Ecuador’s approach to relieve debt payments with China will include oil commitments, according to Francisco Briones, Deputy Secretary General of the Cabinet. The Government of Ecuador is working on the proposal that it will present to China to alleviate debt payments to that country that are concentrated in the next three years. Ecuador’s debt balance […]

Villegas was the fourth in the chain of command of the National Police. Last Thursday, through Executive Decree 318, President Guillermo Lasso terminated District General Marco Vinicio Villegas Ubillús from active service with the National Police “by voluntary request.” Villegas Ubillús was part of the police leadership that asked the Comptroller General of the State, the Superintendency of Banks and the Financial and Economic Analysis Unit […]

I’m so sick of the pandemic. I know, I know, I am not alone in this. But I’d like to think I’ve handled it pretty well. In fact, I’ve managed to survive it without getting Covid, even though I had to fly to the US for medical reasons four times this past year. That’s another […]

As of Friday, January 14, 2022, there is a new marine reserve in Galapagos. From Sierra Negra —one of the vessels for surveillance and control of the Galapagos National Park— tens of kilometers away from the Santa Cruz pier, President Guillermo Lasso signed the decree that formalizes the creation of the new reserve. It will be called the Hermandad […]

The forensic audit of the company, which initially headed for a voluntary closure, will not stop, says the Insurance Adjuster Sucre. The Seguros Sucre company, which for more than 10 years had the state monopoly in this segment, is in the process of forced liquidation. President Guillermo Lasso had decreed the voluntary liquidation of the […]

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso will make an official visit to China in February, coinciding with the Winter Olympics, where he will try to renegotiate the debt of more than $5 billion dollars and strengthen bilateral relations with that country. This was confirmed by the new Foreign Minister, Juan Carlos Holguín, in an interview upon his return […]

The Government of Guillermo Lasso budgeted bond placements in the international market for $1.2 billion during 2022. The Government plans to issue bonds in the international market to obtain financing in the first quarter of 2022, amid uncertain conditions. Although the Executive has not detailed the amount of this issuance, the General State Budget foresees […]

Social organizations have registered more than 1,000 femicides between 2014 and 2021. The Government plans to invest $13 million in actions to prevent gender violence. On the afternoon of April 7, 2021, Cristina M. was murdered by her partner Emilio P. in the Pelileo canton, in the Tungurahua province. Investigations by the Prosecutor’s Office determined […]

In the 1990s, academics and students saw the first “plastinated” human body, a preservation process that was created by the German physician Gunther von Hagens. Von Hagens originally designed plastination for use in the medical field, but in 1995, he introduced plastination to the masses with his first Body Worlds exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. The exhibition was met […]

This morning I read Robert Bradley’s column in Cuenca High Life about his moving on to another photo journalistic venture. Robert is a very popular columnist and I’m sure he is going to be missed by his readers. I’ve known Robert for several years, and while our writing styles are different, I respect him for […]

More than 200 prisoners were tortured on May 31, 2016  At half past eight in the morning on January 10, 2022, the Court of Criminal Guarantees of Cuenca set up for the second time, the trial hearing for the Turi case, a criminal proceeding for alleged torture against persons deprived of liberty in the Ecuadorian prisons. There are 42 […]

On Tuesday, the President of the Republic, Guillermo Lasso, said that a confinement for a possible increase in COVID-19 cases is “ruled out.” “Confinement is out of the question,” stressed the president, in a meeting with representatives of the media held in Carondelet Palace. He explained that Ecuador can afford “this luxury” because it is one […]

Finally, a new year to start over! Maybe we can get things back in order and make this the year when the world comes back to its version of normal. Where good things happen, and bad things happen. But the bad don’t happen multiple more time than the good! For us the bad things were […]

WhatsApp is one of the most used applications in Ecuador. Thru October 2021, it was the second most downloaded app in the country’s mobile stores. However, the instant messaging application can also have security risks due to the amount of information that is shared in it. These are tips to strengthen application security and prevent breaches from digital security expert Pablo Arcuri, […]

