 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for more details |
A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
|
|
|
San
José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 34
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
|
 |
|
Work expected
to begin in Moín March 8
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A ceremony is planned Sunday, March 8, when APM Terminals is scheduled to begin work on its $1 billion container-handling facility in Moín. Casa Presidencial said Tuesday that President Luis Guillermo Solís and cabinet members will conduct an official visit that day to verify the start of work. Of course, that will only take place if there are no more court cases or violence on the part of Limón dockworker union members and supporters. The container facility is expected to greatly increase the efficiency of the docks. APM, a Dutch firm, is building it as a concession. Control of the facility eventually will revert to the government. The firm has to obtain environmental approval because the container docks will be on an artificial island in the harbor. Environmentalists cite Ruta 32 concerns By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
An environmental group has presented a litany of complaints against the proposed widening of Ruta 32 from Limón to Río Frio. This is the project that has the highest priority of the government. The organization, Federación Conservacionista de Costa Rica, questioned why a bill approving the job calls for expediting the environmental studies. The president, Mauricio Álvarez M. a Universidad de Costa Rica professor, called this a constitutional violation. He said the route runs through areas that are major water sources and mangroves. Álvarez called for a cleaner project and suggested an electric train instead of widening the highway to four lanes. Much of the electricity would be produced at hydro plants, he noted. Plans call for approval by the end of the month of the bill authorizing the project. However, court actions are likely, and that might cause problems with the government of the People's Republic of China, which would finance the $475 million job. Costa Rica has gotten one extension on the project. Court says prisoner count is not secret By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Sala IV constitutional court has upheld the public's right to obtain information about the prison population. In a brief note Tuesday afternoon, the Poder Judicial said that the court upheld an appeal filed by David Delgado, a reporter for La Nación, the Spanish-language daily. Delgado had asked the Ministerio de Justicia y Paz for a breakdown of prisoner populations in each facility. It is no secret that the country's prisons are overcrowded. He was denied his request by the minister, Cristina Ramírez Chavarría, who said that the numbers were state secrets. The court obviously did not agree, and the Poder Judicial note suggests the decision was unanimous. Almost immediately, the Ministerio de Justicia y Paz said that the minister would hold a press conference today, presumably to amplify her side of the story. Winds give away to hot and sticky By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The winds are dying down, and there is a chance that humid air will again invade the country from the oceans. The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional said that bochornosa is the word for the north Pacific and the Central Valley. That translates to hot and sticky. The Caribbean and the northern zone is likely to see rain today, the institute said. Drought brings desalination efforts By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The drought in California and the predictions of even drier times are generating efforts to desalinate water. The technology might eventually help Costa Ricans on the Pacific coast of Guanacaste where there is a continual water shortage. In fact, water is one of the key brakes on development there. Desalination has made headlines in recent months as a possible solution to California's water shortage. But in addition to being expensive, its byproduct — salty brine — can harm marine life once it’s reintroduced into the ocean, according to a report from Humboldt State University. A team of researchers from Humboldt and the University of Southern California is hoping to address those concerns with a new process called reverse osmosis-pressure retarded osmosis. The team recently received a $600,000 grant from the California Department of Water Resources to develop a portable system in Samoa, California, which could lower the cost of desalination and reduce its impact on the environment, according to a university release. “The high cost and environmental impact of desalination are major issues preventing it from becoming a reliable, drought-resistant water supply,” said Andrea Achilli, an environmental resources engineering professor at Humboldt State, who holds a patent on the technology with researchers from the University of Southern California and Colorado School of Mines. Our reader's opinion
Zoning mandate puts squeeze on someDear A.M. Costa Rica: I read Garland Baker's article about the municipalities without zoning plans on beach areas. Last June 9, it appeared in the official La Gazeta Law #9242 named Law to Legalize Illegal Constructions on the Maritime Terrestrial Zone, which gives the municipalities the ability to allow the existence of constructions considered illegal, suggest modifications to them or even order the demolition if there is any danger or environmental damage is caused. This law also says that municipalities that do not have an approved zoning plan must approve a plan within two years, which is going to be complicated especially for small cantons where such local governments usually are poorly funded. Or in order to comply with the deadline they might approve some crazy stuff . . . . Allan Garro N.
