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Quito’s sprawling Metropolitan Park remains closed as firefighters work to put out the last of the fires that have consumed more than 50 hectares. The city’s emergency operations office said that five fires continued to burn but should be extinguished on Tuesday. Fire...
As part of the International Day Without Cars, many of Cuenca’s streets were closed Sunday as thousands of walkers, runners and cyclists replaced motor vehicles. Acitivities included a 5K run with about 3,500 participants, several cycling events, organized hikes and...
Ecuador’s Spirits Importers Association reports that imports of alcholic beverages droped 41% from a year ago due high taxes and tarrifs. They also say that smuggling of foreign brands has skyrocked and government officials agree. Taxes on alcoholic imports have been...
By Paul Barrett In one of the most geographically profuse pieces of litigation in recent memory, Chevron has taken another step toward escaping a $19 billion pollution verdict imposed in 2011 by a provincial court in Ecuador. The U.S. oil giant’s victory came Tuesday...
Two of Cuenca’s private museums say they are in financial trouble and need public and private support to remain open. Two weeks ago, the board of directors of Museo de las Conceptas said it was considering closing the religious museum because of a revenue shortfall....
By Deke Castleman Among the first sights noticed by newcomers to Cuenca, along with the billowing white clouds, the rolling green hills, and the red-tile roofs, are the big blue and red buses that spew black fumes into the otherwise colorless alpine air. Hundreds of...
Mayors from 30 towns in the Amazon basin are urging President Rafael Correa to continue his plan to drill for oil in the Yasuní nature preserve in northeastern Ecuador. The mayors assembled in Quito last week, visiting members of the national assembly and members of...
Ecuador's Yasuni National Park was supposed to be saved from oil drilling via international donations. Environmentalists say China is partially to blame for the country now opting to go ahead with mining. It's been clear for nearly a month now: oil drilling in...
It took Cuenca transit police just three hours to fill a bus with speeders yesterday morning on Av. Loja. A speed trap between Av. Primero de Mayo and Calle Pichincha netted 32 drivers exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 10 kilometers per hour. Those...
Editor’s note: Nathalie Cely is Ecuador’s ambassador to the U.S. This article was distributed to U.S. newspapers and news websites in response to media criticism about Ecuador’s decision to drill for oil in the Yasuní. By Nathalie Cely The perceived trade-offs between...
Over the next eight months, Cuenca will welcome about 80 French families as project managers and technicians arrive to oversee construction of Cuenca’s new light rail system. The new arrivals are employees of French companies, including Alstom and Clermont Ferrand...
Following top to bottom restructuring, massive infusions of cash and a nationwide construction program, Ecuador’s Social Security health care system, part of the Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social (IESS), is making believers of many of its members. The...
President Rafael Correa has aplogized for comments he made last week about Ecuadorian singer Jaime Guevara. Among other things, Correa called Guevara "a drunk and drug addict." The comment followed an incident last Thursday in which Guevara shot a bird at Correa’s...
By Rosalba O'Brien Four decades after a military coup that brought Augusto Pinochet to power in Chile, a fierce debate over his long rule has shaken up the presidential election, with some right-wing politicians under fire for their past support of the former...
According to the Financial Times of London, Cuenca ranks number one in the western hemisphere in the cost - benefit category of its “Small Cities of the Future” survey. Other cities making the top ten are Guaymas, Colima and Nogales, México; Antofagasta, Chile;...
Ecuador’s Interior Ministry denies that Quito police used rubber bullets and tear gas Monday against protesters opposed to oil exploitation in the Yasuní National Park. The Confederation of Kichwa Peoples and Nationalities of Ecuador (ECUARUNARI), Confederation of...
Vilcabamba expats Laurie Miller and Larry Evans knew for years that they wanted to become more involved in their adopted community. “The people here have welcomed us with open arms and have enriched our lives. This is our home now and we felt we needed to give...
Ecuador mayors attending the annual meeting of the National Association of Municipalities in Guayaquil voted to support President Rafael Correa’s plan to extract oil from the environmentally sensitive Yasuní preserve. The mayors said oil production must be carried out...
New rules governing the sale and consumption of alcohol are being developed by a special committee appointed by the Cuenca city council. According to councilman and committee member Wilson Muñoz, a new ordinance is needed to clean up neighborhoods, combat crime and...
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos ordered the deployment of army troops in the capital, Bogota, following violent protests in support of a strike by small-scale farmers. The Friday order also activated more than 50,000 troops who will be used around the country....
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.
