Óscar Arias Sánchez appears to dominate his fellow heads
  of state as he delivers a closing speech in Playa del
  Carmen, México, at a Latin summit. Arias pushed for
  strengthening democracy and rejecting ideological fights.

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Tax fraud case involves
former customs worker


A former customs worker is facing allegations of tax fraud and related crimes after his arrest Tuesday.

The man, identified by the last names of Fallas Segura, was an aide to a custom's agent. The Poder Judicial said he is accused of making false statements on the value of items coming into the country and the creation of false invoices.

The man was detained on the public roadway in Goicoechea by the Judicial Investigating Organization because he failed to answer citations to court, the Poder Judicial said.

The value of the fraud is about 180 million colons, which is about $335,000 in 2007, the exchange rate when the alleged crimes were said to be committed.

U.N. report laments lack
of telecom access for poor


Prices for information and communication technology services are falling worldwide, and services continue to grow, propelled by mobile cellular use, but broadband Internet remains outside the reach of many in poor countries, the United Nations telecoms agency said Tuesday.

The U.N. International Telecommunication Union's "Measuring the Information Society 2010" report confirms that despite the recent economic downturn, the use of information and communication technological services has continued to grow worldwide,

All 159 countries featured in the report’s development index have improved their levels, and mobile cellular technology continues to be a key driver of growth. In 2010, the union expects the global number of mobile cellular subscriptions to top 5 billion.

“At the same time, the report finds that the price of telecommunication services is falling, a most encouraging development,” said Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, director of the union's Telecommunication Development Bureau.

Fixed broadband services showed the largest price fall (42 per cent), compared to 25 and 20 per cent in mobile cellular and fixed telephone services respectively, yet a person in the developing world is nearly seven times less likely to have access than someone in a developed country, the U.N. report said.

The world’s top 10 most advanced tekecom economies feature eight countries from northern Europe, with Sweden topping the index for the second year in a row. The Republic of Korea ranks third, and Japan ranks eighth.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain top the list of Arab States, with Russia and Belarus leading telecom development in the ex-Soviet Union. In Africa, only the Seychelles, Mauritius and South Africa are included in the top 100.

Given the close relationship between telecom development and national income, most poor countries rank at the low end of the index. In particular, the least developed countries, many of them in Africa, still have very limited access to technology, especially in terms of broadband infrastructure and household access.

Mobile cellular technology continues to be the main driver of telecom growth, especially in the developing world, where average penetration surpassed the 50 per cent mark in 2009. Today, more than 70 economies worldwide have surpassed the 100 per cent penetration mark, with developed countries averaging 113 per cent by the end of last year.

While high-speed Internet access is now available in almost all countries, fixed broadband penetration in the developing world remains as low as 3.5 per cent, compared to 23 per cent in developed countries.

Highway is dangerous
and fault of government

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

On Thursday, Feb. 19, we all witnessed the news on yet another tragedy on the new San Jose-Caldera road. We never do anything about this kind of thing until it touches our lives on a personal level. In this case the person who died was a good friend of mine, dedicated father of two children, who were in the car the night of the accident. He was not drunk. No other irresponsible driver is to blame. The responsibility for two fatherless children and another wrecked family once again falls on government of Costa Rica, that opened a "highway" without the proper lighting, a "highway" with concrete walls in the middle of the road, right after a curve, with no warning signs or appropriate reflective markings.

It seems unbelievable that five people who have spoken to me since, have told me they were "this close" to have an accident at the same spot and in the same situation. It seems even more unbelievable yet, that the citizens and residents of this country are willing to pay the rather expensive tolls to use a road that was irresponsibly inaugurated: to win election votes.

This message is for everyone living in this beautiful country,  do not wait until tragedy strikes you on a personal level for you to wake up to the harsh reality of our country's road system. And if you are willing to pay the tolls of this new road, please drive through it very carefully, for it is very dangerous.

In memory of my dear friend and co-worker Travis Brutsche, because I am sure he wouldn't want another family to go through this ordeal.