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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 9,
2013, Vol. 13, No. 243
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 John Koger
photo
Ministry poster at Tica Bus
office.Exit tax status
still secret,
as government stays mum By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Although the new land exit tax has been suspended, the government does not appear to want anyone to know. In fact, there has been no official announcement of the suspension from the Dirección General de Migración or from the Ministerio de Hacienda. Even Casa Presidencial with its army of public relations writers has been mum. The ministry, which contains the tax collecting agency, still has an announcement on its Web site that the tax has been put in force. Tica Bus continues to display a ministry poster that tells travelers to pay the tax at Bancrédito. The poster also mentions a $2 charge being levied for inspecting baggage. Travelers pay this charge even if they have no luggage. Although the tax won legislative approval in September, the ministry did not report that it was going into effect until Nov. 29. The effective date was the following Monday, Dec. 2. The ministry announcement admitted that there was no way for travelers to pay the tax at the land borders. Payment had to be made in advance at a bank. However, the ministry did promise that soon the bank would be putting in machines to collect the tax at the major border crossing points. Predictably, not having a way to collect the tax at the border created chaos, and officials had to suspended the tax late Dec. 2. But they seem to be keeping this fact a secret. Those who continue to pay the tax find out that this was unnecessary when they reach the land crossing points. John Koger, an agent for Tica Bus in Alajuela, said that the bus firm is not collecting the tax and that he was told that those who have paid in the past and the tax was not collected can use the proof of payment in the future. "My best recombination is for people to call Migración, through the call center, for the best information," he said. Except for the bus company and Koger, the bulk of the information about whether the tax is being enforced comes from travelers who made the border crossing. Officials rushed the tax into effect to take advantage of the heavy flow of travelers over the holidays. More making road tax payments than did so in the previous year By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some 225,000 vehicle owners have paid the 2014 road circulation tax, the marchamo, as of Friday, said the Instituto Nacional de Seguros. That figure is 14,000 vehicles higher than the same period in 2012, it noted. More than a million motorists have yet to pay. The tax is due by the end of the year, but finding a place to make the payment after Christmas can be difficult. The fine for driving Jan. 1 and thereafter without the 2014 window sticker is 47,000 colons, about $94, noted the insurance firm. Vehicle owners do not need a lot of paperwork to make the payment, as has been the case in the past. A cédula and the plate number allows the cashier to look up the vehicle online. Of course, motorists also have to pay for any traffic fines they have accumulated and not paid. Our reader's opinion
News story on Villalta drawsresponse saying he's principled Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Re: ‘Prospects of a Villalta presidency terrify expat business leaders’ (Dec, 6) I am not surprised that no one claimed responsibility for or was brave enough to add a byline to the above. Reminds me an anecdote when Mark Twain criticized an article, and the author asked him "Then how would you have written it?" "Under an assumed name," Twain retorted. This is pretty bad stuff. Proper journalism it ain’t! More comment and speculation than fact. There is not one direct reference to or specific quote from anyone who actually voiced the sentiment stated in the head and alluded to in the story itself. Nor does it cite any specific policy statement from Villalta – the ONLY principled viable candidate in the field - which would elicit the above claim or assumption. But assuming that such might be the case, I’m not surprised that many expat entrepreneurs would be quaking in their boots, so to speak, at the prospects of a Villalta presidency. They might be forced to pay their fair share of taxes on their profits. Such villainy and unfairness! Mark
Sydney
San José EDITOR'S NOTE: For clarification, the news story was written by the editor, Jay Brodell.
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 243 | |
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 Cuerpo de Bomberos photo
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| Some 400 fire fighters closed the Semana
del Bombero with a Mass, a parade, blessing of trucks and the
assignment of the vehicles to 11 communities. The value of the fire
vehicles is in the $3 million range. Their purchase had been announced.
