MARIO VARGAS LLOSA

The Peruvian city of Cusco is normally a bustling mecca for international tourists.

Peru's Constitutional Court has approved the release from prison of former President Alberto Fujimori, who is serving a 25-year sentence for murder and corruption charges.

The National Book Foundation announced Friday that Karen Tei Yamashita has been awarded its medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, a $10,000 honor previously given to Toni Morrison, Robert Caro and Isabel Allende among others.

A teacher in one of the poorest communities in the Andes who has never held office is now Peru’s president-elect after officials in the South American country declared him the winner of a runoff election held last month.

A rural teacher-turned-political novice and the daughter of an imprisoned former president have traded the lead in a tight race for Peru's presidency.

Peruvian voters faced a choice between two polarizing populist candidates during Sunday's presidential runoff.

As schools across Peru closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pedro Castillo tried to find a way to keep classes going for his 20 fifth- and sixth-grade students.

Peru's new interim President Francisco Sagasti waves to the crowd after he was designated by Congress to lead the nation, in Lima, Peru, Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. Congress chose Sagasti to become the nation's third president in the span of a week after Congress ousted Martin Vizcarra and the following protests forced his successor Manuel Merino to resign. People waved the nation's red-and-white flag and blared horns outside the gates of Congress as Francisco Sagasti of the centrist Purple Party was selected the legislature's new president. Shortly after the vote, he took an oath to become Congress' president. In his speech before Congress, Sagasti recognized the deep wounds the legislature must work to repair before the election.

The area enjoys year-round sunshine and, according to the farmers, produces grapes with high sugar content and low acidity, the key combination for a good pisco. Pisco has been immersed for years in a fierce dispute between Peru and Chile over its origin. Pisco producers, who have their stocks in storage, hope to sell them when social events are reactivated. It’s a difficult situation because pisco is not a staple product but is linked to leisure and celebration, Zacnich said. La Caravedo is producing ready-to-serve, pre-mixed drinks in six varieties that also include the well-known Pisco Sour - a local cocktail of pisco and lemon juice.