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San
José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 240
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 Ministerio
de Justicia y Paz
photo
A
viewer has screens showing 86 locations in the prison facility
U.S. invests
$500,000 for prison video
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The U.S. government has invested $500,000 so that La Reforma prison workers can see what is happening in the facility. The new monitoring center contains video screens fed by 86 video cameras. Cecilia Sánchez, the minister of Justicia y Paz and S. Fitzgerald Haney, the U.S. ambassador, were at the Alajuela prison Thursday for a ceremony involving the monitoring center. Both officials said that the system would support the human rights of the inmates. A failed jail break at the prison May 11, 2011, resulted in the death of two inmates and a prison guard. Just days later inmate ringleader Jovel Guillermo Araya Ramírez was found dead in his cell. Medical reports showed he had been beaten multiple times and also immediately before his death. Anti-carbon plan runs into trouble By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The government's plan to decarbonize Costa Rica is running into local trouble. Gerardo Vargas Rojas, a lawmaker with the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana, broke ranks with the government and asked Thursday why the proposal was not discussed broadly. He said that the government was making a commitment at the Paris climate conference that would affect the country for 80 years. He said the issue was not environmental but about national development. Vice President Helena Chacón has told other attendees at the conference that Costa Rica will be a laboratory for decarbonization and that the country would reach zero carbon as a result. The central government has held discussions with various sectors of the economy, but most who attended share the same zeal for reducing carbon emissions.  Ministerio de Seguridad Púbica photo
Detained woman is reported
to have a long record.Bank scam turns
into street robbery
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The attempted scam in Guácimo, Limón, turned into a robbery, but a suspect was detained at the scene, the Fuerza Pública said. The scam appears to be one of those bank bait-and-switch schemes. A female bank customer left the institution but was confronted by a woman who asked her to help protect 4 million colons. That's about $7,600. Typically in such scams the victim is required to give something of value in exchange. But before that could happen another woman dismounted from a vehicle and accused the victim of stealing 4 million colons. In a show of good faith the victim displayed her purse that contained just 420,000 colons, and the newcomer quickly grabbed it. Police saw what happened and managed to detain the first woman with the last name of Vargas. She has a record of attempted murder and assault, they said. The second woman fled in a car. The 4 million colons turned out to be cut up newspaper pages the size of banknotes, said police. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this Web site are
copyrighted by Consultantes Ro Colorado S.A 2015 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 Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 240 | |
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| Government plan for reviving shrimp trawling is under fire |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Ocean environmentalists and even those in the fishing industry are unhappy that the central government is pushing a bill to reinstate trawler nets for shrimp fishing. The practice was declared unconstitutional by the Sala IV constitutional court, but the central government is promoting the bill that would go around the court ruling. Trawling damages coral, an important element on the sea floor. In fact, expats who live along the coast say that tourists frequently collect small pieces of coral from the beach sand without realizing the damage that has been done. The Fundación MarViva said that it would accompany fishing organizations from Guanacaste, Puntarenas and the southern zone to the legislature to protest the bill. The non-profit MarViva has campaigned to have these nets made illegal in Costa Rica. The executive branch has included the trawling measure among the bills that it hopes will see action in the legislature by April 30. The Presidency has said that it hopes to revive the shrimp fishing industry to continue to provide jobs. However, MarViva said that a Universidad Nacional study |
shows that
the principal beneficiaries of the fishing are the
owners of the companies. The bulk of the employees work part-time or at
salaries below the minimum wage, it said. The organization says on its Web site that trawlers destroy 2.24 square kilometers of ocean floor each year. The Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura is in charge of issuing fishing licenses, and it reported in 2013 that there were 69 current licenses for commercial shrimp fishing and about 37 of these were in active use. The Sala IV told the fishing institute not to issue any more trawler licenses and to allow the existing ones to expire. MarViva said that the university study reported that there were 27 active licenses. The government has tried to maintain a dialogue with the companies in the fishing industry but many have balked at plans to renew shrimp trawling, MarViva noted. The controversy comes at a time when commercial and sports fishing operators say that the bounty of the ocean has been seriously depleted. The trawler nets also can snag air-breathing turtles, but the use of turtle excluders can allow these protected creatures to escape. Costa Rica has been barred from shipping shrimp to the United States several times in the last decade because of limited compliance with the excluder rule. |
