World cities forum meets in Cuenca; IESS has a new online appointment system; Van attacked in the Cajas; Vaccination campaign; Cosmos Museum reopens

Viernes, 24/1/2025

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

De El Mercurio del jueves, 23/1 (2 articles):

2 días para escuchar bandas sonoras de las series anime (2 days to listen to anime soundtracks) – The Orquesta Sinfónica of the U. of Cuenca will present “Anime Infinity,” a concert inspired by the soundtracks of series such as Dragon Ball, Knights of the Zodiac, Sailor Moon and Naruta. The concert will be on los 23 & 24/1 a las 20:00 in the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz with about 100 musicians on stage with the Coro Polifónico of the U of Cuenca and a band. In addition to the music there will be an innovative visual presentation with animated images to create an immersive experience. Tickets available on the “Buen Plan” platform. Cost: $15 for the general public, $7.50 for U. of Cuenca students who can get a 50% cultural bonus discount.

IESS health care services in Azuay Province has launched a new online appointment system in the Cuenca, Santa Isabel and Camilo Ponce Enríquez.cantons. (El Mercurio)

Amplían el museo Cosmos Educativo y está por reabrir (Cosmos Educativo museum expanded and about to reopen) – On el viernes, 24/1 the Museo Cosmos in the Universidad Nacional de Educación (UNAE) in Azogues reopened a new area built to promote the exploration and understanding of the Earth, the cosmos, the human species and life. To sign up for a guided tour, go to museocosmos@unae.edu.ec and enter how many people want to go on the tour, and the day, and the hour you want. The tours are given in Quechua, English, Spanish and sign language. The museum is in Aulario A of the UNAE in the Chuquipata parish in Azogues.

Titular –

Rumbo a pacto climático (Towards a climate pact) – The III Foro Mundial de Ciudades Intermedias (III World Forum of Medium Sized Cities) is meeting in Cuenca to address climate challenges and prepare an agenda for action for the COP30 to be held in Brasil in noviembre. The leaders agreed that climate change should be addressed with concrete and urgent actions from water management to promoting circular economies and renewable energy. <But I think Ecuador just got a lesson in putting all its “eggs” in basically one basket of renewable energy.>

Cuenca –

“Caravana Cultural” por 30 aniversario de la UPS (“Cultural Caravan” for the 30th anniversary of UPS) – Cultural groups of the Universidad Politécnica Salesiana campuses in Cuenca, Quito y Guayaquil will pay tribute to the institution for its 30th anniversary which was el 4/8/2024. The “Caravana Cultural” will be el sábado, 25/1 from 14:00 -18:00 in the Anfiteatro del Mirador de Turi. The show will include musical, dance and choral groups including the Coro UPS, the Grupo de Danza Ecuatoriana, the Grupo de Música Tradicional Cuenca, and the Banda de Músic de Quito. The UPS organizes this event every 5 years to promote fellowship and cultural interchange among the students.

De El Mercurio del jueves, 23/1 (1 article):

Cuenca: 19 zonas sin agua (Cuenca: 19 areas without water) – If you live in the area of Las Pencas, Tejar and El Cebollar you already know that you didn’t have water el jueves between 8:00 and 14:00. <Assuming the water was really shut off as announced.> The reason was work on new water supply pipes.

Actualidad –

De El Mercurio del jueves, 23/1 (2 articles):

Agendan turnos online para atención en IESS (Schedule appointments online for care at IESS) – The IESS in Azuay has launched a new online system for getting appointments at the windows in Cuenca, Santa Isabel and Camilo Ponce Enríquez. This system, available from this month, allows users to avoid long lines and to make appintments for the day and time they want. Users need to present the ticket for their turno (appointment) online or be previously registered in the system to get attention at the windows. This is the procedure to get an appointment. Go to the official IESS page and pick “Turnos para atención ciudadana,” click on Generar Turno and enter your cédula number, email address, and cell-phone number. After that, you will get a verification code in your email to continue the process, choose the procedure to be carried out, and the day of the appointment. <About as clear as mud. Time to call your facilitator. I’m never sure if it’s big holes in my Spanish or if I’m trying to translate something the reporter didn’t understand either.>

Vacunan contra la polio y sarampión (Polio and measles vaccination) – Cuenca kicked off the vaccination campaign against measles and polio which will run until el 31/5. Over the next 19 weeks, the campaign is expecting/hoping to cover a demand of 85,000 people. }The goal is to vaccinate 42,870 minors with an additional oral dose against bivalent poliomyelitis independent of the patients vaccination history. The other 51,130 people will be children 7-12, teens from 13-18, health workers, caretakers for people with disabilities, users of strategic sectors such as education, safety, environment and energy. The vaccines are free and available at all health centers in Azuay, Cañar, and Morona Santiago.

Sucesos –

De El Mercurio del jueves, 23/1 (1 article):

Disparos a furgoneta en la vía Cuenca-Guayaquil (Shots fired at van on vía Cuenca-Guayaquil) – Armed delinquents tried to assault a van transporting passengers from Cuenca to Guayaquil at km. 80 on the vía Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme on night of el 21/1. The attackers shot at the van and one of the bullets grazed the driver’s ribs. The driver was able to maneuver and return to the la Choza sector in Molleturo where he was helped by personnel from the Cuenca Fire Department. The Policía Nacional indicated that the bullets were apparently from an arma traumática (traumatic weapon (?) <I think any weapon would be traumatic if you were the object of the attack.>

The police searched but were unable to find the suspects. Santiago Malo, governor of Azuay, indicated that frequent controls by the Control de Armas, Municiones y Explosivos (CAMEX) will be implemented on the vía Cuenca-Molleturo in the nights and early mornings. He said the attack was the first on a passenger van in four months. A national roundtable for security will be activated with participation by the transporters of Azuay and representatives from the Policía Nacional, Armed Forces, Comisión de Tránsito de Ecuador (CTE), Ministerio de Transporte y Obras Públicas (MTOP), ECU 911 and the Agencia National de Tránsito (ANT) to coordinate actions.

Carlos Tenesaca, manager of Operazuay Tour, acknowledged the attack on a van on the night of el 22/1. He asked authorities to fix the stretch of the vía Cuenca-Molleturo between km. 89 & 90 where vehicles practically have to stop since the road is so bad. He said that years ago, there was a landslide and the road was rebuilt along one side, leaving a 600-meter stretch in bad condition. Additionally, there is no phone signal in that zone, complicating asking for help. There are no patrols and the only police station is several kilometers further on. He said they are always asking for better security, control, and getting this stretch of road fixed.

Nacional –

De El Mercurio del jueves, 23/1 (1 article):

Alimentos para las mascotas sin IVA, a partir de febrero (Pet food without IVA, starting in February) – Starting el 1/2, you will not pay IVA on pet food, as provided for by Pres. Noboa. As of the time El Mercurio went to print, the decree that supported that decision had not been publicized <Now he’s going after the pet lovers’ vote. So if you’re running out of food for Fido, try to hold out until 1/2, then buy that 18-kilo bag of kibble.> Noboa said that for him, pets are not just animals, they are family. He has pictures of himself with his pets on social networks. <Is Trump the only president who has not had a pet? I remember that Biden had Champ and another German Shepherd, Obama had the Portuguese water dog, the Bushes had Springer Spaniels, Clinton had a Chocolate lab, and I can’t remember further back than that. Either there are allergies in the family or there’s something wrong with Trump. Training a dog will make you humble and Trump doesn’t do humility.>

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne