· August, 2011

Stories about Peru from August, 2011

Peru: Ripley Department Store Workers Maintain Demands

  25 August 2011

Ripley Peru union workers have announced that they will not give up their demands [es] for an increase in the basic monthly salary to 350 nuevos soles [es] (around US $130). They also ask for a payment of 50% of their snack and 100% of their transportation for workers who...

Peru: 7.0-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Jungle Region

  24 August 2011

Juan Arellano –Global Voices author and Spanish Translation Manager– is updating a Storify post [es] with Twitter reactions to a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the Peruvian jungle near the border with Brazil. The earthquake was felt in most of Peru and in parts of Ecuador and Brazil.

Peru: Congress Passes Law Requiring Prior Consultation With Indigenous Peoples

  24 August 2011

The Peruvian Congress unanimously approved the ‘Prior Consultation Law‘ for indigenous or native peoples (“Ley de Consulta Previa a los Pueblos Indígenas u Originarios“[es] in Spanish), which establishes the mandatory or biding character of the consultations with indigenous peoples [es]. It is expected that President Ollanta Humala will soon sign...

Peru: Spanish Media and Prostitution in Iquitos

  22 August 2011

Global Voices author and Spanish Translation Manager Juan Arellano comments [es] on recent reports about the Amazon from Spanish media. He shares Peruvian's reactions to an article from Spanish newspaper La Razón [es] which describes Iquitos as a “brothel city”.

Peru: Customers Show Support for Ripley Department Store Employees

  22 August 2011

Peruvian social networks are buzzing with talk about the temporary closing of a Ripley department stores. Although the closing of the store is officially in accordance with the lack of a security certificate issued by the Civil Defense, it has come about in the middle of a long conflict with its employees.

Brazil: Construction Starts on Controversial Belo Monte Dam

  20 August 2011

Despite the protesting voices of indigenous populations and traditional settlers of Volta Grande do Xingu region, construction on Brazil's Belo Monte hydroelectric plant has begun. Protests against the project will take place in 10 Brazilian cities and 16 countries on August 20.

The ‘New Latin America’ Faces its Past

  16 August 2011

The Council on Hemispheric Affairs Blog is posting a series “that will explore the concept of the New Latin America by focusing on recent developments that highlight how the region contrasts with its past.” So far COHA research associates have written about the Dos Erres trial in Guatemala, Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and Simón...

Peru: New Bills for a New Congress

  16 August 2011

Miguel Morachimo in Blawyer [es] comments on two bills currently being discussed by Peru's new Congress. One is “another attempt to change the Penal Code to establish the dissemination of private conversations through the media as a crime”, and the other seeks to create a “Computer crime law” which adds...

Peru: Journalist Sued for Defamation

  12 August 2011

Peruvians are following the case [es] of blogger and journalist Luis Torres Montero, @Malapalabrero, sued for defamation [es] by former Defense Minister, Rafael Rey, who felt attacked [es] by a column [es] where Torres [es] says Rey is gay [es].

Peru: The Amazon and the Diversion of the Huallaga and Marañón Rivers

  5 August 2011

Law 29,760 -also known as 'Corina Law'- was published this July in Peru, qualifying as a "public need and of national interest" the diversion of the Marañon and Huallaga rivers "for hydro-power and agricultural purposes." The projects associated with this law have caused much opposition because of the strong environmental impact they would have on the Amazon Rainforest.

Chile: Starbucks Baristas Hunger Strike for Higher Wages

  4 August 2011

Chilean Starbucks workers have revealed that their country's baristas are paid less per hour than the cost of a cup of coffee. Three employees are now on hunger strike demanding better working conditions, but Starbucks has yet to even respond to their requests.

Peru: Reactions After Ollanta Humala's Inauguration

  1 August 2011

On July 28, Ollanta Humala was inaugurated as the new Peruvian President. Comments and reactions in social networks have been filled with everything from faith and hope, to bitter criticism, irony and humorous remarks about the First Lady, Nadine Heredia's, dresses.