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Published Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Vol. 17, No. 171
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San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 171
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Ms. Figueres
a dark horse for U.N. job
By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
with wire service reports Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rica diplomat, finished in the bottom third of voting Monday when the U.N. Security Council conducted a straw poll for a new secretary general. She is likely to face pressure to drop out of the running. She is the former executive secretary of the United Nations Climate Change secretariat. Her candidacy has been supported by the Costa Rica government. But the contest to head the international organization still is in flux. Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres got another step closer to becoming the next secretary-general when he held on to his lead in the third round of informal votes. Diplomats with knowledge of the results said Guterres topped the pack of 10 contenders with 11 votes encouraging his candidacy, three discouraging it and one expressing no opinion. Diplomats from many countries have expressed support for Guterres' candidacy, citing his charisma as well as his experience at the helm of the U.N. refugee agency for a decade and as Portugal's leader from 1995-2002. While the 67-year-old Guterres seems to have secured solid and consistent support among a majority of council members, it remains to be seen if he can escape a veto in a future round from one of the five permanent council members. Three eastern European candidates captured second place and tied for third. Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak surged to second with nine encouraging votes, five discouraging and one no opinion. Third place was a tie between Bulgarian Irina Bokova and Serbia's former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic. Ms. Bokova is the former head of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Argentina's Susana Malcorra, Macedonia's Srgjan Kerim and New Zealand's Helen Clark rounded out the middle of the pack. The council is likely to hold at least two more rounds of informal voting before making a final decision. In the interim, some candidates may withdraw their bids after repeated poor showings. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters prior to the vote that it is time to winnow down the field. He said the winning candidate requires a minimum of nine positive votes and no vetoes. All ballots have been identical so far, but in an upcoming round, the five permanent Security Council members, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, will switch to different colored papers. The five hold veto power over candidacies and a discourage vote from them could crush a contender's chances. No date has been announced for the next round. In 2006, Ban Ki-moon was selected U.N. chief after four straw polls. The winner will take over Jan. 1. Hospital plans annual orchid exposition By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
Hospital Clinica Biblica said Monday that its fourth orchid expo is scheduled to start Thursday and run through Sunday. The hospital puts on the event to celebrate the Costa Rican Día de la Independencia, which is Sept. 15. Also participating in the event will be the Asociación de Jueces de Orquídeas de Costa Rica, the hospital said. The event is free to spectators, and about 41 growers are expected to participate, said the hospital. Also promised are short flights in a helicopter and a display of antique automobiles and a Formula 1 race car. A book on orchids also will be presented Friday.
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San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 171
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| Police chase and capture five suspected of bank stickup in Río Frío | |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Police agencies are reporting early today that they have detained five men who are suspected in sticking up a bank in Río Frío. The crime left two persons injured by firearms and launched a massive search for the suspects in a rural area. Two men were detained and later released because they happened to be in the search area. The crime happened about 8:30 a.m. when 13 Banco Nacional employees were arranging their operations for the day. Four men arrived in a black vehicle and another came on a motorcycle. They wore masks. Investigators said they forced their way into the bank violently. A neighbor across the street from the bank took photos of the activities outside. As the bandits left, they fired on a guard and a teller. Both were injured, agents said. Police and judicial agents said the men took from 60 to 80 million colons, perhaps as much as $150,000. When they abandoned the black car not far away, which had been reported stolen a month ago, they left some of the money inside. Fuerza Pública officers were working on the suspicion that the men had tried to hide in a nearby house. The suspicion proved to be correct, and a cordon of officers surrounded the house and eventually obtained the surrender of the suspects. In an unrelated crime, also Monday, police chased and managed to capture a man suspected of trying to rob a bag of money from a lottery vendor. The crime happened in Guadalupe. Police said officers chased two men on a motorcycle. The driver failed to avoid a taxi and crashed into it. One man was knocked out, but the other managed to flee, said police. The suspect detained was a 40-year-old man with a long criminal record, police said. |
 Judicial
Investigating Organization photo
A wounded bank guard is placed in a pickup bed for
a trip to medical services. He and a teller later were
reported in stable condition. Ministerio
de Seguridad Pública photo
Robbery suspect receives aid from
emergency workers after he crashed his motorcycle
into a taxi. |
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San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 171
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| Researchers
find that existing drugs have an effect on the zika virus |
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By the Johns Hopkins University
news staff
Scientists report that a specialized drug screen test using lab-grown human cells has revealed two classes of compounds already in the pharmaceutical arsenal that may work against mosquito-borne zika virus infections. In a summary of their work, published in Nature Medicine Monday, the investigators say they screened 6,000 existing compounds currently in late-stage clinical trials or already approved for human use for other conditions, and identified several compounds that showed the ability to hinder or halt the progress of the zika virus in lab-grown human neural cells. The research collaboration includes teams from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health and Florida State University. “It takes years if not decades to develop a new drug,” says Hongjun Song, director of the stem cell program in the Institute of Cell Engineering at Johns Hopkins. “In this sort of global health emergency, we don’t have that kind of time.” “So instead of using new drugs, we chose to screen existing drugs,” added Guo-li Ming, professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins. “In this way, we hope to create a therapy much more quickly.” The new findings are an extension of previous work by the research team, which found that zika mainly targets specialized stem cells that give rise to neurons in the brain’s outer layer, the cortex. The researchers observed zika’s effects in two- and three-dimensional cell cultures called mini-brains, which share structures with the human brain and allow researchers to study the effects of zika in a more accurate model for human infection. In the current study, the research team exposed similar cell cultures to the zika virus and the drugs one at a time, measuring for indicators of cell death, including caspase-3 activity, a chemical marker of cell death, and ATP, a molecule whose presence is indicative of cell vitality. Typically, after Zika infection, the damage done to neural cells is dramatic and irreversible, said Hengli Tang, professor of biological sciences at Florida State University. However, some of the compounds tested allowed the cells to survive longer and, in some cases, fully recover from infections. Further analysis of the surviving cells, says Ming, showed that the promising drugs could be divided into two classes: neuroprotective drugs, which prevent the activation of |
 Johns
Hopkins University/Xuyu Qian
Zika virus infection is shown in a human cell
materialmechanisms that cause cell death, and antiviral drugs, which slow or stop viral infection or replication. Overall, Song says, three drugs showed robust enough results to warrant further study: PHA-690509, an investigational compound with antiviral properties; emricasan, now in clinical trials to reduce liver damage from hepatitis C virus and shown to have neuroprotective effects; and niclosamide, a drug already used in humans and livestock to combat parasitic infections, which worked as an antiviral agent in these experiments. Song cautioned that the three drugs “are very effective against Zika in the dish, but we don’t know if they can work in humans in the same way.” For example, he says, although niclosamide can safely treat parasites in the human gastrointestinal tract, scientists have not yet determined if the drug can even penetrate the central nervous system of adults or a fetus inside a carrier’s womb to treat the brain cells targeted by zika. Nor, he says, do they know if the drugs would address the wide range of effects of zika infection, which include microcephaly in fetuses and temporary paralysis from Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. “To address these questions, additional studies need to be done in animal models as well as humans to demonstrate their ability to treat zika infection,” said Ming. “So we could still be years away from finding a treatment that works.” The researchers say their next steps include testing the efficacy of these drugs in animal models. |
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San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 171
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for election rolls intrusions By the A.M. Costa
Rica wire services
