Your daily English-language news
source
Monday through Friday
|
|
|
Your daily English-language news
source
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
| U.N. Assembly acts
to ban
practice of shark finning Special to A.M. Costa Rica NEW YORK, N. Y. — The United Nations General Assembly has formally adopted a resolution that highlights the depletion of the world’s shark population and takes steps to ban the practice of shark finning. The resolution approved this week contains the strongest language to date to address the practice of shark finning internationally. U.S. negotiators, including representatives from the State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and the Department of Commerce, proposed in July that the U.N. promote shark conservation. Shark finning is a wasteful practice that involves killing sharks for their fins and discarding the carcass. Shark fins are used for a traditional Asian soup that can cost as much as $100 a bowl. The resolution urges countries to adopt conservation and management measures to ensure the long-term survival and sustainability of sharks, and to consider banning the practice of catching sharks solely for the purpose of harvesting shark fins. It also encourages a global assessment of shark stocks. The resolution comes as shark populations are dwindling worldwide. Shark populations are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because of their slow growth, late maturity, and small number of offspring. As a top predator, sharks play a key role in equalizing marine ecosystems. The resolution adopted today is in keeping with the Shark Finning
Prohibition Act, a U.S. law that bans the practice in federal waters and
directs the U.S. to work toward international finning restrictions and
increased shark research worldwide.
Anthropology congress
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The III Congreso Costarricense de Antropología, a gathering of archaeologist and anthropologists, opens Tuesday in San José. The event runs until Thursday and features round, presentations of academic work and discussions. The event will be at the Museo Nacional, The preliminary program says that topics as diverse as soccer football, ethnicity and prehistoric rock art will be discussed. The free trade treaty negotiations and a look back at accomplishments in archaeology also are on the program. Two found dead
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Police and rescue workers found a 42-year-old man and his 31-year-old companion dead Thursday, the apparent victims of a landslide at Playa Azul near Golfito. The victims were identified as Rodolfo González and Yamileth Lobo Rodríguez. Officers from the Estación de Guardacostas and the Fuerza Pública
used a boat to travel the estimated 10 kms. (6 miles) from Golfito to respond
to the report that a slide had destroyed a dwelling. The spot was an isolated
one.
U.S. sends out experts
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services A team of specialists from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is traveling to Mexico in an attempt to find the cause of a deadly hepatitis A outbreak in the United States. The outbreak is blamed for the deaths of at least three people and the sickening of hundreds of others in four states. A significant part of the investigation will focus on four suppliers of green onions, which have failed to meet stringent health regulations. Dr. Javier Trujillo who is the health director at Mexico's Agriculture Ministry explains that three of the companies are owned by U.S. citizens. Although the contaminated onions have not been traced to the four firms, Mexican authorities are inviting an FDA team to work with Mexican specialists to find the source. Trujillo explained why conditions did not meet standards at the four packing houses in question: "The misses were, quality of water for washing the onions in order to get rid of the dirt," he said. "And secondly the quality of the water in order to produce the ice in order to pack the onions." Although nothing has yet been proven, Mexican onion growers and exporters are witnessing a large decline in their sales as hundreds of orders are canceled. Following the recent bi-national commission meeting in Washington, Mexico is pledging to further tighten its health checks system and create disease free, certified zones for its agricultural produce. Argentina bracing
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Security agencies here are on high alert for a possible terrorist attack. Officials who issued the warning say U.S. and European interests could be targeted. Argentine Defense Minister Jose Pampuro confirms that Argentina has received intelligence from national and international agencies warning of a possible terrorist attack. Pampuro told local radio that the attack could affect American, British or Spanish interests. All three countries have strong business, political, and cultural ties with Argentina. Argentina did not send troops to join the U.S. and British-led invasion of Iraq this year, but Spanish soldiers are serving there. Embassies throughout the capital here are taking precautions against possible attack and security has been stepped up at border crossings throughout South America's second-largest country. Argentina shares the lawless "tri-border" region with Paraguay and Brazil, an area that the United States has long suspected of harboring Islamic militants. Argentina experienced two deadly terrorist attacks in the 1990s. A bomb exploded at the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992, killing 29 people. Two years later, a car bomb destroyed a Jewish Community Center leaving 85 dead. Argentina suspects Iran was involved with the Jewish Center attack, an accusation that Iranian officials deny. Both terrorist attacks remain unsolved. |
Angel of Love is topic
of theater open house By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The Angel of Love Foundation will be the topic at the open house of the Little theatre Group Monday. The foundation supports the Tom and Norman Home for Unwanted Adults in Guápiles. A documentary about the home will be shown at the open house. The open house is at the group’s theater in Bello Horizonte and runs
from 7 to 9 p.m. More information is available at 289-3910.
|
|
|
|||
|
A man arrested Nov. 11 in a domestic violence case is really a drug trafficker wanted in the United States, according to investigators. They identified the man as Ricardo Armenta, but said that he had been living in Costa Rica as a Peruvian with the name of Richard Giovanni Aldana Villegas. The man came into police hands in San Pedro de Montes de Oca when he was held for investigation of attempted murder and threats against his female companion, said a release from the Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública. Officials said an extensive investigation was needed to link the arrested man to the person wanted in the United States. The Judicial Investigating Organization, the International Police Agency (INTERPOL), the U.S. FBI and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration were involved. Armenta is of Colombian birth but a naturalized U.S. citizen, investigators said. He is wanted to face a charge of conspiracy to possess 24 kilos (55 |
pounds of cocaine) with intent to
distribute. The case is in federal court in the eastern district of Louisiana,
officials said.
