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A.M.
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Published Friday, June 24, 2016, in Vol. 17, No. 124
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San José, Costa Rica, Friday, June 24, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 124
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Go to Page 5 HERE! Go to Page 6 HERE! Sports is HERE! Opinion is HERE! Classifieds are HERE! Plus useful links |
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Maritime zone moratorium gets an OK By the A.M. Costa
Rica staff
Lawmakers passed for the second and final time Thursday a bill that places a moratorium on evictions and demolitions in the maritime zone. Lawmakers agreed that this was not a final solution but a way to delay evictions until a better solution won approval. The bill requires the signature of President Luis Guillermo Solís. The moratorium is for two years, and it does not stop judicial processes, just the actual evictions and demolitions. The moratorium would not be applicable to cases where there is environmental damage, danger of environmental damage or illegal occupation. Those in the zone would be prohibited from constructing new projects. The bill, No. 19.139, received backing from 34 of 40 lawmakers. The maritime zone is the coastal land that is considered property of the state. There have been a procession of laws that would provide security to those living there, but they have been challenged successfully by court actions. 40,000-plus want Día del Padre June 17 By the A.M. Costa
Rica staff
Organizers of a campaign to establish a fixed date for father’s day say they have obtained 43,940 signatures in 19 days. The campaign seeks to make June 17 the Día del Padre instead of the third Sunday of June, as it is in the United States and Canada. El Día de la Madre now is a fixed date, Aug. 15, in Costa Rica. The campaign is being sponsored by the Gollo home products chain, which sent out a release Thursday. The firm said that signatures were mainly gathered in its 130 stores. The chain said that more than 40,000 signatures could put the question to a public referendum or that bill No. 19.985 in the legislature could do the same thing. Our reader’s
opinion
Government is not capable of
actionDear A.M. Costa Rica: Would be nice if a little more attention was placed on the economy in Costa Rica at this time since the government has no leadership and no direction. Unlike some who live in the clouds in Costa Rica, some of us have substantial investments and, unfortunately, spend half of our time simply protecting them from the numerous pitfalls and the day-to-day indecision of simple issues facing this current government. Can no one in this country make a decision? There is no way in Hell they will meet this deadline of passing a law [to prosecute financing of terrorism as a crime], absolutely no way. They are too busy trying to find ways to withhold information to cover their asses. They can never tell the truth about anything. It is amazing. Well, boys and girls (I use this term as the people in charge are really children in adult bodies), in about 24 days Solís will get neutered by the international banking system because he simply can’t act or he is afraid some more dirt will be exposed. It will be worth the price of admission to see the look on the government’s faces when they finally tell all the high-priced help and institutions we are broke: “there is no salary for anyone" What do you think will happen if one day the police don't receive their salary? They already rob and extort with a salary. This is a case of why a country needs a military: If the police are criminals, the OIJ arrest them. If the OIJ are criminals, the government arrests them. If the government is criminal, the military arrests them. But if this were true, Costa Rica would only have the janitor and the woman who received $104,000USD for last December salary at the Universidad de Costa Rica running the country. Maybe the reason you don't pursue these issues is you are afraid of being censored by the government? Maurice Aerts
Editor’s note: Mr. Aerts refers to the
possibility that if the legislature does not
pass a law against financing terrorists, the
country will be put on a gray list that
would impose criminal penalties. There was
testimony to that effect before a committee
investigating the Panamá Papers.Naranjo
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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San José, Costa
Rica, Friday, June 24, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 124
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| Another Orquesta Sinfónica perfomance highlights weekend events | |||
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Bulgarian-American violinist Bella Hristova will be the soloist when the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional performs tonight and Sunday morning at the Teatro Nacional. The woman will perform the popular Violin Concerto Op. 64 by Félix Mendelssohn. The orchestra performances lead a list of other cultural events for the weekend. The program Enamorate de tu Ciudad takes place again Saturday and Sunday in the central parks of San Marcos de Tarrazú, Santa María de Dota, San Pablo de León Cortés and Paraíso de Cartago. There are games, dancing, exhibitions and items for sale. Expats who can follow a dialogue in Spanish might be interested in others who are sick of their cell telephone. The work “Barco, Papel, Pirata” is being presented by the Compañía Escénica Juan Cuentacuentos in the Teatro 1887. The show is Saturday and Sunday and on future Saturdays and Sundays until July 17. Shows Saturday are at 4 p.m. Sundays performances are at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The story line involves adults sick of cell telephones controlling their lives who embark on a magical adventure that includes pirates. The Teatro 1887 is in the Centro Nacional de la Cultura downtown east of Parque España on Avenida 7. The combined Bandas de Conciertos de San José and of Alajuela will present concerts tonight at 7 p.m. in the Catedral de Alajuela and Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Museo Nacional. The combined bands number 70. The program includes works by Venezuelan and Belgium composers, said the Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud. |
