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| A.M. Costa Rica Second newspage |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009, Vol. 9, No. 240 | |||||||||
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| Costa Rica Expertise Ltd http://crexpertise.com E-mail info@crexpertise.com Tel:506-256-8585 Fax:506-256-7575 |
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 Judicial Investigating Organization photo
Judicial
agent uncovers stash of cocaine hidden in marble
Drugs hidden in
marble blocks
attributed to Mexican cartel By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Drug agents and prosecutors Thursday raided a storage building in Pozos de Santa Ana and a house in Heredia. They confiscated 840 kilos (1,848 pounds) of cocaine that is reported to be linked to the Sinaloa drug cartel. The Poder Judicial said that the drug was hidden in pieces of marble. Four persons with Mexican nationality were detained. They also detained a Costa Rican and a Colombian who was naturalized as a Costa Rican. The drugs were to be exported by a company called Grupo Costamex S.A. The marble originally came from Egypt and entered Costa Rica by land. It appears that the cocaine was inserted into cavities bored into the marble here in Costa Rica. Large drug seizures appear to be a weekly event. The reason partly is the stiff controls at the country's northern border and police checkpoints near the Panamá border. The marble was supposed to travel by sea in a container to avoid these controls. Iran triples its Latin trade with emphasis on Brazil By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Iran's trade with Latin America tripled last year to $2.9 billion, according to an analysis by Latin Business Chronicle. The online business publication said that last week’s visit to Brazil by Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, caused controversy, but made sense for the Iranian leader. Brazil is Iran’s largest trade partner in Latin America and the top Latin American exporter to Iran, according to the analysis of data from the International Monetary Fund, the publication said. Total trade between Iran and Venezuela reached $51.8 million last year, a 30.8 percent increase, the publication said. That makes Venezuela Iran’s fifth-largest trade partner in Latin America, behind such countries as Argentina, Ecuador and Peru, it added. Venezuela is considered a political ally of Iran. Well-known La Fortuna man again faces burglary count By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
In La Fortuna de San Carlos Felix the Cat is not a cartoon character. He is, instead, the resident career criminal. The man is Félix Araya Arias, known locally at Gato Félix because of his cat burglar style. Araya is in his 60s but has not yet retired. The manager of a Gallo appliance store spotted him and two younger associates near the store Wednesday night in La Fortuna after the internal alarm system tripped. Someone had cut the locks off the steel curtains that protect the windows and it appeared that someone had forced their way into a store. Early Thursday a police patrol found Araya and the two other men in a car again near the store. Inside the car was cutting equipment and a torch. They said they found that Araya has an arrest warrant outstanding on another case. So did one of the associates. Police said that Araya has been detained twice before this year as a suspect in similar crimes.
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| A.M. Costa Rica third newspage |
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Regulator
cancels permit of airport service Taxis Unidos
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The price regulating agency had pulled the permits of Taxis Unidos. The operator of the orange vehicles that service Juan Santamaría airport. The cancelation of the permits seems like a final action, but the company has been given three months to terminate its service and turn in the license plates of the 75 vehicles it operates. The agency, the Authoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos said it was taking the action because Taxis Unidos does not use meters in its cabs. Such meters, informally called marias, are required by law. Taxis Unidos has been considered a top quality transportation firm in the Central Valley. Its drivers are full-time employees and receive the benefits required by law. The drivers wear uniforms and the vehicles are air conditioned. The orange taxis only make trips from and to the airport from Central Valley locations. Drivers decline to make |
local runs even when they
have an empty vehicle. Other taxi drivers for years have complained that the firm does not comply with the law and questioned the permits to work from the airport. Taxi fares are collected at a booth at the exit to the airport passenger terminal based on the destination the passenger gives. Passengers picked up in the Central Valley make a payment at a booth located just outside the departure terminal. The payments have been flat fees generally based on the distance. The amount is comparable to what would be charged via a meter. The regulating authority held a hearing on the complaints against the taxi firm. The agency said that the three-month delay in revoking the permits was to give the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes and the Consejo de Transporte Público time to take steps to replace Taxis Unidos. However, it is likely the firm will appeal the decision to the courts. |
