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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 119
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 Ministerio de
Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad
Pública
Police officer on sweaty duty keeps a marijuana fire burning. In
another sweep, officers located 41 sites where marijuana was growing in
the southern zone and in the Talamancas. They estimated that they
destroyed half a million plants.Foreign ministry is going solar By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The foreign ministry is going solar. The ministry said that a rooftop system of electrical generation will be inaugurated Friday. The ministry, correctly called the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto, is between avenidas 7 and 9 north of Parque España. An announcement said that the money for the project came from GIZ, the German agency for international cooperation. The ministry said that 130 solar panels had been installed. U.S. agency will study world rice market Special
to A.M. Costa Rica
The U.S. International Trade Commission has launched an investigation to examine global rice trade. The investigation, Rice: Global Competitiveness of the U.S. Industry, was requested by the House Committee on Ways and Means. The commission will deliver the report to the Committee by April 14. As requested, the commission, an independent, nonpartisan, fact-finding federal agency, will report on factors of competition in major rice producing and exporting countries, including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam, plus the United States. The commission said it would examine costs of production, industry structure, input prices and availability, pricing and marketing regimes, and government policies that affect rice production and export in the selected countries. As requested, the commission said it will also perform a qualitative, and to the extent possible, quantitative assessment of the impact of government policies and programs in the highlighted countries on rice production, exports, consumption, and domestic and export prices. The commission will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation Sept. 10. The commission also welcomes written submissions for the record. Further information on the scope of this investigation and appropriate submissions is available in the commission’s notice of investigation, dated June 17, which can be obtained from the Internet site (www.usitc.gov). General fact-finding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the commission’s objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated, it said. General fact-finding investigation reports are usually released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons. México battles Brazil to a draw By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Mexico held host and consensus World Cup favorite Brazil to a scoreless draw in an entertaining match Tuesday featuring the top two teams in Group A competition. At Castelao arena in Fortaleza, Brazil repeatedly failed to penetrate a stubborn defense backed up by Mexico's goalie Guillermo Ochoa. Brazilian superstar Neymar came close to breaking the deadlock in each half but was thwarted by Ochoa. Brazil's Paulinho and Thiago Silva nearly found the back of the net, too, while Mexico had some decent scoring chances. The result left both teams with four points, the most in Group A, but Brazil is ahead on goal difference. Group A rivals Cameroon and Croatia meet in Manuas today. Last week, Brazil beat Croatia and Mexico beat Cameroon. The draw ended Brazil's 10-match winning streak dating back to August. "In the end, the 0-0 mirrors what happened, it was a very hard-fought match," Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "The draw wasn't a good result because a victory would have already allowed us to advance. But we need to be able to respect our opponent, which played very well." Belgium rallies to beat Algeria There were two Group H matches Tuesday. Substitutes scored two late goals to lift Belgium to a 2-1 win over Algeria in the Belgians' first World Cup match in 12 years. Marouane Fellaini tallied the equalizer in the 70th minute and Dries Mertens scored 10 minutes later, as Belgium went on to win at Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte. Algerian playmaker Sofiane Feghouli gave his squad a 1-0 lead with a 25th minute penalty, the Algerians' first World Cup goal in nearly three decades. Belgium is among the favorites to win the tournament. Also, Russia and South Korea played to a 1-1 draw at the Pantanal arena in Cuiaba. South Korea took the lead in the 68th minute when Russian goalie Igor Akinfeev mishandled a catchable shot that found the net. But teammate Alexander Kerzhakov bailed him out a few minutes later after coming on as a substitute. There are three other matches today. In Group B action, Australia plays the Netherlands and Spain takes on Chile. Cameroon and Croatia clash in Group A competition. Chile hopes to derail Spain Spain, the defending World Cup champion and the world's top-ranked team, suffered a shocking 5-1 loss to the Netherlands last week in the opening game for both teams. Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta said his squad must forget about that loss and move on. Spain also lost its first match of the 2010 World Cup to Switzerland before advancing to win the title. "We experienced a similar situation in the last World Cup," Iniesta said. "Now this is another scenario. Now there are two finals and we have to take the best of each to get the two wins and to be able to be in the next round. We don't have to think something else. I am confident we can do it because I think we have the squad to succeed." Chile, which is coming off a 3-1 win over Australia, would take a giant step toward qualifying for the knockout round with a win over Spain and could eliminate the Spanish from the competition. "I believe that there is never a good time to play against Spain," Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli said. "If we had the chance to play a good game and beat them, put them out of the World Cup? It would be a plus for us as a team. So motivation opens ways for us. If Spain will play like it is a final to avoid being put out of the World Cup, we'll play like it is a final for qualification." Expats and visitors in U.S. root for home By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
New York City is home to ethnic and immigrant communities that have a loud and spirited stake in a World Cup victory for their national soccer teams. During Game One of the World Cup 2014 Miss Favela, a Brazilian bar in Brooklyn, was packed with Brazilian-Americans and expats rooting for a goal against Croatia. It was not long in coming. At halftime, Juliana Marcussi smiled approvingly as some countrymen climbed on tables to dance. She said more than mere sport was at work in the revelry. “It’s sort of a religion for Brazilians. It represents our faith in our country. Even if you are having troubles as we are having right now back there, you still believe in it because it’s part of you,” said Ms. Marcussi. The next day, at Tortilleria Nixtamal, a Mexican restaurant in Queens, waitress Marilyn Estrada was ecstatic that her country had just defeated Cameroon. "I feel really, really happy because we won our first game in the World Cup, one-zero, so that's exciting. It represents México as a strong country. We could win. We could win this World Cup. We could go all the way," said Ms. Nixtamal. It was beer and bratwurst at Loreley, a Brauhaus-style biergarten, where a mostly German crowd had just watched its national team score yet another goal against Portugal. Cologne-born Michael Momm owns the place and was delighted by this. "Fantastic. Even better than I expected. Germany is always nervous before we start. But definitely we are a championship team. We always rise to the occasion," said Momm. Nicole Weik, a Berliner, sat nearby. She wore a white German football jersey adorned with three stars - one for each World Cup championship win. "Right now we are here to get our fourth star. As Germans, we are quivering for each game. We have to watch every game, even though we are on vacation," she said. Stephen Gelardi, Nicole’s American husband, seemed similarly pro-Deutsch. “In a couple of weeks, when they play the U.S., I will be on the other side of the rooting team. But it’s great to be fans with both teams. It’s little way of building a community for a very short period time - essentially the 90-minute duration of the game; but, everyone is like one family at that time, just enjoying the games,” said Gelardi. There are dozens of games left to enjoy before the World Cup 2014 ends in mid-July, yet, given the joy these many national groups in this most international of cities are expressing, a non-partisan might well wish them all success.
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 119 | |
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| Guanacaste developer says he plans a major announcement July
2 |
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By
Michael Krumholtz
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff The developer behind a near-billion-dollar project in Guanacaste said a July 2 announcement will soon kick the long-stalled proposal into gear. Blueprints for the design promise casinos, hotels, and a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course that will all be powered chiefly through solar energy. Heading the lofty operation are Craig Williamson, a local real estate developer, and Frank Biden, younger brother of the United States vice president. Williamson said Biden and he visited with President Luis Guillermo Solís over lunch June 3 to discuss development plans. He said he has photos from their short meeting but could not release them until the announcement date. A Guanacaste-area lawyer, Juan Francisco Ruíz, has said that he is currently representing a client in a criminal fraud case against Williamson. He said the trial is supposed to commence at the end of July. |
Williamson denied
any knowledge of the case in a telephone call Tuesday. When speaking of business, Williamson pointed out that two new hotel groups have recently joined in on plans for the Guanacaste Country Club. The project already included space for three casinos, a convention center, and a medical clinic in its plans. Representatives in the municipality of Liberia have said within the past two months that they are not aware of any such development. Williamson said all phases of the massive construction will start rolling after the announcement in two weeks. Although, he added, he would prefer to let news of the commencement not be limited to one big unveiling, instead letting it trickle through different local news outlets to increase marketing. If completed at the previously stated budget of $921 million, the solar energy project would mark the largest investment of its kind on Costa Rican soil. Majority funding is said to be coming from Delta Blues, a Mississippi-based company that develops casinos. |
| President Solís wants to know how fuel prices are