Ten months after the popular consultation in Cuenca, the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAE) issued Decree MAATE-2021-077 on December 22, 2021, in which it delimited the water recharge zones of this Azuayan canton. On February 7, 2021, eight out of ten Cuencanos voted in favor of banning mining activities near the Tomebamba, […]

The automotive sector in Ecuador has experienced a decrease in prices and a greater supply of brands from the European Union. With the sixth year of validity of the agreement between Ecuador and the European Union, tariffs on vehicles that come from that commercial bloc are reduced and eliminated. The vehicles of the European Union […]

Adequate employment has had a slight recovery in the country between May and November of this year. The urban labor market had better indicators than the rural.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Inter-American Court) declared the “international responsibility” of the Ecuadorian State for the violations of various rights of the journalist Emilio Palacio Urrutia and the directors of the newspaper El Universo, Nicolás Pérez Lapentti, César Enrique Pérez Barriga and Carlos Eduardo Pérez Barriga. And it ordered a series of comprehensive reparation measures […]

2021 was the most violent year for women in the region. Femicides in Ecuador exceed 100 cases, which shows the fragility of prevention laws.

As we close out the end of 2021, it’s important to note that in any other year it would be time to talk about the wonderful things that happened over the last 12 months. And while there have been some highlights, for millions of people across the globe, it has been far from something to […]

A person who damages, deteriorates, totally or partially destroys property that is part of the cultural heritage of the State can receive from one to three years in prison.

The former president of the Assembly, Gabriela Rivadeneira, left the country in 2020, and in Mexico founded the company Taktika and the Ideal Institute. The company was registered with a company name that allows it to participate in a long list of commercial activities. January 2022 marks two years since three Ecuadorian assembly members and […]

Every seven days, the Service for Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI) publishes a report on the population in the country’s prisons. On the dates of the four massacres, reports do not match the number of victims. The statistical management of the prison system is precarious and is another reason why […]

The end of the year is nearing, and we certainly didn’t get what we expected for Christmas. After nearly two years it looked like we were about to come out from under the threat of Covid-19, but it seems nature has a different plan for us. While most of the world struggled to get enough […]

Agribusiness, energy and transport, and infrastructure are the sectors that are attractive for private and public companies in Peru, Spain and France. The Government plans to close 2021 with $2.25 billion in investment contracts. And this forecast responds in part to the Ecuador Open for Business forum, according to the Minister of Production, Julio José […]

Jacobo Bucaram Pulley, son of the former president, was also called to trial. For the second time, former President Abdalá Bucaram Ortiz and his son Jacobo Bucaram Pulley were called to trial for alleged organized crime in the purchase of rapid tests to detect covid-19. Bucaram and his son had been called to trial for this case […]

In November 2020, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved $50 million in financing for the first Latin American country to join as a non-regional member: Ecuador. What is the scope of the project? What can we expect from the AIIB for Latin America? Project 000435 is a $50 million sovereign guaranteed loan to Ecuador’s largest […]

I’ve got a friend who believes in every possibly “conspiracy theory” you can think of. For example, he still believes that some senior Democrat politicians were involved in sacrificing children in the basement of a pizza parlor in Washington, DC. Honestly, he believes it. And that Hilary Clinton was involved. He now thinks that a […]

As of December 2019, there were around 311,000 girls and boys working in Ecuador. “I am sure that with the pandemic that number must have grown,” said President Guillermo Lasso this pat Thursday. Lasso spoke these words at the presentation of the Solidarity without Begging campaign, which was held in La Carolina Park, in the north of Quito. Government authorities and families […]

In the last month, the National Court of Justice issued three rulings in favor of those sentenced in emblematic cases of corruption during the Rafael Correa administration. These cases returned to the courts thanks to the appeal for review, allowed in Ecuadorian criminal law. The three cases were: the policemen sentenced for the 2010 30S […]

Faced with the advance of inflation, the United States must decide whether to raise interest rates in 2022, and this measure would appreciate the dollar. Ecuadorian exports could become more expensive.

