Posts:
In an interview in the newspaper Primicias, Ecuadorian fisherman Erick Fabricio Coello Saltos described how he and 19 other fishermen were attacked on the high seas by drones and then kidnapped on a U.S. military vessel. According to his testimony and that of others,...
In a recent column, I wrote about the point where living in Cuenca stops being the question and becomes something more personal. If you stay with that idea a little longer, something else begins to come into view. Not all at once, and not in a way that calls attention...
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Sunday he will sue his Ecuadorian counterpart, Daniel Noboa, who accused him of having ties to the leader of a ruthless criminal organization, deepening the diplomatic and trade crisis between the two South American nations....
As some parts of the country are experiencing blackouts, a government agency that reviews electric usage reports that 15.86% of total generation in 2025 was lost to theft and technical problems. It added that total losses appear to be increasing in 2026. The Agency...
By Stacey Colino If you’ve noticed that having a cocktail or two packs a bigger punch now than it did when you were younger, it’s not your imagination. Many people don’t realize that both men and women develop an increased sensitivity and a decreased tolerance to...
There are restaurants in the city center where for $3.50, a man in a white apron will place before you a bowl of soup, a plate of rice with something on top of it, a small salad of red cabbage, grated carrot, and papaya with half an avocado pressed into a rough...
Bored? - (De El Mercurio del viernes, 17/4) - VII Festival mantiene la 'Tradición Corazonista' (The 7th Festival maintains the ‘Corazonista Tradition’) - The VII Festival Interinstitucional de Danza ‘Corazonista Tradition’ will be held el 24/4 a las 19:00 in the...
I was invited to speak at the monthly “Storyteller’s Night”, at IdiomArt (Mariscal Lamar 14-25 y Estevez de Toral the other night. It was a totally cool evening hosted by my new neighbor and soon-to-be good friend, Barry Callen, who mc’d this second-Thursday-of-the...
By Ana Ionova and Max Bearak South America’s bustling seaports have never been under more watchful eyes. They are patrolled by armed soldiers and monitored by thousands of cameras. Drones look for divers stashing cocaine onto ships. Sniffer dogs, special agents and...
The government of new Chilean President José Antonio Kast carried out its first deportation flight of irregular migrants on Thursday, expelling 40 people on a Chilean Air Force Boeing 737 that made stops in Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. The 19 Colombians, the last...
Survivors of Wednesday’s deadly bus accident on the Cuenca-Molleturo highway say there was a loud noise seconds before the San Luis Cooperative bus veered off the roadway and burst into flames. Radio Tomebamba reporter Iván Velesaca quoted one hospitalized woman as...
The management of the National Electricity Operator (CENACE) warned the Energy Ministry of the “urgent need” to make repairs to electric transmission lines and substations weeks before recent service suspensions began in Guayaquil and Quito. In a March 6 memo, CENACE...
There are certain songs that do not so much belong to a period as continue living inside it, like a station clock that still keeps perfect time long after the timetable has ceased to matter, and Chattanooga Choo Choo is one of those, appearing simple on first hearing...
By Raffi Krikorian Last week, Anthropic announced that its newest artificial intelligence model, Claude Mythos Preview, would not be released to the public, after the company learned it was capable of finding and exploiting vulnerabilities that have gone undetected in...
Fourteen people died and at least 29 were injured Wednesday when a Cuenca-to-Guayaquil bus crashed through a guard rail on the Cuenca-Molleturo-Guayaquil highway. The bus burst into flames when it landed in a ravine, causing many of the deaths and injuries, according...
By David Morrill and Deke Castleman Despite the addition of new supermarkets, Cuenca's nine major mercados retain their prominence in the city's day-to-day commercial life. Lively, vibrant, and bountiful, they sell 250% more produce and meats than such upscale...
By Ryan Hesketh On March 3 2026, US Southern Command, the military unit overseeing operations in Central and South America, announced via X that “decisive action” had been taken against “domestic terror organisations” in Ecuador to combat “illicit drug trafficking”....
Energy Minister Inés Manzano said Tuesday that the senior staff in the National Electricity Operator (Cenace) and the National Electricity Corporation (CNEL) have been fired. The announcement followed a series of power outages in Guayaquil, Quito and other cities over...
A curious thing happens when North Americans arrive in Cuenca. Within the first week someone will tell you that crossing the street here feels dangerous because there are no jaywalking laws. The assumption behind this remark is perfectly logical. If the United States...
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday said his country would not impose 100% tariffs on imports from Ecuador, reversing an announcement made last week by the trade ministry. Instead, Petro said Colombia would introduce subsidies to affected producers and what...
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.