They include vehicles for fighting forest fires |
and tankers with foam and water. The four-wheel driver forest trucks will be going to Turrialba, Santa Cruz, Parrita, Atenas and Poás. The tankers will go to Tres Ríos, Santo Domingo, Belén, Santa Ana and Pavas. The 11th vehicle, an ambulance, remains in the Central Valley. |
| Non-profit says country still comes up
short on corruption index |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A non-profit organization is not too impressed by the latest ranking of Costa Rica on a worldwide corruption index. The country has not improved, said the organization, the Asociación Costa Rica Íntegra. It called upon official and presidential candidates to reinforce mechanisms to fight corruption. The organization said that there is a lack of education that would reduce tolerance to corrupt practices and that the penalties and enforcement are imposed irregularly, if at all. The index, produced by Transparency International, gave Costa Rica 53 points out of a possible 100 based on the perception of corruption gathered by five surveys. That put the country in 49th place, up from 54th place in 2012. By contrast, the top scorers, New Zealand and Denmark have 91 points each. Costa Rica Íntegra pointed out that more countries were involved in this year's index. Some officials have cheered the result because Costa Rica was listed as the third best in Latin |
 America. But the country was a distant third from the top two Latin countries, Uruguay and Chile, by about 20 points, said the organization. |
 Poder Judicial photo
Gifts are stacked up in the
atrium of the Judicial Investigating Organization |
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| Judiciary again chips in for a mountain of gifts for poor
children |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Judicial workers collected what was called Friday a sea of gifts for under privileged children. The occasion was the delivery of the gifts to the Asociación de Obras del Espíritu Santo, for distribution around the country. The ceremony included a presentation by the chorus of the |
association's children and a
tribute to the late Luis Paulino Mora Mora, the former president of the
court, who was a strong proponent of the holiday gift program. The gifts came from donations by judicial workers, ranging from prosecutors, judges, investigators and office workers. This is the seventh year of the program. Also speaking was the current president of the Corte Suprema de Justicia, Zarela Villanueva Monge. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 243 | |||||
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| Some
Paragon purchasers seek to organize to regain possession of property |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some former Paragon Properties buyers are trying to organize to retain ownership of the land they purchased. Paragon was the heavily marketed real estate venture that collapsed in the face of the economic downturn. The company purchased large tracts and sold them as retirement lots to mostly a North American clientele. The project was fueled by telephone pitchmen in Florida offering free trips to Costa Rica. Paragon sold property in several ways as owners became more familiar with Costa Rican law. William Gale, Paragon chairman, said in early 2009 that his firms had sold 2,509 lots in some 17 projects along the Pacific coast. Many of those purchasers put down an initial deposit, perhaps 40 percent. According to a typical purchase agreement, the buyers said they would pay the balance and build a home, perhaps in as little as two years. Paragon agreed to put in roads, water systems in some projects and other infrastructure. The owners who are trying to organize have purchased their property in the Paragon development Heights of Pacifica. Each property was a separate Costa Rican corporation and each owner was supposed to receive corporate books after the property was filed in the Registro Nacional. One of the property owners, Lori Sirovy, said that about 20 property owners |
held a conference
call last week and "it was amazing how few knew anything about having
to pay taxes, where their books were, if they even owned the property
they thought. We are trying to organize and share information." The group has created a Facebook page where they hope to share information. There also is an email address: ListParagon@gmail.com The property owners may be facing an uphill battle. A realty firm here is trying to enlist property owners as management clients to look after their land. The email fro m the firm mentioned the usual property perils, including squatters and herds of grazing cows. Gale at one time showed a reporter documents that had been presented to the Registro. He also said he planned to make the bulk of his money building homes for his land purchasers. A.M. Costa Rica criticized the firm for a skimpy sales contract, and a reporter took a tour of the first project at Parrita. The company did not seem much different than others during the real estate boom years, but it was clear that Paragon had high overhead with sale commissions to telephone pitchmen and free air tickets. After the real estate bubble burst, Paragon was known to have sold substantial land in settlement of some debts. There has been no effort by the company executives to keep in contact with buyers, in part because they were facing a flurry of civil actions in Florida, where Gale was a licensed real estate broker. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 243 | |||||