In an interview last week, US Ambassador Michael Fitzpatrick spoke about the bilateral relationship with Ecuador on anti-corruption actions, such as the withdrawal of visas for those investigated. For Washington, Ecuador represents a horizon of opportunities for bilateral cooperation on different activities. And above all, in the reinforcement of democracy and the rule of law, […]

The ruling of the Constitutional Court in the Los Cedros case settles an old dispute between the State, extractivist companies and communities. The Constitutional Court issued a historic ruling last week. It did so on Wednesday by declaring that the mining concessions in the Los Cedros Protected Forest —in Imbabura— violated the rights of nature, the right to water and […]

The Minister of Labor, Patricio Donoso, says that the text of the labor reform is ready. The creation of a new labor regime, changes in the working day, vacations and retirements are maintained. The Government has yet to define the date on which it will present the new labor reform to the National Assembly. Until […]

I’m not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the line of the last few years I began to become more concerned with what happens here than what happens “there.” “There” being the US, where I came from. And by that statement I mean, I now care more, for example, about the politics of here […]

Assemblywoman Patricia Sánchez, who presented the proposal, expects the full legislature to debate it between 45 and 60 days. It’s official, the new tax reform law has begun to be put to the test. Last Tuesday, a bill was presented to repeal it. The law was approved by the Ministry of the Law (that is, because the Assembly did not […]

The Ecuadorian Roldosista Party (PRE) was formed almost two years after the death of President Jaime Roldós, but the judicial scandals of its leader Abdalá Bucaram ended up destroying it. The PRE was born out of tragedy, almost two years after the death of the President of the Republic, Jaime Roldós Aguilera, which occurred on […]

The Population and Housing Census will finally be carried out in the last quarter of 2022, after several years of planning. Planning for the project began in 2018 with the objective of being executed in November 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Statistics and Census Commission (Conec) decided to postpone the training, […]

The EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) is the world’s largest ranking of countries/regions by adult English skills. Published annually, the EF EPI is an important international benchmark for adult English proficiency. The EF EPI reports identify the most common pitfalls and highlight the most effective strategies for improving English proficiency. Regrettably, Ecuador remains one […]

What do you say to someone that lies to their ‘associates,’ their friends, their community and even hundreds of complete strangers, while claiming it as their right? I ask this because this week I faced this very situation and am struggling with how to deal with it. One option is to “leave it up to […]

Recent evidence, shown in the Amazon Assessment Report, says that deforestation in the region cannot exceed ranges between 20% and 25%. The concern is great because, at present, 17% of the forests have already been lost and at least an additional 17% have been degraded. On the last day of COP 26 on climate change in […]

Although still considered a hero of his country by many Ecuadorians, since Rafael Correa ceased his functions as president of Ecuador, several of his colleagues, militants of his political movement, former officials of his government, and even himself began to be investigated for alleged cases of corruption. This is a list of those from correismo who […]

On November 15, 2021, five judges of the Constitutional Court visited the territory of the Cofán indigenous nationality, in Sinangoe, in the province of Sucumbíos. The Court must decide on two protection actions presented by this Amazonian people regarding the violation of their right to prior, free, and informed consultation and consent. The decision of the highest national court could create jurisprudence […]

Ecuador opens up to the world of investment as the regional development pole.  Last Thursday morning, the President of the Republic, Guillermo Lasso, inaugurated the business forum ‘Ecuador Open for Business 2021.’ The largest post-pandemic event in Latin America brought together 2,000 local and international investors; representatives from 51 countries; business leaders; high-profile experts in more than […]

A prison guard, who has worked in several prisons, talks about mafias in the Penitentiary, how they operate and what should change. Six days after the prison massacre of September 28, 2021, a prison security agent from the Litoral Penitentiary, the prison center outside Guayaquil, contacted a reporter to anonymously talk about the serious corruption inside […]

The late drug trafficker Óscar Caranqui described La Roca, Guayaquil’s dreaded maximum security prison, as “the graveyard of living men.” Reconditioning the maximum security prison in Guayaquil, known as La Roca—part of the prison complex in Guayas—with the goal of transferring highly dangerous prisoners to it, has been slow. Since 2020, authorities of the National […]

