|
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
| 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, Tuesday, March 31, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 63
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
|
 |
|
 National Aeronautics and Space
Administration
photo
This is the lunar eclipse
of Oct. 27-28, 2014Lunar
eclipse predicted for Saturday
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The first of two lunar eclipses will take place Saturday morning. The earth will pass in front of the moon and shield it from the light of the sun. The moon will not vanish but will become dark red. While the moon remains within Earth's shadow, indirect sunlight still manages to reach and illuminate it, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration said, explaining why the moon is red during a total lunar eclipse. " . . . this sunlight must first pass deep through the Earth's atmosphere which filters out most of the blue colored light," said NASA. "The remaining light is a deep red or orange in color and is much dimmer than pure white sunlight." NASA Also points out that if astronauts were on the moon, they would see a full solar eclipse as the earth passes in front of the sun. The next lunar eclipse is Sept. 28. NASA said that the eclipse will be three hours and 29 minutes with totality predicted at 6:01:24 a.m. The space agency said that the eclipse would be visible in the Americas, the Pacific, Asia and Australia. Days expected to warm up slightly By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Monday was a chilly and windy day with daytime temperatures reaching just 23 C or 73.4 F in San José. The Weather Underground, A.M. Costa Rica's meteorological service, says that the daytime maximums would be about 28 C or 82.4 F for the rest of the week. Temperatures at the beaches, of course, will be much higher and in the 30s C. Central Valley overnight temperatures will continue to be around 18 C or about 64.4 F. That means good sleeping weather with the need for an extra blanket. The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional said that the windy weather would continue and that humidity would be brought in with the possibility of afternoon showers in the central and south Pacific. The chance of rain is less for the Caribbean, the weather institute said. Heredia sewer rates to increase By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The nation's utility regulator has approved an increase for the sewer services of the Empresa de Servicios Públicos de Heredia. The average increase is about 12.2 percent, said the Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos. The utility sought a 59 percent increase, the regulatory agency said. The new rate goes into effect Wednesday. The sewer charges are determined by water usage, so reductions in water use also will reduce the sewer fees. Tax agency said it closed 49 businesses By the A.M. Cost Rica staff
The nation's tax agency said Monday that inspectors have closed 49 businesses since the first of the year. The main reason has been failing to file tax returns, failing to pay taxes and failing to issue facturas or receipts to purchasers. In the case of chain ownership, problems with receipts result in the closing of the location where the irregularity took place. But when a chain is behind on taxes, all the branches are closed, said the agency, the Dirección General de Tributación. During 2014, 293 businesses were closed for errors or omissions found by inspectors, the agency said. Quake rattles middle of country By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A 4.7 magnitude earthquake took place today at 3:09 a.m. The epicenter was less than a kilometer west northwest of Vara Blanca de Heredia. That area has had a swarm of smaller quakes in the past month. The quake was felt in the Central Valley, as far north as the Nicaraguan border and as far west as Jacó, according to the Laboratorio de Ingeniería Sísmica at the Universidad de Costa Rica. Vara Blanca suffered damage In the Jan. 8, 2009, quake that killed 35 further north in Cinchona. Semana
Santa information
Banco Nacional gives Semana Santa hours By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Banco Nacional said that it would close Holy Thursday, April 2, and reopen Monday, April 6. The reason is the Semana Santa holidays. In addition, the bank said that it would not provide evening services on Wednesday, April 1. The bank will close at 3:45 p.m. that day. There may be some variations at individual bank offices outside the metro area. For example, the office at the Depósito Libre de Golfito will be open Saturday, April 4, and Easter Sunday, April 5. The closing in the evening of April 2 might be a hardship to workers who are paid by check. But the automatic tellers will be in service all days. •
The Municipalidad de Palmares said that it would enforce the
dry law next Thursday and Friday, April 2 and April 3.