U.S. officials suspect Russian hackers were responsible for breaking into two state election databases earlier this month. "This is the closest we've come to tying a recent hack to the Russian government," one official told NBC News Monday. The FBI has not identified the two U.S. states whose data bases were attacked, but Yahoo News, which first reported the breaches, quoted sources who say Arizona and Illinois were targeted. According to Yahoo News, an Illinois election board official said the voter registration system was shut down for 10 days last month after hackers stole personal information on approximately 200,000 voters. The Arizona attack involved the introduction of malicious software into the voter registration system. The FBI is urging local law enforcement officials to enhance their computer security systems. U.S. officials have said recent cyberattacks at the Democratic National Committee and elsewhere within the Democratic Party probably were conducted by people inside the Russian government. Russia has denied any involvement in the cyberattacks. Federal officials are becoming increasingly concerned about the possibility that hackers, particularly those working for Russia, could breach U.S. elections systems and wreak havoc on the November presidential election. Two candidates worlds apart on immigration perceptions By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have very different plans for immigration policy in the United States if elected president in November, including proposals that in some cases are directly opposite of each other. Their campaign pledges range from ones emphasizing enforcement of existing laws to those requiring new legislation and possibly changes to the U.S. Constitution. Trump is due to make a major speech on the issue in Arizona Wednesday. One of the most glaring questions is what to do about the estimated 11 million people already living in the country illegally. There is currently very little that population can do to earn citizenship. Mrs. Clinton says one of her first priorities is immigration reform that would include creating a path to full citizenship, which Trump does not support. An early Trump priority would be immediately deporting those undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes. Mrs. Clinton also says she would prioritize kicking out violent criminals. Both largely follow existing policies under President Barack Obama's administration. A 2014 memo from Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson identifies top immigration enforcement targets as people suspected of terrorism or espionage, trying to illegally enter the country and those convicted of gang or felony crimes. People already in the country who have not committed crimes or significant visa program abuses are in the lowest tier. Obama signed two executive orders on immigration during his term, one allowing parents of citizens or lawful residents to apply for a delay in facing immigration enforcement and another allowing children who entered the country before age 16 to ask for the same delay. A federal court order suspended the one regarding parents, but the protection for those who entered illegally as children is still in effect. Mrs. Clinton wants to protect both measures. Trump told NBC's “Meet The Press” in an August 2015 interview that he would repeal them and make a whole new set of standards. Under current law, any child born in the United States, even to someone who is in the country illegally, is a citizen. "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside," reads the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Trump wants to end that policy, calling it the "biggest magnet for illegal immigration." Mrs. Clinton has said that would be the "wrong direction." Citizenship brings certain rights such as voting and being eligible to buy health insurance through exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act. Mrs. Clinton has proposed expanding healthcare access to families regardless of their immigration status. Trump wants a focus on enforcing U.S. law that makes it illegal for companies to hire people they know are in the country illegally. Several states require the use of a system called e-verify that matches documents submitted by job applicants to federal government databases to ensure people are legally allowed to work. Trump wants e-verify used nationwide to not only protect jobs for unemployed Americans but also prevent undocumented people from accessing government benefit programs. In June, the Department of Homeland security reported that about 355,000 people who had entered the country legally with a visa never left. Officials told a congressional hearing that enforcement for visa overstays is similar to the overall approach on policing immigration with a focus on those who pose the greatest threat to national security and local populations. Since 1994, Congress has called for a system to better track who comes in and out of the country and allow law enforcement to better search out those who overstay their visa. Homeland Security says it does a good job for sea and air travelers, and is working on better tracking those who exit the United States through land crossings. Trump wants a robust tracking system as well as criminal penalties for people who do not leave when their visa expires. Right now, there are only civil penalties that generally bar a violator from returning to the U.S. for a certain number of years depending on how long they overstay. Current law also stipulates that undocumented children or spouses of citizens or permanent residents who get approved for immigrant visas must leave the country to obtain the visas at a consulate abroad, and must then wait either three or 10 years to return depending on how long they were in the U.S. illegally. Mrs. Clinton wants those waits lifted, saying they force families to choose between continuing to live together illegally in the U.S. or splitting up for a period of time. Parties have different ideas of the importance of the immigration issue. A number of recent polls showed about 8 percent of registered voters considered immigration the issue most important to them, more of them Republicans than Democrats. That divide also appeared in a Pew Research poll that asked people whether immigration is a very big problem in the United States. Sixty-six percent of Trump supporters said yes compared to 17 percent of Mrs. Clinton’s supporters. Washington cheers arrival of 10,000 Syrian refugees By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
