Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Life in Ecuador - The Middle of the World: Find friends in Ecuador with InterNations.
Life in Ecuador - The Middle of the World: Find friends in Ecuador with InterNations.: Coming to a new country by yourself can be a downright daunting experience. Remember that Doors song "When your Strange"? That i...
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Ecuador to Compensate Exporters Hurt by End of U.S. Trade Preferences-
The Wall Street Journal - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 As of 3:36 PM EDT
By Mercedes Alvaro
QUITO, Ecuador--Ecuador's National Assembly approved a law late
Tuesday to compensate exporters affected by the expiration of the
U.S.-Andean Trade Preferences and Drug Eradication Act, or Atpdea. The law was approved with 103 votes in favor and only one against. It will compensate exporters with about $23 million a year.
The law allows for the giving of tax-credit certificates to companies affected by the removal of the preferences. The certificates can be used to pay taxes or some debts with state-owned banks.
The government of President Rafael Correa has said that the impact of losing the preferences will be $23 million a year, while Ecuadorean exporters put the number at $26 million.
The Atpdea provides duty-free access to some U.S. imports from Ecuador. It originally was created to help four Andean countries in their efforts to fight drug production and trafficking, but currently Ecuador is the only remaining beneficiary of the preferences.
The Atpdea benefits expire Wednesday, and the application of tariffs for Ecuadorean products will start on Thursday.
The U.S. is Ecuador's top trade partner. Last year, the Andean country's exports to the U.S. totaled about $10.62 billion, which represents 45% of the country's total exports.
Last year Ecuador exported about $242 million under the Andean trade preferences to the U.S., 23% of the country's non-oil exports, including canned tuna, flowers and broccoli.
These three products accounted for about 90% of the Ecuadorean exports under the Atpdea.
According to the Ecuadorian Exporters Federation, known as Fedexpor, about 250 products and more than 200 companies will be affected by the loss of the preferences.
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130731-715304.html
Ecuador, the main destination for Colombian refugees-
By Lissette Condo for Infosurhoy.com - 01/08/2013
Access to decent housing is one of the biggest problems faced by
refugees, who comprise 10% of the population in Lago Agrio, a
municipality in the northeastern Ecuadoran province of Sucumbíos, 569
kilometers from the border with Colombia. (Courtesy V.
Rodas/ACNUR-UNHCR)
After 12 years in a foreign country, his Colombian identity remains firmly intact.
“It’s been nearly 13 years under the shadow of silence,” said Ramón, 52, who declined to provide his last name for safety reasons.
To live in freedom, he had to leave his native land and immigrate to Ecuador.....
... Of that total, at least 99% are Colombians, with the rest from the Middle East.....
Read more: http://infosurhoy.com/cocoon/saii/xhtml/en_GB/features/saii/features/main/2013/08/01/feature-01
Saturday, August 3, 2013
TIPUTINI RIVER, Ecuador - An experiment in Amazon conservation faces economic reality-
BY JIM WYSS - jwyss@MiamiHerald.com
...The mysteries of this forest, which scientists like Coley are still discovering, could be at risk after this South American nation quietly began considering pulling the plug on one of the most innovative and ambitious conservation plans ever attempted.
The Yasuní-ITT Initiative was designed to leave more than 846 million barrels of crude oil untouched, in perpetuity, beneath Yasuní National Park — rioting with unknown species and tribes living in voluntary isolation.
In exchange, the government asked the world to cover just half of the crude’s $7.2 billion market price.
Environmental groups praised the plan as a novel way to slash greenhouse gases. In 2010, the United Nations threw its support behind the project, setting up a trust fund to receive and manage donations. There were hopes that crowd-sourcing conservation might be a model for other developing nations.
....In the balance is one of the most biodiverse spots on the planet. The ITT block is among the most isolated areas of Yasuní National Park, a 2.4 million-acre U.N. biosphere reserve, which holds about one-third of all of the Amazon’s amphibian species, even though it represents just a small fraction of the total area. In any given two-and-a-half acre plot of the Yasuní — roughly the size of a soccer pitch — there are more species of trees than in the United States and Canada combined.
“As a biologist, nothing makes me more awestruck than to work in an incredibly diverse and pristine area where every day you discover something that you couldn’t even imagine or anticipate,” Coley said. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/03/3541557/an-experiment-in-amazon-conservation.html
ECUADOR NEWS MAGAZINE: 100 million dollar investment for Manta
ECUADOR NEWS MAGAZINE: 100 million dollar investment for Manta: Ecuador news magazine - Quito, August 2 (Andes).- The port of Manta, in the province of Manabí, will receive a 100-million dollar investment...private contributions for 30 million, as part of a special development project, reported the Port Authority....
Rodolfo Cano, port manager, explained that the development project, approved by the Ministry of Transportation – which encompasses 70 million dollars intended for physical infrastructure and 30 million dollars for equipment – will be allocated to a private operator who wins the international competition for said assignment, expected to take place this year.
The project encompasses the expansion of the international pier from 200 to 550 meters in length and a yard for 300 thousand containers on the East side of the Port. Cano estimated that it will be completed by 2015.
Manta will be the only multi-purpose, deep water port in the country, with the capacity to cater to the line of business of car importers, wholesalers, container carriers, and fisheries.....
Rodolfo Cano, port manager, explained that the development project, approved by the Ministry of Transportation – which encompasses 70 million dollars intended for physical infrastructure and 30 million dollars for equipment – will be allocated to a private operator who wins the international competition for said assignment, expected to take place this year.The project encompasses the expansion of the international pier from 200 to 550 meters in length and a yard for 300 thousand containers on the East side of the Port. Cano estimated that it will be completed by 2015.
Manta will be the only multi-purpose, deep water port in the country, with the capacity to cater to the line of business of car importers, wholesalers, container carriers, and fisheries.....
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Volcano continues to affect air routes / U.S. signals it wants better relations with EC
ECUADOR DIGEST
Volcano continues to affect air routes / U.S. signals it wants better relations with Ecuador, trade discussions underway
Posted By
Admin | Published: July 24, 2013 23:20
Flight routes have been shifted to the west, adding five to 15 minutes to flight times between cities.
Although some in-country flights have been cancelled as a result of the volcano, most have continued on schedule.
http://www.cuencahighlife.com/post/2013/07/24/ECUADOR-DIGEST3cbr3eVolcano-continues-to-affect-airline-routes3b-US-signals-it-wants-better-relations-with-Ecuador-trade-discussions-underay.aspx
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