The first Multinational Independence Celebration took place Saturday near Playas del Coco with a multinational crowd. At least 200 persons attended to play bingo, pitch horseshoes and eat shish kebab and popcorn.

The event was a benefit with funds raised going to two local schools. The event had a low average age with youngsters dominating.

The Association of Residents of Costa Rica sponsored the outing, but a number of local merchants participated.

Laura Hahn, the association’s representative in the Pacific beach town led the group in the national anthems of Costa Rica, Germany, the United States and Canada.
 

BARCELONA, Spain — A new report shows that the global AIDS pandemic will cause a sharp drop in life expectancy in dozens of countries, in some cases declines of almost three decades. The International AIDS Conference here heard that several nations are losing a century of progress in extending the length of life.

A U.S. Census Bureau study released at the conference reveals that nations in every part of the world, 51 in all, are suffering declining life expectancies because of an increasing prevalence of HIV infection.

The impact is in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, but is greatest in sub-Saharan Africa, a region with only 10 percent of the world's population but 70 percent of its HIV infections. 

The author of the U.S. Census report, Karen Stanecki, says some developing countries are avoiding the slide, but most are not. "Currently we have seen success, declines in prevalence only in a few areas," she said. "But in most other countries, prevalence has remained high or is increasing. As a result, in the next 10 to 15 years, we are going to continue to see major impacts on populations."

Seven African countries have life expectancies of less than 40 years. For example, in Botswana, where 39 percent of the adult population is infected with HIV, life expectancy is 39 years. But by 2010, it will be less than 27 years. Without AIDS, it would have been 74 years. The U.S. report predicts a similar outcome for Mozambique, while projections for life expectancies in South Africa, Swaziland, Angola, Lesotho, Namibia and Rwanda range from 33 to just under 37 years.

"By 2010, less than 10 years from now, we project that life expectancies are going to be back to levels that were not seen since the late 19th century for these most severely affected countries," she said.

The U.S. figures also show that life expectancies 

Even in countries where the number of new infections is dropping, such as Thailand, Uganda and Senegal, the U.S. report predicts small life expectancy drops.

Ms. Stanecki says another result of the AIDS pandemic is a loss of population in the hardest hit African countries where there are more deaths than births.

"Back in the early 1990s, we never would have suspected that population growth would have turned negative because of AIDS mortality. In less than 10 years, we expect that five countries will be experiencing negative population growth because of AIDS mortality, including South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland," she said.

The U.S. Census study also points out that AIDS is boosting infant mortality rates, again mainly in Africa. This is reversing a decline occurring in the 1980s and early 1990s. Although overall global rates are expected to decline by 2010, there will be more infant deaths than if AIDS had never developed.

The assistant administrator for global health at the U.S. Agency for International Development, Anne Peterson, calls the trends outlined in the study staggering. "What are we going to do so that the projections beyond 2010 do not continue to escalate? This is a call to action to make a difference," she said.

The U.N. AIDS Program says $10 billion is needed to slow the HIV pandemic, but has commitments of less than one-third of that amount from the affected nations, donor countries, and multilateral agencies. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President George Bush has signed an executive order that permits non-citizens on active duty in the U.S. military's war on terrorism to apply immediately for U.S. citizenship.

The executive order, signed Wednesday, allows up to 15,000 such men and women to apply immediately to become U.S. citizens instead of waiting the normal three years for legal aliens serving in the military and five years for ordinary green card holders.

Under U.S. law, non-citizen lawful permanent residents may serve in the U.S. military.

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters Thursday that the order designates a period of military hostilities with a hostile foreign force that began with the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon September 11.

"The period will extend indefinitely until the President terminates it by future executive order," Fleischer said. "During the period identified by the executive order, any non-citizen serving on active duty in the U.S. armed services can receive expedited naturalization consideration."

Six Latin nations
irked by system

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Leaders of the four-nation South American trade bloc, Mercosur, wrapped up their one-day summit Friday expressing solidarity with recession-plagued Argentina. They were also critical of the international financial system and its inability to deal with economic crises. The expressions of concern came in a joint communiqué signed by heads of the four Mercosur countries, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, and the leaders of the two associate members, Bolivia and Chile.

