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Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for more details |
A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Wednesday,
July 23,
2014, Vol. 14, No. 144
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By Michael Krumholtz
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff President Luis Guillermo Solís denied that exorbitant funds were used to finance any of his recent business trips. Saturday the president returned from a trip to Brazil where he met with foreign leaders. Local news stations and pundits have questioned why Solís has taken so many different international trips in his first three months as president. “There has been no excess in the number of travels nor in the costs spent on those trips,” Solís said, adding that his political travels have been obligatory and important for business and foreign affairs. In June, Solís and some fellow cabinet members visited the United States in an effort to attract U.S.-based companies for investment into Costa Rica. At his weekly press conference Tuesday, the president was adamant that all these trips have not only been necessary, but that government officials should be able to travel whenever it's necessary for the country's overall good. “The trips continue being necessary whenever it's required for us to ensure our political objectives abroad,” he said. Besides Brazil and the U.S., Solís has also traveled to Panamá, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic since his May 8th inauguration. The president went to Brazil in order to meet with fellow leaders from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. He also had a meeting with China President Xi Jingping to negotiate current business deals happening within the country. “A country like Costa Rica, with a small and open economy demands foreign relations on a high level,” he said.  Rolf Sommer and Angela Schmid
photo
A
typical stretch of road in Nosara when there is plenty of traffic
Nosara residents
seek Solís' help on roads
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Roads have always been a controversial topic in Nosara on the far Pacific coast. At one time some residents opposed repairing the 40-kilometers stretch to the main highway because they did not want too many visitors to the fabled beach town. That road was so bad that residents had to stay home if there was significant rain. Now the problem is closer to home. The roads are terrible and prone to producing dangerous clouds of dust. There may be some help in store. President Luis Guillermo Solís visits the community today. Some residents say this is the first time a sitting president has been there. They want the roads repaired immediately and asphalt put down as soon as possible, they said. Rolf Sommer and Angela Schmid joked that the president is supposed to visit nearby Playa Garza. "Vamos a ver," they wrote in an email suggesting that the president might not make it due to the roads. Rural water system laced with poison By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The health ministry said Tuesday that someone poisoned a water tank in a system that supplies about 8,000 persons. At least five springs are involved, said the Ministerio de Salud. The discovery generated a major effort by public agencies, including the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social which put some residents in the San Juan Norte de Desamparados clinic. The health officials told residents to refrain from drinking the contaminated water. Involved are the communities of Copalchí de Cartago, Higuito and San Miguel de Desamparados. Residents were told to wash out with soap any containers or tanks that had been filled with water Tuesday. The symptoms of the poisoning are vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea, said the health ministry. The residents were urged to obtain their water from the nearest pipes of the Instituto Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados. The water company is expected to be providing tankers, too. The Laboratorio Nacional de Aguas is testing the water, the health ministry said, and results are expected later today.  Consejo de Seguridad Vial
photo
This is the site where the new
bridge will beNew pedestrian
bridge going up tonight
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Highway officials are closing the roadway between Hatillo 2 and 8 Thursday from 10 p.m. tonight and 4 a.m. Thursday to install the deck of a pedestrian bridge. The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes and the Consejo de Seguridad Vial said they hope the bridge saves lives. The highway is called the Alajuelita radial. The bridge is 57 meters (about 187 feet), and the approaches and the abutments already are in place. The Hatillos are in the southern part of San José. Researchers find unhappy cities still attract By the University of British Columbia news
service
New research identifies the unhappiest cities in the U.S., but finds that some young people are still willing to relocate to them for a good job opportunity or lower housing prices. The analysis, co-authored by Joshua Gottlieb of the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver School of Economics, suggests people may be deciding to trade happiness for other gains. The working paper “Unhappy Cities,” released last week by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research, relies on a large survey that asks respondents about their satisfaction with life. This measure, which is often interpreted as a measure of happiness, indicates that individuals may willingly endure less happiness in exchange for higher incomes or lower housing costs. “Our research indicates that people care about more than happiness alone, so other factors may encourage them to stay in a city despite their unhappiness,” says Gottlieb. “This means that researchers and policy makers should not consider an increase in reported happiness as an overriding objective.” Gottlieb and his co-authors investigated which regions of the U.S. tend to report lower life satisfaction, and found that residents of declining cities appear less happy than those who live in other parts of the U.S. Long-term residents of these cities appear equally as unhappy as newer residents, suggesting that the city’s unhappiness persists over time. Historical data indicate that cities currently in decline were also unhappy in their more prosperous past. Top 10 happiest metropolitan areas with a population greater than 1 million (as of 2010): 1. Richmond-Petersburg, Virginia; 2. Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, Virginia; 3. Washington, D.C.; 4. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; 5. Atlanta, Gerogia; 6. Houston, Texas; 7. Jacksonville, Florida; 8. Nashville, Tennessee 9. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Florida, and 10. Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, New Jersey. Other lists are HERE!
