Posts:
To understand what’s at stake in next month’s presidential election, it's important to first consider Rafael Correa’s enormous impact on Ecuador. The election will be, in large part, a referendum on his presidency. It’s also important to understand that Correa’s...
When I worked on the staff of my university daily — ah, those many years ago — I was editor of a feature called the “Bitch Box.” There was an actual box in the newspaper office where students could drop their hand-written (how quaint) complaints about anything that...
By Alyson Penn "Tell me, what is your favorite brand of watches? Your favorite brand of chocolate? Your favorite brand of champagne?" "Now, what is your favorite brand of roses?" It is with these questions that Alejandro Henao piqued my interest when introducing me to...
By Patricia Rey Mallén Although Latin America is one of the fastest growing areas in the world, and unemployment remains relatively low, almost half of the population works informally, or "off the books." According to a report by the United Nations International Labor...
Rafael Correa is a megalomaniac, a loud-mouth, a control freak, a religious fanatic, the architect of a nanny state, a muzzler of free speech, and a court-packer. He is, by turns, intolerant, insulting, insensitive, paranoid, condescending and thin-skinned. He is also...
Ecuador’s Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES) said Wednesday that its campaign 'Give Dignity' has been reduced street begging in Ecuador by 80% since 2008. According to Cecilia Tamayo, MIES deputy director, the campaign has focused on child begging, which...
According to an organization that represents more than 100 driving schools in Ecuador, amendments to the national traffic law passed by the National Assembly and awaiting approval by President Rafael Correa, could affect the livelihoods of 40,000 employees and their...
President Rafael Correa says that a proposal to include housewives and househusbands in the country’s social security program is simply a reflection of a changing world. “What we are doing is recognizing the legitimacy of work that is done in the home,” he said last...
When happiness is studied, Latin America always manages to make it to the forefront. Last year, a survey by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, titled the 2013 World Happiness Report, found that Latin America made some major improvements in...
By Alan Gomez As news of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday to allow gay marriages to proceed in up to 30 states filtered down to Latin America this week, Danilo Perez reacted with a question: What took so long? "You're telling me that we've...
By Hannah Ewens and Elizabeth Roberts A survey completed by almost 14,000 expatriates of all nationalities, which focused on topics such as quality of life, work, romance and leisure, showed Ecuador was the overall winner. The country had the highest result of all...
In a scene reminiscent of the pre-Rafael Correa presidency, burning tires, rocks, logs and chanting protesters are blocking the Panamerican Highway between Ibarra and Carchi, just south of the Colombian border. Residents of Ecuador’s northern Chota Valley are...
By Mark Blazis Having been a part of 40 expeditions into Amazonia and the Andes and a dozen more into the Galapagos Islands, I was recently invited to be the consulting biologist for a television documentary in Ecuador featuring CSI Miami’s Jorja Fox, Extreme Animal...
By By Kim Gamel The sea lion nursed her pup under a prickly pear cactus while an iguana clumsily marched away. A tiny penguin waddled on a rock while red and orange crabs clung to the craggy surface below. Welcome to the Galapagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago that...
Five years after the government slapped heavy taxes and duties on imported liquor and imposed new rules on sales, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that per capita alcohol consumption in Ecuador has dropped by 23%. WHO says that drinking age Ecuadorians...
After sending mixed signals on the issue, President Rafael Correa says the country is ready to grant full rights to same-sex couples. Beginning September 15, same-sex couples will receive the same benefits that their married heterosexual counterparts already enjoy....
By Andrew Diaz In 2008 Ecuador officially recognized the human right to water, joining only nine other countries that have done the same since 1994. Section One, Article 12 of the Ecuadorian Constitution states, “The human right to water is essential and cannot be...
Ecuador's ruling party, Alianza Pais, is pushing ahead with proposed constitutional changes that would allow indefinite re-election of President Rafael Correa and other officials. The controversial changes would also lower the eligibility age to hold the presidency...
Ecuador is home to 70,000 political refugees, far more than any country in Latin America. The refugees, almost all of them victims of the Colombian civil war, cost the government $60 million a year. Ecuador Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino hosted a meeting last week of...
U.S. scientists took thousands of unauthorized blood samples from an indigenous group known for a unique genetic profile and disease immunity, some of which have been sold, Ecuador says. There were some "3,500 procedures" in which blood was drawn without...
