Tuesday, July 20, 2004
UPDATED: Free Trade, Coca Marchers, and Rainforest Pharmaceuticals
Free Trade with USA: Bloomberg and Dow Jones report on the free trade talks between the Peru and the USA. Dow Jones uses the official Andina news agency and CPN radio while Bloomberg uses Gestion. Both report that "the U.S. government is ready to eliminate 95% of its tariffs on Peruvian products in exchange for [Peru] dropping 80 percent of their duties," according to Pedro de la Flor, Peru's chief free trade negotiator. ALSO: "There isn't any conflict between the United States and Peru in this respect." NOTE: "The various nations in the talks are aiming to conclude negotiations by February 2005."
Pais Posible Questioned: The Miami Herald (the penultimate item) reports that "credible evidence is mounting that President Alejandro Toledo registered his political party in the mid-1990s with faked signatures," according to state attorney Ivan Meini "after a second participant in the alleged forgeries came forward." These statements corroborated those "first made in March by Carmen Burga -- who abruptly retracted her allegations earlier this month, issued a videotaped apology to Toledo and hastily left the country." UPDATE: The original Associated Press story noted that the witness, self-identified as 'Patricia' appeared on the television program, Reporte Semanal, and "claimed she was one of 20 people hired by the president's sister, Margarita Toledo, to systematically forge names to register the Nation Possible party, which later changed its name to Peru Possible."
More Deaths in Cold, cont.: Reuters reports that freezing temperatures have "killed at least 38 children since the end of June as temperatures have plunged as low as minus 13 Fahrenheit (minus 25 C)," according the Minister of Foreign Relations Manuel Rodriguez Cuadros and U.N. coordinator in Peru Martin Santiago. NOTE: "The temperatures have been as much as five times lower than normal." ALSO: The Voice of America repeats the news that "several United Nations agencies have responded to Peru's call for international assistance in dealing with severe winter weather that has killed dozens of children."
Coca Marchers: NACLA's July/August issue has an article on 'Peru's Cocaleros on the March' by economist Hugo Cabieses which suggests that "approximately 35,000 of Peru’s estimated 50,000 cocaleros are now CONPACCP members" though there the Apurímac Valley, led by dissident cocalera Marisela Guillén broke with CONPACCP." SEE ALSO: This 2003 interview with Cabieses in Narco News.
Indigenous Revolution: The Christian Science Monitor has a piece by Lucien Chauvin in Lima writing on Bolivia's referendum last Sunday but uses Ilave (among other examples) to suggest that "across South America, some of the region's 55 million indigenous people have been making noise lately - sometimes violently - fighting against abject poverty, inequality, and scant political representation." CITED: Tarcila Rivera Zea (a Peruvian indigenous leader and chair of the Fourth International Meeting of Indigenous Women) and Abel Chapay Miguel (Indigenous Parliament in Peru and Federación Campa-Ashaninka). ALSO: "Even [Toledo's] creation of a National Commission of Andean, Amazonian, and Afro-Peruvian Peoples has failed to appease indigenous leaders."
Copa Disappointments: FIFA reports that "there was no disguising the bitter sense of disappointment hanging over Lima on Monday as the city prepared to host the decisive stages of the 2004 Copa América without the national side’s participation." NOTE: "It seems that the controversy surrounding the coach and players has only just begun." CITED: Luis Solano (taxi-driver), Jorge (a worker at the Sheraton Hotel), and Nolberto Solano. ALSO: The stand-off between the press and the players: The reaction of the players to the story was unequivocal: 'We will no longer be talking to the local press. From here on we speak only to foreign journalists,' they said."
CGTP Strike Reviewed: The World Socialist Web Site reports on the July 14 CGTP strike which "was meant as an ultimatum to President Alejandro Toledo to either change his government’s economic policies or resign." NOTE: "The Toledo administration disputes the impact of the strike, calling it a 'normal day.' However, the strike organizers indicated widespread support."
Spidey at UNI: Reuters reports that "dozens of students wearing red "Spider-Man" masks have taken over buildings at the National Engineering University to demand the removal of the dean, whom they accuse of mishandling funds," according to RPP radio. NOTE: "The university has been taken over by 50 masked delinquents, who have broken doors," Dean Roberto Morales told RPP. ALSO: "With the Spider-Man craze sweeping Lima, the masks are on sale at roadsides and cinemas for about $3." The story gets into many newspapers including the New York Daily News.
Manhattan Buys Papayo: Manhattan Minerals announced in a press release that they purchased "51% of the mining rights to the Papayo Concessions and 100% interest in the Lancones Concessions," which adjoin the Tambogrande Concessions.
