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 Víctor Hugo Díaz Briceño Diego Cruz Brenes Two men on
anti-drug patrol
die when launch overturns By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Two coast guard officers died Tuesday night when their boat overturned and dumped them into the sea. Two others on the boat survived. The mishap took place off Playa Palo Seco near Quepos. The men were on an anti-drug patrol, according to the Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública. The senior officer was identified as Víctor Hugo Díaz Briceño, an inspector in the Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas. He was 39 and had worked 15 years with the agency, said officials. He lived in Puntarenas with his wife and daughter. The second victim was Diego Cruz Brenes, 22, who has been with the agency 18 months. He lived in Cartago and held the rank of agent. The 30-foot launch, the "La Diana," is believed to have overturned due to a large wave, said the ministry. That was about 7 p.m. Tuesday. Two other officers managed to swim to shore and contact their command, which dispatched four patrol boats. The current was reported as being strong. Officers found the body of Díaz about 3 a.m., and they located the body of Cruz about 9 a.m. near Isla Damas, said the Judicial Investigating Organization.  Judicial Investigating Organization photo
Interior shot of hidden section
in truck bedAgents detain
truck driver
and find hidden 78 kilos By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Anti-drug agents of the Judicial Investigating Organization followed up on a confidential tip early Wednesday and managed to stop a small truck that had a double bed. In the lower section agents said they found 78 kilos (about 172 pounds) of suspected cocaine. The arrest of the 39-year-old driver was in San José de Upala near the border with Nicaragua. There is access to Nicaragua in the northern zone and the border is not as well guarded as the Peñas Blancas frontier post where agents use high tech to scan trucks. Remote tribe in Bolivia confounds health vertities By
the University of Southern California news service
Heart attacks and strokes — the leading causes of death in the United States and other developed countries — may have been rare for the vast majority of human history, suggests a study published this week in the scientific journal PLoS ONE. “Understanding how physiological systems respond in populations helps us better understand conditions in countries like the United States at the beginning of the 20th century,” said senior author Eileen Crimmins of the University of Southern California Davis School of Gerontology. “This also offers some insight into the worlds we evolved in.” Professor Crimmins, lead author Michael Gurven of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an international team of scientists looked at a remote Amazonian tribe in Bolivia known as the Tsimane. They measured various predictors of heart disease such as hypertension, obesity, diet and smoking habits. The Tsimane grow and harvest their own tobacco. “The Tsimane were chosen because they still live a relatively traditional lifestyle: fishing, hunting, engaged in horticulture, gathering, living in extended family clusters and without much access to modern amenities,” Gurven explained. “There are other groups with similar lifestyles, but often those groups have very small population numbers. The Tsimane population is large enough — about 9,000 — that we can study almost all of the adults over age 40.” With only limited access to medical services, half of the documented deaths among the Tsimane are due to infectious or parasitic disease. About two-thirds of the population has intestinal worms, the researchers found. “We looked at a lot of populations in both developed and developing countries, in urban and rural settings, but none live in the relatively isolated and infected conditions of the Tsimane,” the researchers wrote. Chronic inflammation, which may lead to damage of the arteries, is prevalent among the Tsimane. According to the study, the Tsimane also have unusually high levels of C-reactive protein, increasingly used in clinical settings to evaluate risk for cardiovascular disease. Yet, despite these risk factors for heart attacks, the researchers found that the high levels of C-reactive protein were unrelated to risk of peripheral arterial disease, the hardening of plaque in the arteries. In fact, peripheral arterial disease “increases with age in every investigated population except the Tsimane,” according to the study. Among the Tsimane, not a single adult showed evidence for peripheral arterial disease when measured using the ankle-brachial blood pressure index. “Neither demographic interviews nor the past seven years of working with the Tsimane has turned up many overt cases of people dying from heart attacks,” Gurven said. “The Tsimane data tell us that inflammation alone may not be destructive in terms of its effects on long-term health. However, that might only be true in the context of an active lifestyle, lean diet and possibly with a history of parasitism.” The researchers noted that the Tsimane may have a distinct genetic expression compared to people in developed countries. Specifically, there is overexpression of the human leukocyte antigen, which has been linked in cell studies to plaque erosion. “We observed low levels of atherosclerosis and associated cardiovascular disease among Tsimane, suggesting that these conditions may have been rare throughout pre-industrial human history,” Crimmins said. “We may not be built for the world we live in. The Tsimane are perhaps a better model for the world we are built for.” Researchers don’t know for sure that as younger people today get older that arterial disease won’t increase, Gurven said. “More heart disease may be on the horizon if lifestyles change rapidly.” La Fortuna area finds pr bonanza in TV's 'Lost' By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Five persons, four Colombians and a Brazilian, are in Costa Rica as winners of a contest sponsored in part by the Instituto Costarricence de Turismo. The contest revolves around the television series "Lost," and one of their hosts here is Jorge Garcia, a star of the show. He plays Hugo. The five participated in a contest run by the network AXN and were awarded with four days and three nights in the La Fortuna area. The contest participants had to submit a video related to the show, and viewers voted. Tourism officials said they are thrilled that the La Fortuna area and the Arenal volcano will be featured on a television program about the winners. Two detained in truck heist By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Three men pulled over a delivery truck last February by using a police-type red light. They identified themselves as Judicial police agents shortly before they stuck up the driver. The fake investigators got away with 40 million colons worth of computers. That was about $70,000 at the time. They also took the truck that was found empty later. Last week real Judicial Investigating Organization agents located two principal suspects walking on a Heredia street. They are Pavas residents 25 and 34, agents said. They were identified by the driver, agents said.