| Weather institute warns of an increase in velocity of the
winds |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The weather experts predict that today will be a windy one. The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional issued a bulletin Thursday afternoon warning that atmospheric pressure in the north Caribbean would increase the velocity of winds here considerably. The Caribbean coast and the northern zone are expected to see an increase in rain. |
The winds in
the Central Valley and the Pacific coast are expected
to be in the 30- to 40-kph range with gusts up to 90 kph or about 56
mph. The country usually sees winds after the end of the rainy season. The weather institute warned of falling trees and damaged electrical lines, the usual result of such winds. It also said that the Central Valley might see some rain and that persons in the Río Sarapiquí watershed should keep an eye on the river. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this Web site are
copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado S.A. 2015 and may not
be
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 240 | |||||
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| Guatemala will not help with Cuban migrants, and Belize is
stalling |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Guatemala has rejected helping Costa Rica move Cuban migrants north. Foreign minister Manuel A. González did not report the reasons given by the government of Guatemala but said they were different than those of Nicaragua. Nicaragua closed its border to the Cuban migrants in the middle of November and created the crisis. Some 4,000 Cubans are now stuck in Costa Rica, and most are in public shelters. The Cubans hope to reach the United States where they have guaranteed entry based on a 1966 law. González also said that Belize could not give a response before Tuesday. |
So he said,
the Costa Rican government is looking at an airlift. As was reported previously, the government expects the Cubans to pay their own way. The foreign minister also said that any effort to move the migrants would depend on help from the government of México. He said the problem was not something that Costa Rica could solve by itself, and he said that help was being sought from international organizations. But the foreign minister also noted that this is the high tourism season and airlines are usually booked at this time of year. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents of this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río
Colorado
S.A. 2015 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's
Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 240 | |||||||
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| More indictments announced in new round of soccer probe By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday that 16 more officials of soccer's world governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, had been indicted on racketeering, wire fraud and money-laundering charges, bringing the total number of individuals and entities charged to date to 41. The new defendants included five current or former federation executive committee members and the current presidents of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, the governing body for soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, and Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol, South American soccer's governing body. The guilty pleas of eight defendants, including three who were indicted last May in the first round of arrests, also were announced Thursday. Additional charges were levied against seven of the defendants still pending extradition from the first indictment. The Justice Department said 12 individuals and two sports marketing companies already had been convicted as a result of the corruption investigation and that the convicted defendants had agreed to return more than $190 million. Also, more than $100 million has been restrained in the United States and abroad in connection with the alleged criminal activity. The U.S. has issued mutual legal assistance requests seeking the restraint of assets in 13 countries. “The Department of Justice is committed to ending the rampant corruption we have alleged amidst the leadership of international soccer, not only because of the scale of the schemes, or the brazenness and breadth of the operation required to sustain such corruption, but also because of the affront to international principles that this behavior represents,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “For decades, these defendants used their power as the leaders of soccer federations throughout the world to create a web of corruption and greed that compromises the integrity of the beautiful game,” said FBI Director James Comey. “I want to thank all the agencies for their hard work and for showing the world that we do not tolerate this criminal activity.” Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to the authorities of the government of Switzerland, where the international federation has its headquarters, for "their continuing outstanding assistance and collaboration in this investigation, and to the authorities in a number of other countries, including Brazil and Colombia, for their assistance as well." Mass shooting a daily event in U.S., and more widespread By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
