Cuenca High Life

02/06/2026

How to avoid ‘garbage news’ on Google Search

By David Nield When you search Google for something topical, you might see a cluster of headlines from news outlets, reporting breaking stories related to your search query....

By David Nield When you search Google for something topical, you might see a cluster of headlines from news outlets, reporting breaking stories related to your search query. If you […]

02/06/2026

How the Noboa government manages and controls communication and its relationship with the media

By the Fundación Periodistas Sin Cadenas President Daniel Noboa's government has developed an official communication strategy designed to minimize the president's exposure to the public, protect the government’s narrative, and limit the chances for journalists to question public officials....

By the Fundación Periodistas Sin Cadenas President Daniel Noboa’s government has developed an official communication strategy designed to minimize the president’s exposure to the public, protect the government’s narrative, and […]

02/06/2026

Machu Picchu overtourism: A bucket list dream is turning into a nightmare for visitors

By Michael Starling Take a look at almost any travel bucket list and Machu Picchu is likely to feature prominently....

By Michael Starling Take a look at almost any travel bucket list and Machu Picchu is likely to feature prominently. But visiting Peru’s famed 15th-century Inca citadel is becoming increasingly […]

01/06/2026

U.S. military attacks on suspected drug boats are having no effect on the co***ne market

By Sam Sifton The videos are eerily similar. There’s a small go-fast boat on a sun-dappled sea....

01/06/2026

Two suspects still at large in deadly Chordeleg jewelry store robbery; Ecuador private school enrollment plummets; Effort underway to recall Daniel Noboa

National Police report they have identified the two escaped suspects who remain at large following Thursday's deadly robbery of a jewelry store in Chordeleg....

National Police report they have identified the two escaped suspects who remain at large following Thursday’s deadly robbery of a jewelry store in Chordeleg. During the robbery, the son of […]

01/06/2026

Colombia heads to presidential runoff election pitting far-right and far-left candidates

By Megan Janetsky and Astrid Suarez Tough-on-crime outsider Aberaldo de la Espriella took the lead in Colombia’s presidential race in the first round of voting Sunday night, setting up a runoff with Iván Cepeda, an ally of Colombia’s outgoing President Gustavo Petro who questioned the results of the election....

By Megan Janetsky and Astrid Suarez Tough-on-crime outsider Aberaldo de la Espriella took the lead in Colombia’s presidential race in the first round of voting Sunday night, setting up a […]

01/06/2026

My horse reads the newspaper and other useful Spanish phrases

There is a simple test that reveals how someone learned Spanish, and it takes about five seconds. Ask them to say Tomebamba. If the word comes out “Tomebambay,” you can be fairly sure the Spanish was learned from a screen instead of from a speaker. I was reminded of this recently while watching a group of enthusiastic digital-nomad videographers who had spent three months in Cuenca documenting their experiences for a global audience....

There is a simple test that reveals how someone learned Spanish, and it takes about five seconds. Ask them to say Tomebamba. If the word comes out “Tomebambay,” you can be […]

01/06/2026

Nobel prize-winning economist remains skeptical of AI claims, sees only modest productivity boost

By James O'Donnell A few months before he was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics in 2024, Daron Acemoglu published a paper that earned him few fans in Silicon Valley. Contrary to what Big Tech CEOs had been promising — an overhaul of all white-collar work — Acemoglu estimated that AI would give only a small boost to U.S. productivity and would not replace human work....

By James O’Donnell A few months before he was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics in 2024, Daron Acemoglu published a paper that earned him few fans in Silicon Valley. […]

30/05/2026

Ecuador-Colombia tariff war will end on Monday

Colombia announced Saturday that it will eliminate tariffs on Ecuadorian imports a day after Ecuador President Daniel Noboa announced the removal of “security” levies on Colombian products. In its statement, Colombia Foreign Ministry said it hopes to “fully restore symmetry in bilateral economic relations.” All tariffs will end on June 1, both countries said. Following its announcement, Colombia also condemned Noboa’s "interference" in Sunday’s presidential election....

Colombia announced Saturday that it will eliminate tariffs on Ecuadorian imports a day after Ecuador President Daniel Noboa announced the removal of “security” levies on Colombian products. In its statement, […]

30/05/2026

Fifty shades of gray

There are people alive today who genuinely cannot imagine a world without television. To them it is like asking somebody to imagine life without weather. Television simply exists and as far as we know has always existed. It lives on walls in airport lounges, above bars in Cuenca, inside taxis, inside telephones, and possibly one day inside the human bloodstream....

There are people alive today who genuinely cannot imagine a world without television. To them it is like asking somebody to imagine life without weather. Television simply exists and as […]