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, July 23, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 144 | |
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Museo Nacional
plans party
to celebrate Anexión de Nicoya By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The celebratory mood from Nicoya is spilling over to the Museo Nacional, which invites locals to honor the annexation holiday this weekend. After the 190th annual Anexión de Partido de Nicoya kicked off Tuesday night, museum directors are allowing those who won't be able to make it to Nicoya to still enjoy the holiday. The museum will host its version of the holiday, the Festival de la Anexión, with a schedule full of traditional dances, marimba music and Guanacaste cuisine. On Saturday at 11 a.m., the museum is having a commemoration party with presentations of the folk dancing that make the annexation holiday iconic. Then on Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m. at the museum's central patio, there will be more dancing as five different folk concerts are planned. The acts include Rescate de Valores, the Banda de Conciertos de San José, Dionisio Cabal, the Compañía Profesional de Baile Popular Merecumbé, and the Asociación de Cultura Popular Costarricense Güipipía. The San José concert band will be playing in homage to Lucho Bermúdez, who is recognized as one of the most influential Colombian composers of the 20th century. The event also includes local dishes like mazamorras, a type of porridge, and chorreadas, a sweet corn pancake, among numerous others. |
 Municipalidad de Nicoya photo
Traditional dancer from the
Nicoya celebration in 2013. |
| Emergency commission declares alert for rain-short Guanacaste |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The national emergency commission is taking action to help the north and central Pacific coast where there is drought and where the lack of rain is expected to increase. The agency, the Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias, said it was declaring a yellow alert for the two areas in order to be more efficient in moving around materials and funds. The agency expects to be providing food for animals, setting up storage of drinking water and preparing to distribute other necessities like salt for animals. The agency said Tuesday that the Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería estimated loss to the cattle industry at 7 billion colons or about $13.2 million. There has been a loss of about half that amount in other livestock, according to the agricultural ministry. |
The cause of the
drought, of course, is El Niño in the western Pacific.
The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional now says that
rainfall in the
northern Pacific will be reduced about 65 percent in the short term.
The central Pacific faces a shortage of 30 percent, said the institute. The situation is expected to get worse with El Niño consolidating toward the end of the year. The condition is expected to last through the first three months of 2015. The agricultural ministry officials said the agency is prepared to provide forage for ranches that have burned out pastures and perhaps go so far as to drill wells in some cases. Many ranchers in Guanacaste already have moved the cattle to more productive surroundings. A concern for the emergency commission and the Instituto Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados is the availability of drinking water for humans. The supply is down. |
| Parque Bolívar zoo plans to mark its 98th birthday
this weekend |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The zoo in north San José says it will celebrate its 98th anniversary Saturday and Sunday. Guided tours are planned as well as workshops for all levels of school children, an announcement said. The correct title is the Parque Zoológico y Jardín Botánico Nacional Simón Bolívar. The event is being called the Feria de Educación Ambiental. The foundation that operates the zoo, the Fundación Pro Zoológicos, said it plans to outline the environmental education offered there. |
The program is in
conjunction with the Museo Nacional, the Fundación
Rapaces de Costa Rica, the Organización de Estudios Tropicales
and the
Jardín Botánico Else Kientzler. Admissions are charged. The Laura Chinchilla administration nearly closed down the zoo because the president and some members of the government disagreed with the philosophy of caging animals. They planned to turn the area into a garden. The foundation won a court battle extending its contract. |
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| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, July 23, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 144 | |||||
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| Human rights report says U.S. unfairly ropes Muslims into
terrorism |
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By
the Human Rights Watch news staff
