Peruvia

2009-06-21T01:50:00.002-05:00

We always welcome your emails with suggestions or corrections.

New! Check out this TweetMixx or this Twitterfall on all-things Peru.

The Google News widget on the right-hand sidebar as well as The New York Times widget below offers automatic updates on Peru. The tabs on the Times' tool below are not meant to juxtapose individuals but rather an editorial reflection of how the newspaper covers Peru.

Kleph's excellent Points South's Twitter is also linked in the column to the right.

Remembering Faucett OB-1303

2009-06-20T09:22:00.000-05:00

"The case in which searchers failed to get either black box was that of a Boeing 727 owned by Faucett, a Peruvian airline, that crashed off Newfoundland in 1990, apparently because of lack of fuel, killing all 16 aboard." New York Times, by Alexei Barrionuevo and Matthew L. Wald.

This Faucett-owned airplane, OB-1303, had just finished being wet-leased to Air Malta. It crashed during its flight back to Peru according to a contemporaneous account in Flight International and the New York Times.

There is some internet speculation about the cause of the plane's crash - and it is noteworthy that The Times uses "apparently" as the investigation is inconclusive as there was no evidence of the downed aircraft.

2009-03-17T23:42:00.002-05:00

See Editorial Update below.

Tomorrow's New York Times features reporting from Canayre, Apurimac on the continued relationship between coca, cocaine, the Shining Path and the government's response.

The package includes:

the article, 'Cocaine Trade Helps Rebels Reignite War In Peru', by Simon Romero (the International Herald Tribune's version is 'Rebels and Cocaine Revive Old War in Peru').
a 5-minute video headlined on the web 'A Hunt for Rebels in the Jungles of Peru' but on the video titled, 'Narco Trafficking in Peru's Jungle: The Resurgence of the Shining Path'. It is credited to Simon Romero, Andrea Zarate, and Eric Owles.
and 24 photos online, Inside Peru's Cocaine War, by Moises Saman.

While purportedly about the continued relationship between drugs and the re-emergence of Shining Path ("it rouses the ghosts of a brutal two-decade war"), it is mainly about coca growing in "one of the most remote parts of the Andes", and the government's response to it. Shining Path connections are certainly evident in the region but this reporting doesn't reveal any news on it.

Simon Romero has reported on Peru for The Times since 2007.

Moises Saman's photographs are stark and vivid particularly in his ability to show what the armed forces or police patrols see. Saman is a Peruvian photographer, has worked off and on in Iraq since 2002, first for Newsday and more recently, for the New York Times. (See his recent book, 'Afghanistan: Broken Promise'.)

The video is also well presented although after a first view a few questions lingered:

In the first minute, reporter Simon Romero suggests that 2008 was the deadliest year - but then shows a funeral plot of 2006.
In the last minute, after video of Prime Minister Yehude Simon offering a village help, reporter Romero says "months later, despite some progress, the villagers are still waiting for the promised aid." So, did the village receive "some progress" and are now waiting for the completed aid?

Andrea Zarate has been a stringer for the New York Times since 2005 including supporting several pieces on Peru. Eric Owles, the paper's Chief Multimedia Producer, has done video pieces on Mexico and Colombia. Most recently he was in The Times' Bahgdad bureau.

In general, this was well-produced and financed reporting, on a level that few media outlets could produce. It was largely reported from the VRAE, the Valley Region of the Apurimac and Ene rivers, a region that continues to see extreme poverty and violence, issues that The Times highlighted well. The reporting on the government's response and on Shining Path was more limited - no mention of Plan VRAE, or its limitations, and no reporting on what the scope of Shining Path's presence may be in the region.

OTHER STORIES

OPINION In other words … do your own work (Miami Herald (McClatchy), Lori Borgman) an article on plagiarism: "Seriously, how many ways are there to say, "Lima is the capital of Peru"? And if the World Book said it first and you repeated it, were you plagiarizing the encyclopedia?So then the scholar's task is to say the same boring thing in a creative manner to make the words your own: "In Peru, many citizens regard Lima as the capital." "Lima! The capital of Peru."
Mom's back from Peru and Puppy's tuckered out (The Tennessean, Vicki Stout) "Mom says she had an excellent adventure in Peru. She hiked, rode trains, took boats — you name it, she seems to have done it. She met lots of dogs, some alpacas, llamas, a cat or two and even a baby lamb. It's just a good thing she couldn't bring any of them home."

2008-04-15T06:52:00.002-05:00

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

Dow Jones reports that China may soon become Peru's largest trading partner
The Times (UK) reviews Aqua Expeditions' luxury accommodations on the Amazon
The Wall Street Journal reviews Pacifika's 'Asunción'

Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

YALE HOLDING MORE INCA ITEMS: "COUNTING IS COMPLICATED"

Yale says counting method explains Peruvian artifact discrepancy (Associated Press) Yale University officials said Monday that the method of counting is responsible for a discrepancy over the number of artifacts it is holding from the famed Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.
Yale's Machu Picchu haul 10 times as big as thought (Associated Press)
Yale University vs The Government of Peru (eNews, Alexandre Carst)
Peru Objects to Inca Hoarding By Yale U. (eCanada)

TODAY IN HISTORY

1997 - Peruvian troops storm the Japanese ambassador's mansion in Lima, Peru, and rescue 72 hostages held for four months, but one dies on the way to the hospital. All 14 Tupac Amaru rebels and two soldiers die in the shootout. (Associated Press)
1988 - State of emergency is extended two additional months in Lima, Peru, to fight rising violence by leftist guerrillas (Associated Press)

EU/LAC Lima Summit - May 16

Summit Homepage
Latin America-Caribbean and European Union Summit in Peru in May (OAS press release)
Peru President Commends Chavez' Visit (Prensa Latina, Cuba) "Peruvian President Alan Garcia termed very positive Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez presence at the 5th Latin American, Caribbean, European Union Summit in Peru in May."
Peru's García: Chávez will be welcomed in Lima (El Universal, Venezuela) "When he arrives in Lima to attend the Summit of Latin American, Caribbean, and European Union heads of state next May 16-17, but conceded they have political and ideological differences."

MACRO/MICRO ECON
Macro

With US Economy Slumping, Peru Looks To China As A Market (Dow Jones) "Peru worked tirelessly for more than three years to secure a free trade agreement with the United States. But during that time, as the U.S. economy's downturn translated into a slump in Peruvian exports to the U.S., another contender has been clawing its way to the top of Peru's trade partner list: China. Last year, China became Peru's second-largest trade partner after the U.S. Bilateral trade between Peru and China totaled some $5.5 billion in 2007 - $3.04 billion of that in exports to China - a 43% export increase over the year before, according to the Foreign Trade and Tourism Ministry. If trade with China "continues at this pace, and the United States' (trade) rate keeps dropping, in four or five years, China will become Peru's top trade partner," Luis Silva, president of the national exporters association, told Dow Jones Newswires."
India's trade with Latin America is growing (Latin Business Chronicle) "Trade with countries like Brazil and Chile is growing above 30 percent and in the case of Peru it almost doubled last year."
Peru Has Lowest Inflation (Latin Business Chronicle) "In 2009 it will be Peru that can boast the lowest inflation - 2.5%. That follows inflation of 4.2 percent in 2008 and 1.8 percent in 2007 (the lowest last year)."
Greenback Sets 12-day High Against Peru's Nuevo Sol (RTT News)

Micro

Peruvian unions announce strike for May (BNAmericas)
Doe Run Peru says strike has cut output 25% (Reuters, Maria Luisa Palomino)
Compania de Minas Buenaventura's 1st Quarter Conference Call May 2 11am, EST (press release) Live over internet

INT'L RELATIONS

Andean Countries Discuss Trade in Bolivia (Prensa Latina, Cuba) "At least 60 businesspeople from CAN (the Andean Community of Nations) are consolidating cooperation agreements and access to new markets during the first trade fair of the bloc, running as of Sunday for five days in La Paz."

TOURISM & TRAVEL

The Times: Water view: the Amazon slips gently past the 15ft panoramic cabin window

Tourism booms amid concerns in Peru (Associated Press, Leslie Joseph) "Relative peace and a booming economy draw boutique travelers to the Andean terrain and ancient ruins that were previously the domain of brave, budget-conscious backpackers." with 5 accompanying photographs
Cruising up the Amazon in Peru (The Times, UK, Paul Croughton) "A new luxury cruise takes you to parts of the world’s mightiest river others cannot reach." See related Aqua Expeditions 'Luxury Amazon Voyages' with 'Master Suites' and online deck plan
TravelMole’s Silvia Gracia travels around Peru in 13 Days (TravelMole)
New Hotel: Radisson Hotel San Isidro Opening (Carlson Hotels press release) "The Radisson Hotel San Isidro offers the Zen Restaurant and is close to a variety of public transportation options including buses, minibuses and taxi service." Editorial Comment: Minibuses?

ARTS & LITERATURE

REVIEW: Pacifika's 'Asunción' (Wall Street Journal, Jim Fusilli) "Vancouver may not bring to mind Latin pop, but the city is home to Pacifika, a trio whose debut album, "Asunción" (Six Degrees), is for the most part a charming collection of gently swaying yet insistent music with its roots in the southern part of the hemisphere." Watch one of their videos here.

COULD PERUVIAN POTATOES SAVE THE WORLD? AGAIN?

As other staples soar, potatoes break new ground (Reuters, Terry Wade) Feature story accompanied by 5 photographs; "The shocks to the food supply are very real and that means we could potentially be moving into a reality where there is not enough food to feed the world," said Pamela Anderson, director of the International Potato Center in Lima."
Factbox: Facts about the potato, a resurgent supercrop (Reuters) #1: "To boost demand, Peru's government has started to serve bread made from potato flour in its schools, hospitals, prisons and to members of its armed forces." #5: "The potato is the obvious inspiration behind the classic Mr. Potato Head toy."

DRUGS ON BABY

Peruvian woman arrested in Argentina with cocaine attached to baby (Deutshe Press Agentur)

SPORTS

Luis Horna (Peru) was defeated by Mischa Zverev (Germany) 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 at the Valencia Open (Canadian Press)
Vargas Ready For Roma Move (Goal) "The versatile Peruvian has impressed in Sicily since transferring from Argentine club Colón in 2006, so much so that Roma reportedly made a ₤3 million bid for his services before the start of the current season."

2008-04-14T09:57:00.003-05:00

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

Yale Daily News (among others) reports that Yale may have many more Inca artifacts
MTV Canada starts 4Real tonight featuring Cameron Diaz' 2007 Trip to Peru, according to the Globe & Mail

Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

YALE HOLDING MORE INCA ITEMS: "COUNTING IS COMPLICATED"

Discrepancy clouds count of Inca items (Yale Daily News, Paul Needham) "It turns out that there is no one way to count Inca artifacts. The Peruvian government announced Sunday that an inventory it conducted of Machu Picchu objects currently housed at Yale found some 40,000 pieces — about 10 times the number Yale had previously announced. But Yale officials said the discrepancy is a matter of mere arithmetic and not a sign of a significant disagreement."
Peru report says Yale holding 40,000 Machu Picchu artifacts (Associated Press)
Yale 'holding Machu Picchu items' (The Press Association)
Will Yale return all 40,000 artifacts to Peru? (Reuters; Reuters, Jean Luis Arce)
Peru accuses Yale of undercounting Machu Picchu artifacts (Andean Currents)
It All Comes Down To Counting: Yale Holding 40000 Inca Artifacts (eFlux Media, Dee Chisamera) "The latest report released by Peruvian authorities uncovered that Yale University is holding over 40,000 artifacts from the Inca citadel of Machu Pichu, roughly ten times the number of pieces that has been initially reported by the university. In an telephone interview, Yale Archaeology professor Richard Burger said, as quoted by Yale Daily News: “Counting is complicated,” he said. “Do you count lots or do you count every piece? There may be tens of thousands of objects if you count each finger bone in a skeleton.”
VIDEO: Peru Says Yale Holding 40,000 Artifacts (WTNH-8, New Haven, Kent Pierce) see also accompanying transcript
VIDEO: Peru wants nearly 40,000 artifacts returned from Yale U. (NECN)
FLASHBACK: Yale To Return Artifacts, Peruvia, Sept 17, 2007.

EU/LAC Lima Summit - May 16

Summit Homepage
Germany's Merkel To Visit Latin America In May (Agence France Press) "She will take part in a Europe-Latin America summit in Lima on May 16-17."

UN DESTROYS LATIN AMERICA BOOKS

A Maker of Books Destroys 100,000 (Washington Post, Molly Moore) "For more than two decades, 250 historians and specialists labored to produce the first six volumes of the General History of Latin America, an exhaustive work financed by UNESCO. Then, over the course of two years, UNESCO paid to destroy many of those books and nearly 100,000 others by turning them to pulp, according to an external audit."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

Menzies sells Peruvian stake(Edinburgh News) "John Menzies, the Edinburgh-based logistics and aviation services group, has announced it is to dispose of its stake in a Peruvian firm. The company will receive disposal proceeds of £10.3 million from the disposal of aviation services business Talma Menzies SRL."
Menzies Sells 50% Stake in Peru Venture for 10.3 Million Pounds (Bloomberg), Tracy Alloway) "It agreed to sell its 50 percent stake in a Peru-based aviation-services business to Sandoval Group for 10.3 million pounds ($20.3 million)."
John Menzies sells 50% stake in Peruvian JV for 10.3 mln pounds (Thomson Financial)
Austral Buys Stake in Corp del Mar (Bloomberg, last item) "Peru's biggest fishmeal producer said it paid 185.6 million soles ($67.9 million) for a 50% stake in Corporacion del Mar SA. Pesquera Ezalmar bought the other 50% stake."

MINING

Mine Opponents Face Lawsuit Based on Press Clippings (Inter Press Service, Milagros Salazar) "Local activists and politicians in the northern Peruvian region of Piura who are facing charges of terrorism and extortion because of their activism to oppose mining investment projects supported by the government say the only evidence against them are photocopies of newspaper articles."
Peru's mining and energy sector expects $20 billion investments by 2011 (EFE via Factiva) "Energy and Mines Minister Juan Valdivia said Saturday that in 2006, at the beginning of Peruvian President Alan Garcia's administration, investments of some $11 billion were expected for that period, but now those expectations have been greatly surpassed by the companies’ own projections of future investments, the government news agency Andina said."
Vena Resources Advances Esquilache Polymetalic Project in Puno Peru (Vena press release)
Nilam Resources Receives Equity Financing For Pativilca Purchase (Nilam press release)
Peru to grow more papayas (Agra-Net)

ARTS & LITERATURE

Review: Orpheus Chamber Singers (Dallas Morning News, Scott Cantrell) "Artistic director Donald Krehbiel had devised a typically stimulating program, starting with an anonymous Peruvian hymn sung, drum-accompanied, in procession."
Me Llamo Dora: An Explorer in Modern America (National Public Radio, Rolando Arrieta) An aside: Peruvian-American Kathleen Herles is the voice of Dora
Salsa ambassador readies himself for the world (The Southern, Southern Illinois University, Scott Fitzgerald) "When he goes to the stage this spring to receive his undergraduate degree in marketing, Southern Illinois University Carbondale student Julio Barrenzuela has made arrangements to be announced as "The Salsa Ambassador."

TRAVEL

Cameron Diaz' 2007 Trip On MTV Canada (Globe & Mail, Toronto) "I gained a comfort up [in Machu Picchu] that I'd never really had with heights before. I get vertigo really easily. And when I jump out of planes or go rock climbing, I'm mostly terrified all the time. But being at Machu Picchu, well, it was just amazing."
Babson names winners of 2008 biz plan contest (Mass High Tech) Chaska Hotel & Spa, a full-service, four-star, eco-friendly hotel in Peru's Sacred Valley, won second place in Babson College's 2008 business plan competitions.
International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association: Lima Tours recipient of Hall of Fame Award (IGLTA press release) "Lima Tours was one of the first companies in South America to reach out directly to welcome LGBT travelers and groups to show them the sights, sounds and exotic flavors of Peru."
Cuban Photo Expo In Peru (Prensa Latina, Cuba) A photo exhibit on Cuba was opened this weekend in Peru with the significant title "La Cubania" by artist Julio Larramendi." From EDUCAR in Lima it goes to Cuzco (April 21 to 26) then the University of San Marcos.

PEOPLE

Consular Corps team entered in this year's Sun Run (Vancouver Sun, Karen Gram) "Rosa Marshall, honorary consul of Colombia, jokingly appointed the Consul of Peru [Carlos Manuel Román] to be captain of the Latin group in the consulate corps. But he is a reluctant participant, she says."
Woman welder wins big with Microfinance Loan (Student Operated Press) "Hardly anyone believed a young, female welder in Peru could be successful, but Miss Micro-Entrepreneur Maria Ester Landa proved them wrong. She's a jet engine welder and Peru's 'Miss Micro-Entrepreneur' of 2006." See interview in El Comercio.
Valeria Rojas Awarded Watson Fellowship (The Lawrentian, Dylan Reed-Maxfield)

SPORTS

Davis Cup Process (Davis Cup) Peru included to participate in the 2008 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Play-offs draw.

PLAYING CATCH-UP

Peruvian Court Convicts Military Squad of 1992 University Killings (Chronicle of Higher Education, Mike Ceaser)

2008-04-13T07:10:00.001-05:00

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

Aero News Network suggests a panicked tourist contributed to the fatal Nazca accident
The Toronto Sun reports on Cameron Diaz' 2007 Peru trip being broadcast on MTV (8pm, April 14); and around the world except USA, Canada, UK on National Geographic (starting April 23)." Watch Preview

Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

NAZCA FLIGHT TRAGEDY

Pilot Says Panicked Tourist Contributed To Fatal Peru Accident (Aero News Network) "The pilot and sole survivor of April 9 downing of Cessna 206 in southern Peru says the accident was caused by a passenger who became frantic, and tugged on the pilot's safety harness. Carlos Bartra reportedly told Aero Ica one of the passengers panicked shortly after takeoff. ... Aero Ica theorized the female passenger Bartra identified may have become panicked by strong winds in the area."

EDUCATION CHALLENGES

VIDEO: Peru's teachers fail test (BBC, Dan Collyns) "A staggering 95% of Peru's teachers have failed a government test to assess how qualified they are."

TRAVEL

Casitas del Colca Opens April 15 (Independent, UK) Orient Express's eagerly awaited Casitas del Colca opens in Arequipa this week, a luxury Andean retreat with 20 stone 'casitas'. The spa (opens May) offers indigenous treatments and Colca Canyon views.
FLASHBACK: See 'Flying Condors' in Colca in Peruvia, July 23, 2004
Getting To Knew Peru And Her People (Anniston Star, Georgia, David Boozer) travelogue to the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve
Peru Lures Wealthy Tourists - Like Bill Gates & Cameron Diaz (Reuters) Machu Picchu now comes "complete with five-star hotels, world-class restaurants, luxury trains and an indoor oxygen system. In recent months, Cuzco has been visited by Bill Gates and Cameron Diaz."
Cameron Diaz' 2007 Peru Trip on MTV (Toronto Sun) "Diaz's 2007 trek to Peru is featured in the first episode of 4REAL, tomorrow on MTV (8pm, April 14); around the world except USA, Canada, UK on National Geographic (starting April 23)." Watch Preview and 16 video segments including: Tetris Masters; People of Medicine; Hanging on the Train.

MINERS SAVED

Peru rescues seven miners trapped by landslide (Reuters, Jean Luis Arce) "It was not clear what minerals drew miners to the small, informal site."
earlier today: Seven miners trapped at Peruvian site in the Andes (Reuters, Teresa Cespedes) "The rubble trapped miners on Friday at the Chuncanaqui site in the Ancash region, north of Lima."

ARTS & LITERATURE

Mansfield University To Study Gamaliel Churata in Peru (Star-Gazette, New York and press release) "William Keeth (Mansfield University) has been accepted into the Andean Worlds Project, a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute. I hope to greatly advance my research related to Gamaliel Churata and the early avant-garde writers in the Andes."
VIDEO: Marc Anthony Concert in Lima (Associated Press)
PHOTOGRAPH: An Honorable Mention (Cleveland Plain Dealer) Tisha Wade's photograph contrasted the shades of green on the banks of Lake Titicaca.

DE SOTO ON FRIEDMAN

A Fresh Look at the Apostle of Free Markets (New York Times, Peter Goodman) "Prominent Peruvian economist" Hernando de Soto is quoted in a profile of Milton Friedman: “Among the cognoscenti, he became the figure that represented the war against the overwhelming welfare state." But Mr. De Soto faulted Mr. Friedman for failing to temper his admonitions with an understanding of poverty and income inequality. “The problem with Milton Friedman and his fellow libertarians is they never took into consideration the importance of class. They ignored the way elites were able to distort the policies they prescribed for their own benefit.”
FLASHBACK: De Soto Wins Friedman Prize (in Peruvia, April 2004)

CATCH & RELEASE MARLINS ONLY

No More Marlins (Miami Herald) third story; "The president of Peru has signed a declaration to decommercialize marlin and sailfish in that country's waters, according to a news release from the Fort Lauderdale-based Billfish Foundation. The foundation said the decree means no commercial harvest nor sale will be allowed for the species and recreational fishing will be catch-and-release."
Blue Fish Foundation Assists a Nation’s President Set a New Standard for Billfish Conservation (Bill Fish Foundation press release) See photograph of President Garcia with Foundation representatives at bottom of this post
FLASHBACK: Peruvian barman recounts 32 days with 'Don Ernesto' Hemingway (Agence France Press, 2005) "Pedro Cordova remembers the 32 days legendary American author Ernest Hemingway spent fishing marlin and filming the silver-screen adaptation of his famous book "The Old Man and the Sea" in Cabo Blanco in northern Peru."
FLASHBACK: Hemingway's Peruvian fishing expedition (Andean Currents, Aug. 1, 2007) "In 1953, club owner and Texas oilman Alfred Glassell snared a 14 feet, seven inches long 1,560 pound black marlin - the largest bony fish ever caught with a rod and reel. The record still stands today."

NEW USA CITIZEN IN IRAQ

Fort Bragg Soldiers Become US Citizens in Iraq (WRAL, North Carolina) re: includes Pfc. Zully L. Schaeffer
Servicemembers in Iraq become U.S. citizens (Black Anthem, Jeremy Crisp) "Schaeffer's family is originally from Peru and they now reside in Allentown, Penn."

FOOD QUOTES?

"Deadly food riots have already broken out in Egypt, Indonesia, Cameroon, Peru and Haiti." (The Times, India)
"In Peru, shortages of wheat flour are prompting the military to make bread with potato flour, a native crop." (Bay Area Indymedia, San Francisco)
"Rising prices have hit poor countries like Haiti and Peru and even developed countries like Italy and the United States." (Associated Press, Julhas Alam)

OTHER QUOTES

OPINION: Government by itself is not always the problem (Almogordo Daily News, New Mexico) "Or why not have severely limited government like Rwanda or Peru where only the richest can attend school or be protected by private police?"
Letter: Interesting reactions to Clinton, Obama (Billings Gazette) "As a former educator of teens and a missionary of more than three decades in Peru, I'm really not surprised that huge numbers of our younger voters are enthusiastic about Barack Obama. Sister Catherine Nichol)"

SPORTS

Pizarro and His Horses (Guardian, UK) "Chelsea's Claudio Pizarro, who owns 1,000 Guineas outsider Raymi Coya with trainer Marco Botti, was looking for new equine recruits at the Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale. The Peru striker can certainly afford to add his string of racehorses, he is reportedly paid £2.5million per annum."

Below: President Garcia with Dave Ferrell (Marlin magazine), Rafael Rey, Mercedes Araoz, and Ellen Peel (Billfish Foundation)

2008-04-12T06:21:00.005-05:00

NAZCA FLIGHT TRAGEDY

Lawmakers seek better tourist protection after deadly Peru plane crash (Associated Press, Carla Salazar) "Lawmakers sought tougher tourism safety measures Friday, two days after five French tourists were killed in an airplane crash en route to the country's famed Nazca lines. The Aero Ica Cessna plane went down Wednesday near a landing strip in Peru's desert. Only the Peruvian pilot survived. The plane became tangled in high-tension cables after the pilot tried to return to the landing strip shortly after take off. The plane did not have enough lift to clear a three-story building."

TRAVEL

No More Room On Inca Trail; booked out through August (The Telegraph, Mark Rowe) "Before the introduction of permits, up to 2,000 tourists walked the trail each day in the high season, which runs from April until September.The present quota is set at 500 permits a day, each costing £45, but because walkers must be part of a group employing a guide, cook and porters, just 200 permits are available for tourists."
Beauty of Andes not to be missed (San Francisco Chronicle) "Worth A Splurge: A room at the Hotel Monasterio in Cusco after four days of hiking."

INT'L COOPERATION

Peruvian Traveling Fair arrives in San Diego (Navy Compass, Christal A. Bailey) "Peruvian Navy transport ship BAP Mollendo (ATC 131) arrived in San Diego on April 10. Mollendo, commanded by Capitan de Fragata, Gonzolo Carrera Mazuelos, and its 139 enlisted Sailors and 38 officers are hosting tours of Mollendo, which houses a museum displaying some of Peru's industrial products such as cotton and alpaca textiles and cultural artifacts from the Incas."
razil is promoting South American Defence Council (MercoPress) "Brazil’s Minister of Defence Nelson Jobim announced visits to neighboring countries to promote the Brazilian initiative for a South American Defence Council. “The purpose of these visits is to draft a mid term or possibly long term South American defense identity so that we can have a strong, united continent”, said Jobim."

INT'L COOKING PRISON COMPETITION

Cooking Competition in Callao (Associated Press photographs) Yesterday the Sarita Colonia prison in Callao held their foreign food contest. 865 out of 2,640 prisoners are foreigners, most of them imprisoned on drug charges. Contestants included Canadians, Italians, Mexican, French, Colombians, and Spanish. And Peruvians. The Italians won with former chef Gerardo Frigieri and his Italian Spaghetti Bolognese.

ARTS & LITERATURE

World-renown artists perform in Peru thanks to tax-cut law, says president García (Andina Press Agency) "García indicated that thanks to the referred legislation, signed last year on December 19, famed artists such as Bryan Adams, Marc Anthony and White Lion."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

Peru's Sol Drops After Central Bank Raises Reserve Requirement (Bloomberg, Andrea Jaramillo) "Peru's sol had its biggest decline in almost three months after the central bank tripled the reserve requirement on foreigners' deposits in local banks to curb capital inflows. The sol dropped 0.9% to 2.739 per dollar. "Foreign banks were taking advantage of the sol's appreciation by taking out term deposits with local banks,'' said a currency trader at Banco Santander SA in Lima. The reserve requirement increase "takes away that incentive and we'll probably start seeing dollars leave Peru as a result of this in the next few weeks.''
OPINION: Latin American Economies Steady Despite Global Financial Shock (Washington Post, Marcela Sanchez)

MAILING DRUGS TO VIRGINIA

Three USA Marines investigated in heroin transaction (Free Lance Star, Virginia, Keith Epps) "The investigation stems from a Sept. 6 incident in which Peruvian narcotics officers seized a package at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima. The package was addressed to an apartment on Republic Way in Stafford, where two Marines stationed at Quantico live."

FOOD

'La Limena' in Washington DC-area (Washington Post, Tom Sietsema) "It would be easy to miss this fine little restaurant, all but invisible in the corner of a plain-Jane shopping mall."
Eat Like a Tourist In Your Local (The Guardian) "For many years, travellers have returned from Peru with strange tales of a lurid yellow drink. The mysterious beverage is Inca Kola and graduates of the gringo trail can relive their South American experiences at Tito's restaurant, which serves the bubblegum-flavoured drink along with stronger Peruvian tipples, such as Cusquena beer and Pisco sours. Reviews are mixed but the menu has regional specialities such as ceviche, parihuela, lomo saltado and aji de gallina, while apparently steering clear of cuy. El Aguajal (54 Balls Pond Road, N1 4AP) is another Peruvian joint with a good reputation."
Brewers get extreme as they create new beers (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jeremiah McWilliams) "Marc Gottfried, brewmaster at Morgan Street Brewery on Laclede's Landing, has experimented with ingredients like maple syrup and pumpkin mash cooked in crock pots. His next project: a naturally purple beer brewed with a Peruvian beverage."

SPORTS

Flamengo overcome altitude worries to beat Cienciano (Reuters, Brian Homewood) "Flamengo, who have led a campaign by Brazilian clubs to end matches at high altitude, cruised to a 3-0 win over Peru's Cienciano at 3,300 metres above sea level in the Libertadores Cup on Wednesday."
So Flamengo, what was all the altitude fuss about? (Reuters blog, Brian Homewood) "So what was the big fuss about? Recent results suggest that altitude does not really offer anything more than a small advantage to the home team, rather similar to playing on a bumpy pitch or in weather which the visitors are unused to. ... It also begs the question: are Brazilian clubs and the media, which has helped stoke up public opinion, being hypocritical?"

SISTER CITIES

UK towns venturing farther for twins (Financial Times, Jim Pickard) "Towns are twinning themselves with ever more exotic partners, including Timbuktu, Ulan Bator and Machu Picchu, in a telling sign of how the planet is shrinking. Haworth, the Yorkshire birthplace of the Bronte sisters, says it twinned itself with Machu Picchu, the ruined city in Peru, not only because “we wanted to” but because the two were “more similar than you may think”. Both had populations of just less than 3,000, were “50 miles from the nearest regional capital” and “evoke past societies”, said Haworth’s 'twin town group'.”

CHURCH NEWS

Rev. Michael Chapman Going To Peruvian Seminary (Lincoln Tribune, North Carolina, Karen Bolick) Leader in the Holy Way to teach at the Seminary of Saints Augustine in Lima. "Fr. Chapman speaks fluent Spanish and is familiar with the Quechua language of the Inca Empire. “It is difficult to say exactly where we will be and what we will be doing."

2008-04-11T05:16:00.001-05:00

NAZCA FLIGHT TRAGEDY

Reuters photos of accident
Associated Press photos of accident

OLYMPICS

Peruvian president supports Beijing Olympic Games (Xinhua) in an op-ed in El Comercio

EU-LAC SUMMIT

EU-LAC summit to seek pragmatic outcomes (Xinhua) "25 heads of state and government of the 27 EU countries have confirmed their attendance at the two-day summit on May 16 in the Peruvian capital of Lima. Only Italy, apparently because of a pending election, and Cyprus have not confirmed their attendance."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

Peru Bank Unexpectedly Raises Lending Rate to 5.5% (Bloomberg)
Peru's central bank raises key rate to 5.5% (Reuters)
Oil and gas in Peru (The Economist) "A decade, says Peru's prime minister, Jorge del Castillo, his country will be a net exporter of energy. ... Environmentalists and indigenous groups have misgivings."
Companies Propose Pipelines in Southern Peru (Reuters, Marco Aquino) "Suez Energy and Kuntur Gas Transport have presented the Peruvian government with plans to build two gas pipelines, worth about $2 billion. Both links would be supplied by gas from the Camisea field."

Micro

Doe Run Peru Says Govt Declared Strike Illegal (Dow Jones)
America Movil Peru launches 3G network (TeleGeography)
Peru Authorizes Starting Of First Fishing Season (Asian Business Network)
Racino Royale enters Peru Gaming Market with Slot Machine Agreement (press release)

MAKING MONEY

Peruvian police seize counterfeit cash worth over $7 mln (Xinhua) "This is reportedly the largest haul of forged currency in Peru."

AMAZON POLITICS & HISTORY

Rumble in the Jungle: How barefaced capitalism can help save the Amazonian rainforest (Economist) "Peru's Madre de Dios region has been undergoing an ecotourism boom. More than 70 'eco-lodges' cater to tourists from around the world, eager to experience a few days in the Amazon. Last year more than 60,000 foreigners visited the area, a 20-fold increase over 15 years."
REVIEW: Tree Rivers, by John Hemming (The Telegraph, UK) Every tributary of the Amazon's history
REVIEW: Tree Rivers, by John Hemming; reviewed by Hugh Thomson (The Telegraph, UK) The Story of the Amazon
Uncontacted tribes flee across the border (Survival International) "Uncontacted tribes in Peru are fleeing across the border to Brazil because illegal mahogany loggers are invading their territory and killing them, according to an uncontacted tribes expert."
New Species Of Infectious Disease Found In Amazon (Science Daily) "While investigating the tropical disease leptospirosis in the Peruvian Amazon, Joseph Vinetz (UC, San Diego), an infectious disease specialist has uncovered new, emerging bacteria that may be responsible for up to 40 percent of cases of the disease."

ARTS & LITERATURE

Juan Diego in NYC (New York Post) "On April 18, starting at 10 a.m., there'll be exhibits, rehearsal and a Q&A with the cast of Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment," starring Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez."
Abraham Bojorquez, no bling-bling rapper (France24) "We started up Aymara rap a few years ago, to denounce neoliberal politics."

SPORTS

Soccer-Player sacked in Peru for insulting female referee (Reuters, Jean Luis Arce) "Uruguayan striker Mario Leguizamon made insulting remarks with sexual connotations in a television interview after being shown the red card by Silvia Reyes in last Sunday's match against Alianza Atletico. ... "How long has it been since Peru went to the World Cup? How long is it since Peru won anything?"
Peru's San Martin dumps striker Mario Leguizamon for insulting female referee (Associated Press) see photos
Tomcito Preparing For Kentucky Derby (Bloodhorse)

MATERNAL HEALTH

Peru makes progress on maternal health (The Lancet) (see summary in Medical News Today)
50 nations not meeting goals on birth deaths (The Guardian, Sarah Boseley) "Peru, Brazil and Indonesia have made the most progress on reducing deaths in children under-five, the new report shows."

POTATOES

VIDEO: Peru Returns To Potatoes (Reuters, Pavithra George) "replacing expensive wheat bread with potato bread."
Doctor's mission to Peru to protect humble potato (Lincolnshire Echo, UK) "David Nelson, a Lincolnshire potato expert has been to Peru to help the nation save its spuds from extinction." Read Nelson's blog

CONGRATS TO FLORIDA BOY

Bill to help feed hungry named after 11-year-old advocate (Sun-Sentinel, Florida, Josh Hafenbrack) "Jack Davis and his sixth-grader's cause: Making it easier for restaurants to donate their leftover food to homeless shelters and charities. ... During a trip to his mother's native Peru, Jack saw a nation with widespread poverty and came home determined to salvage leftovers headed to the garbage bin."

2008-04-10T06:31:00.003-05:00

Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

FRENCH TOURISTS KILLED IN NAZCA FLIGHT

Five French tourists killed in Peru plane crash: police (Agence France Press) "Firefighters said the Cessna 206, owned by the Aero Ica firm, was completely destroyed in the crash, although the Peruvian pilot survived and was hospitalized in Nazca."
5 French Tourists Killed in Peru Crash (Associated Press)
Associated Press photograph: OB 1266
Tourists Die In Plane Crash (BBC)
Plane crash kills five French tourists in Peru (Deutsche Press Agentur)
Tourists killed viewing Nazca Lines from plane (Ottawa Citizen)
Five tourists killed in air crash near Peru's Nazca (Reuters)
Plane crash in Peru kills five (UPI) tangled in power lines?
Peru small plane crash kills 5 French tourists (Xinhua)

FUJI FILES

Death Squad Convictions May Doom Fujimori (Inter Press Service, Ángel Páez) "The salient point in the verdict of the court presided over by Inés Villa, one of the most respected anti-corruption judges in Peru, is that it concludes that the Colina Group, made up of SIE agents, acted with the knowledge and authorisation of Fujimori. A video was shown on Monday at Fujimori’s separate trial for human rights abuses, in which the former chief of the Colina Group, Martín Rivas, said that the death squad acted with Fujimori’s approval."
Peru jails military officers for student massacre (Reuters)
Peru court sentences 4 former military officers for Fujimori-era (Jurist)

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Dispatches From a Legal Reporter in Iraq (American Lawyer) "An interesting side note: Like many functions here, security is run by private contractors. And every private guard I've seen in Baghdad is Peruvian."
Peruvian Navy Ship Visited Seattle (Defence Talk) "Navy Region Northwest said farewell to the Peruvian Navy transport ship BAP Mollendo (ATC 131) April 6, following a port visit. USA Rear Adm. Stewart O'Bryan, commander, Carrier Strike Group 3, who was on board Mollendo April 4 for a Peruvian buffet style banquet, said, "It's very important for Peru and the United States that our navies work together as we both fight terrorism." Mollendo, which left Seattle's Elliot Bay April 6, will make one final stop in San Diego before returning to its homeport in Lima, Peru. Images of the ship

MACRO/MICRO ECON

Peru Bank May Keep Rate Steady, Betting Inflation Can Be Tamed (Bloomberg)
Peru to hold five bilateral meetings at 5th APEC Tourism (Andina Press Agency) includes China, Japan and Korea
Turkey: growing demand for fruits and vegetables from Peru (Fresh Plaza) According to Elías Mendoza Habersperger Consul of Turkey from Peru
Latin American optimism dented (Financial Times, Richard Lapper)

Trade

EDITORIAL Running Scared From Free Trade (Investers Business Daily) "Teamster chief Jim Hoffa, for instance, famously said "no" to Peru's pact and "hell no" to Colombia's."
Trade with Peru good for manufacturing (Opinion: Michigan Business Review, John Engler) The writer is former governor of Michigan, and president the National Association of Manufacturer
China's New Brand of Free Trade (Forbes) "By no coincidence, [Peru and other] countries are among the more than 50 that have recognized China’s claim to have reached the status of a full market economy, unlike its top two trading partners, the U.S. and European Union."

Mining

Peru's Doe Run subsidiary loses environmental certification (Associated Press)
Peru's Doe Run subsidiary loses certification (St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Votorantim raises offer to up stake in Peru's Milpo (Reuters) "Brazilian conglomerate Votorantim said on Wednesday it will raise its offer by 16 percent to increase its stake in Peruvian miner Milpo."
DJ Brazil's Votorantim Ups Share Price Offer For Peru Miner Milpo (Dow Jones, Robert Kozak)
Candente CEO sees new resource study ready in May (Reuters)

ENVIRONMENT

Timber! Peruvian wood merchant arrested in multi-million-dollar investigation (Complinet)

ARTS & LITERATURE

FILM: "Against the Grain: An Artist's Survival Guide to Peru" (Monterey County Herald, California) Showing on April 10 at Cabrillo College; Ann Kaneko's documentary follows four artists censored by the Peruvian government for the political content of their work. Tobin Keller or Rose Sellery at 479-6308.
'Against the Grain: An Artist's Survival Guide to Peru" watch the trailer
MUSIC REVIEW: 'The Roots Of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru (Tucson Weekly) "The 17 tracks by six different combos on The Roots of Chicha were all recorded in Peru between 1968 and 1978."
Jimmy Bennington Trio at the Jazz Zone in Miraflores April 11, 12 (press release)
BOOK REVIEW: Girls in Trucks: Katie Crouch (Willamette Week) "She flies halfway around the world to live in Peruvian hostels with a man she hardly knows, because, hey, it beats being alone."

CHARITY IN CUZCO?

Building a future for the forgotten (Edinburgh Evening News, Sandra Dick)
Triton students collecting items for trip to Peru (Daily News, Massachussetts, Katie Curley) "Though some Peruvian schoolchildren have never seen colored pencils or used a comb, local students Max Nichou and Andrew Fitzgerald will be bringing these supplies to ... villages in the Andes such as Paruru, Aquas Calientes and Cuzco."

CHARITY IN CANADA?

Peru students love Canada, hate weather (Georgina Advocate) "We should loosen up and pucker up, exchange students say."

SPORTS

Copa Libertadores: Brazil's Flamengo routs Peru's Cienciano 3-0 (Associated Press)

2008-04-09T06:23:00.001-05:00

FLOODS IN NORTHERN PERU

VIDEO: Daring Rescues in Peru Floods (Associated Press)
Video Feed: Severe Flooding in Peru (Associated Press)

FUJI FILES: La Cantuta

Peru Court Convicts Four For 1992 Massacre (Associated Press, Monte Hayes)
Four Convicted in 1992 University Massacre (Washington Post via Associated Press)
Peru convicts death squad four (BBC)
Peruvian army general sentenced to 35 years for 1992 massacre (Deutsche Press Agentur) "General Julio Salazar Monroe was convicted on charges of murder and forced disappearance of the victims from La Cantuta University, court officials said."
Four Peru 'death squad' members found guilty of murder (Echo Star) "A Peruvian court has convicted a former general and three members of a military death squad of kidnapping and murder in a ruling that prosecutors say could set a precedent in the trial of former President Alberto Fujimori."

TODAY IN HISTORY

April 9, 2000 - Peruvian Elections (UPI) "On this date in 2000, Peru's President Alberto Fujimori failed to win a first-round election victory, forcing a run-off in May that he won. However, a vote-fraud scandal forced him to step down later in the year."
April 9, 2004 - Drug Discovery (Associated Press) "Colombian authorities announce an embarrassing discovery as Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo arrives to discuss anti-drug strategies: a large stash of cocaine and heroin on the naval warship he is to visit." See Peruvia's summary from 2004.

TAKING COKE HOME

Czech smuggling 3.8 kg of cocaine detained in Peru (Czech Happenings via EFE)

MACRO/MICRO ECON

Pro Mujer Peru Makes Low Cost Life Insurance Available to 43,000 Poor Women Entrepreneurs (Pro Mujer press release)
Colombia and Cat (Wall Street Journal editorial) "Caterpillar exports more to Peru and Colombia than it does to Germany, Japan or the United Kingdom."
An Overview of Peru's Stock Market (BLOG: Seeking Alpha)

MINING

Rocmec Updates Progress on Peruvian Acquisition Project (Rocmec press release)
Xstrata Copper eyes strong growth in Peru (Reuters, Pav Jordan and Antonio de la Jara) "Xstrata Copper will likely boost its output of the red metal in Peru to up to 500,000 tonnes over the next five years if all goes as planned and it gets its Antapaccay and Las Bambas projects into production."
Inca Pacific eyes cash for mine as waits on permit (Reuters, Terry Wade)
Candente CEO sees new resource study ready in May (Reuters, Terry Wade)

CHILE RELATIONS

Chile apologises for birth in hospital lavatory (Reuters) "Chile's government has publicly apologised after a woman was forced to give birth in the lavatory of a public hospital after she failed to receive medical attention, and ordered an investigation. Bernadita Vega, 37, from Peru, arrived at a public hospital in the capital Santiago in labor late on Monday, and waited two hours for a doctor to see her. Ultimately, her partner helped her deliver a baby boy in a hospital restroom."
Investigation to begin for woman who gave birth in bathroom at San José Hospital (El Mercurio) "The minister of Heath, María Soledad Barría, has announced that an investigation will begin at San José Hospital to shine light on the case of a Peruvian woman who gave birth in a bathroom at the medical facility after waiting to be seen by a doctor for two hours."
Chile Is Not Bolivia (Los Angeles Times blog) The upcoming James Bond movie is being filmed in northern Chile. "Mayor Lopez is reportedly miffed that Chile was being used in the film to represent rival Bolivia, a sensitive issue in those parts. Chile annexed a considerable chunk of mineral-rich northern territory from Bolivia and Peru in a victorious 19th century war against its neighbors. Hard feelings still persist in all three nations."

SPORT

Pizarro denies indiscipline, criticises Peru federation (Reuters) "Peru striker Claudio Pizarro, banned playing for his country for 18 months for alleged indiscipline, said Tuesday that he was innocent and accused the country's federation of bad management."
Dutchman to row from Peru to Brisbane (Australian Associated Press) "Dutch adventurer Ralph Tuijn will resume his solo row from Peru to Brisbane next month after twice abandoning the attempt due to rough weather."
College Tennis (Providence Journal, Rhode Island) "Jose Rodriguez of Peru is 11-3 overall, 9-2 at No. 2 singles."
Chess Tournament (Hindu) "Peru’s Zuniga Julio Granda lost in 22 moves of the Nimzo Indian in the eight-player Ruy Lopez Masters chess tournament at Merida, Spain."

NECKLACE FOUND

Worth the wait in gold (Wildcat, University of Arizona, Aly Van Dyke) An interview with the archeology professor who found the historic necklace in Peruvian Andes; "On a dig in the late 1990s in the Peruvian Andes, Aldenderfer and his team unearthed the oldest known gold artifact to be found in the Americas.

ARTS & CULTURE

Vallejo on Griffin Short List (Montreal Gazette) 'César Vallejo, The Complete Poetry: A Bilingual Edition', Clayton Eshleman's translation of the late Peruvian poet Cesar Vallejo, is shortlisted for the $100,000 Griffin Poetry Prize. See also: 'Homage' in Peruvia, April 26, 2007.
Poets Vie For Griffin Prize (CBC)

2008-04-08T06:34:00.002-05:00

Editor's Note: Thank you to all who have sent in notes, tips, and regards.
Peruvia will only be updated peripatetically.
Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

NOTHERN FLOODS

Peru airlifts relief to marooned northern districts (Irish Sun) "The National Weather Service said there was no visible sign that the rain would relent in weeks to come."
Police pull a man from a raging river swollen by heavy rains in Cajamarca (San Francisco Chronicle)

SNOW IN LIMA?

Settled science, or dogged dogma? (Aspen Times, Addison Gardner) "In Lima, Peru, Dec. 17 — the Ward family (missionaries) built a snow fort in their backyard."

QUAKE UPDATE

Playrooms for young population affected by quake serve many roles (United Nations Children's Fund, Elsa Ursula)

A REVIEW OF WONG

To get a real taste of Peru, visit the 'superstar of supermarkets' (The Telegraph, Alison Roberts) "Peruvians can't get enough of it, and Wong holds a similar place in their hearts. I can see why. It's the superstar of supermarkets and I've fallen under its spell too."

OLYMPICS & SPORTS

Peru Olympic commitee chairman objects boycotting Beijing Olympics (Xinhua) "Carlos Paz-Soldan believes that all forms of boycotts of the Beijing Olympics are doomed to failure. "We object to the boycotting of Beijing Olympics," he said."
The silence of the Bombonera (FIFA) "It was at this very venue, a place where many of the world's finest players have struggled to perform, that Peru pulled off one of the biggest achievements in their footballing history."
Pizarro To Fight Peruvian International Ban (Goal.com) "Denied drinking alcohol or having women in his hotel room while on international duty with Peru."
Dos y Dos: ISA Finals In Peru (Surfline)
World Masters Surfing Championship (Surfers Path) "The Peruvian team rounded out the top four with 8766-points."

CHINA RELATIONS

Peru hopes to establish direct flight to China soon (Xinhua) "Peru's First Vice President Luis Giampietri Rojas said startup of the flight will help realize Peru's aim of turning Lima International Airport into a major traffic hub among all 21 APEC members. ... Peru receives 10,000 Chinese visitors each year and the number is expected to reach 250,000 by 2015."

MACRO ECON

Peru Doe Run smelter says production hit by strike (Mining Journal) "La Oroya smelter and metallurgical facility struck for a third day on April 7. ... Peru is the world`s second-largest producer of copper and zinc and its fifth-largest producer of gold. It is the largest silver producer in the world."
Peruvian Miners Strike (World Socialist Website)
Letter to Editor Questions Trade (Chico Enterprise Record, California) "Recently we [the USA] signed a trade agreement with Peru. For your information, in 2006, Peru sold $5.9 billion worth of goods to the United States, while buying $2.9 billion in U.S. exports. Vern Leathers"
Columnist Supports Trade (Argus Leader, Froma Harrop) "And the U.S.-Peru free trade agreement "took an important step forward," she said, in tightening the environmental rules. Among other things, it stopped the flow of illegally logged timber from Peru."

MICRO ECON

Haynes and Boone Represents Irradia in Complex Cross-Border Financing of Peruvian Natural Gas Facility (press release) "The natural gas feedstock for the project will be sourced from the Camisea field in eastern Peru and transported by a pipeline, owned by several large international oil companies, from the Camisea field to Lima."
Milpo stresses own value in face of Votorantim offer (Steel Guru) "BNamericas reported that Peruvian zinc miner Milpo is urging shareholders to think twice about tendering their shares to a public offer from Brazilian owned Votorantim Metais."

WOMEN IN PERU

Better care urged for world's moms, babies (Deseret News) "Gina Tambini, the area manager of family and community health for the Pan American Health Organization, said one woman in Peru asked after her young son died why no one had told her it was important to wash her hands to avoid disease."
ADRA gives economic opportunities to women in Peru (Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Nadia McGill)

FOOD

Potatoes seen as 'food of the future' (Food Navigator) "In Peru, the government is urging people to eat bread made with potato flour to try to reduce costly wheat imports and keep food price inflation down."
Tacna and Moquegua Regions in Southern Peru Declared Fruit Fly Free Areas (FAO)

BURNING DRUGS

Peru incinerates over 4 tons of illicit drugs (Xinhua)

DIEGO-MANIA

The Lima wedding over the weekend is covered by media around the globe; a sampling includes the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Detroit Free Press. See video of the wedding in yesterday's Peruvia.
Peruvian opera star weds in Lima cathederal (Andean Currents)

OTHER

Amazing lighting show at Real Felipe Fortress in Callao (Andina Press Agency)
Bank details online for a fiver (Web User) "Peru has the highest rate of malicious activity per broadband subscriber in the world."
Charleton Heston Obituary Cites Cine Metro in Lima (Los Angeles Times, Carina Chocano)

2008-04-07T05:54:00.006-05:00

FLOODS IN CHICLAYO

The Associated Press offers several (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ) photographs of the destruction caused by flood waters in Chiclayo in northern Peru. At least 10 people have died due to flooding caused by heavy rains.
Expert: Climate change to bring Peru more extreme weather (Xinhua) "Peru's National Meteorological and Hydrology Service's Sixto Flores told reporters in Lima that according to Pan American Health Organization, the Andean country has been the third most vulnerable country by extreme weather, following Honduras and Bangladesh."

DIALING PERU? ADD '9' TO CELLS

Peru migrates to 9-digit system for mobile telephony (Telecom Paper)

VALLEJO HONORED

Instituto de Estudios Vallejianos marks 70th Anniversary (Salt Lake Tribune) "The Brigham Young University Instituto de Estudios Vallejianos will mark the 70th anniversary of the death of well-known Peruvian writer Cesar Vallejo in a bilingual dance and theatre celebration Tuesday with the production, "Yo. solo Cesar Vallejo."

INTERNATIONAL VISITS

Peru to build new posts on border to step up security before regional summits (Xinhua) "The work is part of preparations for the Latin America, Caribbean and European Union Summit due to be held in Peru in May as well as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum Summit due in November."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

World Bank lowers Latinamerica growth prospects to 4.8% (Merco Press) "Latinwatch forecasts Peru to expand 7%, after having grown 9% in 2007."
From rice in Peru to miso in Japan, food prices are rising (Associated Press, Katherine Corcoran)
On-Demand Desktop Hardware/Software Support Simplifies Management and Cuts Costs for Peruvian Bank (Outsourcing Journal)

MORE COKE NEWS

Peru police seize 2 tonnes of cocaine in pair of co-ordinated raids (Associated Press)

ENVIRONMENT

Goldman Environmental Prize Winner Julio Cusurichi Palacios on Saving People and Land in the Peruvian Amazon (Tree Hugger)
Amazing Amazon Adventure (Northumberland Gazette, UK)

FUJI FILES

Former Peruvian president faces trial (Daily Vidette, Illinois State University, Andrew Rosten) "Dr. Carlos Parodi presents a speech titled, "Can Former Presidents be Tried for Human Rights Violations? Lessons Learned from Peru's Alberto Fujimori."

IMMIGRATION

Immigration agency sweep wraps up with 332 arrests (Miami Herald)

JUAN DIEGO WEDS (Diego-mania)
Scenes from Saturday's wedding ceremony, courtesy of Peruvian television networks.

see Part 2 of video

2008-04-06T07:03:00.004-05:00

JUAN DIEGO WEDS

Hugely popular Opera star Juan Diego Florez weds in Peru (Associated Press; Canadian Press; Australian Associated Press) at National Cathedral; see photos

CARRYING COKE OUT OF PERU

'Easy money' comes with high cost (Miami Herald, Patrick J. McDonnell, re-run of Los Angeles Times) "Scores of Europeans have been put in Peruvian jails on charges of attempting to smuggle cocaine out of Lima's airport."

DRINKING COKE IN PERU

Coke’s strategy for emerging markets (The Times, South Africa, Carlos Niezen and Julio Rodriguez) "Here is the three-part strategy that Coke/Lindley developed for serving its mom-and-pop customers in Peru."

ARTS & CULTURE

Review: Pacifika (Newsday, Ed Morales) "From north of the border comes a new alterna-pop band called Pacifika, whose new album, "Asunción," is just out on Six Degrees Records. Led by Silvana Kane, who was born in Lima, Peru, but was raised in Milwaukee and Vancouver, Pacifika is a minimalist trio that traffics in an ethereal pan-Latin sound." Watch one of their videos here.

MACRO/MICRO ECON

IDB meeting embroiled in 'green' debate (Miami Herald, Jane Bussey and Jim Wyss) "In Peru, the bank has approved a $400 million loan to the Camisea gas project, which cuts through a biodiverse region of the Peruvian Amazon."
Niche Lenders Feel Safe (Miami Herald, Jim Wyss) "During a banking crisis in Peru a few years ago, commercial banks saw defaults hit 12%, even as MiBanco hovered at 4%."
Price controls are counterproductive, experts say (Reuters, Lesley Wroughton) story leads with an Alan Garcia comparison 1985/2008 "As Peru again faces rising food prices -- this time along with the rest of the world -- a re-elected Alan Garcia has drawn on past experience and rejected price controls."
ICM plans sale of flagship Peruvian mine (The Independent, Mark Leftly)

POLITICS

Arrests for participating in Bolivarian conference (Green Left, Australia, Raul Connolly) "Following their participation in the Bolivarian Continental Coordinator (CCB) in Quito, Ecuador, seven members of the Peru chapter of the CCB were detained upon returning to Peru on terrorism charges."

FOOD

How Would You Like Your Guinea Pig, Sir? (The Observer, James Doran) "Can a nation that barbecues small rodents really have anything to offer the serious gastronome? Plenty! In fact, the imaginative cuisine is one of the best reasons to visit Peru."
Guinea Pig: The Andean delicacy (Andean Currents)

VIEW FROM OUTSIDE:

A 20-year-old Amazon volunteer (Detroit Free Press)

2008-04-05T12:46:00.002-05:00

Editor's Note: Thank you to all who have sent in notes, tips, and regards.
Peruvia will not yet be updated regularly.
Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

Necklace Found

VIDEO: Oldest Gold Jewelry in Americas (National Geographic, via Associated Press)
Necklace is oldest gold artifact found in Americas (Los Angeles Times, Thomas H. Maugh II)
From a Burial Pit in Southern Peru, a Golden Oldie (New York Times, Henry Fountain, April 1) "Archaeologists have discovered what appears to be a gold necklace from a 4,000-year-old burial pit in southern Peru. It is the oldest example of worked gold ever found in the Americas."
'Ancient Gold Necklace Discovered in Peru' (Associated Press, Randolph E. Schmid)

MACRO/MICRO ECON
Macro

Peruvian Sol Rises Against Dollar (Miami Herald) "Peru's sol reached a decade high against the dollar ... to 2.6925 per USA dollar."
Fitch's investment grade ranking will boost Peru (MarketWatch, Polya Lesova) "Fitch Ratings upgraded Wednesday Peru's long-term foreign currency issuer default rating to BBB-, investment grade, from BB+, citing strong improvement in fiscal and external solvency ratios. The outlook is stable."
Peru welcomes investment grade rating (Financial Times, Naomi Mapstone)
Bill Gates: Latin America must invest more in education (Associated Press, Laura Wides-Munoz)

Micro

Workers strike at Peru's Doe Run smelter facility (Reuters, by Jean Luis Arce, Pav Jordan)
Hunters Comb Globe for Hot Metal (Wall Street Journal, Robert Guy Matthews) Featured on A1; see accompanying slide show; copper mining in northern Peru
In Search of Less Toxic Mining (Inter Press Service, Milagros Salazar) "The Peruvian government is seeking to reduce the maximum allowable emissions of pollutants by the mining industry, but the proposed limits are still a long way from meeting international standards."
IDB criticized for some energy projects (Miami Herald, Jane Bussey and Jim Wyss)
Peru's Milpo says Votorantim offer too low (Reuters, Teresa Cespedes)
Irradia's Peru LNG plan gets nod (Upstream)

Reuters Latin America Investment Summit In Lima

Reuters blog of Latin America Investment Summit
Buenaventura eyes record gold and silver production (Reuters blog, Lucas Bergman)
President Garcia with Reuters reporters Marco Aquino and Terry Wade (Reuters, Mariana Bazo)
See photos of summit

FOOD:

Peruvian berry offers natural pigments for yoghurt: study (Food Navigator, Stephen Daniells) see also Ohio State University abstract

ARTS & LEISURE

Peruvian 3-D animated film "Dragons: Destiny of Fire," at Metropolitan Museum of Art, June 12 (New York Daily News) (Available on DVD in USA on April 8)

OTHER

Man, 101, Awarded American Citizenship (United Press International) "Vicento Osorio Rios -- the first centenarian to become a U.S. citizen in Arizona -- came to the United States in 1982 from Peru."

Earlier Stories:

'U.S. sees Americas-wide free trade with Latam deals' (Reuters, Missy Ryan, April 2)
'Buckner International and Ministry of Women and Social Work Create First Foster Families.' (Baptist Standard, Jenny Pope, March 31)
More Hispanics retiring to native homelands (Miami Herald, Juan Carlos Chavez, March 31)

CULTURE:

Dennis Hopper's 'The Last Movie' Showing (Los Angeles Times, April 3) "The story concerns an American film crew that goes to the far reaches of Peru to shoot a western."
Eva Ayllón at Disney Hall (Los Angeles Times, Agustin Gurza, March 10)

2008-04-03T06:03:00.001-05:00

THE OLYMPICS

Peru to send at least 12 athletes to Beijing Olympic Games (Xinhua) "At least 12 athletes will represent Peru in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in August, Peruvian Olympic Committee (COP) spokesman stated on Wednesday."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

Strike Resources may sell Peruvian assets (NineMSN, April 1)

VANDALS IN CUZCO

Graffiti scribbled on ruins of ancient ceremonial site in Peru (Associated Press, March 31)

PERUVIAN IN CYPRUS

Peruvian appointed as head of UN peacekeeping troops in Cyprus (Xinhua) "Peruvian Naval Rear Admiral Mario Sanchez has been appointed as commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), to replace Division Gen. Rafael Barni, Peru's Defense Ministry said on Friday."

AMAZON/ANDEAN WORKSHOP

ABC Announces 2008 Peruvian Ethnobotany Trip (ABC press release) American Botanical Council (ABC) and the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER) announce their 2008 annual Botanical Medicines from the Amazon and the Andes workshop tour. The trip will take place September 26 through October 5."

SPORTS

From Peruvian Obscurity to a Major Derby Prep (New York Times, Bill Finley) "No one is sure what to make of Tomcito. ... The mystery should be solved Saturday, when the Kentucky-bred, Peruvian-raced Tomcito makes his North American debut in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park."

2008-04-02T07:04:00.000-05:00

FLOODS IN NORTHERN PERU

2008-03-31T10:57:00.001-05:00

NECKLACE FOUND

Archaeologists Find 4,000-Year-Old Gold Necklace in South Peru (Bloomberg, Ryan Flinn)
UA Archaeologist Finds Oldest Known Gold Artifacts in the Americas (University of Arizona press release, Jeff Harrison) re: Anthropology Professor Mark Aldenderfer
Four-thousand-year-old gold artifacts from the Lake Titicaca basin, southern Peru (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) " Artifacts of cold-hammered native gold have been discoveredin a secure and undisturbed Terminal Archaic burial contextat Jiskairumoko, a multicomponent Late Archaic–Early Formativeperiod site in the southwestern Lake Titicaca basin, Peru."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

Peruvian retailer plans to top Cencosud (Reuters, Jean Luis Arce) "Peruvian retailer Supermercados Peruanos said on Monday it hopes to overtake Chile's Cencosud as Peru's top supermarket operator in the 'next three years'."
More updates from Reuters Latin American Investment Summit

2008-03-28T11:16:00.003-05:00

THE OLYMPICS

Peruvian president backs Beijing Olympic Games (Xinhua) "Peruvian President Alan Garcia said Thursday that he supports the Beijing Olympic Games and believes China will overcome its difficulties to hold a successful event."

DINOSAUR BONES?

Mystery Bone Found on Peruvian Bus (National Geographic, via Reuters, Victoria Jaggard) "A suspicious package found on a bus in Peru turned out to contain a mysterious and massive animal jawbone, officials announced on Tuesday. Police who investigated the bus's cargo hold said they noticed the package because it had no identifying marks and was oddly heavy. Pablo de la Vera Cruz, an archaeologist at the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, initially identified the 19-pound (8.6-kilogram) jawbone via police photos as perhaps belonging to a Triceratops, according to Reuters.

But Michael J. Ryan, head of vertebrate paleontology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, told National Geographic News that the bone is definitely not from a dinosaur. "It's a lower jawbone, and it has two big molars in the back and that's it. That's definitely a mammalian trait." he said after seeing the above photo of the find taken at a Tuesday press conference in Arequipa. "Also, the jaws are fused, left and right, and the massive shape and articulation mean it's definitely a mammal," he continued. Ryan thinks the remains most likely belonged to a proboscidean, or elephant relative.

"I can't even tell if it's fossil or modern," based on the photograph, Ryan added. But, he said, "there's no way it's a Triceratops."

2008-03-27T07:29:00.000-05:00

ENVIRONMENT

British reality TV crew accused as flu kills four in isolated Peruvian tribe (The Guardian, UK, John Vidal) "A British reality TV company has been accused of starting a flu epidemic that left four people from a tribe of isolated Peruvian Indians dead and others seriously ill. The regional Indian rights organisation Fenama, government officials and a US anthropologist working in the region said in statements seen by the Guardian that a two-person crew working for London-based Cicada Films had visited groups of isolated Indian communities despite being warned not to. Fenama said the film team travelled far upriver and provoked an epidemic. It accused them of threatening the lives of Indians and called for Cicada Films to be barred from entering the area again."

2008-03-26T06:31:00.000-05:00

FUJI FILES

Doctors: Health of ex-Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori suffering from murder trial (Associated Press) "Doctors say ex-Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has swelling in his legs and feet from sitting for long hours during his murder and kidnapping trial."

ENVIRONMENT

Peruvian Tribe Takes on Oil Giant (Red Orbit) "The Achuar tribe, inhabitants of the Amazon Rainforest of north-eastern Peru for thousands of years, alleges that Occidental Petroleum has contaminated their territory by damaging their land and making their people sick, some even to the point of death."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

Cimpor's Peruvian unit to build new plant in 2008 (Reuters, Henrique Almeida) "Peruvian subsidiary Cementos Otorongo will start building a new cement factory in 2008 with a production capacity of 650,000 tonnes of cement per year, the company said."

NORTH KOREAN RELATIONS

Korean People's Struggle Supported by Peruvian Party Leader (North Korean Central News Agency) "Victor Oliva Miguel, general secretary of the Revolutionary Socialist Party of Peru, met the delegation of the Workers' Party of Korea led by Vice Department Director of its Central Committee Kim Thae Jong in Lima on March 22 and had a talk with him."

413 kg of cocaine seized in Peruvian Amazon

2008-03-24T08:36:00.000-05:00

ENVIRONMENT

Peruvian Indians take on oil giant in dispute over pollution (BBC, Dan Collyns) "The Achuar filed a class action lawsuit against oil giant Occidental Petroleum."
Peru Tribe Battles Oil Gian (BBC Video, Dan Collyns)

COKE IN IQUITOS

413 kg of cocaine seized in Peruvian Amazon (Xinhua) "eru's National Drugs Control Directorate seized 413 kg of cocaine Sunday on a small boat with an outboard motor in the Peruvian Amazon, officials said. The seizure took place on the Amazon River near the city of Iquitos; the boat was bound for the Colombian city of Leticia."

TRAGEDY IN CUZCO

Inca trek death riddle: Banker's body found in Peruvian river after party at campsite (Daily Mail, UK, Charlotte Gill and Peter Upton) " A British banker is believed to have been murdered while on a trekking holiday in Peru. Colin Murphy was first thought to have drowned in a river on the Inca Trail in the early hours of New Year's Day. But a post-mortem examination has revealed that the 44-year-old divorcee was killed by a fierce blow to the base of his skull and that his body was dumped in the water two hours after he died."

2008-03-23T07:06:00.000-05:00

NEW COKE
LAT Photo

Peru sees cocaine making a comeback (Los Angeles Times, Patrick J. McDonnell with Felipe Paucar in Tingo Maria and Adriana León in Lima) "The Garcia administration initially agreed to suspend eradication efforts, a mainstay of the U.S.-backed anti-drug policy. But Garcia later reversed course and even suggested that clandestine laboratories be raided and bombed. With U.S. aid that totals about $50 million a year, Peru has trained and deployed hundreds of anti-drug police officers. "Peru will not resign itself to be a country of narco-trafficking," vowed the pro-U.S. Garcia, who took office in 2006." see also five-photo slide show

2008-03-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

PERU SEIZES REBEL SUSPECTS

2008-03-14T06:08:00.000-05:00

TEMPLE DISCOVERED IN PERU

2008-02-26T07:12:00.000-05:00

(Reuters/El Comercio)

Archeologists Find 5,500 Year Old Plaza in Peru (Reuters, Marco Aquino and Terry Wade)
Ruins of 5,500 Year Old Plaza Found in Peru (RIA Novosti)
Plaza in Peru may be the America's oldest urban site (Los Angeles Times, Patrick J. McDonnell) "An ancient stone plaza unearthed in Peru dates back more than five millenniums and is the oldest known urban settlement in the Americas, according to experts here. Archaeologists say the site, uncovered amid a complex of ruins known as Sechin Bajo, is a major discovery that could help reshape their understanding of the continent's pre-Columbian history. Carbon dating by a German and Peruvian excavation team indicates that the circular plaza is at least 5,500 years old, dating to about 3,500 BC, said Cesar Perez, an archaeologist at Peru's National Institute of Culture who supervised the dig. That would make it older than the Great Pyramid of Giza."
See also on YouTube Las Ruinas de Sechin Bajo

detained in a clandestine prison along with other politicians.

2008-01-19T07:39:00.000-05:00

FUJI FILES

Fujimori accused of kidnap plot (BBC) "Peru's Prime Minister Jorge del Castillo has accused ex-President Alberto Fujimori of kidnapping and attempted assassination. ... Mr del Castillo said that he had been at Mr Garcia's house on the night of 5 April 1992, when Mr Fujimori closed the country's courts and parliament. He said the house had come under fire and was surrounded by soldiers looking for Mr Garcia, who was Mr Fujimori's predecessor as president. Mr del Castillo said that he believed that the soldiers belonged to La Colina, a group of select army intelligence officers that allegedly operated as a death squad in the early 1990s. a death squad in the early 1990s. He said that he had helped Mr Garcia to escape, but had himself been arrested and detained in a clandestine prison along with other politicians."

2007-12-03T08:30:00.000-05:00

Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

FREE TRADE?

'Congress, Returning From Break, Has Much Work to Finish Before the Next One' (New York Times, Carl Hulse) "Besides the tax and spending issue, Congress has to dispose of a major farm bill, the annual Pentagon policy bill, a trade deal with Peru and a terrorist surveillance measure, though the present wiretapping legislation extends into February."
'Lawmakers Return To A Packed Schedule' (The Hill, Manu Raju)

TECHNOLOGY

BLOG: 'OLPC orders surge as Peru requests 260,000 XOs' (Engadget, Conrad Quilty-Harper)

SPORTS

'South American youth promote fair play on street' (Reuters, Daniela Desantis) re: the second South American Street Football Meeting

OTHER

'Peruvian treasures come to Broadway Street' (The Saratogian, New York, Ann Marie French) "Kusikay, a new shop devoted to Peruvian art to open."

2007-12-02T08:15:00.000-05:00

ARTS & LITERATURE

'A Critic's Favourite Books of 2007' (Washington Post, Jonathan Yardley) includes Alarcon's Lost City Radio and Vargas Llosa's The Bad Girl. "It's probably a bit more surprising that three of the four novels are set in the Spanish-speaking world and that two of these are translated from the Spanish, but though these novels have made my list strictly on merit, I'll admit to having been drawn to them in the first place for personal as well as literary reasons: I now live part of the year in Peru and am trying (at my age, it's a battle) to learn Spanish."
'The Stones She Carries' (Washington Post Magazine, Marie Arana) an essay by the editor of the Washington Post Book World
'Video Game Gifts' (Deseret Morning News) "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PS2, PC, Wii; Eidos) You explore an ancient city in Peru, where you attempt to master the commands using the "Wii-mote" and solve puzzles to open new levels and layers."

WORLD AIDS DAY

'Global Leaders Call For Action' (Agence France-Press) "In Peru, at least 3,000 people formed a human chain to raise awareness, while a separate exposition with "Blankets of Love," made for loved ones who dies of the disease, was held in a Lima park."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

'Its Not Time for The Fainthearted' (The Times, UK, Peter Shearlock) "Gold Oil, the Latin-American oil-exploration business, got a second wind following its annual meeting statement predicting it would drill or participate in eight wells next year. The programme takes in northern Peru, where there are hopes of a company-making find."

TRAVEL

'Iowans On The Go: Machu Picchu' (Des Moines Register, Glenn Vondra)
'Practical Traveller: Going Solo' (New York Times, Michille Higgins)
Amazon Voyage (Washington Post) "International Expeditions has a $500-per-person savings on its nine-night Amazon Voyage trip departing Feb. 29. The 28-passenger riverboat sails round trip from Iquitos, the largest city in the Peruvian rain forest, into Peru's Pacaya-Samiria Reserve."

PEOPLE

'Becoming US Citizens' (Juneau Empire, Alaska, David Sheakley) re: Ana Thompson
'City physicians travel to treat patients in Peru' (Cumberland Times-News, Jennifer Raley) re: Dr. Raul Felipa and a trip with the Peruvian American Medical Society to Ayacucho

WHOSE TREASURE?

'Rich Shepwreck Mired In Legal Tangle' (Los Angeles Times, Chris Kraul and Carol J. Williams) The Spanish galleon San Jose sank with $2 billion in treasure. "Investor attorney Devis said the government's claims to patrimony, meaning objects of such cultural and historical significance that they belong to a nation in perpetuity, are inappropriate because the cargo came from colonial Peru."

2007-12-01T09:14:00.000-05:00

FREE TRADE?

'Peru President: Will Have US Free Trade Deal Within 10 Days' (Dow Jones, Robert Kozak) "We are confident that within 10 days we will be able to deliver to Peru a trade pact subscribed by the United States," Garcia said at business conference being held in northern Peru. Garcia said that within three months, Peru expects to be close to having a free trade agreement with Canada."
'US Senate To Vote Next Week On Peru Trade Deal' (Reuters Doug Palmer; also Reuters in Washington Post) "Sen. Reid intends to (begin debate) on Monday," Reid spokesman Jim Manley said in an email. However, a vote on the pact is not expected before Wednesday, he said. The House voted 285-132 earlier this month to approve the agreement, which locks in Peru's duty-free access to the U.S. market while phasing out Peru's tariffs on U.S. agricultural and manufactured goods."
'Side issues stall action on trade agreements' (Chicago Tribune, Stephen J. Hedges) "The recent debate over the Peru agreement shows just how contentious the trade agreements can be."
LETTER: 'NAFTA Bad For Economy' (Chico Enterprise-Record, California, Leonard Adame) "Hillary Clinton is supporting the Peru Free Trade Agreement, a pact that expands NAFTA, a product of Bill Clinton's corporate-sponsored presidency."

TECHNOLOGY

'One Laptop Per Child Orders Surge' (Boston Globe, Hiawatha Bray) "Nicholas Negroponte, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who set up the foundation to provide low-cost laptops to poor schoolchildren around the globe, said in an interview yesterday that the government of Peru has signed a contract to purchase 260,000 of the $188 machines. "It was notarized five minutes ago," he said, adding that the Peruvian order will make it easier for the foundation to sign up more countries to the program. "It's momentum."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

'Peru GDP To Continue 7% Anual Growth, Velarde Says' (Bloomberg, Alex Emery) "Increased exports of copper, zinc and fishmeal mean Peru will have an $8.5 billion trade surplus for the second straight year, [Presdient of the Central Bank Julio] Velarde told reporters at a conference in the northern coastal city of Trujillo."
'ScotiaBank Offers $17 Loans In Peru, Snubs US Peril' (Bloomberg, Sean B. Pasternak; with 3 photos) "Scotiabank is targeting stores in Latin America, offering loans and credit cards to clients with little or no banking history at a time when many North American banks are trying to avoid subprime and other high-risk borrowers. The Toronto-based bank says profit from countries such as Peru is growing three times as fast as at home, even as a soaring Canadian dollar threatens to cut revenue from abroad."
'Canadian Shield Resources up 66% after firm reports Peru drilling' (Canadian Press)
'Gran Tierra Starts Exploration Operations in Peru' (Gran Tierra press release) "The exploration blocks were awarded to Gran Tierra Energy in 2006. They are on the eastern side of the Maranon basin, where over one billion barrels of recoverable oil has been discovered to date."
'CIMPOR Acquires 80% Stake In Peruvian Cement Company' (New Europe) re: Cementos Otorongo

POLITICAL ANALYSIS

OPINION: 'South America Is Sliding Into Dictatorship' (Telegraph, Daniel Hannan) "Ten years ago, every country in South America, with the arguable exception of my native Peru, was a liberal democracy. Not any more." NOTE: "Daniel Hannan is Conservative MEP for South East England." See Hannan's Wikipedia entry;

2007-11-30T03:58:00.000-05:00

NAMING 'TERRORISTS'

'President Brandishes His Own Terror Threat' (Inter Press Service, Ángel Páez) "President Alan García announced he would publish a list of the names of 1,800 "freed terrorists", so that people might recognise them and report them if they were participating in conspiracies against the state. "I’m going to give the country the list of the 1,800 terrorists so everyone knows exactly who their neighbours are, and what each of the freed prisoners is doing," said García. "We can’t be so naïve as to believe they have completely changed, and that just because they have sworn on the Bible that they are democrats, they really are." García made no distinctions between those who had served their sentences, those who were acquitted for lack of evidence, and those who were pardoned because their trials were deemed invalid."

QUAKE UPDATE

'New Funding Allows IOM To Provide Emergency Assistance' (International Organization for Migration)

MACRO/MICRO ECON

'Mexico's Protexa Seeks Gas Supply To Build Peru Methane Plant' (Bloomberg, Thomas Black) "Protexa is bidding for natural-gas supplies in Peru as part of a plan to spearhead a $700 million methane project. Argentina's Pluspetrol SA, which is developing the $1.6 billion Camisea gas field in Peru, will select a winning bidder next week for about 50 million cubic feet of gas a day for at least 15 years, said Hector Chavez, director of Protexa's land construction division."
'Scotiabank Talking To Acquire 9th Biggest Commercial Bank in Peru' (Canadian Press, David Friend) "Scotiabank is in talks with the controlling shareholder of Banco del Trabajo, the ninth-largest commercial bank in Peru, about a possible acquisition. Financial details were not disclosed. The Peruvian bank had US$386 million in total assets at the end of September, which represents a one per cent market share."
'Investment Boost For Peru' (International Construction, Becca Wilkins) "The government of Peru's central department Huánuco has signed an investment agreement with South Korean company Hoosung Development, in an effort to ensure the company's participation in large infrastructure, mining and electricity projects."
Andean American Mining Corp reports Infill Drilling at Invicta Project, Peru, Intersects High Grade Gold (Andan American Mining press release) See also: 2nd Q Financial Results
Sinchao Metals Announces Discovery of 161 Metres Grading 0.81% Copper and 0.71 g/t Gold on the Sinchao Property, Peru' (Sinchao Metals press release)

TRAVEL

Hints From Heloise (Advice Column): "My husband and I took a wonderful trip to Peru ..."

SPORTS

Sofia Mulanovich Triumphs In ASP Women's World Tour (Los Angeles Times, Pete Thomas) "Now Mulanovich appears to be best-positioned to claim both the world title and the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing championship."
'Former Wallidan ace speaks from Peru' (Daily Observer, Ghana, Nanama Keita) "Gambian international and former Wallidan player, Yankuba Ceesay, commonly known as Mal, is enjoying his trade in Peru after a difficult start in the South American nation. His First Division club, Alianza Atletico, are continuing their good run in the Peruvian league as the 2007 season draws to an end."

ADOPTIONS

'Foreign Adoptions In US Drop' (Associated Press, David Crary) "He mentioned Kenya, Peru and Brazil as countries not now among the major sources of children, but which might increase international adoptions in coming years."

2007-11-29T03:56:00.000-05:00

PORT STRIKE

'Port Strike Blocks Shipments' (wire report in Miami Herald) "A Peruvian port workers strike in its eighth day is blocking copper, zinc and lead shipments, Peru's National Society of Mining, Petroleum & Energy said.The strike at Lima's Callao port, the country's largest, has cost mining companies $90 million in lost shipments to date, the group's president, Ysaac Cruz, said. Peru is the world's third-largest producer of copper and zinc and fourth in lead."

VIOLENCE IN SAN MARTIN

'Murder Attempt Against A Journalist Under Threat From A Local Lobbying Organization' (Reporters With Borders) "Reporters Without Borders today strongly condemned a murder attempt against Danilo Bautista Hernández, presenter of a news programme on Radio California in Nueva Cajamarca, San Martín, north-eastern Peru by two men who aimed a gun at him before fleeing when they were disturbed."

QUAKE UPDATE

'JCB Digs In To Help Peru After Quake' (The Sentinel, Staffordshire, UK) "Digger giant JCB has donated a backhoe loader worth £35,000 to help rebuild parts of Peru damaged by an earthquake in August.The earthquake killed 650 people and left about 1,000 wounded to the south and east of the capital Lima."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

'Peru company to offer 30-year home mortgages' (Reuters, Terry Wade) "Peruvians will be offered up to $500 million in home loans with terms of 30 years by the InVita insurance company, officials said on Wednesday as access to credit widens in the poor Andean country during swift economic growth."
'Doe Run Peru: Independent Audits Confirm that Doe Run Peru Meets Emissions Standards' (Doe Run Peru press release)
'International Minerals Completes First Drillling Campaign at Urbaque Gold Property, Peru' (International Minerals press release)
Ventura Gold Commences Drilling at Inmaculada Gold Project in Peru (Ventura press release)

DRUG BUST

'British Woman Arrested in Peru Airport With 4 Kilos of Cocaine' (Associated Press)
'British Woman In Peru Drug Arrest' (BBC)
'British Woman, 20, Faces 15 Years In Peru Jail' (Daily Mail)
'Woman Held In Peru In Cocaine Investigation' (Daily Echo, UK) "Rachel Franklin, from Southampton, was reportedly arrested at the capital Lima's Jorge Chavez Airport on Sunday evening as she attempted to board a flight to Madrid, allegedly carrying nearly 9lb (4kg) of the drug in her baggage."
'UK Woman Held In Peru Drugs Probe' (The Guardian)
'Drugs Suspect Still Held In Peru' (Hampshire News, UK, Duncan Eaton) "The woman has spoken for the first time of her fears of facing a long jail sentence after being arrested for allegedly smuggling £250,000 worth of cocaine out of Peru. Rachel Franklin, 20, was stopped as she waited to board a plane to Spain at Lima's Jorge Chavez airport. It is reported that police discovered 8lb of the drug in her luggage. Rachel, who admits she was stupid and naïve, said: "I have got three A-levels and I wanted to do something with my life. Now it is all ruined. I should have just said no."

SPORTS

'Jewish Athletes Compete In Maccabi Games' (Miami Herald, Jose Cassola) "The XXVI Maccabi Games, a weeklong athletic competition during which teams vie for top honors for the countries they represent, drew more than 1,600 participants from toddlers to senior citizens Nov. 17-25. Competitors represented several countries including Peru."
'Intrepid Duo Reach Peru' (West Sussex County Times) "James Hooper and Rob Gauntlett have 15,000 miles to travel using only human and natural power to get to the finish line in Sydney, Australia."

RELIGION

'Conservative Anglican Province Accepts Breakaway Canadians' (Associated Press) "Retired Canadian bishop Malcolm Harding, formerly of the Manitoba Diocese of Brandon, announced he has become a bishop in the Province of the Southern Cone, which includes Anglican churches in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay." See related press release and Agence France Press from Nov 22

PEOPLE

'Ex-UT Student In Peru Sought For Drunken-Driving Death Charges' (Associated Press, Texas) "Travis County and federal authorities are seeking the extradition of a former University of Texas student accused of being drunk when she caused a fatal car wreck 11 years ago. Evelyn Mezzich, 29, lives in Lima, Peru."
'Father of wreck victim doesn't want driver extradited' (Associated Press, Texas)
'Canadian Woman Faces Extradition From Peru' (Associated Press and Toronto Sun, Canada) "Mezzich was born in Canada but has citizenship in Peru, the country of her parents' birth."
'Victim's father: Let woman accused in fatal car crash get on with her life' (American-Statesman, Steven Kreytak)
'Fugitive's MySpace Page Outrages Dead Teen's Mom' (Houston Chronicle, Mike Tolson) "Peruvian never faced justice for '96 Austin wreck"

2007-11-28T03:54:00.000-05:00

FUJI FILES

'Peru Court Sentences Coup Backers' (BBC) "Ten former ministers in Peru have been sentenced for their part in a 1992 coup d'etat against their own government ... including Juan Briones, Jaime Yoshiyama, Carlos Bolona, Absalon Vasquez, Víctor Joy Way, Oscar de la Puente, Jaime Sobero, Alfredo Ross, Víctor Paredes and Augusto Antonioli."
'Peru Court Sentences Fujimori Aides For Power Grab' (Reuters, Marco Aquino)
'Ex-Minister Gets Jail For Aiding Fujimori' (wires in Washington Post) "Former Peruvian interior minister Juan Briones D¿vila has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for helping then-President Alberto Fujimori send tanks to shut down Congress and Peru's judiciary in 1992."

SHINING PATH CLASH

'Peru Police Kill Leading Rebel' (BBC, Dan Collyns)
'Peru police kill Shining Path commander in drug zone' (Reuters, Terry Aquino and Terry Wade) "Police killed a commander of the Shining Path insurgency [Epifanio Espiritu Acosta, who used the alias JL] and arrested eight guerrillas in Huanuco, officials said on Tuesday, after clashing with the group for the third time this month. ... Officials say the Shining Path has small but active groups in the country's main coca-growing areas, with total membership of about 400."
'Police Kill Senior Rebel Leader in Central Peru' (Xinha News Agency) "Special forces officers from the Peruvian National Police clashed with rebels at 3:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) in Cerro Azul, a town some 450 km northeast of Peru's capital Lima. Espiritu is considered to be the deputy to Comrade Artemio, the Path's last active leader, whose real name is unknown."

HEALTH

Physicians For Human Rights Release Report on Maternal Mortality and the Right to Health in Peru (PHR press release) Full Report: 'Deadly Delays: Maternal Mortality in Peru, A Rights-Based Approach to Safe Motherhood'; see report in Spanish; "Peru's persistently high maternal mortality ratio, the second highest in South America, dramatically illustrates systemic inequities that ravage the overall society and in turn reflect systematic violations of human rights and vast disparities in the health care system."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

'Peru's Congress Approves 2008 Fiscal Budget Of PEN 71.05 Billion' (Dow Jones, Robert Kozak) "There were 62 votes in favor in the unicameral Congress, compared with 32 against."
'Peru Congress OKs 2008 Spending Rise of 15%' (Reuters, Marco Aquino) "Peru's Congress approved on Tuesday a public-sector budget for 2008 of 71 billion soles ($23.6 billion), with a planned 15% climb in spending from 2007 as infrastructure investments rise. President Alan Garcia plans to spend more on highways, schools and hospitals at a time when the Andean country's economy is growing swiftly. Garcia wants to reduce the poverty rate to 30 percent by 2011, when he leaves office, from around 44.5 percent now."
'Motorola, Claro Peru pick winners for Beckham promotion' (Telecom Paper)
Plexmar Resources Offers Bolsa del Diablo Project Update (Plexmar press release)

DRUGS

'Bulgarian Drug Trafficker Caught with 14 Kilos of Cocaine in Peru' (Novinite, Sofia News Agency) "Vladimir Konstantinov, 38, was arrested after trained dogs smelled the drug substance hidden into one of his suitcases."

QUAKE UPDATE

'Letter: Help Us Send Blankets To Peru' (Nottingham Evening Post) "We would love to send 50. We wish to send them to a small Anglican church on the outskirts of Peru, which a church member is in touch with."

2007-11-27T03:54:00.000-05:00

FUJI FILES

'Peru Court Sentences Fujimori Aides For Power Grab' (Reuters)
'Ex-Ministers Convicted in Peru 'Coup' (Associated Press)

SHINING PATH CLASH

'Shining Path Rebels and the War on Drugs' (Inter Press Service, Ángel Páez) "A surviving faction of Peru’s Shining Path guerrillas has launched an offensive against anti-drug police units in the Apurímac and Ene river valleys -- an area known by the acronym VRAE -- in one of the country’s main coca-growing and cocaine-producing regions."

FREE TRADE?

'Farm Groups Urge Senate To Pass Peru Free Trade Agreement' (Delta Farm Press, Forrest Laws) “American farmers, ranchers, manufacturers and service providers will at last have preferential access to this growing market,” U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said following the House vote. “Peru’s people will be able to enjoy continued economic growth and greater economic and political stability by cementing a trade relationship with the world’s largest market.”

MACRO/MICRO ECON

'Scotiabank Plans To Buy Peru's Banco de Trabajo' (Banking Business Review)

2007-11-26T03:53:00.000-05:00

POLLING GARCIA

'Peru President Garcia's Support Remains Low in National Poll' (Dow Jones, Robert Kozak) "A survey done by pollster Ipsos Apoyo Opinion y Mercado SA showed that support for Garcia rose slightly from 30% in October, the lowest level so far in his term, which began in July of last year. ... "The population is tired of hearing of stupendous macroeconomic indicators, and people are impatient to feel more progress in their daily lives," Torres said. "People aren't asking for a change in the economic model, but they do want a share of the benefits," he added."

FREE TRADE?

OPINION: 'Calculation and Conviction' (Washington Post, Fred Hiatt) "It's true that [Barack Obama] favors the tiny Peru trade agreement. But with polls showing increasing anxiety in Iowa about globalization, Obama has turned up the anti-trade rhetoric, opposing the more meaningful agreement proposed with South Korea and ignoring NAFTA's record of raising living standards here and in Mexico."

MACRO/MICRO ECON

'Mine workers planning another strike in Peru' (Reuters, Teresa Cespedes)
'Scotiabank Chile's No. 6 Bank After Acquisition' (Reuters, Antonio de la Jara) "Separately, Scotiabank signed an exclusive agreement last week to negotiate the acquisition of Peru's Banco del Trabajo, controlled by Chile's Altas Cumbres group."
Pacific Stratus Signs On Peru Line (Upstream) "Canadian South America player Pacific Stratus said it had officially signed exploration and production contracts for Blocks 135, 137 and 138 in northern Peru at a ceremony hosted by Peruvian President Alan Garcia."

TRAVEL

'Peru Workshops Highlight 'Destination Diversity' (Travel Mole, Australia, Thomas E. King) "Representatives from Condor Travel, Inkanatura Travel, Grayline Peru – Viajes Pacifico, Lima Tours S.A., Neuvo Mundo Viajes, Solmartur, Viracocha Tourismo Internacional and PromPeru, the national tourism organisation responsible for promotion and marketing attended the Sydney function and will be at the workshop and presentations being held in the Mercure Melbourne tonight. ... [In Latin America] Peru is the top destination for Australians followed by Chile, Argentina and Brazil."

2007-11-25T03:52:00.000-05:00

TRAVEL

'Soaking Up the Pleasures Of Peru's Rain Forest' (Washington Post, David Creason) "My Dorothy-in-Oz moment occurred on our first night at a lodge on a creek off the Amazon. Linda was returning from the dinner buffet when a tapir walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room."
'Goodbye To Paper Airline Tickets Is Speeding Up' (New York Times, Hilary Howard) Peru is #2 (behind China) in the usage of e-tickets.

2007-11-24T03:51:00.000-05:00

ARTS & LITERATURE

'Local Talent Tapped For Exhibit' (Miami Herald) William Cordova is among those "chosen to exhibit in the prestigious 2008 Whitney Biennial, considered the country's most important survey of contemporary American art. ... Cordova, who was born in Peru and raised in Miami, had a solo museum show, No More Lonely Nights, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami in 2004. He is now an artist in residence at Headlands Art Center in San Francisco."

PEOPLE

'Fernando Fernan-Gomez, 86, Spanish Actor and Director, Dies' (Agence France-Press) "Born in Lima, Peru, on Aug. 28, 1921, while his mother, an actress, was on tour, he moved to Spain as a child and became a Spanish citizen as an adult."
'Language Gaps Hinder Doctor-Patient Relationships' (Los Angles Times, Francisco Vara-Orta) Enaida Cornejo

2007-11-23T03:51:00.000-05:00

THANKSGIVING

'Thanksgiving And A Mission Unite Diverse Forces' (New York Times and International Herald Tribune, C. J. Chivers) "Capt. Walter P. De La Vega of the Army, who trains and supervises the Afghan security forces in Wardak Province. He was born in Peru and reared in New Jersey."

FREE TRADE?

BLOG/OPINION: 'The Real Cost of the Peru Free Trade Agreement' (Truth Out, David Bacon)

2007-11-22T03:44:00.000-05:00

FREE TRADE?

'How Trade Breakthrough Almost Broke Down in Congress' (Washington Post, Juliet Eilperin) "Just weeks ago, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hailed the 285 to 132 vote in favor of the Peru Free Trade Agreement, which she had helped shepherd through the chamber, as a moment steeped in Democratic tradition."

ENVIRONMENT

'A (Toxic) River Runs Through It' (Inter Press Service, Milagros Salazar) re: "The Mantaro river basin, one of the main water sources in Peru’s central Andes mountains, is a dump for toxic substances, according to an independent scientific study. Lead levels, for instance, are 180 times higher than those accepted by the World Health Organisation." See also Oct 9 report;

PERU/US RELATIONS

'Report Urges Foreign Aid Strategy That Bridges Security, Altruism' (Washington Post, Walter Pincus) "For example, Pentagon anti-drug assistance, originally authorized for Peru and Colombia, has expanded to 14 countries. Combatant Commander Initiative Funds, originally limited to small public works programs in Iraq, can now be used worldwide."
Text of Report: 'Embassies Grapple to Guide Foreign Aid' - TEXT | PDF; see focus on Peru on p. 38 or report; see also related press release and excerpt at bottom of this post.

SPORTS

Peru 1, Ecuador 5 (wires in Los Angeles Times) "In qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, Ecuador routed visiting Peru, 5-1."

ARTS & LITERATURE

'Playing To Meet A Self-Imposed Standard' (New York Times, Nate Chinen) review of Maria Schneider Orchestra playing 'Aires de Lando' “based on folk forms native to Peru. In her introduction to the piece, as in her detailed liner notes for “Sky Blue,” Ms. Schneider explained that the lando rhythm, a polyrhythmic 12/8 over 6/4, had inspired her to superimpose additional meters, like 3/8 and 5/4." (from the Sky Blue album)

Text of Report: 'Embassies Grapple to Guide Foreign Aid' - TEXT | PDF; Excerpt:

"U.S. Government priorities in Peru are: (1) Counter-narcotics and alternative development; (2) Spreading the benefits of economic growth, including improvements in the public health and education systems, to the long-neglected majority of Peruvians; and (3) Strengthening national government institutions to address low levels of confidence in democracy. The U.S. Government provides assistance to the Government of Peru totaling in FY07 approximately $143 million in economic and military aid. Such assistance was $159 million in FY05 and $142 million in FY06. The request for FY08 is only $90 million,reflecting a drop in the narcotics control and Andean counterdrug initiative account. The U.S. Government considers Peru to be a developing country. The USAID budget in Peru accounts for the most significantportion of U.S. bilateral assistance. It totaled $80 million for FY07 and is used for activities that emphasize trade-led economic growth and increased market access for micro, small and medium enterprises. Limited government presence in the highlands and jungle allows illegal coca cultivation, drug trafficking, and illegal logging. Remnants of the Shining Path terrorist group continue to threaten and intimidate some communities, and remote areas suffer from poor health care. USAID programs offer alternatives to illicit coca and strengthen government effectiveness to provide services in health, education, and environmental management in areas most affected by illegal drug cultivation. In the governance sector, perceptions of unresponsiveness to citizens' demands and an inability to deliver services effectively and transparently result in a continuing low level of confidence in democratic institutions. USAID works to improve the accountability and effectiveness of selected regional and local governments and to encourage constructive dialogue with citizen groups. A free trade pact with Peru is still awaiting action in the U.S. Congress."

2007-11-21T03:43:00.000-05:00

ARTS & LITERATURE

'Reunited Soda Stereo Finds That The Fizz Is Still There' (Los Angeles Times, Agustin Gurza) "Soda Stereo, one of the most popular and influential groups in the history of rock en español ... the band went on to sell out shows in Peru." (Two sold-out shows in December at the Estadio Nacional.)

2007-11-19T03:43:00.000-05:00

SPORTS

'Peru Surprises Brazil By Forcing a 1-1 Tie' (wires in Los Angeles Times) "Juan Manuel Vargas scored in the 70th minute to help Peru tie five-time World Cup champion Brazil, 1-1, at Lima in South American qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

2007-11-15T03:42:00.000-05:00

QUAKE AGAIN

'Chile: Strong Quake Hits Mining Region' (New York Times, Maria Newman) "It was felt in Peru and Bolivia."

2007-11-12T03:41:00.000-05:00

OPINION
'First One Orphan, Then Many More' (New York Times, Jim Luce) "Our umbrella organization is Orphans International Worldwide, with our administrative office staffed by volunteers in Lima, Peru, and our volunteer internship program in New York. This structure enables us to maintain a low overhead; our latest audit shows less than 8 percent spent on administration."

2007-11-07T03:40:00.000-05:00

FREE TRADE?

'Trade Deal With Peru Likely To Pass House Vote' (New York Times, Steven R. Weisman)

2007-10-26T05:58:00.000-05:00

Peruvia updates will be intermittent for the next several days.

Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

FREE TRADE?

'Using Chávez as Counterpoint, Bush Pursues Latin Trade Pacts' (New York Times, Steven R. Weisman) "Facing opposition to his proposed trade accords with Peru, Panama and Colombia from labor unions, social activist groups and many Democrats, President Bush has unleashed an intense campaign to win approval for the deals, arguing that they will strengthen capitalism and democracy and weaken Mr. Chávez in a volatile region. ... The trade pact with Peru is expected to be approved."

IMMIGRATION:

'Dreams Put On Hold For Many Illegal Immigrant Students' (Los Angeles Times, Teresa Watanabe) "Wilbur, who asked to be identified only by his first name, said his father was picked up by immigration agents a month ago after a political asylum request was rejected and was scheduled for deportation to his native Peru this week. But Wilbur, 20, a UCLA junior in political science, said Peru held no future for him because of the paucity of professional jobs and widespread corruption."
'Complexity Of Immigrants' National Ties Explored' (Washington Post, Karin Brulliard) "The longer Latino immigrants live in the United States, the more their transnational activities drop off and they see this nation as their "real homeland," the survey found. Still, nearly all consider themselves first Peruvians or Mexicans, say, rather than Americans. Although recent arrivals are more likely to send money home, they are less likely to travel home than are established Hispanic immigrants."

2007-10-24T08:51:00.000-05:00

Peruvia updates will be intermittent for the next several days.

Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

USS COMFORT

The Miami Herald offers a multi-media review of 'Health Diplomacy' profiling USS Comfort. "From Peru to Paramaribo, a U. S. Navy hospital ship stuffed with U. S. military and civilian aid workers, sailed south of the border for four months this year in a full-blown Bush administration foreign policy foray."

2007-10-23T06:51:00.000-05:00

Peruvia updates will be intermittent for the next several days.

Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

FREE TRADE?

'Social Security Activists Fight Peru Pact' (Miami Herald, Jane Bussey) "A group of U.S. community organizations have entered the fray over free trade, warning that fuzzy language in a trade accord with Peru could penalize that country if it tries to fix its controversial, privatized Social Security system. ... House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., last week expressed his confidence the trade and investment accord will be approved by the House before the Thanksgiving recess in mid-November."
'Please Oppose The Peru FTA, Which Could Lock In Peru's Failed Social Security Privatization' (Letter from 29 USA Advocacy Groups, Public Citizen)
See also opinions from the Latin America Trade Coalition

2007-10-22T07:51:00.000-05:00

Peruvia updates will be intermittent for the next several days.

Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

FREE TRADE?

'US Official Urges Passage Of Trade Deal' (Associated Press, Lily Hindy) "The Bush administration warned Monday that failure by Congress to adopt a free trade agreement with Colombia would bolster the anti-American campaign of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez."
'Commerce Head Pushes Free Trade Pacts' (Associated Press, Martin Crutsinger)

2007-10-21T06:50:00.000-05:00

Peruvia updates will be intermittent for the next several days.

Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

FUJI FILE:

'Peru's Fujimori To Be Tried For Murder' (Associated Press, Monte Hayes)
'Peru Freer, Richer Today' (Associated Press)
'Fujimori: Weighing Pluses and Minuses' (Associated Press) backgrounder
'Fujimori's Life In Brief' (Associated Press) backgrounder

WOMEN & POWER

'It's Women's Time To Shine' (McClatchy News Service, Jack Chang) "Women also make up more than a quarter of the Cabinet ministers in the region and more than a fifth of lower-chamber national legislators in Costa Rica, Argentina, Peru, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador, Honduras and Mexico, double the regional rate in 1990. By comparison, only 16% of the U.S. Congress is female."

YALE TO RETURN ARTIFACTS?

LETTERS: The New York Times offers Yale Professor Richard L. Burger's reponse to Oct 7's op-ed piece, 'Stealing From The Incas' (New York Times, Christopher Heaney). Berger defends Bingham declaring, "although Mr. Heaney quotes Bingham in saying that Machu Picchu was excavated with “forced labor,” there is ample documentation that workers were paid generously."

SPORTS:

'Solano Arrives Late To Deliver Hammers Win' (Guardian) West Ham United 3-1 Sunderland

2007-10-20T05:41:00.000-05:00

Peruvia updates will be intermittent for the next several days.

Link suggestions, corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

WHOSE TREASURE?

LETTERS: 'League Of Gentlemen' (Guardian, Roger Walker) "I sympathise with the Spanish government over the removal by Odyssey of a treasure of gold coins from a suspected Spanish vessel sunk in 1804. However, since the gold from which these coins were cast was probably plundered by the Spanish years earlier from the Aztecs and the Incas, I would suggest that this treasure should be returned to its rightful owners in Peru, Mexico and other countries raided by the conquistadors."

TRAVEL:

'Destination Of The Week' (The Independent, Simon Calder) " Peru is the most popular destination for UK holidaymakers, but there is still no sign of direct flights returning to Lima. In the meantime the well-regarded airline, Lan, has introduced three flights a week to the Peruvian capital from Madrid, with connections from Heathrow on Oneworld partners British Airways and Iberia. David Gilmour of South American Experience (0845 277 3366; www.southamericanexperience.co.uk) says 'Lan intends to increase this to six times a week from March 2008'."

2007-10-19T06:11:00.000-05:00

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

United Nations says 2008 'Year of the Potato'; see www.potato2008.org
Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru gets a review from National Public Radio
Bloomberg, Reuters, and Sky News report on Orica's billion dollar investment in Peru

Link suggestions or corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

2008 - INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE POTATO:

'International Year Of The Potato' (www.potato2008.org)
'Press Conference On International Year Of Potato' (United Nations, press release) “We are happy that the International Year will allow us to raise awareness of the importance of potatoes, which originated in the Andes of Peru but since then have spread all over the world, particularly now in developing countries,” said Mr. Diouf, who was joined in the briefing by Ismael Benavides, Peru’s Minister of Agriculture."
The Idea Was Peruvian (IYP, press relase) "The potato (Solanum tuberosum) originated some 8 000 years ago in the Andes of South America. It was appropriate, therefore, that the initial impetus for declaring 2008 as the International Year of the Potato came from the Government of Peru."
'Potatoes: Buried Treasures - US Food Trends' (Caterer Research, Kate Leahy)
'UN Nudges Potato Up Food Chart To Feed World's Poor' (Deutsche Press Agentur) "Russia and Peru may disagree over its historic origins, but the humble potato moved front and centre on the world's stage Thursday."
'McCain Sponsors UN International Year Of The Potato 2008' (McCain Foods Limited, press release)

10,000 MISSING PERUVIANS:

'Almost Ten Thousand Missing In Peru' (Prensa Latina) "The People's Defense Office in Peru reported 1,253 new cases of disappeared persons until last September, now totalling 8,559 thousand persons disappeared due to internal violence. The new statistic corresponds to disappearances registered during the internal war of the last two decades that had not been denounced for fear or other reasons."

ARTS & LITERATURE:

REVIEW: 'Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru' from Barbes Records (National Public Radio, Miles Miles) listen to audio from 'Fresh Air' program; "The unique music style grew out of the booming cities of the Peruvian Amazon in 1970 and incorporates surf guitars, synthesizers and distinctive melodies."
REVIEW: 'The Bad Girl' by Mario Vargas Llosa (Rocky Mountain News, Pete Warzel) "Grade: A; This feels like a novel of Llosa's [sic] sentimental old age (he's 71), but it's written with a passion and energy that delivers."
Eva Ayllón in Houston, Oct 25 (Houston Chronicle) see flyer
Eva Ayllón in New Hampshire, Oct 27 (Times Argus)
REVIEW: MadeInUSA, Directed by Claudia Llosa (Miami Herald, Rene Rodriguez) "Madeinusa takes place in a tiny Peruvian mountain village during the celebration of a peculiar annual tradition: Beginning with Good Friday and ending on Easter Sunday (the time between Jesus Christ's crucifixion and his resurrection), God is presumed dead, sin does not exist and everyone is free to indulge their darkest desires without repercussion."
'Tenor Flórez conquers Carnival Center' (Miami Herald, Lawrence A. Johnson) "Juan Diego Flórez's lyric instrument is not bounteous in size but possesses striking tonal beauty, flexibility and vibrancy, qualities that perfectly fit his bel canto repertoire. His technical arsenal is faultless, the most complete and assured of any singer I've ever heard, able to handle all the stratospheric coloratura, roulades and ludicrously complex passages in the literature. There may be a tenor in the world who combines intelligence, taste, astounding technique and a gorgeous voice to a greater degree than Flórez but I don't know whom he could be."

