 |
 |
Your daily |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
 |
| A.M. Costa Rica Second newspage |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
|
|
|||||||||
 |
| Costa Rica Expertise Ltd http://crexpertise.com E-mail info@crexpertise.com Tel:506-256-8585 Fax:506-256-7575 |
 |
Click HERE for
great
hotel discounts
|
|
 Municipalidad de Osa photo
Osa residents make their caseOsa wants a bigger role
in granting beach concessions By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Residents of the Cantón de Osa were protesting Wednesday at Casa Presidencial, in part to support a legislative proposal to clarify the laws on the maritime zone. However, some had their own axes to grind, such as preventing expansion of a local national park. The Municipalidad de Osa estimated the gathering at 600 persons. The municipal council supports the legislative proposal it says will allow for sustainable development in the maritime zone. The proposal, which has been introduced by 34 legislative deputies, would seem to give more power to the municipalities in the development process of the maritime zone. The zone is the land within 200 meters of mean high tide. The first 50 meters, the public zone, is exempt from development. The next 150 meters can be developed via concessions awarded by the municipality and the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo. The maritime zone, of course, is where people want to build their homes, hotels and restaurants. And the municipality sees the area as a generator of jobs and income. The persons at Casa Presidencial came from locations such as Ciudad Cortés, Dominical and Golfito, among others, according to the municipality. Alberto Cole, the mayor of Osa, was quoted as saying that the new legislation would clarify and straighten out some aspects of the 1977 maritime zone law. He said one of the most recent problems is that other agencies have begun to become involved in the maritime zone process. Among these is the Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Telecomunicaciones, which is restricting development according to tree coverage and topography in some areas. The agency is controversial, so much so that someone firebombed the agency's offices in Palmar Norte Monday morning. The agency also is behind possible expansion of the Parque Nacional Marino Ballena, which neighbors oppose. Cariblanco plant expected to be in service in April By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The national electrical agency hopes to have the Cariblanco hydro plant back on line at the end of April. That was the assessment by Pedro Pablo Quirós, executive president of the agency, the instituto Costarricense de Electricidad. That plant was damaged by the Jan. 8 earthquake in the area. It is on the Río Sarapiquí. Quirós made the comments while President Óscar Arias Sánchez was signing an agreement through which the country would borrow $500 million from the Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. The money will be used for generation and distribution of energy. Other hydro projects will be construction from the loan. Officials say that the money will guarantee sufficient power for the country. Volunteers sought to put a local bite out of crime By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The security ministry is having trouble filling police positions because of the low pay, so the minister is seeking citizens to become voluntary police officers. This is not a new program. The Reservas de la Fuerza Pública has a long tradition of service. What is new is that President Óscar Arias Sánchez and Janina del Vecchio, the minister, have issued a decree urging citizens to become involved. Typically the reserves help out at parades and other activities. The decree encourages citizens to file complaints against those who are not in conformity of the law. The voluntary police would provide prevention and protection services in the entire country, according to Luis Hernández, director of the reserves. Man who tried to kill cop gets 12 years in prison By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The robbery of a bus customer at a stop in Santa Ana started a chain of incidents that led to the sentencing of one man to 12 years in prison and another to four years, according to the Poder Judicial. At one point one of the men pulled a pistol on a Fuerza Pública officer, aimed for his chest and pulled the trigger. The gun misfired, but that was enough to get José David Muñoz Araya eight years for attempted murder. He also got four years for the robbery. His companion, Ronald Chavarría Núñez, got three years for robbery, the Poder Judicial said. The sentencing took place in the Tribunal de Flagrancia del Segundo Circuito Judicial de San José because the men were caught in the act. The Jan. 12 incident started when the two men approached Luis Esteban Araya Sánchez, the bus customer at a stop in Santa Ana. One man pulled a gun and the other demanded the man's possessions. The man took a chance and fled instead to the nearby police station where he alerted officers. A chase began and Muñoz was pursued by a police officer. Suddenly the fugitive turned and tried to fire from a distance of six feet, said the Poder Judicial.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica third newspage |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||
|
Discipline problems, not
corruption, put police in trouble, minister says
|
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The security minister, subjected to criticism after she told a CNN reporter that there was very little police corruption in Costa Rica, is trying to explain herself. The minister, Janina del Vecchio, told a gathering of reporters this week that there are 600 policemen facing administrative or judicial processes but most of them are there because of disciplinary reasons not corruption. The influence of the drug cartels had not permeated the institution, she said. After Ms. Del Vecchio gave a CNN interview, the Spanish-language La Nación wrote an article that said 600 police officers were facing investigation. The newspaper also mentioned the two police officers and a former police officer who were arrested for bribery just a few days before the television interview. |