The Banda de Conciertos de Limón also plans a concert tonight in the Casa de la Cultura in that community at 7 p.m. The orchestra performance tonight and Sunday again is in the Teatro Nacional. Ms. Hristova is using a violin built in the workshop of Nicolò Amati in 1665. Amati is believed to have been the master who invited Antonio Stradivari into his shop to learn the trade. The Indiana University grad is married to U.S. composer David Ludwig. This is her first performance in Costa Rica. The director is Carl St. Clair. |
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page |
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San José,
Costa Rica, Friday, June 24,
2016, Vol. 17, No. 124
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| Britain's historic decision seems based on immigration and sovereignty | |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Britain has made a historic decision to leave the European Union in a referendum that stoked passions on issues of immigration and sovereignty, and prompted the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron. “The British people have made a very clear decision to take a different path and as such I think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction,” Cameron told reporters outside 10 Downing Street today. Cameron said that transition should happen in October. Analysts say voters’ stunning decision to quit the EU meant Cameron lost his mandate. The man who led the Leave campaign, former London mayor Boris Johnson, also of Cameron’s Conservative Party, is widely expected to replace Cameron as prime minister. With all counties reporting results this morning, the 'Leave' cause won 51.89 percent of the vote. The news prompted a negative reaction in Asian markets and the British pound tumbled to a three-decade low. Turnout was high, at 72 percent, the highest in a national poll in more than two decades, despite torrential rainstorms on referendum day, reflecting the strong feelings that the debate evoked in a nation whose immigration rate has doubled in the past 16 years. The vote appeared to be driven by anti-establishment sentiments and the feeling the EU governing structure has taken too much control away from the common British citizen. “Let June 23 go down in our history as our independence day,” anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage, told supporters in Westminster early Friday. Farage heads Britain’s UK Independence Party, which favors implementing tough immigration restrictions. He said the election predictions would be “a victory for real people, a victory for ordinary people, a victory for decent people.” The decision to quit the EU opens a new chapter of uncertainty for Britain, which must now forge new trade relationships with continental Europe and begin the process of disentangling from the 28-member bloc, reversing a process that began more than four decades ago when Britain joined what was then the European Economic Community. Revelers celebrated outside 10 Downing Street early today as passing cars honked in support of the decision. Analysts say that disengagement may take two or more years to complete. Voters appeared to have defied calls by government and business, which forecast dire economic consequences for Britain. The British treasury predicted that leaving the EU would cost the average family nearly $6,000 a year. Today Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said the bank is prepared for the shock, and said it is making available nearly $345 billion in financial support. Business leaders warned that new immigration restrictions that could result from a Brexit would cause them to transfer thousands of British jobs to countries still in the EU. In the end, British voters appeared to choose the risk of independence over what many Leave supporters view as overreach by an undemocratic EU governing apparatus that is only getting bigger and more intrusive. “The EU has just gone into every nook and cranny. It started off as a trade agreement. It moved towards a community. It now is a union and |
 Voice of
America photo
A photo of slain Jo Cox dominates this photo of a
memorial service Thursday at Trafalgar Squareit wants its own currency and now wants its own defense forces. Well, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a country,” Lord David Owen, a former foreign secretary, told a reporter. "Counting officers have verified that a total of 33,568,184 ballot papers will be included in the count for the referendum. Based on a confirmed electorate of 46,500,001, turnout at the referendum was 72.2 percent," Britain's electoral commission said in a statement. The final total turned out to be a few votes less. The final vote was 17,410,742 to leave the European Union against 16,141,241 to stay. Polls closed as scheduled Thursday, despite heavy rain and flooding in southern England that snarled traffic and prompted the closure of parts of London’s tube system, making it difficult for some evening commuters to make it to polling stations. Flooding forced at least two polling stations in the London area to move. For some braving the rain, the decision boiled down to the ideal of peace on which the European Union was founded. “We have for the first time in hundreds of years, we’ve had peace in Europe for over 50 years. I’m a man of a generation who hasn’t had to go to fight a war in Western Europe and I think that’s a wonderful thing that is worth