The U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have targeted American Muslims in abusive counterterrorism sting operations based on religious and ethnic identity, Human Rights Watch and Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute said in a report. Many of the more than 500 terrorism-related cases prosecuted in U.S. federal courts since Sept. 11, 2001, have alienated the very communities that can help prevent terrorist crimes, the report said. The 214-page report, “Illusion of Justice: Human Rights Abuses in U.S. Terrorism Prosecutions,” examines 27 federal terrorism cases from initiation of the investigations to sentencing and post-conviction conditions of confinement. It documents the significant human cost of certain counterterrorism practices, such as overly aggressive sting operations and unnecessarily restrictive conditions of confinement. “Americans have been told that their government is keeping them safe by preventing and prosecuting terrorism inside the U.S.,” said Andrea Prasow, deputy Washington director at Human Rights Watch and one of the authors of the report. “But take a closer look and you realize that many of these people would never have committed a crime if not for law enforcement encouraging, pressuring, and sometimes paying them to commit terrorist acts.” Many prosecutions have properly targeted individuals engaged in planning or financing terror attacks, the groups found. But many others have targeted people who do not appear to have been involved in terrorist plotting or financing at the time the government began to investigate them. And many of the cases involve due process violations and abusive conditions of confinement that have resulted in excessively long prison sentences. The report is based on more than 215 interviews with people charged with or convicted of terrorism-related crimes, members of their families and their communities, criminal defense attorneys, judges, current and former federal prosecutors, government officials, academics, and other experts. In some cases the FBI may have created terrorists out of law-abiding individuals by suggesting the idea of taking terrorist action or encouraging the target to act. Multiple studies have found that nearly 50 percent of the federal counterterrorism convictions since Sept. 11, 2001, resulted from informant-based cases. Almost 30 percent were sting operations in which the informant played an active role in the underlying plot. In the case of the Newburgh Four, for example, who were accused of planning to blow up synagogues and attack a U.S. military base, a judge said the government “came up with the crime, provided the means, and removed all relevant obstacles,” and had, in the process, made a terrorist out of a man “whose buffoonery is positively Shakespearean in scope.” The FBI often targeted particularly vulnerable people, including those with intellectual and mental disabilities and the indigent. The government, often acting through informants, then actively developed the plot, persuading and sometimes pressuring the targets to participate, and provided the resources to carry it out. “The U.S. government should stop treating American Muslims as terrorists-in-waiting,” Ms. Prasow said. “The bar on entrapment in U.S. law is so high that it’s almost impossible for a terrorism suspect to prove. Add that to law enforcement preying on the particularly |
vulnerable, such
as those with mental or intellectual disabilities, and
the very poor, and you have a recipe for rampant human rights abuses.” Rezwan Ferdaus, for example, pleaded guilty to attempting to blow up a federal building and was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Although an FBI agent even told Ferdaus’ father that his son obviously had mental health problems, the FBI targeted him for a sting operation, sending an informant into Ferdaus’ mosque. Together, the FBI informant and Ferdaus devised a plan to attack the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol, with the FBI providing fake weaponry and funding Ferdaus’ travel. Yet Ferdaus was mentally and physically deteriorating as the fake plot unfolded, suffering depression and seizures so bad his father quit his job to care for him. The U.S. has also made overly broad use of material support charges, punishing behavior that did not demonstrate an intent to support terrorism, said the report. The courts have accepted prosecutorial tactics that may violate fair trial rights, such as introducing evidence obtained by coercion, classified evidence that cannot be fairly contested, and inflammatory evidence about terrorism in which defendants played no part – and asserting government secrecy claims to limit challenges to surveillance warrants. Ahmed Omar Abu Ali is a U.S. citizen who alleged that he was whipped and threatened with amputation while detained without charge in Saudi Arabia – after a roundup following the 2003 bombings of Western compounds in the Saudi capital of Riyadh – until he provided a confession to Saudi interrogators that he says was false. Later, when Ali went to trial in Virginia, the judge rejected Ali’s claims of torture and admitted his confession into evidence. He was convicted of conspiracy, providing material support to terrorists, and conspiracy to assassinate the president. He received a life sentence, which he is serving in solitary confinement at the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. The U.S. has in terrorism cases used harsh and at times abusive conditions of confinement, which often appear excessive in relation to the security risk posed. This includes prolonged solitary confinement and severe restrictions on communicating in pretrial detention, possibly impeding defendants’ ability to assist in their own defense and contributing to their decisions to plead guilty. Judges have imposed excessively lengthy sentences, and some prisoners suffer draconian conditions post-conviction, including prolonged solitary confinement and severe restrictions on contact with families or others, sometimes without explanation or recourse. Nine months after his arrest on charges of material support for terrorism and while he was refusing a plea deal, Uzair Paracha was moved to a harsh regime of solitary confinement. National security restrictions on his contact with others permitted Paracha to speak only to prison guards. These abuses have had an adverse impact on American Muslim communities, the report said. The government’s tactics to seek out terrorism suspects, at times before the target has demonstrated any intention to use violence, has undercut parallel efforts to build relationships with American Muslim community leaders and groups that may be critical sources of information to prevent terrorist attacks. In some communities, these practices have deterred interaction with law enforcement. Some Muslim community members said that fears of government surveillance and informant infiltration have meant they must watch what they say, to whom, and how often they attend services. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| SSan José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, July 23, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 144 | |||||||
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| Most airlines stop flights to Ben Gurion Airport By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA, is prohibiting U.S. airlines from flying to Israel's international airport in Tel Aviv for 24 hours, after a rocket fired by Hamas militants in Gaza landed nearby, damaging a house and slightly injuring one Israeli. European airlines quickly canceled their flights as well. Delta, US Airways and United Airlines had already called off their flights Tuesday after hearing about the rocket that landed about 1.6 kilometers from Ben Gurion Airport. The United States at first said it had not issued any restrictions, but then the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the ban and said it would continue to monitor the situation. Delta said in a statement that it has suspended operations until further notice to and from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and its hub at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. The Atlanta-based carrier said it was doing so in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration "to ensure the safety of our customers and employees." Delta diverted one of its New York-to-Tel Aviv flights to Paris after hearing of the attack. U.S. Airways, which flies from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Tel Aviv, called off its Tuesday flight, while United Airlines indefinitely canceled its flights from Newark, New Jersey, to Tel Aviv. Dutch national carrier KLM canceled its flight from Amsterdam, while Air France and Germany's Lufthansa also called off their flights to Tel Aviv. The announcement comes as officials meeting at the International Air Transport Association in Berlin said governments should take the lead on reviewing how risk assessments for airspace are made. The issue of flying over conflict zones is in focus after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine on Thursday. Two U.S. citizens chose to join and fight as Israelis By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Among Israel's casualties in the Gaza Strip this week: two soldiers born and raised in the United States. The two men, 24-year-old Max Steinberg of California and 21-year-old Nissim Sean Carmeli from Texas, were so-called lone soldiers, members of the Israel Defense Forces who do not have family in Israel to support them. In a country where military service is mandatory for most citizens, those who join voluntarily stand out from the crowd. The Lone Soldier Center, an Israeli non-profit that provides a support system for such fighters, says there are more than 5,700 lone soldiers serving in the defense force. The center says nearly half are Jews who come from around the world to join, while another 50 percent are Israeli orphans or Israelis from low socio-economic backgrounds. Others are Israelis shunned by their ultra-Orthodox families and communities for going into the army. Many lone soldiers who come from abroad describe feeling a connection to the country of their roots and view serving Israel as a calling. More foreign lone soldiers come from the United States than any other country. Southern California native Steinberg joined the Israeli Defense Forces just six months after visiting Israel for the first time with the popular youth program known as Birthright in 2012. Steinberg's father said his son was completely dedicated and committed to serving Israel and was clear in what the mission was. Steinberg and fellow American Sean Carmeli were among 13 Israeli soldiers and dozens of Palestinians who died Sunday during the first major ground battle in Gaza in two weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Both were dual American-Israeli citizens and members of the elite Golani Brigade. Carmeli, who grew up in Texas, was born to Israeli parents and moved to Israel with his family when he was a teenager. His parents returned to Texas for work, and Carmeli could have gone back with them and sought the deferment of military service that is available to children born abroad to Israeli parents, but he chose instead to stay and enlist. As many as 20,000 people attended Carmeli's funeral in the northern Israeli port town of Haifa, after his favorite soccer team posted a call on Facebook for Israelis to go so he would not be alone. European politicians rap waves of rising anti-semitism By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The foreign ministers of France, Germany and Italy denounced Tuesday rising anti-Semitism in their countries, where thousands have protested in recent days against Israel's strikes in Gaza. The fallout has been significant in France, which is home to Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish communities. Like elsewhere in Europe, French have taken to the streets in recent days