She blamed a rise in criminality on
the economic situation, the
widening of the gap between the social classes, the growth of gangs and
the drug problem. This is the position of the Óscar Arias
Sánchez administration. She said that 400,000 individuals between 18 and 35 years do not work and do not go to school. She said this group, which is about 9 percent of the population, make up a good part of the 300,000 persons in the country who are on drugs. She also said that for too long Costa Rica did not invest sufficiently in security. She also pointed out that entering patrolmen make about 200,000 colons a month. That is about $358 U.S. dollars. She said her ministry wants to create a community policing effort to eliminate fear and empower citizens as the primary guardians of national security. |
|
Executive branch backs
Quirós despite little side trip on company helicopter
|
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The executive branch fully supports Pedro Pablo Quirós, the head of the Instituto Costarricence de Electricidad, said the minister of the Presidencia Wednesday. The pledge of support came from Rodrigo Arias Sánchez, minister of the Presidencia and the brother to the president. Rodrigo Arias said that Quirós was a hard worker and wished that Costa Rica had more public employees like him. Quirós has come under fire because he attended a wedding in Zarcero over the weekend via a helicopter operated by the electrical and telecommunications monopoly he heads. He said he was on an official tour and just dropped by for the wedding, which was of a legislative deputy's daughter. Ottón Solís, the presidential candidate in the Partido Acción Ciudadana, raised the issue. Solís also wanted to know why the wife of Quirós accompanied him. The women works as an unpaid volunteer in public relations for the state-run company, Quirós has explained in the past. |
The government also has shelved the
case of Clara Zomer, the minister
of Vivienda, who participated in an expensive luncheon on public funds
at an upscale Escazú restaurant. Rodrigo Arias said the government was not looking into the case any more. The situation resulted in the resignation Feb. 3 of the general manager of the Banco Hipotecario de la Vivienda, Ennio Rodríguez, who arranged the event. The check was more than $1,000. Rodríguez said that Ms. Zomer was the participant who ordered the champagne. In other news of embattled present and former public officials, Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier, the ex-president, has scheduled a date next month where he will discuss his presidential candidacy with members of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana. Calderón wants to run as the party's candidate in 2010. The biggest problem is his trial for fraud and bribery involving a multimillion dollar loan for the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social. Calderón appears to have obtained a $9 million commission on the deal. |
 |
 |
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica fourth news page |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Mrs. Clinton blames U.S. drug users for Mexican violence
|
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that the United States, with an insatiable demand for illegal drugs, bears co-responsibility for rampant drug-related violence in Mexico along the U.S. border. Clinton was in Mexico City for talks with President Felipe Calderón on the drug issue, trade and other regional issues. U.S. drug officials say Mexico is either the source or a transshipment route for most of the illegal drugs that enter the United States. But as she began a series of meetings with President Calderón and other officials centering on drug violence, Mrs. Clinton candidly acknowledged that U.S. demand for illegal drugs is in large measure responsible for the problem. Speaking with reporters en route to the Mexican capital, Mrs. Clinton said that some 30 years of U.S. efforts to curb drug demand, including law enforcement and anti-addiction efforts, have largely failed, and that U.S. drug demand and weapons smuggled from the United States are fueling Mexico's drug wars. "I agree," she said. "We are. How could anybody conclude any differently? Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade. Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the death of police officers, soldiers and civilians. So yes, I feel very strongly we have a co-responsibility." Mrs. Clinton arrived here a day after the Obama |
administration announced it was sending more money, technology and manpower to secure
the Mexican border and help Mexican authorities in their battle with
drug cartels. The secretary's visit marks the start of intensive U.S.- Mexico dialogue on the matter. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a key figure behind this week's aid package, will visit Mexico early next month along with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. President Barack Obama goes to Mexico City in mid-April to meet Caldron before both leaders attend the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. In her talk with reporters, Secretary Clinton praised the Calderon administration's performance in the drug fight, saying that Mexican forces are often out-gunned by drug gangs armed with military-style weapons bought in the United States. She said the Obama administration intends to devote hundreds more agents and more effective equipment to stem gun-running across the border and curb illegal purchases in U.S. gun shops by so-called straw men fronting for Mexican criminals. Clinton also said the United States must avoid protectionist policies that could harm Mexico as it deals with the economic crisis. She said the Obama administration is making progress with the U.S. Congress in efforts to end a dispute over access to the United States by Mexican truckers that has spurred heavy Mexican tariffs against American goods. |
