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A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 21, 2015, Vol.
15, No. 77
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Illegal
immigration to U.S. proves fatal
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A tragedy in the ocean off Bahamas has illuminated another route used by illegal aliens to enter the United States. The tragedy was the death of three Costa Ricans who were onboard a small boat trying to reach the United States. The foreign ministry confirmed the deaths Monday and said that a survivor was in contact with the Costa Rican honorary consul in Nassau, Bahamas, in order to obtain documents so he could return home. The dead Costa Ricans were identified by the last names of Alfaro and Garbanzo, wife and husband, and a companion, Ruiz. The traditional route to the United States is over land, but criminality and the dangerous passage over the desert in northern México and the southern United States have dissuaded many from traveling that way.  Ministerio de Seguridad Pública
photo
Fuerza
Pública officers cut down and burned 1,160 marijuana plantsalong a river in Palmar Sur de Osa. Officers had to hike several hours into the mountains and did the work in hot and muggy weather. This is a typical task for police, who chop down thousands of plants every year. Volunteer fair for youth is today By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud plans a youth volunteer fair today at the Centro Nacional de la Cultura of Avenida 7. The goal is to link youngsters with organizations that can use their help. The fair, which runs from noon to 4 p.m., also is marking an international day of youth volunteers. The youth in the case of Costa Rica can be as old as 35, according to an announcement. Organizations participating include the Clubes 4S, Guías y Scouts Costa Rica, Cruz Roja and many others. New wrinkle reported on an old con By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
There is a new wrinkle to an old con game that the Fuerza Pública reported Monday. The basic con is that someone selling an item through online advertising will be contacted and eventually asked to give the item to a third party for delivery elsewhere. Some do this in expectation of payment, but the money never arrives, and the third party usually is an innocent messenger or taxi driver. The latest wrinkle is that the crook pretends to be a physician. A woman sought to sell her electronic tablet, and the crook arranged a meeting outside a city hospital. But when the woman arrived at the designated location, the supposed physician was not available. He said he was in surgery. So the crook told the woman to give the electronic device to a nearby taxi driver who would deliver it to a designated address. The physician promised to finish up the surgery and deliver the money to the woman. Of course that never happened. The Fuerza Pública said this technique has been repeated at least four times. Banco Nacional to issue new check design By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
People still use checks. In fact, Banco Nacional says that it processes half a million checks a year. To accommodate those who still love the written check, the bank says that it is upgrading and issuing redesigned checks as of May 1. The new check will contain a hologram as well as other security features. Checks already in the hands of customers can be used until the end of the year, the bank said. Our readers' opinion
Agricultural burning leads to bigger firesDear A.M. Costa Rica: The gardening column by Victoria Torley is informative for gardeners living in her region of the country and is written with humor and charm. The title and intent of her column on Monday, however, made me shudder. " Burned Earth Can Be a Big Benefit. " Where I live in Nosara, Guanacaste, our volunteer fire fighters have recently battled raging forest fires in multiple locations caused by the custom of agricultural burning. In all, 500 hectares (1,235 acres) were destroyed by fire and countless animals and their habitats perished. The fires came very close to destroying homes and business properties. Our entire community was threatened. The custom of burning has to stop! Expats and new arrivals in Costa Rica who have no knowledge of the dire consequences of burning their trash or yard debris might read this advice and think it sound advice . Please think twice! Pamela Ellsworth
Nosara Politicians love to say the sky is falling Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Mr. Riden (letters 17 April) provided me with a morning chuckle as it reminded me of so many who feel they know what is best for the unwashed masses (an infection in this instance) and then proceed to skirt around the reality of what it is they propose. Mr. Riden managed to touch on every "sky is falling" issue that are [is] the growth industry in todays' world. About a hundred years ago, a great American writer observed "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." H.L. Mencken, 1910 It is readily apparent that nothing much has changed since 1910. I conclude with two observations: It is the Christiana Figuereses of the world who is one of the ". . . few (that) drink champagne while the many don't have clean water." That Mr. Riden reread the last paragraph of his letter and follow through by taking appropriate steps. J. H. Penner
Richmond, B.C.
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 21, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 77 | |
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 A.M. Costa Rica photo/ Kimberly Beck
The banana conveyor in
Matina is just one horsepower. |
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| Promotors outline their plan for an international airport in
Matina |
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By
Kimberly Beck
Special to A.M. Costa Rica Promoters of a $700 million international airport in Limón said they had difficulty generating interest under the Laura Chinchilla government, but now the Solís administration appears to favor the proposal. The promoters said this when they met last week with members of the Matina chamber of commerce in the canton's municipal office, to introduce a proposed international airport. Representing the MEL Group was Enzest Brown, project engineer. The company name reflects the first names of the principal partners, and the company is not related to the aviation company The MEL Group with headquarters in Suffolk, United Kingdom. Other executives of the firm are Lowell McLean, marketing director and Limón resident, and Michael Adden, president of MEL Group. Adden was born in Limón and lives in Miami, Florida. The plan for an international airport in Limón was born in 2011 and subsequently introduced to the second vice president of Costa Rica President Chinchilla’s administration, Luis Liberman. Adden said he followed up this meeting with visits to other agencies and ministries, but finally got a resounding, ‘We are not interested.’” Not dissuaded, MEL Group met with the current President Luis Guillermo Solís along with the minister of Transportation, Carlos Segnini, in February. The president suggested the group meet yet again with the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, and this time the welcome was warmer, said the executives. Adden says the $700 million required to construct the Limón international airport and the project is well-received by primary investors, Tenet Financial Corp, Texas, and ACO Investment Group, New York. Yet, no official deal has been inked because the two primary investors remain concerned about infrastructure in the Limón area. Adden and Brown both compare their Caribbean-based investment opportunity to the Daniel Oduber International airport in Guanacaste. A new airport may be the only similarity to the Limón Caribbean-based airport project. The world famous Pacific tourist region sports several internationally owned, high-end eco-resorts and mega hotels plus several large projects underway and completed to serve the marketing demographic of expat luxury living communities. In comparison, Matina on the Caribbean is a poverty stricken banana town. The only work available for the majority of 40,000 inhabitants is in the banana fields. The monthly average wage is $400. There are no existing large resorts and no influx of well-heeled foreigners with substantial cash. Limón is the poorest province of Costa Rica. While Limón does the heavy lifting for Costa Rica's imports and exports, the tax revenues primarily directly flow into the central government located in San Jose instead of the local communities in the region. However, what Matina has as a plus is the proximity to the Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo S.A., the government petroleum monopoly. Fuel transportation is expensive for airlines. A possible future site of the Limón airport nearby is an economic incentive for airlines serving an international airport. In addition, a feasibility study is underway for a possible $1.5 billion Chinese-funded refinery upgrade that promises to produce bio and green fuels. Matina is also a stone’s throw from the new $1 billion APM container facility in Moín, which is expected to be complete in 2018. In late March, a list of requirements provided by the MEL Group was introduced to the government. The list included the completion of the Ruta 32 widening project, installation of sufficient electricity and fiber optic infrastructure and business related courses to be added to the current school curriculum in the region. |
 A.M. Costa Rica photo/Kimberly Beck
Enzest Brown outlines the
plan for the airport.Although The MEP Group presented
the plan to a crowd in Limón Centro last year, last
week marks the first time an official from MEL
Group visited Matina, the proposed official site of the new airport.
Brown, MEL’s project engineer, presented Matina’s newly formed chamber of commerce the same Powerpoint presentation he shared with President Solis. The presentation included MEL’s airport plans, workforce requirements and organizational charts of proposed parties involved. The expected number of personnel
with an advanced education level for
the airport includes 2,500 direct jobs, 1,500 construction, and 8,000
indirect jobs. Such employment is not available in Matina or in nearby
Limón Centro. Most residents are plantation workers with limited
access
to proper education especially in written business English and
high-tech engineering and other airport related employment.
Brown told the chamber membership MEL is not trying to compete with the Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose. The Limón airport will specifically benefit Asian, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern foreign passenger traffic along with air cargo services. Statistics provided from the tourism institute and the Dirección General de Migración show current traffic from these areas is only 2.6 percent of the Alajuela airport's total, the executive said. “June 2016 is when we plan to begin executing feasibility studies, environmental studies, and deploy our marketing teams” said MEL’s Adder. There are two possible building sites in Matina. They sit back-to-back with one having direct access to Ruta 32, the main route going north to Nicaragua and west to San José. Both possible airport sites include an existing banana plantation owned by the China-based Acon Group. Adden says “There have been no conversations between MEL Group and the Acon Group, as of yet.’” Brown’s presentation at the chamber showed negotiations are currently underway with American, Frontier, Southwest, and others. COPA Airlines, a passenger and air cargo company, is involved in outreach by MEL. Projected numbers for 2020 include 2.5 million people using the airport plus 110,000 tons of cargo. MEL’s proposed Limón international airport will include 12 hangars, two runways. One would be 4.5 kilometers for jumbo jets. A second smaller runway would handle overflow and cargo storage. MEL Group will open two offices, if all goes as projected and planned. One will be in San José. The other will be on the Matina site. |
| U.S. Tax Advocate proposes rule that would benefit expats |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The national tax advocate has suggested that two separate rules for reporting foreign bank accounts be combined, according to American Citizens Abroad, Inc. The proposal is to combine rules for the Foreign Bank Account Report with requirements for the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. Both are now required from many Americans living abroad. American Citizens Abroad also is an advocate for expats, and its main proposal now is the same country exception. That is if an expat maintains a bank account for personal use in the |
same
country in which she or he lives, there would be no need to make annual
reports. The National Tax Advocate is an official position within the U.S. Department of Treasury. "We are very happy to see progress made on these subjects," said Marylouise Serrato, executive director, American Citizens Abroad, Inc. "But we cannot rest in our efforts to get these changes actually made. For sure, the same country exemption could be put in place almost immediately. It does not require congressional action. It is a change that everyone, including Treasury Department and the IRS, should be enthusiastic about." |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 21, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 77 | |||||
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| International action urged to stem tide of fake and low
quality drugs |
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By the National Institutes of
Health/Fogarty
International Center news staff Poor quality medicines are a real and urgent threat that could undermine decades of successful efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, according to the editors of a collection of journal articles published Monday. Scientists report up to 41 percent of specimens failed to meet quality standards in global studies of about 17,000 drug samples. Among the collection is an article describing the discovery of falsified and substandard malaria drugs that caused an estimated 122,350 deaths in African children in 2013. Other studies identified poor quality antibiotics, which may harm health and increase antimicrobial resistance. However, new methodologies are being developed to detect problem drugs at the point of purchase and show some promise, scientists say. Seventeen articles in all, detailing various aspects of the issue and proposing possible solutions, are included in a special journal supplement "The Global Pandemic of Falsified Medicines: Laboratory and Field Innovations and Policy Perspectives," published online ahead of print by The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Several articles suggest policy interventions, including an international framework and the adoption of stricter national laws against drug counterfeiting. "This problem continues to spread globally, creating an even greater challenge to cooperation among stakeholders, many with limited resources," noted the supplement's co-editor, Joel Breman, senior scientist emeritus at the National Institutes of Health's Fogarty International Center. "The need is urgent for collaboration among those with expertise in policy, science, technology, surveillance, epidemiology and logistics, in order to secure global supply chains." In an introductory essay, former U.S. Food and Drug commissioner Margaret Hamburg, says globalization has |
added layers
of complexity to
the drug supply chain that require