Cartago
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of
this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Ro Colorado S.A 2015
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 |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 34 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
 Consejo Nacional de Vialidad graphic
Map shows the five
locations where officials say bridges will be installed. |
|
| Five bridges planned for route along south side of Osa
peninsula |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Highway officials plan to make the route from Puerto Jiménez to Carate in the Osa peninsula an all-weather road. This is about 43 kilometers, and the job will take five of those metal bailey bridges. The bridges are going in at the ríos Sombrerito and Piro and the Carbonera, Bijagual and Camañín waterways. The work will provide access to a small airfield at Carate, said the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad. The job is estimated to be about $2.5 million, which includes |
improvement
and gravel for the entire stretch, said officials. The work is expected to begin after approval comes from the Contraloría General de la República and environmental authorities. That is estimated to take about three months. The job, itself, is expected to last four months. Some of the work will be to install concrete footings for the bridges as well as retaining walls, according to the plans. The improved road is expected to provide better access to the Parque Nacional Corcovado. Lack of bridges closed the route during times of high water. |
| Blaze that fatally injured homeless man could become a murder |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
First investigators have to determine if a fire in a vacant lot Sunday morning was set with criminal motives. Was the blaze an accident or murder? A short time later a 40-year-old man with the last name of Mora showed up at Hospital San Juan de Dios. Physicians concluded that he was burned over 80 percent of his body, said the Judicial Investigating Organization. Mora died Monday. Investigators said that Mora, a habitué of a section of Alajuelita, was sleeping in the lot when the fire |
broke out.
Eventually he managed to flee but not before facing flames. Aggression against the homeless and the vagrants in the Central Valley takes place from time to time, but the cases seldom make the newspapers. Unlike elsewhere, there does not seem to be individuals systematically trying to inflict harm on vagrants. Plenty of vacant lots harbor rough construction that houses the homeless. The sites are well known to social service workers and police. Investigators will have to figure out if the person who started the Alajuelita fire knew Mora was there. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of
this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado S.A.
2015 and may
not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
 |
 |
||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 34 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| Ex-investigator ran burglary and robber gang, Poder Judicial
says |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Poder Judicial said Tuesday that a gang of crooks led by a former judicial investigator specialized in nighttime burglaries at businesses. In addition, the gang is accused of nine aggravated robberies at clothing stores, jewelry outlets and shoe stores in San Ramón, Heredia, Grecia, San José, Ciudad Colón and Cartago. In seven raids Tuesday law enforcement officers detained four men and two women. They identified the former investigator by the last name of Alpizar. He was detained at his home in Ciudad Colón, official said. They added that he left the judicial police in 2000 due to a disability. The gang was precise in its crimes because it spent a lot of time casing the store, sometimes acting as customers, said the Poder Judicial. If the gang chose to visit the location at night, crooks had tools to cut the chains and easily gain access to the metal security curtain in front. Then when they left, they replaced the chain and lock with one of their own so that police passing by might not suspect a burglary had been committed, said the Poder Judicial and the Judicial Investigating Organization. The crimes attributed to the gang run from August to December, the Poder Judicial said. |
 Judicial Investigating Organization photo
Some of the clothing and
tools confiscated Tuesday. |
Here's reasonable medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents of
this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado S.A.
