GLOBAL MARKET HIGHLIGHTS
Two 9/11s, one story 09-12-03 (guardian.co.uk) On the morning of September 11 I watched aircraft flying overhead. Minutes later I heard explosions and saw fireballs of smoke fill the sky. As a result of these attacks thousands died, including two good friends. 
Trade Deficit Widens to $40.3B in July 09-12-03 (Yahoo) WASHINGTON - America's trade deficit expanded in July to $40.3 billion as imported goods from China and the quantity of overseas crude oil sold to the United States each hit record highs. 
Job Market Weak Despite Growth Signs 09-12-03 (Yahoo) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans are finding it unexpectedly tough to hold onto their jobs but other areas of the economy are showing signs of a pickup, two government reports out on Thursday showed. 
US trade gap swells 09-12-03 (BBC) The US trade deficit widened slightly in July as consumers bought the second highest level of imported goods on record, according to official figures. 
Argentine leader set to sign IMF deal 09-11-03 (Yahoo) BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Argentine President Nestor Kirchner was on the verge of signing an elusive deal with the IMF (news - web sites), one day after missing a three-billion-dollar loan repayment, a government source said. 
IMF strikes positive note 09-11-03 (guardian.co.uk) The International Monetary Fund yesterday added its voice to optimism about the prospects for the global economy, saying rock-bottom interest rates and ADVERTISEMENT the "remarkable resilience" of financial markets had left firms poised to invest. 

 LATIN AMERICA
IDB Approves Peru Pipeline Project Loan 09-12-03 (Yahoo) WASHINGTON - The Inter-American Development Bank on Wednesday approved $135 million in financing to support construction of a controversial natural gas pipeline project in Peru that environmentalists contend represents a threat to the country's rain forests. 
Perus Amazon gas project approved 09-12-03 (BBC) The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) has approved $135m in financing for Peru's controversial Camisea natural gas project. 
Argentina payment secures temporary respite in debt battle 09-12-03 (Yahoo) BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Argentina made a 2.9 billion dollar payment to the International Monetary Fund (news - web sites) but a new debt restructuring accord has done little to reassure private bankers. 
Chile Takes Painful Look at Coup 30 Years Later 09-12-03 (Yahoo) SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - A prosperous and democratic Chile painfully looked back 30 years on Thursday to the military coup on Sept. 11, 1973 that split the nation and ushered in 17 years of dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet (news - web sites). 
Brazil seeks to reassure markets on policy 09-12-03 (Financial Times) The Brazilian government has sought to reassure investors that it will continue to pursue an agenda of sound economic reforms whether or not it renews an accord with the International Monetary Fund later this year.

Brazilians Soured by U.S. Sugar Tariffs 09-11-03 (Washington Post) SERTAOZINHO, Brazil -- Wearing a straw hat, shin guards and goggles, Joaquim Batista dos Santos swings his machete in wide, looping arcs, hacking away at the eight-foot-high stalks of sugar cane like a baseball player warming up in the on-deck circle. 

 ASIA
Indonesians Plan Exploring for Iraq Oil 09-12-03 (Yahoo) JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia's state-owned Pertamina oil company will restart an oil and gas exploration project in Iraq (news - web sites) interrupted earlier this year by the U.S.-led attack on that nation, the company said Thursday. 
China tumbles in white goods 09-11-03 (Financial Times) Many of China's leading washing machine makers have been bought out or gone bankrupt in recent months, confounding expectations the mainland's low-cost manufacturers would become dominant international players. 

 AFRICA
Refuge for the Wild, With No Land Mines, Please 09-12-03 (NY Times) IMPOPO NATIONAL PARK, Mozambique, Sept. 4 — Wildlife specialists released seven elephants into this new game sanctuary the other day, and Santos Ngoverne, dressed in a blue plaid shirt and battered sandals, was on hand to watch.
End cotton subsidies demands Africa 09-12-03 (BBC) World Trade Organisation chief Supachai Panitchpakdi is reviewing demands by African cotton producers for an end to subsidies paid to farmers in richer countries. 
Africans Burden: Wests Farm Subsidies 09-11-03 (NY Times) ASESE, Uganda — Erikangin Thembo does not think much about agricultural policy as he farms. Sweating in the midday heat, he keeps his mind focused on the earth in front of him. He raises his hoe above his head. With a grunt, he sends it plummeting into the rich soil.

 OIL PRICES
Australian hunt for African oil 09-12-03 (BBC) An Australian consortium has started exploration drilling at the Chinguetti oilfield off the coast of Mauritania, Perth-based company Hardman Resources has announced. 
Casting a Cold Eye on Arctic Oil 09-11-03 (NY Times) RCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, Alaska — Here's a helpful hint for backpackers here in the Arctic: If you're lying in your sleeping bag and suddenly feel a pat on the behind from outside the tent, YELL!