U.S. President Barack Obama's goal of resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S. this fiscal year will be achieved one month ahead of schedule Monday. "On behalf of the president and his administration, I extend the warmest of welcomes to each and every one of our Syrian arrivals, as well as the many other refugees resettled this year from all over the world," National Security Advisor Susan Rice said in a statement. Obama's resettlement program has emerged as a controversial issue in the U.S. presidential campaign after Republican nominee Donald Trump claimed Syrians are a potential security threat to the U.S. and proposed a ban on Muslims entering the country. Governors of more than 30 U.S. states have tried to block such refugees from settling in their states, despite having no authority to do so, according to legal experts. Nearly 5 million Syrians have fled the civil war in the last five years. Most are confronted with harsh living conditions in nearby countries such as Jordan, which has hosted almost 660,000 Syrian refugees. The U.S. will admit a total of at least 85,000 refugees this year from countries other than Syria, including Myanmar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Iraq, Somalia and Ukraine. When world leaders gather in New York City for a session of the United Nations General Assembly in late September, President Obama will lead a summit on the global refugee crisis, with the hope of boosting humanitarian aid and doubling the number of refugee resettlement opportunities. Brazil’s President Rousseff argues in her own defense By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has denied allegations of manipulating government accounts during testimony at her impeachment trial. "I did not commit the crimes that I am unjustly accused of," the 68-year-old leftist leader said in an address Monday to the Senate, repeating her claim that the impeachment drive was a coup. "I can't help but taste the bitterness of injustice," she said. Ms. Rousseff is accused of taking illegal state loans to cover deficits in the budget. The first Brazilian female president has denied wrongdoing and denounced opponents' efforts as a conspiracy to overthrow her and undermine the country's democracy. Officials speaking on condition of anonymity had told reporters Ms. Rousseff will be assertive and talk about her life fighting for democracy. Late Saturday, senators concluded the third day of hearings with officials interrogating two witnesses called by the defense. Former finance minister Nelson Henrique Barbosa and Rio de Janeiro State University law professor Ricardo Lodi were brought in to testify and said Ms. Rousseff did not break the law. "There is nothing remotely illegal. You cannot act retroactively with a new interpretation of the law," Barbosa said. Following days of deliberations, senators will vote on whether to permanently remove Ms. Rousseff. Of the 81 senators, 54 must vote against her in order for the impeachment to become permanent. "She will appeal to undecided senators to respect democracy and stop the coup that is under way," a spokesman for Ms. Rousseff said. "She is in good spirits." Interim President Michel Temer could stay on the job until the end of Ms. Rousseff's term in 2018. Accusers presented the case last week saying Ms. Rousseff was criminally guilty and responsible for Brazil's severe recession in Latin America's largest economy. Former president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva is expected to appear with Ms. Rousseff. U.S. says 600,000 drones will fill the skies of U.S. By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
The U.S. government says 600,000 commercial drones could fill the nation's skies within a year. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx opened the way to widespread remote-controlled drone use Monday as new safety rules took effect. He said the country is captivated by the limitless possibilities unmanned aircraft offer. The new rules permit businesses to fly drones weighing up to 25 kilograms in sparsely populated areas up to 122 meters above ground from just before dawn each day to just after sunset. In addition, pilots must keep the drones within eyesight and fly them at a speed of no more than 160 kilometers an hour. Foxx said the United States is developing other transportation related innovations, including automatic braking systems for trains and autonomous cars and trucks. "Just as we’re seeing innovative technologies transforming our roads and our ports and our seaways, drones are also blazing an uncharted path that will continue to revolutionize our airspace," he said. The drone industry said it expects increased use of the aircraft will help create 100,000 jobs and $82 billion in economic activity by 2025. The U.S. already has granted 76 exemptions to the new rules, mostly to companies that want to operate drones at night. Some of the commercial drones already are being used to monitor crops, inspect bridges and transmission lines, assist firefighters and police officers, film movies and make wedding videos. Zuckerberg and wife give Pope Francis firm’s drone By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg gave Pope Francis a Facebook drone during their meeting Monday at the Vatican. The billionaire tech mogul posted a picture of himself handing the Pope a model of an Aquila solar-powered drone, which Facebook hopes one day will allow internet access to people in developing countries. "It was a meeting we'll never forget," Zuckerberg said. "You can feel warmth and kindness, and how deeply he cares about helping people. Zuckerberg was accompanied by his wife, Priscilla Chan, and according to a Vatican spokesman, the topic of discussion during the meeting was how to use communication technologies to alleviate poverty, encourage a culture of encounter, and make a message of hope arrive, especially to those most in need. Zuckerberg’s trip comes while Italians are still digging out of a devastating earthquake, and his company is trying to play a key role in the wake of disasters via its Safety Check feature, which allows users to let their loved ones and friends know they are OK after a disaster. The Facebook founder was expected to hold a live question and answer session later Monday. Zuckerberg and Ms. Chan honeymooned to Rome after their marriage in 2012. FDA gives emergency OK for rapid zika diagnostic test By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday issued