greater oversight. "Today's medical-product landscape
blurs the line between domestic and foreign production, drawing
attention to the need for global quality and safety oversight to
prevent patient exposure to falsified products," wrote Dr. Hamburg, who
was recently named foreign secretary of the Institute of Medicine. Scientists inspected the quality of about 16,800 samples of anti-malarials, anti-tuberculosis medicines, antibiotics and anti-leishmaniasis drugs and reported from 9 to 41 percent failed to meet the specifications. Seven separate studies were carried out, primarily in low-resource settings, and included samples from public and private sources. "The pandemic of falsified and substandard medicines is pervasive and underestimated, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where drug regulatory systems are weak or non-existent, as shown by field studies in the supplement," says Jim Herrington, co-editor of the supplement and director of the University of North Carolina's Gillings Global Gateway at Chapel Hill. Until recently, Herrington was director of Fogarty's international relations division. New methodologies to test drug quality are emerging and scientists reported the results of four investigations. Simple paper-based test cards proved to be an economical and portable method to identify very low quality anti-malarials. More sophisticated approaches using fluorescent and luminescent techniques or other novel technologies can measure with greater precision but may be difficult to use in remote settings. All of these promising tools require further testing to provide a greater evidence base to guide policymakers, the authors say. An urgent and coordinated international response is required to address the pandemic of poor quality drugs, the scientists maintain. Policy proposals include a global agreement, similar to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and stricter national laws to prosecute those who knowingly sell counterfeit medicines. |
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
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth
news page
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 21, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 77 | |||||||
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| Canadian commentary urges tripling taxes on tobacco By the Canadian Medical Association
Journal news staff
Although global efforts to cut tobacco use have had some success, more can be done to reduce the number of deaths from smoking, according to a commentary published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. More than 170 countries have signed the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control agreement since it was adopted in 2005. However, smoking rates are still high in many low- and middle-income countries compared with Canada and other high-income countries where efforts to curb smoking have been more successful. Regular smokers have a threefold higher risk of dying from smoking than nonsmokers. Quitting by age 40 will substantially reduce the risk. To meet the World Health recommended 30 per cent reduction in smoking by 2025, countries need to triple tobacco taxes, said the commentary. If this reduction is achieved, it would save an estimated 200 million lives by the end of the 21st century. "The only plausible way to reduce smoking to this extent would be to triple tobacco excise taxes in most low- and middle-income countries," writes Prabhat Jha, Centre for Global Health Research, St. Michael's Hospital and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, with coauthor Sir George Alleyne, Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC. "Estimates suggest that tripling excise tax would double the retail price of tobacco products and reduce consumption by about 40 percent in these nations," he said. Annual global sales of tobacco have risen over the last 25 years, according to World Health estimates. One ton of tobacco produces 1 million cigarettes and causes one death, the writers estimate. Global tobacco industry profits equal about $10 000 per death, they said. Global efforts to reduce smoking must counter the tactics and large budgets of tobacco companies that allow them to use lobbying and marketing to ensure that cigarettes are affordable, said the commentary. "The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is a great achievement in global health. Now is the time to take stronger steps to implement its important provisions. If we do, we might expect to achieve unprecedented numbers of lives saved in the next few decades of the 21st century," the authors conclude. Armenia officer at Gallipoli becomes flashpoint in Turkey By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Turkey commemorates on Friday the 100th anniversary of the World War I battle of Gallipoli when Ottoman Turks defeated a British-led invasion force. On the same day, Armenians around the world will mark the 100th anniversary of the mass killings, which Armenians describe as genocide, by the Ottomans of its Armenian minority. The calamitous events are captured in the story of a Turkish Armenian army officer, Capt. Sarkis Torossian. But the publication