determined |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The president has taken the first step to become involved in the struggle over rising fuel prices. The president, Luis Guillermo Solís, has asked Dennis Meléndez Howell for background on how gasoline prices are set. Meléndez is the regulator general, the head of the Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos. This is the agency that sets all sorts of utility prices. Casa Presidencial released a letter Tuesday in which the president made the request. Solís also asked for the regulator's opinions on how to control the increases in fuel prices. The fixing of fuel prices takes place every month. The prices cover gasoline, diesel fuel and liquid petroleum gas, which is used for cooking by many Costa Ricans. A.M. Costa Rica has reported that the consumer prices of gasoline are about a third government taxes. The entire process is controlled by the government. The petroleum is imported by the Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo S. A., a government agency. |
In addition to
taxes, the consumer price depends on the rate of exchange between
dollars and colons and the world price of petroleum. The Autoridad has
a complex formula that it uses each month. The figures usually are
behind when the dollar is increasing because the agency used exchange
rates a month old. The recent 11.4 percent increase in the value of the U.S. dollar against the colon has been reflected in local fuel prices. A U.S. gallon, either plus or super, is easily more than $5. The Refinadora is generally recognized as being inefficient. There are occasional arrests at the Panamá border when individuals try to smuggle in gasoline from the southern neighbor where prices are lower. The Costa Rican government and the environmental lobby have worked hard to prevent drilling for petroleum here. Plans to do so offshore in the Caribbean generated massive public protests. Former president Laura Chinchilla pulled the plug on a Denver, Colorado, firm that had a contract to explore for petroleum in the northern zone. The government of Nicaragua is trying to make offshore contracts with private firms, and some of the maritime area involved is really Costa Rica, the government here says. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 119 | |||||
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| Battlefield archaeologists plans deep look at where William
prevailed |
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By
the University of Huddersfield news service
The Battle of Hastings is regularly fought all over again by enthusiastic re-enactors before large crowds of spectators. The problem is that they are depositing material that could compromise the archaeology of the historic site. But now the University of Huddersfield’s Glenn Foard, one of the world’s leading battlefield archaeologists, is developing a unique project designed to unearth whatever genuine material survives from 1066. While it takes shape, he has extended his global field of operations, having completed an initial survey of a fascinating battlefield that he describes as Finland’s equivalent to Hastings – even though it was fought hundreds of years later. Also, his co-written book on the Battle of Bosworth has been shortlisted for one of the prestigious British archaeology awards, to be announced in July. One of Foard’s coups was to detect the true location of Bosworth, where Richard III was slain in 1485. This meant shifting the battle more than two miles from the site where it was traditionally thought to have been fought. But as he collaborates with English Heritage to plan his investigation of Hastings, he is working on the assumption that this battle was fought on its traditional site, even though there have been attempts to establish an alternative location. “I have no reason to believe that any of the alternatives are likely,” said Foard. “I will never say that they are impossible – not after my work on Bosworth – but all the evidence I saw when I looked at Bosworth suggested that it wasn’t fought on the traditional site. At Hastings, however, everything I have looked at tells me that the battle did take place on the generally accepted site. “But now the challenge is on to find out what archaeology is there, before it suffers contamination from all the activities that are going on. Whether there is archaeology under the ground to be confused by the re-enactment activities, we don’t know yet.” The first stage, likely to take place next spring, would be to spend a week machining away the top layers of soil at a substantial area of the battlefield, in order to eliminate modern artifacts. Then there would be a search for genuine remains from the battle of 1066. An important dimension of the project would be public involvement. Trained archaeologists would carry out the actual survey, but there would be parallel sessions nearby, partly aimed at children and parents, which would provide insights into archaeology, including the use of metal detectors to survey a site. Foard recently returned from Finland, where he was asked to take part in a survey of the site of the Battle of Oravais in 1808, when the Swedes |
 University of Huddersfield photo
Re-enactments like this one
every year now involve thousands of participants and spectators at
Britain’s most famous battle.– who then controlled Finland – were defeated by the Russians. It was essentially an infantry action, in a distinctive landscape that Foard said he found fascinating. “It has a broken terrain, with woodland areas and great rocky glacial boulders. The nearest thing I can compare it to is working in places in New Mexico or Arizona, the sites of the Indian wars, where you get these incredible broken terrains and canyons and where people fought behind rocks.” Surveying the Oravais battlefield, Foard who was working with a Swedish colleague, Bo Knarrström, discovered large numbers of bullets, one of which, remarkably, had become embedded in a crack in a vertical rock face. “It was only a week’s work, but it made me think in different ways about how we look at battlefields,” said Foard, whose report will urge further archaeological research. A lot of what is known about the Norman invasion in 1066 comes from the Bayeux tapestry. The tapestry is now on permanent public display in the city of Bayeux in Normandy, France. It tells the story of the Battle of Hastings; why Duke William II of Normandy felt he had to invade, the preparations made for the crossing and the battle itself. The tapestry even depicts the death of Harold II, who was the Anglo Saxon king of England. |