emergency authorization for a zika diagnostics test from
Swiss drugmaker Roche, skirting normal approval channels as the regulator moves
to fight the disease's spread.Zika virus, detected in Brazil and elsewhere last year before spreading to the Americas, is associated with microcephaly, a birth defect characterized by an unusually small head and potential developmental problems. Through last week, the United States reported 2,517 zika cases, 29 of which were likely acquired locally in Florida through mosquito bites and the rest brought in by travelers, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Some 9,000 additional cases have been reported in U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico. With FDA approval, Roche's test now can be used to screen patients exhibiting zika symptoms that meet Centers for Disease Control criteria, including fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. Samples will be sent for analysis to specially-certified U.S. laboratories with the appropriate equipment, a Roche spokesman said. "The LightMix zika test is an easy-to-use molecular diagnostic test that enables healthcare professionals to quickly detect the virus," said Uwe Oberlaender, the head of molecular diagnostics at Basel-based Roche. The FDA issues such emergency use authorization during public health emergencies, to quickly deploy unapproved medical products for as long as they are needed. As zika cases caused by local Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Florida mount and travelers from elsewhere continue to arrive with the disease, the FDA last week recommend universal testing of donated blood across the United States. In March, Roche won separate investigational approval from the FDA for its Cobas 6800/8800 testing system to be used to test blood at U.S. blood centers including in Puerto Rico, where about 1 percent of donated blood has so far tested positive for the virus. In Brazil, zika virus has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, and U.S. officials expect as many as 270 cases in Puerto Rico. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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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, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 171
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Terminal access promised for next year
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Highway officials are promising that the elevated access to the new Moín Container Terminal will be done by the end of next year. This is a $71 million job that will replace the temporary access that is being used now while APM Terminals constructs the $1 billion container handling facility. The access road was something that the government promised to build when it issued the concession to the Dutch shipping firm. The access will be two lanes and 2.1 kilometers in length. One kilometer will be elevated to cross a national railway line and the Río Moín. The access job will be done by Consorcio del Atlántico, a partnership of Meco y Puentes y Calzadas. The estimated time is 18 months to coincide with the opening of the terminal. Work is expected to begin in two months. Officials Monday gave the order to begin the design and construction. The money comes from a loan by the Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica. The access road had been controversial because some environmentalists objected to the destruction of mangroves. The elevated plan takes care of some of this objection.
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| From Page 7: Geothermal plans are reported to be advancing By the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
A Japanese team has finished an inspection of the state power company’s geothermal plans and has entered into an agreement extending $224 million more in credit for another plant to be built in Guanacaste. The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad said that the team came from the Japanese Agency for International Cooperation. The 40-year loan that will be signed in February has a favorable interest rate at six-tenths of a percent, the state power company said. The money will go to finance the Borinquen I geothermal electrical generating project that is expected to be online in 2023 with 55 megawatts of output. It is on the southwestern flank of the Rincon de la Vieja volcano. Japan agreed in 2011 to finance geothermal energy here when then-president Laura Chinchilla visited the country. Costa Rica is expecting additional money. The proposed Las Pailas II already benefits from a $167 million loan, and the Borinquen II project will receive $157 million. Costa Rica sees this as a package deal in three stages. The loans are denominated in Japanese currency. Borinquen II is supposed to go online with 55 megawatts in 2015. Work already has begun on the Las Pailas II project that is expected to go online in 2019. |
