Peruvian president encourages Colombia to overcome current difficulties

Peruvian President Alan Garcia Perez expressed his confidence that Colombia’s President-elect Juan Manuel Santos will overcome temporary difficulties the country is going through and will further spread the message of peace under his administration.

After receiving Santos at the Government Palace, Garcia expressed optimism that his administration will be able to "get things back to normal".

"We are confident he (Colombia’s President-elect) will overcome temporary difficulties the country is currently going through, I know it from experience; he will be capable to get things back to normal."

At his arrival to the Courtyard of Honor of the presidential palace at 12:10 hours (17:10 GMT), Santos was welcomed with military honors by the Husares de Junin battalion. Then, the national anthems of Peru and Colombia were played.

Juan Manuel Santos began a tour of several Latin American countries as an attempt to bring the region closer together.

Colombian president-elect is also scheduled to meet with presidents of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli; Chile, Sebastián Piñera; and Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

Lima Bar Show to place Peru at forefront of cocktail world

Lima Bar Show 2010 will take place on August 15-16 in the Country Club Hotel gathering the best professionals of the spirit world as barmen, food & beverage managers, buyers, trade professionals, producers and distributors.

This event is aimed at placing Peru at the forefront of the cocktail world, enhancing Peruvian barmen' skills, and publicizing new global trends.

Jürgen Deibel, renowned German expert on distilled with 30 years of experience in the spirits industry, will be the organization director of this third edition of the Lima Bar Show.

Deibel will also conduct courses and tastings to promote creativity and good practice for people working in the whole chain of the cocktail industry (from producers to sellers).

"We are sure Lima Bar Show will gather more local and international participants this year, indeed some foreign delegations have conffirmed their attendance," he said.

Other international exhibitors who will attend the event are Uwe Voigt, founder of Barschule Rostock, official school for Bartenders International Union; and Simon Van Kerkhof, famous European chef and sweets expert with 15 years experience, representatives of Adalides, who pioneered the Digital Signage in Spain.

Among the most prominent national exponents are Adolfo Perret, Punta Sal chef, who has 20 years of experience specializing in Peruvian and international cuisine; and Cristina Vallarino, winemaker and wine main reference in Peru, and founder of the Peruvian Association of Women Tasters.

Other guests are Luciano Revoredo, historian and lover of Pisco; Edwin Landeo, a leading winemaker of the Technological Innovation Centre of Vine (Citeve), and other top professionals who will make Lima Bar Show 2010 a unique event in Peru.

Third Peruvian rotisserie chicken restaurant opens in China

The delicious flavors of Peruvian pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken) keep on conquering people all around the world, this time in China, where Eduardo and Marco Vargas are opening their third restaurant, located in a top business district in Shanghai.

“This place will be even better. There is a great concentration of expats and business offices around, and some 80% of our sales correspond to delivery service,” said Marco Vargas.

Their main target are Latin American families, middle-aged Chinese executives and local youth.

“The Filipino community is one of the most enthusiastic, since our chicken reminds them of a similar they have in their country,” Vargas said.

Their franchise cannot be sold until November, but the Vargas have already made contact with business people in other Chinese provinces, who are interested in opening similar restaurants.

The Vargas brothers are seeking for more business partners to create the restaurant chain “Brasa Chicken,” livinginperu.com reported citing an elcomercio.pe article.

Photo: Peruvian rottiserie New York

Olivia Newton John celebrates wedding anniversary in Cusco, Peru

Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John and her husband John Easterling have visited Peru to celebrate their wedding anniversary in the Andean city of Cusco, ancient capital of the Inca empire.

Three years ago, Olivia Newton John and natural-health businessman John Easterling vowed to love each other forever, while wearing Indigenous clothes in a ceremony held in the sacred site of Tambomachay.

According to Peruvian weekly magazine Caretas, the famous Australian couple spent some hours in Peru's capital Lima and then flew to Cusco, where they stayed a week.

During their recent visit, the couple enjoyed the local cuisine, Andean music and the scenic beauty of the sacred Inca spot where they first fell in love while on a business trip.

Tambomachay (a place to rest in Quechua language) is located 4.5 miles east from the famous city of Cusco, at 11.100 feet above sea level. This sacred site was used by the Inca royal family as a worship place of waterfalls and ceremonial purification baths.

It includes well-crafted canals, aqueducts, waterfalls, terraces and windows that show the high level of architectural and hydraulics knowledge of the Tawantinsuyu civilization. (Andina)

Peru's GDP jumped more than forecasted 9.19% in May

Peru's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) jumped 9.19 percent in May 2010 expanding for the tenth consecutive month, Peru’s National Statistics Institute (INEI) reported Thursday.

May’s result is the second highest increase registered in the Peruvian economy this year, above April’s (9.26%) and March’s (8.76%).

