News
The head of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar’s hitmen, a confessed murderer nicknamed “Popeye,” was released from prison after helping prosecutors convict a former justice minister. John Jairo Velasquez Vasquez has confessed to killing 300 people and organizing the killings of 3,000 others, but he walked free from the Combita high-security prison in central Colombia...
As opposition to Cuenca’s new light rail system mounts, its leaders are accusing new Cuenca Mayor Marcelo Cabrera of betrayal. Project opponents, almost all of them property and business owners in the historic district, say that Cabrera had campaigned on promises to change the tram route from the one chosen during the administration of former...
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports that Ecuador has shown “significant economic and social progress” within the last decade. “Economic growth has averaged about 4.5% since 200, while inflation has decreased to about 3% a year,” an IMF report said. “Financial stability, achieved with dollarization, was preserved and, together with low inflation and growth sustained...
Cuenca city bus fares are probably headed higher. The current fare of 25 cents has been in place since 2003 and has, since 2008, been maintained by government subsidies. Government officials, from President Rafael Correa to Cuenca Mayor Marcelo Cabrera, say an increase is overdue. As in the case of taxi fare increases, the question...
By Andres Oppenheimer Watching President Barack Obama at his mega-summit with nearly 50 African heads of state in Washington, D.C., in which he announced $33 billion in investments and vowed to increase access to electricity to 60 million African households, many of us asked ourselves the same question — why doesn’t he do the same...
Six months after it imposed trade restrictions on 292 products, Ecuador’s Ministry of Industries says imports have been reduced by 29%. Government officials and a number of economists say, however, that it is unlikely that the restrictions, which come in the form of tough “quality control” standards, will continue to show similar results. A new...
By William K. Black Under the banner “Latin America News” the Wall Street Journal has poured out its pain that the people of Ecuador might reelect President Rafael Correa. The article is actually an editorial attacking Correa and the people of Ecuador for potentially voting to reelect Ecuador’s most successful President in the modern era....
What were the biggest issues new Cuenca Mayor Marcelo Cabrera faced in his first 100 days in office? That’s easy, he says. Taxi fares and the tram. Although he said he has worked on a number of major projects, including reorganizing city government to “maximize efficiency,” Cabrera said that taxi fares and the light rail...
The long-awaited evaluation of Cuenca’s light rail project and renovation plans for San Francisco Square began yesterday as a technical team from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) met with city officials. The team will review technical documents, tour construction sites and meet with a variety of officials through Thursday and will...
Residents of Latin America and the Caribbean were the least likely among all global regions last year to feel secure in their communities. In 2013, the region scored a 56 (on a scale from 0 to 100) on Gallup’s Law and Order Index, which is based on confidence in local police, feelings of personal safety,...
As strong earthquake aftershocks continue to plague Quito and the surrounding area, Quito Mayor Mauricio Rodas urged residents to avoid attending public events as well as unnecessary travel on roads prone to landslides. Quito experienced 4.7 and 4.0 aftershocks on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s quake injured 13, one critically. Among the events cancelled over the...
Dani News
The Cuenca Dispatch
Hogar Esperanza News
Fund Grace News