of his memoirs of fighting in the Battle of Gallipoli has stoked controversy in Turkey. Torossian’s story deals with many taboos and dark chapters in Ottoman history. Even though he was a decorated Ottoman army officer, that fact did not save his mother and sisters, who perished during the mass deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman rulers. The mass deportation has since been dubbed as a genocide by many, a label that Ankara vehemently denies. Bilgi University Professor Ayhan Aktar said the most contentious part of Torossian's story is that he fought at the crucial World War I Battle of Gallipoli. Aktar said Torossian's story contradicts both Turkey’s official version of events that only Turks fought at Gallipoli as well as the latest Islamist interpretation of the battle. "When you form a Turkish republic based on ethnic nationalism, you rewrite history. In the last 15 years, an Islamic narrative started. They started to talk about the kinds of saints coming from the sky, protecting the glorious Islamic army against the infidel," Aktar said. "In both narratives, in the Turkish and Islamic narrative, poor Capt. Torossian is persona non grata. He does not have any place. He is not Turk to take place in the Turkish narrative, and he is not a Muslim. He is Christian, and therefore he does not fit in the Islamic narrative," Aktar added. The importance of Torossian’s story, Aktar said, is why publishers were persuaded to print it in Turkey. While Aktar said he was aware the book was controversial, he was surprised by the unlikely alliance of Turkish secular nationalists, Islamists and even the army attacking it. "I mean, I was not expecting such a debate, such a fury," he said. "They told me that I was naïve. I was cheated by the text and tried to discredit the book by finding details, saying, this guy is a systematic liar. "When the Torossian debate started, the Turkish chief of staff made an official declaration saying that there was no officer called Sarkis Torossian on the Gallipoli front in 1915," Aktar said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged the veracity of the story, citing it in a communiqué to his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sargsyan, in a bid to persuade him to attend Gallipoli commemorations. The offer was refused. Aktar said the controversy over the book has created a worrying atmosphere for Turkey’s tiny Armenian minority. "An Armenian Facebook friend wrote me a personal message saying that my grandfather, Hacik Bey, was wounded at Gallipoli. I wrote to him saying can I use this account, he said please do so, but don't give my name," Aktar said. "This upsurge of nationalism against an Armenian officer who fought in the army created a kind of uneasy feeling in an ordinary Turkish-Armenian citizen, who still has the trauma of genocide and I never forgive this," he added. Aktar said the controversy has opened the door to other accounts of Armenian officers who fought at Gallipoli becoming known. "This debate on Captain Torossian initiated another upsurge in research about who were these officers in the Ottoman Army. Actually, I am very proud of it," he said. "While we are commemorating a battle or resistance or heroism, we should never forget the ones who are fighting with us. This is very important and we should pay respect." Boston jury begins today the penalty bombing phase By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Nearly two weeks after convicting Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for the deadly bombing of the 2013 Boston Marathon, a federal jury will return to work today to determine whether to sentence him to death or life in prison. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against the 21-year-old Chechen immigrant for the deaths of three people in the bombings, which occurred at the finish line of the legendary race. But the parents of one of the victims, 8-year-old Martin Richard, have asked the Justice Department to offer Tsarnaev a life sentence without parole or the right to appeal, in exchange for removing the death penalty. "We know that the government has its reasons for seeking the death penalty," Bill and Denise Richard wrote in an essay in The Boston Globe last week, "but the continued pursuit of that punishment could bring years of appeals and prolong the most painful day of our lives." Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, a married Boston couple who both lost legs in the attack, also urged prosecutors to drop their efforts to seek the death penalty against Tsarnaev. Public opinion polls in Boston show that a majority of residents oppose the death penalty for Tsarnaev. Over the past 15 years, only three people have been put to death by the federal government, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, drug smuggler Juan Raul Garza and kidnapper Louis Jones. The jury must vote unanimously to sentence Tsarnaev to death. His lawyers admitted from the start of the federal trial that Tsarnaev was involved in the plot to detonate two homemade pressure-cooker bombs near the finish line of the annual Boston marathon. In addition to the three deaths, another 264 people were injured, with 17 people losing limbs and many others maimed from flying shrapnel. But the defense has argued that Tsarnaev's radicalized elder brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was the driving force behind the attack. Noted defense attorney Judy Clarke, who has successfully kept other notorious U.S. murder convicts off death row, told the jury in her closing argument, "If not for Tamerlan, it would not have happened." Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed days after the April 15, 2013, blasts, when Dzhokhar Tsarnaev inadvertently drove over him as the two brothers attempted to escape a massive police manhunt throughout the Boston area. They shot a university policeman to death while attempting to flee authorities. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was later found hiding in a boat parked in the backyard of a suburban Boston home. Prosecutors said he scrawled a motive for the attack on the inside wall of the boat, writing that the brothers were trying to avenge American attacks on Muslims in the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. EU-U.S. trade deal complex without certainty of success By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The trade deal being negotiated between the United States and European Union could add $100 billion annually to the economies on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, but the issues are complex and there is no guarantee that an agreement will be reached anytime soon. The U.S. and the 28-nation EU started negotiations nearly two years ago and resumed them again this week in New York. The U.S. is the world's biggest individual economy and the EU, collectively, is even bigger. Even though the U.S. and Europe collaborate militarily in the NATO alliance and annually carry out billions of dollars in business deals, existing tariffs and other barriers limit the economic activity from what it might be. Both Europe and the U.S. say they want to eliminate custom duties on each other's products. "In the 21st century it is anachronistic that Europeans and Americans still impose custom duties on each other's products," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said last year. "These should be eliminated, quickly and completely." The United States has taken the same stance. It ships $730 million in goods to the EU every day and notes that tariffs can make the difference between winning and losing a contract. The U.S. says it wants to put itself on the same trading level as the EU's other free trade agreement partners, including Chile, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa. The U.S. says tariffs, for example, add a 7 percent duty to the cost of American farmers' apples sent to Europe, while EU competitors' apples sent to the United States are duty free. Conversely, the EU says some U.S. tariffs are as high as 30 percent on high value European products, such as hams, cheese, wine, liquor and chocolate, making them too expensive for American consumers and hard for European farmers to export them. Conversely, the EU says American exporters face customs on such products as corn, soy beans and animal feed, boosting costs for European farmers and manufacturers. The trade negotiations include discussions on labor and environmental standards, conflicting business regulations in the United States and Europe and corporate investment rules on both sides of the Atlantic. The United States trade office says a deal would "promote U.S. international competitiveness, jobs and growth," adding to the 13 million U.S. and EU jobs already linked to transatlantic trade. Some U.S. lawmakers, especially Democrats normally aligned with the country's Democratic president, Barack Obama, have voiced fears that a deal with Europe and a tandem trade pact with Pacific Rim countries would eliminate American jobs as U.S. corporations move some of their operations overseas. In the United States, the prospect of new trade deals is winning more support from business-oriented Republican lawmakers who often have opposed Obama on a wide range of other issues. In Europe, thousands of protesters took to the streets this past weekend to protest the possible EU deal with the U.S., saying it would hurt their workers. It is much the same claim as U.S. labor unions have voiced. Korean prime minister denies accepting money as a bribe By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
