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A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
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José, Costa Rica, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 21
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States approved perhaps as many as 27 declarations before delegations headed home Thursday. Most catered to the individual issues facings countries that attended. For example, the summit assembly rejected the use of what it called coercive methods against Venezuela. In December U.S. President Barack Obama signed sanctions against Venezuelan government officials who violated the right of protesters. The action, which was approved by the U.S. Congress, denies U.S. visas and freezes assets held in the United States. The summit also backed Argentina in its effort to restructure its debt without having to pay the full amount to primarily hedge fund operators who demand full payment of $1.33 billion. The hedge fund claims have been upheld in the U.S. judicial system. The declaration denounced speculators. The summit also invited member states to create a registry of cultural goods that had been taken and are now in other countries. The goal would be to get back the cultural items, which mainly are archaeological pieces. The summit countries also expressed their solidarity with the Latin American and Caribbean states regarding the disputes with some transnational enterprises that the declaration said have polluted their territories, ecosystems and communities. The summit also declared its opposition to slavery and said that the transatlantic shipment of humans should never again take place. There was support for a monument to slaves at the United Nations for which states were asked to contribute. There was no mention of slavery elsewhere in the world, principally Africa. There also were declarations on issues that the countries that sent delegates have little power to make changes. These included nuclear weapons, although some nations would like to have them. The summit also demanded the restructuring of the world's financial system toward a new world order for living well. That would include donations from the developed countries. The organization of states also said it wanted to have a formal affiliation with the United Nations. Many of the other declarations have not yet been published. Costa Rica said that it had obtained pledges of votes for other nations for the election of Elizabeth Odio Benito, a Costa Rican, to the Interamerican Court of Human Rights. President Luis Guillermo Solís cut short the final session by some 90 minutes when he realized that Daniel Ortega, president of Nicaragua, had installed Rubén Berríos of the Partido Independentista de Puerto Rico as head of his delegation. Ortega clashed with Solís the day before over letting Berríos address the meeting with the status of a head of state. Ortega left Costa Rica Wednesday night. The tone of the session was maintained by Evo Morales of Bolivia who railed against capitalism. The summit was at the Pedregal Centro de Eventos, and the hosting of the two-day meeting of some 17 heads of state is being considered a successful diplomatic event. Costa Rican officials were able to hold many two-party talks with delegates from other countries. Wave dumps fire fighters into gulf By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A wave is being blamed for overturning a boat and dumping seven persons aboard into the Gulf of Nicoya about noon Thursday. The Cuerpo de Bomberos de Costa Rica said the boat was owned by Reyner Sandoval, a firefighter. Those aboard also were off-duty firemen. The mishap took place about 80 meters off the Isla San Lucia, and four persons were able to swim to shore, the agency said. All wore life jackets. One person in the water suffered some form of nervous attack, said the Cuerpo de Bomberos, so two other persons stayed there until a rescue boat arrived. Responding were the Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas and CR-02 a vessel of the Cuerpo de Bomberos, the fire agency said. Pet adoption fair will be Saturday By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Animales de Asís plans an adoption fair at the Walmart in Excazú Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dogs, puppies, cats and kittens will be available. They are vaccinated and castrated, the organization said. A donation is requested for each animal. U.S. tourist is victim of rafting mishap By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A U.S. tourist died Thursday in a rafting accident in the Río Sarapiquí. The Judicial Investigating Organization will issue a report later today.