•
The Municipalidad de
Montes de Oca will be open Monday, March 30, and Tuesday, March
31. Then the municipal offices close until April 6.The canton also will enforce the Easter dry law April 2 and April 3, Holy Thursday and Friday. •
The Municipalidad de Nicoya
will not enforce the dry law.•
A.M. Costa Rica will
not be published Friday, April 3.•
The Caja
Costarricense de Seguro Social will only offer hospital and
emergency services April 2 and 3. Employees in many areas that re not
directlyinvolved with the public will be closed all of Semna Santa, but
financial and adminstraive officers will be open Monday, March 30,
through Wednesday, April 1.•
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church lists servicesBy the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Good Shepherd Episcopal (Anglican) Church has announced Holy Week services. All services are bilingual, an announcement said. The special services begin Palm Sunday, March 29, at 9 a.m. The Holy Wednesday services April 1 also is at 9 a.m. The service Holy Thursday, April 2, is at 6 p.m. The Good Friday service April 3 is from noon to 3 p.m., and the Great Vigil of Easter is Saturday, April 4, at 6 p.m. The Easter Sunday service April 5 is at 9 a.m. The church is on Avenida 4 at Calle 5 next to McDonald's.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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, Tuesday, March 31, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 63 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
 |
| The holidays are a time to do some
bootlegged construction |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
There might be a little hitch for do-it-yourselfers this week. Usually Semana Santa and Christmas vacation are times when the municipal building inspectors are on vacation and some quick construction work can proceed unimpeded. There's no need for those pesky municipal permits as long as the job does not take longer than a week. And then when the inspectors do return to work and drop by for a visit, there is the famous Costa Rican response of asking forgiveness instead of permission. Or a homeowner might just say: "The bedroom? Heck, we built that seven years ago." Either way might require a little persuasion for the inspector, especially if the concrete still is wet. But this week many municipalities are working two or three days. That means if the job is big, there are but four to five days to complete it. |
 A.M. Costa Rica graphic
This also is a good time to get rid of that unruly tree out by the curb. Religious hymns compete with sounds of chainsaws during Semana Santa. Getting permission to take down an urban tree is difficult. Trucking away the evidence is easier. "Tree? What Tree?" This type of approach usually does not work for expats, unless they are married to the inspector's sister. But many have fun just keeping track of the construction marathon during the holidays. |
| Educational and cultural tax deadline has to be met with
computer |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The bad news is that today is the deadline for paying the annual educational and cultural tax on corporations. More bad news is that the average expat who is not in business has no chance of filing and paying the tax without professional help. Several expats who went off Monday in search of forms to pay the tax got nothing but blank stares. The Dirección General de Tributación requires the use of its own special computer program, EDDI-7, to pay any taxes. The program is available free from the tax collectors. But expats should resist the temptation. Experience has shown that the agency frequently updates the program, usually without any notice, and downloading and installing the updated version is not for the timid or those who cannot discuss the program fluently in Spanish with tax agency technicians. The best bet is to find an accountant or lawyer who routinely files tax reports for third parties. With a computer that is up-to-date with the tax agency's program, the job is about five minutes. |
The tax
ranged from 750 to 9,000 colons a year, which is why it has
been called that pesky little tax. The amount depends on
the net capital of the corporation. The amount of 9,000 colons is about
$17 U.S. dollars, so many expats pay that amount. A corporation
that contains a home or a new car certainly is in this category. The tax is so unimportant that the tax agency does not include it on the deadlines posted to its Web page. And the agency did not send out a press release reminder this year. Still, tax collectors will eventually seek out the tax with interest if it is not paid. Expats can have those who create the form pay the tax online as part of the service. Or they can take a copy of the form, Recibo oficial de pago D-110, to most banks except Banco Nacional and pay the tax there. Brave expats can visit their local regional office of the tax agency and ask for help on one of the computers that are available for the public. The tax is due in February and March each year. There does not seem to be any penalty for failing to pay on time, but interest does accrue. The tax agency addressed the issue HERE! |