2015 and may
not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
|
A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth
news page
|
||
 |
 |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 34 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
 |
|
U.S. judge puts a hold on Obama immigration plan By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked President Barack Obama's effort to shield up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation, a day before its first phase was to begin. Late Monday, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled in favor of 26 states, including Texas, that had sued to stop Obama's order. Obama had said in November that he would use prosecutorial discretion to protect some undocumented immigrants from deportation. The states that sued argued that he had exceeded his constitutional authority and would impose financial burdens on them. Hanen's temporary injunction was not a ruling on the merits of the executive action, but it did block the first phase of the president’s program from going into effect as planned. The initiative would have expanded a program that protects young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the United States illegally by their parents. Homeland Security Department Secretary Jeh Johnson said that he strongly disagreed with the ruling and that the administration would appeal. Johnson, however, said federal employees would comply with the injunction. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said Tuesday that he was proud to report Hanen's ruling. "In Texas, we will not sit idly by while the president ignores the law and fails to secure the border.” Others also welcomed the ruling, including a number of Republican lawmakers and activists. Roy Beck, president and CEO of an organization called NumbersUSA that wants to reduce the number of immigrants to the United States, said undocumented immigrants should not count on directives issued by Obama. “The same government that takes your information and gives out the documents can potentially change and look for you to round you up and deport you,” he said. Immigrant-rights activists condemned the decision, saying that Hanen was just one judge in a long process and that he was known for issuing immigration rulings thought by some to be outside the mainstream of legal thought. “Immigrants, their families and our communities should not despair or be afraid," said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. "In fact, that is a part of the intention behind this political lawsuit. The intention is to create confusion and fear in our communities.” Debbie Smith of the Service Employees International Union had a similar message for immigrant families directly affected by the ruling: “Don’t panic; keep preparing; keep gathering documentation. We think that this is a timeout, a bump in the road.” While the states' lawsuit against the executive order plays out in court, the issue is also the focus of a bitter partisan fight in Congress. Republican lawmakers linked funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which expires at the end of this month, to measures blocking the president’s deferred deportations. The bill has not been able to clear a procedural hurdle in the Republican-led Senate because of Democratic opposition. It is not yet clear what impact the Texas ruling will have on what is shaping up to be another high-stakes showdown in Congress. U.S. investor residency questioned as infiltration By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A U.S. immigration investment program is coming under new scrutiny after an investigative report questioned the desirability of some who have used it to come to America. The report by the ABC News program "Nightline" shed light on the national security implications of the EB-5 program, in which wealthy foreigners can get U.S. residency in exchange for $500,000 in investments. Brian Ross, chief investigative correspondent for ABC News, said the investigation had found some people who used the program were suspected of involvement in child pornography, narcotics trafficking, fraud or espionage. The report also said authorities were investigating whether Iran might have used the program as a means to infiltrate the United States as well as engage in smuggling and terrorism. Charles Grassley, a Republican senator from Iowa who raised national security concerns about the immigration program, has asked for further investigation. “If this program is being used to undercut our national security, it is something that's got to be exposed,” Grassley told ABC. But Ronald Klasko, a Philadelphia immigration attorney, argued that the EB-5 program was less likely to bring terrorists or criminals into the U.S. than any other immigration program. “There are about seven or eight different levels of review within Citizenship and Immigration Services, within the Department of Homeland Security and within the U.S. Department of State that EB-5 investors have to go through," he said in an interview. "So you have the best chance of making certain that you are not bringing terrorists or criminals to the U.S., more chance of being certain on that for EB-5 than there is any other U.S. immigration program." The issue of undesirable immigrants isn’t the only complaint about the program. The EB-5 visa for immigrant investors was created by the Immigration Act of 1990 to help stimulate the U.S. economy. The program allows foreign investors to obtain U.S. permanent residency, spouse and unmarried children under 21 included, if they invest $500,000 in targeted employment areas that will create at least 10 full-time jobs. But David North of the Center for Immigration Studies said he strongly opposed the link between green cards, which attest to an