Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo was sentenced Monday to over 20 years in jail for his involvement in the Odebrecht corruption scandal in which he was found to have received US$ 35 million in bribes for the construction by the Brazilian company of a road linking the two countries. The 78-year-old Toledo was deemed guilty of money laundering as well and disenfranchised for three years.
A China-sponsored mega-port north of Lima is expected to revolutionize trade between Asia and South America. It would also jeopardize the future of seashore facilities in northern Chile which might lose some of their traffic share once the Chancay Megaport is opened. Works are 93% completed and are due to be finished in November.
Peruvian archaeologists found the fossilized remains of three Ice Age mastodons, which shed new light on these animals' presence in the region, with further specimes hoped to be unearthed shortly as the excavations that began in 2019 in the Chambara Valley, 300 kilometers east of Lima, are scheduled to continue. The behemoths found there are believed to be between 11,000 and 12,000 years old.
Peru's one-house Congress on Tuesday voted against allowing President Dina Boluarte to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, with 55 votes to 50 and 5 abstentions. Boluarte intended to be in the United States between Sept. 22 and 25 while remaining in charge of the South American country remotely.
At least 15 people have died as a result of uncontrollable forest fires that have affected 22 of Peru's 24 departments. Peru's National Civil Defense Institute (Indeci) said that the departments of Cuzco, Cajamarca, Huancavelica, and Huánuco were the worst affected areas. In the Amazonas region, authorities are already talking of a “catastrophe” in the midst of a historic drought after three months without rain.
Foreign travelers visiting Peru went up by 39.2% between January and August 2024, according to a report released by Lima's Tourism Ministry during the weekend which analyzed National Superintendence of Migration data.
A large cloud of smoke stemming from wildfires in Bolivia threatens to cover the skies of 15 Argentine provinces and even reach the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) between Monday and Tuesday, due to which “phenomena that may represent inconveniences or difficulties in the normal development in social life are expected,” according to the National Meteorological Service (SMN).
The Peruvian government of President Dina Boluarte Tuesday recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate president-elect of Venezuela, despite the announcement by the National Electoral Council (CNE) on Sunday in Caracas that Nicolás Maduro had been voted by 51.2% of the people for the 2025-2031 term against 44.2% for the challenger. “Clearly Edmundo Gonzalez is the elected president of Venezuela; this position is shared by numerous countries, governments, and international organizations,” said Foreign Minister Javier Gonzalez Olaechea.
The regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has expelled ambassadors from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. This move follows widespread international condemnation of the recent presidential election results, which declared Maduro the victor amidst allegations of significant irregularities.
Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori will seek a third term in office in 2026, his daughter and former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori announced Sunday. Regarding her father's disenfranchisement given his numerous criminal convictions, Keiko insisted she would leave those matters up to their legal team. The octogenarian leader also faces several health issues.