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Historic portal at museum to be inaugurated
Sunday
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By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
'Tis the season of portales, and these nativity scenes are going up all over the country. One of the most historic is the portal at the Museo Nacional that will be inaugurated in a free, public ceremony starting Sunday at 11 a.m. Assisting will be the Banda Nacional de San José and the chorus of the Asamblea Legislativa. There also is planned a presentation of the dramatic work “Fábrica de muñecos” by the Conservatorio Castella. The blessing of the portal will take place at 1:30 p.m., said the museum. The Rev. Guillermo Guillén will provide the spiritual emphasis. The figures in the museum display are life-size and have a history. The museum historian María Elena Masís said that the figures were brought to Costa Rica from Paris, France, 100 years ago by the Sisters of Charity when they ran Hospital San Juan de Dios. Later the figures went to a church congregation in Grecia and then ended up at the museum. In all, there are 12 life-size figures ranging from Mary, Joseph, the Christ Child, three kings, shepherds and assorted animals. The scene is a traditional representation of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Portales are an integral aspect of Costa Rican life. Most public offices have their own nativity display as do most homes and public buildings. The Teatro National has |
 Museo Nacional photo
This is the historic portal at
the Museo Nacionalperhaps the most viewed. Each year technicians there try to do something different. This year the portal looks like a desert tent or a Christo art work with pieces of fabric stretched on metal frames. One year it was a jungle scene. The museum portal is more conventional. The statues of adults measure on the average 1.6 meters or about 5-foot, 2 inches. The portal will be on display until early January, the museum said. |
| Of war chiefs and men who come to the door
seeking money |
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| So the United States
has another war president. The rhetoric may be a little different
(more Hawaiian than Texan), but the conclusion is the same — War is the
answer. If there is a problem, bring on the military.
President Obama is no different. Originally my column was a venting of my disappointment and anger at his decision, but others have said it all already. I have only one question. Who convinced him that one of the purposes of the troops is to “train the Afghan army”? (Probably the same person who told President Bush to disband the Iraqi army and leave them with their weapons but without jobs). Whom are we going to train, the small number that are left of the national army or enlist the less than dedicated Taliban? Are we going to do what we did before — supply them with arms and equipment and then leave, hoping they will defend and be loyal to the ineffective, corrupt central government they have been fighting? Anyway, these are not decisions that a Costa Rican President will have to make. I am grateful for that. The other day, my friend Jorge and I were talking about what is going on in the U.S. and Honduras and he said that he was also thankful to “Pepe” Figueres for making it impossible for a military coup to happen in Costa Rica. Amen. End of my rant. When I first visited Costa Rica in the late 80s, I was surprised to learn that they had already passed a law prohibiting smoking in places like taxicabs. Pretty quick for a developing country, I thought. Now, not long after obesity has become a matter of national concern in the United States, it is being looked at with alarm in this country. Statistics show that adults on average weigh 12 pounds more than they did 13 years ago. Steps are being taken by the Caja and schools to teach adults and children about the side effects of obesity and the need for nutrition and exercise. But everything will be tossed to the wind this month because it is the month of parties, eating, drinking and |
It is also the season of giving. If you are an expat
with an employee
of any kind you will be giving aguinaldos and hoping that you are not
giving too much so they will have high expectations for next year, nor
too little so you find yourself vulnerable to being sued. “Wait.” I said,
and they waited as I ran downstairs with tips for all. I really
appreciate these fellows and enjoy watching them as they jump off the
back of the truck, gather up the bags of trash and garbage and toss it
in the truck and jump on the back as it continues to move along. World-class athletes in their field, they are. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica fourth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009, Vol. 9, No. 240 | |||||||||
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For your international reading pleasure: News of Nicaragua News of Central America News of Cuba News of Venezuela News of Colombia News of El Salvador News of Panamá |
| Five