It's a distinction no country wants to publicize, the sobering statistics which suggest a mass shooting occurred every day this year, such as in the United States. Some criminologists label mass shootings as incidents in which four or more people are killed or wounded. The reality of the growing gun violence was highlighted Wednesday in San Bernardino, California, with the worst mass shooting this year. Fourteen people were killed and 21 others wounded at a social services center. Authorities said two heavily armed assailants were involved in the assault. Both suspects were shot and killed by police hours after the initial attack. "We have a pattern now of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere else in the world," President Barack Obama said during an interview Wednesday. Last week, the president described the recurring gun violence as not normal. His comments followed a mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs the day after the traditional Thanksgiving holiday. The shooting on Nov. 27 took three lives, including that of a police officer. James Knight, a former FBI agent in New York, said suspects involved in mass shootings often take action on their own and lack social skills. The FBI doesn't officially define mass shooting, but Knight notes an FBI study indicates just two of 160 active shooter incidents involved more than one gunman. According to news reports and information compiled by Web sites, such as shootingtracker.com and gunviolencearchives.org, more than 450 people died and more than 1,300 were wounded in mass shootings this year. Data from news reports and tracking firms also suggest mass gun violence in the United States was widespread in 2015. Some figures have led experts to debate whether mass shootings are deadlier or increased during the past decade. Some Americans feel the incidents are more frequent. "It's almost like there's no more safe haven, and maybe a decade ago people were worried about terrorism when you got on an airplane. Now you worry about terrorism or mass shootings whether you're going to school or going to the mall to shop or even going to church," said Mike Arms from Tennessee. The information compiled by groups that track mass shootings in the United States this year does suggest mass gun violence has become more geographically widespread, occurring in 220 U.S. cities in 47 states. The numbers have reignited the contentious debate over gun control. Angry over the ongoing violence, Obama urged action "to do something about the easy accessibility of weapons of war on our streets to people who have no business wielding them. Enough is enough.” His administration has criticized lawmakers who oppose stricter gun laws, including a bill that would bar suspected terrorists on the no-fly list from buying guns. In the nation's capital, other people expressed the need for tougher measures to counter mass gun violence. "I do have an opinion and that is as a country, we've decided that lax gun ownership and not good mental health care is the way that we're going to keep doing things," said Washington resident David Heyman. "And so I've grown somewhat numb to these shootings, because they happen every day." Others said the number of mass shootings is unnerving. "I was horrified," said Dru Wood-Bechwith from Boston. "I can't believe we keep turning on the TV and seeing these shootings that happen over and over, and that we don't take some action against guns and gun violence." "We have to be brave," he added, "and do something about it and stand up to the people who think that it's taking away their rights. No one is proud of the fact there there are more mass shootings in the United States than any other industrialized nation in the world." The U.S. Constitution protects the rights of the people to have firearms. The San Bernardino killings are emerging as another example of Islamic terrorism. In wake of terrorist attack, partisan politics plays out By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
While authorities try to piece together a motive behind Wednesday's terrorist attack in California that left 14 people dead, a political battle, largely along partisan lines, played out among U.S. lawmakers. Authorities identified Syed Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, husband and wife, as the suspects behind the mass shooting at a center that helps developmentally disabled people in San Bernardino. She is Pakistani, and he was a natural born U.S. citizen. The day after the horrific attack at the social service center, many Democrats called for action to strengthen gun laws while most Republicans focused on sending thoughts and prayers to those impacted by the attack. The condolence messages were attacked on social media. According to the online site Mass Shooting Tracker, Wednesday's attack is the 353rd mass shooting in the U.S. so far this year. The tracker defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot in one incident. Minority Leader Harry Reid, speaking from the Senate floor Thursday morning, called the National Rifle Association, which has contributed millions to congressional members' campaigns, a quasi-militant wing of the Republican Party. "Those who choose to do the NRA's bidding will be held accountable by our constituents," Reid said, calling for legislative action. "It will never be possible to prevent every shooting . . . But we have a responsibility to try." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who followed Reid, expressed his sympathies for the shooting victims Thursday but did not mention gun legislation. On Wednesday, his office had tweeted: “The senseless loss of life in San Bernardino defies explanation.” During an interview on a CBS morning news show, House Speaker Paul Ryan said mental illness is the common theme among many mass shootings in the U.S. He made a similar comment regarding last week's mass shooting that killed three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado. "People with mental illness are getting guns and committing these mass shootings," Ryan said. Congressional discussions regarding mental health legislation include who should and shouldn't have access to guns, he added. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who represents California, said Thursday, “Gun violence is a crisis of epidemic proportion in our nation. “We’ve had far too many moments of silence on the floor of the House and while it is right to respectfully acknowledge the losses, we can no longer remain silent," Pelosi added. “What gives us the right to have moments of silence when we do nothing to act upon the cause of the grief?” She called for more gun control, legislation to expand background check requirements to include gun shows and the Internet, and for legislation to prevent individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist from obtaining guns. Sen. Chris Murphy represents Connecticut, where the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting killed 26 elementary students and teachers in 2012. Wednesday, he tweeted in response to Republican lawmakers' messages of condolence, "Your 'thoughts' should be about steps to take to stop this carnage. Your 'prayers' should be for forgiveness if you do nothing – again." Thursday, Murphy called out his colleagues, saying in part, “Not a single senator or member of Congress can go back to their state this weekend and claim they are doing their job.” Wednesday's shooting in San Bernardino became the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since the Sandy Hook attack. "It is possible that this was terrorist-related. But we don't know. It's also possible that this was workplace-related," President Barack Obama added. However, Obama's statement was largely devoid of the frustration he has previously voiced. Among Republican presidential candidates, most offered prayers for the victims of the shooting and their families, while some, such as Donald Trump, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, former New York governor George Pataki and Sen. Rand Paul, also offered praise for law enforcement officials and the first responders who were involved. Former businesswoman Carly Fiorina, who is from California, was hosting a live event on Twitter Wednesday, answering questions about her campaign while authorities sought the shooting suspects. She made no mention of the attack. But Thursday morning, Mrs. Fiorina appeared on a cable news show "Morning Joe" and spoke to gun violence, saying authorities needed to enforce gun laws already on the books. "We have loads of guns that are illegally owned in this country. Why don't we prosecute them?" she said. However, the 2016 Democratic presidential candidates took to social media to call for stricter gun control laws. Former secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweeted on Wednesday, "I refuse to accept this as normal," and urged immediate "action to stop gun violence." Sen. Bernie Sanders also took to social media, tweeting: "Mass shootings are becoming an almost everyday occurrence in this country. This sickening and senseless gun violence must stop." Former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley invoked the National Rifle Association of America on Twitter, saying the news out of San Bernardino was horrifying and enough is enough. He tweeted: "It's time to stand up to the @NRA and enact meaningful gun safety laws." The NRA made no mention of the San Bernardino shooting on its Facebook page or in its Twitter feed Wednesday or Thursday. But Colion Noir, a web series host for the NRA's media arm, responded on Twitter to criticize Clinton and O'Malley's calls for action on gun control laws. Russian who now is Taliban sentenced to life in prison By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A former Russian tank commander turned Taliban militant will spend the rest of his life in prison for a failed attack against U.S. and Afghan forces in 2009. The man, Irek Ilgiz Hamidullin, 55, was sentenced in Washington Thursday to a life term plus 30 years. He was charged with conspiring to shoot down American helicopters and using a weapon of mass destruction. "Few crimes could be more serious than this one," U.S. Attorney Dana Boente said Thursday. "In a well-planned, deliberate, and premeditated attack, Hamidullin led an assault upon an Afghan outpost by a group of insurgents, many of whom he recruited and trained, with the intent to kill Afghan border police and responding American forces." Hamidullin and the others used machine guns, bombs, and shoulder-fired rockets to try to attack an Afghan military post in Khost, near the Pakistani border. When they attempted to fire at U.S. helicopters who responded to the attack, the weapons misfired. A U.S. plane fired at and killed about 20 of the insurgents when they tried to retreat into Pakistan. The next day U.S. forces captured Hamidullin, who was wounded and hiding on the battlefield. Hamidullin's lawyer, public defender Paul Gill, said he would appeal the convictions and sentence. U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson handed down the sentence after Hamidullin, a convert to Islam, delivered a defense of his actions that lasted more than half an hour and cited Jesus Christ and Allah. During his address to the court, Hamidullin argued that he was not a terrorist and had the right to defend himself against American aggressors who had invaded Afghanistan. "As a Muslim, I don't accept your law. I don't