Economy

Magali Silva, Peru's Minister of Exterior Commerce and Tourism, told press today that the nations of Russia, India, and El Salvador are interested in pursuing free trade agreements with Peru.

Silva is taking part in the World Trade Organization conference.

According to RPP, Silva had a meeting with the Russian trade minister in order to begin the initial steps of free trade negotiations.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has praised the ongoing policies carried out by the Peruvian government aimed at promoting development, tackling poverty and reducing inequality. 

Peruvian government is decided to turn stories of poverty to success by speeding up the development of a sustainable and inclusive industrialization in the country, Peru's Production Minister, Gladys Trive�o, has said. 

Mining & Energy

Environment

Diplomacy

Gastronomy

It was 8 o'clock on Saturday, and the regular crowd was nowhere to be found. Not the best sentimental song fodder, perhaps, but this subdued scene at Alpamayo Restaurant on Lee's darkened Main Street was a feast for our eyes. And the pan flute renditions of '60s rock anthems that breathed through the long dining room suited our low-key Peruvian dinner better than any piano man. 

Tourism

The sea is cold and turquoise, sometimes changing to an intense blue, depending on the position of the sun; and the peninsula in which it is, is the biggest and most beautiful of Peru's coast. The particular geography of Paracas owes itself to the part of the coast that also holds one of the main attractions of the region: the Ballestas Islands.

Aguas calientes is often overlooked; because of its proximity to Machu Picchu, it's generally seen as more of a place to pass through, rather than visit for itself, but these spectacular photographs will show you another, less seen side to the town. 

Culture

From shining gold to brilliant feathers, beaten silver and evocative sculpted heads, ancient Peru was a place of drama, beauty and lots of bling.

And some of the most spectacular pieces are now on display at the National Gallery of Australia as part of its much-anticipated summer blockbuster, Gold and the Incas: Lost Worlds of Peru, which opens on Friday.

The gallery has borrowed more than 200 pieces from 10 Peruvian museums to stage the major survey of ancient artefacts, most of which have been recovered from burial sites across the country.

Archaeology

Archaeologists investigating the Samanco archaeological complex in the region of Ancash have made a discovery that they are hailing as a new window into the relationships maintained between the Inca and the cultures they conquered.

Excavators working in Ancash have come upon a tomb containing multiple burials, fine textiles, jewelry, and musical instruments. 

Fashion

For his latest exhibition, renowned fashion photographer Mario Testino went home - to Peru.

Trekking repeatedly over five years to Cusco City, once the capital of the Inca Empire, Lima-born Testino discovered, while on assignment for British Vogue, a vast trove of costumes from the region so rich in color and heritage that he found himself delving deeper and deeper into a desire to document them.

Coupled with inspiration from Martin Chambi (one of the first indigenous Latin American photographers) and Javier Silva (who has documented festivals in Peru), Testino captured a series of richly-saturated images showcasing traditional and festival clothing for his latest exhibition, Alta Moda, opening at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute in New York on November 20. 

 

Miscellaneous

Global watchdog group Transparency International's annual corruption index showed that Peru falls within a category that includes countries with a "serious corruption problem."

Peru came in with a score of 38, which resulted in the country being ranked at 83 of the 175 countries. Peru was tied with several other countries in that ranking, including El Salvador, Burkina Faso and Zambia. 

 

Peruvians have taken to Starbucks with an almost surprising enthusiasm.

In 2003, when Starbucks opened its first establishments in Peru, the BBC reported that the franchise was taking a risk, as Peruvians weren't avid coffee drinkers.

But now, just 10 years later, there are 60 Starbucks stores in Peru- and the franchise is planning to open seven more before the end of the year.

Alberto Fujimori is reportedly doing well after an operation was performed on a cancerous lesion on his tongue.

The ex-president is suffering from a recurrence of cancer on his tongue; this is the sixth time that this area of his body has been operated upon.