Economy

Peru's economy is expected to grow 5.5 percent in 2014, driven by a rebound in exports thanks to new mining and infrastructure projects, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts.

In a recently-issued report, the IMF said that Peru will recover next year from a projected growth rate of 5 percent in 2013. 

Peru's monetary policy is "between neutral and expansive," central bank president Julio Velarde said on Tuesday.

The bank surprised the market earlier this month by cutting the benchmark interest rate for the first time in more than four years in a bid to spur economic growth and ward off an extended slowdown.

Economic inequality in Peru has shown a declining trend as a result of the labor market growth in a decentralized manner, contributing to the generation of new incomes for families, said Santiago Roca, Professor at ESAN Graduate School of Business. 

Peru has been lauded by trading partners at a World Trade Organization's global forum for its trade and investment reforms, including the reduction of its applied tariffs, with average duties for industrial goods declining to 3.1% in 2013 from 7.2% in 2007. 

Fight against drugs

Peru's government has surpassed its goal for the eradication of coca crops this year, according to the head of the country's anti-drug agency, Carmen Masias.

Masias told Canal N television that 22,300 hectares of coca have been eradicated in 2013, higher than the 14,000 hectares eradicated in 2012, and more than double the eradication goals of previous administrations. 

Mining & Energy

Society

Four out of ten Peruvian women are victims of domestic violence, Peru's Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations said Monday, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. 

Technology

Satellite company O3b Networks has moved a step closer to service launch for its customers with the formal opening of its Gateway (satellite ground station) in preparation for its Launch and Service Commencement in 2014. 

Defense

outh Korean and Peruvian defense ministers will hold talks this week to strengthen bilateral ties in security and arms industry sectors, the government said Tuesday.
The defense ministry said Kim Kwan-jin will meet Pedro Cateriano on Wednesday in Seoul to discuss recent headway made in two-way relations and review developments in the export deal for KT-1 basic trainers. 

How do you top the recent re-opening external link of the DIFAA UFO investigation department? If you're the Peruvian Air Force, you buy 2 C-27J light tactical airlifters, in order to shore up a weak area for the FAP. So, why the C-27J?

The contract isn't quite finalized, but Alenia Aermacchi's Nov 25/13 release describes it as "around" EUR 100 million, including a "substantial" support package. The Italian firm says that it won the 3-year competition in part due to its high-altitude capabilities among the Andes mountains.

Gastronomy

A 26-year-old Peruvian American chef (originally from El Huarique in Venice) presents his grounded interpretation of a traditional Peruvian restaurant, bravely located on the culturally rich stretch of Whittier Boulevard between East Los Angeles and Montebello.

A recent study indicates food-related tourism in Peru's southern Tacna region generates US$ 300 million annually, with most of the tourists coming from neighboring Chile. 

Tourism

With it's ever-growing skyscrapers, recent epicurean stardom and booming economy, Peru has made a name for itself on the world-wide stage. Each year, curious travelers come by the millions to the Andean nation to sip pisco sours and conquer Machu Picchu. But what they may not know is that less than three hours outside of Lima, one of the Americas' busiest, most populated capitals, is also one of the Americas' oldest urban centers that rivals the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt in both its complexity and age.

Caral, believed to have first been settled 5,000 years ago (more than 3,500 years before the Incas who have made Peru famous), sits on 200 acres of sand blown in from the coast 15 miles west. Below the bright blue sky, intricately erected pyramids, temples, plazas, and homes dot the scenery. 

Peru's capital Lima has been announced as the host of the 17th National and 2nd Latin American Congress of Official Tourist Guides, having both the aim of discussing new trends to enhance the quality service provided by the sector. 

 

Miscellaneous

Pop singer Katy Perry has revealed what is on top of her Christmas wish list this year: a trip to Peru's famed Machu Picchu ruins. 

In an advert for her new perfume Killer Queen, the 'Firework' hitmaker told Santa Claus that she wants to visit the ancient Inca citadel as a gift for Christmas.