The recent earthquake in Chile has shaken awake the medias interest in the infamous “Ring of Fire”. From local weather men to the big network scientists, all have vaguely scratched the surface in their explanations of one of the most dangerous areas on Earth.

The Pacific Ring of Fire stretches from South America, where the Nazca plate dips beneath the South American Plate, and runs north along the pacific coasts of Central and North America up to Alaska. It then crosses over to the coasts of Asia all the way south to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. It is along these fault lines that 75% of the worlds active and dormant volcanoes rest. It is also where 90% of the worlds earthquakes occur. [Continue reading...]

By TIM RATH.
The noise produced by a near-capacity crowd of Peruvians packing Eduardo Dibos Coliseum may have been heard all the way to the United States.
However, a raucous crowd was not enough to keep Peru’s national women volleyball team from falling to the U.S. Thursday in the second day of the 2009 Final Four Intercontinental Cup, 25-10, 20-25, 25-14, 25-20.
“The match was a lot about trying to manage the crowd,” said the U.S. coach, Hugh McCutcheon. “The fans are great, it’s such a great environment … so, it was a tough match for us and we’re happy to win.”
Captain Leyla Chihuan led Peru with 14 points in the loss, while Diana Soto chipped in 12 points. The Americans were led by Angie Pressey, who tallied 23 points via 15 kills [Continue reading...]

By TIM RATH.
The dramatic effects of climate change in Peru are not simply changing the lives of native rural populations any longer.
Danish model and photographer Helena Christensen traveled with the humanitarian organization Oxfam International to witness and document the effects of global warming on Peru’s poorest residents. Christensen, who is half-Peruvian, said that her time in Peru has been a life-changing experience.
“I know there are extreme problems going on in the world with the climate changes, but to actually be there and to meet the people that are suffering themselves has been incredibly valuable for me,” she said.
Christensen has documented her trip to Cusco, Machu Picchu and Peru’s rural communities with a photographic series that will be shown in New York, Washington, London at the United Nations Conference on Climate [Continue reading...]

The Andean city of Cusco in southeastern Peru got the third spot among cities from Central and South America in the contest “World’s best” organized by Travel+Leisure magazine, reported today Peru’s Tourism and Export Promotion Board (PromPeru).The first spot was occupied by Buenos Aires, Argentina and the second place by Oaxaca, Mexico.
Cusco was also voted the world’s 16th most popular tourist destination.
Popular destinations such as Barcelona, London and even Paris did not reach the global list of 20 top cities. Indian city Udiapur led this year’s list, pushing 2008’s winner Bangkok to the third place.
The magazine, which conducted its poll between January-March 2009, also ran a rating of the world’s best hotels, top tour operators and top large-ship cruise lines.
In the category of Central and South America’s best resorts, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo [Continue reading...]