held after bus stop robbery of schoolboy in Moravia |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A car full of bandits stuck up a schoolboy standing at a bus stop in Dulce Nombre de Coronado Thursday and beat up a man who tried to stop the robbery. The crooks did not know that another man had seen what took place and alerted the Fuerza Pública. A few minutes later police officers pulled over a vehicle matching the description of the one used by the robbers. That was in San Clare de Moravia. Fuerza Pública officers said later they had detained a gang of three men and two women who have been preying on persons in the area. Confiscated was a homemade shotgun and knives, said officers. They said the bandits threatened the schoolboy with a weapon, too. Among those detained was a man with the last name of Martínez. Alexander Meneses, chief of the Moravia police delegación identified him as someone for whom officers had an arrest warrant involving another aggravated robbery. There has been a growing wave of bus stop robberies. In one case a year ago a woman died when bandits shot her because she would not give up her purse. That was in San Pedro. In most cases, the bandits do not even leave the vehicle. Police have linked this to drug use. They said they found evidence of drug use in the car Thursday. The bandits have to commit multiple crimes because the loot from |
 Ministerio de Gobernación,
Policía
Camera-shy suspects hide their
faces in the Moravia police delegación.y Seguirdad Pública photo sticking up a schoolboy is probably not very much. Most persons do not even report such crimes. |
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| Three
firms in Atenas plan street fair this Saturday |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Three new businesses in Atenas are joining together for a grand opening and street fair Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. They include Palmares Pizza, owned by former government employee Christopher Duran Sandoval; Pure Life Development, a rental and real estate sales and consulting firm operated by Dennis J. Easters and Gerardo González-Porras; and Ives Images Photo-Art, operated by Jerome and Jeanita Ives, who are from Kansas City, Missouri. Ives said his firm will stress photography relating to real estate, commercial products and flora and fauna. The couple also plan to illustrate travel articles. Ives said he will be showcasing some of his work at the grand opening. Ives Images Photo-Art has displayed in Missouri fine art galleries, as well as many corporate offices for the past six years, Ives added. The firm's photos can be found in permanent corporate, private, and public |
collections. Some
photos have been featured in online magazines, as well as national
magazine photo articles. Jeanita Ives has been a regular monthly
columnist for the Kansas City Gardener which has featured her garden
journeys and photography for over three years. Ives said he has written
many varied articles for the Kansas City based on-line series, Present
Magazine. Duran is promising hand-thrown pizza in the New York tradition. Easters and González-Porras are former brokers and owners of a real estate firm in Florida, a news release said. The firm's Web page said that Easters have been involved in real estate investing for more than 12 years and that he specialized in restoration and renovation of historic homes in the Tampa Bay area. Porras, a Costa Rican, spent 12 years in the States and worked with Easters in the Tampa area, according to the Web site. The location is 125 meters east of Banco National, Atenas. |
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Latin American news Please reload page if feed does not appear promptly |
Juan
Santamaría operator gets $45 million fixup loan Special
to A.M. Costa Rica
The Inter-American Development Bank approved a $45 million long-term loan to help finance the expansion of the Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela and support its new operator's plans to refinance debt. The guaranteed loan will be made to Alterra Partners Costa Rica S.A., the airport’s operating company, owned since July by Brazilian, Canadian and U.S. partners. The partners include Brazil’s Andrade Gutierrez Concessões and ADC & HAS Finance Ltd, a holding company controlled by the Houston Airport System, the Toronto-based Airport Development Corporation, and the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System. Alterra Partners will use the development bank loan to refinance pre-existing debt and complete works on a terminal extension to permanently house immigration, customs and security processing, the bank said. Juan Santamaría is Central America's second busiest airport and serves approximately 3.5 million passengers annually. The lending will also finance additional holding rooms, renovation of existing and new boarding bridges, remote stands for buses and an additional remote parking position, as well as the reconstruction of the apron and one of the taxiways, the bank added. These investments will improve passenger comfort and boost revenues from commercial services at the San José airport, which has seen the number of travelers grow an average 8 percent a year since 2002, it added.
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