Posts:
By John O’Farrell I first came to America from Ireland in 1984, as a young engineer about to attend business school. I chose Stanford University — partly for the weather and natural beauty, but more for the electrifying entrepreneurial spirit coursing through Silicon...
The government is “failing the litmus test of legitimacy” in the investigation of the Progen generator scandal, says former National Assemblyman and political analyst Wilson Benavides. “For three years this administration has emphasized its fight against corruption...
There is a particular kind of energetic expat who hits the ground running in Cuenca on Monday, buys him or herself an alpaca wool hoodie on Tuesday, and by Wednesday morning is ready to reorganize the bus system, modernize the electrical grid, improve customer...
By Annie Correal Abelardo De La Espriella, a criminal defense lawyer with no previous political experience, appeared headed for a razor-thin victory on Sunday in Colombia’s presidential election, in what would be a win for his fervent supporters, the global right and...
My long-ago girlfriend, Sherry, finally won me over. I remember distant times when I could hardly wait for my girlfriend to get home so I could re-play the latest singer-songwriter album I found that moved me nearly to tears; I was always scouring the bins of our...
Bored? - (De El Mercurio del viernes, 19/6) - Diez días de conciertos (10 days of concerts) - The Fiesta de la Música 2026 started el jueves with programming that will continue until el 27/6, with dozens of performers, and local, national and international groups...
A few weeks ago I nearly became part of an inauguration ceremony myself, though not through any ambition on my part to mingle with visiting heads of state. I was halfway across the road when a presidential motorcade rounded the corner like a fire brigade racing to a...
By Open Society Foundations At low tide, Johana Carolina Cruz Potes steps into the mudflats around Isla Costa Rica, in Ecuador’s Jambelí Archipelago. Holding a bucket and a short metal hook, she probes the tangled roots of a mangrove patch, searching for concha negra,...
On her first full day as Cuenca mayor, Marisol Peñaloza helped negotiate an end to the suspension of nighttime bus service. The resumption of service began Thursday with a promise from bus owners that there will be no more suspensions until a new study of operating...
Author's note: This is the last of a four-part series about how an expat with no culinary credentials somehow found himself judging one of Cuenca’s most beloved traditional. It’s also a story about the generosity of strangers and the adventures that begin when you...
By Anahad O’Connor Almost every culture on earth has fermented foods in its traditional cuisine. These foods — from yogurt to sauerkraut to kimchi and kefir — are made with microorganisms that transform them. Fermentation provided a way to preserve foods thousands of...
By Darren Orf In the past 150 years, humanity has faced a plethora of calamities. The first half of the 20th century was a horror show, with two world wars alone killing upwards of 100 million people and the influenza epidemic of 1918 and 1919 killing as many as 50...
Azuay Province faces a “complicated and complex challenge" in preparing for the coming El Niño, Azuay Prefect Juan Cristóbal Lloret said Tuesday. Lloret chairs the provincial Emergency Operations (COE) that is making plans for the El Niño weather system that is...
Author's note: This is the third of a four-part series about how an expat with no culinary credentials somehow found himself judging one of Cuenca’s most beloved traditional. It’s also a story about the generosity of strangers and the adventures that begin when you...
By Nelson Bocanegra and Rodrigo Campos Whoever is elected Colombia’s next president in a Sunday vote will have limited room to carry out his economic agenda, economists, policymakers and investors said, citing mounting fiscal problems and a divided Congress which...
President Daniel Noboa has declared a new state of emergency in ten provinces, including Azuay. The measure, which will be in force for 60 days, does not include a nighttime curfew. Several provincial and legal experts questioned Azuay’s inclusion in the emergency...
There are people alive today who genuinely cannot imagine a world without television. To them it is like asking somebody to imagine life without weather. Television simply exists and as far as we know has always existed. It lives on walls in airport lounges, above...
Author's note: This is the second of a four-part series about how an expat with no culinary credentials somehow found himself judging one of Cuenca’s most beloved traditional foods. It’s also a story about the generosity of strangers and the adventures that begin when...
By Maggie Astor and Dani Blum Doctors around the United States say they are seeing more cases of serious, sometimes life-threatening illnesses that vaccines have long kept at bay, including whooping cough and bacterial infections that can cause pneumonia or...
Ecuador ranks fourth among Latin American countries for data leaks of residents’ personal information. The U.S.-based cybersecurity company Vecert Analyzer reports that Ecuador has become “fertile territory” for hackers of public and private data and that the...
Week of September 20
Ecuador turns to industrial power cuts to protect Mazar and keep homes from going dark.
Ecuador raises its 2026 growth forecast, but El Niño could spoil the outlook next year.
Cuenca retirees challenge medical and therapy changes at IESS senior center.