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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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 119 | |||||||
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| Benghazi suspect is held for trial, White House says By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The United States says it has captured a key suspect in the 2012 assault on its consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Christopher Stephens and three other Americans. The Defense Department said Tuesday that a military unit along with law enforcement personnel arrested Ahmed Abu Khatallah Sunday and are holding him in a secure location outside of Libya. He was identified as a senior leader of the Benghazi branch of the terror group Ansar al-Sharia in Libya. Several government officials say he is being held aboard a U.S. naval ship, and President Barack Obama said Khatallah is being brought back to the United States to stand trial. Prosecutors have charged him with murder and intend to try him in the U.S. civilian court system, not the country's military courts. Military officials gave no details of the operation, but said there were no civilian casualties related to it and that all U.S. personnel involved in it had safely left Libya. In a statement, Obama said he had authorized the mission as part of his "priority to find and bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of four brave Americans." He said the Libyan "will now face the full weight of the American justice system." A White House spokeswoman said Tuesday the administration has ruled out a military trial for Khatallah at the Guantanamo Bay prison, stating that the civilian criminal justice system has repeatedly proven it can successfully prosecute terror suspects and gather intelligence. Besides Stephens, the victims included Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. Obama praised U.S. military, law enforcement and intelligence personnel involved in the mission, saying the government will “continue our efforts to bring to justice those who were responsible for the Benghazi attacks.” He added that the United States “will also sustain our support for the Libyan people, as they work to overcome years of tyranny and do the difficult work of building a democracy.” Secretary of State John Kerry, noting the department “felt the loss of our colleagues in Benghazi acutely, also lauded the U.S. military, saying its “bold action … is a clear reminder to anyone who dares do us harm that they will not escape with impunity.” The U.S. filed charges against Khatallah and others last year, but until now had not apprehended any of them. Obama said the capture of Khatallah showed that the U.S. "will do whatever it takes to see that justice is done when people harm Americans." He vowed to apprehend others responsible for the attack. The embassy attack on Sept. 11, 2012, occurred on the anniversary of the massive 2001al-Qaida attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. The circumstances surrounding the attack have proved to be contentious in U.S. politics. Republicans have accused Hillary Rodham Clinton, the possible 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, of failing to provide adequate security at the Benghazi compound to prevent the attacks, which occurred during her time as secretary of State. Speaking on television, Mrs. Clinton said that she is still looking for answers, calling the incident a confusing and difficult time. She also said she hopes Khatallah's arrest will answer such questions as who was behind the attack and what the motivations were. White House officials at first indicated the attack was related to protests over an anti-Muslim video, similar to demonstrations occurring in the Mideast in early September 2012. But U.S. officials later acknowledged that it was a terrorist attack. Numerous investigations of the Benghazi attack already have been undertaken and a new, Republican-controlled congressional panel is set to hold hearings in the coming weeks. Double jeopardy claimed in Panamá weapons case By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A Panamanian lawyer representing detained crew members of the North Korean cargo vessel "Chong Chon Gang" says his clients are being held responsible twice for one crime, a move he calls illegal. Julio Berrios said in an e-mail that the criminal indictment, which followed a $1 million fine for the captain and two other sailors, is double jeopardy, which prohibits a defendant from being tried again on the same or similar charges. “If the national law is strictly applied, the sailors should be acquitted,” Berrios argued. Berrios also maintains the three crew members did not violate U. N. Security Council resolutions because they only apply to governments and not individuals. He added that the North Koreans should be exempt from criminal prosecution because they were merely following orders from Pyongyang. The prosecutor of the case, Robert Moreno, has rejected that defense. Earlier this month, he said it was not a valid defense because the orders from Pyongyang were not lawful. Moreno added that Panamanian