to demonstrate against Israel's deadly offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 600 people. Most of the demonstrations have been largely peaceful, but in the Paris area, where protesters defied government bans against the rallies, they have taken a violent turn. Youths have attacked synagogues and Jewish businesses. Roger Cukierman, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, said French Jews are anguished and fearful. "We have had eight synagogues attacked, we have had shops being aggressed, mezuzot being torn out. We have heard crowds shouting death to the Jews, not death to Israel, although they pretend to demonstrate in favor of Hamas and Palestinians and against the state of Israel," said Cukierman. The mezuzot is a small religious scroll usually affixed to a door jam. French political and religious authorities have strongly denounced the violence. France hosts about half a million Jews and 5 million Muslims. The majority of both communities have roots in North Africa, so violence in the Middle East resonates strongly here. Late Monday, religious leaders gathered for an interfaith service in the Paris suburb of Sarcelles, a day after vandals attacked Jewish businesses and a synagogue there. French Council of the Muslim Faith head Dalil Boubakeur, who attended the ceremony, said the vast majority of French Muslims are not anti-Semitic. How could they be, he told French radio, when they themselves are battling racism? Beyond events in the Middle East, France remains haunted by its World War II past. The Vichy regime of occupied France deported thousands of Jews to Nazi concentration camps. Just a few days ago, the country marked the so-called raid of Vel d'Hiv when more than 8,000 French Jews were rounded up around Paris in 1942 and deported. France's leftist government has called for zero tolerance against anti-Semitism. Attending a Vel d'Hiv ceremony in Paris, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the entire country must take up the fight against anti-Semitism. But recent government bans against the Gaza protests have backfired. The protests took place anyway. So did the violence. More demonstrations are expected this week, and the Jewish community and French authorities are bracing for more violence. Britain will investigate murder of ex-Russian spy By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Britain said it would launch a formal inquiry into the death seven years ago of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, but they said it has nothing to do with suspected Russian involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine last week. Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said there is no link whatsoever between flight MH17 and Tuesday's announcement. Litvinenko was a former Russian spy who died after drinking radioactive polonium-210 in his tea at a London hotel in 2006. The British investigated Litvinenko's death at the time, without deciding whether the Russian state itself might have been to blame for the murder. Litvinenko broke ranks with his government and on his deathbed accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his murder. The decision to launch a formal inquiry represents a major turnaround for the British government. It had previously resisted a formal inquiry on the grounds that it did not want to make public sensitive intelligence information. The inquiry will begin July 31 and is expected to last until the end of 2015. 3-D representations are next for users of social media By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Imagine two dimensional photos and social media avatars being replaced by 3-dimensional representations of the actual user. According to Ari Shapiro, a research scientist at University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies, that technology is just around the corner. “For me it is exciting to see what we now have," he said, describing a low-cost technology that may revolutionize social media. "Soon a lot of people will have the capability to model themselves very, very quickly for almost no cost.” Demonstrating how the 3D avatar technology works at the school's Mixed Reality Lab open house, Shapiro gives attendee Jason Suh a quick body scan. Within minutes, Suh sees an avatar of himself moving around on a computer monitor. “It was insane. Within a minute or so, they’ve got a copy of me, a 3D model of me, had me jumping and running," Suh said. "Since it’s an avatar of yourself, you can use it on like Facebook or something and personalize yourself — have a 3D model of yourself rather than just a profile picture.” According to researchers, users will need the appropriate software, a computer and a scanner such as the Microsoft Kinect to get a 360-degree body scan to create the avatar. Since the process takes only a few minutes, users can change the look of the avatar every day. The technology captures the person’s clothes, hair style and accessories such as glasses or a purse. The computer software then uses a variety of stored animations to make the avatar come to life. Shapiro says 3D avatars can change the social media experience and make people feel more connected. “So if you can imagine having a Facebook page where you have not only ... some information but your virtual character speaking the information, or some sort of social application where you and your friends and your family are shown as these avatars," Shapiro said. "So we believe that there’s a very interesting psychological effect that’s going to happen when people start seeing themselves and families and friends inside these simulations. We think it’ll be very powerful.” While three-dimensional avatars created for Hollywood movies can cost millions of dollars, Shapiro says this type of avatar is much cheaper. “We expect it’s going to be on the order of $10, $50, maybe $100 tops for a piece of software that can capture you and simulate you.” Of course, there is a trade-off for the low price tag. For the moment, these avatars are missing some fine details such as dimples and the creasing of the eyes. But Shapiro says as sensor technology improves, so will the quality. He is currently working on capturing the subtleties of movement and behavior — how a person walks, moves and socializes — in order to create 3-D avatars with personality. Details are expected today on another cyber fraud case By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
