Although the soldiers carry picks and mirrors instead of guns, the Asamblea Nacional still had to approve the arrival of 35 North American dentists who are in the military reserve.

The kind of drilling these soldiers will be doing in the Osa Peninsula will not have much to do with marching. They will be treating those in need of dental work.

The reserve officers will be in the country from Aug. 14 to 28 on the humanitarian mission.  The Costa Rica Constitution requires legislative approval for the arrival of any foreign military group. Last week the legislators gave permission for a Mexican military aircraft to land briefly while flying from that country to Colombia and return. Lawmakers also have to approve the arrival at local ports of U.S. Coast Guard and Navy vessels that are on patrol in the Pacific.

Fedrico Vargas, head of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana, said that the permission was sought far in advance because a lot of the dental equipment has to be shipped in.

U.S. tourist called
intoxication victim

A medical examiner will determine the cause of death of a U.S. tourist who died in Manuel Antonio.

The man was identified as Zachary Richie Nel, 46, and described as a tourist.

An agent for the Judicial Investigating Organization said that intoxication is believed to be the cause of death but the exact substances need to be determined.

The man died in a unit of Cabinas Los Almendroz, said the agent. There was no sign of foul play, he added.
 

Two workers suspended
at women’s institute

Two employees of the Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres have been suspended while irregularities in the organization are investigated.

That was the word Tuesday from Georgina Vargas Pagán, the new minister on the Condición de la Mujer.

Esmeralda Britton, the former minister, resigned her post June 21 after President Abel Pacheco questioned certain expenditures in the institute. The persons who were suspended were the administrative director and the financial director of the institute.

Minister Vargas promised at a press conference following the weekly Consejo de Gobierno that she would run a transparent ministry.

Arenal gives a show

As if on cue, Volcan Arenal is getting into the mood of Costa Rica’s second tourism season. Reports from nearby La Fortuna de San Carlos said that the mountain spewed out some debris Tuesday and continues to issue smoke.

The popular volcano is a must-see for tourists, but frequently the glowing summit is cloaked in clouds  and rain. The latest activities are somewhat lower on the northeast side.
 

Gas tank blast hurts three

Three persons suffered first- and second-degree burns Tuesday night when a tank of LP gas exploded at a factory in Pavas. 

More than 50 firemen converged on the scene at Corporación Romadu S.A., a plastics fabricator. The site is not far from the U.S. Embassy.
 

A.M. Costa Rica
Consultantes Río Colorado S.A.

James J. Brodell.........................editor
Saray Ramírez Vindas.... associate editor

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 In Costa Rica:                    From elsewhere:

  A.M. Costa Rica                    Consultantes Río Colo.
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  San José, Costa Rica              P.O. Box 025292
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A new report by the U.N. AIDS organization finds the global AIDS epidemic is worsening. The agency says more people in all regions around the world are becoming infected with HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

UNAIDS reports significant progress has been made in providing treatment for larger numbers of AIDS victims and in achieving greater political and financial commitments in the fight against the fatal disease. Despite this, the report says none of these efforts has been enough to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Last year, the report notes five million people became newly infected with HIV. That is more people than any previous year. Currently, it says, more than 38 million people are living with the disease. 

UNAIDS Senior Adviser Karen Stanecki says Asia, with 60 percent of the world's population, is home to some of the fastest-growing epidemics in the world. In 2003 alone, she says, more than one million people became infected with HIV.

"Equally alarming, we have only just begun to witness the full impact of AIDS on African societies as infections continue to grow and people are dying in large numbers," said Ms. Stanecki. "The scale of the problem in Africa is well-documented, with over 25 million infections. If we do not act now, 60 percent of today's 15 year olds will not reach their 60th birthday." 

The report says the Caribbean is the hardest hit 

UNAIDS says infections also are on the rise in the United States and Western Europe. It blames this largely on the widespread availability of anti-AIDS drugs, which it says has made some people in these wealthy countries complacent.

Paul De Lay, UNAIDS director of monitoring and evaluation, acknowledges that around the world prevention programs are reaching fewer than one in five people who need them. Nevertheless, he says there has been a dramatic increase in prevention activities for young people and several other successes as well.

"In Africa, for instance, 60 percent of children have access to AIDS education both in primary and secondary schools," said De Lay. "That is a huge increase from the late 1990's. In highly vulnerable groups like sex workers, we are seeing a real success story in Africa. Thirty-two percent of sex workers who are identified have access to HIV prevention and there is a large increase in condom use in this population."

The report says global spending on AIDS has increased greatly, but, more is needed. It estimates $12 billion will be needed by next year, and $20 billion by 2007, for prevention and care in developing countries. The United Nations says AIDS funding has increased sharply in recent years, in part due to the U.S. government's global AIDS initiative. But it says still, globally less than half the money needed is being provided.

MEXICO CITY, México — President Vincente Fox's principal spokesman has resigned, accusing the first lady of undue involvement in politics. A senior member of the ruling party is calling for talks to end the political feud. 

Fox spokesman Alfonzo Durazo has quit, accusing the president of trying to orchestrate his wife into Mexico's top job. By law, a Mexican president may serve only one six-year term. Durazo accuses the first lady of breaking tradition by publicly carrying out her own agenda. He also says her launching of a high-profile charity is a part of her political plan. 

President Fox has publicly said his wife will not seek the presidential candidacy of his National 

Less than two months ago, President Fox severely reprimanded Energy Minister Felipe Calderon for allegedly launching an early bid for the party's candidacy. Calderon promptly resigned. 

Calderon — who is also a former President of PAN — says a careful analysis of this latest controversy must take place as soon as possible. "It's an important issue, not only for the members of the PAN, but also for public opinion and Mexican democracy," he says. 

President Fox's office is strongly rebutting Durazo's claims, saying it neither shares his views nor the logic behind his 19-page resignation letter. 

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — The government has handed out some $3 million to victims of the country's decades-long civil war. 

In a ceremony Tuesday, President Oscar Berger said the payment recognizes the thousands of Guatemalans whose rights were not respected.

Some 200,000 people died in Guatemala's 36-year civil war, which ended with U.N.-brokered peace accords signed in 1996.