Latest news with #Andean
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
Miners lift blockades along Peru's key copper route, protest leader says
LIMA, July 15 (Reuters) - Miners in Peru who have been allowed to operate with temporary permits have paused protests that blocked a major copper transit route for more than two weeks, one of the protest leaders, Luis Huaman, told Reuters on Tuesday. He said they planned to suspend the protest at least through Friday, while continuing to press the government for a way to extend their permits. Peru's government has been working to end the program for operations known as "informal," which was created over a decade ago and meant to be temporary, but workers in the sector say the stricter regulations to operate legally are too onerous. The protests began throughout Peru in late June, including blocking a road in the Cusco region that is used by major miners MMG ( opens new tab, Glencore (GLEN.L), opens new tab and Hudbay Minerals ( opens new tab, whose mines are among the top 10 copper producers of Peru. The Andean nation is the world's third-biggest copper producer. The Ministry of Energy and Mines is aiming to bring more than 31,000 informal miners in line with regulations by the end of the year, after removing more than 50,000 others from the program earlier this month. The ministry said at least 45,000 of those hadn't registered any activity in the last four years. "It's a truce," Huaman said. A committee of informal miners and various government representatives were scheduled to meet in Lima on Friday to discuss the matter, but protesters would "resume the blockade on the mining corridor" if the outcome was not in their favor, he said. Huaman said the protesters want the government to ensure a way for informal operations to continue, and said they will restart the protest if an agreement isn't reached by Friday. China's MMG and Canada's Hudbay last week told top government officials their production could be impacted if the protests were to continue.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Peru miners suspend protests, unblock key copper route
LIMA: Miners in Peru who have been allowed to operate with temporary permits have paused protests that blocked a major copper transit route for more than two weeks, one of the protest leaders, Luis Huaman, told Reuters on Tuesday. He said they planned to suspend the protest at least through Friday, while continuing to press the government for a way to extend their permits. Peru's government has been working to end the program for operations known as 'informal,' which was created over a decade ago and meant to be temporary, but workers in the sector say the stricter regulations to operate legally are too onerous. The protests began throughout Peru in late June, including blocking a road in the Cusco region that is used by major miners MMG, Glencore and Hudbay Minerals, whose mines are among the top 10 copper producers of Peru. The Andean nation is the world's third-biggest copper producer. The Ministry of Energy and Mines is aiming to bring more than 31,000 informal miners in line with regulations by the end of the year, after removing more than 50,000 others from the program earlier this month. The ministry said at least 45,000 of those hadn't registered any activity in the last four years. 'It's a truce,' Huaman said. A committee of informal miners and various government representatives were scheduled to meet in Lima on Friday to discuss the matter, but protesters would 'resume the blockade on the mining corridor' if the outcome was not in their favor, he said. Huaman said the protesters want the government to ensure a way for informal operations to continue, and said they will restart the protest if an agreement isn't reached by Friday. China's MMG and Canada's Hudbay last week told top government officials their production could be impacted if the protests were to continue. - Reuters
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Miners lift blockades along Peru's key copper route, protest leader says
By Marco Aquino LIMA (Reuters) -Miners in Peru who have been allowed to operate with temporary permits have paused protests that blocked a major copper transit route for more than two weeks, one of the protest leaders, Luis Huaman, told Reuters on Tuesday. He said they planned to suspend the protest at least through Friday, while continuing to press the government for a way to extend their permits. Peru's government has been working to end the program for operations known as "informal," which was created over a decade ago and meant to be temporary, but workers in the sector say the stricter regulations to operate legally are too onerous. The protests began throughout Peru in late June, including blocking a road in the Cusco region that is used by major miners MMG, Glencore and Hudbay Minerals, whose mines are among the top 10 copper producers of Peru. The Andean nation is the world's third-biggest copper producer. The Ministry of Energy and Mines is aiming to bring more than 31,000 informal miners in line with regulations by the end of the year, after removing more than 50,000 others from the program earlier this month. The ministry said at least 45,000 of those hadn't registered any activity in the last four years. "It's a truce," Huaman said. A committee of informal miners and various government representatives were scheduled to meet in Lima on Friday to discuss the matter, but protesters would "resume the blockade on the mining corridor" if the outcome was not in their favor, he said. Huaman said the protesters want the government to ensure a way for informal operations to continue, and said they will restart the protest if an agreement isn't reached by Friday. China's MMG and Canada's Hudbay last week told top government officials their production could be impacted if the protests were to continue. Sign in to access your portfolio
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘Dora the Explorer' turns 25 this year. Her legacy transcends generations