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 21 | |
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| Finance ministry warns of impact caused by end of corporate
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The finance ministry bemoaned the action of the Sala IV constitutional court in voiding a tax on corporations, but a statement did not say an effort would be made to pass the tax again. The Ministerio de Hacienda said that the constitutional court decision creates a difficult situation for the country and the effect will be felt next year. The court voided the tax on corporations as unconstitutional but said that the decision would not take effect until 2016. The ministry said that the taxes would continue to be collected for this year and that interest and fines would be assessed for late payment. The deadline to pay the tax is Saturday, which means payment can be made without penalty Monday, the next business day. The ministry statement noted that 95 percent of the money collected via this tax goes to support the Ministerio de |
Seguridad
Pública. It said that the ministry wold continue to be supported
despite the demise of the tax. But the ministry warned of an increase in the fiscal deficit for 2016. The tax is based on the salary of a specific judicial employee. For 2015 the tax for an active corporation is 201,700 colons. That's about $382. Owners of inactive corporations pay half that. The Sala IV said that a substitute bill that contained significant changes and subsequently was passed had not been advertised as the law required. Three magistrates said the tax itself was unjust because it charges big and little corporations the same amount. In order to make up for the loss of income, the minister, Helio Fallas, urged lawmakers to pass two pieces of pending legislation. One is designed to improve prosecution of tax fraud and the other attacks smuggling. |
| Telecom regulator promises new rules to improve quality for
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The telecom regulator said Thursday that new regulations are forthcoming to improve the quality of service. The decision came after a survey from August to October of telephone users conducted by the firm Demoscopía S.A. The Superintendencia said that proposed drafts of new regulations would be available in a few months. The survey asked respondants to evaluate their own telephone service. There are 10 fixed, mobil or Internet telephone providers in the country that are subject to the regulator, the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones. In most cases there were no dramatic differences in the evaluation of different firms, but nearly 50 percent of Claro users reported losing mobil Internet at least once a week. Neither the press release nor the lengthy online report said how many interviews were conducted to obtain the data. The press release said that there was a 2.5 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level. However, with persons responding about 10 different companies and at least five different forms of telephone service, specific evaluations of individual companies probably are not valid. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 21 | |||||
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| Health officials issue warning after measles turn up in
United States |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
There has not been a recorded case of measles in Costa Rica for 17 years, and health officials would like to keep it that way. Thursday they issued an advisory in the wake of a measles epidemic in California. Most of the 95 persons infected has some contact with Disneyland, according to the Ministerio de Salud. California officials said that they suspected the virus came to Disneyland with a foreign visitor because the United States had been measles-free for years. The disease is called sarampión in Spanish. Those who get it develop a high fever and later a red rash, basically red dots, in three to seven days. Before vaccinations were developed, the disease was a common one for school children along with mumps. There is a single shot vaccination now for those two diseases as well as rubella, which also is known as German measles. Hilda Salazar, a physician at the health ministry, urged parents to check the vaccination records of their children. Travelers should be extra vigilant as well as tourism workers, said the ministry. Children here usually receive vaccinations as infants and they get a booster right before starting school, said the ministry. The disease can be life-threatening, particularly for adults who have not been vaccinated. After the arrival of the Spanish in the Americas, measles ravaged the native populations and may have killed as many as half. |
 U.S. Centers for Disease Control/Barbara
Rice
This child in a file photo
has typical four-day measles rash. |
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 21 | |||||||
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 Voice of America photo
Rescue workers comb through
the rubble of the children's hospital. Rubble of
Mexican hospital
searched for any survivors By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Rescue teams searched for possible victims amid the rubble of a mostly collapsed maternity hospital near Mexico City Thursday afternoon, hours after a gas explosion rocked the building, killing at least one woman and child. At least 56 others were injured in the early morning blast, including more than 20 children, when a gas truck exploded at the city-run Maternity and Children's Hospital of Cuajimalpa, a borough on the city's western edge. Officials said about 100 people were in the hospital at the time of the explosion, and about 60 have been accounted for. Initial reports had suggested four to seven people had died in the early morning blast. Most of the injuries were relatively minor, many caused by flying glass, officials said. But Rafael Gonzalez of the Red Cross said a 27-year-old man had arrived at the agency's hospital with burns over 90 percent of his body and was being treated at another hospital. The disaster happened when a gas tanker truck blew up outside the hospital. Officials said a hose leak from the truck fueling the hospital's tanks was believed to have triggered the explosion, officials said. Police lines were set up to keep bystanders away from the chaotic scene as people seeking information on family members gathered. Monserrat Garduno, a 32-year-old nurse, said "I am so worried about my sister. She's supposed to have given birth. We brought her in yesterday. They won't let us pass. I want to know how she is." Felicitas Hernández, 35, cried as she waited outside the mostly collapsed building hoping for word of her month-old baby, who had been hospitalized since birth with respiratory problems. "They wouldn't let me sleep with him,'' Ms. Hernández told reporters. She said she had come to the city-run maternity and children's hospital because she had no money. As the day wore on, people arrived to donate blood, infant formula or diapers. The explosion sent a column of smoke billowing over the area on the western edge of Mexico's capital and television images showed much of the hospital collapsed, with firefighters trying to extinguish fires. Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera said the heaviest damage was near the hospital's loading dock. A hospital worker said the most affected parts of the hospital were the neonatology, reception and emergency reception units. Anesthesiologist Agustin Herrera, 66, said he'd seen injured mothers carrying out babies. He said that before the explosion, the 35-bed nursery had held nine babies, including one in very serious condition. "We avoided a much bigger tragedy because the oxygen tanks are right beside and they didn't explode," Herrera said. Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto expressed his sadness and solidarity with the victims and their families and said soldiers were deployed to help the search for survivors. Insider blamed for killing U.S. defense contractors By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Three U.S. defense contractors helping train Afghan air force personnel were gunned down at the Kabul airport Thursday in what military sources say was an insider attack. Details on the killings are scarce. A rise in so-called insider attacks in Afghanistan has eroded trust between Afghan and international troops in the final years of the combat mission that ended in 2014, prompting foreign forces to scale back interaction with their allies. Despite the introduction of new measures, including a requirement that coalition forces be armed at all times and stricter vetting procedures for Afghan security members, incidents continue to occur sporadically. One of the worst attacks took place last August, killing U.S. Maj. Gen. Harold Greene, who became the most senior American military official to die in action overseas since the war in Vietnam. The new international Resolute Support mission involving a small contingent of around 12,000 mostly U.S. troops started Jan. 1 and is to focus on training Afghanistan's national security force. Also Thursday, a suicide bomber attacked a funeral in eastern Afghanistan. Sixteen people were killed and dozens wounded. A local official said the attack took place in Mehtarlam in Laghman province during the funeral for a police commander and three others killed in a roadside bombing earlier Thursday. No one claimed responsibility for either attack. Senate approves building controversial oil pipeline By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Despite a global oil glut, the U.S. Senate has voted 62 to 36 to approve construction of a controversial pipeline to transport Canadian crude to U.S. Gulf states. President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the project, which pits powerful business interests against environmentalists at a time when American motorists are celebrating a steep drop in gasoline prices. Those costs have fallen by almost half over the last six months, making fill-ups less painful and leaving more cash in people’s wallets. The Keystone XL pipeline project that the Senate approved would boost the flow of Canadian oil to U.S. refineries and is an economic and energy winner, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. “Constructing this infrastructure project would pump literally billions of dollars into our economy," he said. A fellow Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, sees the issue in geopolitical terms. “Is it not better to be receiving oil from our friend and ally, Canada, than it is from Venezuela?” she asked. Opponents say Keystone will generate only a handful of permanent jobs and that the oil, once refined, would be exported, not kept in the United States. And Canadian tar sands crude is among the most pollutant-laden oil in the world, according to Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat. “So we know there are dangerous air pollutants and carcinogens that have been documented from tar sands refining, and all this to help a Canadian private company make a whole bunch of money, and we cannot even keep the oil in this country? Are you kidding?” she asked. The Senate vote followed nearly three weeks of debate. The bill’s approval in the House of Representatives is all but assured, as is a presidential veto. “Let's set our sights higher than a single oil pipeline," Obama has said. "If we do not act forcefully, we'll continue to see rising oceans, longer, hotter heat waves, dangerous droughts and floods." Few U.S. motorists have even heard of Keystone. “I really do not know" what the project is, a Washington motorist said. "I just hope the prices stay low.” Lower gas prices have not eroded the public's majority backing for oil projects, according to opinion analyst Carroll Doherty. “The public’s views on energy and environment are a little more kind of simplistic, in the sense that you ask people if they want alternative energy, yes," Doherty said. "And when you ask about some traditional sources of energy, people want that, too. Many Americans don’t see it as a kind of choice that they have to make." Instead, "they would want more energy from a variety of sources.” Kerry is fined for failing to removed snow at home By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has been ticketed $50 for failing to clear the sidewalk outside his Boston home after a snow storm pummeled the northeastern United States this week. After a blizzard dumped 60 centimeters of snow on his city, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh vowed to crack down on anyone who left the sidewalks around their homes and businesses buried in snow. Officials tagged Kerry with a $50 fine Thursday morning for failing to clear the snow from the side of his Beacon Hill mansion. Kerry was in Saudi Arabia attending the funeral of King Abdullah with President Barack Obama. A spokesman for Kerry said the country's top diplomat will promptly pay the fine. Snow shovelers hired by Kerry finished clearing the sidewalk late Thursday morning. Rights report targeting Turkish online suppression By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A U.S.