memory of something that may never have existed. If we could actually wind the...
By Saman Zonouz The darkness that swept over the Venezuelan capital in the predawn hours of Jan. 3, 2026, signaled a profound shift in the nature of modern conflict: the convergence of physical and cyber warfare. While U.S. special operations forces carried out the...
Former presidential candidate Luisa González claims the government is conducting a “political show based on a vendetta” against the Citizens Revolution movement. Her comments followed a Wednesday raid on her home in which police and prosecutors seized computers, cell...
Bored? - (De El Mercuro del jueves, 29/1) Gualaceo da 'puntapié inicial' para el Carnaval (Gualaceo kicks off Carnival celebrations) - Carnaval celebrations will start in Gualaceo el domingo, 1/2 a las 10:00 with the 2nd Festival del Mote Pata, organized by the...
By Global Initiative staff Ecuador’s prison system has undergone a profound transformation over the past decade. According to a study by the Global Initiative Against Internation Crime, criminal groups in the country have consolidated control inside prisons, reshaping...
Bored? - (De El Mercurio del miércoles, 28/1) Reactivarán tren de El Tambo a Coyoctor (Train from El Tambo to Coyoctor to be reactivated) - The Ministerio de Infraestructura y Transporte, the GAD Municipal de El Tambo, and Ferrocarriles del Ecuador (Ministry of...
There are a few things in life that can make even a tolerant person feel like banging a few heads together. One is the price of imported cheese in Ecuador. Another is standing in line at immigration with a folder of documents thick enough to stun a mule. And the...
By Brendan Borrell About 13 years ago, Kyle Edmondson woke up after a night of drinking with friends and felt an intense pain on the top of his foot. Climbing out of bed, he could barely walk. His doctor told Mr. Edmondson, then a product designer in his 20s living in...
The Federation of Cuenca Neighborhoods (FBC) is demanding that the government respond to what it claims is a “rising wave of crime” in the city. The federation says that its request for more police patrols and other law enforcement measures has been ignored. “We have...
By Ivonne Valdes Garay, Isabelle D’Antonio and Rocio Muñoz-Ledo Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez said Sunday she has had “enough” of Washington’s orders, as she works to unite the country after the U.S. capture of its former leader Nicolás Maduro....
By Jolene Wilson-Glah Behind an inconspicuous green door on a quiet street just outside el Centro lies a refuge few people know about — but which saves lives every day. In a city where nine out of ten women experience some form of gender-based violence, whether...
By Sylvan Hardy Over the years, I've heard from dozens of prospective North Americans who tell me about the dream home they hope to find in Ecuador. A man from Georgia asked what he would pay for a house with a detached garage with an apartment above, set in the...
By Alfie Pannell Bilateral relations deteriorated between Ecuador and Colombia last week, with the South American neighbors imposing reciprocal economic sanctions. On Wednesday, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced plans for a 30% tariff on goods imported from...
By Steven Rigney I don't have a car in Cuenca. Don't want one. I find that this is a common sentiment among many expats. Undoubtedly, this has a good deal to do with the favorable economics of the public transportation system as well as its efficiency. But it also...
Executive Summary: This column has been released from Larga Towers for readers who are United States citizens. If you are not one, you may stop reading HERE to save your valuable time. For the rest of us, the strange truth is that you may owe no federal income tax at...
By Sylvan Hardy 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 in recent years. What you don’t...
Hungry? - (De El Mercurio del domingo, 25/1) Auge gastronómico en Cuenca (Cuenca's culinary boom) - Cuenca shines as an attractive culinary destination thanks to the opening of new spaces and a wide variety of businesses with surprising flavors. Labati is an artesanal...
Ecuadorians are making news in the U.S. but it’s not the kind of publicity they or their families wanted. Last week, the photo of a five-year-old Ecuadorian boy appeared in news stories around the world after he and his father were taken into custody by U.S....
It rarely looks dramatic. There is no farewell message. No public explanation. No final gathering. One day, someone simply stops showing up. They are still in Cuenca. You may see them at the market, on a side street, or passing through a familiar neighborhood. But...
By Lindsey Bever The question: Does ginger really help an upset stomach? The science: For more than 2,500 years, ginger has been used for its medicinal properties. Ginger is still often recommended as a way to ease stomach upset. Ginger, which is available at almost...
