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Although the government needs their support, Ecuador’s private banks say they lack confidence in the Central Bank's electronic money system. Julio José Prado, president of the Association of Private Banks (ABPE), says bankers have two major objections: the...
Former Vice President Lenin Moreno is in Ecuador to evaluate the earthquake relief effort on behalf of the United Nations. On Monday, he toured the disaster area and met with President Rafael Correa and current Vice President Jorge Glas. Moreno, the UN’s Special Envoy...
The government has reversed course on new rules to extend weekend bar hours following withering criticism from Catholic church, and businesses and residents in areas with high concentrations of bars and night clubs in Quito. On Monday, the Ministries of Tourism and...
The government has dropped its restriction on Sunday liquor sales. The change was announced Tuesday morning by José Serrano and Fernando Alvarado, Ecuador’s ministers for the interior and tourism, and applies to all commercial establishments that sell beer, wine and...
Ecuador’s Interior Ministry says it cooperates with law enforcement officials in the U.S., Canada, and other countries in sharing information about expats suspected of violating the law. The ministry, however, has filed a number of diplomatic complaints when foreign...
The number of Galapagos blue footed boobies is declining according to a study published in the April edition of the journal Avian Conservation and Ecology. According to the study, conducted between 2010 and 2015 by American biologist David Anderson, the number of...
Although most of the pictures of earthquake devastation show the ruins of houses and buildings of less five stories, dozens of newer high-rise condominium buildings may have been irreparable damaged by the April 16 coastal quake. “It’s a little deceptive when you see...
It’s not good news for real estate agents, china shop owners, or the Chamber of Commerce, but when a new version of Ecuador earthquake risk map is compiled it will show an increased possibility of devastating earthquakes in Satna Elena and Guayas Province. Although...
Among the provisions of earthquake reconstruction legislation being debated by the National Assembly is one that will tax those who earn more than $1,000 a month. The Law of Solidarity — full name, Ley Solidaria y de Corresponsabilidad Ciudadana por las Afectaciones...
The national Directorate General of Civil Aviation announced Sunday that Cuenca’s Marsical La Mar Airport will open Thursday afternoon. Earlier, airport officials said that normal operations would resume either Sunday night or Monday morning. The airport was closed...
The death toll from the April 16 earthquake stands at 660 and national and local officials say they don’t expect it to go significantly higher. “I have heard an estimate for a final count of 700 and this seems correct,” said Ecuador tourism minister Fernando Alvarado....
By Nicholas Casey Even before the earthquake struck, economic prospects were rough for Ecuador. Oil prices, which once fueled a government spending bonanza aimed at the poor, had collapsed. The economy was contracting. The only lifeline came from China, whose loans...
Ecuador’s National Assembly has passed a tax bill submitted by President Rafael Correa to cover the national budget deficit. The Assembly is also considering a second bill from Correa to cover reconstruction costs from the April 16 earthquake. The Organic Law on...
By Brian Flood While media outlets were fixated on the death of Prince and U.S. political news last week, Fox News host Greta Van Susteren was in Ecuador to report on a deadly earthquake. Van Susteren didn’t blink when TV airtime was filled with mourning over the...
President Rafael Correa announced Monday that he has asked the attorney general to identify contractors of buildings that collapsed or were severely damaged during the April 16 earthquake. “Hundreds of lives have been lost because of shoddy construction. It is time...
Ecuador's Constitutional Court has approved a petition allowing supporters of President Rafael Correa to collect signatures for a referendum that would allow him to seek another term in office. Correa has said he is stepping down at the end of his current term and...
Although recovering and burying the dead will remain the top priority for weeks to come, many earthquake survivors are worrying about the loss of businesses and jobs. “All the business has stopped,” said Ricardo Iglesias, a tour operator and real estate developer in...
Powerful aftershocks have prompted police to put up “No trespassing” signs in some neighborhoods in Manabi Province. “With each earthquake, more houses are falling down,” said National Police captain Rafael Mate, in Bahia de Caraquez. “Yesterday, a man was in his...
By Jonathan Blitzer When the shaking, faint but jarring, began, Daniel Orellana, a geographer at the University of Cuenca, in southern Ecuador, was at home with his wife and daughter. It was Saturday evening, around 7 P.M. The tremors subsided, and Orellana eventually...
By Nicholas Casey and Maggy Ayala The narrow, six-mile road that connected El Matal, a fishing village, to the main highway disintegrated from the earth’s violent heaves, severing it from all outside contact. It would be three days before anyone arrived. Residents...