| 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, Tuesday, March 31, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 63 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| Professor says why erroneous beliefs live on in spite of the evidence | |
|
By the University of California at Los
Angeles news staff
“It must be a full moon” is a common refrain when things appear more hectic than usual. The moon is even blamed when things get crazy at hospital emergency rooms or birth wards. “Some nurses ascribe the apparent chaos to the moon, but dozens of studies show that the belief is unfounded,” said Jean-Luc Margot, a University of California at Los Angeles professor of planetary astronomy. Of course, the moon does not influence the timing of human births or hospital admissions, according to new research by Margot that confirms what scientists have known for decades. The study illustrates how intelligent and otherwise reasonable people develop strong beliefs that, to put it politely, are not aligned with reality. The absence of a lunar influence on human affairs has been demonstrated in the areas of automobile accidents, hospital admissions, surgery outcomes, cancer survival rates, menstruation, births, birth complications, depression, violent behavior, and even criminal activity, Margot writes. His study was published online by the journal Nursing Research. Even though a 40-year-old study demonstrated that the timing of births does not correlate in any way with the lunar cycle, the belief in a lunar effect has persisted. A 2004 study in a nursing journal, for example, suggested that the full moon influenced the number of hospital admissions in a medical unit in Barcelona, Spain. But Margot identified multiple flaws in the data collection and analysis of the 2004 research. By re-analyzing the data, |
he showed
that the number of admissions was unrelated to the lunar cycle. “The moon is innocent,” Margot said. So why do the erroneous beliefs live on in spite of the evidence? Margot cited what scientists refer to as the confirmation bias, people’s tendency to interpret information in a way that confirms their beliefs and ignore data that contradict them. When life is hectic on the day of a full moon, many people remember the association because it confirms their belief. But hectic days that do not correspond with a full moon are promptly ignored and forgotten because they do not reinforce the belief. Margot said the societal costs of flawed beliefs can be enormous. In just one current example, the recent measles outbreak appears to have been triggered by parents’ questionable beliefs about the safety of the measles vaccine. “Vaccines are widely and correctly regarded as one of the greatest public health achievements, yet vaccine-preventable diseases are killing people because of beliefs that are out of step with scientific facts,” Margot said. A willingness to engage in evidence-based reasoning and admit that one’s beliefs may be incorrect will produce a more accurate view of the world and result in better decision-making, Margot said. “Perhaps we can start by correcting our delusions about the moon, and work from there,” he said. |
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, Tuesday, March 31, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 63 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
 |
| Incident at Maryland base leaves one man dead By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
One person was killed and another injured Monday when a car with two people inside tried to ram security gates near the U.S. National Security Agency outside Washington. The National Security Agency said security officials shot at a vehicle carrying two men dressed as women after the driver accelerated toward a police car guarding the Fort Meade complex, where the intelligence agency is headquartered. An occupant of the rogue vehicle died at the scene. Another was transported to a local hospital, as was a police officer with non-life-threatening injuries. Aerial images show two damaged sports utility vehicles near a guard gate, including one with NSA police markings. The FBI, which is leading the investigation, said it does not believe the incident is related to terrorism. "The incident has been contained and is under investigation," said Col. Brian Foley, garrison commander at Fort Meade, the military compound where the NSA and several other federal agencies are based. "The residents, service members and civilian employees on the installation are safe." NSA security personnel blocked the car from entering the premises, Foley added. "The shooting scene is contained and we do not believe it is related to terrorism. We are working with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland to determine if federal charges are warranted," a spokeswoman for the FBI Baltimore field office said in an emailed statement. U.S President Barack Obama has been briefed on the incident, a White House spokesman said. The National Security Agency, a pillar of the United States intelligence program, is based at the Fort George Meade U.S. Army base about 40 kilometers (24 miles) northeast of Washington, D.C. in the U.S. state of Maryland. The military installation is home to other federal agencies, including Defense Information Systems Agency and U.S. Cyber Command. Approximately 29,000 civilian employees and 11,000 military personnel work at the base, according to Fort Meade's Web site.  Voice of America photo