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| Scientists say land undersea contains freshwater deposits By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Vast reservoirs of fresh water found beneath the ocean floors could potentially be tapped to provide drinking water to parts of the world that face shortages, according to researchers in Australia. They think the reservoirs, which have been located off Australia, China, North America and South Africa, could hold up to half a million cubic kilometers of low-salinity water. “The volume of this water resource is a hundred times greater than the amount we’ve extracted from the Earth’s subsurface in the past century since 1900,” says lead author Vincent Post of the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training and the School of the Environment at Flinders University. They say the amounts could sustain some regions of the world for decades and stave off, at least temporarily, a global water crisis. These reserves formed over the past hundreds of thousands of years when on average the sea level was much lower than it is today, and when the coastline was further out, said Post. “So when it rained, the water would infiltrate into the ground and fill up the water table in areas that are nowadays under the sea,” he said. “It happened all around the world, and when the sea level rose when ice caps started melting some 20,000 years ago, these areas were covered by the ocean. He added that many of the aquifers are protected from seawater by layers of clay and sediment that sit on top of them. The aquifers are similar to those below land, which much of the world relies on for drinking water. Their salinity is low enough for them to be turned into potable water, Post said. Getting to the water could be expensive, however. “There are two ways to access this water – build a platform out at sea and drill into the seabed, or drill from the mainland or islands close to the aquifers,” said Post. While offshore drilling can be very costly, he said this source of freshwater should be assessed and considered in terms of cost, sustainability and environmental impact against other water sources such as desalination, or even building large new dams on land. “Freshwater under the seabed is much less salty than seawater,” said Post. “This means it can be converted to drinking water with less energy than seawater desalination, and it would also leave us with a lot less hyper-saline water.” Post also warns that these newly discovered aquifers are non-renewable. “We should use them carefully – once gone, they won’t be replenished until the sea level drops again, which is not likely to happen for a very long time.” Western and central U.S. face a bitter winter storm By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Winter storms hit a vast region of the United States this weekend, bringing snow, wind and ice. An area stretching from northern Texas to the Mid-Atlantic saw snow-covered roads, car accidents and travel delays Saturday and continuing Sunday. Another wintry snowstorm hit California, dumping 5 to 10 centimeters (two to four inches) of snow in the city of Auburn. This storm was on the move, bringing harsh conditions eastward. In Texas, near freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall created an icy nightmare on the roads and stranded passengers in Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Airport officials say more than 400 flights were canceled Saturday. As heavy snow and freezing rain continued to lash the central U.S., utility crews in Texas and Arkansas tried to restore power to the more than 100,000 households affected by the storm. With the storms having moved east Sunday, most of the central and western part of the country face some of the coldest temperatures in years, the weather service predicted in an online forecast. Obama wants jobless checks to continue for 1.3 million By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Congress to extend unemployment benefits. Obama said in his weekly address Saturday 1.3 million Americans will lose their unemployment benefits if Congress does not act before it leaves for the Christmas recess. The president said the economic lifeline is in jeopardy because "Republicans in this Congress - which is on track to be the most unproductive in history - have, so far, refused to extend it." The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has predicted that allowing benefits to expire will stunt economic growth next year. President Obama said extending unemployment benefits "isn't just the right thing to do for our families -- it's the smart thing to do for our economy." Rep. Renee Ellmers delivered the Republican weekly address. She criticized Obama's healthcare law that has resulted in some Americans losing their health insurance plans, despite a promise from the president that would not happen. The Affordable Health Care Act was designed to make health insurance affordable for the millions of people who have no coverage. North Korea releases vet who served in war there By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
An American Korean War veteran has returned to the United States after being detained for more than a month in North Korea. Merrill Newman, 85, arrived at San Francisco International Airport Saturday accompanied by his wife and son. He told reporters he is tired, but that he has experienced a great homecoming. He thanked U.S. and Swedish diplomats for helping secure his release. Newman flew to San Francisco from Beijing, after being deported early Saturday by North Korean authorities. He had been visiting North Korea with a tour group when he was removed from an airplane Oct. 26 as he prepared to leave the country. Last month, the North's official Korean Central News Agency posted a video of Newman reading an apology aloud, confessing to alleged crimes during the Korean War and so-called hostile acts. North Korea's news agency said Saturday Newman was released on humanitarian grounds because he had admitted wrongdoing and apologized. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf called Newman's release a positive decision, but urged Pyongyang to also release another American, Kenneth Bae, who has been held there for more than a year. Bae is a Korean-American missionary and tour operator. He is being held for alleged subversion. Harf thanked the government of Sweden, which represents U.S. interests in North Korea because the U.S. does not have an embassy there. Newman's release came as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited South Korea. Biden said he had spoken with Newman by phone after his release. U.S. job growth brings rate down to 7 percent By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The world’s largest economy continued to build momentum with better than expected job growth in November. The U.S. government says American companies hired more workers than expected last month, cutting the unemployment rate to 7 percent, which is the lowest level in five years. Despite a steadily improving job picture, though, some doubts remain about the sustainability of the U.S. recovery. American businesses added 203,000 jobs in November. That works out to a four-month average of more than 200,000 hires per month. The last time unemployment was this low was five years ago. Bankrate.com’s Mark Hamrick said this month's drop in unemployment was different. He said, “This time it’s much different. We had labor force participation holding steady and we saw broad-based improvement in the job market. It wasn’t just some of those sub-standard jobs that we’ve seen in months past.” That means gains in higher paying industries. Manufacturing added 27,000 jobs, construction gained 17,000. The average work week expanded, and hourly wages grew. And despite a weak start to the holiday shopping season, hiring at shopping malls and department stores has been steady, according to the National Retail Federation's Kathy Grannis. “Retailers are expected to hire anywhere from 702,000 to 750,000. Very much on pace with last year, so of course, with expected growth comes the opportunity for more hires,“ said Grannis. Although there are worries that an improving U.S. outlook might hasten a pull-back of the central bank’s easy-money policies, the strong job growth was welcome news on Wall Street. Whether the U.S. recovery has staying power, however, remains in doubt. Hamrick said another budget stalemate in Congress could easily erase recent gains. “We do have some looming deadlines there, and I know that consumers are concerned about the dysfunction that has become seemingly commonplace in Washington.” Congress faces a new budget deadline Friday. Without a bipartisan agreement on spending, the government could run out of money by January. U.S. residential real estate is big lure for foreigners By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The wealthy around the world are always looking for ways to invest their money, and for some people that means buying homes in the United States. While foreign buyers make up just more than 6 percent of overall home sales in the United States, certain cities are disproportionately affected by foreign buyers, and that includes neighborhoods in southern California. Skeptics may call the belief in feng shui a superstition, but many Chinese consider it an art, and essential for good luck and health in a home. When Chinese native Cathay Wicks searched for a home in the United States, she looked for feng shui elements. She said she looks for a home that has a lot of light. She said it does not have to be big, but it needs to feel bright. Wicks is a part of a growing number of people from overseas who are interested in buying homes in major U.S. cities. Jed Kolko is chief economist for the real estate site Trulia.com. “There are some parts of the United States that see very strong foreign demand and that helps keep prices high in lots of areas. The places where we see this impact the most is in parts of Los Angeles, Miami and New York,” he said. The number of buyers from China has been increasing, according to Los Angeles-based real estate expert Angela Wong. In the past year, her clients from China have increased by 30 percent. She said the first reason her clients buy homes in the United States is so their children can attend school here. The second reason: to immigrate here just like Cathay Wicks, who bought a home in a Los Angeles suburb. Wicks said the weather in Los Angeles is good, and it also is convenient because there are more Chinese here so it does not feel like a foreign country. More than half of the buyers from China come to California. In Irvine, California, a new housing development is attracting the attention of potential Chinese buyers with feng shui elements inside the homes and throughout the neighborhood. Developer Emile Haddad came up with the idea. “So we have done feng shui on everything we have. We also have a consultant who looked even at street names when we named the streets. We want to make sure the names of the streets are appropriate in terms of either superstition or in terms of simple pronunciation,” said Haddad. It is not just people from China, however, who are buying homes in the United States. People from nearly 70 countries are investing their money in U.S. homes. Realtor Shannon Miller said most foreign buyers pay cash, making housing markets such as Los Angeles extremely competitive for domestic buyers who do not have the cash. “Most of the buyers are trying to buy their homes the traditional way through a loan, and the cash buyers are coming in and they are beating them out. They appeared when the market was full of foreclosure properties. Now their interest is in everything,” said Miller. One of the neighborhoods that interests foreign buyers is affluent Beverly Hills, where Stan Smith works as a broker. “We have seen different countries go through different economic cycles, and as they prosper they come here. They want to buy a trophy property. They want to put their money in a safe place.” Another reason for buying a home in the United States: the EB-5 visa. It requires a foreigner to not only invest a certain amount of money in commercial enterprises here, but also have a U.S. home. Economists expect home prices to keep rising, so to make a profit they do not expect foreign investors to sell their homes anytime soon. Air Canada due to decide between Boeing and Airbus By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Air Canada appears close to deciding whether to buy up to 60 new narrowbody jets from Airbus or Boeing Co., a decision that could settle which of the giant plane makers wins their annual order race, industry sources said. The Canadian