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A day after reporting Ecuador's first case of the Covid-19 coronavirus, Health Minister Catalina Andramuño announced Sunday that five new cases have been confirmed in Guayaquil and Babahoyo. She said the new cases are family members of the 71 year old woman who was...
By Bruce Y. Lee Put down the mask, and step away. Unless you are a health care professional, or someone like a hockey goalie or Batman, you probably do not need to buy a mask. And if you are Batman or a hockey goalie, a N95 respirator mask isn’t going to help you keep...
The executive committee of the Pachakutik indigenous political party says there will be no partnership with followers of former president Rafael Correa in next year’s election. “The indigenous people were persecuted and betrayed by the Correa government and I see no...
Just 10 days ago, Cuenca’s four rivers were flowing at near-record lows. “On most years, the rainy season begins in early February,” says meteorologist Franklin Vera. “I’ve been asking, when is it going to start?” He got his answer Sunday and since then heavy rain has...
By Pauline McKean “I’ve seen how in every person, every human being, a calling to care for the Earth occurs when, privately, their being tells them ‘this you must do,'" says José Morquecho. When José made his observation, he was busy planting trees during a...
Venezuela will allow companies to raise capital in foreign currency, according to a new rule by the country’s securities regulator, as socialist President Nicolas Maduro liberalizes the struggling economy in the face of sanctions. The government unexpectedly began...
By Marco della Cava Coronavirus is in the global spotlight, but a secondary character in this unfolding drama threatens to upstage the grim protagonist: fear. Chalk that up to what it means to be human. Animals have a fight-or-flight response to real and present...
Cuenca prosecutors are rejecting a claim by prison administrators that the death of six inmates last week at the Turi correctional facility was a mass suicide. “Given the fact that the victims were in different areas of the prison and unable to communicate with each...
By John Curiel and Jack R. Williams As Bolivia gears up for a do-over election on May 3, the country remains in unrest following the Nov. 10 military-backed coup against incumbent President Evo Morales. A quick recap: Morales claimed victory in October’s election,...
Are you often confused by food labels? Do you look for foods labeled as whole-grain, all-natural or healthy? Do you read the front of the label when you're making a decision to buy or not? Reading labels Food manufacturers are very tricky when it comes to...
Ecuador’s health ministry announced Wednesday that all travelers arriving from China, Italy, Iran and South Korea will be checked for coronavirus symptoms as they enter the country. Minister of Health Catalina Andramuño said that the checks, comprised of a body...
By Stephen Dinan Despite the surge of illegal migrants from Central America, the actual unauthorized population in the U.S. has dropped over the last decade, according to a new analysis Wednesday that found hundreds of thousands of Mexicans have surrendered their...
A taxi sustained “significant damage” Wednesday morning when it collided with a tram on Av. España at Nunez de Bonilla. A video of the accident shows the taxi making an illegal left turn directly into the path of the tram and being spun to the side. Transit police...
The teacher kept talking about what continent Ecuador was on and where it was on that continent. I was thinking about that green and blue-colored frog that Miguel and I caught by the spring and stuck in that rusty hole on the side of Papá’s truck. I figured it might...
A London court heard how the United States considered using Spanish private detectives to poison WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during his seven years of asylum inside the United Kingdom's Ecuadorian Embassy. Human rights lawyer Edward Fitzgerald, arguing against...
Australian, British and U.S. expatriates in China say almost every aspect of their lives now revolves around the coronavirus outbreak. The story is much the same in South Korea, Japan and other east Asian countries and concern is growing in expat communities in...
Tuesday morning’s hazy sky in Cuenca was the result of southwestly winds from the erupting Sangay volcano in Morona Santiago Province. Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute said the wind direction had shifted to the west by Tuesday night and reported that no ashfall was...
Editor’s note: This is the fourth of a six-part series by Don Moore, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras who developed a fascination with northern Peru — and wrote a book about it. Don spent most of January in Cuenca. To see part one, click here. For part two,...
The spread of the coronavirus will result in the first fall in global air travel in more than a decade, the international airline industry predicts and, depending on the spread of the virus, the decline could be dramatic. The International Air Transport Association...
Ecuador’s plastic bag tax takes effect April 1 despite lobbying efforts to push back the start date. Under a law passed late last year, single-use plastic bags will be taxed four cents each. “This is Ecuador’s first step to eliminate non-recyclable plastics and to...
