News
A former Quito expat has been sentenced to four years and nine months in a federal prison for sex trafficking of Ecuadorian and Colombian girls. The sentence on Patrick Minga was announced in an Orlando, Florida federal court Wednesday. Minga admitted in June to arranging “tours” for Americans to have sex with the girls following...
Ecuador is now one of the world’s top five cocoa producers, the country’s cocoa export group announced last month. “The results obtained by the cocoa sector are due to good coordination between public and .private (players) in the cocoa (production) chain,” said Ivan Ontaneda, head of the National Association of Cocoa Producers of Ecuador (Anecacao)....
For the ninth consecutive year, the number of countries worldwide where freedom has declined (61) is almost twice those where levels of liberty increased (33). This was the key finding of the annual Freedom in the World study published on January 28 by Freedom House, analyzing the civil liberties and political rights available to citizens...
A new poll shows that public support of President Rafael Correa remains sky high despite economic concerns following the drop in oil prices. According to the Credatos / Gallup polling group, Correa’s approval rating stands at 68%, the highest among all Latin American presidents. According to Polibio Cordova of Credatos / Gallup, the numbers are...
Expats living on Ecuador’s south coast finally have their own communication network. The Ecuador Coastal Newsletter website launched in January, providing news, features, events announcements and a buy/sell forum for expats living between Playas and Manta. “Our original intention was to offer a communication channel about community groups working together on projects such as the...
New Ministry of Health rules will lower the prices for most of the 1,700 medicines sold in Ecuador by an average of 30% over the next six months. The ministry is imposing price ceilings on drugs it considers “strategic” but is eliminating price controls on “non-strategic” drugs. Ecuador’s Association of Pharmaceutical Laboratories said prices for...
After Uruguay first moved to legalize marijuana in 2013, the approach has taken root in Latin America with several other countries now considering a revamp of their own drug laws. “Someone has to start in South America,” Uruguayan President Jose Mujica said in late 2013 as he unveiled plans to make cannabis legal in his...
Ecuador wants more U.S. tourists. So government officials decided to make it a reality, they decided to reach out to Americans through the most popular sporting event in the United States – the Super Bowl. On Sunday, Ecuador will become the first foreign country to buy a commercial spot during the Super Bowl beckoning viewers...
Cuenca’s Mall del Rio is getting bigger. New construction includes an 11-story Sheraton hotel that will be the city’s largest, as well as additional commercial and parking area. According to mall manager Juan Cordero, work on the new commercial space as well as 100 underground parking spaces will be completed by March. Many of the...
Ecuador’s minister of telecommunications Jaime Guerrero says he has reached an agreement with the country’s largest cell phone service providers for use of the 4G cell phone and Internet network. The installation work for the network is underway and the service should be available in Cuenca and Loja by mid-year, according to Guerrero. Movistar and...
By Rebeca Morla In order to confront what the president calls a “systematic smear campaign” from Ecuador’s opposition, Correa unleashed the website Somos + (We Are More), presented during his weekly radio and television address Citizen Link. According to the president, Somos + is the administration’s response to the many critical comments he receives on...
By Larry Schunk A few years ago, I spotted this place across the airport parking lot and gave it a try as hunger had set in. I left my car in the airport lot. The airport wasn’t charging for parking yet. It was midday and the place was filling up. Seating was (and still is)...
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Week of April 21
With the “Yes” vote on 9 of 11 questions, constitutional and legal reforms in the popular consultation head to the Assembly.
Correístas’ Plan: Impeaching Salazar Amidst Trial for Metastasis Case.
Everything you need to know about the regulations to apply euthanasia in Ecuador.
Hogar Esperanza News
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