eBay Inc.'s StubHub online ticket resale service said it was the victim of a massive international cyber fraud ring, the details of which authorities plan to disclose today as they announce arrests in the case. Cyber thieves got into more than 1,000 StubHub customers' accounts and fraudulently bought tickets for events through the online ticket reseller, a law enforcement official and the company said Tuesday. StubHub's head of global communications, Glenn Lehrman, said late on Tuesday that his firm has been working with law enforcement around the world for the last year on the case. Lehrman said he could not say how much money was involved or how many people were being charged ahead of announcements planned by authorities in several countries today. StubHub, which is based in San Francisco, said that the thieves got account-holders' login and password information from data breaches at other Web sites and retailers or from key-loggers or other malware on the customers' computers, Lehrman said. “We did not have anyone who hacked into our system,” Lehrman said. The company detected the unauthorized transactions last year, contacted authorities and gave the affected customers refunds and help changing their passwords, he said. It's unclear whether the digital prowlers then exploited their access to scoop up more information from the compromised accounts. The company and the law enforcement official wouldn't give further details Tuesday. Lehrman said the schemes involved a pretty intense network of cyber fraudsters working in concert with each other. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance will announce details about the arrests along with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the City of London Police and the U.S. Secret Service, according to a release from Vance's office Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the District Attorney's office declined to elaborate. The case comes amid growing concern about data thieves are targeting retailers and other consumer giants. In the last year, major companies such as Target, LinkedIn, eBay and Neiman Marcus have been hacked. Target, the nation's second-largest discounter, acknowledged in December that data connected to about 40 million credit and debit card accounts was stolen as part of a breach that began over the Thanksgiving weekend. Even Goodwill Industries Inc. found itself announcing last month that shoppers' payment card data might have been stolen. Care of sex workers called vital to eliminate AIDS By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A new series in the medical journal The Lancet says achieving an AIDS-free generation will not be possible unless the human rights of sex workers are recognized. Researchers say sex workers face violence and discrimination and are not able to access the care, treatment and prevention measures they need. The Lancet articles say people who sell sex – whether in high or low income countries -- “face a disproportionate risk and burden of HIV.” These include women, men and transgenders. Much of the problem, the authors said, has to do with repressive and discriminatory law, policy and practice. The series was presented at the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia. Linda-Gail Bekker is one of the authors. She’s a professor of medicine and deputy director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Center at the University of Cape Town. She said, “Sex is something that all of us need to do as human beings. We’re designed this way. This is what we’re about. And if this is the way HIV is transmitted then we need to just kind of face that -- and address that in such a way that people can continue to live their lives in ways that are sustainable, but we can protect them at the same time.” She said those in the profession prefer the term sex worker rather than prostitute. “The community is wanting to think of themselves as doing regular work. And I think that’s in an effort to be recognized as individuals, who have dignity and are making a living. And work towards decriminalization of the profession.” Professor Bekker said that sex workers are a marginalized community. “There is huge stigma and discrimination that goes with that. And as a result people find themselves on the fringe of communities – on the fringe of humanity.” Their activities are driven underground. She said they often do not have access to condoms, lubricants, HIV testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. “As a result,” she said, “they become incredibly at risk for HIV acquisition. This virus is a non-discriminator of human beings and it preys upon vulnerable individuals.” Much of the violence sex workers face comes from police. The very people, Bekker said, who are supposed to protect. She says sex workers often face stigma and discrimination when they go to health clinics. “What I say as a public