Recently, Lima-based consulting firm Maximixe reported that Peru's GDP was likely to have grown 7.6% in May, following the growth path registered in the last few months.

Peru’s output surged by 7.37% between January and May 2010, while in the June 2009 and May 2010 period (last 12 months) it rose by 3.6%.

Agriculture sector increased by 3.21%, while the fishing sector and mining sector dropped 20.62% and 2.06%, respectively.

Construction jumped 20.88% in May and 18.48% between January and May, while Commerce increased 11.09% in May and 9.41% in the first five months of the year.

In May, Transport and Communications, Finances and Insurance and Services Provided to Enterprises surged 5.23, 10.95 and 9.45%, respectively, while in the first five months of the year, they rose 3.90, 10.30 and 6.12%, repectively.

Earlier this month, Credit Suisse investment bank raised its Peru's GDP growth forecast to 6.5 percent in 2010, from its previous 6 percent, and to 6 percent in 2011 as the Andean economy is rebounding strongly.

Over 100 leading mining companies explore in Peru

More than 100 of the world's leading mining companies are carrying out exploration in Peru, attracted by its major mineral resources and the country's political and economic stability, the Energy and Mines Ministry (MEM) said Tuesday.

“At present there are over 100 exploring companies from Canada, Australia, England, China and the United States, among others,” said MEM's Director of Mining Promotion, Henry Luna.

Besides, there are approximately 276 mining projects and exploration prospects and 398 mining units being exploited, he added.

Luna pointed out that some of the world's leading companies operating in the country are Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco), UK's Anglo American, Canada's Barrick Gold, Australia's BHP Billiton, as well as Peru's Buenaventura, Hochschild and Milpo.

The MEM official noted that in a bid to change the image of the country's mining industry in the past, an environmental management system for mining operations has been in place in Peru since the 90’s.

Peru launches national plan to change fishing infrastructure

The Peruvian government this month launched a National Plan to change the fishing Infrastructure related to direct human consumption (DHC), which they set out the priorities for within their development of the infrastructure of artisanal fishing sector projects.

"It involves identifying those landing sites that are in great demand and linked to products which are to be processed for export," said the head of the Ministry of Production, José Gonzáles, when announcing the initiative.

"If they meet these characteristics and require an improvement in their physical condition, then they should form part of the plan," he added.

The minister stressed that the Plan will focus on how to unload the seafood products for DHC within the 51 wharves in Peru, reports Andina.

According to fis.com, the initiative is funded from the budget allocated to the National Fisheries Development Fund (FONDEP) and private investments from companies which must unload cargo.

For the first phase of the plan, which will take place this year, there was allocated a budget of PEN 5 million (USD 1.7 million) to upgrade five or six state landing sites and a similar number of private ones.

In the second stage, which begins next year, we will attend to the remaining number with an investment of PEN 10 million (USD 3.4 million).

Within the framework for the implementation of the plan, there will open a pier in Morro Sama (Tacna) and the one located in Chimbote (Ancash) will be relaunched.

Moreover, Gonzáles announced that next October there is expected to be an arrival of a delegation of specialists from the European Union (EU) which will assess the current state of landing sites in Peru. The group's mission is to oversee the health and safety standards of fishing in Peru. (Andina)

Credit Suisse sees Peru’s GDP growth at 8.5% in Q2

Credit Suisse investment bank predicted that Peru’s GDP growth in the second quarter will be 8.5 percent after a 6.03 percent increase in January-March.

Latin America Research Department at Credit Suisse Economist Carola Sandy said April’s data indicates that the second quarter may approach or reach 8.5 percent.

Sandy said headline inflation is low, 1.64% yoy as of June, but it will gradually climb up to 2.5% by the end of the year.

"Given our views on inflation and growth, our base case scenario is that the central bank (BCR) will raise the policy rate by a cumulative 200bps to 3.25% in 2010, consistent with a 25bps hike in each of the remaining six monthly meetings," she stated.

Futhermore, the same case scenario shows that the BCR will raise its policy rate by an additional 75 basic points in 2011.

Peru mining exports totaled US$7.8 billion in first five-month period

Peruvian mining exports totaled US$7.8 billion in first five-month period of this year, which represents a 39.7 percent increase over the same period in 2009, Peru's Foreign Trade Society (ComexPeru) reported Saturday.

During this period, Southern Peru Copper led mining exports totaling 1.17 billion dollars, a 98.2 percent jump compared to the same period in 2009.

Mining company Antamina ranks second with exports amounting to 1 billion dollars, 82.8 percent more; while Yanacocha mining company is in third place with 739 million dollars in exports, a 7.54 percent increase compared to last year's same period.

Copper miner Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde ranks fourth with exports increasing 60.6 percent to 640.6 million dollars.

Barrick Misquichilca mine is currently in fifth place with exports totaling 616.2 million dollars, an increase of 26 percent compared to the same period in 2009.

