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| A.M. Costa Rica Second newspage |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 8 | |||||||||
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Shoe clerk skimmed data, credit card probers say By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Investigators say that a shoe store clerk copied the data from customers' credit cards and then used the information to steal millions of colons. The case led to the arrest of three persons Wednesday after an investigation in which Banco Uno and Credomatic, the credit card company, participated. Agents said that at least 15 persons have been victimized and the amount might be as much as 15 million colons, some $29,000. Arrested at her Escazú home in a police raid was a Colombian woman with the last name of Ampie. She is 38 years old, Judicial Investigating Organization agents said. In an Alajuela store agents detained a 26-year-old cashier identified by the last names of Bermúdez Córdoba. They said the woman recently had been transferred to the Alajuela location after working at the Penny Lane store in Multiplaza in Escazú where the crimes are alleged to have taken place. Agents said that a small electronic device known as a skimmer was used to quickly copy electronic data stored in magnetic tapes on credit cards. With such information thieves can run up bills by creating duplicate credit cards. In Escazú agents also detained a man found in the Ampie household for investigation although they are not sure if he was involved. Trade treaty proposed with Costa Rica and Taiwan By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The president of Taiwan suggested Wednesday that his country and Costa Rica enter into a free trade treaty. The president is Chen Shui-Ban, and he made the proposal to Óscar Arias Sánchez while both he and the Costa Rican president were in Managua for the inauguration of a new president, according to Casa Presidencial. Taiwan and Nicaragua entered into such a treaty in November. Arias said he was pleased by the invitation, said Casa Presidencial. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica third newspage |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 8 | |||||||||
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 A.M. Costa Rica/Arnoldo Cob Mora
Workman dismember an elderly tree that damaged two vehicles
including
the one in the inset above |
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| Strong winds from the north were just too much for a tired,
old higuerón tree |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
After enduring years of strong January winds, a higuerón or fig tree near Hospital Calderón Guardia just could not take it any more. The giant tree fell to the street and sidewalk and smashed up two vehicle. Closer examination showed that most of the roots holding the tree to the soil had rotted away. This was about 7 a.m. Wednesday, and the incident in which no one was hurt, disrupted traffic for a time until workers with chainsaws turned the tree into firewood. |
Meanwhile, the weather experts say
the strong winds will be around for
three more days. Gusts have been clocked at 65 kph or about 40 mph. Pablo Salazar of the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional said that the current wind is caused by a cold front that now is north of Cuba. There also is a high pressure area in the Gulf of México. The winds are caused by air rushing from high pressure to low pressure. Although the front will not actually enter Costa Rica, intense effects will continue mostly in the north Pacific and the Central Valley, Salazar said. |
| Acción
Ciudadana again calls for renegotiation of free trade treaty with U.S. |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Partido Acción Ciudadana continued to insist Wednesday that the free trade treaty with the United States be renegotiated. Elizabeth Fonseca, the head of the party's bloc in the Asamblea Legislativa, said that the treaty should be withdrawn from the lawmakers' agenda with an eye towards renegotiation. She made the comments as she presented a lengthy minority report on the treaty. Members of Acción Ciudadana participated in extensive hearings on the treaty and voted against sending the measure to the full assembly. They were in the minority, however, and the assembly is expected to begin discussing the treaty this month. The goal of the ruling coalition is ratification. The Acción Ciudadana report will be published in the La Gaceta official newspaper, and it is expected to represent |
the basis for the party's arguments
against the treaty in the assembly. U.S. officials have said repeatedly that there is no chance that the free trade treaty will be renegotiated and noted that the existing treaty passed the U.S. Congress by one vote. Ottón Solís was the party's standard bearer in the February presidential election. He lost a close race to treaty proponent Óscar Arias Sánchez, but his party picked up 17 seats in the 57-member unicameral legislature. Solís and his party are identified with socialism and state ownership whereas the treaty would open up telecommunications and some other areas to private competition. Ms. Fonseca said that the minority report reflected her party's vision of the future of Costa Rica. The legislative leadership has said that only a majority is required to ratify the treaty, but other legal authorities say that 38 votes, two thirds of the entire house, are necessary. |
| Police
units converge to increase resident and visitor security at Fiestas
Palmares |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Police presence is being increased significantly for the Fiestas Palmares during the next 11 days, reported the Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública. The ministry said that hundreds of officers will be present in strategic areas to try and stem criminal activity and increase visitor security. Fiesta Palmares is an annual event featuring bulls fights, concerts, soccer tournaments, carnivals, rodeos, a horse parade, and many other attractions for the thousands of people that are expected to attend. |
The team of officers is a
