Costa Rica seeks contact
with its citizens in Boston


Costa Rican foreign ministry officials are trying to run down their countrymen in the Boston area to see if they suffered injuries in the Monday terrorist attack.
 
The Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto said Monday that it had asked workers at consulates in New York and Boston to contact Costa Ricans.

The twin explosions seconds apart were at the finish line of the famous Boston marathon, and at least 30 Costa Ricans were known to have participated. There also may have been some expats from Costa Rica running the marathon.
 
U.S. President Barack Obama has vowed to bring to justice  whoever was responsible for the explosions which killed three people and wounded about 140. Many suffered amputated limbs because of the nature of the explosion. One of the dead was a boy, 8, who was waiting for his father to finish the race.

President Obama says he has directed the full resources of the federal government to help state and local authorities protect Americans, as an investigation continues into the Boston explosions.

"We still do not know who did this or why, and people should not jump to conclusions before we have all the facts," said Obama. "But make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this and we will find who did this and we will find out why they did this.  Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice."

Obama did not specifically describe the explosions in Boston as a terrorist attack.  But a White House official said "any event with multiple explosive devices, as this appears to be, is clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror.

The official said a thorough investigation will have to determine whether the Boston attack was planned and carried out by a terrorist group, foreign or domestic.

Obama said he has spoken with U.S. congressional leaders.  On Capitol Hill, House Speaker John Boehner led the chamber in observing a moment of silence.

The president was notified of the explosions minutes after they occurred and briefed by his new Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco and other members of the White House senior staff.

Obama telephoned Boston Mayor Tom Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to offer support. 

The president also received a briefing from Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

In addition to the two explosions near the Boston Marathon finish line, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis also reported a fire at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library. But that blaze later was said to be unrelated to the blasts.

Police in other cities took steps to reinforce security.

Rape near Jacó continues
to be reported under study


Investigators still have not arrested two teens suspected of raping a woman in Pueblo Nuevo outside of Jacó 20 days ago.

According to the Judicial Investigating Organization, a 23-year-old Costa Rican woman was walking down the street when she was attacked and raped by her two teenage neighbors March 27.   The victim is deaf and mute, they said.

The suspects are 17 and 18 years old, and have no prior crimes recorded, said agents. Neighbors said that they still might be suspects in a prior forcible rape case.

A judicial spokesperson said that the two would remain free until investigators could fully study the case.  It is unknown how long this will take, they said. Neighbors have expressed concern that the suspects still are free. Despite the woman's disabilities, she is reported able to communicate with investigators and has identified the suspects, neighbors said.

In addition, some wondered why an 18-year-old would be treated as a juvenile.

Tight race, quick decision
prompt uncertainty in Caracas


Venezuela's electoral council has declared Nicolás Maduro the winner of the nation's presidential election by a slim margin. But opposition candidate Henrique Capriles is demanding a recount.
 
National electoral council President Tibisay Lucena announced Maduro's victory late Sunday with 50.7 percent of the vote, an estimated 235,000 ballots more than opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, who garnered 49.1 percent of the vote.
 
The election official called the narrow margin irrefutable, describing results as the irreversible outcome of the country's electoral process.

Fireworks resounded throughout the capital as Maduro's supporters took to the street to celebrate, many of them chanting “Viva Chávez!”
 
Speaking at a rally, Maduro urged supporters to defend his victory in a peaceful and orderly manner, allowing that he would consider an audit of the vote. If an audit were to indicate defeat by even a single vote, he said, he would immediately concede to Capriles.
 
"But that is not how it happened," Maduro said, claiming that he won by 300,000 votes, a decision of the people he urged his opponent to accept.

Maduro has rejected election observers from the Organization of American States. The election council members are Chávez appointees.

In a fiery speech denouncing the results and demanding a recount, Capriles said his team had identified thousands of incidents of electoral fraud or manipulation, and that he said he would not recognize results until each and every vote is counted.
 
"Maduro and his government are the losers," Capriles told supporters.
 
Late president Hugo Chávez, the popular and controversial socialist leader who died from cancer last month, picked Maduro as his successor. The former union leader and vice president has vowed to continue the Chávez policies that cut poverty from 50 to 29 percent with popular health, education and food programs.
 
Early in the campaign, Maduro held a significant lead in polls, but Capriles narrowed the gap in the final days of the campaign. His strong showing speaks to growing frustration in the country with double-digit inflation and a soaring crime rate.

"I want to say to the government's candidate, the loser today is you and say that firmly," said Capriles. "You are the loser. You and your government. I say that with firmness and with all the compromise and transparency. We will not recognize the results until each and every Venezuelan vote, one by one, has been counted. We demand here that the national electoral council open all of the boxes and that each Venezuelan vote be counted.''
 
Cuban President Raúl Castro was among the first to congratulate Maduro in a statement published in the Communist Party newspaper Granma.
 

White House backs request
for a recount of the votes


The White House says a recount in Venezuela's close election is necessary and prudent to ensure Venezuelans have confidence in the results.
 
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday rushing to a decision in these circumstances would be inconsistent with the expectations of Venezuelans for a clear and democratic outcome.
 
Costa Rican officials has no such concerns. The foreign minister released a statement Monday morning congratulating the Venezuelan government and the people there for holding the election. It said it hoped the two countries would continue to deepen their friendship and cooperation.

Costa Rica gets a lot of its petroleum form Venezuela.