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Amnet quietly
cuts its service to part of the city's downtown
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Cable television and Internet customers of Amnet in part of downtown San José are mystified because they have been without service for six days. A bar owner said that he visited Amnet offices in Sabana Sur Wednesday and that clerks there refunded the money he had paid in advance for service. He said he is exploring satellite television service for his bar and wireless service with Radiográfica Costarricense S.A. for his Internet access. The affected area seems to be between avenidas 5 and 11 and west of calle 9 and east at least to Calle 0. Amnet has a concession to provide cable television and Internet access in a large part of San José. But it appears that the company is going to surrender its concession. That was what the company threatened last November when messengers hand delivered notes to customers saying that the company would suspend service in San José because it was being forced to put its lines underground. Several weeks later the company had changed its position and said it would put all its lines underground by the end of this year. Then Amnet applied and got approval to offer full Internet service. Until now the Amnet cable simply has been a conduit to the computers of Radiográfica Costarricense S.A, known as RACSA. Amnet has not made any public statements about its proposed Internet service, but RACSA has sent notes saying that the company did not want to lose customers to Amnet. RACSA promised to take up the slack from Amnet in some unspecified way, perhaps by renting Amnet cables. |
The underground lines are part of
the San José beautification program. The state-owned
Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz already has installed its lines underground. The job was finished in 2005. Still Amnet cables as well as telephone lines are strung on the electric company poles. In December a reporter interviewed workmen who were putting conduits for Amnet cables underground in another section of San José. A job site supervisor cited bitter negotiations between Amnet and Fuerza y Luz. Despite the cable problems five blocks away, an Amnet sales rep made an agreement for television and Internet service at a location further east on Avenida 11 last week. The lines were installed and are active. The bar owner said he was told that Amnet clerks had no idea when or if he would again be provided service. He is looking to put satellite television in the bar and contract with either the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad. known as ICE, or RACSA for Internet service. ICE has a service that runs through existing telephone lines. RACSA has wireless hookups available. However, the bar owner said that RACSA officials were surprised when he told them about the downtown outage. Amnet seldom comments to reporters. Efforts to contact anyone in authority were unsuccessful Wednesday. Even lines to technical support have been rerouted to a pleasant voice continually promising contact. Some Internet users in the area are considering filing complaints with the Authoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos and the new Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones. |
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Arias may be
sick, but he still is getting e-mail messages
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Anyone who wants to wish the ailing president well now has a special e-mail address with which to do so. Casa Presidencial activated holapresidente@casapres.go.cr Wednesday. Officials said they did so at the request of a number of individuals who wanted to send their regards to the president. The president, Óscar Arias Sánchez, is confined until |
Monday at his Rohrmoser home
because he has the swine flu. Officials said in the afternoon that
Arias was remaining stable. He
suffers from asthma. His aides said he had a good night, rested and
continued to follow the prescribed treatment to the letter. Arias
remains in contact with his staff, they said. Casa Presidencial said that officials there were pleased with the recent passage of a new immigration law. The president's illness likely will delay his approval of the measure by at least a week. |
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Central bank
kicks off its program for a digital signature
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Rica is adopting private-public key technology to serve as a digital signature. Instead of the cryptography being part of a computer's software, the private key of the user will be contained on a piece of plastic very much like a driver's license or credit card. The digital signature will be used to verify the identity of persons sending documents via e-mail. There also are plans to have banks adopt the system to reduce Internet fraud. In addition to inserting the digital signature card and its internal chip in a small computer device, a bank customer would have to type in a personal identification number. Costa Rica chose to create its own digital signature system instead of adopting the computer certificates or private-public key software that is easily available. Rodrigo Arias Sánchez, the brother of the ailing president, received the first such card at a ceremony Wednesday at the Banco Central de Costa Rica. All digital signature users will have to go to a bank or other secure outlet to apply for the card. The digital signature would be more secure than some of the current methods to access banking accounts online because it would be generated by the private key within the digital signature card. Recipients would be able to decode the signature with a public key, but they could not duplicate it. |
Still unclear is if a thief could
use the card. Many robberies take
place today when bandits take a victim to an automatic teller and force
him or her to use a debit card and type in a personal identification
number. The digital signature would seem to be vulnerable to the same
problems. The digital signature system has been three years in the making. More time will be needed to provide the appropriate software and training to banking and other outlets, officials said. Information in Spanish is available at the digital signature Web site. There are a number of certificates of varying degrees of security available on the Internet. The public-private key technology became widely known because it was part of the Pretty Good Privacy program that became available for free in the 1990s. The U.S. government cracked down on the inventor, Phil Zimmermann, because the system resisted law enforcement efforts to crack the code. They claimed he was exporting munitions. The Costa Rican system will come in handy for lawyers and notaries who do not want to go to the Registro Nacional or other agencies because the digital signature will have the same weight as one done with pen and ink. Lawyers and notaries outside the Central Valley will be able to transmit their documents by Internet instead of messenger. |