|
Mexican troops arrest key drug suspect shortly before Mrs. Clinton arrives
|
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Mexican soldiers have captured one of the country's most-wanted drug lords. Officials say Héctor Huerta Rios was arrested Tuesday in the state of Nuevo Leon, which borders Texas in the southwestern United States. They say he was one of dozens of drug suspects on a most-wanted list published by the Mexican government Monday. |
Authorities have described Huerta Rios as a member of the powerful
Beltran Leyva cartel and that he was sought on a murder charge. Known
as "La Burra," or "the donkey," he is the third person arrested in less
than a week as the government of President Felipe Calderón cracks down
on drug cartels. Word of the arrest Wednesday came shortly before U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Mexico City for talks with President Calderón. |
 |
|
| News from
the BBC up to the minute |
BBC sports news up to the minute |
| BBC news and sports feeds are disabled on archived pages. |
|
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica fifth news page |
|
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
March Madness means
a lot of money for bets By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
If people at work in the United States, especially sports fans, seem a bit distracted these days it might just be a symptom of March Madness, the nickname for the hugely popular men's college basketball national championship tournament. Wider coverage of the single-elimination tournament on the Internet is just one reason for the expanding interest in March Madness. This year, as many as 45 percent of Americans polled say they will enter at least one college basketball pool. Fans fill out brackets to pick the winners in the four 16-team regions of the country. Last year, up to 37 million Americans paid money to join bracket pools. Jason Kint, senior vice president and general manager of CBSSports.com, says die-hard fans and novices alike try to predict the National Collegiate Athletic Association winners. "You know, that's the fun part of the NCAA tournament, its unique aspect. And it draws in a much more, a broader audience, a lot of casual fans. At some point throughout the tournament they are rooting on the teams that they have picked to make it through. But we promote just friendly fun and competition," he said. Each correct prediction is worth a set number of points, with the value for correct picks increasing in each successive round. The 64 teams in the tournament are whittled down to the so-called "Sweet-16," "Elite Eight" and "Final-Four." Those four teams meet in the semifinals in Detroit, Michigan, for the right to advance to the championship game April 6. But what are the odds of filling out that perfect bracket? R.J. Bell of Pregame.com says the number of possibilities to guarantee a perfect bracket are an astronomical 9.2 quintillion. "There's actually 18 zeros in a quintillion. There's a couple of ways I've attempted to quantify that. For example, if one bracket a second was filled out, it would take 292 trillion years to fill out all possible brackets," he said. The games are televised nationally, but the Internet audience is rapidly growing. Although the legality of office betting pools varies from state to state, experts estimate that billions of dollars are wagered on the tournament. But some employers frown on workers taking time away from their jobs to follow the games and keep track of their brackets. Many others place their bets offshorre, frequently to Costa Rica. |
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica sixth news page |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
|
|
|||||||||
| Latin
American news digest |
Copyright
dispute might become defining issue By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A battle is brewing over the right to photocopy published works. The government, more responsive to the will of the people, has said that a little photocopying is OK if it is for educational ends. Those who publish books say that is not the case at all, and they are backed up by new Costa Rican laws on the rights of authors and international conventions. The situation became newsworthy because many students are returning to schools and universities. Instead of purchasing expensive texts, students traditionally have taken a borrowed volume to the copy shop. Now some copy shops, in fear of being jailed, have stopped duplicating copyrighted works. The law calls for as much as six years in prison. The free trade treaty with the United States is involved, too, and opponents of the treaty are likely to cite it as a reason Costa Rican university students cannot get books. Several groups here that represent publishers and authors have stressed a hard line on photocopying and they have criticized the government for being less strict. Costa Rica has had problems with copyright. Under previous laws only the person holding the copyright could file a criminal charge. A policeman or investigators could not, no matter how serious the theft of intellectual property. Consequently, the law was little enforced. The same law covers music, and a local representative of song writers and music publishers is becoming very unpopular by demanding payment from businesses that play copyrighted music. They, too, have the law on their side. Yet, bar owners and beauty shops are unlikely to behave reasonably when demands are made for payment. The government has forgotten about international treaties when the politics of the moment have dictated otherwise, and copyright might be the first real test of the teeth in the free trade treaty. |
| Latin American news feeds are disabled on archived pages. |
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
