Author: Ibitinga

No-one really knows why the circles of Moray were created. There’s a theory that this series of concentric terraces dug deeper and deeper into the Andean mountainside is the work of aliens, indecipherable messages from extra-terrestrial beings. The more believable conclusion is that this gaping hole in the Peruvian mountains was created by the Incan civilisation. Machu Picchu, after all, is just nearby. Cusco is an hour or so away. The stonework, dated to about 500 years ago, is reminiscent of other Incan creations. It makes sense. Still, mystery remains about the purpose of the circles, given the Incas left…

Vladimir Putin said that the United States had stoked tensions with Beijing by building the “AUKUS” security alliance. Russian president Vladimir Putin said on that suggestions the United States should prepare for a war against Russia and China were nonsense as he warned the West that any war against Moscow would be on a whole different level to the conflict in Ukraine. The comments from the Russian leader come as a bipartisan panel appointed by the US Congress said that Washington must prepare for possible simultaneous wars with Moscow and Beijing by “expanding its conventional forces, strengthening alliances and enhancing…

TAIPEI — China’s expansionist drive is sparking alarm across Asia and needs to be checked by U.S.-led alliances, Taiwan’s security chief has warned. National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo Li-hsiung said he backed AUKUS, a security partnership between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., and pointed out that it was necessary for NATO to help Asia counter Chinese military threats. “The security pact is an important power to respond to China’s expansionism and military buildup,” the cabinet heavyweight told Nikkei Asia in an exclusive interview. “It is wrong to put the blame on AUKUS for an arms race in the…

New Delhi: The commerce ministry on Monday said that a special round of negotiations for the India-Peru trade agreement is set to take place during 10-11 October and will include an investment chapter. Talks for the India-Peru trade agreement commenced in 2017, with the fifth round concluding in August 2019. The sixth round is slated to be held in December 2023 in Lima, Peru. The negotiations had come to a pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, the India-Canada free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations have come to a halt due to a diplomatic standoff. Trade experts said that New Delhi…

During the August 5 crisis at Second Thomas Shoal, the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs tried to contact its Chinese counterparts through a bilateral hotline. Manila’s effort to de-escalate the standoff despite being the victim of Chinese aggression was laudable. Unfortunately, the calls went unanswered. Officials in Washington have shared the same experience on many occasions — when communication is needed most, Beijing can’t be reached. Only days after the incident, the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Stratbase ADR Institute convened international experts to discuss ways Washington and Manila can coordinate as alliance partners during future crises to prevent escalation into…

(Bloomberg) — A subsidiary of American Lithium is betting it can defy the odds in Peru and open the country’s first lithium mine in speedy fashion despite a sluggish permitting system that can keep projects on hold for years. That’s according to Ulises Solis, the chief executive officer of Macusani Yellowcake, the local subsidiary that is developing the Falchani lithium project in Peru. Solis said the goal is for Falchani to begin operations in 2027, which would mark an incredibly fast turnaround time for a mining project that hasn’t submitted its main environmental impact assessments yet for review. “It is…

Finance and Economy Minister Alex Contreras has affirmed that Peru’s economic policy has two challenges: to stabilize the economic cycle, which means moving to the recovery phase in a context in which the country prepares to face Global El Niño, and the great legacy of this administration will be to boost the potential GDP, that is, to increase the economy’s growth capacity. “We are facing a challenging economic scenario in the international context and a positive one at the local level, after having experienced important shocks that affected the economy, but the relevant aspect is that we are recovering,” the high-ranking official said. The remarks…

Beijing is prepared to speed up talks with Asean on a long-delayed South China Sea code of conduct, the Chinese foreign minister said on the weekend while warning against external interference in the region. “China is willing to work with Asean countries to … make effective and meaningful regional rules that can make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation,” Wang Yi told his Thai counterpart, Don Pramudwinai, in Beijing on Saturday. A new round of talks is scheduled to get under way in the Philippine capital Manila on Tuesday. The Chinese foreign ministry quoted Don as saying he supported…

Peru’s investment promotion agency ProInversión qualified six groups for the concession process of power transmission projects in the center and north of the country. The potential bidders are Alupar Perú, Celeo Redes, Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios, Conelsur, Consorcio OA (Acciona Concesiones de Infraestructuras-Omega Perú Operación y Mantenimiento) and Interconexión Eléctrica. The planned infrastructure comprises 500kV links Huánuco-Tocache-Celendín-Trujillo and Celendín-Piura along with expansions and associated substations. Huánuco-Tocache-Celendín-Trujillo will span the regions of Huánuco, San Martín, Cajamarca, and La Libertad, and includes lines Nueva Huánuco-Tocache (193km), Tocache-Celendín (295km) and Celendín-Trujillo Nueva (174km). Estimated investment totals US$531mn. Celendín-Piura Nueva will cross the regions of Cajamarca, Amazonas, Lambayeque and Piura, and includes a 381km line.…

The visits to China by climate czar John Kerry and other senior U.S. officials are welcome relief from recent darker days in U.S.-China relations. But during my recent visit to Beijing and Tianjin, it became clear that a chasm separates the sides’ views of an acceptable bilateral relationship. The U.S. seeks rules of the game to govern military policies in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea; Beijing will have none of it. In that context, next January’s presidential election in Taiwan has the potential to trigger a crisis. China has strong reservations about the front-running, pro-independence candidate, current Vice…