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Cuenca’s rivers are running at near-record lows and the city utility office says that water rationing is possible if levels don’t rise soon. On Monday, the Tomebamba and Yanuncay rivers, the largest of the five rivers that supply Cuenca’s municipal water supply, were...
A massive explosion blew the roof off a popular Quito restaurant late Saturday night, killing two and injuring at least 12. According to the initial police report, the explosion was the result of a gas leak in a room that contained a large number of domestic gas...
Canada has officially expelled the Venezuelan ambassador in response to Venezuela’s recent expulsion of the Canadian ambassador in an ongoing diplomatic tit-for-tat. Ottawa will expel a Venezuelan diplomat and bar that country’s ambassador from returning, Foreign...
By John Keeble Sustainable Cuenca, a new expat organisation aimed at alleviating poverty, has launched two projects and is planning a third. The volunteers, working under the banner of Foundation Avanzar, are helping women in Ricaurte earn a living from making onion...
By Liam Higgins According to Ecuador’s customs service, the value of imported liquor has doubled in 2017 over 2016 with December figures yet to be counted. For European liquor, the increase is more than 400%, year over year. The reason for the increase is no surprise,...
We don't do Thanksgiving here in Cuenca but our Christmas is spectacular. My apartment is on a section of the Tomebamba River that is festooned with a string of blue lights across the river every 75 feet or so and this year they have added fish, frogs and ducks. The...
Saturday’s traditional exchange of godfather duties for Cuenca’s El Niño, the 200-year-old statue of the Christ child, marked the final preparation for today’s Christmas Eve parade. In the ceremony at the cathedral Saturday night, the Third (Tarqui) Army Division...
Ecuador will continue to enjoy trade preferences with the United States, according to Minister of Foreign Trade Pablo Campana. The preferences, which allow duty free imports worth about $400 million annually to Ecuadorian businesses, are granted to 122 countries that...
By Robert Bradley I am building a home for myself in Cuenca. I am constructing a warm and secure shelter composed of infinite wonder and shaped by the intricate carpentry of language. It is deeply rewarding. I love sharing with you my hammering away, or more often,...
Francisco Carrión named Ecuador’s ambassador to the United States, President Lenin Moreno announced Friday. The appointment has been approved by the U.S. State Department. Carrión is a career diplomat, having served as ambassador to France, Spain and Great Britain. In...
Ecuador voted with the majority of United Nations General Assembly members Thursday in condemning the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Although several Latin American countries abstained from the vote, only Guatemala and Honduras joined...
President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski survived an impeachment vote in Peru's congress late Thursday, thwarting an attempt by opposition lawmakers to oust him over ties to the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht implicated in the region’s biggest corruption scandal....
Thursday was not a good day in court for Vice President Jorge Glas. In the morning, the National Court of Justice (CNJ) denied an appeal for suspension of his six-year sentence in the Odebrecht corruption scandal. In the afternoon, the Constitutional Court, Ecuador’s...
As 2017 draws to a close, I’m reflecting back on our third year in Cuenca. I never get tired of my early morning walks on the Tomebamba, but lately since we’ve moved downtown, I’m mixing it up with walks in the city. I love the sunrises in Cuenca — the early morning...
Although the price of oil is increasing, Ecuador will not enjoy the benefit — at least not in 2017. Ecuador Energy Minister Carlos Pérez says oil revenue for the year has been committed to pay debts. “All the income from the 120 million barrels we produce will go for...
Cuenca’s transportation authorities have a warning for holiday party goers: If you’re caught driving drunk you go to jail. Last weekend, 48 drivers were sent to the city’s driving jail, more than double the number of a typical weekend. “Just because it’s Christmas...
In a bid to organize news from across the world and make it accessible to readers, Google has released a set of new guidelines. The first priority? To stop fake news. According to new guidelines, Google will launch an aggressive crackdown against news website that...
Employees of the French project management consortium ACTN showed up for work at several locations on Cuenca’s tram route Monday morning. For residents in those areas, it was a welcome sight. “Glory be to God,” said Manuel Cárdenas, a store owner on Av. Las Americas...
It is estimated that over eight million Americans and 13 million British nationals living overseas, with a high percentage of these eventually retiring abroad. This figure that has grown steadily over the last few years and is expected to increase further in the next...
In a Monday meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, President Lenin Moreno received assurances that Spain will actively campaign for the elimination of visa requirements for Ecuadorian citizens visiting European Union (EU) countries. Although Ecuador signed...