LOS ANGELES - Can you say … Feliz Cumpleaños? Over the past 25 years, the world has grown to love one of Nickelodeon's most recognizable characters, Dora Márquez. Whether for her conspicuous bowl cut and pink tee, or her singing anthropomorphic backpack, Dora the Explorer has sparked joy in children for generations. But what happens when that adventurous girl loses the items that have guided and defined her for so long? Self-discovery is the end goal of Dora's latest quest in the new live-action film, "Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado," which debuted July 2 on Paramount+. The film marks the start of a new journey for a girl who has long existed in the minds of viewers as the adventurous 7-year-old protagonist of the original 2000 animated series "Dora the Explorer" - and later in the short-lived 2014 sequel, "Dora and Friends: Into the City!" Along with her animal-loving cousin Diego (Jacob Rodriguez) and friends, Dora (Samantha Lorraine) must rediscover who she is while trekking through the treacherous Amazonian jungle in search of Sol Dorado: an ancient treasure that grants one magical wish to whoever locates it. Yet her plans go awry when she finds herself losing one of her most valuable tools. Although most adults would not rank Dora in the same company as the gritty lead adventurers of "Indiana Jones" or "Tomb Raider," the film features death-defying scenes that deserve a second look - thanks to the use of real fire and critter-riddled caves in the middle of the Colombian jungle. Authenticity was key for director Alberto Belli ("The Naughty Nine"), who proposed to studio executives that Dora explore her Andean heritage, including the use of the indigenous language of Quechua, which is spoken by approximately 10 million people in South America. "This is the first time that we hear Dora speaking Quechua, and we went through great lengths to make sure that the pronunciation was right," says Belli, who also consulted with Incan culture experts on the Andean kinship principle of "ayllu," along with the use of "quipu," a recordkeeping device of knotted cords - both elements which are included in the storyline. "We've seen figures like 'Indiana Jones' exploring other cultures, but Dora is the only mainstream [adventurer] exploring her own culture," says Belli. "And she's celebrating and interested in the history more than the treasure." Dora's innate curiosity is part of what cultivated her popularity among young children since Nickelodeon launched the series. Who can forget the pip-squeak who broke the fourth wall to reel in preschool audiences with problem-solving questions? Even if its repetitive verbiage drove parents a little mad? (You try saying "Swiper, no swiping!" three times fast!) But for creators Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes, the idea of Dora, as the world has come to love, was not so straightforward. Their early brainstorm sessions, along with Eric Weiner, first sprung up concepts of a little boy bunny who would follow a map toward a final destination - tagging along with him was a red-haired girl named Nina and a pocket-sized mouse named Boots. Nickelodeon's executive producer Brown Johnson - creator of the network's preschool block, Nick Jr. - pitched the idea of the main character being Latina after attending an industry conference that underscored the dearth representation of Latinos in the media. According to the 2000 U.S. census, Latino communities were the nation's fastest growing ethnic group at the time - and 20% of the kindergarten population across eight states, including California, identified as Latino. The call for Latino characters was so resounding at the time that it caused some advocacy organizations to launch a weeklong boycott in 1999 to protest the dearth of Latino representation - Latinos made up fewer than 2% of TV characters at that time, despite making up 11% of the population in 1999. " So we said, OK, how do we do it?" says Gifford. "One thing that we picked up on very early was using the language in a way to solve problems, almost as a superpower," says Gifford. "I think that was a huge part of the success of Dora." Gifford calls Dora's use of Spanish a "game changer," and that certainly seems to be the case - in the show, magical passageways remain locked unless the viewer utters the occasional Spanish phrase or word. At the end of every successful mission, Dora belts out her victorious tune: "We did it, lo hicimos!" Released on Aug. 14, 2000, the first episode of "Dora the Explorer" moved forward in spite of an English-only movement bubbling up in California politics a few years prior; Proposition 227 passed in 1998 by a large margin, effectively curtailing bilingual education in the state. "It was not the time that [someone] would think to [make Dora a bilingual character], but of course it was exactly the right time for it to happen," says Gifford. The release of "Dora the Explorer" could not be more timely. While political angst pushed against the use of Spanish in the classroom, the country was simultaneously experiencing a "Latin Boom," a pop culture movement propelled by Hispanic musical acts like Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, who broke ground in the U.S. mainstream with bilingual hit singles like the famed "Livin' la Vida Loca" and "Bailamos," respectively. At the same time, actors like Rosie Perez, Salma Hayek and Jennifer Lopez were also making great strides for Latinas in film. "There was this awareness [that] the Latino talent we have in this country [was] all coming to the forefront," said Walsh Valdes. "The zeitgeist was there for us." But Dora's appeal did not entirely hinge on her being a Latina character. In fact, she was designed to be ethnically ambiguous for that reason, suggested Carlos Cortés, professor emeritus in history at UC Riverside, who consulted the creative team. "Let's let everybody be a part of this," says Walsh Valdes on the choice to write Dora as pan-Latina. Instead, the focus of the show remained on the missions; whether it was returning a lost baby penguin to the South Pole, or leading aliens back to their purple planet. In its first year, "Dora the Explorer" averaged 1.1 million viewers ages 2 to 5 and 2 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Co. The original show stretched on for almost two decades before closing out on Aug. 9, 2019. "We saw such excitement from [little