TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:
The topic de jour are the free trade talks between Peru and USA and today's news articles come from such unknown (to us) sources like 'Radio Iowa' and the 'Cattle Network'. This is in part because of the agricultural lobby pushing for this legislation in the US Senate.

A not-too-descriptive article by Frank Hyland asks is 'Peru's Shining Path Gaining Ground?' (Jamestown Foundation). Hyland is "a former consultant at the CIA's counter-terrorism center and at the multi-agency National Counterterrorism Center," according the Economist Intelligence Unit.

A book and two musical releases of note:

• Mario Testino's Lima Peru was feted with a book party last night in New York
• The Roots of Chicha "seems like a romp in a dusty outpost of any Peruvian town," according to the New York Post
• Pepe Alva's promoters of his Demos release claim that he is "the Peruvian songwriter with greatest international exposure nowadays."

Finally, on this date, in 1824, "in the Peruvian War of Independence, 9,300 Spaniards under Laserna are defeated by Peruvian patriots led by Sucre at the battle of Ayacucho; the battle led to Peru’s independence," according to Reuters.

QUAKE RELIEF & RESPONSE:

• 'Students Join Peru's Disaster Efforts' (Beacon, Florida Int'l University, Daniella Bacigalupo)
• 'Devon Woman Appeals for Peru Quake Aid' (Express & Echo, UK)
• 'JICA Helps Peru Rebuild' (Japan International Cooperation Agency)
  
• 'Latin Stars Raise Funds for Peruvian Quake Victims' (Los Angeles Times, Agustin Gurza) "In Peru, after the earthquake, we are all needed. One sol. One euro. One dollar. One peso. One bolívar. One real. Everything counts. We can help them. They can't wait. For the people of Peru. The time is now."
• 'Description of the Aftermath of Recent Quake in Peru' (Putnam County News, New York, Maggie Chesnut)

FREE TRADE?

• 'Passage of Peru Trade Agreement Key to US Agriculture' (American Farm Bureau)
  
• 'Support Voiced for US-Peru Trade Deal' (Associated Press, Jim Abrams) Thea Mei Lee, an AFL-CIO economist, said "that AFL-CIO unions were on both sides on the Peru agreement."
• 'US Trade Deficit Shows Slight Decline' (Associated Press, Martin Crutsinger) "Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez on Wednesday will head a congressional delegation on a four-day trip to Panama, Peru and Colombia to build support for passage of the trade deals." Gutierrez holds press conference today at 10am on trip
  
• Boston Mayor Thomas Menino Part of Delegation to Peru (Boston Globe, Matt Viser)
  
• 'Grassley Says Pending US/Peru Free Trade Good For Ag' (Brownfield Ag News, Julie Harker)
• 'Business Groups Urge Congress To Act Quickly on Trade Deals' (Business Journals, Kent Hoover)
• 'Senator Roberts' Statement on Peru Free Trade Agreement' (Cattle Network) re: Kansas Senator Pat Roberts
• 'Senators Baucus, Grassley Urge Support for Peru FTA' (Dow Jones)
• 'Mobilizing Aid for Trade to Take Place in Lima' (Fibre2Fibre)
  
• 'Baucus Promises Prompt Action On Deal With Peru' (Hoosier Ag Today, Gart Truitt)
• 'US Makes Peru Partner in Free Trade Agreement' (Pravda)
  
• 'As Peru NAFTA Expansion Vote Looms, Opposition Grows' (Public Citizen press release) "Not One Union, Consumer, Latino Civil Rights, Environmental, Family Farm or Faith Group Supports 'Modified Peru Free Trade Agreement"
• 'Hearing Set Today on Trade Deal With Peru' (Radio Iowa, Matt Kelley)
  
• 'Senator Eyes Action on Forex and Other Trade Bills' (Reuters, Doug Palmer) "We still have a lot of work to do," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, said during a hearing on a free trade agreement with Peru."
• 'US Lawmaker Plans Quick Action on Peru Trade Pact' (Reuters, Doug Palmer) "I expect it to pass without too much difficulty," the Montana Democrat told reporters."
  
• 'U.S., Peru: Senator Promises Quick Action On Peru Trade Pact' (Stratfor)
  

MICRO/MACRO ECONOMICS:

• 'Chile Cencosud To Open Paris Dept Store In Peru -Report' (Dow Jones)
  
• 'Chile Retailers Eye Big Peru Shopping Mall Project' (Reuters) re: Wong, Ripley and Plaza Lima Norte
• 'Scotiabank Announces Executive Appointments' (Scotiabank press release) Nicole Reich de Polignac and Jim Meek have both worked in Peru
  
• 'Pluspetrol To Name Its Price in Peru' (Upstream) "Will set the price for the natural gas needed by companies interested in building new petrochemical projects, Peru's mines and energy minister Juan Valdivia said."