immigrant's permanent resident status, and large sums of money. “First, as a matter of principle, the United States and no other countries should sell visas. Secondly, lots of people who do the buying, the investors are being cheated. That is inappropriate. That is a blight on the United States if we allow that sort of thing to go on," he said. But others called the program a win-win-win situation. Peter Joseph, executive director of Invest in the USA, said the program benefited foreign investors, American workers and the economy. “The investor is able to get immigration benefits based on their investment," he said. "The American economy benefits from that investment, watching it travel through different businesses that grow as a result. And of course the American worker who now is able to be employed, thanks to that capital investment." Joseph said that since its inception, the EB-5 program had created 57,000 full-time employment opportunities and that the U.S. economy had received $8.6 billion in benefits. Winter weather dealing another bad hand to U.S. By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States woke up without power Tuesday and federal government offices in Washington were closed after a band of snow and ice sliced across the South. The storm left up to 15 centimeters (almost 6 inches) of snow in Washington, the first significant snowfall of the season for the nation's capital. At least eight weather-related highway deaths were reported in Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. Police worked through the night and into Tuesday morning to clear a backup of vehicles stretching 19 kilometers (almost 12 miles) on icy Interstate Highway 40 near Nashville. The northern edge of the storm brought even more snow to the Northeast. The National Weather Service said the eastern state of Massachusetts has now received more than 2.54 meters (8 feet, 4 inches) of snow this season. While most people shivered, some found ways to enjoy themselves. In New Orleans, where the annual Mardi Gras celebration is underway, revelers were forced to bundle up as temperatures hovered near freezing. In Washington, about 150 people gathered for a snowball fight in a city park. The National Weather Service says unusually cold weather is expected to continue through much of the coming week for the eastern U.S. Another arctic front will arrive on the East Coast by tonight, bringing with it some of the coldest temperatures seen in the region for 20 years. Danish attack suspect pledged allegiance to IS By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Danish media report the Copenhagen man who attacked a free-speech seminar and a synagogue last weekend swore allegiance to the Islamic State leader just six minutes before he unleashed his deadly barrage of gunfire. The reports Tuesday said 22-year-old gunman, Omar Abdel Hamid el-Hussein, made a Facebook post pledging fealty to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The gunman said he was committed to "Abu Bakr in full obedience in the good and bad things. And I will not dispute with him unless it is an outrageous belief." Meanwhile, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service said it had been warned last September by the country’s prison service that Hussein, who had been serving time for a vicious stabbing of a passenger on a train, was at risk of radicalization. But the security service, known as PET, said it “had, against the background of the alert from the Prison and Probation Service, no reason to believe the now deceased was planning attacks.” Hussein was released from prison two weeks before he killed one person and wounded three police officers at a café where the free speech seminar was being held, and hours later killed a guard at a bat mitzvah ceremony at the synagogue. Still later, Hussein was killed by police in a shootout. Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said Monday authorities were investigating Hussein’s background and connections, but had no indication he carried out the attacks as part of an Islamic terror cell. The Danish premier said the gunman was born in Denmark, and police knew him for several criminal acts and gang connections. But she said investigators have not linked the suspect to an Islamic cell "that took him to where he was now." Ms. Thorning-Schmidt and the Danish crown prince joined about 30,000 people in Copenhagen in the bitter Monday cold at a solemn memorial for the shooting victims outside the Krudttoenden cultural center. Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who is known for provocative drawings, including a 2007 cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad that led to threats against the 68-year-old cartoonist, said he thought he was probably the target of the attack at the cafe. The French ambassador to Denmark, Francois Zimeray, also attended the discussion. Both were unharmed in the shooting. Anti-extremism meeting draws many to Washington By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A conference bringing together spiritual leaders, police and representatives from more than 60 countries got underway Tuesday in Washington, where President Obama hoped to come up with ways to counter violent extremism. At a White House roundtable that included officials from Belgium and The Netherlands and local police from across the U.S., Vice President Joe Biden called for an approach that goes beyond air strikes and invasions. “We’re here today because we all understand that in dealing with violent extremism, we need answers that go beyond a military answer. We need answers that go beyond force,” he said. Obama administration officials said reaching into America’s toughest neighborhoods was key to discrediting the appeal that terrorists might have, and to preventing