News
Ecuadorian authorities on Friday ordered the Guayaquil newspaper El Universo and a local cartoonist to publish an apology for a satirical photomontage of a National Assembly member which they said discriminated against Afro-Ecuadorians, in a case that is fueling concerns about censorship and press freedom under the administration of President Rafael Correa. Government information and...
By Marianela Jarroud In Latin America’s prisons, notorious for extreme overcrowding and violence, inmates live in constant danger of being killed – a contradiction in a region where virtually every country has abolished the death penalty. “In many Latin American countries, a prison sentence can become a death sentence in practice,” said Amerigo Incalcaterra, regional...
President Rafael Correa says the country’s social security system (IESS) requires top-to-bottom reform to restore its financial stability. During his Saturday television broadcast, he said he is drafting legislation he will submit to the National Assembly to address what he calls a “crisis.” The move follows recent reports that IESS is running deficits in both...
Historic district property owners along the route of tram construction are complaining to city officials that they have received inadequate information about the project. In particular, Cuenca Chamber of Commerce director Jaime Moreno says that businesses on the route need a reliable timeline. “As of now, businesses have not been given a schedule and this...
By David Scigluizzo Ecuador bonds have defied the slump in oil prices with a solid rebound, and this year the sovereign could pay principal on one of its maturing global issues for the first time ever. The turnabout is nothing short of remarkable for a country that underwent a selective default just six years ago,...
It has been more than a decade since Cuenca’s Mariscal La Mar airport hosted international flights but a recently opened airport immigration office means they could begin again. Airport officials say that international flights, which would be to Peru and possibly Colombia, are not imminent but that discussions with airlines have been underway for several...
By Rebeca Morla Xavier Bonilla, the Ecuadorian cartoonist known as Bonil, is once again the target of a government investigation over one of his newspaper cartoons. On February 9, the Superintendency of Information and Communication (Supercom) conducted a hearing on charges of “socioeconomic discrimination” against the artist. Bonilla, a 2015 arts nominee in the Index...
By Sylvan Hardy One of the first things that expats Sally Lincoln and Al Jennings noticed when they moved to Cuenca was the high quality of work produced by the city’s artists. Since both have had long careers in the arts in the U.S., they also noticed that there was a serious shortage of gallery...
On Friday, January 27, a helicopter of the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) crashed in the province of Napo. In the aftermath, a new scandal has come to light with allegations of public corruption. In 2008, then-Minister of Defense Javier Ponce signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), an Indian state-owned aerospace company, for the...
CuencaHighLife has been re- designed, expanded, and upgraded to address the evolving needs of the expanding Cuenca and Ecuador expatriate community. According to CuencaHighLife partner Deke Castleman, the redesign is both visual and conceptual. “Our purpose is the same as it’s always been, to provide news and information that has genuine value for expats and...
Ecuador announced that it will suspend tariffs on Peruvian and Colombian imported products after the Community of Andean Nations (CAN) ruled that the fees had not been authorized. Ecuador says that it disagrees with the ruling and is asking for reconsideration. Ecuador imposed the tariffs of 7% on Peruvian imports and 21% on Colombian imports...
By Mercedes Alvaro Ecuador has declared a 180-day state of emergency in the protected Galápagos Islands, while work continues to unload and refloat a freighter that ran aground last week. The emergency status would free up resources to move the vessel. On Jan. 28, the freighter Floreana, transporting about 1,400 tons of products, including food,...
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Week of April 28
General Motors Auto Parts Manufacturer Laments: “Today Marks a Dark Day for the National Industry”.
Minister Requests Resignations in Termogás Machala, Dubbed ‘Epicenter of Energy Inefficiency’.
Chevrolet to Cease Car Assembly in Ecuador by August, Production to Halt in Colombia.
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