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Expat who died
in car-bus crash was a retired U.S. soldier
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A 65-year-old North American who died in a car crash Aug. 4 had been living here in Costa Rica for two years, according to his wife. The man is Richard Schonder, a former resident of Florida, according to the wife, Jessica Orozco López. Schonder's passenger car collided headon with a bus in |
Heredia west of the Cleto
González Víquez school. He died a few minutes before 4
p.m. Schonder was driving the wrong way and without a safety belt, said the Fuerza Pública. The driver of the bus has the last names Ulate Solís and was uninjured. Schonder lived in Residencial Santa Lucía in the north of Heredia. He was retired from the U.S. Army, said his wife in a telephone interview. |
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| Curfew
restored in
Honduras after violent demonstration By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
and local reports The interim government of Honduras has reinstated a nighttime curfew in Tegucigalpa, after thousands of protesters marched on the capital city, burned a bus and destroyed a business. The daily newspaper La Prensa said today that police arrested 43 of the 3,000 demonstrators. The protesters massed Tuesday as the Organization of American States reaffirmed plans to send a group of foreign ministers to work on restoring the elected government. The demonstrators demand the return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, who was forced out of the country in June. Opponents of Zelaya claim the protests are being financed by the governments of Nicaragua and Venezuela. The demonstration was old news today in the country because its national soccer team beat that of Costa Rica 4-0 and moved into second place in World Cup preliminary rankings. The interim Honduran government says it will allow Organization of American States crisis negotiators to visit, as long as Secretary General José Miguel Insulza attends only as an observer. President Roberto Micheletti's government had originally said it would bar Insulza. Insulza had been scheduled to arrive in Honduras Tuesday with several foreign ministers to press for Zelaya's reinstatement. That trip is now expected to take place next week. The Micheletti government has so far refused any proposal that would allow Mr. Zelaya's return, accusing him of trying to unlawfully extend his term in office. Costa Rica's President, Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias had been mediating talks between the two sides, but he is now quarantined in his home, suffering from swine flu. U.S. President Barack Obama has called Zelaya's ouster a coup and says constitutional and democratic order must be restored "for the sake of the Honduran people." He says the United States, Canada and Mexico are united on the issue. South American leaders attending a summit in Ecuador also said they would not recognize the authority of Honduras' interim government. TV host investigated for role in murders to boost ratings By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The host of a television crime show in Brazil is under investigation for allegedly ordering killings to boost the popularity of his show. Wallace Souza is a state lawmaker who hosted Canal Livre which aired in Manaus, in the Amazon region. Police say he is suspected of trafficking in drugs and commissioning at least five murders aimed at simultaneously boosting his show's ratings and killing off his competition in the drug trade. Authorities say their investigations show either Souza or his son would order the killings and then contact news crews to tell them where to find the victims. The news crews often arrived at the crime scene before police. Souza would then show the pictures on his program, proclaiming the area of Manaus was "awash in violent crime." Souza's attorney says the allegations are politically motivated. So far, no formal charges have been filed. The show became very popular before it was taken off the air last year when police intensified their investigation. Souza's son has already been arrested on charges of murder, drug trafficking and involvement with organized crime. |
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| Latin
American news digest |
Federal Reserve says
crisis is beginning to ease By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. central bank policymakers say they will start rolling back a government program to stabilize the economy, noting that the recession is easing. The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will slow plans to buy $300 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds. The program was aimed at lowering consumer interest rates. The bank also said it will keep a key short-term interest rate near zero for an extended period of time to encourage lending by banks. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday that the federal deficit has risen to $1.27 trillion. The Obama administration has predicted that when the fiscal year ends Sept. 30, the imbalance will total $1.84 trillion. Government spending to address the recession and stabilize the U.S. financial system have pushed the deficit higher. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have also been major factors in the government spending more money than it is taking in. Soldier held as killer for Mexican drug cartel By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A U.S. soldier has been arrested and is facing murder charges for allegedly being the trigger man in the shooting death of a Mexican drug cartel member who was an informant for the United States. Police say 18-year-old Michael Jackson Apodaca was arrested Tuesday in El Paso, in the southern state of Texas. Apodaca, a soldier at Fort Bliss, is charged with the murder of José Daniel González Galeana. González was a mid-level member of Mexico's powerful Juarez drug cartel, but was also working as a U.S. government informant. He was shot eight times outside his home in May. Also in custody is Christopher Duran, who is believed to have driven the getaway vehicle, and Ruben Rodríguez Dorado, who is also an informant and is accused of contracting the murder for hire. A fourth suspect, Jesús Aguayo Salas is still being sought in the murder. |
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