Destruction of Peru’s rainforest by illegal gold mining is twice as bad as experts thought 3D model shows that illegal gold mining is wiping out a global biodiversity hotspot.

Destruction of Peru’s rainforest by illegal gold mining is twice as bad as experts thought 3D model shows that illegal gold mining is wiping out a global biodiversity hotspot.
The destruction of a global biodiversity hotspot deep in the Peruvian Amazon by illegal gold mining is twice as bad as previously thought, an authoritative new study using ground-breaking technology has revealed. According to the report by the US-based Carnegie Institution for Science, 15,810 acres of rainforest in Peru’s Madre de Dios region, home to various nature and indigenous reserves as well as a booming eco-tourism industry, have vanished per year since the start of the 2008 global economic crisis. The crisis saw international gold prices rocket as investors rushed to put their…Read more …

Church wavers on child sex scandals in pope’s homeland Despite the Argentine pope’s pledge to punish pedophilia, several Latin American countries are grappling with molestation cases and the church’s hushed responses.

Church wavers on child sex scandals in pope’s homeland Despite the Argentine pope’s pledge to punish pedophilia, several Latin American countries are grappling with molestation cases and the church’s hushed responses.
Pope Francis’ promise of a more humble, tolerant Catholic Church may have earned rave reviews around the world, but in Latin America, a string of child sex scandals has left some wondering what's really changed in the Vatican. Along with landmark gestures such as dressing simply, publicly kissing followers’ feet and refusing to condemn gays, Francis has also vowed to punish pedophile priests. Yet seven months into his papacy, the church’s questionable handling of child molestation cases in Argentina, Chile, the Dominican Republic and Peru is calling that commitment into doubt. Campaigners say…Read more …

Peru: Cocaine king’s riches don’t reach growers GlobalPost’s Simeon Tegel visits a valley that’s the world’s coca leaf capital, and finds its poor farmers are far from reaping dividends from their green crop’s white derivative.

Peru: Cocaine king’s riches don’t reach growers GlobalPost’s Simeon Tegel visits a valley that’s the world’s coca leaf capital, and finds its poor farmers are far from reaping dividends from their green crop’s white derivative.
VRAE, Peru — A sea of coca leaves — the key ingredient in cocaine and crack — lies drying in the blazing sun as farmer Teodoro Alzamora complains bitterly about the grinding poverty trapping his village. “Coca’s what gives us clothes to wear and medicine when we are sick. It feeds our children,” he says, explaining that his only source of income is the few hundred dollars, after costs, he earns per coca harvest. “We are not ‘narcos.’ What else are we supposed to do? When we grow cassava or bananas no one…Read more …

In Peru, a tale of two presidents Even in Latin America, where graft is endemic, two more allegedly corrupt ex-presidents would mark a new low. No wonder nearly half of Peruvians consider corruption one of the country’s top problems.

In Peru, a tale of two presidents Even in Latin America, where graft is endemic, two more allegedly corrupt ex-presidents would mark a new low. No wonder nearly half of Peruvians consider corruption one of the country’s top problems.
From traffic cops demanding bribes to flagrantly crooked politicians, Peruvians long ago wearied of the graft that appears to have infected almost all aspects of public life here. Yet the latest corruption allegations, against Peru’s last two presidents, may have even the most cynical feeling their hearts sink. Alejandro Toledo, president from 2001 to 2006, and Alan Garcia, re-elected from 2006 to 2011, are both now accused of getting rich illegally. Should the charges be proven, all three of Peru’s most recent elected ex-presidents would have been convicted of corruption. Alberto Fujimori, president…Read more …