young people who want to escape marginalization and isolation from turning to extremist ideologies. To that end, the White House invited police from Los Angeles, Boston and Minneapolis, whose youth outreach programs are models for ones Obama would like to set up nationwide. Biden noted Minneapolis’ efforts to engage members of the city’s Somali-born population. In a light remark, Biden compared the inclusion efforts to those of his home city of Wilmington, Delaware, which also has a community of Somali immigrants. "If you ever come to the train station with me, you'll notice that I have great relationships with them because there's an awful lot of them driving cabs and are friends of mine — for real," he said. To some analysts, the remark illustrated the goodwill that exists, but also the work that needs to be done in assimilating America’s recent Muslim immigrants. While the question of how to prevent extremism at its roots is too large to answer in a three-day summit, analysts said the meeting was an important first step in finding a solution that goes beyond leading wars on terrorists. Parade tragedy causes Haiti to cut carnival short By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Haiti's government canceled the last day of carnival and announced three days of mourning Tuesday after 15 people were killed and at least 60 injured after a carnival float hit a power line in the capital, Port-au-Prince, setting off a stampede by bystanders, officials said. According to witnesses, someone on the float used a pole to move a power line out of the way so the float could pass under it. Some victims were instantly electrocuted in a flash of sparks. Amateur video of the incident posted on YouTube appeared to show the electric cable catch the head of a singer from the hip-hop band Barikad Crew as it passed near the presidential stand packed with spectators. The group's star singer, who goes by the name "Fantom," is in critical condition, the Web site Haiti Press Network reported. Claude Surena, president of the emergency response unit for carnival said some of the injured were treated at the scene and later transfered to local hospitals. President Michel Martelly expressed his sincerest sympathies' to the victims in a Twitter message. His wife visited the hospitals that were treating the injured. Haiti's three-day carnival festivities, the largest in the Caribbean featuring dancing and singing, began Sunday under the theme "Nou Tout Se Ayiti" (we are all Haiti). The high-spirited annual street parade coincides with other Mardi Gras carnivals around the world and attracts large night-time crowds eager to witness competing bands atop highly-decorated floats. Synthetic polio vaccine touted for absent virus By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The development of the oral polio vaccine more than 50 years ago is credited with virtually eradicating the illness worldwide. Now, researchers are looking ahead to the day when the disease no longer exists, even outside the laboratory. To hasten that day, researchers in Britain are developing a synthetic polio vaccine. It works like one made from live, weakened virus, except it contains synthetic particles inside a viral shell. The man-made vaccine mimics the structure of the polio virus, so it would be able to raise a strong immune response in humans. And because it does not contain the pathogen, there would be no risk of exposure, even in the case of an accidental release during the manufacture process. Dave Stuart is a professor of structural biology at Oxford University and life sciences director at Diamond Light Source, a high-tech light science facility in which X-rays and spectroscopy techniques are used to make synthetic vaccines. Stuart said the man-made polio vaccine could eventually eliminate pockets of infection in nature as the microbe dies out. "What we are trying to sort of think through is how do we get to the point where we can stop vaccinating," he said. "If the vaccine is not a virus, then you have got the chance of not producing virus and not have virus circulating in the environment. It will be very difficult, but one would hope that eventually you would be able to eradicate the virus. And then one could stop vaccination, because then the virus would have gone completely," Stuart added. The synthetic polio vaccine is modeled on a similar innovation, an effective, man-made vaccine to combat foot-and-mouth disease. Stuart said researchers have assembled the components of the new polio vaccine, which is awaiting effectiveness studies. The vaccine would be easy to make quickly and to store, he added. The work, funded by the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was presented Friday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in California. Beagle takes the honors at Westminster dog show By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A 4-year-old beagle named Miss P was awarded the top prize at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City Tuesday night. The Canadian-born Miss P won the best in show ribbon over six other competitors, including a black standard poodle named Flame, an Old English sheepdog named Swagger, and a Portuguese water dog named Matisse, a cousin of President Barack Obama's dog Sunny, who has won a record 238 titles in his show dog career. This year's winner of the 139th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the grandniece to 2008 best in show winner Uno, the first beagle to win the best in show ribbon. Nearly 200 breeds and varieties of dogs from across the United States and more than a dozen countries took part in this year's show at Madison Square Garden. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents of
this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado S.A.
