Ecuadorian president, Lenín Moreno, asked the National Assembly on Wednesday to approve a bill to reform the Human Mobility Law that would allow authorities to expel foreigners who are arrested for committing crimes in Ecuador. This law “will allow us to expel and deport those foreigners who come to the country to commit crimes or […]

Researchers from the Galapagos National Park are following the path of a whale shark named “Hope”, who was fitted with a tracking device in September 2019, on Darwin Island, north of the archipelago. The animal is now in French Polynesia according to the tracking device that was placed by scientists. According to the data obtained so […]

Over the last two years, Ecuador set out to improve connectivity with the main tourist points in the world and the strategy, at least in Spain , is starting to work. In 2018, just over 100,000 Spanish visitors arrived to Ecuador; in 2019 the figure jumped to 120,133. The growth of 16.6% is linked to the increase in direct […]

So far this month, the Ministry of Government, the National Customs Service (Senae), and the National Police have carried out 6,021 operations dedicated to controlling fuel smuggling at the country’s borders. In addition, there were another 2,067 stock controls at gas distribution tanks and 2,372 controls for the sale of hydrocarbons, said Government Minister Romo. […]

It might surprise you to know that I do most of the cooking in our house. It’s something I like to do, and it offers me the opportunity to experiment a lot. Because we eat vegetarian (well, pescatarian, since we eat seafood), it means I have to come up with a lot of new dishes […]

Music, folk dances, costumes, the joy and culture surrounding Carnival take leading roles in a new show that opened at the Inter-American Center for Popular Arts (CIDAP). This exhibition called “Mascaradas en Carnaval,” is a narrative of the ways in which this festivity will be celebrated in countries such as Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, […]

The construction of a new and modern viewpoint with a cafeteria, the restoration of roads and spaces for pedestrians, the central square, the church and the atrium, are part of the project that the parish GAD of Turi presented to the municipal authorities, one that is gradually taking shape. The coordinator of El Barranco Foundation, […]

One of the more frustrating questions expats are faced with when they move to Ecuador is, “What exactly do I need to do about health insurance?” Whether they have chosen to maintain their health insurance in their home country, or have decided to cancel it and take out private insurance, or government backed insurance here […]

In 2020, the Municipality of Cuenca hopes to increase bicycle users through the sustainable transport system “Public Bike.” Since the beginning of the project, the number of trips on this means of transport in Cuenca grew by 14 percent. From the inception of the program, 37,685 trips have been recorded. That’s up 14% since the […]

Drivers who go over the posted 50 kilometers per hour speed limit on Ricardo Durán Avenue, known as the road to Baños, are going to be quite surprised; they’ll now be penalized with a fine of $120, for speeding. The fine began on Monday, once the Public Mobility, Transit and Transportation Company, (EMOV), announced that […]

The number of visitors to the Galápagos Islands decreased by 1.7% in 2019. The archipiélago received 271,238 tourists last year— 4,579 less than in 2018. From 2010 to 2019, the Galápagos has experienced falls in tourist arrivals in 3 years: 2012, 2016, 2019. The data correspond to all visitors who paid the entrance tax to […]

The last viral crisis that affected Ecuador considerably was due to the AH1N1 (oe “swine flu”) epidemic that started in May of 2009. This left a culture of how to be prepared for possible global infection conditions. Social factors, such as hygiene habits, may make it possible for Ecuador to avoid being a target for the […]

The national influenza vaccination campaign organized by the Ministry of Health and which plans to immunize about 4.5 million people in a state of vulnerability in Ecuador will last through February 28th. Andrés Guncay, an epidemiologist responsible for public health surveillance in Zone 6, said that influenza is present on a daily basis, so care […]

This past Monday, Juan Carlos Aguirre, former manager of EMOV, gave his resignation from the position he has been developing since the beginning of the administration of Mayor Pedro Palacios. Aguirre began his announcement with thanks to the 700 employees working at EMOV for “the commitment they demonstrated in recent months.” Throughout the press conference, […]

