Following a wave of crime against women, Peru on Tuesday introduced the crime of femicide - the killing of women by men - into its penal code. Women’s Affairs Minister Aida Garcia Naranjo said at least 73 women were murdered by their male partners in 2011, and 123 in 2010.

Peru’s National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur) has reported that two foreign oil companies are polluting the main beaches Piura, and have put the environment -as well as fishing and surfing – at risk.

Peru’s new president, Ollanta Humala, has replaced two-thirds of the country’s most senior police officers in a purge designed to root out corruption in the force.