Economy

Despite the global economic turmoil, Peru continues to grow thanks in part to the free trade agreements (FTAs) with partners around the world, Peruvian Trade and Tourism Minister Magali Silva said on Wednesday.

Silva said that these pacts have helped mitigate the impact of international crisis on Peru's foreign trade, diversifying its export markets and products.

Mining & Energy

Peru's largest publicly traded precious metals mining firm reached an agreement with workers and contractors at Orcopampa gold mine, the company announced Thursday.

The Peruvian-based company Compania de Minas Buenaventura said normal operations are expected to resume after workers concluded a two-week strike that began on Oct. 21, which was declared illegal by the Peruvian Ministry of Labor.

Development

Agriculture

Cacao, the base ingredient of chocolate, has been added to the growing list of Peruvian flagship products, which are important exports that represent the country in international markets.

The National Committee on Flagship Products (Coproba) made the announcement on Wednesday, highlighting the "origin, distinctive features and comparative advantages" of cacao. 

Peru is poised to become a major exporter of blueberries to the United States starting early next year, according to Fresh Results, one of the largest blueberry marketers in the world.

Fresh Results is responsible for almost 20% of all fresh blueberries imported into the U.S. and currently imports 10 million kilos of blueberries from Argentina, Chile and Mexico. 

Apem says delay will benefit exporters as markets will be clear for new arrivals.

The start of the Peruvian mango campaign has been delayed by two weeks due to a shortage of water and unseasonably cool temperatures. Production is estimated to reach 110,000 tonnes in 2013/14, a similar volume to last season, according to producer association Promango. President �ngel Gamarra told Agraria.pe that earlier estimates of a 5 per cent increase in volumes had been revised downwards due to a water shortage and irregular rainfall patterns, which would also delay the start of the season. 

Environment

Though I certainly love to complain about the dreary Lima weather, I should probably be thankful that it isn't worse.

And that it's not underwater.

It may sound fanciful, but scientists working with National Geographic have created a map that shows potential geographical changes five millennia into the future, and it's not pretty.

According to their projections, if global climate change continues to melt ice caps, coastal cities around the globe may go the way of Atlantis.

Gastronomy

The menu at Kotosh reads: "Peruvian Food & Sushi." It makes it sound like two different menus that coexist peacefully but actually, there's plenty of fusion at play here. This is a restaurant with lots of culinary overlap, plenty of dishes that borrow ingredients and techniques from both cuisines. 

Tourism

Lake Titicaca, at 3810 meters (over 12,500ft), is the highest navigable lake in the world, and the largest freshwater lake in South America. At its maximum, it reaches 190 km long (118 miles), 80km wide (50 miles), and 281 meters deep (922 feet).

It also is a very old lake - formed over three million years ago - and is one of less than 20 ancient lakes of the world. About 60 percent of the lake is in Peru, and 40 percent in Bolivia.

Culture

How do traditional societies change as a result of contact with the modern age? You can only tell if you know what they looked like before that. For the rural culture of the Peruvian Chancay Valley, this has just become easier-with help from the University of Bonn, a Peruvian anthropologist just saved 50-year-old records about this region from oblivion. 

Peruvian film "La Navaja de Don Juan" made its premiere at the recent Austin Film Festival, in the state of Texas in the United States.

The film, which was repeatedly billed as "'Y tu mam� tambi�n' meets 'Superbad'," is writer-director Tom Sanchez's directorial debut.

Miscellaneous

Regional authorities in northern Peru are to meet with the country's new cabinet chief in December to create a plan to tackle crime in the area, according to state news agency Andina.

The meeting is scheduled to take place on December 5 between Premier Cesar Villanueva, who took office last week, and the regional presidents of Tumbes, Piura, Cajamarca, Lambayeque, La Libertad and Ancash.

New ranking shows that Peru beats Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia in terms of English-language proficiency.

Argentina led the Latin American nations in their level of English, appearing at number 19. Uruguay, at 29, was the second-highest scorer in the region. Costa Rica clocks in at 37, followed immediately by Brazil, Per�, and Mexico (38, 39, and 40, respectively). 

Peru's Ministry of Transport and Communications has announced the start of bidding for the Amazon Integration Project Loreto-San Martin and the Terrestrial Telecommunications Network, providing broadband to 70 rural communities in the Loreto Region.