Tranvía fare evasion less than 1%; Internet crimes on the rise; Illegal parties busted; EU scholarships for Ecuadorian students; Pfizer, Moderna hike prices

Lunes, 2/8/2021

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Abren taller de narrativa y poesía (Narrative and poetry workshop opens) – Los Cronistas has organized a narrative and poetry workshop this month. If you are interested in learning how to write your own stories and poems with tutors who are experts, call 099 272 3782 or email loscronistas17@gmail.com or visit their webpage at www.loscronistas.net. The group organizes courses and seminars on line, and teaches classes in person with 10 students. The on line classes are personalized and last one month with an hour each day.

Titular –

Neisi de oro (Or O of NE ISI) – I thought you might get a giggle out of GoogleTranslate’s translation of Neisi of gold) – See Monday’s CHL article for the story.

Cuenca –

The number of tram passengers who skip paying the fare is only .39 percent, much lower than the Latin American and European average. (El Mercurio)

Tranvía registra evación (sic) de 0,39% (Tram records evasion of 0.39%) – Fare evasion on the Tranvía is barely at .39% compared with 10% in Latin America and 6% in Europe. Fare evasion on the bus system used to be between 12-15% and dropped to 3-4% after the introduction of the bus card. Jorge Moscoso, coordinating director of the Tranvía, said usually users forget to buy a ticket, validate their card, or check their card balance. The ordinance governing the tram system established a fine of 30% of the Salario Básico Unificado (SBU) or $120. Currently a reform is being worked on to discount the fine by 10% if it’s paid within 5 days of the notification. To avoid fare evasion, there are controllers at stops and on trains to help users and let them know if they have not paid their fares. The Tranvía is more interested in informing the public about how to use the system than fining people.

Aumentan delitos en medios electrónicos (Crime in electronic media on the rise) – Crimes such as identity fraud, scams and distribution of pornography are rising. Just in Cuenca, according to data from the Consejo de Seguridad Ciudadana, there were 78 reports of scams on electronic media in 2020, and 69 so far this year. Data from the Fiscalía shows 38% of their scam reports were for electronic media. Fabián Iñiguez, a cybersecurity expert, warned people to be more alert to digital fraud by looking at the sender’s address and protecting your privacy on social networks. He also said families should be attentive to what their kids are doing on line as well.

Sucesos –

Desalojo en fiestas clandestinas (Eviction at clandestine parties) – Early yesterday morning, Police moved more than 100 people out of one clandestine party in a property on González Suárez, and another 100 young people from a party on av. Remigio Crespo. A report of another party with teenagers in Miraflores was verified last Saturday afternoon. Authorities are asking citizens to avoid crowds due to the health emergency. <You think those party animals were wearing masks? They probably weren’t wearing perservativos either.>

Nacional –

667 items ya pagan menos aranceles (667 items already pay less tariffs) – A resolution adopted by the Comité de Comercio Exterior (COMEX) which lowered tariffs on 667 items went into effect ayer. Julio José Prado, ministro de Producción, said this first phase of tariff reductions will save $180 million annually for 81 industries in Ecuador. Industries such as agriculture, agro-industry, industry and services will benefit from a reduction in costs for primary materials, capital goods, and production supplies. Other items include armored (security?) doors, ovens, tables and drawing machines, digital cameras, auto parts, agricultural machinery, respiratory apparatus, computers, bicycles, foods, and more.

38 ecuatorianos acceden a becas “Erasmus Mundus” (38 Ecuadorians have access to “Erasmus Mundus” scholarships) – 38 Ecuadorians will be part of the “Erasmus Mundus” program for scholarships for masters degrees in the EU. They will have the opportunity to study in universities in 18 European countries for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 24 months.. The degrees are totally financed by the EU and include tuition, air tickets, medical insurance, visa costs, and a 1000 euro stipend. They are granted to students of high achievement. Applicants must have finished or be finishing their undergrad studies and have enough English to get a certificate such as the TOEFL or IELTS. <I wonder if I could pass the TOEFL exam? Just because I speak it doesn’t mean I know anything about it.>

Mundo –

Pfizer y Moderna suben el precio (Pfizer and Moderna raise prices) – Pfizer and Moderna raised prices by 25% and 10% respectively in their last contracts to supply the EU. The contracts, signed for this year to 2023 for 2.1 billion doses were renegotiated when clinical studies showed their vaccines were more effective than AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccines. Pfizer’s vaccines went from 15.50 euros to 19.5 <I have no idea where the Euro symbol is.>; and Moderna’s rose to $25.50 from 19 euros or $22.60. <When will they get so expensive that developing countries can no longer afford them? Looks like it’s Sinovax for the global south.>

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne