Peruvia

TANS CRASH

• The International Federation of Free Trade Unions reported that they "sent a letter of condolence to the General Secretary of the General Confederation of Workers of Peru (CGTP) following the tragic deaths of five trade unionists involved in a plane crash near Pucallpa." Ever Rodriguez Flores (the union’s Lead Negotiator), Luis Rojas Rojas, (the General Secretary of the Continental Bank Workers’ Union), Jose Flores Arroyo (legal advisor to the local NGO PLADES - Programme for Labour Development), Roberto Palma Guevara (an official from the Peruvian University Academics Union -FENDUP) and Jose Lino Reyna (from the regional branch of FENDUP), were among the dead. "In one foul swoop, the world has lost five people who dedicated their lives to the fight for workers’ rights and social justice," Guy Ryder, General Secretary of the ICFTU." NOTE: The five were on their way to a difficult negotiation for a collective agreement on behalf of the workers from the Maple Gas Corporation – Peru.
• A familiar Reuters story includes an Associated Press photograph of Brazilian Wagner Souza, 25, who survived a plane crash Tuesday in Pucallpa, and is now in a Lima hospital.
• "Kin shop to ease Peru pain" (NY Daily News, Nicole Bode and Maki Becker) "Hoping to keep the girls - Joshelyn, 15; Jacquelyn, 12, and Jharline, 10 - from dwelling too much on the horror of what they had witnessed, the family hit the stores of Pucallpa Thursday."

2006 Budget: Reuters reports that Peru's 2006 budget, "due to be presented to Congress next week, will be about 52 billion soles ($15.9 billion), some 4% higher than this year's 50 billion soles package," according to an interview with Prime Minister Pedro Pablo Kuczynski on RPP radio. NOTE: "Peru's mining- and fishing-based economy, which Kuczynski said this week was now worth $75 billion, is expected to beat official projections of 5.5% growth this year. Kuczynski has quoted national statistics agency INEI as saying growth could be more than 7%." ALSO: "He said budgetary pressures were easing "because we have a big saving in public debt due to the refinancing we did with the Paris Club."

Arresting Jack Welch: The Miami Herald (using the Financial Times, Hal Weitzman) reports that the Andean Trade Pact runs into hurdles when "a judge in Lima ordered the arrest of the current and former General Electric chief executives this month, and of 24 other GE employees. They are accused of breaching a contract with Guillermo Gonzales, a local businessman who says he invested $10m in offices and an assembly plant in the 1990s." NOTE: "While GE says it is confident the case will be dismissed, foreign investors in Peru often complain about biased or inconsistent court judgments and a lack of judicial independence that makes it difficult to enforce contracts." The report gets ahead of itself (particularly as it is reprinted in the Miami newspaper) when it ‘reports’ that "Jeb Bush, the governor of Florida and brother of the US president, arrived in Lima this week at the head of a trade delegation." Governor Bush did not travel to Peru. SEE ALSO: ‘Peru judge orders GE's Immelt, Jack Welch arrested’, August 9, 2005, Reuters.

Trans Amazon Highway: Mongabay reports with photographs on the deforestation of the Amazon. NOTE: "Yesterday Brazil announced that 3,515 square miles (9,103 square kilometers) of Amazon rainforest were destroyed between August 2004 and July 2005, a marked decline from the 7,229 sq. mi. (18,723 sq. km.) in the same period a year earlier. NOTE: The growth of agriculture in the Amazon has necessitated the improvement of roads and highways in the region. The Brazilian and Peruvian governments are currently paving a road that leads from the heart of the Amazon to ports in Peru. Scheduled to be completed by June 2006, the road has already spurred deforestation by settlers seeking lands for subsistence agriculture. SEE ALSO: 'Trans Amazon Highway' in August 14, 2004's Peruvia.

Travel:

• Frommer’s (Charis Atlas Heelan) offers a travel piece on Peru and Ecuador titled, "Andean Adventures and Amazonian Alternatives." "Peru and Ecuador are two of the most tunning and diverse countries on the planet. Luckily for the budget traveler, they are also both relatively inexpensive and very tourist friendly."
• The Independent reports that Neil Fox believes that the best hotels in the world are: "The Saint Géran is hard to beat. There's also a beautiful hotel called El Monasterio in Cuzco, Peru, which is stunning; the location is incredible because it's up in the Andes."

TEAM w/o Solano: Reuters reports that Midfielder Nolberto Solano has been left out of Peru's squad for next month's World Cup qualifier away to Venezuela, increasing speculation of a row between himself and coach Freddy Ternero. Solano was left on the bench for the match at home to Uruguay last June, when the 0-0 draw virtually ended Peru's chances of qualifying for their first World Cup since 1982."

Gold with Plexmar: Plexmar Resources offered a press release to announce the adjustment of their price of its private placement. "The financing expects to close on or around September 20th 2005. The funds will be used to explore the gold projects in Peru and for general working capital."

Preaching in Trujillo: The York Daily Record reports on a group of Southern Baptists who traveled to Lima and Trujillo recently. "The team was able to help the Baptist Seminary in Trujillo with educational supplies. The Rev. Alberto Hernandez was the coordinator of the mission and the evangelistic meetings in Peru."

Permalink; posted by Peruvia : 8/27/2005 03:44:00 PM

• BNAmericas reports that the Ministry of Energy and Mines "plans to complete a total of 127 rural electrification projects valued at 772mn soles (US$237mn) by the end of 2006," according to José Eslava Arnao, the ministry's executive director of projects. NOTE: "By end-2006 we will have completed 10,890km of transmission lines, bringing electricity to 1.3 million people in 259,000 homes across 3,875 communities."
• BNAmericas reports that local mayors in northern Piura "have agreed to restart talks with Britain's Monterrico Metals as long as the junior suspends exploration at its Río Blanco copper project." NOTE: "The group of mayors, part of an association of mayors of the ‘northern border,’ are also demanding the immediate halt of the government's ‘repressive actions’ and persecution of local authorities, demonstrators and local people, congress said in a statement." ALSO: "Locals in the provinces of Ayabaca and Huancabamba in Piura and Jaén and San Ignacio in Cajamarca have agreed to particpate in talks to find solutions to the conflict with Monterrico local subsidiary Majaz. Protests erupted at the end of July at Río Blanco close to the border with Ecuador causing many injuries and one death. Feasibility drilling was suspended but restarted August 13-14."
• BNAmericas reports that "Peru's hydrocarbons reserves rose to a record one billion barrels of oil equivalent at end-December 2004," according to the Ministry of Energy and Mines’ Gustavo Navarro Valdivia. "The increase is largely due to gas reserves in the Camisea gas field and to new discoveries on blocks Z-2B and 39, the statement said. At end-2004 the country's proven gas reserves were 11.5 trillion cubic feet, while oil reserves were approximately 400 million barrels (Mb), down from some 800Mb in the 1980s.
• BNAmericas (Patrick Shell) reports that the "Nueva Cajamarca municipality in Peru's San Martín department will accept technical proposals up to September 2 for its potable water service operation concession," according to mayor James Carranza told BNamericas. NOTE: "Lima-based Relima and Spain's Cobra are among those preparing proposals, the mayor said."
• The Associated Press reports that the Farmacias Similares chain in eight years, "has grown from a single store in Mexico City to 3,239 across Mexico and is spreading throughout Central America as well as Argentina, Ecuador and Chile. A pharmacy opened in Lima on July 29." NOTE: The Mexican founder of the company, "a recovering alcoholic and self-professed womanizer wants to translate his popularity into a run for president, though the law is against him, as is most conventional wisdom."
• Dow Jones (Robert Kozak) reports that AFP UnionVida, owned by Grupo Santander Central Hispano, on Thursday "became the last of the private pension funds operating in Peru to lower its commission fee. The company said it will lower the commission fee to 1.94% from the current rate of 2.27%. It added that if a fund holder promises to leave the cash in the fund for a determined period of time that commission rate would fall even lower." CITED: AFP UnionVida's director of marketing and services, Francisco Villa.
• Korea’s Chosun reports that Korea has designated China as a ‘market economy.’ "Beijing has won market economy status from 40 individual countries including 10 ASEAN members, Australia and Peru."

People:

• The Baltimore Sun reports on "the complex and confusing world of modern medicine, [where] many people need a helping hand, and that's where the navigator comes in." Featured is Dr. Elmer Huerta, a Peruvian oncologist who established a cancer ‘preventorium’ at Washington Hospital Center. When in Peru, "he was disturbed by seeing too many patients coming in too late for treatment of cancer that might have been prevented. Some people had put ‘yerba buena,’ or good herb, on the huge tumors that were deforming their bodies in the belief it would dissolve the cancer."
• The Minsk News reports that the Sofia Koutsovitis Group will perform Friday, September 2, at Satalla. Koutsovitis’ band includes Peruvian Jorge Roeder on the bass who has "worked in a variety of settings ranging from Classical, as assistant principal bassist of the Lima Philharmonic at age 21, to folkloric music and jazz (with jazz legend Roy Haynes, among others)."
• The Austin American Statemen, the Dallas Morning News, and the Daily Texan, a university paper, all run an opinion piece by Ana Lucia Hurtado on the University of Texas’ Intellectual Entrepreneurship Internship. Through the program, "I was given the rare chance to own my education… Because of overwhelming turmoil caused by the Shining Path Maoist guerrillas, my parents left my home country, Peru, when I was only 4 years old. Although a painful sacrifice, my parents wanted their three daughters to succeed and prosper in this land of opportunity’."

Other:

• Goal.com reports that Aston Villa’s Nolberto Solano "will have to serve a three match suspension after losing his appeal against the red card he received against Portsmouth on Tuesday."
• Seeing Red In Peru: North Korea’s KCNA reports that "Alberto Moreno, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Peru ‘Red Motherland’, noted that the world revolutionaries remember the precious exploits performed by Kim Il Sung and strive hard to learn from the Songun politics of Kim Jong Il." NOTE: "The chairman of the Peruvian National Independent Movement for the Free Vote Union noted at a seminar that Korean socialism is widely known to the world as a powerful socialist nation of Juche."
• The Reading Evening Post reports on David Barnes from Central Reading who is "hoping to bring some festive cheer to children in the Amazon as part of his work with Carey Baptist Church. He is soon heading off to Aysana, a village of around 120 people, about five hours down river from Iquitos in Peru, armed with shoeboxes packed with donated Yuletide gifts for the children."
• BPSports (Shawn Hendricks) reports on a group of Southern Baptist missionaries from Rapid Entry Advance Plan (REAP) North Peru, based in Lima who "helped lead more than 200 villagers to Christ by using soccer as a way to introduce them to the Gospel. … Following one game, an entire team of Peruvian village players prayed to accept Christ as Savior and Lord."
  

TANS CRASH
LATE UPDATE: Reuters (Mariana Bazo) is reporting that "a 28-year-old woman ... believed killed in Peru crash found alive: her name was not released, she was found by her husband in a hospital in Pucallpa. … The woman has been transferred to Lima, where she was in serious condition and on a ventilator. Her son, who was traveling with her, was reported to have undergone surgery in the capital." NOTE: "Only six of the dead, all Peruvians, have not been identified, said Belevan." UPDATE: "Peru has said it has had preliminary contacts about selling a stake in the airline to Air China, but a source at the Chinese airline stressed the talks were only informal and unlikely to lead to any deal as TANS is too small."

• "Looters descend on plane crash site in Peru" (Agence France Press) NOTE: Passengers said "flight attendant Paola Chu saved at least 12 people, including three Italians, leading them to the emergency exit and returning to help others even though she had a broken ankle and a deep gash on her face. Of the six crew, only Chu and one other flight attendant survived. The pilot, co-pilot, and two other flight attendants died. In a clinic where she was being treated, Chu, 21, said: ‘At one point as I was helping passengers, I saw my colleagues on fire. It was terrible’."NOTE: "The death toll was revised several times in the aftermath of the crash. That confusion brought a joyful shock for Juan Carlos Valles, who found his wife in an intensive care unit after being told she was dead. He had traveled from Lima to claim her remains. "We had accepted it and were at the point of arranging a Christian burial," he said. The couple's one-year-old son also survived, but was in critical condition in a Lima hospital."
• "Scavengers Swarm Over Peru Plane Wreckage" (Associated Press, Rick Vecchio; also in the The Los Angeles Times; and The New York Times in the World Briefings column) NOTE: "I'm collecting this for my house to hang my laundry," said Rosario Dahua, 47, as she tugged at a tangle of heavy black wires next to a partially submerged turbine jet motor wedged in the water and mud." ALSO: "Ronald Doneyre, 39, a trauma surgeon in Argentina, was returning to his boyhood home of Pucallpa for vacation "It was sunny in Lima when we took off. I was relaxed. It was a good flight. Everything was great until 10 minutes before landing." NOTE: "Doneyre said flight attendant Paola Chu asked him to help her open a rear door. She is widely credited with helping save a dozen passengers." He said a local man pointed him toward Pucallpa four miles away and he ran down a dirt path to a road, where he found the driver of a taxi, which took him to a police post and help."
• "Survivors of Peruvian airline crash recall struggle to stay alive" (The Associated Press, Rick Vecchio; also in the Miami Herald online)
• "Scavengers search Peru wreckage" (The BBC)
• "Peru pulls bodies from swamp as jet crash kills 40" Reuters (Mariana Bozo)
• "Scavengers, storms overwhelm Peru crash body hunt" (Reuters, Mariana Bazo)
• "Third American Identified in Peru Crash, Over Half Miraculously Survived" (Reuters, Mariana Bazo)
• "Third U.S. victim identified in Peru plane crash" (Reuters, Mariana Bozo; Additional reporting by Marco Aquino, Robin Emmott in Lima) Warning: Graphic content "Six of the victims have still not been named but TANS spokesman Jorge Belevan said an American woman had now been identified. The death toll already included two Americans, a man and a woman, as well as a Spanish woman, a Colombian woman and the pilot. "One Italian person is apparently also among the remains still to be identified," Belevan said." NOTE: "Thousands of bank notes -- wages being flown in for police officers -- littered the site." ALSO: "Peru's Trade and Tourism Minister Alfredo Ferrero blamed bad weather but said the Andean country -- which attracts millions of tourists every year -- must upgrade its airlines." NOTE: "Peru has said it has had preliminary contacts about selling a stake in the airline to Air China."
• "Baby plucked to safety from plane carnage" (The Telegraph) Baby’s name is Juan Carlos Valles
• "Jungle-crash family save a baby on trek to safety" The Times of London (James Bone in NYC)
  

Analyses:

• Reuters reports that "a list of airlines banned from flying in the EU due to safety concerns could be available to passengers within six months, the European Commission said on Friday, urging a rapid adoption after a spate of crashes. ... Forty people died on August 23 when a Boeing 737-200 aircraft of Peru's state-run airline TANS with 100 people aboard crashed during a severe storm in the country's jungle."
• "Airline review after deadly crash" (Agence France Press)
• "Name them and shame them: unsafe airlines" (Agence France Press)
  

Personal Stories:

• "Distraught family leaves to bring killed Australian home" (The Sydney Morning Herald)
  Australian Kirralee Thomas "had been in Peru teaching English to local children and was planning a boat trip on the Amazon River."
• "Australian woman dies in Peru crash" (The Sydney Morning Herald) Kirralee Thomas, "a West Australian woman was among the passengers killed in a plane crash in the Peruvian jungle, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) says." Thomas’ step-father told The West Australian newspaper his daughter's friend, named as Eva Maria Gonzalo, 27, of Spain, had died in the crash."
• "Peru plane crash victim 'cheated' London bombers" (Australia’s ABC News)
• "The Perth woman killed in a plane crash in Peru recently cheated death when she caught the bus which was targeted by the failed London bombers, her grandmother says."
• "Perth teacher dies in jungle crash" (Australia’s Perth Sunday Times, Holly Nott)
• "Tragic journey to crash" (Melbourne Herald Sun) "There had been confusion earlier because [Kirralee Thomas] was listed as Tomas Kirralee on the passenger manifest."
• "Teacher's dream trip ends in plane crash" (The Australian, Paige Taylor)
• "WA woman dead in Peru crash: DFAT" (The Australian)
• "Family fears daughter in Peru crash" (Brisbane Courier-Mail)
  
• Georgia Woman, Son Killed in Peru Crash (Associated Press)
• Former teacher, son were headed to Amazon for sightseeing; Trip of celebration turns to tragedy (Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Charles Yoo) Shera Young and Steve Lotti "The trip was 58-year-old Sherra Young's first trip abroad, a celebration of her retirement from Clayton County public schools."
  
• The NY Daily News (Rivka Bukowsky and Corky Siemaszko) continue their focus on the Vivas family.
• "Friends Say Brooklyn Family That Survived Plane Crash Deserved Miracle" (WNBC in NY) on the Vivas family
• "'Miracle' crash family strives to return home’ (New York Newsday, Peter Bowles)
  on the Vivas family. " ‘They lost their passports in the crash and they are still trying to get the paperwork done. They also went off to buy clothes," said Sandra Vivas, a sister.
  

Permalink; posted by Peruvia : 8/26/2005 10:50:00 PM

TANS CRASH: Updates on the TANS plane crash is found below, following today’s other news.

PERUVIAN INJURED IN HAITI: Bloomberg (Bill Varner) and the United Nations News Service reports that a Peruvian United Nations peacekeeper in Haiti "was shot in the leg and seriously wounded when his patrol came under fire from armed bands in Port-au-Prince yesterday as violence in the city continued to raise serious concerns." Bloomberg reports that "UN soldiers from Peru were patrolling an oil storage facility just outside Cite Soleil when they came under fire yesterday from inside the slum. … The two sides exchanged fire for an hour before the troops left the area.

Rio Group To Review Haiti: Cuba’s Prensa Latina reports on the the foreign ministers and deputy ministers of the Rio Group that began today at the Bariloche tourist center, following the postponement of the Rio Summit of their presidents. "Issues under discussion will be the strengthening of the group, the multiplicity of forums, and a common position for the Summit of the Americas, promoted by the US and to be held in Mar del Plata on November 4-5. The meeting was postponed due to the inability of some heads of state to attend due to their extensive agendas and high-level meetings. The main topic is concern about continued Haitian instability weeks out from the elections due to the lack of institutionality and security, and the meeting aims for consensus to request an extension of time for the multinational troops."

Tsunami Reached Peru: Agence France Press reports on a new study by the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory which suggests that last December’s tsunami in Asia reached the Peruvian coast.

PPK Ready for Congress: Dow Jones (Robert Kozak) reports that Prime Minister Pedro Pablo Kuczynski "plans to appear before Congress Thursday to outline various policy goals for the last year of the government of President Alejandro Toledo. Congress will also vote on whether to approve Toledo's new cabinet, sworn in last week." Quotes from PPK: Theme One: "One sector is on what we will do with the economy, what we have done, and to see if the growth has trickled down." Theme Two: "We are also going to talk about the theme of security, which is fundamental for living in an orderly and prosperous nation." Theme Three: "A third theme is to see what we can do with the rest of the term to make the government more efficient."

Peru is Melting, cont.: The BBC (Hannah Hennessy) reports that Peru’s glaciers are in retreat and suggests that the Pastouri glacier’s ice caps have retreated by about 200m" in the past 10 years. Soon it, like many other glaciers in Peru, will have disappeared almost completely." NOTE: "Peru, in turn, is one of the countries worst affected by climate change in the world. … Experts predict all the Peruvian glaciers below 5,500m will disappear by 2015. This is the majority of Peru's glaciers." CITED: Marco Zapata (Institute for National Resources) in Huaraz; and Emilio Himenez a famer near the Llanganuco lakes for almost four decades. SEE ALSO: 'Peru is Melting' in July 23, 2004's Peruvia.

Commission Delays: The IPS News Service (Ramiro Escobar) reoprts on the delays in the impementation of what Peru’s Miami Herald (Jacob Goldstein) offers a ‘pisco primer’ including the current politics surrounding it, in their food section. "It may be possible to understand pisco without considering the Spanish conquest of South America, the Chilean invasion of Peru and the first Peruvian driver to finish the Paris-Dakar road rally." NOTE: There is now "a case before the United Nations-sponsored World International Trade Organization." CITED: Pisco Montesierpe and a quote from the website of Chile’s USA Embassy: "'Shared with our Peruvian neighbours, pisco is a grape brandy of high alcoholic grade'."

Press Awards: The Miami Herald applauds the honorable mention for feature writing from the Inter American Press Association for a series on the problems of land ownership in Peru, Venezuela and Mexico which ran last year, and included stories by Tyler Bridges, who is based in Lima, Peru; Jane Bussey, a business-desk staff writer who covers Latin American issues; and Frances Robles, then the newspaper's Andean Bureau chief based in Bogotá. NOTE: Héctor Tobar, Latin American correspondent for The Los Angeles Times, won the top award in the category with a series of articles on the dangers that Latin American democracies face. SEE ALSO: The August 3 IAPA press release on the awards also noted that an honorable mention for feature writing went to "Juan Ponce Valenzuela, El Comercio, Peru, for "Cara y Sello," a picture showing the contrast between poverty and wealth in portraying a beggar outside a store window containing a mannequin in a luxurious wedding dress." NOTE: The Awards Comittee included: María Ofelia Cerro Moral (La Industria de Trujillo y Chiclayo); Silvia Miró Quesada (El Comercio) Editorial Note: It is unfortunate that the Miami Herald now block their stories. For a brief summary, see 'Land: Power/Problem' in Apirl 4, 2004's Peruvia; Google still has an archived version of Bridge's story.

IAPA vs. Luis Toledo: The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has a press relesase that expresses "outrage at attacks carried out by a brother of Peru’s President Alejandro Toledo on two television reporters while they were investigating alleged wrongdoing by government officials. According to complaints received by the IAPA from local news media, journalists and press organizations, the president’s brother, Luis Toledo Manrique, punched reporter Gino Márquez Alvarez and cameraman Germán Huaroto Parra from the América Televisión news program ‘Cuatro Poder’, who at the time were investigating allegations of unlawful use of official vehicles."

Rumsfeld in Lima, cont: Cuba’s Granma International (Juana Carrasco Martin) reports that "the most noteworthy recent visit, and the one with the most commitment to the southern geographic area, has just been made by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, on his fifth tour of the region and his third in just 10 months, this time through Paraguay and Peru. He suspended his stopover in Uruguay given that the work agenda had been made public." NOTE: "With that usual Bushite-team blindness, Rumsfeld told the Peruvian president: ‘We recognize and respect the leadership role that you have taken in this country politically and from an economic standpoint as well as a security standpoint.’ And – surprise! –, while Toledo affirmed that "encouraging democracy is a shared responsibility," he also stated that he did not want to discuss other countries’ internal affairs."

Ayahuasceros and Shamans: The Guardian (Mark Pilkington) reports that "in 1985, Swiss-Canadian anthropology student Jeremy Narby spent a year at Quirishari in the Peruvian Amazon, studying how the Ashaninca tribe made use of indigenous resources. Asking where their knowledge of jungle plants and animals originated, Narby was pointed towards ayahuasceros, shamans who work under the influence of the hallucinogenic plant brew, ayahuasca. They told Narby their knowledge came to them during ayahuasca sessions, and that they were taught by nature itself." SEE ALSO: Narby’s 1998 book, The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge.

China in Lat Am: International Relations Center (Sam Logan and Ben Bain) offers an anaylysis titled ‘China’s Entrance into Latin America: A Cause for Worry?’ NOTE: "Last November Chinese President Hu Jintao swept through South American capitals with pledges of future investment and carrying a "golden pen" that he used to sign agreements along the way with Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Venezuela." NOTE: "According to figures from a recent report published by fellows Tomoe Funakushi and Claudio Loser from the Inter-American Dialogue (IAD), Chinese trade with Latin America jumped from $200 million in 1975 to $40 billion in 2004."

Macro/Micro Econ:

• The Angola Press reports that "the trade volume within Andean Community amounts to 3.879 billion US dollars in the first half of 2005, a 21.4% increase compared to the same period in 2004, said secretariat of the organization in its latest report."
• BNAmericas reports that ProInversión "has extended the deadline to submit proposals for stage one of the national highway 2A in Piura." According to a source, "the new deadline will be set about the end of September or beginning of October" for bidders to present proposals for the 53km Buenos Aires-Canchaque stretch on the Empalme 1B concession."
• BNAmericas reports that La Pampilla (Relapasa) "auctioned 46.6mn soles (US$14.3mn) worth of one-year bonds on the local market on August 23, the company told the Lima stock exchange."
• Andean American Mining Corp. offers a press release with the results of their annual general meeting.
• SeaFood.com reports that "Peru's fisheries exports expected to reach $1.7 billion for 2005."
• BNAmericas reports that "Peru's mining sector exports rose 30.1% in value to US$735mn in July.
• Business News Americas reports that "Peru's steel and non-ferrous metals exports rose 20.1% to US$28.3mn in July and 28.9% to US$212mn in July.
• BNAmericas reports that "Peru's government has kicked off the process to formalize informal mining in Ananea."
• Business News Americas reports that "only 30% of Peru's micro-sized enterprises receive financing from financial institutions, according to MiBanco."

PEOPLE:

• The Miami Herald reports that Peruvian artist Luis Enrique ‘Kiki’ Sanchez will preform a jazz concert at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in North Miami tomorrow. Kiki is "a pianist and keyboardist with authentic fluency in jazz, plays Cuban and Brazilian piano styles." NOTE: "He is now recording a new CD, which infuses Peruvian folkloric rhythms with modern jazz melodies."
• The Trinidad and Tobago Express (Richard Charan) reports that "a pregnant Peruvian woman living in an affluent area of Point Fortin was attacked in her home as she watched television and raped by a man. The 34-year-old woman, who is 24 weeks' pregnant, was beaten during the incident. She was later taken for medical treatment. The incident happened around 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

Life and Death on the Cordillera: Cambridge Evening News offers story on Peter Shefford embarking on the challenge of a life time - a high altitude Peruvian trek in an effort to raise funds for the National Autistic Society. Swiss Info (Rosa Amelia Fierro) reports that Michel Siegenthaler scaled 60 South American peaks over 6,000 metres – one for every year of his life. NOTE: "He first set foot on a glacier in the Andes in 1982, when he visited the Cordillera Blanca in Peru. Since then he has visited the region more than 30 times."

Pervian Cuisine: The Miami Herald (kira Wisniewski) and Sun Sentinentel (Deborah Hurtz) reports on the month-long ''Flavors of an Empire: The Art of Peruvian Cuisine'' at the Panorama Restaurant on the eighth floor of the Sonesta Beach Resort Coconut Grove, 2889 McFarlane Rd. "In coordination with Sonesta Hotels Posadas del Inca of Peru, the Consulate General of Peru in Miami and Club de Peruanos, the culinary festival features menus fusing traditional and contemporary Peruvian delicacies."

Other:

• "Inca Son closes out Payson Park festival this Wednesday" (Belmont Citizen-Herald, Massachusetts)
• Inside BayArea reports that "Best of Show in photography and the gold award were presented to Steve Laudick for his color portrait ‘Sidewalk Couple, Pisaq, Peru’."
• The Independent reports that Aston Villa manager, David O'Leary has labelled the red card given to Nolberto Solano against Portsmouth "a joke". NOTE: "The Peruvian midfielder was sent off after just 11 minutes in the 1-1 draw at Fratton Park last night for apparently elbowing Richard Hughes."
• North Korea’s KCNA reports that "the Peru Group for the Study of Kimilsungism issued a bulletin titled "President Kim Il Sung Is National Liberator" on August 13 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Korea's liberation. … On the same day the Peruvian-Korean Institute of Culture and Friendship issued a commemorative bulletin titled "History of Korean People's Struggle to Defend Sovereignty’."

TANS CRASH:

• "57 survive Peru jungle air crash" (Agence France Press in The Times of London ‘World in Brief’ column)
• "Rescuers seek 10 missing after crash" (Associated Press in the Miami Herald, Carla Salazar)
• "Peruvian Jet Split in Two On Landing In Swamp" (Associated Press in the Washington Post)
• " ‘Let us pray’; Peru survivors tell harrowing tale" (Associated Press)
• "Peru crash site search continues" (The BBC)
• IranMania reports on an interview with Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi which focused on the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay. However, at the end of the statement, Asefi expressed his regret over the Peruvian plane crash on Tuesday. "In his message, Asefi said the crash of the Peruvian passenger plane brought deep sadness to the Iranian government and nation. He expressed the Iranian government’s deepest sympathy to the relatives of the victims."
• "41 dead in Peru plane crash" (Japan Today)
• "Toll in Crash Revised; Crews Search for Bodies" (Los Angles Times, wires)
• "Now 40 dead in Peruvian airline crash" (Pravda)

Other Media:

• In pictures: Peru crash (The BBC)
• Eyewitness: Plane crash (The BBC)
• Video of Crash (MSN)
• Video: Honeymooner tells of Peru crash (NBC, ‘The Today Show’)
• MSNBC Photographs (MSNBC)

Personal Stories:

• The New York Daily News splashes on their cover the Vivas family and how "six from Brooklyn family survive fiery Peruvia jet crash" NOTE: "Jose Vivas, 43, his three daughters - Joshelyn, 15, Jacquelyn, 12, and Jasharlin, 10 - his brother Gabriel, 42, and Gabriel's wife, Diana, 44, had gone to their homeland to celebrate Joshelyn's birthday."
• "Friends say Brooklyn family that survived plane crash deserved miracle" (Associated Press, David Caruso)
  
• Aussie was on board crashed jet: report" (Sydney Morning Herald, Agence France Press)
• Baby found alive in wreckage of crashed jet" (Times of London, Jenny Booth)

• "Former Calif. woman tells of escape from burning Peru aircraft" (Associated Press) "Monica Glenn, 27, and her husband were on the TANS Peru flight on their way to a honeymoon adventure in the forest."
• "Ex-O.C. resident survives Peru crash" (Orange County Register, Amy Taxin and John McDonald) (an update from yesterday with photographs of the couple. "Former Irvine resident Monica Glenn, 27, was chatting with her new husband, William Zea-Palacios, 30. The couple had gotten married in an elaborate church ceremony Saturday night in Arequipa, Peru, where they both live. ‘As the turbulence increased, I knew something was wrong,’ Glenn said Wednesday night in a telephone interview with The Orange County Register from a hospital in Lima." See also other photos of the couple.
  
• "Georgia mother and son identified as killed in Peru plane crash" (Associated Press) (Sherra Young and Steve Lotti)

Analyses:

• South Africa Agency (Erika Gibson) reports that "Safair would be financially compensated for the loss of the plane. According to the agreement, Tans was responsible for the running, maintenance and insurance of the plane."
  Boeing Statement: "A Transportes Aereos Nacionales de Selva (TANS) Boeing 737-200 crashed near Pucallpa, Peru Aug. 23. Boeing extends its deepest sympathies to those injured and to the families and loved ones of those lost in this tragedy. We are ready to provide technical assistance to the investigation authorities in Peru."
• The New York Times (Brian Knowlton and Don Phillips) report that "August ranks as the deadliestmMonth for air crashes in three years. ... Absence of equipment to warn of wind shear is a focus of investigation in the crash in Canada, and perhaps in the Peru crash. … There were suggestions on Wednesday that the Peruvian airliner that crashed on a flight from Lima to Pucallpa might have encountered similar downdrafts."

Permalink; posted by Peruvia : 8/25/2005 07:50:00 PM

TANS CRASH: The TANS plane was a Boeing 737-200 carrying 98 people, including six crew members, on a flight from Lima to Pucallpa. The aircraft was on loan from Safair, a South African company. (It is possibly this aircraft.)

A review of the days reporting on the crash is found below, following today’s other news.

Death in Texas, cont.: The McKinney Courier-Gazette (Danny Gallagher) and the Dallas Morning News reports that Edgar Vera was buried on Tuesday. “At the Moore Memorial Garden burial, Peruvian Consul Eduardo Rivoldi and Ambassador Eduardo Ferrero had a few words with Mr. Vera's wife, Lorena. … ‘The meeting was basically to ask that an exhaustive, objective and detailed investigation is carried out,’ said Mr. Ferrero, who also said it was his first time looking into a case about police force used on a Peruvian immigrant in the U.S.

Lourdes #1, Valentín #2, Alan #3: Angus Reid reviews the latest University of Lima poll and concludes that 21.9% of Peruvian voters named Lourdes Flores Nano and her Popular Christian Party (PPC) as theic choice in next year’s presidential race. Former head of state Valentín Paniagua of Popular Action (AP) is second with 16.8%, followed by former president Alan García of the American Revolutionary People’s Alliance (APRA) with 14.1%, and Alberto Andrade of We Are Peru (SP) with 9.6%. Others mentioned include Callao mayor Alex Kouri, Jaime Salinas of National Justice (JN), Martha Chávez of New Majority (NM), David Waisman of Possible Peru (PP), Yehude Simons of the Humanist Movement (MH), journalist Alfredo Barnechea, and Fernando Olivera of the Independent Moralizing Front (FIM).

LFN #1, AGP #2, VP #3: Dow Jones (Robert Kozak) reviewed on Datum International’s latest poll with slightly different numbers. Lourdes Flores leads voter intentions in this poll as well (“26% would vote for Flores”) but Garcia follows with 20%. “The poll also found that 36% said they would never vote for Garcia. … In third place in voter intention is former president Valentin Paniagua, with 19% support.” NOTE: “The poll found that Flores would defeat Garcia in a hypothetical second round run off vote, by a 53% to 26% difference.”

Peru/USA Trade: The Miami Today News reports that “forty-five Miami-Dade executives are headed for Peru, where it is expected that President Alejandro Toledo will endorse Miami as the preferred site for the secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas. They were expected to join the business development mission to Lima headed by Gov. Jeb Bush and sponsored in part by Florida FTAA - which is working to bring the secretariat to Miami if the Western Hemisphere's 34 nations sign a free-trade agreement.” NOTE: An updated story in the Associated Press reports that as Tropical Storm Katrina nears Florida, Governor Jeb Bush has “canceled a business trip to Peru that was to begin Wednesday.” Separately, the Miami Herald offers a general report on Washington’s free trade negotiation talks with several countries around the Americas, including Peru. NOTE: “Peru is among Florida's top 20 trade partners and offers a wealth of international business opportunities for companies in a variety of industries throughout the Sunshine State," Gov. Bush said.” Florida has a $1.2 billion annual trade relationship with Peru.

Rumsfeld in Lima, cont: The Toldeo Blade runs an editorial by Dan Simpson, a retired diplomat, titled, “Rumsfeld, Rice foreign policy not rooted in reality” “Mr. Rumsfeld, 73, went to Paraguay and Peru and used the visits as a platform to warn Latin Americans against falling under the pernicious influence of leftists - old, ancient leftist Fidel Castro, 79, and new rich leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. 'Leftist' meant something entirely different back in Mr. Rumsfeld's younger days when the Soviet Union was still around as America's global rival.”

BHP Billiton: BNAmericas reports that “Anglo-Australian resources group BHP Billiton posted a record attributable profit of US$6.4bn, including exceptional items, for its fiscal year ended June 30, 2005, 89% higher than the previous year, and at the higher end of analyst forecasts of US$6.12bn-6.5bn.”

SPORTS:

• 4theGame reports that Aston Villa manager David O'Leary has confirmed that he will appeal against Nolberto Solano's red card in Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Portsmouth.
• The Guardian lists on “The Premiership’s Foreign Legion” and includes Nolberto Solano as the only Peruvian.
• Reuters includes Luis Horna in the fixtures for the US Open Men’s Singles Round 1.
  

PEOPLE:

• The Arizona Daily Wildcat (a University newspaper) and the UA News Services report that “John S. Niederhauser, an internationally renowned scientist and University of Arizona adjunct professor of plant pathology since 1985, died Aug. 12. … He earned the nickname "Mr. Potato" for developing potato varieties resistant to late blight disease, and his work has affected agricultural production in more than 60 countries. … He helped start the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru, in 1971.” Oddly, the Arizona Daily Wildcat also offers a separate column on “Things you've always never wanted to know” and suggests, “There are five times as many rats in Lima, Peru, as there are people.”
• The Evening Telegraph reports on The Amazon Hope 2 “has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past year to become a facility capable of providing vital medical services to some 100,000 people living in remote communities in the Peruvian Amazon. The vessel — re-commissioned by the Princess Royal last month — now houses an operating theatre, state-of-the-art dental surgery and a pharmacy.”

Other: Agência Brasil (Thaís Brianezi ) reports that “Brazil assists Peru in combating malaria” among indigenous populations.

TANS CRASH:

Photo and Video:

• A slide show with almost 100 photographs of the crash and victims
• Photo gallery (CNN)
• CNN Video: Passenger Jose Vivas recounts the crash
• CNN Video: TANS airliner crashes short of its destination
• Sky News video

General Stories:

• “At Least 41 Killed in Peru Air Crash” (The Associated Press, Carla Salazar; see also different versions of this story in the print editions of the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.)
• “Two missing after Amazon plane crash” (Agence France Press)
• “Peruvian jetliner crashes in jungle, killing 41” (earlier Agence France Press)
• “Authorities Lower Number Of Deaths In Peru Plane Crash” (Associated Press) Police earlier had confirmed 41 deaths. Authorities in Peru now say at least 31 people were killed in Tuesday's plane crash and ten are missing.”
• “Dozens walk away from Peru jet crash” (The Associated Press, Monte Hayes; this is an later AP story than the one above.) Victor Girao, a civil aviation expert, said pilot error might have caused the crash. “They were coming in very low, looking for the airstrip. A big beginners' error," Girao said. ALSO: “Among the dead were at least three foreigners - an American woman, an Italian man and a Colombian woman, Police Lt. David Mori told AP. Many bodies could not immediately be identified.”
• “Peruvian Plane Crash Kills 37, Higher Toll Likely, AFP Says” (Bloomberg, Greg Ahlstrand in Hong Kong)
• “Peru crash site search continues” (The BBC; the Beeb also offers six photographs)
• “Eyewitness: Peru plane crash” (The BBC) Says passenger Tomas Ruiz, “It seems it was a matter of the weather. Ten minutes before we were to land in Pucallpa, the plane began to shake a lot.” Also passengers William Zea and Yuri Salas.
• “Peru Rescue Workers Recover 31 Bodies From Crash - Update1” (Bloomberg)
• “Peru Rescue Workers Recover 31 Bodies at Plane Crash - Update2” (Bloomberg, Alex Emery) “A Tans Fokker F-28 crashed near the northern jungle city of Chachapoyas in January 2003, killing 46. The crash leaves Tans with two Boeing 737-200 aircraft to run flights to six cities, according to the airline's Web site.”
• “Survivor: No warning before crash” (CNN) This story is pegged on Jose Vivas, “an American resident, survived Tuesday's plane crash along with his three daughters, his brother and sister-in-law.” NOTE: “The Vivas family was heading to Pucallpa to celebrate the birthday of Jose Vivas' 15-year-old daughter with his parents, who live in the town.”
• “TANS Peru flight crashed killing 41” (EiTB, Spain)
• “Air Tragedy in Peru” (Hellenic Radio, Tina Valaoura, Greece)
• “Peru jet crashes in jungle” (MercoPress) “He added that the aircraft was built in 1983 and TANS recently rented it from a South African company. He declined to give a death toll.” ALSO: “In January 2003, a TANS twin engine Fokker 28 turbojet, plowed into a 11,550-foot high mountain in Peru's northern jungle, killing all 42 passengers — including eight children — and four crew members aboard.”
• “Jetliner crashes in Peru over hurricane killing 48” Pravda; Pravda also offers a photography gallery. “TANS airlines spokesman Jorge Belevan said, the plane crashed over hurricane.” (Translated by: Anastasia Pulich)
• “Rescue Works Continue Search for Survivors in Peru Plane Crash” (Prensa Latina, Cuba)
• “Peru pulls bodies from swamp as jet crash kills 41” (Reuters, Mariana Bazo) Cited: Pucallpa's police chief Ariosto Obregon and police officer Johnny Luna
• “Peru searches for bodies after jet crash kills 41 – update” (Reuters, Robin Emmott) “Updates with details of search, number of survivors, status of Colombian, Australian passengers.”
• “Plane Crashes in Jungle” (Sky News)
• “Baby survives Peru crash, mother dies” (TVNZ, New Zeeland) “Rescuers found one-year-old Juan Carlos Rengifo crying in the arms of his mother, who was killed when the plane of the Peruvian government airline TANS crashed in a swamp 800 kilometres north of the capital of Lima.”
• “At Least 40 Dead in Peru Plane Crash” (Voice of America)
• “Peruvian presidential plane put at disposal of victims” (Xinhua News Agency) “First Lady Elianne Karp arrived in Pucallpa aboard the plane after visiting Cuzco and said she was going to assess the needs inthe zone”
• The Vatican also offered a statement of condolences (see here for a rough English translation).
  
  First Story in Times: “80 die as plane crashes in jungle amid fierce storm” (Times of London, Chris Johnson)
  Second Story in Times: “52 survivors from Peru jungle air crash” (The Times of London, Simon Freeman)
  Print edition: The Times of London included an Agence France Press story in their World in Brief column

ANALYSIS:

• Luchtzak Aviation, an electronic ‘aviation community,’ reported on the story and created a forum to disucss the crash.
• Business Insurance reports that “XL London Market Ltd.'s syndicate 1209 leads the hull and liability coverage for the Transportes Aéreos Nacionales de Selva [TANS] Boeing 737-200 jet that crashed during an emergency landing in Peru Tuesday,” according to market sources.NOTE: “Sources said the aircraft was valued at $3.5 million and was built in 1981.”
• “Airline: Wind shear may have doomed Peru jet” (CNN) “Jeffrey Young of Fayetteville, Georgia, told CNN his wife, Sherra, and his son-in-law, Steve Lotti, were on the flight and he was trying to find out if they were among the survivors.”
• “Experts conjecture about cause of air crash in Peru” (Xinhua News Agency)
• “France calls for bans on certain commercial flights” (Xinhua News Agency) “French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy called on Wednesday for a ban on a certain number of commercial flights and for blacklist to be established in the wakeof a Peru jet crash on Tuesday.”

LOOKING FOR PAISANOS:

• “Australian feared dead in Peru crash” (Courier Mail, Sydney Morning Herald and Seven News) “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said the Australian consul in Santiago, Chile, will fly to Peru to join the diplomatic effort.”
• “Diplomat hunts Peru plane crash Aussie” (Seven News, Australia) “Authorities are still trying to find out if an Australian was aboard a passenger plane that crashed during a severe storm in Peru's north-eastern jungle.
• “California Couple Survives Peru Airline Crash” (NBC4) Monica Glenn and her husband, William Gerald Zea-Palacios. “Glenn, who teaches English in Peru, was married on Saturday in Ariquipa, Peru. The wedding was attended by family and friends from Irvine.”
• “Irvine woman survives air crash” (The Orange County Register, John McDonald)
• “Newlywed Monica Glenn was on her honeymoon when a Peruvian plane broke in two during an emergency landing Tuesday.” The article also offers three photographs.
• “Peru, Italian Ambassador: Concern for Missing Italian” (Agenzia Giornalistica Italia) “Three Italians were injured, and are currently hospitalised in Pucallpa, while we still have no news of the fourth one (formally still missing), and we are concerned about this” said the Italian ambassador in Lima, Sergio Busetto, interviewed over the phone by RAI International. The 3 injured Italians are Ombretta Anzoni, aged 50 from Brescia; Simone Simonini, 37 and his girlfriend, Letizia Onorati, 35, from Leghorn. The missing one is Walter Panni, husband of Ms. Anzoni.”
• “Spaniard amongst the dead in plane crash” (Fuerte Ventura News) “Eva María Gonzalo Torrellas was travelling on the plane with 100 passengers and crew when it crashed in the Amazon Jungle in Peru.”
• “Foreigners identified among crash victims in Peru” (Xinhua News Agency)
• “Peruvian authorities investigate Amazon plane crash” (updated Agence France Press) “Three of the foreigners, Liliana Narvaez of Colombia, Eva Maria Gonzalo of Spain and Walter Panni of Italy, were killed, officials said. A family of six Americans, three other Italians and an Australian survived. ‘It's a miracle. My whole family is all right,’ Vilma Vivas told Radio Programas del Peru (RPP) in Lima. Her husband, three daughters, brother and sister-in-law -- all Peruvian-born US citizens -- survived the crash.”
• “Recent air crashes lack common thread, experts say” (Reuters, Christian Plumb) “All three of the [August 2005] accidents in which there were fatalities involved Boeing Co. aircraft but the planes were of very different ages, spanning from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. Two of them involved 737s, the best-selling commercial jet ever and considered one of the safest planes in the air.”

Permalink; posted by Peruvia : 8/24/2005 07:11:00 PM

• "Peru searches for bodies after jet crash, 41 dead" (Reuters, Robin Emmott) (Wed Aug 24, 2005 10:28 AM GMT+5)
• "Peru Airliner Splits in Two, Kills 41" (Associated Press, Carla Salazar) (Note: Versions of this story ran in the Miami Herald, Washington Post and the New York Times.)
• "American tells tale of plane crash survival" (Associated Press) NOTE: "Monica Glen of Irvine, California, says the turbulence before the 737 slammed into a marsh was the worst she’s ever experienced while flying."
• "3 Americans Killed In Peruvian Plane Accident –CNN" (Dow Jones)
• "Peru Plane Crash Kills at Least 40" (UPI)
• "At Least 40 Killed in Peru Plane Crash" (Voice of America)
• "At least 40 dead in TANS 737 crash" (Flights International)

Permalink; posted by Peruvia : 8/24/2005 09:37:00 AM

TANS JET CRASHES IN PUCALLPA

UPDATE, 7:00pm (GMT+5): Australia’s SBS, Pravda and Xinhua are offering what seem to be Associated Press wire stories. Reuters reported that the TANS Boeing 737-200 “made an emergency landing without its landing gear on a road near[Pucallpa] several miles (km) before the runway. It was due to fly to the northern jungle city of Iquitos.” AFX is reporting that passengers survived the crash. One of the survivors, Tomas Ruiz, told reporters the plane appeared to be affected by the bad weather. "With 10 minutes remaining for us to land in Pucallpa we noticed that the plane was moving too much because of the weather," he said. Another survivor, William Zea, said the "plane had problems and we fell."

UPDATE, 5:09 pm (GMT+5): Associated Press is reporting that “a commercial airliner carrying an unspecified number of passengers crashed today near [Pucallpa] and radio reports said at least two people were dead and about 20 others injured with burns and broken bones. “We standing next to the cabin and we can see the body and it appears that it is a flight attendant in her unform. We can also see a person, it appears to be a female," a correspondent for Radioprogramas radio said. "There are bodies of children. Many bodies."

Rumsfeld in Lima: The Asian Tribune reprints an ‘''Intelligence Brief: Rumsfeld Visits Paraguay and Peru'' by the Power and Interest News Report. It was drafted by Purdue University Professor Michael Weinstein. “The pressing reason for Rumsfeld's trip is the deterioration -- from Washington's viewpoint -- of the political situation in Bolivia. ... Washington's primary concern is the escalating support for Evo Morales.” NOTE: “The overriding aim of Rumsfeld's trip to Paraguay and Peru, where he met with the countries' presidents and defense officials, was to persuade them to increase military cooperation with Washington and to create a coalition geared to isolating Caracas in the hemisphere. ... The present strategic importance of Paraguay and Peru for Washington is enhanced by the fact that they border Bolivia.” ALSO: “Toledo stressed that the focus of his talks with Rumsfeld was not strategic, but economic. Lima wants Washington to conclude a promised free trade agreement with it, claiming that progress on the coca problem depends on opening up markets in the U.S. for alternative crops.” SEE ALSO: ‘Rumsfeld in Lima’ in August 19’s Peruvia.

Peru in PANAMAX: The Navy Newstand reports on ‘Fuerzas Aliadas PANAMAX 2005 which ended August 17 in Panama City. PANAMAX is a multinational training exercise, took place Aug. 4-17, and brought 15 nations [including Peru] together in the common goal of securing the Panama Canal and its pathway to trade throughout the world. NOTE: “Peruvian Capt. Jorge Moreno, commander of the Combined Task Group Pacific, said forces he commanded from the various participating countries "operated in harmony" to meet those challenges.” SEE ALSO: ‘Inter-American Naval Conference’ in May 7, 2004’s Peruvia.

Toledo’s Numbers Dismally Up: Angus Reid reviews the latest poll from the University of Lima to conclude that “most Peruvian adults are dissatisfied with Alejandro Toledo, according to a poll by Universidad de Lima. 85.3% of respondents in Lima and Callao disapprove of the president’s performance, up 3.9% since July.”

Maurtua in Chile: The Associated Press and Reuters offer photographs of Peru's Minister of Foreign Relations Oscar Maurtua Romaña with Chile's president Ricardo Lagos at La Moneda Presidential Palace in Santiago. Maurtua is in Chile for a two-day official visit. The Associated Press shows Maurtua with his Chilean counterpart Ignacio Walker upon their arrive at La Moneda.

Violence In Ayacucho: The Miami Herald (in its Latin American Briefs column) offers a wired report from Ayacucho saying that “police said Monday they had discovered the bodies of four suspected cocaine traffickers who apparently were ambushed, shot and robbed of a drug shipment last week on a remote mountain path in Peru's central Andes. Police were alerted by a local man who found the victims Sunday on the path, more than 15,000 feet above sea level in Viracocha, 35 miles north of this provincial capital city.” According to police, “the path is a known route for cocaine smugglers.”

Violence in Paterson: NorthJersey.com reports that “police were searching Monday for a city man who they say opened fire on two others outside a Wayne Avenue restaurant, killing one and leaving the other in critical condition. Police say Robison Urruti, 49, of Madison Avenue, got into an argument over a woman with one of the men, Arturo Labaton, during a gathering early Sunday at the El Sabor de Mi Barrio Restaurant [a Peruvian restaurant]. Urruti left, but returned with a handgun to wait outside for Labaton, police said.” NOTE: “Rolando Mendoza described his son as a lover of soccer and Latin music and said he had been working most recently as a welder after coming to the United States from Peru 10 years ago.” ALSO: “Police described Urruti as 5 feet 6 inches, 170 pounds, with short black hair, brown eyes and dark skin. A native of Peru, he also goes by Carlos E. Duran and Roberto Huaman Sanchez, police said.”

Peruvians in USA: The Brunswick News (Georgia) reports on new Hispanics migrating into the United States and reviews legislation before the US Congress in this matter. The story features Enrique and Rossana Patron, “who left Peru with their two sons 10 years ago. A graduate of Peru's merchant marine academy, Enrique Patron was hired to work as an engineer aboard the Emerald Princess casino cruise boat. Within six months, he was promoted to chief engineer. ... His wife arrived with an accounting degree from a Peruvian university.” The Westchester Journal News (New York) offers a similar story and includes “Eva Escalante, one of 10 brothers and sisters whose father is a mechanical engineer in Lima, Peru. She said her two oldest siblings, a brother and sister, went to Argentina to find work. The two youngest, herself and a sister, came to the United States.” She says, “The economic situation (in Peru) is very bad. From here, one way or another, I can support myself and my child, and at the same time send something every month so that my parents can live decently.”

Americans in Peru: The Boston Globe reports on investigations into the affairs of Massachussetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey’s husband but cannot interview either of them because “Healey is vacationing with her family in Peru this week and was unavailable for comment.”

SPORTS:

• FIFA reports that ‘Vicky the Vicuña’ was introduced at the Videna complex in “her official bow as mascot for the FIFA U-17 World Championship taking place in Peru in September.” NOTE: “Despite being the smallest of all Camelid species, Vicky cuts an imposing figure, with her long neck. Even so, she will struggle to match the success of Chasqui, the hugely popular mascot of the 2004 Copa America.” ALSO: Manuel Burga, President of the Peruvian Football Federation, declared, “The World Championship will be represented by a character that has been a vital part of Peru's history. The vicuna's presence will add lustre to the tournament, to our history and to the country's image. It's a likeable, original and typically Peruvian mascot and that's why we're sure it will be just as popular as its predecessor." CITED: Germán Leguía, 'Puchungo' Yánez, Julio César Uribe, Juan José Oré and Arturo Woodman. The FIFA U-17 World Championship will take place from 16 September to 2 October.
• Reuters notes that Luis Horna lost 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 7-6(5) to Victor Hanescu (Romania) in the Long Island Cup.
• The Telegraph is reporting that Ashton coach O'Leary has said “he will not stand in the way of Nolberto Solano if the Peruvian international winger wants to leave Villa Park. Solano had been linked with a move to Liverpool.”

Macro/Micro Econ:

• Dow Jones reports that “Mexican wireless communications provider America Movil plans to invest around $200 million in Peru over the next two years, America Movil Chief Executive Daniel Hajj said Tuesday.” NOTE: “On Aug. 10, America Movil bought Telecom Italia Mobile SpA's (TI) Peruvian TIM unit, giving it an instant client base of more than one million subscribers in the Andean nation.” ALSO: “Hajj said his company is not going to war with Telefonica Moviles SAC, a unit of Spain's Telefonica SA, (TEF) as there is plenty of room for growth in Peru's market given its low cellular-phone density. According to the latest figures from Peru's telephone regulator Osiptel, cellular telephone density was 15.90 per 100 residents. ‘It is 35% in Latin America so there is lots of room for growth in Peru,’ said Hajj.”
• The Financial Times (Hal Weitzman) reports that “Jeffrey Immelt and Jack Welch are wanted men in Peru. A judge in Lima ordered the arrest of the current and former General Electric chief executives this month, and of 24 other GE employees. They are accused of breaching a contract with Guillermo Gonzales, a local businessman who says he invested $10m in offices and an assembly plant in the 1990s.” (SEE ALSO: ‘Peru judge orders GE's Immelt, Jack Welch arrested’, August 9, 2005, Reuters.)
• Dow Jones reports that investment bank UBS on Monday “upgraded financial holding company Credicorp Ltd. to a buy from a neutral rating, citing ‘a stronger macro environment, Credicorp's improved operating performance and valuation multiples that are not demanding’." NOTE: “In a report, UBS said it remains positive on Peru, with Credicorp as its preferred play on the improving domestic story.”
• Dow Jones reports that Credit Suisse First Boston on Tuesday “lifted its economic growth forecast for Peru to 5.5% for this year from a previous estimate of 5.2%, citing strong growth in private investment and net exports in the second quarter. That follows statements made last week by Finance Minister Fernando Zavala that gross domestic product should expand by 5.5% or more this year, up from a previous official forecast of 4.8%.”
• Petrolifera offered a press release reporting their receipt of a license for Block 107 in Ucayali. The company also reported in a separate press release that “License for Block 106 (Maranon Basin) was finalized. Block 106 covers “approximately two million acres in the Maranon Basin of northern Peru.” Block 107 covers almos three million acres.
• Houston Business Journal reports that BPZ Energy Inc. announced Monday “that it has signed a memorandum of understanding to sell power from a proposed plant in Peru to Luz del Sur SAA, one of the largest power distribution companies in that country.” SEE ALSO: ‘Navidec Investment’ in April 26, 2004’s Peruvia.
• The Greater Triad Business Journal that “the Kirschner Agency has landed a Peruvian furniture maker as a new client. South Cone, Peru's largest furniture maker and manufacturer, has hired Kirschner to develop its brand position for the United States and to communicate that brand through public relations, a new Web site and other materials.”

MINING:

• Dow Jones reviewed July’s mining numbers including zinc, copper, and molybdenum released by the Ministry of Energy and Mines. ALSO: “Work on Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde SAA's $850 million expansion is moving ahead and the project will be operational by December 2006, company president John Broderick said in an interview published in El Comercio newspaper Monday.”
• BNAmericas and Reuters report that Canadian miner Barrick Gold's new Lagunas Norte gold mine in northern Peru “was officially opened on Friday (Aug 19) in the presence of President Alejandro Toledo.” According to BNA, “Barrick announced in February 2005 that the mine would produce 800,000oz/y of gold at US$155/oz for the first three years starting in 2006.” NOTE: “The mine, at an altitude of 4,200m in the Alto Chicama district of La Libertad department, has proven and probable reserves of 229Mt at 1.24g/t to contain 9.12Moz of gold.” Reuters reports that Peru's gold output “surged 22% in June as Canada's Barrick Gold Corp opened its Lagunas Norte mine, but copper output slid 19% after protests halted production at BHP Billiton's Tintaya mine,” according to the government. NOTE: “Copper production in Peru, the world's third largest producer of the red metal, fell 18.8% in June, compared with the same month in 2004.”
• Dow Jones reports that “work on Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde SAA's $850 million expansion is moving ahead and the project will be operational by December 2006, company president John Broderick said in an interview published in El Comercio newspaper Monday. The expansion is one of Peru's largest mining projects and is expected to triple Cerro Verde's copper output to 300,000 metric tons, according to Broderick.”
• The Andean American Mining Company offered a press release to announce the activation of their Sinchao Project. "This is a day I have waited on since being elected to the executive of the Company. The continuity of the mineralization is just too strong to be ignored. This property is worthy of all the questions and deserves a program to be put into place to find the answers," stated John Huguet, Chairman.
• The Phoenix Business Journal (Arizona) reports that Phoenix-based Southern Peru Copper ranked 20th in Fortune Magazine's 100 Fastest Growing Companies in America list for 2005. “To compute the rankings, Fortune used data supplied by Zacks Investment Research and giving equal weight to three factors: profit and sales growth (for three years through the first quarter 2005) and three-year total return (through June 2005). At a three-year annual rate, Southern Peru Copper posted revenue growth of 38%.” NOTE: “Southern Peru Copper, an integrated copper producer, was not ranked in Fortune's 2004 list.”
• Acero Martin offered a press release to report “the results of the final four core holes from its ongoing exploration program at the Pinaya Copper-Gold Project, located in southern Peru. Recent drilling has intersected significant copper-gold porphyry mineralization at two locations within a target area measuring more than 1000 m along strike.” Drill hole maps can be viewed here.
• Gitennes Exploration offers a press release “to advise that core drilling has begun at the Company's Tucumachay Project. Tucumachay is a road-accessible, 3,200-hectare gold exploration property located in the Andes Mountains of central Peru, between the cities of Lima and Huancayo.”
• Sienna Gold offered a press release to announce “that it is preparing the documentation for the regulatory approval process for a preliminary drill program at its Igor gold property. The Company has recently completed a detailed of aerial photogrammetry survey and is analysing that data. A program of underground and surface mapping and sampling has been ongoing since late July and the encouraging results have led to the drill program decision.” The Igor mine is located in the Yanacocha-Pierina gold corridor.

PEOPLE:

• Forbes and the Independent (Hugh O'Shaughnessy) runs the obituary of Andrónico Luksic Abaroa, the Chilean billionaire industrialist who was a major stakeholder in Lucchetti, a dried pasta firm prominent in Peru.” He was one of three on Forbes Billionaire list in Chile.
• The Day (Connecticut) reports on pop music group Air Supply who “perform an average of 120 dates a year and are wildly popular in Indonesia, Peru, Bolivia, El Salvador and Guatemala.”

OTHER: North Korea reports that the Peruvian-Korean Institute of Culture and Friendship arranged a meeting on Aug. 12 to commemorate the 35th anniversary of its foundation. Attending it were leading officials of political parties and organizations, including Angel Castro Lavarello, chairman of the institute, Luis Mateo Munoz, general secretary of the Socialist Party of Peru, and Manuel Castillo Cabrera, international secretary of the Central Committee of the Peruvian Communist Party. NOTE: KCNA also reported that DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun “sent a congratulatory message to Oscar Maurtua de Romaña on his appointment as Peruvian foreign minister. The message wished him success in his new job, expressing the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would grow stronger in the days ahead.”

Permalink; posted by Peruvia : 8/23/2005 07:14:00 PM