South Korean Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo offered to resign today after becoming caught up in a bribery scandal. Prime Minister Lee has faced allegations he accepted illegal funds from a businessman who committed suicide earlier this month. Just before his death, the businessman, Sung Wan-jong, told local media he had bribed several top government officials, including Lee. Sung was found hanging from a tree in Seoul. In his pocket was a list containing the names of eight officials who allegedly received the illegal funds. Most of the officials, including Lee, are thought to be close allies of President Park Geun-hye. The prime minister has repeatedly denied accepting the $27,000 in bribes, even telling reporters if this were the case he would lay down his life. Ms. Park, who is on a trip to Latin America, has yet to decide whether to accept the resignation of the prime minister. "I find it regrettable. I also feel sympathy for the agony of the prime minister," she said in a statement, adding a thorough investigation should be conducted. The president has had repeated difficulties with her picks for prime minister, which is a largely ceremonial position in South Korea. Several of her prime ministerial nominees and other cabinet member picks have had to withdraw after questions were raised about their past behavior. AC/DC drummer admits threat to kill ex-associate By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The veteran drummer for the legendary rock band AC/DC pleaded guilty today in a New Zealand court to threatening to kill an ex-employee. The drummer, Phil Rudd, faces up to seven years in prison for the charge, which his lawyer said related to an angry phone call made last year. The 60-year-old Rudd also admitted to two less serious charges of possessing marijuana and methamphetamine. Rudd, who was arrested last November, initially denied all charges against him, but unexpectedly pleaded guilty during the hearing in Tauranga. Court records show the dispute began in August, when Rudd became unhappy with several people, including the victim, at an event during which his solo album was released. Four weeks later, Rudd called an associate and told him he wanted the victim taken out. In exchange, he allegedly offered the associate $153,000, a motorbike, and one of his cars or a house. Rudd is also said to have later called the victim directly and told him "I'm going to come over and kill you." When police raided Rudd's home, they found nearly half a gram of methamphetamine and 91 grams of cannabis. Prosecutors had originally charged Rudd with more serious murder-for-hire charges, but dropped them because of a lack of evidence. His lawyer, Craig Tuck, said he will seek a solution, known as a discharge without conviction, that will have minimal legal consequences. Rudd was released on bail. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for late June. The Australia-born Rudd, who now lives in New Zealand, left AC/DC in 1983, but rejoined the band in 1994. He is not taking part in the band's world tour that starts next month. AC/DC is one of the highest-grossing bands of all-time, with hit songs that include "Back in Black," "Thunderstruck" and "You Shook Me All Night Long." Islamic State making bundle in artifact black market By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Islamic State militants released two videos this past month boasting about the bombing of priceless ancient artifacts in Iraq. The destruction of cultural heritage in the Middle East is an element of the war, funding extremism and fueling sectarian violence. Before modern day maps of the Middle East, before the Ottomans and the Romans, and before thousands of years of kings and caliphs, were the Assyrians, one of the world’s first modern empires. Assyrian rule spanned what is now Iraq, across the Middle East to Egypt and into Turkey, surviving roughly 19 centuries. In recent months, the Islamic State group appears to have increased its destruction of historical treasures in Iraq, targeting the ancient Assyrian cities of Nimrud, Hatra, Nineveh and Khorsabad. In one video, militants appear to be bombing Nimrud and destroying art and monuments with sledgehammers. A man claiming to be an Islamic State fighter says they are crushing old ideas of polytheism, and threatens to smash Christians and Americans. Chatham House analyst Tim Eaton says, despite the ideological rhetoric, the militants also stand to profit from the destruction. “What is not nailed down, what is movable, they will sell. The artifacts themselves have no value to them in terms of their history, but they do have a monetary value, and the Islamic State is very clever in selling them: in moving them, and selling them," Eaton says. He adds the sales of ancient art and artifacts, collectively known as cultural heritage, from Syria and Iraq are estimated to have added anywhere from $36 million to $200 million to Islamic State coffers. The figures, however, are mostly guess work, Eaton says, because there is no real way to track black market art sales in war zones. The destruction of cultural heritage, he adds, is a weapon, fueling sectarian tensions by destroying treasures cherished by minority religious or ethnic groups. “It is a statement which says: ‘This is our heartland. You do not belong here. This is what we believe,' " he says. Thousands of people have been killed since the militants grabbed vast territories in Iraq and Syria less than a year ago. The extremist group appears to be gaining ground in Libya. Sunday, the group released its latest terror video of the slaughter of roughly 30 Ethiopian Christians. The death toll is guesswork, too, since none of the videos can be independently verified. Bahia Shebab, an American University in Cairo professor, artist and historian, says the loss of lives and livelihoods cannot be directly compared to the loss of cultural heritage, but that both are tragic. “This