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The director of Cuenacaire, Rolando Arpi, says that Cuenca’s air quality has held steady in 2009 and has shown slight improvements in some areas despite an increase in the number of vehicles on the roads. Cuencaire, created in 2007 to measure air pollution,...
The World March for Peace and Nonviolence passes through Cuenca on Friday, Dec. 18, on its way to a conclusion in northern Argentina, Jan. 2, and local organizers are asking the community to join in. The march began in New Zealand Oct. 2, and has passed through...
The government says it may not be able to deliver on its promise to end the rolling electric blackouts after today. In a short statement on Monday, Ecuador’s Electricity Minister Esteban Albornoz said that continuing drought conditions near the country’s...
Cuenca recorded its highest temperature in 30 years Thursday, when the thermometer hit 27.5 Celsius or 81 Fahrenheit. The city’s all-time high temperature, 29.5 celsius or 85 Fahrenheit, was recorded in November 1979. Marcelo Narvaez of the meteorology...
Torrential rain has washed away the blood where the family fell under a hail of wooden spears. But memories of what happened this summer are still fresh in the minds of those who live and work here. At first the security guard inside the perimeter fence of the...
The government of Peru announced Friday that it will transfer as much as 1,200 megawatts per hour of electricity to Ecuador beginning next week. The transfer is intended to provide relief to Ecuador’s drought-stricken hydro-electric production system....
Ecuador's worst drought in 45 years is forcing restrictions on electric power use as federal officials announce a series of blackouts aimed at reducing consumption by 5% to 10%. Most of the country's energy is hydro-electric and water levels at the largest generating...
The popular travel guide Lonely Planet has named Cuenca one of the 10 top cities for travelers in its Best in Travel 2010 guide. The annual snapshot book focuses on the world's hottest travel trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the year ahead,...
Although it is true that one of the major perks for living in Ecuador is high quality, low cost health care, finding it requires some due diligence. Where you choose to live can also have a lot to do with the quality of care you receive. With the right choices, you...
Although new statistics show a modest annual increase in crime throughout Ecuador, they also show rapid growth rates in several cities and in northern areas of the country. On Oct.1, the government announced that it was taking emergency measures to stem the crime tide...
The Azuay Province Chamber of Tourism of Azuay has embarked on a five month campaign of special events to promote local tourism. Events will include music and dance presentations, special greetings for travelers arriving at Cuenca’s airport and walking tours of...
Azuay Province governor Leonardo Berrezueta is putting a bulls eye on illegal lenders he says are gouging consumers. Known as chulqueros, the black market lenders charge between 3% and 10% interest a month. “These lenders feed on the distress of the people are...
Cuenca’s newest hostal is open for business in the city’s Barranco district, across Calle Tres de Noviembre from Rio Tomebamba. Formerly housing the Chilean consulate and an interior design shop, the Villa Nova Inn offers 12...
Interested in checking out two of Ecuador’s most popular areas for foreign investors and expatriates -- the south coast and the Andean colonial city of Cuenca? TransAndean Trading Company and Ecuador Properties have announced dates for their October real estate...
Cuenca’s Public Works Department is launching an all-out assault on the city’s historic cobblestone streets. “For too long, we have resorted to patch-work fixes and these simply do hold up,” says Bolivar Alban, new public works director....
Responding to a growing number of complaints, Cuenca Mayor Paul Granda has announced a series of meetings with managers and vendors at the sprawling west-side El Arenal market. In recent months, shoppers and vendors at the market --commonly known as Fiera Libre-- say...
Many gas stations in Portoviejo and Manta are limiting customers to a $5 purchase due to gasoline shortages. According to distributors, the problem is the result of technical problems at the Esmeraldas oil refinery and smuggling at the Colombian and Peruvian borders....
Airlines flying Ecuador’s national routes have announced plans to purchase new aircraft. The purchases are partly the result of a presidential order, issued in April, that airlines improve service and safety. According to the government, passenger air miles have...
President Rafael Correa starts a second term on Monday promising "21st century socialism" for Ecuador, but his clashes with investors may jeopardize trade and deter financing he needs to reverse an oil output slump. He also faces a drop in popular support,...
New Cuenca mayor Paul Granda participated in the traditional shamanic cleansing ceremony Friday in Pumapungo, the site considered sacred for thousands of years but such cultures as the Canar and Inca. Pumapungo, behind the Banco Central on the eastern fringe of...
