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By Nick Miroff In Latin America’s current era of big-personality politics, there may be no other leader who embodies as many apparent contradictions as Rafael Correa, Ecuador’s president. Although he proudly identifies as a leftist, Correa is staunchly opposed to...
The organizers of a petition drive to save the YasunĂ nature preserve from oil drilling are claiming they are being harassed by the government. The drive is within its last month and is closing in on its goal of obtaining the 580,000 voter signatures necessary to...
Ecuador Attorney General Galo Chiriboga will travel to the United States on Tuesday to press the case for extratiditon of Roberto and William IsaĂas, former Ecuadorian bankers accused of fraud and embezzlement during the 1999 banking crisis. The brothers fled Ecuador...
Artists chosen for international art bienal Cuenca’s 12th International Art Bienal opens March 28 with 42 artists from Latin America, Asia, Europe and North America. The final selections, announced by the Bienal organizing committee, include six Ecuadorian artists....
By Frances Robles  The donations kept pouring in: hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to President Obama and more than a dozen members of Congress, carefully routed through the families of two wealthy brothers in Florida. They had good reason...
On a recent morning, a dozen customers crowded the counter at Maria's Alemania Bakery and Restaurant on the corner of Hermano Miguel and Mariscal Sucre in Cuenca, waiting to place their orders. Among the group, which included Cuencanos, North American expats and two...
Cuenca Mayor-elect Marcelo Cabrera emphasized on Friday that he had no intention of stopping the Tranvia de los Cuatros Rios tram project and does not think the changes his administration might make will affect the construction schedule. Cabrera met with outgoing...
Federal agents from Central Florida have arrested a man who was allegedly coordinating "tours" for Americans to have sex with girls in Ecuador. According to a criminal complaint filed in Orlando on Friday, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agents began...
The campaign to force a national referendum on President Rafael Correa’s plan to drill for oil in the Amazonian Yasunà nature preserve is closing in on its goal of 600,000 signatures. Supporters of the drive say they have more than 480,000 signatures. A total of...
By Joseph Ax An American lawyer used "corrupt means" to secure a multi-billion-dollar pollution judgment against Chevron Corp in Ecuador, a U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday, a major setback for Ecuadorean villagers hoping to collect on the award. U.S. District Judge Lewis...
Heavy rains have caused more than a dozen major landslides in the Sierra, the largest obstructing traffic south of Quito and in the tourist town of Baños. Closer to Cuenca, highway E35 was closed for several hours near Cumbe with another slide stopping traffic near...
Ecuador’s Ministry of Industry and Productivity reports that import restrictions applied in December have kept $250 million consumer dollars in the country, much of it spent on locally manufactured products. The downside to the restrictions are becoming evident,...
If smuggling cocaine onto an airplane sounds dicey, then imagine navigating 2,000 miles on the open sea in a homemade submarine with half a ton of the white stuff and no oxygen tanks. This 30-foot fiberglass sub can dive just 15 feet and stay under for a maximum of 15...
By David Hill The Ecuadorian government was negotiating a secret $1billion deal with a Chinese bank to drill for oil under the Yasuni national park in the Amazon while pursuing a high-profile scheme to keep the oil under the ground in return for international...
Following last week’s election defeat for President Rafael Correa’s PAIS party in the country’s largest cities, talk of changing the consitition to allow Correa to seek a third term has resurfaced. The subject came up a year ago, following the 2013, election but was...
Cuenca Mayor PaĂºl Granda said he is in touch with Mayor-elect Marcerlo Cabrera and will make sure the transfer of power between the two administrations goes smoothly. Granda said he would provide information to Cabrera regarding several projects that the incoming...
It was noisy and it was slimy last night in Parque Calderon as two to three thousand Cuencanos, tourists and expats gathered for the kick-off of Carnival. The crowd was treated to fireworks, music, dances and foam fights. Four pyrotechnic castles were ignited,...
By Yuri Garcia Ecuador's President Rafael Correa on Tuesday said he will ask for his cabinet's resignation and reshape his political party after losses in mayoral races in the country's major cities. Opposition candidates on Sunday won elections to run the local...
Following the euphoria of Sunday’s victory, Cuenca mayor-elect Marcelo Cabrera faced political reality on Monday. Unlike out-going mayor, PaĂºl Granda, Cabrera will not have majority support on the cantonal council. Although the final recount of the vote continues, it...
Although political insiders knew that Sunday’s elections could be a slap in President Rafael Correa’s face, few expected it to also be a hard kick in the rump. The election results in local and provincial elections saw Correa’s PAIS party’s mayoral candidates go down...