prosecutors found e-mails from North Korean authorities to the captain in which he was told not to declare the content of his cargo, proving that he was aware his shipment was illegal. Authorities in Panamá seized the "Chong Chon Gang" last July after reports circulated that the North Korean-flagged ship was transporting illegal drugs. Instead, the vessel was found to be carrying weapons in violation of international sanctions against North Korea. Thirty-two of the ship’s crew members were released in February after North Korea paid $690,000 in fines. However, the ship’s captain and two others were charged for trafficking illegal weapons. When asked about the sailors' health, Berrios said they are doing well. “The guards are treating the "Chong Chon Gang" officers with respect,” the attorney added. The three are in La Hoya Penitentiary. Berrios himself visits his clients at least twice a week, he said. A ruling on the case is expected later this month. Great Barrier Reef endured changes in past, study says By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Corals on the Great Barrier Reef adapted to greater temperature changes in the past than previously thought, a new study finds. The reef is one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. Stretching some 2,300 kilometers along Australia's northeastern coastline, it is an intricate mosaic of corals, cays and topical islands. The sprawling ecosystem teems with marine life and is a sanctuary for sea birds. The scientists involved in the study want to understand how the reef has responded to a sea level rise and temperature change since the peak of the last Ice Age, 20,000 years ago. “The major aim of our expedition was to reconstruct sea level so you can use fossil corals to reconstruct sea level," said paleo-climatologist Thomas Felis, who analyzed the data at the University of Bremen's Center for Marine Environmental Sciences. "And the Great Barrier Reef is a quite stable region in terms of tectonics of the Earth’s crust. It is far away from continental glaciers so it gives a good global average of sea level variations.” In 2010, the expedition crew set out aboard the "Greatship Maya," equipped with a drilling rig that would extract coral fossils from the tropical Pacific Ocean. Felis notes that the global sea level then was 120 meters lower than it is today. “At that time all the ocean water was stored in the form of ice in the continental glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere, Greenland and Antarctica,” he said. But not in Australia, which was colder than it is now and unusually dry. Using surveys that identified reef like structures below the sea bed, Felis says remotely operated vehicles were sent down deep in the ocean to pinpoint exactly where to dig. “We drilled down to 40 to 50 meters into the sediment, into the fossil structures and recovered corals," he said. "And once these corals were on deck we were able to identify corals and coral reef structures.” The crew recovered coral material between February and April, and shipped it to the Bremen Coral Repository in Germany for analysis, says Felis, lead author of the study which was reported in Nature Communications. “One of our major findings is that the Great Barrier Reef, since the last Ice Age, experienced much larger temperature changes than previously thought," Felis said. In addition, Felis says sea surface temperatures were two to three degrees Celsius cooler along the southern Great Barrier Reef compared to the northern site they studied. By contrast, he says, that difference today is 0.6 degrees Celsius. “What we found was that these corals were quite happy," he said. "They adapted somehow to temperature changes over a period of thousands of years. However, what we experience today is that we probably will have, in the next decades, temperature changes of the same magnitude. But it’s important to note that these are temperature changes that will happen within just 100 years and not thousands of years.” Felis adds that the study does not infer that today’s Great Barrier Reef could be capable of easily adapting to a continued rise in ocean temperature. He says it does provide a framework for how the reef responded to past sea level rise and climate change to better understand future resilience. Obama plans to enlarge Pacific Ocean reserve By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. President Barack Obama announced a plan Tuesday to create the world's largest marine preserve, significantly expanding a remote region of the Pacific Ocean where drilling, fishing and other commercial activities are prohibited. Obama announced the proposal in a video at the U.S. State Department's Our Ocean conference in Washington. “If we drain our oceans of the resources, we won’t just be squandering one of humanity’s greatest treasures. We’ll be cutting off one of the world’s major sources of food and economic growth, including for the United States," he said. "And we can’t afford to let that happen.” Carbon pollution is making the world's oceans more acidic, pollution is threatening marine life and overfishing could wipe out entire species, Obama said in his videotaped announcement. Using presidential authority that doesn't require new action from Congress, Obama said he was seeking the protection for "some of our most precious marine landscapes," just as Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have done. The White House said the president is seeking to protect waters in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, located in the south-central Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and the U.S. territory of American Samoa. Officials said the exact boundaries of the preserve have not been set, but that Obama