
Peruvian President Ollanta Humala's approval rating fell to a fresh low in July, a year since he took office as concern grows over his handling of increasingly violent social conflicts, an opinion poll showed.

Chile and Peru opted this week against following the lead set by nations from Brazil to South Korea in cutting interest rates as economic growth and slowing inflation in the Pacific neighbors gave central bankers little reason to change monetary policy

Peruvian police captured 11 Shining Path rebels and freed 10 children thought to be in combat training, President Ollanta Humala said on Friday after a string of military setbacks and a week of anti-mining violence.

A peasant wounded earlier this week during protests against a massive mining project in north western Peru died Thursday, bringing the death toll from the riots to five. Following the clashes with police forces the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency in the area.

Peru declared a state of emergency in an area of the northern Andes after three people died in clashes between police and opponents of Newmont Mining Corp. 4.8 billion dollars Minas Conga project.

Unasur, Union of South American nations on Friday suspended Paraguay from the group following the ouster of the country's former president, Fernando Lugo. The decision was adopted at an extraordinary meeting in Mendoza, Argentina where earlier in the day Mercosur members adopted a similar measure.

The Peruvian government has approved private mining projects worth 28 billion dollars out of 52 billion dollars of projects planned over the next five years, Peru's Energy and Mines Minister Jorge Merino said.

Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico signed an accord Wednesday creating the Pacific Alliance to more deeply integrate their economies, and develop new trade links with the Asia-Pacific region.

Chile and Peru are best positioned in Latin America to withstand a downturn in the global economy and a drop in commodity prices, while Argentina and Venezuela are the most vulnerable to any turmoil, according to a senior official from Fitch Ratings.

Hundreds of Peruvians marched in support of the country's biggest-ever mining project, a day after the government implemented emergency powers to control an anti-mining protest in the South that turned deadly.