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A new shopping mall, anchored by a Supermaxi supermarket, is set to open by the end of the year, according to developers. The developer, Favorita Corporation, says the site of the new complex will serve a busy area of Cuenca in the Avs. Don Bosco, Premero de Mayo,...
Wondering what Cuenca’s new tram system will eventually look like? You can get a glimpse of the future on Av. Las Americas southwest. While much of the tram route is a muddy traffic-snarling construction zone, workers are laying sod and planting trees on one portion...
Ecuador’s National Assembly voted overwhelmingly to make major changes to the country’s Social Security program (IESS) Wednesday morning. The changes include the elimination of a guaranteed 40% government contribution to the system’s budget. The changes were part of...
A new national survey shows that Internet connectivity and use of smart phones is mushrooming in Ecuador. The Survey of Living Conditions 2014 reports that 26% of households had Internet connections at the end of 2014, compared to only 2.5% in 2005. The survey also...
Ecuador’s National Assembly is considering legislation that would decriminalize most forms of drug possession, production or cultivation. Although the law would not legalize drugs, it would require offenders to pay a fine or forfeit their drugs instead of serving...
By Jennifer Lynn McCoy The handshake between Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro at the Summit of the Americas last weekend in Panama made history as they gambled to overcome five decades of broken diplomatic relations. Reopening embassies will not end the U.S....
By Sylvan Hardy Although the plan to transition Ecuadorian households from LP gas to more electric usage was announced with great fanfare in August 2013, the government has had little to say about it in recent months. The program was coupled with the announcement...
Humberto Gómez, director of Ecuador’s Naval Oceanographic Institute, says many people are mistaking the heavy rains of March and early April for the arrival of the El Niño weather phenomenon. “The El Niño that was forming this time last year weakened and did not...
By Wendy Jane Carrel Moving to Ecuador? Already here and planning another move? Below are 12 housing recommendations with an eye to long-term health and safety no matter your age. These guidelines are not just Ecuador or Cuenca specific, but for wherever you choose to...
Although the weekend’s Summit of the Americas in Panama City was highlighted by a handshake between Cuba’s Raul Castro and the U.S. President Barack Obama, there were also emotional exchanges between several Latin American leaders and Obama. One of the most intense...
Some of them juggle, some dance, some ride unicycles, while others act the roles of clowns and mimes. They all earn their living at busy intersections in Cuenca, performing for tips from motorists in a profession they admit is dangerous. On Wednesday, a juggler...
By Viktoria Vidali High-school and family reunions, alumni gatherings, birthdays, anniversaries, cultural holidays, or the chance meeting with an old friend—such are life events in which we retell stories and relive experiences we have in common. On these social...
By Susan Schenck Most people are aware that they need to cut back on sugar, or at least choose their poison carefully. Sugar is so bad for the health of the body and brain that nowadays, doctors are even calling Alzheimer’s “type 3 diabetes.” Unhealthful sugars...
By Whitney Eulich As leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean gather in Panama Friday for the seventh Summit of the Americas, diplomatic shifts unthinkable even a year ago will be on display as Cuba joins in for the first time. But the historic nature of...
By Max Fisher Being a head of state is hard. You get criticized and scrutinized, all while having to do a pretty difficult job. But there is a right way to respond to criticism and a wrong way. And on Thursday the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, did it the wrong...
According to Cuenca city councilman Xavier Barrera, the best way to develop plans to ensure passenger safety on the city’s new tram system is to talk to people already operating similar systems. Barrera was part of a group of Cuenca officials who visited France last...
A month-long nightmare ended Wednesday for Arianaïs Alezra when she was reunited with her two-year-old son Gaspar. Following a court order, officers from Ecuador's National Bureau of Crimes (DINASED) had seized the child from his father earlier in the day. Alezra, who...
By Veronica Smink They appear little more than a bunch of old black-and-white photos the size of an A4 sheet of paper, with poorly defined images of armed men, battlefields and lifeless bodies. But this collection of pictures has immense historic value. They are the...
The Summit of the Americas opens later this week in Panama City with Latin American leaders saying they are mystified by recent actions of the United States. They say there is a contradiction in Washington's December announcement that it was normalizing relations with...
The National Bureau of Violent Crimes, Missing Persons, Extortion and Kidnapping (DINASED) says that if current trends continue, Cuenca will be the safest large city in Ecuador and one of the safest in Latin America. Paul Aguilar, Azuay Province DINASED chief, says...