could expand the protected area already in place from 225,000 square kilometers to more than two million. The area would be off-limits to drilling, fishing and other actions that threaten fragile marine life, White House officials said. Obama, who grew up in Hawaii, also called for the government to create a program to deter black market fishing as a way to further protect marine life. “Today, I am building on that progress by directing the federal government to create a national strategy to combat black market fishing that threatens our oceans, undermines our economy and often supports dangerous criminals,” the president said. Black market fishing and seafood fraud, in which seafood products are mislabeled to hide where they were harvested, cost the legitimate fishing industry $23 billion a year, the White House said. It’s expected that Obama’s executive action to protect the underwater Pacific will run into vigorous opposition from members of the deep sea fishing industry, including anglers who catch tuna, as well as some members of Congress. Rep. Doc Hastings of Washington State, a Republican, called the zoning proposal a unilateral action by an imperial president to impose new regulations and restrictions on economic activities, including fishing, recreation and energy production. Hastings, who heads the House Natural Resources Committee, accused the president of blatant disregard for possible economic consequences. The Pacific Ocean Sanctuary plan could go into effect later this year following a public comment period. The Washington Post first reported on the administration's plan Tuesday. Actor and philanthropist Leonardo DiCaprio also addressed the Our Ocean conference Tuesday. DiCaprio announced that his foundation, which provides grants for environmental and humanitarian issues, was committing $7 million toward ocean conservation projects over the next two years. He said the money was available to organizations, communities or nations to establish meaningful ocean reserves. “We cannot afford to be bystanders,” he said. “We need to step up now” to protect the oceans. But, he added, none of these measures can be implemented without proper world leadership in conservation. "Unfortunately today there's no proper law-enforcement capacity and little accountability for violating the law," DiCaprio said. "It's the Wild West on the high seas. The ocean is an under-regulated marketplace right now. "Even though the ocean covers 71 percent of our planet, less than 1 percent are fully protected as marine reserves where fishing is prohibited," he added. Monday, opening the conference, Secretary of State John Kerry called for a global effort to protect the oceans, which he said were under threat from too much fishing, acidification from climate change, and marine pollution. Kerry called for all nations to move beyond talks and studies to taking specific steps toward a global agreement to protect the oceans. Also Monday, Kiribati President Anote Tong announced that despite concerns about the economic fallout, all commercial fishing would be banned from January 2015 in the Phoenix Islands protected area. "Addressing the challenges of climate change calls for very serious commitment and sacrifice," Tong said. "The projected loss of revenue weighed very significantly in our consideration, but in the final analysis we made the decision to persist with effective sustainable strategies," he said to loud applause. Environmentalists say the Phoenix Islands, one of the world's largest marine-protected areas rich in ocean life, provide shelter for such species as tunas and turtles, as well as reef fishes and sharks. Painkillers top illegal drugs in deaths, researchers say By the McGill University news service
The number of deaths involving commonly prescribed painkillers is higher than the number of deaths by overdose from heroin and cocaine combined, according to researchers at McGill University. In a first-of-its-kind review of existing research, the McGill team put the spotlight on a major public health problem: the dramatic increase in deaths due to prescribed painkillers, which were involved in more than 16,000 deaths in 2010 in the U.S. alone. Currently, the U.S. and Canada rank first and second in per capita opioid consumption. “Prescription painkiller overdoses have received a lot of attention in editorials and the popular press, but we wanted to find out what solid evidence is out there,” says Nicholas King, of the Biomedical Ethics Unit in the Faculty of Medicine. In an effort to identify and summarize available evidence, King and his team conducted a systematic review of existing literature, comprehensively surveying the scientific literature and including only reports with quantitative evidence. “We also wanted to find out why thousands of people in the U.S. and Canada are dying from prescription painkillers every year and why these rates have climbed steadily during the past two decades,” says King. “We found evidence for at least 17 different determinants of increasing opioid-related mortality, mainly, dramatically increased prescription and sales of opioids; increased use of strong, long-acting opioids like oxycontin and methadone; combined use of opioids and other licit and illicit drugs and alcohol; and social and demographic factors.” “We found little evidence that Internet sales of pharmaceuticals and errors by doctors and patients -- factors commonly cited in the media -- have played a significant role,” King adds. The findings point to a complicated epidemic in which physicians, users, the health care system, and the social environment all play a role, according to the researchers. “Our work provides a reliable summary of the possible causes of the epidemic of opioid overdoses, which should be useful for clinicians and policy makers in North America in figuring out what further research needs to be done, and what strategies might or might not be useful in reducing future mortality,” says King. “And as efforts are made to increase access to prescription opioids outside of North America, our findings might be useful in preventing other countries from following the same path as the U.S. and Canada.” Egyptian prosecutor allows ailing reporter to go free By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