Minera Aruntani Grows: Reuters reports that Peruvian miner Minera Aruntani "aims to begin operating a new deposit this month and initially hopes to process up to 15,000 tonnes of ore a day," acording to the mine's head of explorations, Dante Loayza. "Aruntani, an open-cast operation in Peru's southern Andes, expects to produce 200,000 ounces of gold this year as its Tucari mine starts up, lifting output above 120,000 ounces in 2003."
Ecuador Defeats Peru: The Associated Press reports that Ecuador’s Carlos Avellan defeated Juan Carlos Rebaza 6-2, 6-0 "to give his country a 4-1 victory over Peru in their in their Davis Cup Americas zone match. Earlier, Matias Silva had won the only point for Peru in the series with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Jhonny de Leon.
LAN And Cintra: Reuters reports that LAN Airlines and Mexico's state-owned Grupo Cintra "formed a code-sharing alliance on Monday to expand each others' geographical reach," according to Lan Chile. "The Cintra Group controls Aeromexico and Mexicana de Aviacion while LAN, one of Latin America's biggest airlines, has operations in Chile, Peru and Ecuador."
Fostering Tourism: Travel Video Television News reports that the 4th Latin American Travel Trade Mart will be held on September 23 and 24 at Los Delfines Hotel, organized by Travel Update and sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Relations. NOTE: "The main objective is to gather the most important iberoamerican wholesalers of receptive tourism with national and international buyers so as to encourage the tourism growth in the region." ALSO: A Forum of Tourist Marketing, ForMaTur 2004, organized with the Faculty of Administration in Tourism of the University San Ignacio de Loyola.
Mining the Rainforest: Unigen Pharmaceuticals announced in a press release that they have "entered into a collaboration agreement for plant collection and product development with Inca Health, an agro-industrial company based in Lima." NOTE: "Unigen and Inca Health will work closely together with indigenous tribes to collect native plants from the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest and Andes Mountains that have a history of ethnomedicinal use in order to identify lead compounds for the development of pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and functional food products." CITED: Dr. Qi Jia (Unigen) and Adrian Poblete Espinosa (President of Inca Health).
Kim Il Sung Praised in Peru: The (North) Korean Central News Agency reports that, on the 10th anniversary of the demise of President Kim Il, "a lecture was given at the Communist Party of Peru Red Motherland by Jorge Jaime, international secretary of the Central Committee of the Peruvian party, who declared that "Kim Il Sung is the man who pioneered the Korean revolution with arms."
Free Trade with USA: Bloomberg and Dow Jones report on the free trade talks between the Peru and the USA. Dow Jones uses the official Andina news agency and CPN radio while Bloomberg uses Gestion. Both report that "the U.S. government is ready to eliminate 95% of its tariffs on Peruvian products in exchange for [Peru] dropping 80 percent of their duties," according to Pedro de la Flor, Peru's chief free trade negotiator. ALSO: "There isn't any conflict between the United States and Peru in this respect." NOTE: "The various nations in the talks are aiming to conclude negotiations by February 2005."
Pais Posible Questioned: The Miami Herald (the penultimate item) reports that "credible evidence is mounting that President Alejandro Toledo registered his political party in the mid-1990s with faked signatures," according to state attorney Ivan Meini "after a second participant in the alleged forgeries came forward." These statements corroborated those "first made in March by Carmen Burga -- who abruptly retracted her allegations earlier this month, issued a videotaped apology to Toledo and hastily left the country." UPDATE: The original Associated Press story noted that the witness, self-identified as 'Patricia' appeared on the television program, Reporte Semanal, and "claimed she was one of 20 people hired by the president's sister, Margarita Toledo, to systematically forge names to register the Nation Possible party, which later changed its name to Peru Possible."
More Deaths in Cold, cont.: Reuters reports that freezing temperatures have "killed at least 38 children since the end of June as temperatures have plunged as low as minus 13 Fahrenheit (minus 25 C)," according the Minister of Foreign Relations Manuel Rodriguez Cuadros and U.N. coordinator in Peru Martin Santiago. NOTE: "The temperatures have been as much as five times lower than normal." ALSO: The Voice of America repeats the news that "several United Nations agencies have responded to Peru's call for international assistance in dealing with severe winter weather that has killed dozens of children."
Coca Marchers: NACLA's July/August issue has an article on 'Peru's Cocaleros on the March' by economist Hugo Cabieses which suggests that "approximately 35,000 of Peru’s estimated 50,000 cocaleros are now CONPACCP members" though there the Apurímac Valley, led by dissident cocalera Marisela Guillén broke with CONPACCP." SEE ALSO: This 2003 interview with Cabieses in Narco News.