2015 and may
not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
|
||||||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 34 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
||
|
|
| Page 1 is HERE!
Page
2 is HERE! Page 3 is HERE! Page 4 is HERE! Page 5 is HERE! Page 7 is HERE! Sports is HERE! Opinion is HERE! Classifieds are HERE! Plus useful links |
Next Page |
Calendar is here! |
| Food |
||
| Lifestyle |
|
 Consejo Nacional de Vialidad
photo
Highway officials
have kicked off two weeks of marking highways along theCaribbean coast. This job is at the location known as the Puente Ferroviario. Decline in Latin poverty rate stalls Special to A.M. Costa Rica
Poverty affected 28 percent of Latin America’s population in 2014, revealing that its decline has stalled at around that level since 2012, while extreme poverty rose to 12 percent from 11.3 percent during the same two-year period in an overall context of economic deceleration, according to the projections from a study presented by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile. The document "Social Panorama of Latin America 2014" indicates that the poverty situation in the region remained stable between 2012 and 2013, when it affected 28.1 percent of the population. It is estimated for 2014 that in percentage terms poverty should stay at around 28 percent, which, given demographic growth, would translate into an increase in absolute figures to 167 million people. Meanwhile, extreme poverty rose to 11.7 percent in 2013 from 11.3 percent in 2012, which supposes an increase of three million people that raised the total to 69 million. Projections indicate that in 2014 that figure likely increased to 12 percent, which means that of the 167 million people who were poor that year, 71 million suffered extreme poverty or indigence. “The recovery from the international financial crisis does not seem to have been taken advantage of sufficiently to strengthen social protection policies that reduce vulnerability in the face of economic cycles. Now, in a scenario of a possible reduction in available fiscal resources, more efforts are needed to fortify these policies, establishing solid foundations with the aim of fulfilling the commitments of the post-2015 development agenda,” said Alicia Bárcena, the organization's executive secretary. Despite the lack of progress seen in the regional average, five of the 12 countries with available information through 2013 showed declines in poverty as measured by income that exceeded 1 percentage point per year. The countries that showed the biggest reductions were Paraguay (to 40.7 percent in 2013 from 49.6 percent in 2011), followed by El Salvador (to 40.9 percent in 2013 from 45.3 percent in 2012), Colombia (to 30.7 percent in 2013 from 32.9 percent in 2012), Peru (to 23.9 percent in 2013 from 25.8 percent in 2012) and Chile (to 7.8 percent in 2013 from 10.9 percent in 2011). |
| Costa Rican News |
AMCostaRicaArchives.com |
Retire NOW
in Costa Rica |
CostaRicaReport.com |
| Fine Dining
in Costa Rica |
The CAFTA Report |
Fish
fabulous Costa Rica |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents of
this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado S.A.
2015 and may
not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
| From Page 7: Sixth center for business operators opened By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio has opened a sixth center for business operators, and this one is in the ministry's main office in la Sabana. The facility is called the Centro Integral de Desarrollo Empresarial. The ministry said that it was opened because a large majority of businesses are in the central area. At the center business operators and potential operators can receive advice on opening a business, various required paperwork, registering trademarks and bar codes, sales, financial orientation and other aspects of commerce. More than 50 persons have visited the center already, the ministry said. Other centers are on the Caribbean, in the northern zone, in Guanacaste, in the central Pacific and the southern zone. Appointments are required, the ministry said. |