celebrating,” said Chris Kenyon, 41, one of the first to vote at a polling station in the north London borough of Islington. A bitter, two-month campaign centered largely on immigration, a highly sensitive and divisive issue in a nation whose immigration rate has doubled since 2000. Polls showed the Leave campaign lost some support following the June 16 murder of anti-Brexit lawmaker Jo Cox. The killing, allegedly by a right-wing extremist with a history of mental health problems, prompted the temporary suspension of campaigns on both sides and caused many British voters to pause and reflect on the bitterness surrounding the vote. “This referendum has been very divisive and I think that’s completely unnecessary. We ought to be able to work forward on issues of the economy and migration and security, those issues, without being so divisive,” said Kimberly Griffin, a Remain supporter attending a memorial for Ms. Cox Thursday at Trafalgar Square. “We never should have had this referendum, and I think this is a tragic consequence." |
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, Friday, June 24,
2016, Vol. 17, No. 124
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for giving GMO information By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
The U.S. Senate has reached a deal on labeling foods that have genetically modified ingredients, just a week before a harsher law is to go into effect in the northeastern state of Vermont. The federal legislation cannot be approved by the House of Representatives until after members return from their summer recess July 5. But if passed, the law would supersede Vermont's law, establishing a rule that is easier for food companies to meet. Vermont companies have a year to comply with the new state law that takes effect July 1. The year's grace period means a federal law could take effect before companies have to change their packaging in Vermont. The Vermont law, applicable only to products sold in that state, would require producers to label foods with genetically modified ingredients with the words produced with or partially produced with genetically modified ingredients. The federal law, which supporters say would prevent a confusing patchwork of state laws, would allow food producers to use words, a federally produced symbol, or a bar code or telephone number that provides a link to the information. Critics of the federal legislation say it limits accessibility to the information by not placing it directly on the label. They say some people will not follow up on an electronic link and therefore might miss the information. Food products can be genetically modified to make them more resistant to disease or to produce more food. Most of the corn and soybean crop produced in the United States is genetically modified. Federal authorities have ruled the practice is safe, but skeptics say eating genetically modified products could have consequences that are not yet known. Foods labeled organic in the United States are required to be free of genetically modified ingredients or have only a tiny percentage, enabling consumers to maintain a genetically modified-free diet if they wish.  Voice of
America/A. Barros
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision stirred this
emotional reaction outside the court building Thursday.Emotions follow voiding of Obama’s policy on illegals By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
They were hugging each other. Some were crying. Others said they could not believe what had happened. The large crowd of immigrants, advocates and politicians gathered Thursday outside the U.S. Supreme Court after the justices' tie vote left in place a ruling that blocked President Barack Obama's plan to extend deportation protection to millions of undocumented immigrants. The 4-4 decision, advocates say, produced tears and disappointment but also will motivate people to vote in the upcoming presidential election. “Now, I don’t feel defeated. I feel disappointed. But, fortunately, I have relatives who are American citizens, and more than ever I will work hard with all my friends and family, and they will see the answer in November,” said Hilaria Bonilla of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Ms. Bonilla is one of the 4 million undocumented immigrants who would have been allowed to live and work legally in the United States without the constant fear of deportation, had the court overruled an earlier decision. The United States v. Texas case focused on Obama's 2014 Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, and the expansion of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA. The lawsuit brought by 26 states, led by Texas, as well as congressional Republicans, challenged the executive orders and argued that Obama did not have the power to effectively change immigration laws. A lower court previously struck down Obama's action as unlawful and issued an injunction on its implementation until the Supreme Court ruled in the case. With the high court evenly divided on the case, the lower-court ruling stands. Obama called the decision “disappointing.” “Today, the Supreme Court was unable to reach a decision," he said. "This is part of the consequence of the Republican failure so far to give a fair hearing to Mr. Merrick Garland, my nominee to the Supreme Court. It means that the expanded set of common-sense deferred action policies, the ones that I announced two years ago, can’t go forward at this stage until there is a ninth justice on the court to break the tie.” Isabel Aguilar, who said she was running away from gang violence when she left El Salvador, said she still had hope for the future. “We can’t give up. I have three kids, and I tell them every day that we shouldn’t cry. We have to keep moving forward, and I always have this positive attitude, and today I can’t give up,” she said. A tearful Ms. Aguilar added that although the family was not