Poncho Popcorn takes names
of seed swappersBeing legal
in D.C. with pot
presents some challenges By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
It’s springtime in Washington, D.C. And while some people may be planting their gardens, others may be planting indoors growing marijuana plants. To help them get seeds, two marijuana seed exchanges recently took place in the nation’s capital. In February, after it became legal for residents 21 and older to possess pot for recreational use, people wanted seeds to grow it. That’s legal, but because Congress controls much of what happens in Washington, lawmakers put language in its budget to block the city’s funding for regulating marijuana use, setting up a host of challenges. People are allowed to have a small amount of the drug, and to share it with others. But they can't smoke it in public, or buy or sell it. Residents are permitted to grow up to six plants for their personal use in their homes. Outside a local Washington restaurant where one of the seed exchanges was held, people stood in long lines that wrapped around the block. Pat Thompson, 62, who said he’s been smoking pot for 47 years, was there for the same reason as a lot of people. “We're allowed to smoke it, but we're not allowed to purchase it anywhere,” he explained. The event was sponsored by the D.C. Cannabis Campaign, which pushed the initiative to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Campaign member Poncho Popcorn said the seed exchange helped people who may not be able to get seeds unless it’s illegally. “So the answer to that is to grow your own,” she said. Lidio Arais brought seeds but says he doesn't smoke pot. He said a friend gave him some seeds while he was in Colorado a couple of months ago, where it's been legal to buy and sell marijuana for more than a year. “So I came to share the seeds that he gave me,” he said. Some people came because they use marijuana for medical purposes, which was legalized in the city five years ago. Among them is Jason Drawhorn, who wants to grow his own plants instead of buying marijuana at a licensed dispensary. He says pot helps him cope with diabetes. “While it doesn't take away those problems,” he said, “it absolutely takes away a lot of the anxiety and stress I feel from day-to-day living with a chronic illness.” Lawrence Thomas said he’s been growing marijuana for some time and came to the restaurant to add to his collection of seeds. He said the plants can be difficult to grow. “. . . plants take a lot of love, so if you're a nurturing person then it's easy,” he said. "If not, then I don't suggest it because you'll be wasting your time and money.” The seed exchanges were a long time coming, according to Malik Burnett, policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance, which promotes liberalizing the country’s drug regulations. “Naturally, the most optimum sort of situation is when you can have a robust regulatory market where people can come in and gain access to cannabis, and know all about the strains they are getting,” he said. “But until that time, we have to work with what we've got.” He’s hoping the budding movement will spread across the United States, even though it’s still illegal to possess marijuana under federal law. British man admits his guilt in planning terror camp By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A British man has pleaded guilty in federal court in New York to charges of trying to set up an al-Qaida terrorist training camp in rural Oregon. Haroon Aswat faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced at a later date. He was arrested in Zambia in 2005 and sent to Britain on a separate arrest warrant. U.S. attorneys said he fought against extradition to the United States for 10 years. The U.S. assistant attorney general for national security, John Carlin, said the "guilty plea is a testament to our determination to bring to justice all those who wish to harm the United States, whether at home or abroad, no matter how long it takes." Aswat came to the U.S. from Britain in 2009. He and two co-defendants conspired to stockpile weapons and train other Muslims in acts of terrorism at a camp they planned to set up in Oregon. A co-defendant in the plot, influential British cleric Abu Hamza, was sentenced to life in prison in January. He also was convicted of other terrorist acts including a deadly kidnapping in Yemen. Another co-defendant, Ouassama Kassir, also was sentenced to life in prison in 2009. Solar-powered aircraft reaches planned China stop By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A solar-powered Swiss airplane arrived in China as part of the fifth leg of its around-the-world journey without any fuel. The plane touched down in Chongqing, some 20 hours after leaving Myanmar. The carbon fiber single-seater Solar Impulse 2 aircraft has a 72-meter wingspan, which is longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747, and weighs about as much as a car. The 17,000 solar cells built into the wings harness the sun's energy, allowing it to fly through the night. "Solar Impulse wants to mobilize public enthusiasm in favor of