An Al Jazeera Arabic reporter was released from an Egyptian prison Tuesday, 10 months after being arrested and held without charge in a case that prompted serious criticism of Egypt’s military-led government. The Qatar-based satellite channel said Abdullah Elshamy was transferred to a Cairo police station after being set free from the notorious, high-security Scorpion prison. Egypt's prosecutor general on Monday had ordered his release, citing health conditions. The 26-year-old was met by his mother, wife and brothers as he walked out of the police station in a northern Cairo suburb. Witnesses say the once robust Elshamy looked frail as he exited the facility. "The appeal which was accepted by the public prosecution was based on the fact that Abdullah was carrying out his duties as a correspondent for Al Jazeera at the time of his arrest,” an Al Jazeera lawyer Shaaban Saeed said. Elshamy was arrested last Aug. 14 while reporting the police dispersal of sit-in protest in Cairo. In January, he went on hunger strike to protest his detention. His arrest coincided with a wide crackdown on Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi, who was overthrown by the military last year. Egyptian officials have accused the channel of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization and political party that has been labeled a terrorist organization by the Egyptian government. The network has denied the allegations. Al-Jazeera calls Elshamy's freedom a relief rather than a cause for celebration. It says he has been through a terrible ordeal, and it thanked all who supported Elshamy, including the White House and European Union. Al-Jazeera is demanding that Egypt free three English language journalists who remain jailed for allegedly spreading false news. They are Peter Greste, Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy. |
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 Consejo Nacional de Vialidad
photo
Workmen are installing a
larger drain in La Managua de Qupos.Two roads are scenes of construction By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Motorists face construction
on two roads on the central Pacific coast.
Ruta 235 at La Managua de Quepos will be closed Sunday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. while workmen complete installing a drain of more than two meters to replace a smaller one, said the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad. In addition, Ruta 301 between Parrita and Bijagual de Acosta is the scene of more drainage work. The road will not be closed, but there might be delays, said the Consejo. Work here will continue until the end of July, the road agency said. Study finds
that Twitter promotes e-cigs
By the University of Illinois at Chicago news staff E-cigarettes, also known as
e-hookas, are commonly advertised on Twitter, and the tweets often link
to commercial Web sites promoting e-cig use, according to University of
Illinois at Chicago researchers.
The study, published as a special supplement in the July 2014 issue of Tobacco Control released online Monday, has implications for future Food and Drug Administration regulations on the marketing of e-cigarettes and related products. Jidong Huang, senior research scientist at the university's Institute for Health Research and Policy “There’s this whole wild west of social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – and the FDA has no way to track what’s happening in those platforms,” said the senior research scientist. While advertising for conventional cigarettes has long been prohibited, e-cigarettes are advertised routinely in traditional media such as print, television and radio and social media. The researchers collected tweets and metadata related to e-cigarettes during a two month period in 2012. Using novel statistical methodology and carefully chosen keywords, they captured more than 70,000 tweets related to e-cigs. Among those 70,000 tweets,
nearly 90 percent were commercial tweets and only 10 percent were
individual consumer opinions. Fully 94 percent of the commercial tweets
included a Web site link, while only 11 percent of the personal tweets
did.
Of the commercial tweets, 11 percent mentioned quitting smoking, and more than one-third offered coupons or discounts to purchase e-cig products. |
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| From Page 7: Two firms to get presidential blessings By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
President Luis Guillermo Solís will be present at the inauguration of two new firms this week. The first is today at IBM's center of operations in security. The computer giant's operations west of San José just off the General Cañas Autopista has nothing to do with cops and robbers. Instead, the emphasis is on computer security. The new center will operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Part of the job is to seek out vulnerabilities in computer systems, said the firm. Thursday the president will be in Río Cuarto de Grecia fo the inauguration of the new CarBox installation, according to Casa Presidencial. The Guatemalan and Mexican firm plans to extract carbon dioxide for industrial use from the local deposits of calcium carbonate. |