wealthy, her husband was an industrial engineer and she studied law in El Salvador. People like her husband, she said, would be an asset to this country. U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat, spoke to those gathered in front of the Supreme Court and sent a message to opponents of Obama’s proposals “Every time you stop us, you encourage and motivate us to vote," he said. "You will reap what you have sown. Justice for our community comes next November.” The call to vote also is what encourages people like Juan Ramos, who was brought to the U.S. in 2008 when he was 15 from Honduras. Ramos, however, did not qualify for the original 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals executive order. “I feel like this could have a relief not just for me, but also 5 million parents that had hope that something was going to change for them, and now we have to wait and wait again," Ramos said. "My hope is always to go back to school. Help my parents. Get a better job.” Ramos lived with relatives in North Carolina and was accepted to five different colleges, but was not allowed to attend any because of his immigration status. As of now, he will continue to work in the restaurant industry and fight for immigration reform. “Since I was little, I loved building, so I wanted to go to school for architecture. I promised my parents that I was going to build a house for them,” he said.  Voice of America
photo
Nancy Pelosi, the top ranked Democrat in the
House, leaves the Capitol to thank supporters outside.House Democrats end
sit-in
seeking firearm restrictions By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
House Democrats chanted, shouted appeals to their Republicans colleagues and, finally as they ended their 26-hour sit-in outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday, they sang. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, led Democrats out to the Capitol steps where they were surrounded by supporters chanting "Thank You! Thank You!" The protesting lawmakers responded by breaking into the song they sang on the House floor hours before, the civil rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome." But this time they added words looking ahead to the next session of Congress: "We shall pass the bill." The song ended a day and night of unprecedented and often intense firsts in the U.S. House of Representatives, as the Republican leadership shut down cameras showing the House floor, causing Democratic lawmakers to turn to social media and live video on the internet via Twitter to stream their protest. Rep. Debbie Dingell's very personal experience with gun violence was one of the most emotional moments streamed live during the sit-in. "I know what it’s like to see a gun pointed at you and wonder if you were going to live," Ms. Dingell, of Michigan, said on the House floor late Wednesday. She said she grew up in a home where "the man who was my father shouldn't have had access to guns." "It's not easy," she said in a phone interview Thursday about sharing her story. "It was a very difficult night, and I didn't know what I was going to say, and that was a speech that just came from my heart." Ms. Dingell said she has lived the tension between Democrats and Republicans on the gun issue. She said the experience with her home life growing up has deeply impacted how she feels about guns. But she is also married to a former National Rifle Association board member and "a responsible gun owner and deep believer in the Second Amendment and the delicate balance of that in terms of our civil liberty." Ms. Dingell said she ultimately decided to share her story because "this shouldn't be a partisan issue. I just felt the need to get people to understand there are issues we need to talk about, and every time something awful happens, we have the same old dialogue." She said there is a way to have a discussion about keeping guns out of the hands of the wrong people. Like Ms. Dingell, Raine Koch personally experienced gun violence as domestic violence. She joined the hundreds of supporters gathered outside the Capitol Wednesday night and into Thursday. The protesters chanted the same slogans that came from the House floor: "No Bill No Break," ordered pizza and waited out sometimes rainy conditions. Members of Congress came out from the House floor to thank the crowd for their support. Koch, watching many of them speak, cried. "I saw my father put a rifle to my mother's head," Koch said. While Koch, her mother and her sisters eventually made it out of the home safely, she said the issue has always remained important to her. "When those kids were killed in Sandy Hook, it broke my heart, and I have a lot of friends who are in the LGBT community," she said, referencing the latest shooting in Orlando. "Something has to be done with guns in this nation, and I come from a family of hunters, so it's not even like I'm anti-gun. But something has to be done," Koch said. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, said the sit-in was not about emotion. It was about money. In a briefing with reporters Thursday morning, Ryan held up printouts of emails he said showed House Democrats using the sit-in as a fundraising stunt. Ryan said he was very worried the sit-in set a precedent for future actions by lawmakers who were unable to achieve their goals by bringing up legislation through the normal course of action in the House of Representatives. "This is the people's house. This is Congress, the House of Representatives, the oldest democracy in the world, and they're descending it into chaos," Ryan said. "I don't think this should be a very proud moment for democracy." Ryan said there were no plans to bring gun control legislation up for a vote, just as legislation was brought up for a vote following a filibuster in the Senate. He said gun control amendments have already been brought up in House committees and failed, and cited FBI concerns