FUJIMORI FILE:

'Democracy Deepens, Economy Surges In Post-Fujimori Years' (Associated Press)
'Peru's Fujimori Faces Long, Tough Fight Against Charges Of Corruption, Human Rights Abuses' (Associated Press) "Prosecutors argue that Montesinos told Fujimori of the death squad's activities, but the evidence they have revealed so far appears mainly circumstantial. They say Fujimori also showed complicity by promoting and decorating some Colina Group soldiers for their fight against the Shining Path shortly before the Barrios Altos massacre."
'Politicians' Divorces and Separations' (Associated Press) article on Sarkozy's separation includes Fujimori on list
OPINION: 'Irony and Integrity' (Washington Post, Marcela Sanchez) profile of Monica Feria, winner of the Gruber Justice Prize; see 'Feria Wins Prize' in Oct 6's Peruvia.
'Peru's Fujimori To Face Infinite Imprisonment Before Trial Ends' (Xinhua News Agency) "The other trial against Fujimori by the Supreme Court will begin on Nov. 26 of this year. He faces a total of seven charges, and the legal process is estimated to take eight to 10 months. Before that, he will be kept in the same jail."

MICRO/MACRO ECONOMICS:

'Terra, Orica Plan To Build Peru Petrochemical Plant' (Bloomberg, Alex Emery)
'Foreign Companies May Build Peru Petrochemical Plant' (Reuters) "A consortium of foreign companies said on Thursday it may invest $1 billion to build a petrochemical plant in Peru as the government lures investment to the nascent sector."
'Orica's $1 Billion Plant' (Sky News, Australia)
'Peru Cement Makers Say Dropping Duties Favors Mexico's CEMEX' (Dow Jones)
'Peru's Interbank 3rd Quarter Net PEN 84.5 Million Vs PEN 36.5 Million (Dow Jones)
'Peru's September Past-Due Loan Ratio Falls To Record Low 1.51%' (Dow Jones)
'Change Of Economic Model Demanded' (Prensa Latina) "Economist Oscar Ugarteche and sociologist Hector Bejar, from the Peruvian Committee to Support the World Call against Poverty, coincided in alerting about presentation of the official report on the small progress to fulfil the Objectives of the Millennium."
'Chile, Peru Near Regional Power Grid Study' (Reuters)
'Deutsche Bank Seeks Expansion Into Peru' (SLi, Nisha P. Shah) "The bank has filed an application for a license to extend its investment banking business to Peru."

Mining

'Consorcio Minero Raises Borrowing Base Facility' (Trade Finance)
'Tongling Nonferrous Plans Private Placement To Buy Mining Assets' (Dow Jones)
'MacMillan Reports Positive Results From Hole 5 in Transition Zone between Aguila and Aguila East' (MacMillan Gold, press release)
'Northern Peru Copper Amends Decision' (Northern Peru Copper Corp, press release)

CLASH OF CIVILIZATION?
'Voluntary Isolation' (Latinamerica Press)

FREE TRADE?

EDITORIAL: 'The U.S. Congress and Perú, Colombia, Panamá and South Korea' (Diario Las Americas)
OPINION: 'No Iraq Withdrawl Timetable But A Corporate Trade Deal For Peru?' (Huffington Post, Robert Naiman) " If we can stop the Peru agreement from passing Congress, it will raise the bar for future agreements."

QUAKE UPDATE:

LETTER: 'Why Give Peruvians Special Treatment?' (Herald News, New Jersey, Charlotte Wood, Paterson) "I sometimes wonder if our politicians understand our new Hispanic immigrants. They talk as if they are all here to become citizens and vote for them. Many from Peru, for example, have made it very clear that the people from Peru are still citizens of Peru who are here just to work and send money back to their own country. Now they expect special treatment because of the earthquake?"
Halloween Party To Benefit Quake Victims (Journal News, New York)

WEATHER RELATED AID:

'Peru Hit By Extreme Weather Conditions; EU Commission Grants Aid' (European Union) "The departments hardest hit are at altitudes of over 2500 metres, in the central and southern Andean region, with more than 700 000 people affected."

FOOD:

Chef Eddie Morales (Grand Rapids Press, Michigan)
Chef Juan Carlos Barzola (The Maroon, Loyola University, Kayla August) "Peruvian cuisine is a blend of Amerindian and Spanish food, with influences from African, Arab, Italian and Japanese cooking."
'Peruvians 'Uninformed' About Genetically Modified Food' (SciDev, Zoraida Portillo) "A high percentage of people in Peru's capital Lima have never heard of biotechnology or transgenic food, and those with some knowledge of the issues cited television as their major source of information."

TRAVEL:

'Darkest Peru' (History Today, Peter Furtado) "Virtually all the cultural tourists to Peru make for the Inca honeypots of Cusco and Machu Picchu, but this vast and diverse country has one of the richest archaeological heritages in the world, and one that continues to produce remarkable new finds and sites including gold-drenched mummies and lost mountaintop cities – to amaze and fascinate the casual visitor and the specialist alike."
'Report 60: Ride It On, Baby' (The Times Jungle Blog, South Africa, Caspar Greeff) From Huancabamba to Tarapota [sic] to Yurimaguas

SPORTS:

Jose Crescimbeni Swims For Peru (St Petersburg Times, Florida, Bob Putnam and Brandon Wright) "Calvary Christian senior Jose "Emman" Crescimbeni, who will swim for Peru in the 2008 Olympics, confirmed this week he has committed to the University of Florida. A favorite to win Class A state titles in the 100-yard butterfly and 100 backstroke, Crescimbeni earned dual-citizenship status in January he was born in the United States, his parents were born in Peru and earned a qualifying time for the Olympics in the 200 butterfly at the Pan-Am Games in July."

OTHER:

Aurelio Elias, NYC Construction Worker (Associated Press, Christian Salazar)
'Peru Court Sentences 6 To Prison For Fire That Killed At Least 290 People' (Associated Press)
'Peru University Honors Fidel Castro' (Prensa Latina) "Peru's San Luis Gonzaga state University gave a distinction to Cuban President Fidel Castro, and recognized Cuba's solidarity with that country. Dean Juan Alba granted the institution's Golden Jubilee Medal for Fidel Castro to Cuban ambassador in Peru Luis Delfin Perez."
'Drug-Laced Postcards Intercepted' (UPI) "Swedish police Thursday said they have discovered cocaine being shipped from Peru inside special postcards. Four people are facing cocaine-smuggling charges after authorities claim they found the illegal drug secreted in receptacles hidden between the front and back sides of at least 30 specially made postcards. Each card carried six grams of cocaine."

2007-10-18T06:20:00.000-05:00

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

The Associated Press and Reuters are the bearers of bad tidings: Chile 2- Peru 0
The Hill reports on Peru's Ambassador to the USA unable to enter the White House
Prensa Latina and Xinhua News Agency report on Pucallpa going on strike
And leave it to a news source in Missouri (Ozarks First to offer video on the world's largest sweet bread

Link suggestions or corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

PERUVIANS IN IRAQ:

'US Rejects UN Mercenary Report' (Associated Press, Alexander G. Higgins) "The report by a five-member panel of independent U.N. human rights experts said the contractors were performing military duties even though they were hired to be security guards. The killing of 17 civilians in Baghdad last month by Blackwater USA guards underscores the risks of using such contractors, said panel chairman, Jose Luis Gomez del Prado of Spain. ... Experts from the panel visited Honduras, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Fiji to look into recruiting and training practices by the private contractors."

AMBASSADORS LEFT OUTSIDE IN DC:

'Bush Loss, Starbucks Gain' (The Hill, Daphne Retter) "President Bush has long advocated for immigration reform to make this country more welcoming to Hispanics. But at a Rose Garden ceremony last Wednesday to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Bush ended up locking a group of foreign Hispanic leaders out on the street. About a dozen ambassadors from Latin American countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru discovered to their shock and chagrin that though the White House had asked them to the annual event, they could not get past the door because their names were not on the invite list."

SHINING PATH IN APURIMAC:

'Peru Army Reports Killing 7 Suspected Shining Path Rebels In Drug-Trafficking Area' (Associated Press)

FUJIMORI FILE:

OPINION: 'We Do Believe That Former Heads Of State Deserve A Fair Trial' (The Guardian, Reed Brody) Brody is Counsel for Human Rights Watch
OPINION: 'Fujimori's Trial: An Opportunity For Peru' (Upside Down, Raúl Zibechi) "could contribute to the consolidation of Peru's fragile democracy and may even reduce the culture of fear. ... Anyone who knew Peru back in the 80s and who now walks down its streets today will notice important changes. The country is different, but not truly changed, for that would require social and cultural change."

FREE TRADE?

'Reforms Have Resulted In Sizeable Benefits And Should Continue' (World Trade Organziation, press release) "Peru has continued to liberalize its trade regime which, in the context of other reforms and a favourable external environment, helps explain its robust economic performance since its previous Review in 2000 according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of Peru. However, Peru has also moved away form its largely uniform tariff structure, thus increasing the level of effective assistance to some sectors." Read also the Accompanying government response.
OPINION: US Republican Presidential Candidates Focus On Peru, Not Children (New York Times, Gail Collins)
'Tampa To Host Export Council Conference' (Tampa Bay Business Journal, Larry Halstead and Alexis Muellner)
'Bush Declares That He Remains Relevant' (Washington Post, Peter Baker)
'Press Conference By President Bush' (White House transcript) "Now Congress needs to begin moving on trade agreements with Peru."

ARTS & LITERATURE:

'63 Films Qualify For Foreign Oscar Category' (Hollywood Reporter, Gregg Kilday) Peru, "Crossing a Shadow," Augusto Tamayo San Román nee: Una Sombra Al Frente
REVIEW: Fitzcarraldo, by Werner Herzog (Blogcritics, Dan Schneider) review of the Anchor Bay collection not the Criterion version

PUCALLPA ON STRIKE:

'Peruvian Jungle Region Paralyzed By Strike' (Prensa Latina) "The Peruvian jungle region of Ucayali stopped works Wednesday, while a strike of university teachers took place and entered its second day in the middle of a tense atmosphere in the nation. Ucayali Governor Jorge Velazquez expressed his support to the measure, and Angel Lopez, president of the regional Fighting Front, highlighted the relevance of the strike, which will continue until Thursday. The protest demands to preserve tax exonerations established to compensate the unfavourable geographical situation of Ucayali, which the government wants to eliminate."
'Peruvians On Strike Over Taxes In Amazonian Region' (Xinhua News Agency) "Ucayali's Defense Front (Fredeu) general undersecretary Angel Lopez declared, 'We reject the government's intention to withdraw our tax exonerations when we have many comparative disadvantages in comparison with the coastal and sierra development towns'."

MICRO/MACRO ECONOMICS:

'SCC Unions Press Labor Ministry To Reach Pay Deal' (BNAmericas)
'Peru's Central Bank Intervenes To Buy $7 Million' (Dow Jones, Rebecca Howard)
'Latin America Growth To Slow As Inflation Quickens, IMF Says' (Bloomberg, Patrick Harrington)
'IMF Urges Latin American Governments To Adopt More Reforms' (Dow Jones, Matthew Cowley)
'Adoption Of New Labour Law Fully Complying With ILO Standards Urgently Needed' (International Trade Union Confederation) "The report argues that the extreme flexibility of labour markets combined with serious legal obstacles faced by workers seeking to form or join a union has led to a sharp decrease in the number of collective agreements signed in the country."
'REPORT: Internationally-Recognised Core Laobr Standards In Peru' (World Trade Organization, 13pp.)
'Peru Miner Volcan's 3rd Quarter Profit Rises 44%' (Reuters)
'Bill To Boost Mining May Flop In Peru's Congress' (Reuters) "Peru's Congress is likely to reject a bill proposed by President Alan Garcia that would declare 20 stalled mining projects worth $14 billion in investments to be in the 'national interest' and in need of completion despite local opposition, lawmakers said on Wednesday. Mining is crucial to Peru's economy, though many poor communities in the Andes oppose new mines, often over environmental concerns. Peru is the world's No. 3 producer of copper, zinc and tin, fifth in gold, first in silver and fourth in lead and molybdenum."

INTERNATIONAL:

US Looking For New Country For Air Force Base (Crosswalk, Leandro Prada)
'NGOs Call For Regional Whale Sanctuary' (Inter Press Service, Daniel Estrada) "At the meeting, he indicated that the current dispute between Chile and Peru over their Pacific ocean border, which the administration of Peruvian President Alan García will be taking to the International Court of Justice in The Hague in November, would also be part of the debate."
'A Reporter On The Lam In Latin America' (Miami New Times, Chuck Strouse) "El Nuevo Herald’s Gonzalo Guillén is on the lam. His wife and son are in hiding. Colombian President Álvaro Uribe publicly belittled the reporter. Strangers repeatedly threatened to murder him. His bodyguard disappeared. "I got a call at my home ... a guy said, 'We can kill you,'" Guillén recalls from Lima, Peru, where he's been laying low for five days."
'IDB To Fund Indigenous Alliance' (Prensa Latina) "would finance the Aymaras without Border Strategic Alliance, a project of cultural integration and defense of traditions among Bolivian, Peruvian and Chilean municipalities."
'Honduran Official For UN Arbitration Between Chile, Peru' (Prensa Latina) "Deputy Foreign Minister of Honduras Eduardo Reina urged Chile and Peru to leave a maritime border solution to the International Court in The Hague."
Ambassador Jorge Voto-Bernales At The United Nations on Burundi and Sierra Leone (United Nations Security Council)

QUAKE UPDATE:

'Minister Laruelle Has Earmarked Emergency Agricultural Support For Peru' (Government of Belgium) "Minister Laruelle decided to release 800,000 EURO for Peru via the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) for the emergency rehabilitation of farming activities in the affected areas."
'Cuban Doctors Have Treated More Than 61,000 Patients In Peru' (Granma, Cuba)
'Slovakia Hands Over Humanitarian Aid To Earthquake-hit Peru' (Slovak News Agency, TASR) "The transport of the aid to Hamburg was secured by the Office for Civil Protection, while Peru undertook to ship the consignment from the German port at its own cost."

SPORTS:

'Chile Beats Peru 2-0' (Associated Press)
'Chile Sink Peru With Solid Display' (Goal.com) "After the break Peru finally came to life, and threatened the Chilean goal with the tireless efforts of Jefferson Farfan in particular, who was a constant menace."
'Chile Beat Peru To Kick-Start Campaign' (Reuters)
'Germany And Canada Bid To Host FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 - Peru Withdraws' (FIFA, press release) "The Peruvian football association yesterday informed FIFA of its withdrawal from the bidding procedure."
'JettyGirl Spends Some Time With Lauren Sweeney' (Global Surf News) "JG: The ASP just added the Mancora Peru Classic to the 2007 schedule. Did you get a chance to surf that wave while you were down there? What's it like? LS: Yes! That wave is awesome if it's the one I'm thinking about. All the waves in the north are awesome but Mancora is just this peeling left that doesn't break too heavy but is absolutely perfect for carving until your legs simply hurt."
Sofia Mulanovich At Sunset Roxy Pro (Global Surf News)

OTHER:

VIDEO: 'World's Largest Sweet Bread - Lima, Peru' (Ozarks First, Missouri)
'Cash Sent To Peru For Drugs, Court Told' (Argus, UK, Nigel Freedman) "A suspected drug smuggler wired £52,000 to his father in Peru as drugs were being posted to Crawley, a court heard."
'Professor Jack Hawkes, Obituary' (Independent, UK) "Botanist and potatoist; in late 1938 he voyaged to South America via Liverpool and Peru on the start of the British Empire Potato Collecting Expedition. From Lima, the party journeyed 9,000 miles through Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador and Colombia, ending in Panama eight months later. Over 1,000 samples of wild potatoes, as well as landraces or varieties cultivated by indigenous people were collected and taken back to the UK, to form the basis of what is now still referred to as the "Commonwealth Potato Collection", located in the Scottish Crops Research Institute. An early film record of these travels, some on horseback, still exists."

2007-10-17T06:54:00.000-05:00

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

The Associated Press and Foreign Policy each have new stories about Peruvian private security forces in Iraq
The Virginia Quarterly Review has a special issue on South America which features Daniel Alarcón
A blog posting from the Legal Times report on a ruling yesterday from the US Court Of Appeals for the 4th Circuit about funny business in Peru's 200 election
ALSO: updates on Toledo, several editorials in USA newspapers on free trade with Peru, and an environmental award for Q'orianka Kilcher

Link suggestions or corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

PERUVIANS IN IRAQ:

'UN Report Describes New Mercenary Activity' (Associated Press, Alexander G. Higgins) "The report is to be presented to the UN General Assembly next month. ... In Peru, the panel heard that hundreds of Peruvians had been recruited and trained by private security companies to work in Iraq and Afghanistan as security guards and that at least 1,000 remained in Iraq."
'Latin America's Hidden War In Iraq' (Foreign Policy, Kristina Mani) "No less than 1,000 Peruvians ... have taken up security work in Iraq. Indeed, when the security firm Triple Canopy landed a U.S. government contract in 2005 to provide security in the Green Zone, it recruited security personnel almost exclusively from Latin America."

ARTS & LITERATURE:

REVIEW: 'The Bad Girl' by Mario Vargas Llosa (New York Sun, Chloe Schama) "a joyful romp through a torturous relationship. ... His characters — from Fukuda, the evil Japanese gangster, to Mrs. Stubard, the English guardian angel — are almost Dickensian in their dimensions, unabashed stereotypes of their native lands. The love affair is painful, perverse, and perpetual, relying entirely on unlikely coincidences."
Virginia Quarterly Review's special issue on South America; online they present an interactive map of the continent with links to the full content of the issue and six online exclusives—plus videos, slideshows, author readings, and more.
Daniel Alarcón In Virginia Tonight (Virginia Quarterly Review Event) Charlottesville
'Vallejo Ignites Poet's 'Fuse' (UConn Daily Campus, Joanna Arpie) Clayton Eshleman, the editor/translator reading from his 'César Vallejo, The Complete Poetry: A Bilingual Edition'
'The Challenge Of Cultural Diversity In Contemporary Peru' (Embassy, Toronto) Today at noon at University of Toronto; Claudia Balarin Benavides from the National University of San Marcos, Lima, will discuss "Andean Crafts and the Challenge of Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Peru."
'Fourth-Grade Students Performed an Afr0-Peruvian Dance in Arkansas' (Northwest Arkansas Times, Brett Bennett)

CENSUS 2007:

'Country Shutdown Set For Census Count' (Associated Press)

FUJIMORI FILE:

'Peruvian Fugitive Loses Extradition Fight' (Legal Times blog, Brendan Smith) "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled yesterday that Oscar Eliseo Medelius-Rodriguez can be extradited to Peru to face charges stemming from his alleged involvement in a massive election fraud scheme. He allegedly forged the signatures and fingerprints of voters to register a political party that supported the re-election of Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori during the 2000 presidential campaign. ... Now being held in a federal prison, Medelius-Rodriguez was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service last year in Wilmington, N.C., after being tracked in a fugitive investigation across the East Coast."
'Witness Protection Against Fujimori Requested' (Prensa Latina, Cuba) re: Barrios Altos and La Cantuta; "The lawyer of relatives of the victims of two slaughters under the government of Alberto Fujimori asked for protection for the witnesses who would state against him. Defender Gloria Cano demanded strong security for the witnesses in the most important trial against Fujimori that will start on November 26." ALSO: "Fujimori's son, Kenji, repeatedly calls to a 'war' against the government and the former president's accusers, to achieve his freedom. The president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Francisco Tavara, noticed that the attitude of Keny Fujimori should be adjusted to the legal classification, and it rejected any form of violence."

FREE TRADE?

EDITORIAL: 'Let's Make Deal To Guard Free Trade' (Indianapolis Star, Indiana) "

So why is free trade with Peru -- the South American nation, not the north-central Indiana city -- so important to Hoosiers? It's about creating and retaining jobs. ...The Peru agreement is good for Indiana. Even more important, congressional approval of the pact would help stem the rise of protectionism, a trend that if unchecked could dramatically undermine the nation's economy ."
EDITORIAL: 'Trade Agreements With The Americas Should Not Be Put Off Until 2009' (Sun-Sentinel, Florida) "The ugly rancor and vitriol attached to the U.S. immigration debate certainly hasn't helped America win friends in the Americas, either."
'Strong Youth Turnout For Obama' (Wisconsin State Journal, Matt DeFour) "Some activist groups, such as the Wisconsin Fair Trade Council, distributed flyers outside the event challenging Obama's stance on a free trade agreement with Peru and statements he has made about the war in Iraq."

TOLEDO UPDATE:

'Toledo Talks Faith In Democracy' (Stanford Daily, Patrick Fitgerald) "Speaking in conversation with Hoover Senior Fellow Larry Diamond as part of the School of Education’s Cubberley Lecture Series, Toledo Ph.D. ‘93 stressed the importance of investing in nutrition, health and education to ensure that democratic governments meet the needs of their citizens in the face of populist challenges from the left."
'Controversial Appointment Prompts Stanford Senate Vote To Meet With Hoover Director' (Stanford News Service, Kathleen J. Sullivan) Stanford Faculty questions whether Donald Rumsfeld is 'Distinguished' enough to be on par with Toledo and 13 other Fellows

POLITICAL DECENTRALIZATION:

'Latin America Granting More Power To Localities' (Miami Herald, Tyler Bridges) reporting from Lambayeque; "The mayor of Huayre, a wind-swept town of about 10,000 in the Andes 100 miles northeast of Lima, spent $158,000 to build an erotic sculpture park in the central plaza, complete with outsized images of genitalia and of the maca root, which has been called the Andean version of Viagra. The mayor said he hoped to attract tourists, but Huayre still lacks paved streets and a sewage system in the meantime."

PRESS DANGERS:

'US-Based Press Group Warns Of 'Grave Obstacles' To Americas Media' (Associated Press, Gisela Salomon) see related articles in 'Press Dangers In Peru' in Oct 15's Peruvia

QUAKE UPDATE:

'Slovakia Aids Earthquake-Hit Peru' (Slovak Spectator) "A package of humanitarian aid from Slovakia to Peru, which was hit by a major earthquake on August 15, reached Hamburg on October 12, where it was handed over for shipping to South America, the Slovak interior ministry said on October 16. Peru's diplomatic mission in Vienna asked Slovakia to provide the aid, which consisted of $180,000 worth of tents, blankets, field beds, clothes and medicine."
'Responding To Dogs In Need' (The Record, Canada, Valerie Hill) "She was deeply touched by how much the Peruvians love their dogs. Pecak smiled at the memory of so-called "inside dogs," dressed up in T-shirts or dresses to signify their elite status."
'Group Encourages Literacy With Every Step' (Rutgers Daily Targum, New Jersey, Cassie Bobotas) "Our money will go toward the emergency relief effort to help support the rebuilding of a learning center in Ica, Peru, where they were devastated by an earthquake in August."

IMMIGRATION:

'1 in 3 Kids Part Of Immigrant Family' (The Record, New Jersey, Richard Cowen and James Yoo) "Now they're mostly Mexican, Dominican and Peruvian."
REPORT: 'New Jersey Immigrant Kids Count 2007' (Association For Children Of New Jersey) 29pp

CONSERVATION:

Brower Youth Award To Q'orianka Kilcher (Brower Youth Award, press release) event on Oct 24 in San Francisco; "Q'orianka Kilcher, 17, of Santa Monica, CA is one of this year's awardees. Kilcher is an actress of Peruvian indigenous ancestry who has appeared in major studio films such as "The New World" (2005) opposite Colin Farrell and Christian Bale. ... On a trip to Peru to promote a recent film, Kilcher invited indigenous leaders to participate in a red carpet event, toured communities, conducted interviews with affected peoples for a documentary, collaborated with U.S.-based campaigners Amazon Watch, and met with employees of oil companies."
'Professor Studies Army-Ant-Following Birds' (Louisiana State University, press release) "nearly 20 years after that first trip to Peru, Brumfield has again teamed up with Rosenberg, who is now at Cornell University’s Laboratory of Ornithology, along with Jose Tello of the American Museum of Natural History and three other LSU researchers – Matt Carling, Zac Cheviron and Nanette Crochet – to study the evolution of army-ant following."
The Interethnic Association Of Developent Of The Peruvian Raniforest Declaration (International Institute for Sustainable Development)

MAPPING PERU:

'LeadDog Releases Comprehensive City Street Maps For 10 Peruvian Cities' (GeoPlace) "detailed city street geographic databases for the Peruvian cities: Lima, Arequipa, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura, Iquitos, Cusco, Chimbote, Huancayo, and Pucallpa. LeadDog maps are in use in a wide range of applications from military and government emergency and defense support to commercial fleet management and location based services. ... In addition to the cities named, LeadDog has detailed City Street Maps for 26 other Peruvian cities."

FASHION:

'Ethical Fashion Slow To Take Off' (Agence France Press) "Judith Condor-Vidal, a Britain-based specialist of alpaca wool from coops in Peru and Bolivia whose shawls, hats and gloves are knitted by 390 women there."
'Paris Fashion Industry Not Convinced By Ethical Show' (Female First, Caz Moss) "One of these designers was Judith Condor-Vidal, a Britain-based specialist of alpaca wool from Peru."

MICRO/MACRO ECONOMICS:

ScotiaBank

ScotiaBank Conference on Building Sustainable Growth (Scotiabank press release) Oct 16 and 17 in Lima; watch video stream (not always online)
'Bank Of Nova Scotia To Enter Credit Card Venture in Mexico' (Bloomberg, Sean B. Pasternak)
'Bank of Nova Scotia Sees Many International Acquisition Targets' (Dow Jones, Monica Gutschi)
'Scotia Holds Investor Conference In Peru' (National Post, Canada, Duncan Mavin)

Mining

'Southern Copper Unions To Strike In Peru For Mediator' (Bloomberg, Alex Emery)
'Southern Copper Unions Say Peru Stalling On Wages' (Reuters) "Peru's Labor Ministry waited until Tuesday to say which of its staffers will set the new labor accord, and unions leaders said that was too long. 'We entered into this agreement in good faith but we are seeing the government isn't fulfilling its part,' Roman More, head of the union at the Cuajone mine, told Reuters."
'Sumitomo Metal Announces New Subsidiary In Peru' (Reuters) "Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. announced that it has set up a new subsidiary in Peru on October 15, 2007. The new subsidiary, Sumitomo Metal Mining Peru S.A., is engaged in the mining activities."
'Duran Reports Positive Results From Hole 5 in Transition Zone Between Aguila and Aguila East' (Duran Ventures, press release) "pleased to report the results from Hole 5 of the 2007 Phase 1 diamond drilling program at the Aguila Cu-Mo Project, Ancash, Peru. Duran is earning a 50% interest in the Aguila Project from MacMillan Gold Corp."
'Miners Pull Footsie Lower' (ShareCast) "Peru-based precious metals producer Hochschild Mining said it is confident of coming close to its 2007 production target of 26m silver equivalent attributable ounces."

Other

IDB To LEnd At Least US$125 Million For Waterworks In 2008' (BNAmericas) "The bank will become one of the main financing sources of the country's Water for All program, the executive added, while the IDB representative in Peru, Ana María Rodríguez, added that water and sanitation has become a top priority for the financial entity."
'Peru's Poor Speak Up: Tourism Is Good, Law School Is Better' (National Catholic Reporter) the article is behind a subscription wall; this is a September article from New American Media by Andrés Tapia)
'Petroperú launched bidding on EIS tender for Talara refinery' (Petroleum World)

TRAVEL:

'Inca Trail's Secret City' (Herald Sun, Australia, Jennifer Grimwade)
News On Arequipa, Tarapoto, Inka Terra, and Lufthansa (Travel Video) several items including closing of airport in Tarapoto until Oct 31; new Eco Inn in Cuzco; and "Lufthansa Commits itself to considering resuming direct flights ... The Minister of Production informed that Lufthansa has committed itself to seriously considering the possibility of resuming its direct flights to Peru, after it ceased to do so in 2002."

BUS ACCIDENT:

VIDEO: Bus Accident (Fox News) first spot of five in Fox's 'Around the World in 80 Seconds'

SPORTS:

'High Alert For Chile-Peru Qualifier (Reuters) "Chile defeated Peru in the 1879-1883 War of the Pacific and seized a chunk of mineral-rich territory from their northern neighbours. Although the two countries have strong economic ties, relations are still rocky and a dispute over their sea border has bubbled anew over the last two years."
'Nobby Has A Ball At Farewell' (Evening Chronicle, UK, Alastair Craig) a goodbye to Newcastle; watch accompanying video; "The Toon favourite played one last time for the Gallowgate End. The film, recorded for the BBC’s Inside Out programme, shows the winger entertaining the crowd like he always did – but this time with his band the Geordie Latinos."
Peru Draws Spain In First Round, Davis Cup (TSN, Canada) February 8-10, 2008
Juan Carlos Rebaza in Arizona (State Press, Arizona) "For ASU men's tennis extraordinaire Juan Carlos Rebaza, making the most of new opportunities in foreign places is just a part of his everyday routine. ... His father's employment at the Peruvian embassy in Washington, D.C., was the impetus to enter the new culture, but it's Rebaza's play that has helped him feel more a part of it. He returned to Peru to finish high school and was the country's national champion in 1998, 1999 and 2002."
'John Severson -The Original Surfer Artist' (Surfers Path) "As a surfer, Severson was known for his innovative performance style in big surf.In 1961, he won the Peru International, and was a finalist in US and Hawaiian Championships."

LA PAPA:

'From The Andes To The World - The Conquistadora Potato' (Agence France Press) "No other plant had to travel so far and so long before winning the popularity it has today," said Peruvian historian Sara Beatriz Guardia, author of a history of the potato titled "The Violet Flower of the Andes" (La flor morada de los Andes).

PEOPLE:

'Breast-Cancer Survivor Receives An Honor' (Gazette, Maryland, Patricia M. Murret) re: Laura Clymer
'Dominican Power Companies Shed The Foreign Managers' (Dominican Today) "Two weeks ago in Edenorte Felix Tavárez replaced the Peruvian Eloy Suárez Mendoza, who had been dismissed when he confronted legal problems in his country, and though acquitted wasn’t reinstated."
David Vico Whestoff Murdered In Canary Islands (Tenerife News) In El Hierro; Vico, "a professional airman stationed there had been murdered at the door of the La Pedra disco-pub in the capital, Valverde. ... He was of Peruvian birth with a German father and held a Spanish passport. He had gone out on the town last Saturday with a colleague."
'Medical Team Travels To Peru To Help Children's Heart Ailments' (UCLA Health Care) "Dr. Juan Alejos, a pediatric cardiologist from Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, will lead a team of more than 40 volunteers traveling to Peru to help several hundred children suffering from heart conditions from Oct. 20 to Nov. 4. ... The group will offer their services at two hospitals in Arequipa — the Carlos Aberto Seguin Escobedo National Hospital and Hospital Goyeneche. They will also send a small team to Cuzco to see patients. In addition, the volunteers will perform evaluations on children from several orphanages in both areas. ... Alejos, whose family is originally from Peru, founded the nonprofit Corazones Con Esperanza (Hearts With Hope) Foundation."
Hernani Cesar In Aichi Prefecture, Japan (Yomiuri Shimbun)

FT ON LA:

A Financial Times press release announced a "special report on October 17 titled 'Latin America'. This reportwill provide an overview of the enormous opportunity and looming challenges that face the region. This report will be distributed as a specialsupplement in all four print editions of the FT with additional distribution at the 2007 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund."

2007-10-16T07:13:00.000-05:00

Link suggestions or corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

CABINET SHUFFLE?

'Ministerial Shuffle Causes Expectation' (Prensa Latina) "Economy Minister Luis Carranza, who is considered by several sectors as neoliberal and orthodox, and Energy and Mine Minister Juan Valdivia, who practices a policy that is criticized by those who consider it excessively favorable to transnationals, will remain in their posts."

USA ROTC CADETS HELP WITH SENDERO EXCERCISE:

'ROTC Cadets Train For Challenging Military Situations' (Bringham Young Univeristy NewsNet, Angela Nash) "Last weekend, BYU's ROTC cadets learned valuable lessons from helping the Peruvian government bring down a terrorist organization as part of the annual fall field training exercise. 'The government of Peru asked them to assist in stabilizing the government against Shining Path, a terrorist organization,' said Sgt. Matthew Mason.ROTC cadets were briefed Thursday about the mission they would participate in. ... [Cadets] also met with the Peruvian village chief and his wife. 'That's real common when you go to a foreign country, to sit down and break bread,' Mason said. 'You have to learn to talk to the neighborhood leaders.' Members of The Shining Path had taken all of the women, and were holding them hostage in the chief's house. The cadets had to make a plan of how they were going to assault the city."

QUAKE UPDATE:

'Earthquake Aid To Peru Provides Pattern For Disaster Assistance' (US Department of State, Ralph Dannheisser) "In this era of global interdependence, the international response to the recent devastating earthquake in Peru provides a good example of a coordinated effort to deal with a disaster. That coordination can be seen between U.S. agencies and departments responding to the crisis, among governments around the world that responded with quick aid, and between governments and nongovernmental groups focused on disaster assistance. ... The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) quickly sprang into action. A day after the quake, U.S. Ambassador to Peru P. Michael McKinley declared a disaster based on its effects. That prompted USAID to fund the local purchase and transport of emergency relief supplies to the most seriously affected areas."
'EEFIT Releases Preliminary Report On Earthquake' (Institution Of Structural Engineers, press release) read the 74pp report here "The mission was carried out by a team of three engineers: Fabio Taucer (team leader - Joint Research Centre, Ispra), John Alarcón (Arup, UK) and Emily So (University of Cambridge, UK), all members of EEFIT, which is administered by the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE)." ALSO: "The mission was carried out in close collaboration with the Delegation of the European Commission in Peru, and with the assistance from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru and PREDECAM (Apoyo a la Prevencion de Desasters de la Comunidad Andina); contacts were made with representatives of the Peruvian Civil Protection (Instituto Nacional
de Defensa Civil -INDECI), as well as with NGO’s present and active in Peru. "
'Excellent Work Of Cuban Medical Brigade' (Prensa Latina, Cuba) "The work of the Cuban doctors, who assist victims of an earthquake in Peru, is highlighted by local media on Monday, two months after the tragedy that killed almost 600 people."

TRANSPORTATION STRIKE:

'Transportation Workers Strike In Lima' (Stratfor) "About 30% of transportation companies in Lima took part in a strike Oct. 15, Peru's Andina news agency reported. Congestion in the city was heavy. The Association of Massive Urban Transport Companies, which organized the strike, said it was being held to protest the 'unconstitutional nature' of new safety and emissions inspections."

MICRO/MACRO ECONOMICS:

'CC First Supports Small Scale Procedures Looking For Investment' (CC First, press release) "CCFirst is a Norwegian-based firm founded in Peru one and a half year ago to work as a consulting firm looking for foreign investors who are interested in the agroindustrial sector from Peru in particular."
'Grenville Gold Finds High Ridge News Release Defamatory' (Grenville Gold Corp, press release)
'Call Against Poverty Takes Aim At Inequality' (Inter Press Service, Fabiana Frayssinet) "Activists in Peru have taken part in demonstrations demanding a modification in the neoliberal economic policies that began to be adopted during the term of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) and have continued to be followed by President Alan García, who took office in July 2006."
'How One Bank Learned To Think Beyond Borders' (Globe and Mail, Canada, Tara Perkins) re: profile of Scotiabank who purchased Weisse recently
'Criminal Proceeding Initiated Regarding Denial Of Access To High Ridge's Peruvian Properties' (High Rige Resources, press release)
'Needle Of the Golden Compass Turns To Point Toward The East' (Resource Investor, Tim Cohen) "Peru has almost trebled its gold production over the past decade."
'SK Energy Anticipates Future Investments In Peru' (Scandinavian Oil-Gas Magazine) "SK is not only doing business in Peru. We are also hoping to fulfill our social responsibilities through CSR activities."

SPORTS:

'Old Rivals Chile and Peru To Clash In High Risk Game' (Reuters) "Matches between the pair carry an extra edge because of long-standing economic and territorial rivalry and Peru's visit has been declared a high risk game by the Santiago city government."
'Faraqueen Rebounds In Clasico Enrique Ayulo Pardo' (Thoroughbred Times, Michael Burns) "Haras Rancho Fatima homebred filly Faraqueen, fifth in last month's Clasico Polla de Potrancas (Per-G1) (Peruvian One Thousand Guineas), returned with a vengeance Sunday to post a convincing win in the Clasico Enrique Ayulo Pardo (Per-G1) at Hipodromo de Monterrico."
'Peruvian Star Linked With Liverpool Move' (FansFC, Alex Wolstenholme) re: Juan Vargas "The versatile international came close to a move to Portsmouth in the summer of 2006 before opting to join Italian side Catania."
'Liverpool, Juventus Tracking Catania's Juan Vargas (Tribal Football) "Vargas, who missed the Copa America with an elbow injury, is regarded as a 'young Paolo Maldini' in Peru and along with Liverpool, his form has also attracted interest from Juventus and Roma."
Jose Paolo Guerrero Has Airport Injury' (UEFA) "The 23-year-old Peruvian international suffered the injury at an airport having sprinted while carrying heavy luggage."
'Peru Soccer Team Asks FOr Bonus To Be Kept Secret' (Xinhua News Agency) "sPeru's national soccer team and training staff on Monday asked the Peruvian Football Federation (PFP) not to publish the size of the prize they will receive if they defeat Chile on Wednesday, their second World Cup qualifying game."

TRAVEL:

'Cusco: My Kind Of Town' (Telegraph, Hugh Thomson) "I go back every year and it's been the launch pad for several of my research expeditions to look for Inca ruins. I often think that if Machu Picchu didn't exist, then Cusco, as the old Inca capital, would be far more of a destination in its own right."
'From Luxury To Bare-Bones: Discount Airlines Specialize' (Wall Street Journal, Scott McCartney) "Spirit Airlines flies all the way to Peru."

ARTS & LITERATURE:

'Interview With 'King Corn' Director Alan Woolf' (Indie Wire) "I moved to Lima, Peru where I worked for almost two years as an apprentice to Peruvian filmmaker, Francisco Lombardi. It was such a rough time in Peru's history: there was tons of violence, constant blackouts, and a curfew but there was this law that said that before any foreign film played in a movie theater, they had to project a Peruvian short. So there was this incredible demand to make short films. I worked on a lot of them--doing everything from wardrobe to dolly to camera--eventually I became a shooter. It was like this incredible film school."
'Just Who Is Yma Sumac?' (Film.com) "Peruvian singer Yma Súmac's "Gopher Mambo" plays while secretary Alison is chased around the steno-pool by Ken, and use of the artist's music isn't just for its kitsch-like fun. Around 1950, rumors spread that Yma was actually a Jewish secretary at Capitol Records named Amy Camus, who was born in Brooklyn, not Peru (Amy Camus is a backwards spelling of Yma Sumac)."
'Poet And Translator Clayton Eschleman To Read In New York' (St. Bonaventure University, press release) "He will read from his translations of the Peruvian poet Cesar Vallejo at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the Thomas Merton Ministry Center on the St. Bonaventure campus."

OTHER:

'Tyrant of the Middle Way Sees Huge China Expansion' (The Scotsman) on the Chinese Politburo; "The 'average' Chinese is now about 80th out of the 200-odd countries on Earth, and is better off than someone in Peru, Pakistan or Nigeria."

2007-10-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

The Associated Press and the Santiago Times each have stories about Peruvian private security forces in Iraq
Agence France-Press and Xinhua on another tragic bus accident in Junin

Link suggestions or corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

PERUVIANS IN IRAQ:

'Namibia Deports US Security Employees' (Associated Press, Rodrick Mukumbira) "Some U.S. lawmakers have said the government relies too heavily on private contractors who fall outside the military courts martial system. Many of the contractors working in Iraq are also third-country nationals. Triple Canopy, a security company that has State Department contracts, has scores of Peruvian guards working checkpoints in the Green Zone."
'The Story Of A Blackwater Recruit From Chile' (Santiago Times) “It’s basically a commercial problem. Now it is better to contract a Peruvian for US$800 or a Ugandan for just US$500. This is the business of war,” explains Cortés."

BUS ACCIDENT:

'22 Dead, 15 Injured In Peru Bus Mishap' (Agence France-Press) In Junin, between Morococha and La Oroya
'Peru Coach Crash Kills 22, Injures 39' (Xinhua News Agency)

PRESS DANGERS IN PERU:

'Killers Stalk Latin American Journalists With Impunity' (Miami Herald, Frances Robles and Andres Viglucci) re: Knight Foundation report "In Peru this month, two military officers were sentenced to more than 15 years for ordering the 1988 murder of journalist Hugo Bustios Saavedra."
'Knight Foundation Strengthens Fight Against Impunity In The Americas' (Knight Foundation, press release)
'Media Group: More Attacks On Free Expression In The Americas' (Associated Press, Laura Wides-Munoz)
'IAPA General Assembly to evaluate disturbing status of press freedom in the Americas' (Inter Ameriacan Press Association, press release)

FREE TRADE?

