Your daily English-language news source
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Your daily English-language news source |
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Semana Santa is a time when deaths are counted and reported. Last year during the eight-day period there were 50 deaths, according to the Fuerza Pública. Of these, 21 were accidents, 22 were killings and seven were suicides. But this year, with a longer vacation period, deaths should be more. The vacation informally began Thursday evening on the eve of the April 11 national holiday. The vacation period runs through April 20, Easter Sunday. So far, three persons died in a car wreck near Turrialba Friday and two persons died under the wheels of buses. Saturday Víctor Rojas Villalobos, 65, died in the sea at Palo Seco in Parrita. Early Sunday police found the body of Cristian García García, 26, in Santa Teresita, Escazú, the victim of two knife wounds to the neck. A hit-and-run driver killed Eugenio Artavia, 50, early Friday in San Ramon. In Upala, Ramiro Madrigal Solano, 58, appeared to have slipped and fallen Friday and fatally injured |
himself in the neck with a piece
of fencing.
Walter Navarro, commander of the Fuerza Pública, said that about 10,000 of his officers, including reserves, would be in the field to protect citizens during the holiday. Officials said that due to the war in Iraq fewer Costa Ricans would leave the country for holidays, going instead to the beaches and countryside. His forces include the coast guard and the air patrol. Similar shows of force will be carried out by the transit police, firemen and the Cruz Roja paramedics. Drug investigators are not on holiday. Saturday police confiscated a kilo (2.2 pounds) of cocaine at a house in Urbanización Rió Nuevo in Ciudad Neily. Police arrested a woman with the last names of Herrara Castro. That operator was carried out by the Policía de Control de Drogas of the Minsterio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública. Vacations can be a field day for burglars when city dwellers go to the beach or mountains. A security guard shot an alleged burglar at Avenida 1 and Calle 20 after the holiday started Thursday night. The man, who was hospitalized, tried to get into a cycle shop. Police said they are paying extra attention to the beach communities where tourists stay. |
| United gets OK
from holdout union Special to A.M. Costa Rica CHICAGO, Ill. — UAL Corp., the parent company of United Airlines, says it has reached tentative, six-year wage and work rule agreements with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The airline has routes to Costa Rica, and has been flirting with economic collapse. The union represents United employees who provide maintenance, maintenance instructor and ground school instructor services to the company. The company has now reached tentative or union-ratified long-term agreements with all of its labor groups. These agreements include the significant labor-cost improvements and changes in productivity and operational flexibility that United needs to become a more competitive, stronger company for the long term, the company said The agreements are subject to approval by the union as well as UAL’s
Board of Directors and any appropriate board committee.
Cuba executes hijackers
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services HAVANA, Cuba — Authorities here have executed three men charged with terrorism in connection with the recent hijacking of a passenger ferry. The country’s legal system worked at lightning speed, executing the men within three days of their conviction, and just nine days after the hijacking was committed. State-run television said the prisoners had been found guilty of what it termed "grave acts of terrorism." It said the death sentences had been upheld by both the Supreme Tribunal and the Council of State, which is headed by President Fidel Castro. It added that the sentences were just and in accordance with Cuban law. The men were executed by a firing squad early Friday. The prisoners were described as leaders of a gun and knife-wielding gang that seized control of a passenger ferry in Havana Bay and ordered its captain to head for the United States. The coast guard intercepted the vessel in the Florida Straits, where it had run out of fuel, and eventually towed the ferry to the port of Mariel. Commando units subsequently brought the standoff to an end, rescuing several dozen passengers and the crew, and arresting the hijackers. The ferry incident was the latest in a series of high-profile attempts to escape the island. In the last month, two Cuban planes have been hijacked and forced to fly to Florida. Cuban authorities say the hijackings endanger innocent lives and constitute a threat to national security. Oil workers block
