Colombia: hip-hop artist assassinated

A hip-hop artist who works with youth cultural programs in the violence-torn Medellín district of Comuna 13 was killed by gunmen on a motorbike.

US to make case for Colombian bases before UNASUR

The US ambassador to Colombia says the US has accepted invitation to attend the next UNASUR sumit to put its case for military bases in the Andean nation.

Arequipa: peasant cooperatives march for land and water

Peasant cooperatives marched in the Peruvian city of Arequipa to protest government plans to sell state lands to agribusiness interests.

Peru: village revolts against copper company

Several were injured when the Peruvian village of Cocachacra exploded into protest at an environmental hearing on a proposed copper mine.

Peru: controversy over “dirty war” truth commission

Six years after the Truth Commission report on Peru’s “dirty war,” Defense Minister Rafael Rey called the findings “false and calumnious.”

Peru: “narco-sendero” attack leaves six dead

Two Peruvian army troops and four presumed narco-senderistas were killed in a shoot-out in the Apurimac Valley.

Colombia: Awá indigenous people massacred —again

Twelve members of the threatened Awá indigenous group were killed when their community in southern Colombia was invaded by unkown gunmen.

Peru’s García accuses Bolivia of secret pact with Chile in maritime dispute

Peru’s President Alan García accused his Bolivian counterpart of Evo Morales of an “under the table” deal with Chile over the coastline disputed by the three countries.

Peru overtakes Colombia as top cocaine exporter: report

According to a new report, in 2008 Colombia produced 430 tons of cocaine compared to 302 in Peru. But Colombian authorities supposedly intercepted 198 tons compared to only 20 in Peru.

Peru: Montesinos faces 30 years on narco charges

Prosecutors in Peru are seeking a 30-year prison term for Vladimiro Montesinos, former intelligence chief under autocratic president and convicted political criminal Alberto Fujimori.

Press freedom under attack in Peru

A bill introduced in Peru’s congress to ammend the libel law would be a threat to the freedom of press, especially for small and independent outlets, say journalists and other media professionals.

Peru: police use tear gas against Pisco road blockades

Police in Peru fired tear gas to disperse protesters blocking a highway near Pisco. The protesters were denouncing government inaction on helping the southern town rebuild from a 2007 earthquake.