AUDIO: 'Free Trade Plays Role In Presidential Campaigns' (National Public Radio, )
'A Suggested Salve To Free-Trade Anxiety' (Wall Street Journal, Greg Hitt)

MICRO/MACRO ECONOMICS:

'Hostile Takeover - Century Desires Sulliden' (Canadian Mining Journal)
'Oil & Gas Report Peru Released' (PR Log, press release; purchase subscription)
'SABMiller 1H In Line With Hopes' (Dow Jones, Michael Carolan; Financial Times, Maggie Urry)
'SABMiller H1 Volumes Rise 11%, Shares Dip' (Reuters, David Jones) "Its biggest Latin American market, Colombia, saw volumes up 7% with slower growth in the latter part of the half-year, while in its second largest, Peru, volumes were up 10%, hit by cold weather and an earthquake this year."
OPINION: 'Paving The Road To Growth' (Turkish Weekly, Bjørn Lomborg, Julio Gonzalez , Jose Luis Guasch and Tomas Serebrisky) "In Peru, logistics costs represent 34% of the value of the country’s products. Reducing this to 20% would spark an impressive increase in demand and employment across many industries. Even if this led to just one percentage point of additional growth, Peru’s GDP would increase by $800 million a year."

ARTS & LITERATURE:

REVIEW: 'Cochrane: The Real Master And Commander', by David Cordingly (Washington Post, Ken Ringle)
El Coro LatinoAmericano in Pittsburgh, Oct 20 (Pittsburgh Tribune) "Conducting El Coro Latinoamericano will be Enrique Bernardo, from Lima, Perú. Bernardo is a concert pianist and opera singer who is currently pursuing his Artist Diploma at Duquesne University. He also received his Master’s degree in music from Carnegie Mellon University in 2006."

JAPANESE & PERUVIAN:

'O'Hashi: Chains Of Events' (Colorado Daily, Richard Valenty) Boulder City Council candidate Alan O'Hashi; "Part of his mother's side of the family came to the U.S., while another part went to Peru, and O'Hashi had an experience during a trip to Peru in which the common language was Japanese.”

INTERNATIONAL:

Peruvian Ambassador Carlos Yrigoyen at Exhibition In New Delhi (Brandsmith, press release, India)
'Teacher/Coach Leads Rainforest Voyages' (Daily Tribune, Jim Evans) re: Kevin Gallatin
'Bolivian, Chilean Intellectuals Meet' (Prensa Latina) "Among the visiting experts is Chilean researcher Jose Miguel Concha, who will lecture on 'Argentine-Peruvian Intervention in the Failure to Ratify the 1895 Chilean-Bolivian Treaties'."
'Mother, Daughter Die In Daly City Collision' (San Francisco Examiner, Mike Rosenberg) re: Magaly Perochena, 43, and her 8-year-old daughter Fabiola Peralta
'Kim Il Sung's Work Published In Peru' (Korean Central News Agency, North Korea) "President Kim Il Sung's famous work 'Let Us Develop South-South Cooperation' was brought out in booklet by the Publiraser Publishing House of Peru on October 5. The work, published on June 9, Juche 76 (1987), clarifies the principle and ways to develop the non-aligned movement and successfully realize the south-south cooperation."

2007-10-14T07:53:00.000-05:00

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

Splendid items on authors Mario Vargas Llosa and Paul Cuadros as well as music from Psychedelic Cumbias and Juan Diego Flórez
Free Trade seems to be good for Indiana, less so for Michigan
Peru vs. Paraguay: 0-0; next up - at Chile, Oct 17

Link suggestions or corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

ARTS & LITERATURE:

REVIEW: 'The Bad Girl' by Mario Vargas Llosa (New York Times, Kathryn Harrison) "a splendid, suspenseful and irresistible novel. ... he has transformed a revolutionary work of Western literature into a vibrant, contemporary love story that explores the mores of the urban 1960s — and ’70s and ’80s — just as “Madame Bovary” did the provincial life of the 1830s." [Read the novel's first chapter here.]
REVIEW: 'Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru' from Barbes Records (Boston Globe, Saul Austerlitz) "Olivier Conan, owner of Barbes, a popular nightspot in Brooklyn's Park Slope, discovered the psychedelic, dance-friendly chicha sound of Peru while visiting the country in pursuit of unique sounds. ... Ironically, much of the music being celebrated abroad was abused at home for its overt commerciality. Peruvian chicha had never been compiled before because serious Peruvian music fans disdained it as pap."
'Expect Tenor To Light Up Carnival Center' (Miami Herald, Lawrence Johnson) "It's an exaggeration to say that Juan Diego Flórez has single-handedly revived bel canto opera ... but ... Flórez will make his Miami debut Wednesday night at the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts serving up a concert of the bel canto arias for which he has quickly become internationally renowned." The Herald provides an audio file of Juan Diego's solo from Rossini's opera 'Il turco in Italia', from the album 'Arias for Rubini' (available in Europe; not yet in USA)
Paul Cuadros discusses his new book, 'A Home On The Field', today in North Carolina (Chapel Hill News) 5:00pm at Chapel Hill Institute For Cultural And Language Education "It became Paul's goal to show the growing numbers of Latino youth that their lives could be more than the cutting line at the poultry plants, that finishing high school and heading to college could be a reality." See Also 2006 Poynter author profile and book's website (with audio)

FREE TRADE?

OPINION: 'Bush Speech Good - Too Bad It Was In Miami' (Miami Herald, Andres Oppenheimer) "this was Bush's first major speech on the pending trade deals in Latin America. ... David Lewis, a trade expert with the Manchester United firm in Washington, D.C. said, 'They are going through the motions, but it is highly unlikely, given the sentiment in Congress, that they are really going to push anything beyond the Peru agreement'.''
'Pending Trade Deal Would Give State [Indiana] A Big Lift' (Gannett News Service via Indianapolis Star, Maureen Groppe) "Whirlpool Corp., which employs about 1,500 at its refrigerator plant in Evansville, hopes a pending trade deal between the U.S. and Peru will remove millions of dollars in tariffs and boost Whirlpool's exports to that country. Without the deal, the company may move some production to Latin America to get around the tax. ... The deal would immediately lift tariffs on 80 percent of U.S. exports to Peru and phase out the rest over 10 years. ... Indiana's six Democrats in Congress either oppose the Peru agreement or haven't said how they will vote. ... Last year Indiana exported $18.6 million in goods to Peru. ... The problem with Peru, Holt said, is its manufacturers don't face tariffs here, but U.S. exports are taxed there. ... Caterpillar, which has a plant in Lafayette, Ind., and is one of the nation's largest exporters, estimates Peru's tariffs add more than $100,000 to the price of one off-highway truck. ... That is damaging the company's competitiveness in Peru's booming mining industry, according to Caterpillar, which is the world's largest manufacturer of mining equipment."
'Levin Embraces New Role' (Macomb Daily, Michigan, Chad Selweski) profile of Congressman Sander Levin (not his brother Senator Carl Levin) "Levin and Rangel traveled to Peru in August, meeting with government officials who hope for a favorable trade treaty with the United States. The two Democrats have taken a stand, demanding that all trading partners establish basic environmental protection rules and adhere to provisions that guarantee workers' rights, including a ban on child and slave labor and the right to organize."

QUAKE UPDATE:

'Helping Peru Recover From Earthquake' (Virginia Engineer) "An engineering geotechnical team from the University of Missouri-Columbia is traveling to Peru in October to help the earthquake-shattered nation rebuild its most devastated cities. ... Mizzou Engineering is coming to Peru’s aid under a cooperative agreement finalized last May between the MU Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and the Centro Regional de Sismologia para America del Sur (CERESIS)."

CLASH OF CIVILIZATION?

OPINION: 'Sometimes, You Need Universal Language' (London Free Press, Ian Gillespie) "There was good news this week for anyone who's ever had trouble communicating with a Peruvian aboriginal. (And really, who hasn't?)"

INTERNATIONAL:

'Mayors From Around The World To Gather In Jerusalem' (Israel National News, Hillel Fendel) Lima's Mayor attending; "The mayors will participate in round-table sessions exploring various challenges facing modern metropolitan areas."

SPORTS:

Peru vs Paraguay: 0-0 (see players list via Reuters)
'Peru Holds Paraguay Scoreless' (Associated Press) "Paraguay and Peru played a scoreless draw in their first 2010 World Cup qualifying match Saturday. Aside from one shot by Peru forward Claudio Pizarro, blocked by goalkeeper Justo Villar in the 17th minute, Paraguay's solid defense kept Peru far from scoring. .. Peru next faces Chile in Santiago on Oct 17."
'Paraguay Hold Peru To Goalless Draw' (Reuters, Brian Homewood in Rio de Janeiro) "Vargas nearly gave Peru the lead when he met Nolberto Solano's crossfield pass with a full-blooded volley which struck the far post."
'Solano Gets 90 Minutes For Peru' (West Ham United) "Peru will have another World Cup double-header on 17 and 20 November at home against Brazil and away to Ecuador respectively."
'Qualifying Begins In South America' (Inside Soccer, Brant Parsons) Lists Peru as 8 or 10; "Peru: Another team that is banking on young talent to help improve its fortunes down the road, Peru will be looking to move past Venezuela after finishing behind it in 2006 qualifying and in its group at the Copa America. The young Peruvian team received a boost in the form of 32-year-old Nolberto Solano. The West Ham United midfielder has been recalled by national team Coach Jose del Solar and should provide veteran leadership."
'MLS Gaining Ground In United States' (Houston Chronicle, Glenn Davis) nostalgia about USA soccer in 1984 with Nene Cubillas playing for Fort Lauderdale Sun
Sofia Mulanovich Defeated at NAB Beachley Classic (Sportal, Australia) "Stephanie beat Peruvian Sofia Mulanovich 16.60-11.67. ... The tour is to resume in a fortnight at Mancora in Peru."
Sofia Tied for #3 in ASP Women's World Tour rating after Beachley (ASP World Tour) see also EXPN report
Mancora Peru Classic - Oct 30 - Nov 4 (Daily Telegraph, Australia)
Mancora Peru Classic Information (ASP World Tour)
BAGGAGE CLAIM: Why have one when you can have three choices for your final destination - Piura, Tumbes or Talara.
TRANSPORT: Wherever you land there are lots of willing drivers but take note from Piura it’s 2.5 hours, Tumbes its 1.15 hours and Talara; 50 minutes drive to Mancora. Your feet will take you to the good breaks in Mancora but find a driver to take you to the other breaks out of town.

TRAVEL:

Census On October 21 (San Francisco Chronicle, Larry Habegger) "Travelers in Peru on Oct. 21 will have the novel experience of being counted in the national census, not as residents but as visitors. The census will take place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and all public establishments and commercial enterprises, including markets and gas stations, will be closed. Officials of the National Statistics Institute said that tourists will be able to go about their business so long as they carry their passports with them that day and obtain a special document that states they have participated in the census."
Moon Handbook: Peru - Authors In Denver, Oct 19 (Denver Post) 2nd Edition Out; at Tattered Cover

PEOPLE:

Carlos Humberto Zandro Martín Zamora Campos marries Adena Leslie Whitman of Tuscaloosa (Tuscaloosa News, Alabama) "Parents of the groom are Dr. Humberto Zamora Capelli and Amelia Dennise Campos Alvizuri of Chiclayo and Lima, Peru."
Pedro Cerna-Rojas in 'Marriage Scam' (Columbia Tribune via Associated Press, Missouri) "Public Defender Eric Affholter and Cerna-Rojas met in 2002 while Cerna-Rojas, a Peruvian national, was pursuing a graduate degree in international business at Webster University on a student visa. The couple approached Lewis to participate in the sham marriage after being unable to find a legal way to allow Cerna-Rojas to remain in the country as his visa was due to expire."
Victor Trejo and Stamford Partnership's Latino initiative (The Day, Connecticut)
Richard Romero and Hurricane Construction (The State, South Carolina, Kristy Eppley Rupon)

FOOD:

'Hispanic Eateries Flood Area' (Courier Post, New Jersey, Alonso Heredia) "Soledad Vela is planning to open a restaurant in the city to bring her beloved Peruvian dishes to South Jersey. Vela was born in the state of Loreto, one of the rain forest regions in Peru and has lived in Cherry Hill for nearly a year. Her new restaurant will open at Market and Cooper streets."
'Inka Grill Franchising Peruvian Cuisine' (Inka Grill, press release) A restaurant in California founded by Ana Maria Ives wants to spread its idea;

2007-10-13T11:31:00.000-05:00

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

The New York Times clearly says that the missionary plane in Peru was shot down in Peru "based on the C.I.A.’s mistaken identification of the aircraft."
The New York Times' columnist Floyd Norris reports that Peru’s annual gain of 87.5% was the best in the world in the last 5 years.
In a Wall Street Journal interview, former US President Carter suggests his condemnation of Fujimori in 2001 helped bring down regime while several other sources report on the start of the Fujimori trial
Orange County Register reports on a visit by Pilar Nores de Garcia visiting a California Protestant Church

Link suggestions or corrections and questions can be sent to peruvia @ gmail.com.

MISSIONARIES, SHOT DOWN, REPRISE:

'Lawmakers Raise Concerns Over Call For Investigation of CIA Watchdog's Work' (New York Times, Scot Shane and Mark Mazzetti) "Tensions arose over the inspector general’s examination of the shooting down of a missionary plane in Peru in 2001 based on the C.I.A.’s mistaken identification of the aircraft."

PERU'S FIRST LADY IN CALIFORNIA:

'Peru's First Lady, Mariners Church On A Mission' (Orange County Register, Erika Chavez) see accompanying photographs; Camino de Vida's Robert Barriger says "Mariners feels like a sister church. We have the same style and the same passion to reach out." Camino de Vida also found an unexpected but welcome ally in the First Lady. Since husband Alan Garcia was elected president one year ago, Nores de Garcia has championed a program called Sembrando"

FUJIMORI FILE:

'Jimmy Carter On Conflict Resolution' (Wall Street Journal, Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg) re: Carter's new book, 'Beyond The White House'; "In Peru, we found that Fujimori was conducting a fraudulent process and we left the country. He tried to go ahead, but all his opponents withdrew. Six months later, he left. Our condemnation of a procedure has a profound impact, both on the international community and on the domestic scene. We see a lot of elections that have things wrong. But we then have to decide whether the mistakes or acts involved were significant enough to subvert the will of the people."
'Trial Begins for Fujimori' (Associated Press) "His lawyer, Cesar Nakazaki, told reporters that the former leader was calm and answered prosecutors' 30 questions 'with clarity'."
'Fujimori Faces First Questioning' (BBC, Dan Collyns) see accompanying video about Vladi Videos
'Fujimori Admits To Ordering Search Of Aide's Home, Denies Motive' (Kyodo)
'Peru Fujimori Trial Starts For Stealing From Aide' (Reuters) "In closed-door sessions, judges will try Fujimori for allegedly directing aides to break into the house of his former spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, to remove 40 boxes of videos and tapes that documented corruption in his government."
'Fujimori Appears Before Judge In His First Trial' (Xinhua News Agency) "Fujimori will face four processes for abuse of power, assassination of political opponents and corruption."

US MILITARY BASE IN PERU?

EDITORIAL: 'South Wind Of War' (Investor's Business Daily) "Now Suriname wants a U.S. military base, just like its neighbors, Colombia and Peru. ... What [Secretary Gates] quietly heard — from El Salvador to Suriname and from Colombia to Peru and Chile — is that the U.S. must get more involved in South America. ... Suriname's action follows reports that Colombia and Peru offered bases to the U.S. to help in the war on drugs after the likely loss of the U.S. base in Manta, Ecuador, in 2009."

MICRO/MACRO ECONOMICS:

PERU #1 - 'Strong Gains In US, Except By Comparison' (New York Times, Floyd Norris) "Of the 83 countries for which records of a major stock index were available, the American share price increase in the five years after Oct. 9, 2002, was better than those of only four. All four are small countries, either in the Caribbean or Latin America. But South America also produced three of the six best-performing markets during the period, in Peru, Brazil and Colombia. Peru’s annual gain of 87.5% was the best in the world."
'Japanese Firms To Develop Copper Mines In Peru, Chile' (Agence France-Press) "Nippon Mining and Metals Co. and Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co. plan invest up to $1.7 billion in jointly developing copper production bases in Peru and Chile to build the facilities by 2011 to produce up to 250,000 tonnes of copper ore a year."
'Japan's Pan Pacific To Invest In Chile, Peru' (Reu ters) 'Pan Pacific is a joint venture of Nippon and Mistsui. ... Pan Pacific will build a production facility in Peru by 2010, which will be capable of producing about 70,000-100,000 tonnes per year of copper."
'Solari group eyes water cos in Colombia, Peru' (BNAmericas)
'Peru Sees $2Billion Invest In Infrastructure Concessions By End Of 2008' (Dow Jones, Rebecca Howard) re: Proinversion's David Lemor press conference; "An important project is an electric train that will serve the capital city and will involve around $280 million in investment. ... Other projects involve highways, pipelines, ports, airports and irrigation, among others. Meanwhile, Lemor, said he was "absolutely" convinced that the free-trade agreement with the U.S. will be ratified prior to November 16."
'Dallas Company To Build Peru's Largest Ethanol Plant' (Dallas Business Journal, Tyler Bridges) re: Maple Energy and Jack Hanks, Rex Canon, Tony Hines and investment in Piura; "Maple Energy plc will plant sugar cane and build the country’s largest ethanol plant."
'Peru: Sunshine Exports clearly diversifies destinations and exports requirements for its mango supply' (Sunshine Export, press release)

FREE TRADE?

Bush's Weekly Radio Address (via PR Newswire) "The free trade agreement would immediately eliminate most of Peru's industrial tariffs, as well as many of its barriers to U.S. agriculture exports, and make American products more affordable and more competitive in that country."
'Bush: Protectionism Will Cost US Jobs' (Associated Press, Jennifer Loven)
'Bush: Pass Trade Deal With Peru' (Associated Press, Ben Feller)
VIDEO Of Bush In Florida (CBS4, Miami)
'Bush Calls For Action On Trade Agreements' (The Hill, Ian Swanson)
'Bush Urges Approval Of LatAm Trade Deals' (Financial Times, Andrew Ward)
'Bush Urges Approval Of Trade Pacts' (Los Angeles Times, John Hoeffel) "The president said the deals with Peru, Panama, Colombia and South Korea also would encourage democratic progress in regions crucial to U.S. security. ... The pact with Peru, which a Senate committee recently approved, is likely to clear Congress this year."
'Bush Mixes Fund-Raising And Business In Florida' (New York Times, Sheryl Gay Stolberg)
'Bush Salutes Miami, Free Trade' (Miami Herald, Jane Bussey)
'Free-Trade Pacts Never An Easy Sell' (Miami Herald, Jane Bussey) "Passage of agreements with Peru, Panama and Colombia would not bring an immediate jump in imports from these countries. This is because all three countries already enjoy duty-free entry for most of their goods, ranging from Peruvian cotton T-shirts to Colombian fresh-cut flowers."
'A New Latino Agenda' (The Nation, Roberto Lovato) re: 2nd Latino Congreso "Oscar Chacon, leader of the Chicago-based National Association of Latin American and Caribbean Communities said, The first step is to stop expanding the same agricultural rules of NAFTA to Peru and other Latin American nations."
'Bush Tries To Build Support For LatAm Trade Deals' (Reuters, Caren Bohan)

QUAKE UPDATE:

'People Of Cork & Ross Help Peru In Earthquake Relief' (Trocaire, Ireland)

HEALTH:

'Peruvian Baby Dies Of AIDS From Tainted Blood' (IA NS) "A baby girl infected 11 months ago with AIDS from blood transfusions in a public hospital in Peru has died."

ARTS & LITERATURE:

Poet and Playright Isaac Goldemberg at US Library Of Congress (Washington Post) Oct 18, 6pm; to celebrate 400 years of Hispanic poetry in the United States; James Madison Bldg., Pickford Theater, 101 Independence Ave. SE; Call 202-707-2013.

SPORTS:

Maria Portilla In Baltimore Marathon (Baltimore Sun) "Portilla could be first in line to upset Dubovik. She led for the first 22 miles of last year's race before placing second at 2:36:23 - the second-fastest time in the race's seven-year history. She won the 2007 Salt Lake City Marathon (2:40:46). Her personal best is 2:35:24, set in Los Angeles in 2004."
'Australia Withdraws Bid For Women's 2011 World Cup' (Agence France Press) "The remaining bidders - Germany, Canada and Peru - have until October 29 to make their final submissions with FIFA announcing the winner on October 30."
Anthony Ledgard Secretary General Of World Olympic Executive Committee (Olympic, press release)

TRAVEL:

Machu Picchu Advice (Washington Post chat) "We're visiting Machu Picchu on a nine-day trip. Where else should we go in that amount of time?"

INTERNATIONAL:

'Peru Recognizes Legislator Immunity' (Prensa Latina) "Luis Gonzales Posada recognized Friday immunity that protects Elsa Malpartida accused of participating in riots."
'Drugs Suspect Claims Father Tricked Him Into Crime' (The Argus, UK, Nigel Freedman) "The 28-year-old said he also agreed to send money allegedly provided by a millionaire businessman to his father in Peru because he thought it was legitimate."