News
President Rafael Correa reaffirmed this week that Ecuador’s use of the U.S. dollar as its official currency will continue “indefinitely.” Although Correa said that the dollar was not his preferrence, he said that it had helped stabilized the national economy, spurred growth and restored confidence in international transactions. “Although using the dollar puts major constraints...
Uruguay turned into an international star in the drug legalization movement when it became the first country in the world to approve the growth, sale and distribution of marijuana. But inch by inch, countries across Latin America are also softening their approaches toward the drug. Latin America has been the epicenter of the so-called war...
Cuenca’s Municipal Control Agency has shut down construction on one site and is considering closing others in the environmental buffer zone just east of the Cajas National Park. The department says that property owners, many of them foreigners, are not abiding by restrictions mandated by building permits. According to Carlos Alvarez, agency director, strict controls...
A magnitude-5.1 earthquake rocked Quito and the surrounding areas early Tuesday afternoon, causing tall buildings to sway and sending some people rushing into the streets. The government said three people were confirmed dead and eight injured outside Quito. A a 4.1 aftershock occurred an hour after the initial shock. The Department of Risk Management said...
On Tuesday, Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino announced via Twitter that “Ecuador has decided to open an embassy in Palestine,” to join the country’s “diplomatic mission in Ramallah” which he termed, “the heart of Palestine.” Ecuador recalled its ambassador to Israel two weeks ago in protest of that country’s military action in the Gaza Strip....
A second prominent Ecuadorian politiician has thrown his support behind an effort to force a national referendum on a constitutional amendment to eliminate term limits for elected offices. The amendment would allow President Rafael Correa to seek a third full term as president. Guillermo Lasso, who opposed and lost to Correa in the 2012 election,...
By James McKindley, Jr. The simple black-and-white advertisement, addressed to “whom it may concern” in all capitals, had a taunting, catch-me-if-you-can tone. The author said he could be served legal papers only in his native Ecuador and only in person. “It would have to be done by looking me in the eyes, asking my name...
More than a 100 national police and Ecuador Internal Revenue Service officers (SRI) swooped down on a Cuenca neighborhood on Wednesday, confiscating cars and handing out legal writs for nonpayment of taxes. The early morning raid in the Calles Amazona and Chile barrio neted 22 cars as well as other property the government said was...
Former Ecuadorian President Lucio Gutierrez says he will lead an effort to force a public referendum on the proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the indefinite reelection of public officials, including the president. Gutierrez was elected president in 2002 but was removed from office in April 2005 by the Ecuadorian Congress, charged with embezzlement and...
El Salvador has joined four other Latin American countries in recalling its Israel ambassador from Tel Aviv in protest at the military's ground and air offensive in the Gaza Strip. Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru have all recalled their diplomatic representatives to Israel. Most other Latin American countries have called for Israel to withdraw its...
Cuenca Mayor Marcelo Cabrera is negotiating with the French government for a grant to study converting the city’s bus fleet to electric or LP gas power. Currently, buses use diesel fuel, which is blamed for localized air pollution in some areas of the city, particularly the historic district. Cabrera is asking for $1 million. The...
No sooner had Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia’s president, secured himself a second term in a run-off election in June than he announced that he wants to prevent such a thing happening again. He will propose a constitutional change barring immediate re-election and lengthening future presidential terms, from four to five or six years. Why didn’t...
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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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