-based rights group is expressing concern over Turkish government pressure on social media users. Human Rights Watch released its annual report on Thursday as Turkish Twitter users who are criticizing the government face threats and jail. Professor Hassan Herekan's humorous tweet, making fun of a historically-dressed guard of honor for the Turkish president, resulted in a tirade of attacks, including death threats, against him and his family. "Oh, what swearing; so many threats against my mother, and the rest of my family," he said, adding that he believes that the perpetrators "are being directed by some other people." Herekan eventually quit his prestigious university job. The scale and ferocity of the attacks have resulted in accusations that the ruling AK Party is behind them, a charge it denies. But Professor Yaman Akdeniz of Istanbul’s Bilgi University, an expert on cyber freedom, said suspicion of a government-linked, so-called troll army is growing. "There are allegations that the AKP has its own army of trolls, employed by them," said Akdeniz. "I have seen some studies to suggest that there are connections to the government. Yes, it may be government sponsored." But it is not only the wrath of trolls that tweeters face. There is also the risk of jail. Well-known TV presenter Sedef Kadas tweeted pictures of judges and prosecutors with the message "remember these people," after they controversially ended an inquiry into high-level government corruption. The response, as she explained, was a knock on the door. She said three police came to her home in the morning, searched it and confiscated her cell phone, laptop even her son’s iPad. And she was taken to the prosecutor's office. Kadas said she was charged with "targeting the people who carry out a fight against terrorism." She called the charge ridiculous. She said she always applauded people who fight against terror, but her criticism was "about the lack of investigation into people involved in corruption, theft and bribery," a reference to police probes into high-level government graft in December 2013. The probes ended with the investigators either fired or reassigned, and the government insisting the allegations were part of plot to overthrow it. In its report, Human Rights Watch strongly criticized Turkey for its crackdown on social media. Senior Turkey researcher, Emma Sinclair Webb, said with social media playing a key role in keeping graft allegations alive, prosecution of people like Kadas is part of a government campaign to silence debate. Webb said Kadas basically "faces up to five years in prison." "But the government seems intent in using this as a way of muzzling speech and spent the whole year on going after people over reports on the corruption, discussions on social media about corruption," Webb added. "This has had a very chilling effect. Now the government wants to change the Internet law, to basically be able to close a Web site within four hours, without court or judicial oversight." Last year saw protests against Turkey's government when it tried to impose similar controls on the Internet. That law was eventually overturned by the constitutional court. But with a general election scheduled for June, observers say the government could well be calculating the new law would not be annulled until after the polls, giving the ruling party an advantage by silencing opposition. Missing airliner declared an accident in Malaysia By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Malaysia has formally declared the disappearance of MH370 to be an accident and that all who were on board are presumed dead. The Beijing-bound flight disappeared shortly after take off almost one year ago and has become one of world’s biggest airline mysteries. Although the announcement may seem unsurprising, it has practical implications for the families of those who were on the flight. Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the director-general of Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation, says that after 327 days and based on all available data, survivability in the defined area is highly unlikely. "With the heaviest heart and deepest sorrow that on behalf of the Government of Malaysia, we officially declare Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 an accident in accordance with the standards of Annexes 12 and 13 to the Chicago Convention and that all 239 of the passengers and crew on board MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives," said Azharuddin. He says the search for the missing plane, which covered over 18,600 square kilometers, will continue. The process of granting the next-of-kin of those on board with compensation would begin immediately, he adds. “The government of Malaysia assures that Malaysia Airlines will undertake their responsibilities in relation to the legitimate rights and interests of the next-of-kin as provided under the relevant international instruments and relevant domestic laws, with due consideration to international practice," said Azharuddin. "This includes the fulfillment of the compensation process, whether it is pursued through consultation or through litigation." The majority of the passengers on board flight MH370 were Chinese nationals traveling home to Beijing. In comments to the media Thursday, following a meeting with his French counterpart, China’s Premier Li Keqiang expressed his deepest sympathy for the families of all of those on board the flight. Li says China hopes Malaysia will keep its promise to conduct a thorough investigation, compensate and provide care for the families. He also urged them to make every effort to find the plane and its passengers. In China, some of the family members of those on board watched the announcement together. Dai Shuqin’s sister and four other