President Lenin Moreno was irritated on Monday, and criticized the indigenous movement for the lawsuit he will defend in international courts for excessive use of force during the violent protests last October, in which a dozen people died. “Few things break me down emotionally,” Moreno admitted in a message on television, in which, visibly upset, […]

In its second debate on the topic, this Tuesday the Cantonal Council of Cuenca approved the “Ordinance for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the Canton Cuenca.” Daniel Villavicencio, leader of the Society of Non-Seers of Azuay (SONVA), said that among the benefits for people with disabilities are tax exemptions, fees […]

The Municipality of Cuenca began employing new customer service hours last week, that also affect cultural and educational services units. The network of municipal museums, made up of the Museum of Modern Art, Casa Museo Remigio Crespo Toral, Economuseo Casa del Sombrero and Municipal Planetarium, will now be open Monday to Friday, from 08:45 to […]

With the construction of the tram, 1,180 traffic devices were installed in the city. Now these signals are causing large traffic jams during peak traffic hours. “A necessary evil,” says Felipe Cárdenas, one of many drivers being affected by the new systems. He says he feels it’s because of the large number of these devices […]

The silence, the tombstones and the mausoleums are what attracts the most attention in the Patrimonial Cemetery of Cuenca (EMUCE). The cemetery looks clean and the green areas are well trimmed. And if you approach and read the details on some of the gravestones, you’ll see and learn a lot. Most of the stones are […]

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide Ecuador with a loan of $70 million to support the progress of a program to change the energy matrix in the country. This was reported on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 by the Ministry of Economy in a statement in which it stated that the loan has a […]

The Municipal Hospital for Women and Children of Cuenca, as part of its process of “renewal” has implemented five new specialties services: Rheumatology, Infectious Disease, Pulmonology, Hematology and Endocrinology. The expansion of the service portfolio was the outcome of a comparative study carried out on the total number of patients treated in the Municipal Health […]

So, if you’ve been reading my column for a while, you know that we have 8 dogs out on our property in Yunguilla. They were all street dogs we took in over the years and we love every one of them. Their personalities are so unique, like humans, and even their barks are distinct. At […]

The Febres building dating from 1883 is currently being used as a municipal parking lot, but the Municipality of Cuenca already has a plan for its restoration with an investment of $8 million. Works will begin this year with a hopeful completion in 2021. A façade that is falling apart and is laying on the ground […]

Abandonment of infrastructure, graffiti, low occupancy, dammed up water, garbage in the surroundings, and damage to children’s games are some of the problems that several parks in the city have that require urgent cleaning and maintenance. Walking through the sector of the Guataná park located in the UNE citadel, you find a sense of fear […]

In the canton Guachapala, the smallest in the province of Azuay, is the farm ‘El Romeral’, at 2,200 meters above sea level. The site, located on 30 hectares, is owned by the University of Cuenca and is used by the Faculty of Agronomy for the training of students. Students and teachers, together with farm workers, have […]

More and more airlines are migrating to a ticket pricing system with a basic fare that does not include luggage, food service, seat selection, or changes to travel dates. In theory, airline tickets are now cheaper. However, passenger protests persist in the overall treatment customers are receiving from airlines. In fact, in Ecuador, 489 formal complaints were […]

The second test of the ‘Supermanzanas’ took place this weekend as the measure faced both support and criticism from pedestrians and the commercial sector after the first test of the plan.  The ‘Supermanzana’ is the grouping of several blocks and in the center of Cuenca where a large area of El Centro will be open […]

Ecuador’s Ministry of Public Health (MSP) clarified that as of Wednesday, coronavirus being reported in China has not circulated in Ecuador and that the State has taken preventive measures to prevent the migration of the virus to the country. Alfredo Olmedo, National Director of Epidemiological Surveillance of the Ministry of Health, confirmed in an interview […]