combination of more than six police forces,
including the Fuerza Pública, airport police, a dog unit, police
school
representatives, a weapons and explosives unit, and others, said a
governement report. Rafael Ángel Gutiérrez, vice-minister of Seguridad, said that he would like to guarantee the safety of not only visitors but also residents of the area. He added that the increase of police presence in Palmares will not take away from the security in the rest of the Alajuela province. There are generally two to three shows per day and a full list of events is available on a Web site at http://fiestaspalmares.net/es/index |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 8 | |||||||||
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| Daniel
Ortega takes office in Nicaragua with help from 'Brother' Chavez |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Daniel Ortega Saavedra took the reins of Nicaragua Wednesday amid big embraces with Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president, and Evo Morales, the Bolivian leader. Ortega referred to the left-wing Chávez as a brother. Among the guests was Arnoldo Alemán, the former president sentenced to 20 years house arrest for money laundering and corruption. Members of the Frente Sandinista Liberación Nacional and other supporters turned out later in a massive crowd to hear Ortega speak at the Plaza de la Fe, Juan Pablo II. Ortega trashed neo-liberalism and promised a new road. Neo-liberalism is a term for capitalism. Chávez delayed Ortega's inauguration by an hour because he was late. Some 2,000 persons attended the transfer of power, including 16 heads of state. Among them was Óscar Arias Sánchez of Costa Rica. |
Earlier in a luncheon Arias said
that prosperity in Nicaragua is vital
to Costa Rica where some 600,000 Nicaraguans live. Chávez, a close friend of Fidel Castro of Cuba just announced that he would nationalize major telecommunications and other industries in his country. He is promising a socialism for the 21st century. And he wants a constitutional change so he can rule by decree. Patria, socialismo o muerte shouted Chávez from the platform where Ortega delivered his later speech, meaning "country, socialism or death." Morales shouted that the imperialism of North America should die. Although Ortega has seemed to be receptive to foreign investment and says he has changed his political thinking since he led Nicaragua during the 1980s Contra wars promoted by the United States, U.S. officials are still leery. Chávez has promised significant financial aid to Nicaragua, including funds to build 200,000 houses. |
| Going around in new ovals Highway workers are creating an oval where the San Sebastián traffic circle used to be on the Circumvalación on south San José. The bigger route for the vehicles will allow space for construction of a $3 million tunnel that is expected to be finished by October and reduce traffic congestion. |
 A.M. Costa Rica/José Pablo
Ramírez Vindas
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| World
economic report predicts slower growth due to U.S. housing market |
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Special to A.M. Costa Rica
The world economy is expected to slow this year after three consecutive years of historically high growth, according to a new United Nations report issued Wednesday. A weakening housing market in the United States — the world’s largest economy — is a major factor in the slowdown, the report says. Despite this however, the "World Economic Situation and Prospects 2007" report highlights that growth in developing countries is “expected to remain robust . . . albeit with a mild moderation,” noting that last year East Asian economies continued to lead economic growth in the developing world and the likelihood is that growth will remain strong. “Stepping back from the all-time high growth in world gross product of 4 percent reached in 2005 and the estimated 3.8 per cent growth for 2006, global growth is expected to slacken at a pace of 3.2 per cent in 2007,” the |
report says, adding: “A weakening housing market in the United States is a major factor into the global slowdown. The cooling of the housing boom is expected to depress consumer demand and slow the growth of the U.S. economy.” While the report, which is produced annually, assumes a mild adjustment in the housing markets, and hence a moderate slowdown in the economy. The report also offers a more pessimistic scenario in which U.S. economic growth would be less than 1 per cent, causing, in turn, a reduction in global growth by more than 1 percentage point. “In addition, a collapse of house prices in major economies would provoke a crisis in the mortgage markets and set in motion a deflationary adjustment in the global imbalances, enhancing the risk of a major upheaval in financial markets,” it warns. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 8 | ||||||
| Top
scorer Wanchope is off to play with Japanese team |
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By José Pablo Ramírez Vindas
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Paulo César Wanchope, the newest member of F.C. Tokyo, picked up his visa at the Embassy of Japan Wednesday. Wanchope is expected to leave Friday for Japan. Yoshihiko Sumi, the Japanese ambassador, greeted Wanchope and his wife, Brenda Carballo. Wanchope, who is the highest scoring player of the Costa Rican national fútbol team, announced over the holidays that he had signed a two-year contract with the Japanese club. He had played with the Argentine club Rosario Central. F.C. Tokyo is in the first division of professional play in Japan. It is one of 18 teams that will play in the 2007 season. The club, which only entered the league in 1999, finished 13th last year, but it has heavy investments from major corporations that are helping it rebuild. It is coached by Brazilian Alexander Tadeu Gallo. Wanchope, 30, has scored 45 goals in 68 international matches. and is the only Costa Rican to score two goals in World Cup Play. |
 A.M. Costa Rica/José Pablo
Ramírez Vindas
Paulo César Wanchope is congratulated by Japanese
Ambassador Yoshihiko Sumi. |
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