relatives were on the plane. Dai says family members feel very upset and are in disbelief. She says they do not believe one bit of what the officials are saying. Malaysian civil aviation chief Azharuddin says an interim investigative report will be released March 7, one day before the anniversary of the flight’s disappearance. "Both investigations are limited by the lack of physical evidence at this time, particularly the flight recorders," said Azharuddin. "Therefore at this juncture there is no evidence to substantiate any speculations as to the cause of the accident.” Investigators are still trying to understand why the plane veered thousands of kilometers off course and presumably ended up in the southern Indian Ocean. U.S. citizen added to list of most-wanted terrorists By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The FBI on Thursday added a U.S. citizen born in Somalia to its list of most-wanted terrorists, saying he might have knowledge of U.S. government buildings, Washington airports and the area's subway system. The wanted man is Liban Haji Mohamed. Officials said he might be using several aliases. Mohamed lived in a northern Virginia suburb of Washington and worked as taxi driver, according to an FBI statement. The FBI said that while he was in the Washington area, Mohamed was a recruiter and radicalizer for the Somali-based terrorist group al-Shabab and provided material support and resources to al-Qaida and al-Shabab. The FBI said it believed Mohamed left the United States in July 2012 and is now in east Africa working for al-Shabab. The agency is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Mohamed's arrest and conviction. Super Bowl advertisers await airing of expensive messages By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Super Bowl Sunday is about more than just the NFL's American football championship and big parties to watch the game. Viewers also tune in for the world famous commercials that send Facebook and Twitter abuzz. With an estimated 113 million domestic viewers, the Super Bowl is the biggest day in American advertising. Increasingly, it’s also one of the busiest days online, with social media exploding over ads that flopped or scored big. “I don’t think Budweiser can tell you that the puppy ad sells more beers the day after the Super Bowl, but what they will tell you is it makes a deep emotional connection,” said Peter Land, a sports marketing consultant. A 30-second ad in this year’s Super Bowl costs a whopping $4.5 million, making 2015 the most expensive year for advertising in Super Bowl history. That level of investment demands social media returns, said James Cooper of Adweek. “If you can tease the release of your spot on YouTube, you can get a lot of social media chatter even before the game kicks off. Some of these pre-released ads and teasers on YouTube get millions of hits and get a lot of buzz, and that is a way for them to justify the cost,” said Cooper. Bud Light’s pre-released Real Life PacMan spot already has millions of views. Lexus is touting its new hybrid, and Victoria’s Secret is showcasing its world famous angels. Both companies released their ads in advance of the big game. Both are hoping for social media traction. In addition to Super Bowl regulars like Doritos, Sunday’s ads will feature some online upstarts. Wix, a free online Web site builder, is betting big, as is Internet news site and social media darling, BuzzFeed. “Native and social is part of BuzzFeed’s DNA. They’re very, very good at it. That’s where they were born but they also want to expand themselves into a larger media context, and obviously the best way to do that is be part of the Super Bowl,” said Cooper. The Super Bowl is a global sporting event broadcast to more than 225 countries and streaming on devices worldwide. That means the splashy ads, and the attention they garner online, will ripple far beyond U.S. shores. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 21 | |||||||||
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 Ministerio de Seguridad Pública
photo
The Fuerza Pública confiscated these watches, eyeglasses and
eyeglass cases at a checkpoint on the Interamericana Sur near the border with Panamá. The merchandise was valued at about $18,000, police said. Senators introduce bill to OK Cuba travel By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A bipartisan group of eight U.S. senators has introduced legislation to lift all restrictions on Americans traveling to Cuba. While some Cuban American lawmakers strongly oppose the Obama administration’s sudden shift in U.S. policy towards Cuba, others say it is past time to end the more than five-decade-old U.S. embargo against the island country. Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican of Arizona, is one of the sponsors of a bill that would end the ban on Americans traveling to Cuba. Flake said some critics will say the United States should have tried to get some concessions from the Communist government in Havana before lifting the ban, but he sees it differently. “We all need to remember that this is a sanction or prohibition on Americans, not Cubans," he said. Flake said Americans should be able to travel anywhere in the world they please unless there are compelling national security reasons not to do so. Lawmakers from farming states often support moves that would open up their products to Cuban markets. |
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| From Page 7: Fitch downgrades rating outlooks for banks here By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Fitch financial rating service has downgraded four Costa Rican banks from stable to negative. Also downgraded was the financial outlook for the Banco Internacional de Costa Rica in Panamá, which is operated by Banco de Costa Rica and Banco Nacional. The rating service said that the action was normal considering that the outlook for Costa Rica has been downgraded to negative. Three of the banks, Banco de Costa Rica, Banco Nacional and Banco Popular, are state entities, and the fourth bank, Banco BAC San Jose, S.A., is private but its outlook is subject to the government's high level of influence over the financial sector and the broader operating environment, Fitch said. The bank ratings most likely would be upgraded if the country's rating was improved, said Fitch. |
