Cuenca High Life

16/05/2026

Peru’s presidential runoff election features far-right and far-left candidates Fujimori and Sánchez

Peru's National Office of Electoral Processes finalized the official vote count Friday after 33 days of scrutiny and legal challenges, confirming that right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori and leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez will compete in a presidential runoff June 7. The final tally of the mid-April voting placed Fujimori first with 17.18% of valid votes. The main battle centered on second place, where Sánchez secured 12.03% and narrowly overtook conservative candidate Rafael López Aliaga, who finished third with 11.90%, trailing by just 21,210 votes....

Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes finalized the official vote count Friday after 33 days of scrutiny and legal challenges, confirming that right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori and leftist candidate Roberto […]

15/05/2026

U.S. judge cites ‘torture’ reports in Ecuador’s prisons for not deporting assassination suspect Serrano

Although the government celebrated a Miami judge’s decision to deny asylum to former Interior Minister José Serrano, it did not mention why he will not be sent back to Ecuador to face charges in the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Interior Minister John Reimberg said Ecuador would continue extradition efforts with the U.S., but it could be years for those to be successful....

Although the government celebrated a Miami judge’s decision to deny asylum to former Interior Minister José Serrano, it did not mention why he will not be sent back to Ecuador […]

15/05/2026

An Ecuador: paradox: An oil-producing country where people wait in line for hours to buy gasoline

By Carolina Mella The scene has been repeating itself for 72 hours in Ecuador’s two largest cities: lines of vehicles snaking around corners, drivers waiting for hours in the sun, and gas pumps only allowing customers to fill up with $15 or $20 worth of gasoline. In Quito and Guayaquil, two cities accustomed to endless traffic, now there’s also a fight over fuel....

By Carolina Mella The scene has been repeating itself for 72 hours in Ecuador’s two largest cities: lines of vehicles snaking around corners, drivers waiting for hours in the sun, […]

15/05/2026

Seven to seventy and still counting: Why Granada’s SevenUp series may be one of TV’s greatest achievements

In an age when much of television is disposable, forgettable, or so relentlessly superficial that even its creators probably struggle to recall it six months later, ITV's Up series is a towering achievement. It may well be one of the most important television documentaries ever made, which is a large claim, but one justified by both its ambition and its astonishing endurance....

In an age when much of television is disposable, forgettable, or so relentlessly superficial that even its creators probably struggle to recall it six months later, ITV’s Up series is […]

14/05/2026

Despite warnings, there is little evidence that AI is replacing workers and history suggests it won’t

By Callum Williams Silicon Valley, perhaps more than anywhere else in the world, is relentlessly focused on the future. This attitude has many benefits. It helps people devote themselves to creating new technologies, many of which change the world. But it has a cost, too. Without an appreciation of history, people are often swept up by manias. This historical amnesia is on display when it comes to discussing AI’s likely impact on jobs....

By Callum Williams Silicon Valley, perhaps more than anywhere else in the world, is relentlessly focused on the future. This attitude has many benefits. It helps people devote themselves to […]

14/05/2026

Long gas lines continue despite government claim there is no shortage; Noboa meets with U.S. Vice President Vance; Jose Serrano denied U.S. asylum

Despite government claims that there is no gasoline shortage, gas stations in Quito, Guayaquil and other cities were running out of Extra and Ecopaís gasoline on Tuesday and Wednesday due to high demand. In Quito, some gas stations reported back-ups of 20 to 30 cars waiting for fill-ups. The Energy Ministry says social media rumors are to blame for the gas lines and accuses some gas stations of hoarding Extra and Ecopaís gasoline, the brand used by most motorists....

Despite government claims that there is no gasoline shortage, gas stations in Quito, Guayaquil and other cities were running out of Extra and Ecopaís gasoline on Tuesday and Wednesday due […]

14/05/2026

Three simple ways to reduce your body’s exposure to plastic particles and plastic chemicals

By Trisha Pasricha, MD When it comes to plastic-related particles and chemicals, people often feel helpless and overwhelmed. Plastic contamination feels so pervasive, inevitable and frustrating, especially since the research is limited on how to reduce your exposure. That’s why a new randomized controlled trial published in Nature Medicine immediately caught my eye. Researchers at the University of Western Australia found that in just seven days, a few specific lifestyle changes — from consuming a low-plastic diet to using low-plastic personal care products — could reduce the amount of plastic-associated chemicals in urine by as much as 60 and 35 percent, respectively....

By Trisha Pasricha, MD When it comes to plastic-related particles and chemicals, people often feel helpless and overwhelmed. Plastic contamination feels so pervasive, inevitable and frustrating, especially since the research […]

13/05/2026

Ten years of hope: The story of Hogar de Esperanza

By Garry Vatcher Ten years ago, Hogar de Esperanza began with very little. There was no large organization, no strong financial base, no guarantee of success. When we opened our doors on May 1, 2016, I had paid the rent for the month and had $100 left in my bank account. There was only a simple but powerful belief: that people in crisis deserved real help, real dignity, and real hope....

13/05/2026

Petro claims Ecuador has replaced Colombia as the world’s drug export and murder capital

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Tuesday that Ecuador has replaced Colombia as the world's largest exporter of co***ne and claimed that government officials and judges in Ecuador are working “hand-in-hand” with drug traffickers. He added that Ecuador has also overtaken Colombia for the title of “murder capital of Latin America.” Petro’s comments, made during the dedication of a new hospital in Timbío, Cauca, added to recent social media attacks on Ecuador President Daniel Noboa, who has accused Petro of allowing drug traffickers free access across the border....

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Tuesday that Ecuador has replaced Colombia as the world’s largest exporter of co***ne and claimed that government officials and judges in Ecuador are working “hand-in-hand” […]

13/05/2026

The day I picked a peck of pickled beef in Cuenca

There are certain dishes that arrive not as recipes, but as recollections, and Sauerbraten is one of them, because I did not so much learn it as absorb it, at the age of fifteen, in a part of Germany where the forests were black, the food was serious, and the map had a sinister border. It was my first time on an airplane, one of those British European Airways liners with propellers that seemed to pause and hang forever before taking off, and I remember the vibration more than the view, as if the whole enterprise was being held together by optimism and rivets....

There are certain dishes that arrive not as recipes, but as recollections, and Sauerbraten is one of them, because I did not so much learn it as absorb it, at […]

12/05/2026

Ecuador’s Maria ‌Fernanda Espinosa joins competition to become Secretary-General of the United Nations

Antigua and Barbuda has ​nominated Ecuador's Maria ‌Fernanda Espinosa as candidate to be the next United ​Nations Secretary-General, ​a U.N. official told Reuters ⁠on Tuesday. Espinosa, a ​former foreign affairs minister ​and defense minister in Ecuador, was president of the U.N. General Assembly ​in New York ​from 2018-2019. Five candidates are now competing ‌to ⁠take over from outgoing U.N. chief Antonio Guterres, including three ​women ​seeking ⁠to become the first female ​head....

Antigua and Barbuda has ​nominated Ecuador’s Maria ‌Fernanda Espinosa as candidate to be the next United ​Nations Secretary-General, ​a U.N. official told Reuters ⁠on Tuesday. Espinosa, a ​former foreign affairs […]