Cuenca news today, written for expats

The planned Gapal interchange has an August 14 proposal deadline, a $21.0 million reference budget, and a 540-day construction window on the Cuenca-Azogues corridor.

ARCOM reporting identifies Camilo Ponce Enríquez, Sígsig, Pucará, and Santa Isabel as Azuay illegal-mining pressure points, while national illegal-mining sites have expanded sharply since 2018.

Cuenca-born hematologist Esteban Tamariz is working in Navarra on CAR-T research that uses antibodies from Andean llamas to improve attacks on multiple myeloma.

Azuay expects more than 600,000 voters for the November local elections, with 272 voting precincts planned and new rural voting spaces in Ludo and Serag.

A group of 20 cooperatives from Azuay and other Ecuadorian provinces has joined Red Chas, a digital QR-payment network that says it already reaches more than 100,000 businesses nationwide.

A Baños producer is selling more than 4,000 quail eggs per week under the Productos del Campo brand, with local distribution now reaching supermarkets, AgroAzuay stores, Gran Sol, and Feria Libre.