The six presidents, plus Mexican President Vicente Fox who was invited as a special guest, met here Friday for the 22nd annual Mercosur summit.

In a 17-point declaration, the leaders expressed concern over what the document called the "current behavior" of the international financial and economic systems. They vowed to do everything possible to overcome the economic problems plaguing the region.

Brazil's currency is taking a beating and its risk rating is up sharply because of the markets' concern over the upcoming presidential election and the high level of the country's debt. Argentina is virtually bankrupt, and its economic woes are beginning to affect its neighbors, especially Uruguay.

At a news conference, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso complained about the negative effect of fluctuating financial markets, and said the international financial institutions are not able to cope with the market turbulence.

He said "globalization has unleashed a series of new phenomena and there are no institutional forces capable of dealing with damaging turbulence in financial markets." 

The summit, while expressing solidarity with Argentina, stopped short of endorsing a joint appeal for funds from the international financial institutions. Argentina is appealing to the International Monetary Fund for billions of dollars.

Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has resigned his lifetime Senate seat, three days after he was ruled mentally unfit to stand trial on murder and kidnapping charges that stem from the first days of his military rule in 1973.

Roman Catholic Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz delivered Gen. Pinochet's resignation letter to the Chilean Senate Thursday. He said the 86-year-old former military ruler's declining health no longer makes it possible for him to carry out his duties in the Senate. 

Cardinal Errazuriz said the general's resignation will contribute to what he called social peace and national reconciliation. President Ricardo Lagos echoed those remarks, saying Gen. Pinochet's decision to step down will bring tranquility to all sectors of Chilean society. 

Pinochet became a senator-for-life in 1998 after giving up his post as head of the country's armed forces, a position he held after ending his 17-year dictatorship in 1990.

On Monday, the Chilean Supreme Court ruled the former military ruler was not mentally competent to stand trial. He suffers from dementia, diabetes and other serious health problems.  In Chile, suspects aged 70 and older are required to be tested and interviewed to determine their mental fitness to stand trial. 

Pinochet was to stand trial for allegedly ordering a military operation that targeted leftist dissidents in the days immediately following the violent coup that brought him to power in 1973. The campaign, known as the Caravan of Death, left 75 people dead or missing. 

Analysts say this week's Supreme Court ruling effectively ends any attempts to prosecute Pinochet, who faces more than 200 lawsuits stemming from 17 years of military rule. 

More than three thousand people died or disappeared during the general's dictatorship. 
 

Bulls win a few
in Pamplona run

The first running of the bulls in Spain's annual Pamplona Festival got off to a dangerous start Sunday, when several people were injured in the mad dash through the town's cobblestone streets.

About two thousand people took part in the hair-raising event. Witnesses say the unusually high number of participants slowed the run to more than seven minutes, more than twice as long as the usual time.

The pack of bulls broke up shortly after leaving the corral at the start of the 825 meter run, when several of the animals slipped and fell on the dew-covered streets.

Red Cross workers say four people were injured with horn wounds, but none of the injuries was reported to be life-threatening.

Thirteen people have been killed in Pamplona bull runs and more than 200 people injured since Spanish authorities began keeping records in 1924.

The animals, which each weigh 1,100 pounds or more (500 kilograms), are let loose every day for eight days to run toward the stadium where they face near-certain death in bullfights that take place during the nine day festival.
 

Trial this week
on land invasion

Some 54 persons will go on trial in Liberia this week for trying to take over land near Iguanita, also in Guanacaste.

The judicial authorities said that the land involved is owned by Compañía Nimboyure S.A., the Sociedad Monte Galán S.A. and the firm Exporsa S.A., all Liberia. Even though the property was encircled by a wire fence, the individuals moved on to it in September 1999, said officials.

The individuals began to cut trees, erect housing and put in plants without authorization.

Such land invasions are a serious threat to land ownership here because under certain circumstances the invaders quickly acquire residency rights.