health individual is that I’m not here to decide on what people should or shouldn’t be doing. What I need to do is use the tools at my disposal to make sure that individuals are protected from viruses, particularly when I’ve got the tools to enable that,” she said. Those tools now include PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis, whereby antiretroviral drugs are taken to prevent initial HIV infection. Also, new microbicides, or vaginal gels, are being developed that contain HIV blocking drugs. Bekker said that the old ABC approach is no longer good enough. “I don’t know what planet we were on when we thought this was going to be as simple as telling people to abstain. You know, hello. Be faithful or simply condomize. Now, condoms are great. But it’s clear that that’s a hard thing for people to do year in and year out.” She said a successful HIV prevention and treatment program must include community mobilization that has input from sex workers. Such programs have been effective in Thailand and India. Professor Bekker said they should include peer education and voluntary counseling and testing. The Lancet series calls prevention programs for sex workers an urgent international priority backed-up by appropriate levels of funding from international and national health programs. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, July 23, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 144 | |||||||||
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Trial
starting for Caracas protest leader
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
As jailed Venezuelan opposition member Leopoldo López prepares to go on trial today in Caracas for his role in protests earlier this year, his wife appealed to the international community for his release. Speaking Monday at the National Press Club in Washington, Lilian Tintori said the case against López, who has been detained since February, needs outside pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been repeatedly accused of human rights violations against his opponents. "Leopoldo López represents a nation-wide sentiment in Venezuela. There are millions of us who want a change," said Ms. Tintori. "We want to make Leopoldo's case known everywhere in the world. And from here to demand that Maduro free Leopoldo." López, 43, founder of opposition party Popular Will, is charged with public incitement, property damage and criminal conspiracy following opposition-led protests that turned deadly when state forces violently clashed with demonstrators, killing dozens of people. He could face a decade in prison if convicted. López's human rights attorney, Jared Genser, also spoke in Washington, calling the trial a joke. "Given the lack of judicial independence and the weight of political pressure being placed on judges and in this case, yet another temporary judge who isn't even permanently appointed to the position, we have no confidence that Leopoldo will receive a fair hearing," said Genser. A warrant for López's arrest was issued in February. Shortly after he surrendered to Venezuelan authorities, Amnesty International came to the defense of the U.S.-educated former mayor of a Caracas municipality. A statement from the human rights organization said the charges against López "smack of a politically motivated attempt to silence dissent in the country." In an interview in Caracas, López's attorney said the trial could take months. His legal team is going by the books, Ms. Tintori said, but that isn't enough in Venezuela right now. "We believe everything should be done according to due process, and that is what we've been doing. But we're facing, as you know, justice that is unjust in Venezuela," said Ms. Tintori. Late Monday, Ms. Tintori announced that her husband had been released from isolation after two months of what she called extreme psychological torture in which he had been denied visitors. The youngest of the couple's two children learned to walk in his father's cell before jail officials limited his family's access, Ms. Tintori said. "I promise my son Leopoldo Santiago that he's going to walk alongside his dad, and he's going to see Venezuela transform," she said. |
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| From Page 7; Bacardi says new service center to open Sept.1 By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Bacardi & Co., Ltda., announced Tuesday that it will be hiring numerous positions for it's new service center in Escazú. These jobs will primarily center around financial and technical service for the Cuban business that has become the biggest private spirits company in the world. "There are big opportunities for the base of highly qualified professionals in Costa Rica who want to unite themselves with a business that has a legacy of more than 150 years of passion and excellence," said Kevin McNamara, who is vice president of Bacardi. Interviews are now taking place for all vacancies in anticipation of the service center's grand opening Sept. 1. Open positions include those in accounting, finances, and supervision. "Again we have successfully managed to attract investments from an important company thanks to the specialized talent of Costa Ricans," said Minister of Comercio Exterior Alexander Mora. "This announcement reaffirms the important growth of the service sector in Costa Rica." Mora said the sector now employs more than 46,000 Costa Ricans. "The Bacardi service center is a great example of how the country is in good position for additional value operations from multinational corporate leaders," said Gabriela Llobet, director of the Coalición Costarricense de Iniciativas de Desarrollo. |