Like many people, I have some friends who have been in my life for a very long time. They have been with me during my highs and my lows, and likewise, I’ve been there for theirs. And in that small but very special group, there is one person who knows me best, and that’s Skeeter, […]

The Assembly has until November 28 to process the bill. The Economic Development Commission approved the report for the first debate on the government’s tax reform bill. The full name of the proposal is ‘Organic Law for Economic Development and Fiscal Sustainability after the Covid-19 Pandemic,’ and it makes several changes to the current tax legislation. In the […]

Among the eight proposals, two are Ecuadorian and the rest are from abroad. According to the Ministry of Transportation, the rehabilitation of the railway would cost $2.5 billion. The authorities of the transportation and tourism ministries insist that the intention “is not to privatize” the operation of the public company Ferrocarriles del Ecuador. According to […]

A prolonged gun battle between rival gangs inside Ecuador’s largest prison killed at least 68 inmates and wounded 25 on Saturday, and authorities said it took most of the day to regain control at the Litoral Penitentiary, which recently saw the country’s worst prison bloodbath. The last massacre occurred on September 28th, when 119 inmates died. More […]

At least five cases of money laundering were leveraged in the Sucre system. They all had the same modus operandi. After the extradition of Álex Saab, considered a front man of President Nicolás Maduro, of Venezuela, from Cape Verde to the United States, in Ecuador the investigative, judicial and even administrative processes regarding the money laundering network through the […]

The president of the Audit Commission, Fernando Villavicencio, says in his investigation that President Lasso no longer has a relationship with tax havens. In addition, he recommends dismissing the report of the Constitutional Guarantees Commission, due to lack of evidence. The Assembly has in its hands a new investigative report on the ‘Pandora Papers.’ The […]

Another prison massacre. It’s difficult to believe how out of control Ecuador’s prisons have become. This has not been an overnight thing. The neglect of the situation has gone on for a long time. And now it seems like all the years of failing to do something about the problem are finally biting us in […]

60 thousand km2 is added to the existing marine reserve. The Galapagos archipelago is made up of a series of islands that were generated after the eruption of several volcanoes thousands of years ago. On its surface they house millions of species that exist only in this part of the world, just as it happens at […]

The report recommends that the plenary session of the Assembly verify if President Lasso breached the Ethical Pact Law 2017 The Friday release report of the Constitutional Guarantees Commission regarding President Guillermo Lasso’s name appearing in the Pandora Papers, has caused several reactions. Between Saturday and Sunday, several political parties and government agencies reacted on the recommendations of […]

The Madrid Charter is an initiative of the Spanish far-right group, Vox “Count on me,” said Guillermo Lasso, President of Ecuador, at the invitation made by Javier Ortega Smith, deputy and secretary of the Spanish far-right group, VOX, to sign the Madrid Charter, an initiative of Vox for the” defense of the freedom and democracy in […]

Several groups of indigenous peoples of Ecuador say that they were not consulted on the policy that aims to double the country’s oil production, which would directly affect their territories and ways of life. While the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, was congratulated at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) for approving the expansion of […]

Minister said that Ecuador would return to international financing markets, but in an orderly and predictable manner. On Friday, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Simón Cueva, highlighted that the 2022 budget proforma goes in the direction of continuing to lower the fiscal deficit with permanent resources, to give sustainability to public finances, give an image […]

We have seven dogs, well to be honest we have eight dogs. Seven of them were all abandoned in the street by locals here. See, out in Yunguilla the locals have female dogs that get pregnant all the time because they don’t spay them; they also don’t neuter the males. So that means a lot […]

The Secretary for Human Rights, Bernarda Ordóñez, who chairs the board of the Technical Agency of the National Social Rehabilitation System, spoke about the prison crisis in Ecuador. After three prison massacres, on October 1st, President Guillermo Lasso designated the Human Rights Secretariat as the institution responsible for presiding over the board of directors of […]