Mining

• 'Alturals Minerals Grants Options' (Alturas Minerals)
• 'Condor Options The Pucamayo Gold-Silver Project in Southern Peru' (Condor Resources)
• 'Southern Copper Unions Suspend Planned Strike In Peru' (Dow Jones)
• earlier - 'Southern Copper Unions Hold New Vote On Strike Set For Wed' (Dow Jones)
• 'Peru Mine Vote Pits Farmers, Environmentalists Vs Co, Govt' (Dow Jones, Robert Kozak)
  
• 'Higher Average Grade on the Calvario I Prospect' (Frontier Pacific Mining Corp press release)
• 'Unions At Southern Copper In Peru Suspend Strike' (Mining Journal)
  
• 'Northern Peru Intercepts Gold at Hilorico (Northern Peru Copper press release)
• Review of Labor Unions' Relationship With Mining Companies (Reuters)
  
• 'Zijin US$1.4 Billion Peru Plan Depnds on Community' (The Standard, Hong Kong) re: Zijin Mining Group investment in Rio Blanco
  

INTERNATIONAL:

• 'US must listen to Latin America, not lecture it' (letter, Financial Times, Sarah Stephens, Center for Democracy in the Americas)
• 'Russia, Peru Sign Memorandum on Physical Training, Sports Cooperation' (Itar-Tass)
• 'Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Following Talks with President Alan Garcia of the Republic of Peru' (SOP Newswire)
  
• 'Russian Foreign Affairs Minister On South American Tour' (MercoPress) "Sergei Lavrov and a delegation of businessmen arrived Tuesday in Peru for an official one day visit."
• 'PANAMAX 2007 Last Major Exercise of Parternship of the Americas 2007 (Navy Newstand, Alexia Riveracorrea)
  
• 'Andean Nations Define Fight Against Corruption' (Prensa Latina)
• 'Lima Rejects Opening of ALBA Offices' (El Universal)
  

FUJI FILE:

• 'Peru Trusts Chile Will Do Justice' (Prensa Latina)
  
• 'Peru President Slams Chilean Judges Over Fujimori Case' (Xinhua News Agency)
  

ARTS & LITERATURE:

• Pepe Alva's New CD - Demos (press release) "Pepe Alva, the Peruvian songwriter with greatest international exposure nowadays, ..."
• 'The Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbia from Peru' (New York Post, Javier Orellana and Sandra Guzman) "This vibrant and trippy collection of Andean cumbias or chichas - 17 in all - seems like a romp in a dusty outpost of any Peruvian town. "
  
• 'Instructor Expresses Urge to Aid Peruvians, Support World Culture' (Red and Black, University of Georgia, Kelly Ridenhour) re: Fernán Cerrón-Palomino
• 'Mad For Marc and Mario' (Style) re: Mario Testino Lima Peru book launch; 77 photos from reception; ""I wanted to do a book about Peru that wasn't about llamas and mountains," said Mario Testino at the V Man-hosted launch party for his new tome, Lima Peru."
  
• Mario Testino's Book Party (Women's Wear Daily) re: Lima Peru with foreword by Vargas Llosa
  

SPORTS:

• 'ITTF Goodwil Programme In Peru Has Far Reaching Effects' (International Table Tennis Federation, Jorge Vera Moyoli)
  

OTHER:

• 'Latin Revival: Peru's Pisco Packs a Punch' (Contra Costa Times, Laurel Miller)
• 'Potent Peruvian Potable Pisco Packs Powerful Punch' (Inside Bay Area, Laurel Miller)
• 'Des Moines Firm Works To Help Latinos Build Wealth' (Des Moines Register, S. P. Dinnen) re: Max Cardenas and Coopera Consulting
• 'Islamic Terrorists Posing As Christians' (Family Security Matters, Deborah Schurman-Kauflin) "Peru is said to be one of Osama Bin Laden’s favorite training locales."
• 'Peruvian Cardinal To Health Minister: 'Abortion Is Murder' (LifeSite, Matthew Cullinan Hoffman)
• 'Peru: The Rising Boom of Peruvian Cuisine' (Global Voices blog, Juan Arellano)
  
• 'Peru Prepares To Celebrate Miracles' (Opodo) re: travel agency drumming up interest for Senor de los Milagros