kids feeling] empowered by this girl who can go to a place like the city of lost toys... and little kids who can't tie their own shoes can feel like they're helping her," says Gifford. The Dora world has also expanded into a tween-coded sequel, "Dora and Friends: Into the City!" and the spinoff "Go, Diego, Go!" - the environmental protection and animal rescue show starring Dora's cousin Diego. Last year, Dora got a reboot on Nickelodeon's parent company Paramount+, which was a full circle move for Kathleen Herles, who voiced Dora in the original series. Now, Herles takes on the motherly role of "Mami" in the 2024 animated series, now available to stream on Paramount+. "Talk about going on another adventure," says Herles in a video call. Herles still remembers panicking after her audition back in 1998. Gifford, who was in the room, asked to speak to Herles' mother, a Peruvian immigrant with slim knowledge of the entertainment biz at the time. "Being Latina, at first I [was] like, 'Oh my God. She's going to think I got in trouble,'" says Herles. The opportunity not only changed the course of Herles' life financially, but it also opened the door for her to travel the world and reenter the realm of entertainment after a brief career in interior design. Coincidentally, at the time of our call, the 34-year-old voice actor was house hunting in Los Angeles, preparing to move from her native New York City so that she can pursue more career opportunities. "To me that's really a testament to [the power of] Dora... because Dora's an explorer, and she gave me the opportunity to explore," says Herles. For 18-year old actress Lorraine, who stars as Dora in "Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado," this marks her first lead role in any film. She fills big shoes; Isabela Merced, who now stars in HBO's "The Last of Us," was cast in the first live-action, stand-alone 2019 film for the franchise, "Dora and the Lost City of Gold." "When it comes to Latino representation, [Dora] was a trailblazer for that," says Lorraine. "Being able to see a Latina woman in charge and taking the lead? We need more of that to this day." The Miami-born actor of Cuban descent, who previously starred in the 2023 Netflix movie "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah," answers the audio call after having just arrived in New York City, where she entertains the possibility of a Broadway career. Like many young adults her age, Lorraine grew up enchanted by Dora's adventures - so much that she admittedly got the same bob haircut. "She's my role model," says Lorraine. "Every time we would shoot a scene, I would think to myself, 'What would little Samantha want to watch?'" Throughout every Dora series and film, courage is the connective tissue in her story. "Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado" reminds audiences that the true navigational force behind the pint-size girl was always within her. And with a full rollout of fresh Dora content - including the new third season of the rebooted 2024 series "Dora," and an hour-long special called "Dora & Diego: Rainforest Rescues" - even 25 years after the Latina explorer first appeared on screen, it's clear that her legacy is enduring. "She will always be that girl," says Lorraine. "[She's] that girl who yearns for adventure and has that curiosity spark in her, and that thirst for knowledge." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Euronews
6 days ago
- Science
- Euronews
Peru opens to public ancient city lost for more than 3,800 years
The site of Caral, one of Peru's most important archaeological areas, has a new jewel in its crown after eight years of excavations, intense research and conservation work. It is called Peñico, and experts consider it to be a "city of social integration" because of its strategic location, which connected the populations of the Supe and Huaura valleys, but also because of the large number of homes, public buildings and ceremonial spaces it housed. On Saturday 12 July, the Caral Archaeological Zone will organise the first Peñico Raymi, a replica of a traditional Andean festival, to inaugurate the new archaeological site. Although the Caral culture developed mainly between 3000 and 1800 BC (which, given its antiquity, places it in a society with a development and chronology comparable to Ancient Egypt), it's understood the city of Peñico began to develop a little later, around 1800 and 1500 BC. The Caral are considered the oldest of the pre-Hispanic civilisations in the Americans, which went into steep decline around 1800 BC. It is possible that the prestige achieved by Peñico society in the valley, coupled with its role as a hub in the exchange network, was linked to the extraction and circulation of hematite. This mineral, used to make a red pigment, had great symbolic importance within Andean cosmology. Among the 18 constructions discovered during the excavations and now on display to the public, a ceremonial hall stands out: "We don't know its exact limits," explained Mauro Ordóñez, head of the Penico archaeological site. "This building continues to extend from east to west. The most interesting thing is the composition of several antechambers: one of them stands out for having on its sides the representation, in friezes, of pututus". Pututus are objects also known as churus (the Quechua word for a mollusc, shell or snail). They are wind instruments originally made from a seashell that was large enough to emit a powerful sound. Ordóñez considers this to be evidence of close relations with other pre-Columbian groups in northern Peru. The sacred city of Caral-Supe, located less than 200 kilometres north of Lima, the Peruvian capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Peñico, in particular, was built 600 metres above sea level on a geological terrace parallel to the Supe River and surrounded by hills that reach a height of 1,000 metres. Its Caralan builders chose this strategic location for multiple purposes: to enhance the monumentality of their buildings, to protect themselves from floods or landslides and, as evidenced by findings such as the representation of musical instruments, and to promote interaction and exchangewith other civilisations.