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services CARACAS, Venezuela — Former employees of the state-run oil company have blocked a major highway to protest the deaths of 19 people in an anti-government rally a year ago. The protesters shut down traffic early Friday on the Francisco Fajardo highway here. The marches come on the anniversary of massive protests against President Hugo Chavez outside the Miraflores presidential palace. Chavez supporters and other unidentified shooters allegedly opened fire on the protesters. The marchers have criticized Chavez for failing to investigate the incident and punish the people responsible for the shootings. Meanwhile, Reporters without Borders has issued a report condemning Venezuela for violations against press freedoms. The group said Friday that Chavez and his government are chiefly responsible for the decline in press freedom since he took office in 1999. The report condemns government supporters for attacks on journalists working for private news organizations. The group also criticized privately-owned news media for openly siding with anti-government groups and urged them to show more respect for professional ethics. OAS says Venezuela
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services WASHINGTON D.C. — The Organization of American States says the Venezuelan government and opposition have agreed to work toward a referendum on President Hugo Chavez's rule. However, Chavez said if the opposition wants to have a referendum it would still have to collect the 2.5 million voter signatures required by the constitution, after he passes the mid-point of his six-year term Aug. 19. The organization said the government and the opposition agreed Friday during talks in Caracas that any referendum will take place after Aug. 19. Friday's announcement coincides with the one-year anniversary of the military coup that led to the president's brief removal from office. Troops loyal to Chavez restored him to power after 48 hours. Venezuela's opposition has been pushing for the president's removal. They say he is leading Venezuela toward economic ruin and is trying to model the country after Cuba. In December, the opposition began a failed nationwide general strike aimed at forcing the president to resign and call early elections. The two-month labor action was felt most severely in Venezuela's key oil industry. Guatemalan leader asks
Special to A.M. Costa Rica WASHINGTON, D.C. — Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo today formally asked the Organization of American States to appoint a representative to a commission of inquiry that will look into illegal and underground armed groups and syndicates operating in the country. Speaking at the organization headquarters here, Portillo explained that his government was committed to addressing the challenges posed by illegal groups "that are preventing effective enforcement of the rule of law in Guatemala." Noting the commission would be established within 90 days, Portillo said: "This is not an easy decision. But it is a necessary and right decision if we intend to consolidate peace, democracy and the rule of law in Guatemala." He said his term in office ends this year, with elections set for November, and his government has asked the organization to send a team of observers to monitor the entire process, which begins with the announcement by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal next month. "We want the [organization] to monitor the entire electoral process
because although Latin America has almost entirely overcome the specter
of fraud, we must still ensure that governments are transparent and fair
and that people can vote in an atmosphere of absolute freedom and without
fear," he said.
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Paints fuel fire
that darkens sky By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Thick, black smoke covered the western part of the Metropolitan Area Friday morning because of a blaze at the Uruca facility of Fábrica de Pinturas Sur. Damage in the blaze may reach more than $2 million but employees at the location suffered only minor injuries. Investigators think that some paint ingredients spilled and were ignited by a spark about 7 a.m. at the storage facility. The warehouse was leveled. U.S. Embassy official
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Police say two armed men have kidnapped the security chief of the U.S. Embassy here. Authorities Saturday launched a massive search for Stephen Lesniak, after he was taken at a golf course outside the capital. International news sources report police as saying the kidnappers have asked for a ransom of $300,000. Police said the kidnappers may have taken the 35-year-old embassy official to the nearby village of Buxton, which is known as a haven for criminal gangs. Undocumented pair
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Police in Jacó early Saturday arrested two men in their 30s, who probably are Chinese. One man carried a forged Costa Rican driver’s license, and that was the extent of their identification papers, according to a report from the Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública. Police said that they were alerted to the presence of the men by an anonymous telephone caller. They pulled the two men over in front of the Super "Las Olas" in the downtown area. The men were in a car. Police said that they found two checks and some $1,000 in counterfeit U.S. currency. Rights group says trio
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Three Colombians have lost their lives so far in 2003 because they were whistleblowers, according to Propidad, a regional civic organization which fights against corruption and for the right to free press. The organization says many more people have received threats on their lives or have been victims of aggression. What all the victims have in common, says the organization, is they filed complaints on matters of corruption. The alleged corruption seems to be related to various municipal offices across Colombia. Propidad is calling on the Colombian authorities to investigate the