The “Pristimantis lojanus” is a small amphibian between 26 and 44 millimeters. These animals live on branches, leaves of shrubs and trees, in the interior of forests. Researchers from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) presented a new species of frog in Loja called “Pristimantis lojanus,” whose name honors the town from which it […]

In Cuenca, as of this Monday, it will now be possible to renew vehicle registration completely online. You can do this in the system of the Mobility Company (EMOV EP), of the Municipality of Cuenca. To do this, you must first enter the website www.emov.gob.ec, then select the services button and click on the option that […]

A friend of mine, who used to live here and now lives back in the US, called me to tell me he had been in a horrible car accident (his car was hit from behind and rolled over on its side) but fortunately he had walked away from it with only bruises and some minor […]

The new reserve will be 60,000 square kilometers and will extend the protection of the archipelago’s ecosystems.  There is a new marine reserve in Galapagos. This was announced by President Guillermo Lasso, Monday morning at a press conference at COP26 – the conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – […]

A project presented this week in the National Assembly aims to regulate abortion for rape with a view away from Human Rights, and against what the Constitutional Court ordered. A project with a name and content contrary to what the Constitutional Court ordered in April 2021, was presented last Monday in the National Assembly with a bombastic […]

I wrote about this issue a couple of years ago. I thought it was a one-time deal and that I wouldn’t run into a person like this again, especially not one blaming the same magazine, but I have. At the Quito airport last Wednesday. So, I am updating this column from March of 2019 to […]

With a trade agreement, Ecuadorian exports to the United States could grow by about 40%. The visit to Ecuador of the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, has been cataloged as a sample of “the fruitful and productive relationship” between the two countries, according to the Government of President Guillermo Lasso. This […]

Judge Laura Cabrera, from the Pastaza Judicial Unit, accepted the action for the protection of the Sapara Nationality of Ecuador (NASE). However, the Ministry of Agriculture will appeal. “We won!,” wrote the Sápara Nationality of Ecuador (NASE) in a Facebook post on the night of Monday, October 18, 2021, after learning that Judge Laura Cabrera, from the Pastaza […]

The inhabitants of Quito consume twice as much water a day as recommended by the World Health Organization. Carmita Cajías is a housewife and lives in Turubamba, a neighborhood in the south of Quito that is full of winding alleys and narrow streets. Carmita has lived there for more than 30 years and has never had […]

Former President Correa faces a new preliminary investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office for payments of $500,000 he received from an offshore company in Uruguay to pay for his safety and that of his family in Belgium. The individuals involved in the money transfer were former President Rafael Correa and his friend Ricardo Oglietti, who was […]

Pressure from the indigenous movement, transporters and other groups led the Government to suspend the price band system for diesel and Extra and Ecopaís gasoline. A gallon of diesel will cost $1.90 and a gallon of Extra and Ecopaís gasoline (low octane) will be sold for USD 2.55 as of Saturday, October 23. The prices […]

President Guillermo Lasso announced that he will present to the National Assembly the tax and labor reforms at the same time this week, and both with an urgent economic nature. According to article 140 of the Constitution, “while a project classified as urgent is being discussed, the President of the Republic may not send another, […]

Boy, with everything happening in the news here lately, one must wonder, is Lasso threatening the “cross death” so that he doesn’t have to be President anymore?! Because as I see it, between the call for social mobilizations for next week, the fight over the Opportunities law, the constant cases of corruption, the struggle with […]

The Constitutional Guarantees Commission of the National Assembly is advancing with the investigation of the Pandora Papers, which revealed that before being president, Guillermo Lasso had links with 14 companies in countries or jurisdictions considered tax havens. Lasso said he had dissolved the companies in 2017, after a law was passed that prohibited officials and politicians […]

Ecuador is in position 92 out of 139 in a ranking that annually measures respect for the rule of law, a legal principle that, specifically, establishes that the law must govern, apply and protect all people who live in a country. It was famously condensed by the second president of the United States, John Adams, who said that […]