Economy

Economy and Finance Minister Luis Miguel Castilla said that Peru's economy will recover in 2014, thanks to new mines and infrastructure projects.

"There are indicators that are showing a change in tendency in the fourth quarter of this year. It appears that we've touched bottom in the third quarter, and in particular in September," Castilla said, according to daily Peru.21.

Peru's banking regulator criticized on Tuesday the interest rates paid by banks to clients in comparison to what they charge for credit.

In an interview with financial newspaper Gestion, Daniel Schydlowsky, a Harvard-educated economist, said that the gap is a concern for the country's long-term sustainable economic growth. 

Mining & Energy

Diplomacy

Foreign Minister Eda Rivas hailed Peru's improved image abroad during a forum organized here Wednesday by Agencia Efe, touting the stability her country offers investors and its strong relations with its neighbors and other regions of the world. 

Literature

In 2010 the novelist Daniel Alarc�n was included on The New Yorker's "20 Under 40" list of promising young American writers. Three years earlier his name had appeared on a similar list of Latin American novelists, the "Bogot� 39," but as a Peruvian.

Because Mr. Alarc�n, 36, has a new novel out, "At Night We Walk in Circles," a tragicomic account of the misadventures of a theater troupe on a tour of the Andes, it seems pertinent to ask: So which is it, a Peruvian or American writer? He quickly responds with another question: Why should I have to choose? 

Seven years ago, when I first walked into Peru's San Juan de Lurigancho Prison, the facility I call Collectors in "At Night We Walk in Circles," I couldn't believe it existed. It was probably five or six times over capacity-it was built for 2,000 inmates and there were close to 12,000  of them when I was there. There was a homeless camp within the prison, rampant drug use, and many hidden weapons. It was a legitimately scary place, like something out of Dante. I didn't write anything about it for many years, because I wasn't sure how I could capture all of it. How I would write something that was more than just a catalog of the sordid details I saw, but something human and humane about the men I met inside.

It took me years, but I was finally able to write something about my experiences in the prison, first in nonfiction, then in fiction. I was always looking for the right angle, the right story to tell. What I decided is that the novel had to be filled with the smallest and most intimate details of prison life, the things I could not have learned anywhere else. 

Gastronomy

According to the European Commission, Peru is the homeland of Pisco, the famous grape brandy. While both Chile and Peru claim Pisco to be the national drink, this now means that Peru enjoys special protection within the European market. This is useful, as Pisco is a major export product of Peru, with numbers having risen in the past years and one of the main importers being France. Ironically, the second largest importer is Chile.

Foodies in Miami, Florida will have a chance to indulge in spectacular Peruvian cuisine at this weekend's Sabor Peru Gastronomic Festival.

The event will take place at the Miami Airport Convention Center on November 16-17 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

If you ever had a guinea pig for a pet, the memory of the animal's high-pitched squeal may put you off the centrepiece of your meal at Astrid y Gast�n, the restaurant run by Peru's most famous chef, Gast�n Acurio, and his German wife, which is ranked 14th in the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants list. But if you can find a way to ignore that echo ringing in your ears, this dark, rich and perhaps somewhat stringy meat is one to tick off your gastronomic to-do list.

Tourism

Learn about Machu Picchu, the amazing palace complex built by the Incas in Peru.

 

Violent anti-mining protests in Cajamarca severely damaged the tourism industry in the highland city. However, as a result of intense promotion by local and national government, travelers are slowly returning to Cajamarca.

Archaeology

Illegal use and occupation of land near Ica is worrying cultural and archaeological authorities in the area.

According to El Comercio, 'invasores' ('invaders') have taken possession of two large tracts of land in a protected area. El Comercio reports that several groups of lines and trapezoid shapes have been destroyed by machinery, and the occupants of the land have also constructed a stone fence, as well as divided the territory into lots, abandoned equipment there, and vandalized the area.

As part of an archaeological project intended to better understand and re-value the ancient Inca road system, researchers are planning to open investigations into the Aypate complex in northern Peru.

The new investigations at Aypate will be funded as part of the Proyecto Qhapaq �an- the Inca roads project. The countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are currently working with UNESCO in order to jointly nominate the Qhapaq �an for consideration as a World Heritage Site. 

Archaeology and history buffs will have to add one more stop to their lists of ancient sites to visit in Peru: Uyo Uyo.

The Uyo Uyo archaeological site (not to be confused with the disputed phallic ruins at Inca Uyo near Puno or the Nigerian city of Uyo) is located in the Valle del Colca. According to Andina, the site is a pre-Inca citadel that contains houses, a plaza, and an observatory.

Miscellaneous

WikiLeaks has been promising a potential bombshell today, and now it's here, a very recent draft chapter from the already much-criticized Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty (which involves nations all the way from the US and Peru to Australia and Japan). Here's the full WikiLeaks press release and link to the doc.

 

The National Superintendent of Customs and Tax Administration (SUNAT) of Peru brought into effect measures to combat the undervaluation of imports of textiles and apparel in the country from October 30, 2013.

Peru's telecommunications regulator Osiptel is planning to update the coverage requirements for mobile operators in order to adapt them to current market needs.