murders of the three men.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — A major reason that the presidents of five Central American states came here last week was to build support in the U.S. Congress for a free trade agreement. That was the word from Robert Zoellick, the U.S. Trade Representative, as he reflected on the meetings that included President Abel Pacheco, Foreign Minister Roberto Tovar Faja and Alberto Trejos, minister of Comerico Exterior. The trio and their counterparts in four other Central American states held a quick series of meetings Thursday here. The highpoint of the visit was a session with the U.S. president. President Bush reiterated the United States' strong interest in crafting a Central American Free Trade Agreement and reaffirmed the U.S. goal of concluding negotiations this year, said Zoellick. "President Bush and the United States are strongly committed to Central America and the Central American Free Trade Agreement," Zoellick said. The other countries are El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. These working meetings provided an opportunity to review progress in trade treaty talks and focus on the key challenges ahead, Zoellick said. He added that the meetings also demonstrate that, even in the midst of a war, President Bush and congressional leaders recognize the importance of trade and development in Central America. More broadly, Zoellick noted that the Central American trade talks reflect the Bush administration's continued commitment to the hemisphere. The trade talks were launched in January 2003, with subsequent negotiating sessions in Costa Rica, Cincinnati, Ohio, and El Salvador. Zoellick said the talks were going well and according to schedule. "We feel all the signs are positive, we are making excellent progress on the issues," he said. "We |
believe we are on track to finish
the free trade agreement this year."
Zoellick said that the presidents were able to take part in a breakfast meeting with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (a Republican of Tennessee), Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (a Democrat of South Dakota) and other congressional leaders from the House of Representatives and Senate. Economic issues including agriculture, intellectual property right protection and transparency, as well as other issues such as human rights and democracy, were among the key topics discussed at the breakfast meeting, he said. Following their meetings on Capitol Hill, at the White House and with
other senior administration officials, the Central American leaders concluded
their day in Washington by taking part in a reception at the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce.
Hemisphere-wide treaty
Special to A.M. Costa Rica WASHINGTON, D.C. — Negotiations to create a Free Trade Area of the Americas by the target date of January 2005 are moving ahead, and an updated version should be ready by July, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier said. He spoke to reporters Friday via teleconference from Puebla, Mexico, where deputy trade ministers who make up the Trade Negotiations Committee met to review progress of the negotiations as these enter their final phase. Allgeier told reporters that officials would be looking at the "overall architecture" of an agreement that aims to create the world's largest free trade zone among the 34 Western Hemisphere democracies. He acknowledged that "there will be many disagreements" but indicated that the United States is fully committed to moving the process forward. |
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Louis Milanes |
Luis Enrique Villalobos Camacho |
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This newspaper seeks the prompt return of two men who ran high-interest investment operations that have gone out of business. Luis Enrique Villalobos Camacho, 62, was associated with Ofinter S.A., a money exchange house, and with his own private investment business that had about $1 billion in other people’s money on the books. Villalobos closed his business Oct. 14 and vanished. Louis Milanes operated Savings Unlimited and several casinos in San José. He left the country with other members of his firm the weekend of Nov. 23. He may have as much as $260 million in his possession. Both operations catered to North Americans. |
Villalobos had about 6,300 customers. Milanes
had about 2,400.
Villalobos and Milanes are the subjects of international arrest warrants. Associates of both men have been jailed. A.M. Costa Rica has posted a $500 reward for information leading to the detention of either man with the hopes that others will make similar pledges. The newspaper believes that investors only will see some of their money when the two men are in custody. Milanes has few supporters in San José. On the other hand, as the letters frequently on this page show, Villalobos still has supporters who believe that he will reappear and settle his debts. They believe he is in hiding because of a predatory Costa Rican government. |
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