Posts:
By Garry Vatcher Ecuador is known for its natural beauty, friendly people, and relatively affordable cost of living. But for many expats, one topic remains confusing—and sometimes anxiety-producing: taxes. Some people assume “foreigners don’t pay taxes.” Others think...
By Cristina Delgado Vintimilla and Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw In the remote Andean community of El Cisne in Ingapirca, Ecuador, one of the first things you’ll notice is children’s laughter. In a courtyard, women gather with their children to trace ancestral knowledge...
By Nick Mordowanec Many people leave their homelands to live permanently in the United States, but some people try to do the opposite — only to find numerous fiscal challenges along the way. A viral Reddit post in the "Anti-Work" forum explains why Americans "can't...
Colombia is firing back following President Daniel Noboa’s decision to impose a 30% tariff on Colombian imports for “lack of cooperation” in combatting drug trafficking at the border. For Ecuadorians, a trade war could mean a return to electric blackouts. Wednesday...
Bored? - (De El Mercurio del lunes, 19/1) El amarillo vuelve al bosque de Zapotillo (Yellow returns to the Zapotillo forest) - The flowering of the guayacanes between Mangahurco, Cazaderos and Bolaspambe in the Zapotillo canton in Loja Province reactivated commerce,...
I wish that Sherlock Holmes was still alive — not that he ever was — because the fact is often stranger than fiction, and Holmes would surely have been called in to examine the case of the Nobel Necklace. The matter is this: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina...
By Lauren Covino-Smith Before our family relocated to Barcelona to start our expat life, I would listen in awe to my husband share stories of other expat families. At the time, Tony worked in the Global Mobility industry and was responsible for coordinating the...
Former military and police intelligence officials are skeptical of the effectiveness of sending additional military troops to three crime-plagued coastal provinces. “It will have a positive impact at the beginning, but I question the long-term benefit,” says former...
By Cédric Durand The stock market valuation of AI-related firms has increased tenfold over the past decade. As John Lanchester noted recently, all but one of the world’s ten largest companies are connected to the future value of artificial intelligence. All but one of...
By Caitlin Flanagan I turned 60 last week, and I feel vaguely embarrassed about it, like I’ve somehow let myself go, like I’ve been bingeing on decades and wound up in this unappealing condition. Chances are, most of you haven’t crossed this border station yet, so...
A doctor at Cuenca’s Vicente Corral Moscoso Hospital has filed a complaint against the Health Ministry due to the lack of medicines, equipment and access to medical specialists. He claims conditions at southern Ecuador's largest public hospital “put at risk the care...
There is a widely ignored truth about Ecuador, and it is not written into law or printed on any government website. This country does not run on procedures, institutions, or government stamps; it runs on WhatsApp. If you want food delivered, a taxi summoned, a plumber...
By Andrew Stuttaford In a recent article for National Review on neoprohibitionism, I touched on the controversy over a report on alcohol and health that had been commissioned by the Joe Biden administration. The story begins with the World Health Organization: In...
By Christine Clark "Don't swallow your gum, it'll take seven years for your stomach to digest!" "Ah, just pick it up off the floor — five second rule!" Most of us grew up with wives' tales such as these, and probably believed them. But, as we've gotten older and...
President Daniel Noboa has ordered the Ministries of Defense and Interior to analyze the possibility of a nationwide emergency declaration in the face of surging coastal crime. He ordered the analysis at a Saturday ministerial meeting before leaving for the World...
Curious -? (De El Mercurio del jueves, 15/1/2026) Un cubano deportado de EE.UU. a Ecuador (A Cuban deported from the US to Ecuador) - A federal immigration judge in New York granted a request by the Dept of Homeland Security on el 13/1 to deport Alex Ramírez González,...
One of the things Cuenca does especially well is variety. Cafés here are not interchangeable. Each one attracts a slightly different mix of people, activities, and expectations, often without anyone saying a word. Knowing which café fits your rhythm makes all the...
Wall Street Journal economist Judy Shelton suggests that Latin American countries adopt the US dollar. She weighs in on the pros and cons of dollarization as a regional phenomenon. Ms. Shelton argues that “Greater financial stability and rapid development in...
The Defense Ministry announced Thursday that an additional 10,000 military personnel are being sent to Guayas, Los Ríos and Manabí Provinces. The deployment will increase the number of troops in the three provinces to almost 30,000 assigned to support the National...
You can learn a lot about modern geopolitics by reading the news with a cup of coffee and the same suspicion you reserve for used-car salesmen. It began, as these things often do, with President Trump “inviting” Greenland to become the 51st state of the United States....