acknowledge this court," Hamidullin said through an interpreter. Hamidullin, who had close-cropped hair and a goatee, was brought into court in a wheelchair, and appeared thin. U.S. medics treated him after he was shot multiple times during his apprehension. He was held in prison in Afghanistan for five years and was frequently interrogated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and military personnel. Before sentencing, Hudson said that one statement that resonated with him was Hamidullin's saying to an FBI agent that "if I see you in the street I would have to kill you as an infidel." Hudson said that statement alone made Hamidullin a continued threat to society. But Hamidullin told Hudson that interpreters had twisted what he said. His message had been that he would have to kill the agent as an infidel because he was in Afghanistan as an invader, he said. He compared the U.S. role in Afghanistan to fascism and the Nazis during World War II. Defense secretary orders women in all combat roles By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. women soldiers will be able to drive tanks and fire mortars in the near future as the Pentagon opens combat missions to women starting in the new year. "There will be no exception," U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said as he made the announcement Thursday at the Pentagon. He said that America’s all volunteer fighting force cannot afford to ignore half of the population in the 21st century that requires drawing strength from the broadest possible pool, including women. "We have to take full advantage of every individual who can meet our standards," Carter said. Women have been inching their way towards combat roles since the mid-1970s, when they first became eligible to attend the military service academies and enlist in the U.S. armed forces. Currently women are prohibited only from combat jobs, about 10 percent of military occupations. Carter said three of America’s armed forces were in favor of allowing women into the military’s most demanding and dangerous jobs. However, the Marine Corps has wanted to make certain exceptions based on studies that showed women reduced the effectiveness of fighting forces. After a three-year review, Carter said that he viewed the data differently and that he thinks the Marine Corps issues will be addressed as the new rule is implemented. “The key here is implementation,” Carter said, adding that he is directing the military to do it in a combined manner, with “all services working together.” He noted that the overarching objective is to improve U.S. fighting forces. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents of this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río
Colorado S.A. 2015 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's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 240 | |||||||||
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 Hidden Garden Art Gallery
photo
Artist Cher Compton at workRural themes dominate new exhibit By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Sámara artist Cher
Compton presents her work Dec. 12 in a new exhibit at the Hidden Garden
Art Gallery, which is west of Liberia.
The University of
Maryland grad emphasizes rural Costa Rican scenes including cattle,
horses, wildlife and the emblematic teams of oxen.
The exhibit is called "Bajo el Sol / Under the Sun" The U.S. East-coast native traveled to and from Costa Rica for several years, said the gallery. Finding the simplicity of daily life and magnificent natural surroundings in Costa Rica like wonderful gifts, she and her family embraced Sámara as their new home, the gallery added. "I find myself painting new subjects because of an irresistible desire to comprehend and absorb it, trying to combine my exploration with my own thoughts about culture," she was quoted as saying. In addition to numerous exhibitions and participation in award-winning juried competitions throughout the U.S., Ms. Compton has taught and mentored young adults and children in her spare time, the gallery said. Says the artist, "I remember
the exact moment I decided to become an artist. I was only five years
old and was with this little boy who was drawing on a piece of paper.
He kept making all these lines, what appeared to be scribbling, and
before I knew it there was a zebra looking up at me! And I mean this
really looked like a zebra. It was the best magic trick I had ever
seen. I knew at that moment that I wanted to make that magic."
The Hidden Garden Art Gallery, is located five kilometers west of the Daniel Oduber Airport. For more information, readers can contact 2667-0592, 8386-6872, or hiddengarden@thevanstonegroup.com. |
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| From
Page 7: U.S. House votes to revive Export-Import Bank By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. House of Representatives moved toward reviving the Export-Import Bank, by voting to renew the embattled institution's funding as part of a five-year federal transportation spending measure. The bill, approved by a 359-65 vote, now goes to the Senate where it is expected to pass before federal road spending runs out on Friday. President Barack Obama has said he intends to sign the bill. Republicans allowed the charter of the export finance agency to expire over the summer, and since then, it has only been able to service existing loans and loan guarantees. Those loans go to overseas companies for the purpose of buying U.S. goods and services. Conservatives see the 81-year-old institution as a form of corporate welfare that should be eliminated. However, the bank is self-supported by interest payments and fees, and usually turns a profit. |