technologies that will allow decreased dependence on fossil fuels, and induce positive emotions about renewable energies,'' a statement on the official mission Web site said. The site maps out the plane's location and broadcasts audio from the cockpit in real time. The craft took 12 years to build and is the brainchild of two Swiss scientists, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg. The two say they are not out to revolutionize the aviation industry but are instead aiming to demonstrate that actual alternative energy sources and new technologies can achieve what some consider impossible. The aircraft's route includes stops in Oman, India, Myanmar and China. After crossing the Pacific Ocean via Hawaii, the plane will also make up to three stops in the U.S., touching down in Phoenix, Arizona and New York City, and possibly another location depending on weather conditions. The final legs after crossing the Atlantic include a stopover in southern Europe or North Africa before arriving back in Abu Dhabi in late July or early August. Volcano caldera in México picked for gamma ray site By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
American and Mexican scientists have completed construction of the world's largest gamma ray observatory, situated high in central Mexico’s Sierra Negra Mountain. The observatory's huge array of water-based detectors will soon start discovering secrets about black holes and supernovas. Extreme cosmic events, such as explosions of stars, pulsars or black holes, emit huge bursts of highly-charged particles, called gamma rays, that under certain circumstances can travel faster than the speed of light. Scientists say the rays are so powerful that some of them can be detected coming from distances up to 10 billion light years away. Jordan Goodman, a physics professor at the University of Maryland, said, “They are highest-energy light so they let us understand where the highest energy particles in the universe come from. So our idea is to build this observatory to give us a wide field view of the sky at the highest energies.” When cosmic gamma rays hit a medium like water, they create a soft bluish glow called Cherenkov electromagnetic radiation, a glow that can also be seen at the cores of nuclear reactors. Three hundred tightly-sealed water tanks at the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Experiment observatory, or HAWC for short, also contain sensors that detect and record Cherenkov radiation. By measuring the angle and intensity at which gamma rays hit the sensors, scientists can calculate where they came from. Goodman said along with studying deep space, the new observatory also can study our own star. “This technique is unusual because someone yesterday, at the conference we had, said, 'you know, we should look at gamma rays from the sun, very high energy.' No one who does a telescope can look at the sun but we can look at the sun because we don't use the daylight, we use the gamma rays,” said Goodman. The site, at the bottom of an extinct volcano in central Mexico, was chosen for its favorable climate conditions. After 10 years it will be dismantled and the site's environment will be returned to its original condition. Ebola vaccines showing results in clinical trials By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Ebola has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people in West Africa. Since last summer, researchers have rushed to get anti-ebola vaccines into clinical trials. While it's too early to say that any of the potential vaccines work, some scientists say they are seeing strong results from some of the studies. It's ironic that just as the ebola epidemic in West Africa seems to be waning, clinical trials of potential vaccines are underway there. A vaccine candidate is currently being tested in Guinea, where the ebola virus is still active. Those likely to get the vaccine are medical workers and people who have been exposed to the virus. Liberia has so few new ebola cases that a clinical vaccine trial started there may be continued in Sierra Leone or Guinea. At Emory University in the U.S., an investigational vaccine was given to an American doctor who may have been exposed to the virus at an ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone. Mark Mulligan reported the effects of the vaccine in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “We saw strong responses from the innate immune system, the immediate responses, the first defenders in our body, and also from the subsequent antibodies and T cells that we want a vaccine to produce," said Mulligan. The patient did not develop the ebola virus, and he may not have been infected, but the immune response is what doctors hoped to see. Thomas Geisbert was one of the researchers who developed this potential vaccine. Despite reports that researchers are closing in on an effective vaccine, he says there's still a lot of work to do. "A lot of these different vaccines and treatments were developed against one species of ebola, and a particular strain of that species, so there are five different species of ebola virus. Three of those cause disease and morbidity, mortality in man," said Geisbert. Geisbert says a vaccine that might work against the Zaire ebola virus, the