Peruvian food festival to be held July 18 in San Francisco

Fans of Peruvian cuisine will be able to satisfy their cravings at San Francisco's second annual Festival de Comida Peruana, scheduled for Sunday, July 18.

Demand for last year's festival exceeded the capacity of the enclosed venue. So this time, organizers have selected space outdoors at Civic Center Plaza.

In addition to food, the free admission event will feature merchandise vendors, Peruvian musicians, and dance performances.

Local Peruvian restaurants participating this year include Fresca and El Perol.

They will be joined by many restaurants and caterers from the South Bay and East Bay. The event will gather 20 food vendors in all offering a smorgasbord of traditional dishes like lomo saltado, ceviche, anticuchos, aji de gallina, tamales, papa a la huancaina, rocoto relleno, causa, picarones, lucuma ice cream, and many more.

"And don't forget the beverages: Inca Kola, chicha morada (a nonalcoholic drink made from purple corn), Peruvian pisco, and Cerveza Cusqueña. We can't help drooling in anticipation," reads an article at SFoodie.

Paraguayan president starts official visit to Peru today

Peruvian President Alan Garcia Perez today will welcome his Paraguayan counterpart Fernando Lugo for a state visit to Peru in a bid to sign important agreements at the Government Palace.

According to the Press Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Lugo will attend the presidential palace at 09.30 am and will be welcomed at the Honor Courtyard with military honors according to his high investiture.

The presidential meeting will begin at 9:45 am at the Government Palace Hall of Ambassadors.

The two heads of state will sign several agreements in the presidential palace’s Golden Hall at around 12.15 pm.

At 12.30 pm, Fernando Lugo will be awarded the Grand Collar of Peru’s Order of the Sun.

Later in the day, at 13:15 pm, both presidents will attend a working luncheon at the Great Hall of the Government Palace.

Peruvian textiles at Museum of Anthropology in Utah

Utah State University’s Museum of Anthropology opens a new exhibit Saturday, July 10, in conjunction with its “Saturdays at the Museum” series.

The exhibit, “'Fibers of Inheritance: Peruvian Textiles,” is a collection that depicts the life and culture of ancient Peru through the medium of woven fabric.

The new exhibit highlights the global nature of museums and provides an opportunity for patrons to learn about the anthropological importance of preserving the art of weaving.

A short introduction discussing the significance of the pieces in the collection will be given at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Activities for children will also be available throughout the day.

“This day will be a great opportunity for families to learn about Peru and the art of weaving,” said USU Saturdays at the Museum planner Aurora Durfee. “The pieces in this new exhibit are beautiful, and we are excited to share them with the public.”

The USU Museum of Anthropology is on the USU campus in the south turret of the historic Old Main building, Room 252.

USU students and members of the public are invited to the museum anytime during open hours. It is open six days a week, with regular hours Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

For Saturday activities, free parking is available in the adjacent lot, south of the building. Funding for Saturday events is provided by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Lan Peru to invest US$1 billion in aircraft and technology by 2011

Lan Peru will invest around one billion dollars in Peru by 2011 in order to increase the number of aircrafts and improve technology, said General Manager Jorge Vilches.

Lan Peru is 49% owned by Lan and operates some 50 flights per day serving destinations in Peru as well as in South America and USA.

“We are decided to invest in a new fleet as Peru's flight sector is increasing. We are bringing four little airplanes and two Boeing 767 for international flights,” Vilches said to Andina.

He added that the airline will purchase Boeing 787 also known as Dreamliner, which is the most modern airplane in the world.

Vilches recalled that Lan Peru operates since 1999 and has invested some US$3 billion in the country.

Lan Peru's investments in the country has provided direct jobs for over 2,900 Peruvians and 9,000 indirect jobs.

In addition, Vilches said that Lan Peru is working directly with Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Commerce and Tourism (Mincetur) to promote domestic tourism.

The airline and Peru’s Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MTC) are working together to improve the development of the Peruvian aeronautic sector.

Peru sees Callao as most important port on Pacific coast

The Peruvian port of Callao will become the most important and strategic port on the Pacific coast as it will handle 3.5 million containers per year, Peru’s President Alan Garcia said Thursday.

On Thursday morning, President Garcia visited the Callao port to observe the operation of gantry cranes at the US$500 million Muelle Sur container terminal.

"We hope to see this project completed very soon, so that Callao can handle some 3.5 million containers per year. As the major port of South America, it will be able to handle super-post-Panamax vessels, thus becoming a continental strategic port," he said.

Until recently, large ships had to unload cargo in other countries' ports for smaller ships to transfer it to Callao port in Lima.

"Now, during the first phase of the project, Callao's Muelle Sur terminal will receive super post-Panamax ships for the first time and will handle 850,000 containers,” Garcia Perez told reporters.

He also announced that the government will launch an international tender for the Muelle Norte terminal project at Callao port.