about ways gun control legislation could compromise terrorism investigations. "We want to get it right while protecting people's Constitutional guaranteed rights and not violating the due process rights," he said. But Democrats vowed to come back after the Independence Day holiday recess to renew the fight. As the sit-in came to a close Thursday afternoon, Lewis told about a hundred Democrats assembled on the House floor, "When you want to do something about gun violence, it is not a struggle that lasts one day, one week, one month, one year, it is a struggle. But we are going to win the struggle." Ms. Dingell agrees. "The sit-in for today is over," she said. "But the effort to get people to keep people out of the hands of terrorists, or convicted felons or domestic abusers is still a very real and ongoing effort." Marine Corps confirms ID in iconic Iwo Jima flag photo By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
The U.S. Marine Corps said Thursday that it had misidentified one of the men in an iconic photograph showing the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima during World War II. The Marines created a review panel this year after two amateur historians working for the Smithsonian Channel raised doubts about the identity of one of the Marines. The panel agreed with the historians that Private First Class Harold Schultz of Detroit was in the photo and that Navy Pharmacist's Mate 2nd Class John Bradley was not. Schultz died in 1995. The other Marines in the photo were Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, Harlon Block, Michael Strank and Franklin Sousley. "Our history is important to us, and we have a responsibility to ensure it's right," Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said Thursday in a statement. The well-known image shows six Marines raising the U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi during a bloody battle on the Japanese island. The photograph, taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in February 1945, also was used as the basis for an enormous bronze statue at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. "Although the Rosenthal image is iconic and significant, to Marines it's not about the individuals and never has been. Simply stated, our fighting spirit is captured in that frame, and it remains a symbol of the tremendous accomplishments of our Corps — what they did together and what they represent remains most important. That doesn't change," Neller's statement continued. Bradley's son, James Bradley, wrote the best-selling book “Flags of Our Fathers” about the flag-raisers. It was later made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood. Bradley, who expressed shock in May when the Marine Corps began its investigation, declined to comment to the AP on Thursday when reached by phone. His publisher, Random House, released a statement Thursday saying Bradley would update an afterword for his book that explained the new information. The historians found the discrepancy after viewing photos from an earlier flag-raising and a second one, which Rosenthal captured. In May, Bradley had told AP he believed his father confused the first and second raising of the flag. Iwo Jima is part of the cluster of Japanese Volcano Islands south of Tokyo. It was the site of an intense 36-day battle that began on February 19, 1945, and involved about 70,000 U.S. Marines and 18,000 Japanese soldiers. More than 6,500 U.S. servicemen died in the battle. The capture of Iwo Jima was strategically important to the U.S. because it prevented Japanese planes from taking off from there and intercepting American bombers. Baltimore cop acquitted in death of prisoner in van By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
A police officer was acquitted Thursday of all charges in connection with the death of Freddie Gray, who died in April 2015 in the back of a police van, sparking the worst riots in decades in the Mid-Atlantic city of Baltimore, Maryland. Six officers were indicted in Gray's death, but officer Caesar Goodson faced the most serious charges, including depraved-heart murder. Goodson was also found not guilty of manslaughter, assault, misconduct and reckless endangerment. Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams delivered his verdict after hearing five days of testimony in the non-jury trial. Williams ruled state prosecutors failed to show that Goodson, 46, gave Gray a rough ride as Gray was left unbuckled in the back of the police van. Gray, 25, was fatally injured en route to a police station after officers bound his hands and feet in the van without securing him with safety belts. Prosecutors said Gray was left unprotected and that belts would have prevented him from slamming into the vehicle's metal walls. Goodson's acquittal jeopardizes the remaining court cases. Other police officers face similar, but less serious, charges. The first trial of officer William Porter ended in a mistrial last December. Officer Edward Nero was acquitted last month. Solar Impulse 2 lands in Spain after long crossing of Atlantic
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
An airplane powered entirely by the sun landed in Seville, Spain, early Thursday after a 71-hour journey across the Atlantic from New York. The one-seat Solar Impulse 2 took off from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport early Monday morning on the 15th leg of its journey around the world. The solar-powered plane was piloted on this leg of its around-the-world journey by Swiss aviator Bertrand Piccard, cruising at an average speed of 70 kilometers an hour. The carbon fiber Solar Impulse 2 has a 72-meter wingspan, which is longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and weighs about as much as an automobile. The 17,000 solar cells built into the wings harness the sun's energy and charge onboard batteries. Piccard's compatriot and business partner Andre Borschberg will pilot the final leg of the trip from Seville to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where the trip began in March of 2015. Monetary Fund’s director cuts U.S. economic forecast By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
