Tram adds units, shortens interval between stops; Condor chick has a name; Military seizes weapons from illegal mines; IVA reduced for the holiday

Curious? –
3 cambios en el servicio del Tranvía, desde el 15 – As of el 15/10, the tranvía will make 3 operational adjustments to improve service for its users and optimize urban mobility. The first will reduce the intervals between trains from 10 to 8 minutes on working days (lunes a viernes – M to F). On weekends, trains will keep the current interval of 15 minutes. The 2nd adjustment will change the definition of peak hours (rush hour) which will be from 6:00 to 9:00 and from 12:00 to 19:00. During these hours, the number of trains in circulation will increase from 8 to 9 to attend to higher demand from passengers.

Soldiers dismantle an illegal gold mine in Morona Santiago and seize guns, ammunition and explosives

The 3d change will have trains carrying passengers from their first shift in the morning when they leave the “parking lot” to the last one at night when they return to the lot at the old CREA. Currently, when the first trains leave the patio-taller <parking lot>, they are empty until they reach the end stations at Tarqui and the Parque Industrial. And when the last trains leave the end stations, they return to the “parking lot” empty.

Pichona de cóndor se llama “Kimsa” – The condor chick, who will be 4 months old el 11/10, and was the first to be born and raised with assistance in the Bioparque Amaru, now has a name: Kimsa which comes from Kimsacocha. Victoria Arbeláez, administrative and operating director of the park said 24,616 people from all over Ecuador participated in the naming process. Kimsa got 10,152 votes, Amancay got 9,635, and Shaya got 4,829. The name Kimsa honors Kimsacocha and the importance of protecting water. The birth of Kimsa marks an historical event for Cuenca and the country. The assisted birth represents a milestone in the efforts to conserve the species in Ecuador. The Andean condor, a bird emblematic of the Andes, is facing threats such as loss of habitat, hunting and poisoning, and is in danger of extinction. According to Arbeláez, Kimsa symbolizes the hope and promise of Cuencanos to protect the specie’s habitat. <What kind of assistance do you give a bird about to be “born?” Break the egg from the outside to hurry the process up?

Duro golpe a la economía criminal – Military operations executed by the III División de Ejército “Tarqui” during julio, agosto y septiembre of 2015 left a $23.1 million hole in the criminal economy. The operations were carried out in Azuay, Morona Santiago, Loja, El Oro, Zamora Chinchipe & Cañar. Soldiers seized 48 guns, 958 munitions <that’s probably as much ammunition as gets wasted in Oakland every New Year>, 3 hand grenades, 10,000 meters of slow fuse <that’s 6.2 miles of fuse>, heavy machinery, 49,189 gallons of diesel, 5,560 gallons of gasoline, and cash. The operations paralyzed activities tied to illegal mining. An official report said that 2,274 soldiers with the support of 173 logistical and tactical resources participated in a total of 11,109 operations aimed at curbing organized crime. According to the Army 3d Division, the biggest impact was against illegal mining, thanks to the confiscation of the heavy machinery.

IVA reduced for the holiday – Pres. Noboa announced that the Impuesto al Valor Agregado (IVA) will be temporarily reduced from 12% to 8% during the 9 de octubre and the 2&3 de noviembre holidays. <Isn’t IVA 15%? Or does the extra 3% have a different name like a surcharge or emergency fee?>

Adelanto del décimo: expectativas y dudas – The Gobierno Nacional announced that the décimo tercer (13th) extra paycheck, <which actually is after 14th extra month’s paycheck in agosto – don’t bother figuring that one out – it’s just Ecuador> will be advanced to the 14/11 instead of the usual 24/12 for the public sector. This extra month’s pay is also known as the Christmas bonus. The goal is to boost the economy during the shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. <I think both are US imports. What a thing to export – consumerism and special shopping days.>

The early paycheck is not obligatory for the private sector. The Cámara de Comercio de Cuenca supported the measure and urged businesses with the economic capacity to make this payment voluntarily to invigorate internal consumption. The industrial sector warned about difficulties and explained that many smaller businesses do not have an extra month’s worth of salaries budgeted for a month earlier than usual. A study by Multitrabajos issued in 2024 found that 54% of workers in Ecuador used this bonus to pay debts, 20% for Christmas purchases, 16% for savings, and 10% for investments.