Living in Peru : your everyday companion

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced that it has granted a US $20 million loan to help Peru’s government efforts on improving sustainability of water and sanitation services.

A press release from IDB states that this loan will be channeled into a program designed to correct service deficiencies, such as intermittent water supply, low quality of water, high level of unmetered water, average payment arrears of five months, and rates too low to cover operational costs.

The same press release makes clear that this is the third and last loan approved for this sector, in order to help the Peruvian government start structural, institutional, law and regulatory reforms.

The loan is for a 20-year term, with a 5-year grace period, at a variable interest rate based on Libor.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

More Finnish companies have expressed their interest in investing in Peru in projects related to clean technologies, renewable energy, mining and water in Peru, according to Finland’s Ambassador to Peru Pekka Orpana.

He announced that a Finnish business mission will arrive in Peru next month, aiming to identify business opportunities in the country.

Orpana remarked that at present 25 Finnish companies are already operating in Peru in different sectors, such as machinery for mining operations, telecommunications technology, thermoelectric power stations and paper.

The Finnish mission will also include Finland's Environment Minister, who will come to meet with her Peruvian counterpart.

Orpana also pointed out that Finland has a long story of cooperation with Peru, and that Peru exports almost US $300 million dollars to Finland each year.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

Philly.com

A Federal judge has denied a central Pennsylvania man's appeal of an order that he be extradited to Peru to stand trial in the murder of the 21-year-old woman he married there.

U.S. District Judge James Munley dismissed the petition filed by 28-year-old William Trickett Smith II of Paxtang contesting his extradition in the murder of 21-year-old Jana Claudia Gomez Menendez.

Her body was found in a large suitcase that washed up on a Pacific Ocean beach in August 2007.

Munley cited witness accounts that Smith left a hotel where he was staying with Menendez with a suitcase like the one in which the body was found.

Two co-defendants have said Smith weighted down a suitcase and dropped it into the ocean.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William A. Behe said he was pleased by the decision and hoped that another appeal immediately filed by Smith's attorney would be heard quickly

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peruvian Pisco Mosto Verde Don Alvaro was awarded a gold medal at the recent International Wine and Spirits CINVE 2009 contest, which took place between September 25th and 27th, in Seville, Spain.

This award confirms the excellent quality of the Pisco Don Alvaro, the careful process followed in the elaboration of pisco, and the quality of the grapes. This award is also a valuable opportunity for national pisco to promote sales in Spain and Europe.

The CINVE jury was composed of 40 of the most renowned tasters, wine makers and wine experts worldwide, and had the participation of a great variety of samples from all five continents.

The awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, 3 November, at a gala dinner at the Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville. Pisco Mosto Verde Don Alvaro is produced by TLC Promotores.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru celebrated the 160th anniversary of Chinese immigration with a ceremony at the Government Palace, where President Alan García declared his Chinese counterpart in China, Hu Jintao, an "honorary Peruvian."

The Peruvian President praised the close relationship between Lima and Beijing which has  a free trade agreement (FTA) that tightens ties between China and Peru.

"Thanks to the efforts of our friend and brother, our honorary Peruvian, Hu Jintao, the Free Trade Agreement with China will enable us to develop Peru's capacities, production and modernity,” said Garcia.

The ceremonies included not only a Chinese dance show, but also a special Chinese cuisine dinner, as well as an exhibition of Chinese artifacts, and a photography exhibition dedicated to the first Chinese immigrants.

The Chinese community in Peru, estimated at over a million descendants, is the third largest in the world, behind those in the United States and Canada.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

"The Great Inca Road," a photo exhibition (of the famous Incan Capaq Ñan) organized by the Consulate General of Peru in New York, is currently open to public at the American Museum of Natural History.

The exhibition showcases photos of storage edifications, forts, suspension bridges, as well as administrative and religious centers of the Inca Empire, which included current territories of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

Photographs were provided by the National Institute of Culture (INC) and the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The exhibition will be open to the public for almost a year from October 17th, 2009 to September 2010.

(Condensed from Andina)

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Supreme Court has finally approved the extradition of Israeli judge Dan Cohen to Israel.

Cohen, who is accused of taking a US $ 4.3 million bribe from Siemens Company while serving as a director in the Israel Electric Corporation, will be prosecuted also on charges if receiving illicit benefits, breach of trust by a public servant, false registration of corporate  documents and disrupting court proceedings.

Cohen (66) was arrested about two months ago, and according to Peruvian documents, there is no reason to reject the extradition request since the offenses attributed to Cohen are criminal offenses, and are not related any political, military, religious, racist or national motives.  

(Condensed from Ynetnews.com)

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

The French Government has no intention of rectifying the tourist map, allegedly printed with data taken from the French National Geographic Institute (IGN), that sets a limit-change time zone hour between Peru and Chile, which coincides with the Peruvian claim to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Through a press release, the French Embassy in Santiago, Chile noted that the red dots on the sea are the limit of time zone, such as El Comercio published on Wednesday.

"This time zone boundary is represented, for convenience, as a schematic line perpendicular to the coast," states the press release.

It also states that the mapping belongs to society Mairdumont, Falk Verlag, 73751 Ostfildern.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Perú was elected as a member of Unesco's Executive Council after a vote in Paris, with the participation of 193 members.

Peruvian Chancellor was very pleased in Lima.

The Peruvian government called the nomination a "political, diplomatic and cultural win" and this election as a member of the Executive Council of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a matter of pride.

Peru was elected a member of Unesco's executive organ at group III (Latin America and Caribbean) after the 193 state-members of the organization voted. Chancellor José Antonio García Belaunde showed himself very pleased with the news.

UNESCO's Executive Council has 58 state members and cares about discussing and approving its programs and biannual budgets, supervising the right application of such programs and budgets and choosing the General Manager.

At today's meeting, 31 new country members were approved by the council. At group III, Perú and Venezuela are the new Latin American  representatives, while Barbados, Granada, Haiti and Santa Lucia will be representing the Caribbean. Argentina, Chile, Cuba and El Salvador, who keep their seats for two more years, are the other countries that complete the six Latin America representatives.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

A touristic map printed by the prestigious National Geographic Institute of France (IGN) coincides with Peru's proposed solution to a maritime dispute with Chile, according to a report published today in Peru.com

This map, which shows red points that divide the Peruvian and Chilean oceans, says also that those points correspond to the world time limit.

The map was printed in El Comercio, which adds that the time division sets as political borders a line that coincides with Peru's claim in the Hague. This is the diagonal border into the ocean proposed by Peru.

However, reportedly, this map will not have any influence in the lawsuit.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.