species circulating in west Africa, might not work against against another type of deadly ebola virus. But, if the vaccines are proven to work, Jesse Goodman says they could still be used in West Africa. "It could benefit people if this outbreak went the wrong way again. And, even more importantly, these could be incredibly important tools for future outbreaks," said Goodman. The results of the vaccine trial in Guinea could be available in July. War crimes status sought for killing journalists By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Since 1992, more than 1,000 journalists have been killed while doing their jobs in conflicts across the globe, 61 in 2014 alone, and four of those worked for The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news gathering organization. It was, says the wire service’s CEO Gary Pruitt, as deadly as any year in AP’s nearly 170-year history. “It used to be that when media wore PRESS emblazoned on their vest, or PRESS or MEDIA was on their vehicle, it gave them a degree of protection,” he told the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club Monday. “But guess what: That labeling now is more likely to make them a target,” he said. Last month, AP and a number of other media organizations signed A Call for Global Safety Principles and Practices, which outlines what steps news organizations should take with both staff and freelancers to ensure their safety and well-being, calling it a “moral responsibility.” Before setting out on any assignment in a conflict zone or any dangerous environment, journalists should have basic skills to care for themselves or injured colleagues, says the principles. But training alone isn’t enough, said Pruitt. International laws need to change. “Under existing international law, journalists are considered civilians in conflicts between states,” he said, explaining that currently, it’s the responsibility for each nation to investigate and prosecute those who kill journalists. “It is at best a patchwork system. At worst, totally ineffective: In 90 percent of journalists’ murders, there are no legal proceedings or investigations. Only 4 percent of killers are convicted,” he said. Pruitt is calling for the creation of a new protocol to the Geneva Conventions which would make the kidnapping or killing of journalists a war crime, and he proposes that the International Criminal Court specifically cover the killing of journalists among the other war crimes it investigates. Maybe this won’t save lives, he told correspondents, but at least it will raise awareness that journalists, like medical professionals, should not be the target of violence in conflict zones. Refugee camp air strike kills 45 persons in Yemen By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A Saudi air strike killed at least 45 people in a refugee camp in northern Yemen Monday. Humanitarian workers say civilians are among the casualties. Rebel-controlled state-run media say women and children were killed, but Saudi officials say they cannot confirm exactly what happened or who was hurt. The air strike was apparently targeting a nearby Houthi rebel military installation. Saudi-led coalition ships have also imposed a blockade to try to stop the Houthis from seizing the main southern port of Aden. Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab coalition with air strikes to stop the advance of Shi'ite Houthi rebels in Yemen and assure President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi can return to power. Since last Thursday, a Saudi-led coalition has conducted an aerial bombardment throughout the country against Yemen's Houthi Shi'ite rebels, but Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yaseen blamed a Houthi artillery strike for the refugee camp casualties. A spokesman for the International Organization for Migration said it was not immediately clear how many of those killed were civilians or armed personnel. Monday, largely Sunni Muslim Pakistan said it would send troops to Saudi Arabia, a regional ally, to join the coalition fighting Houthi rebels, according to a senior government official. However, a Pakistan government statement issued later Monday made no mention of troops but said Pakistan is committed to playing a meaningful role "in arresting the deteriorating situation in the Middle East." Currently, 10 primarily Sunni-Arab states, including several Gulf states, Sudan, Egypt and Morocco, are taking part in the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. After seizing the Yemeni capital Sana'a last year, the Houthis have advanced toward the southern port city of Aden, the economic center of the impoverished nation. The insurgents shelled Aden with artillery Monday as they pushed into the northeastern outskirts of the city, while Saudi fighter jets continued to pound rebel positions. Officials said the Houthis and supporters of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh battled local militias. Meanwhile, India's Ministry of External Affairs attempted to airlift nationals from Sana'a. Eighty Indians were flown out Sunday to Djibouti on the opposite shore of the Gulf of Aden. The ministry said 4,000 Indian nationals live in Yemen. The country's current president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, had