Peru

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It’s the longest bridge ever built in Peru, and so far, it goes nowhere A massive structure of cement and iron spanning the Nanay River to untouched areas of the Peruvian Amazon is meant to be part of a federal highway project to connect Peru’s northeast to a district on the Colombian border. The Iquitos-El Estrecho is the largest and most expensive highway construction in Peru’s Amazon, but so far it’s going nowhere. Read more.

Why this matters: The bridge faces mounting opposition from Indigenous tribes who fear the construction will lead to land grabbing, deforestation and drug trafficking, which have plagued similar projects across the world’s largest rainforest. “The highway will kill us,” Everest Ochoa, a member of the Maijuna indigenous group that lives in the Peruvian Amazon, said.   The Ministry of Transportation said the project’s objective is to connect people along the path and promote local economies, strengthen trade and help bring security to border areas.

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What to know about the US arrest of a Peruvian gang leader suspected of killing 23 people

A South American crime boss wanted in the killings of at least 23 people in Peru was captured this week in New York, three months after U.S. immigration authorities arrested and then released him after he illegally entered the country at the Texas-Mexico border.

https://apnews.com/article/peru-los-killers-gang-leader-arrested-us-12ff7a64180566502308ad9b886c75fe?

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Peru’s ex-president Toledo gets more than 20 years in prison in case linked to corruption scandal

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s former President Alejandro Toledo on Monday was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison in a case involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, which became synonymous with corruption across Latin America, where it paid millions of dollars in bribes to government officials and others.

https://apnews.com/article/peru-toledo-prison-sentence-odebrecht-5f23c3d8fd176dfc6ca8125e96b2e3ec?

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Peru declares an emergency and deploys the army as violence surges in the capital

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s president declared a state of emergency in the capital Monday and ordered the deployment of soldiers to help police address a surge of violence, amid widespread outcry a day after the killing of a popular singer.

https://apnews.com/article/peru-state-of-emergency-violence-singer-death-f2a2addd25f983dec817fda0a25062cf?

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Peruvian court sentences former President Humala and wife to 15 years for money laundering

LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian court on Tuesday sentenced former President Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, to 15 years in prison for laundering funds received from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to finance his 2006 and 2011 campaigns.

https://apnews.com/article/peru-president-ollanta-humala-prison-sentence-c23edf1be2346ad06b9430fa0fd79ede?

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Peru’s Congress removes President Boluarte as a crime wave grips the country

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s Congress voted early Friday to remove deeply unpopular President Dina Boluarte from office as a crime wave grips the South American nation and quickly replaced her with 38-year-old lawyer José Jerí, the legislative body’s leader.

https://apnews.com/article/peru-president-boluarte-impeachment-crime-shooting-concert-d3bc438bdec704c0c2bd21ef981f95eb?