Ecuador News

President Lenin Moreno on Friday signed a decree requiring Venezuelan citizens, who until now could cross the border with a passport or other form of identification, to have a visa to enter the country. The measure “will also normalize the status of Venezuelan nationals that are already in the country and that have not broken...

One of the often overlooked jobs of social workers dealing with the influx of Venezuelan refugees is taking care of the needs of children. “It is emotional work. When kids arrive they are so exhausted and need time to rest, play and not be seen as migrants,” says William Guerra. He is a volunteer with...

After saying it would consider blocking Uber and Cabify taxi apps to Ecuador internet users, the government said Monday that such a blockage was not possible. When he met with striking taxi drivers last week in Quito, Deputy Minister of Transport Iván Carvallo said he would ask the Ministry of Telecommunications to investigate the possibility...

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged $35 million Saturday to support Ecuador’s aid programs for Venezuelan and Colombian refugees. Meeting in Guayaquil with President Lenin Moreno, Pompeo also said the U.S. would provide assistance to combat drug trafficking and for border security. “We understand that Ecuador has received thousands of Venezuelans migrants and refugees...

Thousands of taxi drivers filled the streets of Quito, Cuenca and Guayaquil Wednesday morning demanding that the government make good on its promise of a gasoline subsidy. The drivers are also demanding a crack-down on internet-based taxi services such as Uber and Cabify which operate without permits. In Quito, representatives of the protesters met with...

By Maria Cervantes Sweden is turning its gaze towards Peru and other South American countries for lithium tie-ups amid a global race to lock in supply of the “white gold” metal that is key for the batteries that power electric vehicles. A senior trade official from the Scandinavian nation told Reuters that firms in Sweden...

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit four Latin American countries this week, with a focus on Venezuela’s crisis, the surge of migrants at the U.S. southern border, and more security cooperation, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Pompeo will travel to Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico and El Salvador from Thursday to Sunday, the State Department...

Former president Rafael Correa acknowledged Tuesday that Julian Assange interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and probably helped elect President Donald Trump. Correa denied, however, that Ecuador’s government was an accomplice in the election meddling and said it suspended Assange’s internet privileges when it became aware his activities. In two interviews on Tuesday, Correa...