declared Aden the provisional capital before he fled the country for Riyadh last week. About 100 people have been killed in the fighting in Aden in the last several days and Hadi's aides said he has no immediate plans to return there. Malaysian police detain five at online news site By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Malaysian authorities have arrested five employees of a private news Web site and placed them under investigation for sedition, in what is seen as the government's latest attempt at stifling dissent and free speech. The Malaysian Insider says three editors, a publisher, and a chief executive were arrested, apparently over a recent report that claimed the government had rejected a proposal for allowing tough Islamic law punishments. Police raided the news portal's offices late Monday, seizing computers and other equipment and arresting three editors: managing editor Lionel Morais, features editor Zulkifli Sulong, and Malay news editor Amin Iskandar. Publisher Ho Kay Tat and chief executive Jahabar Sadiq were also detained today after they showed up to answer questions at a police station, the Insider said. The men are being investigated under Section 4 of the country's notorious, colonial-era Sedition Act. If found guilty, they could face up to three years in prison. They could also face charges under the Communications and Multimedia Act. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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, Tuesday, March 31, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 63 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
||
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Government toll booths will be closed for 42 hours from midday Thursday until 6 a.m. Saturday, the national highway agency said Monday. The agency, the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad, said it expected greater than normal traffic these days because government workers will have left their jobs Wednesday evening and might be headed to the beaches and mountains. Toll locations are on the Interamericana Norte at Juan Santamaría airport, at Naranjo and on the Florencio del Castillo route to Cartago. There also is another on Ruta 32, the Braulio Carrillo highway. Some toll booths opened up to traffic over the weekend when the press of vehicles was great. Korea proposes fund for infrastructure Special to A.M. Costa Rica
The Inter-American Development Bank has closed the 56th annual meeting of its board of governors, which featured a series of events that underscored the strengthening of ties between Asian, Latin American and Caribbean nations. In her speech at the meeting’s inaugural session, Korean President Park Geun-hye proposed three new partnerships to guide cooperation between her country and Latin America and the Caribbean: expanding development cooperation to high added-value areas; establishing a common market for the free movement of people, goods and capital, and sharing development knowledge and experiences for mutual prosperity. In addition, the Korean president announced that her country will establish a $100 million fund for infrastructure investments in the region and provide up to $1 billion in bilateral financing for projects in the region. The board of governors is the Inter-American Development Bank’s top decision-making body. Its members are finance ministers, central bank presidents and other high-level authorities from the Bank’s 48 member countries. The governors reviewed 2014 activities. Last year the bank approved a total of $13.6 billion in loans and guarantees and $214 million in grants for Haiti, confirming its role as the leading source of long-term financing for Latin America and the Caribbean. Robbery called motive for grim crime By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A robber who left three bodies in his wake is being sought in Nicaragua. The Judicial Investigating Organization said that robbery was the apparent motive for the gruesome murder of three men in La Cruz in northwestern Costa Rica. One man was beheaded and two had their throats cut, agents said. The dead ranged from 20 to 50. Their hands were removed. The three were believed to be agricultural workers. Agents said the men had been stripped of their belongings. |
| 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: Cost of consumer credit emphasized in report By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The economics ministry is emphasizing the impact of high consumer interest rates. In a report last week, the ministry noted that a 200,000 colon ($380) televison set ends up costing a consumer 530,000 colons ($1,007) after a 60-month credit deal at 4 percent interest per month. Such situations that some would call usury are not uncommon in Costa Rica. The ministry, the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio, noted that credit card interest rates range from 24 percent, mostly at state banks, to 65 percent. In Costa Rica there are more credit cards in circulation, about 5 million, than residents. The ministry estimated the consumer debt at 933 billion colons or about $1.77 billion. There is some movement in the legislature to put a cap on interest rates, but bankers, of course object. |