Indigenous Revolution: The Christian Science Monitor has a piece by Lucien Chauvin in Lima writing on Bolivia's referendum last Sunday but uses Ilave (among other examples) to suggest that "across South America, some of the region's 55 million indigenous people have been making noise lately - sometimes violently - fighting against abject poverty, inequality, and scant political representation." CITED: Tarcila Rivera Zea (a Peruvian indigenous leader and chair of the Fourth International Meeting of Indigenous Women) and Abel Chapay Miguel (Indigenous Parliament in Peru and Federación Campa-Ashaninka). ALSO: "Even [Toledo's] creation of a National Commission of Andean, Amazonian, and Afro-Peruvian Peoples has failed to appease indigenous leaders."
Copa Disappointments: FIFA reports that "there was no disguising the bitter sense of disappointment hanging over Lima on Monday as the city prepared to host the decisive stages of the 2004 Copa América without the national side’s participation." NOTE: "It seems that the controversy surrounding the coach and players has only just begun." CITED: Luis Solano (taxi-driver), Jorge (a worker at the Sheraton Hotel), and Nolberto Solano. ALSO: The stand-off between the press and the players: The reaction of the players to the story was unequivocal: 'We will no longer be talking to the local press. From here on we speak only to foreign journalists,' they said."
CGTP Strike Reviewed: The World Socialist Web Site reports on the July 14 CGTP strike which "was meant as an ultimatum to President Alejandro Toledo to either change his government’s economic policies or resign." NOTE: "The Toledo administration disputes the impact of the strike, calling it a 'normal day.' However, the strike organizers indicated widespread support."
Spidey at UNI: Reuters reports that "dozens of students wearing red "Spider-Man" masks have taken over buildings at the National Engineering University to demand the removal of the dean, whom they accuse of mishandling funds," according to RPP radio. NOTE: "The university has been taken over by 50 masked delinquents, who have broken doors," Dean Roberto Morales told RPP. ALSO: "With the Spider-Man craze sweeping Lima, the masks are on sale at roadsides and cinemas for about $3." The story gets into many newspapers including the New York Daily News.
Manhattan Buys Papayo: Manhattan Minerals announced in a press release that they purchased "51% of the mining rights to the Papayo Concessions and 100% interest in the Lancones Concessions," which adjoin the Tambogrande Concessions.
Minera Aruntani Grows: Reuters reports that Peruvian miner Minera Aruntani "aims to begin operating a new deposit this month and initially hopes to process up to 15,000 tonnes of ore a day," acording to the mine's head of explorations, Dante Loayza. "Aruntani, an open-cast operation in Peru's southern Andes, expects to produce 200,000 ounces of gold this year as its Tucari mine starts up, lifting output above 120,000 ounces in 2003."
Ecuador Defeats Peru: The Associated Press reports that Ecuador’s Carlos Avellan defeated Juan Carlos Rebaza 6-2, 6-0 "to give his country a 4-1 victory over Peru in their in their Davis Cup Americas zone match. Earlier, Matias Silva had won the only point for Peru in the series with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Jhonny de Leon.
LAN And Cintra: Reuters reports that LAN Airlines and Mexico's state-owned Grupo Cintra "formed a code-sharing alliance on Monday to expand each others' geographical reach," according to Lan Chile. "The Cintra Group controls Aeromexico and Mexicana de Aviacion while LAN, one of Latin America's biggest airlines, has operations in Chile, Peru and Ecuador."
Fostering Tourism: Travel Video Television News reports that the 4th Latin American Travel Trade Mart will be held on September 23 and 24 at Los Delfines Hotel, organized by Travel Update and sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Relations. NOTE: "The main objective is to gather the most important iberoamerican wholesalers of receptive tourism with national and international buyers so as to encourage the tourism growth in the region." ALSO: A Forum of Tourist Marketing, ForMaTur 2004, organized with the Faculty of Administration in Tourism of the University San Ignacio de Loyola.
Mining the Rainforest: Unigen Pharmaceuticals announced in a press release that they have "entered into a collaboration agreement for plant collection and product development with Inca Health, an agro-industrial company based in Lima." NOTE: "Unigen and Inca Health will work closely together with indigenous tribes to collect native plants from the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest and Andes Mountains that have a history of ethnomedicinal use in order to identify lead compounds for the development of pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and functional food products." CITED: Dr. Qi Jia (Unigen) and Adrian Poblete Espinosa (President of Inca Health).
Kim Il Sung Praised in Peru: The (North) Korean Central News Agency reports that, on the 10th anniversary of the demise of President Kim Il, "a lecture was given at the Communist Party of Peru Red Motherland by Jorge Jaime, international secretary of the Central Committee of the Peruvian party, who declared that "Kim Il Sung is the man who pioneered the Korean revolution with arms."
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