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Although prices are rising throughout Ecuador, the cost of living for the typical family is the highest in Cuenca. June figures released last week by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) showed that the cost of the Basic Family Basket -- food and...
By Stephen Vargha Guitarist Renato Albornoz and comedic genius Mel Brooks have something in common. Neither of them can read or write music. Brooks confessed he is a "hummer." He is a composer who came up with the melodies and left it to others to transcribe and...
By Mike Corder Bales of hay and truck tires lie burning on Dutch highways. Supermarket shelves stand empty because distribution centers are blocked by farmers. Then, at dusk, a police officer pulls his pistol and shoots at a tractor. Dutch farmers are embroiled in a...
According to President Guillermo Lasso, the 18-day indigenous strike was funded at least in part by drug money. He said he can show a “clear paper trail” linking drug traffickers to the most violent strikers. Lasso made the claim in an interview Thursday with...
Editor's note: Although the indigenous strike that ended last week caused massive disruption, it was only the latest in a long series of indigenous protests. In fact, the strike pales in comparison to several others, especially the 1990 "levantamiento." Historian Marc...
By Lee Harrison Recently, I had a good lesson in what it's like when your country is a target and experienced one of the biggest benefits of being part of another culture. A few days ago I found myself walking along a quiet, tree-lined street in Pocitos, Montevideo,...
By Paul Wiseman The U.S. dollar has been surging so much that it's nearly equal in value to the euro for the first time in 20 years. That trend, though, threatens to hurt American companies because their goods become more expensive for foreign buyers. If U.S. exports...
Negotiators from the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities and the government have settled on the topics to be considered when formal talks begin July 13. As part of the settlement to end the 18-day Conaie strike last week, both sides agreed to hold 90 days of...
By Sylvan Hardy Expat radio host Ron Gordon is back on the air. In fact, it’s Gordon’s third time broadcasting Café Blues on Cuenca’s Antena Uno (www.antenauno.com), 90.5 FM. His first broadcasts date back to 1995 when he took a break from his law practice in the U.S....
By Joanna Thompson After two years of La Niña — El Niño's cooler counterpart — the South Pacific may be facing a potential third appearance of La Niña in a row, which could bring more rainfall to an already-saturated eastern Australia and continue the trend of intense...
The Cuenca Municipal Health Council says it is “highly alarmed” by the rapid rise in positive Covid-19 tests in recent weeks and says it may recommend changes to local health policy. Health council advisor and medical researcher Bernardo Vega said Wednesday that there...
Former Guayaquil mayor Jaime Nebot is proposing that Ecuador adopt a republican form of government, allowing provinces and municipalities greater autonomy and authority. He said the recently ended indigenous strike proves that “top-down” government is not working. "It...
By Stephen Vargha Convención del 45 has a very interesting history. The barrio, which encompasses about 24 blocks on the west side of Cuenca, was one of three entrances to the city in the 19th century and early-20th century. The other two were El Volcán and El Vecino....
By Tim Greene For the well-traveled, the idea of retirement abroad can seem an idyll. You pick a place you’ve loved visiting, whether it’s the thrumming avenues of Paris or the sunny strands of Panama or the mountains of Ecuador, and jet off for the perfect permanent...
The Constitutional Court has ordered revisions to Ecuador’s new abortion law, saying it does not respect the rights of young women. Based on a suit brought by mothers of underage girls, the court ruled that girls under the age of 18 do not need the permission of legal...
Chile's Constitutional Assembly presented President Gabriel Boric with a historic proposal for a new constitution for the South American country on Monday. Chileans will decide whether to adopt or reject the constitution in a nationwide plebiscite on September 4....
More than 20 properties, including 15 hectares of planted crops, have been flooded near Gualaceo as the San Francisco and Santa Bárbara Rivers overflowed their banks Sunday and Monday morning. Flooding was also reported near Paute due to a weather system that has...
The 18-day indigenous strike cost the country at least $1.3 billion, according to the Finance Ministry. The figure is preliminary and will probably go higher as more information is collected from private businesses and services, the Ministry says. The amount counts...
By Silvia Ascarelli Bill and Dean Keyes and Chase and Saralee Squires separately say they have found the same retirement spot with perfect weather — temperatures in the upper 60s and low 70s year-round during the day and in the upper 40s at night during the winter (in...
By Justin Smith Philosophers have seldom lived up to the ideal of radical doubt that they often claim as the prime directive of their tradition. They insist on questioning everything, while nonetheless holding onto many pieties. Foremost among these, perhaps, is the...