The International Monetary Fund trimmed its forecast for U.S. economic growth this year, but Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde still said the world's largest economy is in good shape. In its annual assessment of the U.S. economy, the Monetary Fund predicted 2.2 percent growth this year, down from last year's 2.4 percent figure, and also lower than the 2.4 percent projection for 2016 the Washington-based agency made two months ago. Ms. Lagarde predicted the U.S. unemployment rate would remain below 5 percent. The U.S. economy is off to a slow start this year, up only eight-tenths of a percent in the January-to-March period, with weak consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the U.S. economy, one of the prime factors in narrowing the economic advance. Ms. Lagarde said she sees four forces holding back U.S. economic growth: declining labor force participation, falling productivity, income inequality in the country, and high levels of poverty. "The workforce is aging," she said, adding that the productivity that once advanced by 1.7 percent annually before the 2008 recession now is only edging ahead by four-tenths of a percent each year. She said there is growing income insecurity in the United States, a decline in living standards that has left nearly 15 percent of the population, about 47 million people, living below the poverty line. Ms. Lagarde said if the problems are left unchecked, they will corrode the underpinnings of U.S. growth. She called for U.S. officials to boost the official $7.25 national hourly minimum wage, a figure some states and cities already are increasing to as much as $15 an hour. Ms. Lagarde also called for paid maternity leave, noting the United States alone among the world's wealthy nations does not provide such a benefit. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents
of
this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río
Colorado S.A. 2016 and may not be reproduced anywhere
without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
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| A.M. Costa Rica sixth news page |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Friday,
June 24, 2016, Vol. 17, No.
124
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Colombian cease-fire finally signed By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
The Colombian government and leftist rebels signed a cease-fire and disarmament deal Thursday, bringing Colombia a major step closer to ending more than 50 years of guerrilla warfare and terrorism. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londono Echeverri, leader of the Fuerzas Armadas Rrevolucionarias de Colombia, signed the agreement in Havana, Cuba, which has hosted four years of frequently difficult peace talks. Cuban President Raúl Castro and Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, whose countries mediated the talks, watched the events with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.S. envoy Bernard Aronson and several other Latin American presidents. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement, calling the cease-fire welcome news for the people of Colombia and everyone who desires peace. "The United States has supported Colombia in its efforts to strengthen its democracy and safeguard the security of its people. That friendship will continue as Colombia's leaders strive to complete the peace process and take steps to recover from the many years of division and conflict," Kerry said in the statement. The cease-fire is the last major step before both sides sign a final peace agreement. Santos said he expects that to take place July 20, the day Colombia won independence from Spain in 1810. A few final minor issues need to be worked out before the peace deal is put to the Colombian people in a referendum. Along with a cease-fire and rebel disarmament, the deal includes land reform and will give former rebels some political power. Ex-fighters can also avoid jail time in exchange for community service and travel restrictions. Both sides had expected to sign the final agreement in March. But questions remain on exactly how the conditions in the peace deal will be implemented and who will preside over a special war crimes tribunal to consider charges against fighters on both sides. The most important question is how the deal will be implemented legally and whether it would fall apart if a more conservative government succeeds Santos in 2018. The Marxist rebels, known as the FARC, launched their uprising as a poor people's rebellion in 1964 and grew into a dangerous fighting force. It turned to drug trafficking and kidnapping to fund its guerilla war. |
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| From Page 7: New power control center to be ready in 2017 By the A.M. Costa
Rica staff
The state power company said that it plans to have a new, $59 million electrical control center finished by next year. The site is in Santo Domingo de Heredia. The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad said that its current control operations are in Sabana Norte but that the space in Heredia will be more strategic. The money is mostly from the InterAmerican Development Bank, the firm said. The center will provide work for 200 employees, it added. The technology will be the latest, said the firm. The Sabana facility came online in 1983 and the equipment there is past specified useful life, said the firm known as ICE. The firm said that a stable electrical grid can attract more transnationals to Costa Rica and that the new center will be important in transferring power to other Central and Latin American nations. |