The investigation showed that under the identity of Richard Aldana the man entered Costa Rica in 1995
|
||
|
|
|
|
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez has warned opposition groups he will not tolerate any attempts to stir unrest during an upcoming petition drive seeking a referendum on his rule. During a speech Wednesday, President Chavez said he is prepared to call in the armed forces if he detects any attempts to promote violence or subversion. He also said the government would take over any television stations he felt were supporting such activities. Chavez noted that his government has evidence |
that dissident military officers
and others may be plotting a coup attempt.
Opposition members will begin a four-day campaign today to collect 2.4 million signatures which would force a referendum vote next April on Mr. Chavez's presidency. Opponents accuse the president of attempting to establish a dictatorial regime and say he has mismanaged the economy. Chavez denies the allegations, accusing his adversaries of trying to grab power to regain lost privileges rather than to improve living conditions. |
|
|
|
|
There was an uproar in European financial circles this week when France and Germany evaded punishment for breaking rules governing the euro currency. But the euro remains very strong, despite the controversy. The euro recently hit an all-time high value of $1.20. That is a striking increase from a value of just 88 cents when the euro first became a hard currency last year. The euro has risen, despite slow economies in the countries that use it, and despite budget deficits in its two most powerful countries, France and Germany. Their deficits have exceeded the 3 percent limit for the past two years, with no sign of improvement next year. Experts offer several reasons for the euro's strength. One is what former president of the German Central Bank Hans Tietmeyer calls the collective structure of the eurozone, which gives it protection. He says, in the past, an economic slowdown or large budget deficit in one country would have hurt its currency. But with 12 countries sharing the euro, problems in one or two countries can be compensated for by strengths in the others. "With their own currencies, they would be punished," he said. "That was the case in previous times. And that was the case that the pressure from the market came, and they had to do their job. Today, there is no pressure from the market." Other reasons for the euro's strength include the weakness of the U.S. dollar, due to a slow economy and low interest rates in the United States, and a new trend in many Central Banks around the world to hold euros as part of their foreign currency reserves. Economist Daniel Gros, director of the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels, explains: "Foreign central banks have not used the euro to the extent that I would have anticipated, especially central banks in Asia, and that has certainly been a factor behind the strength of the dollar on average still over this period," he said. "That seems to be about to change. Now it will not change overnight and very quickly. But if the new trend one has seen over the last year continues over the next years, then I think that would mean that, slowly, the preeminence of the dollar as the sole global currency will be eroded." Gros warns that the euro countries need to enforce their own rules, if the euro is to continue to be strong and in-demand. In particular, he says, France and Germany must be forced to abide by the budget deficit rules, rules that Germany insisted on imposing. |
"The problem we have right now is
that the weakness is in the core, in France and Germany, and these two
countries both have excessive deficits, and agree, basically, among themselves,
that they will not punish each other," he said. "Then it is not possible
to actually implement sanctions and the measures foreseen in the stability
pact. I do not think that will last forever, because France and Germany
will see that if they continue to have large deficits, then they lose power
within the European Union."
Another problem for the euro countries is that their strong currency makes their exports expensive. "It is now too strong for our business," said Ralph Wiechers, chief economist of the German Engineering Federation, the largest industry branch association in Europe, representing 3,000 companies, many of which export industrial machinery. "We have a relationship of about $1.20 to one euro and it is too high for our export business. And in the long run, we had an exchange rate around $1.10. So, this is the borderline where it becomes more and more difficult for a lot of companies to compete on export markets." Wiechers says exporters in the euro zone have been saved by strong demand from China, which has compensated for reduced orders from the United States and other countries, where importers do not want to pay the high euro prices. Despite such problems, economist Gros says, the euro and the countries that use it are in a strong position for the future. "We know that currency markets are extremely difficult to predict, that currencies sometimes go down and up for no good reasons," he said. "And a bit of that happened to the euro during the first years. The euro area economy seemed so weak compared to the U.S. economy that people thought, 'Oh, we can just buy dollars, and it will always be a good bargain.' "But now, people see the euro area might be slow, slow in terms of growth. It might have some problems with fiscal policy. But it is not about to disappear. And it has one advantage over the U.S., which is that it does not have a very large current account deficit [includes budget and trade deficit]. So, people start to think maybe the euro is a boring currency, but is a pretty safe bet over the long run." Meanwhile, the euro is slowly becoming a more important currency in the world economy. Gros estimates that foreign central banks have about 10 percent of their foreign currency reserves in euros. He predicts that during the next decade that could increase to 50 percent, which would put the euro on a par with the dollar as one of the world's most important currencies. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