history is our identity. It is what we should be handing to the future generations," Ms. Shebab says. "So even if we die, these artifacts and these monuments carry our story and they carry the stories of where we came from.” Besides extremist propaganda, she says, ancient treasures in Syria and Iraq are being stolen by looters or simply destroyed by bullets and bombs in the fighting. In Syria, more than 220,000 people have been killed since 2011. Ancient cities like Aleppo and Homs have all but crumbled and all of the country’s six World Heritage sites have been damaged. Ms. Shehab says the impact reaches far beyond the Middle East. “Destroying cultural heritage is not only relevant to people living in these areas, but it is the cultural heritage of humanity. It is very painful to see the destruction that is taking place," she says. As the Islamic State group continues to ravage Iraq, analysts say many of the treasures are undocumented and the world may never know exactly how much the war has cost. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 21, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 77 | |||||||||
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Household
pets can harbor diseases
By The Ohio State University news staff
As new medical diagnostics become available, researchers are increasingly discovering situations in which pets can transmit diseases to humans — especially when an owner’s immune system is compromised. At The Ohio State University and partner institutions, researchers have compiled the latest information from more than 500 studies worldwide to make recommendations on how families can minimize the risk of disease transmission by choosing the right type of pet or by making small changes in how they enjoy the pets they already have. The review was published in the Monday issue of The Canadian Medical Association Journal. Salmonella, E. coli and roundworms are among the nearly 20 different diseases that people most commonly acquire from pets, explained Jason Stull, assistant professor of veterinary preventive medicine at Ohio State. Infants, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with limited immune function are most at risk for animal-borne, or zoonotic, diseases. Since different species of pets, dogs, cats, rodents, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians, carry different types of diseases and at different stages of life, Stull and his colleagues suggest that families talk to both their doctor and veterinarian about what pet is the safest choice for their family. “It’s all about safe pet ownership,” Stull said. “There are very few situations in which a person couldn’t or shouldn’t have some type of pet if they wish. It’s about matching the right species with the right person and taking the appropriate precautions.” And there is need for more communication about pets among health professionals and the people they serve. “Surveys suggest that most veterinarians and physicians do not regularly discuss zoonotic disease risks with clients, patients or each other,” Stull said. “That needs to change if we are going to effectively reduce pet-associated diseases.” He suggests physicians could reach out to veterinarians for information about the health risks of owning particular pets, especially when they have a patient whose immune system is compromised. Pets naturally shed disease-causing organisms in their feces, saliva, or from skin, he explained. For example, reptiles and amphibians, pets such as turtles, snakes, frogs and salamanders, naturally carry salmonella in their digestive tract. After touching these pets, hand washing is important for everyone, but especially for people who are more vulnerable to infections, said Stull. Stull also offered the example of families in which a child has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing treatment that compromises the immune system. “We’ve worked with families whose kids are spending a lot of time in physicians’ offices, and for numerous reasons miss out on typical activities with other kids,” he said. “Parents may decide to get a puppy or kitten to help replace some of that lost social interaction. But puppies and kittens shed some organisms that adult animals don’t, so an adult animal would probably be a better choice in that situation.” |
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| From Page 7: Online firm will offer cashbacks here By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A U.S. company that gives cash back to buyers is now online in Costa Rica, the firm said Monday. It is DubLi, Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The firm said that participating are 10,000 companies including big names like Bestbuy, Apple Store, Sony, Amazon, Priceline, Lenovo and Walmart. Costa Ricans would purchase a subscription to participate and then DubLi will give back about 15 percent for every purchase, it said. The firm said it gets a commission by providing buyers to its participating merchants. The company is publicly traded and listed on the pink sheets. The firm has expanded rapidly in Europe and now Latin America. It has added travel and financial services to its sales list. |