flag carrier has said it is looking to renew its fleet of single-aisle aircraft, which currently includes more than 50 Airbus A320 and A321 jets, as well as 45 Embraer 190 planes. Chief Executive Calin Rovinescu had previously said he hopes a decision will be made by the end of the year, noting the decision would involve more than 100 airplanes. A spokesman for Air Canada said no decision had been made, but two people familiar with the matter said a decision could come as early as next week when the airline's board meets. The airline spokesman declined to comment on the timing of any board discussions. “We typically don't talk about board meetings,” said Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick, who also declined to comment on the board's agenda. “I can tell you on the record that no decision has been made.” Industry sources said Air Canada was expected to address its fleet renewal needs in two phases, starting with a decision on whether to stick with Airbus for medium-haul jets, and pick its revamped A320neo version, or switch to the Boeing 737 MAX. Both plane makers claim their latest medium-haul offerings provide better fuel savings and easier maintenance. The airline is expected to opt for 30 or more jets immediately by placing firm orders and place options for up to another 30 as insurance against a faster than expected upturn in the economy, the sources said, asking not to be identified. Such a deal would be worth up to $6 billion if all the options were exercised. Airbus and Boeing both declined to comment. The decision is subject to delay or changes in volume but if approved, would mark the climax to a bruising and widely watched campaign between the world's dominant plane makers. Airbus was ahead of its U.S. rival in the number of orders in the first 11 months of the year, but the race for the 2013 order crown looks finely balanced once recent deals that have yet to make it into the order books are added to the tally. The sources denied an industry report that Airbus had already been selected for the deal. Boeing, which dominates Air Canada's fleet of wide-body jets, is trying to overturn Airbus as incumbent operator for medium-haul planes at Air Canada. A win for Boeing in its home region would mark a rebound in the region after Airbus displaced it at Mexican low-cost airline VivaAerobus in a fierce contest earlier this year. Arctic ice decline linked to weather, reports says By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
As ice at the North Pole declines, some researchers are finding a link between that phenomenon and recent bouts of extreme weather. A new study suggests rapid warming in the Arctic may be altering weather patterns across the Northern Hemisphere, but skeptics say the case is far from proven. In the past three decades, ice around the North Pole has declined by half, according to Rutgers University climate scientist Jennifer Francis. “If you take into account the thickness as well, we’ve lost almost three-quarters of the volume of the sea ice. So, it’s just an unbelievable amount of change that’s going on in the Arctic,” said Ms. Francis. At the same time, the Northern Hemisphere has seen some unbelievable weather in the last decade, including record-breaking heat waves and droughts in North America and Europe, and devastating floods in East Asia, to name a few. The question is: are they connected? Ms. Francis and colleagues went back through 30 years of weather data and measurements of Arctic ice and snow cover in northern latitudes. Their findings did show a correlation between the two. “What we found was, when there was less ice or less snow in any given year during the summertime, that that was more likely to occur at the same time as the occurrences of heat waves,” said Ms. Francis. They published their findings in the journal Nature Climate Change. Ms. Francis said the loss of ice and snow is affecting the high-altitude winds called the jet stream, which push weather patterns around the Northern Hemisphere. The jet stream is driven by the difference in temperature between the Arctic and the temperate zones. The bigger the difference, the faster the jet stream flows. However, Ms. Francis notes that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, which will lessen the effect of the jet stream. “If we warm the arctic faster, then it’s decreasing the temperature difference and causing the jet stream to get weaker,” explained Francis. A weaker jet stream is wavier, she said. Think of a stream flowing down a mountain; the steeper the height difference, the faster and straighter it runs. On level ground, that stream can meander. As the jet stream meanders, it pulls hot weather up from the tropics or cold weather down from the Arctic. “As these waves get larger, they tend to move more slowly from west to east. So, as they do that, whatever weather they’re causing down at the surface also changes more slowly,” said Ms. Francis. The result is that heat waves, cold snaps and rainstorms last longer. However, Ms. Francis is quick to warn against drawing conclusions too hastily. “It could be true, but at the moment I don’t think the evidence is there to really strongly argue the case,” cautioned Ms. Francis. University of Exeter climate scientist James Screen is one of those not convinced. Screen says the new study only shows a few scattered areas of the globe where the link between sea ice loss and heat waves are significant, according to mathematical tests. “Which implies either that the relationship is quite weak, or actually, it could be interpreted that the relationship doesn’t exist at all,” said Screen. Screen also pointed out that researchers have just begun to study the impact of Arctic melting on global weather. “It’s a hot topic, but there’s a lot of work to be done. The jury’s still out on whether Arctic ice is influencing weather extremes,” said Screen. |
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| A.M. Costa
Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 243 | |||||||||
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Fund raiser in
Guanacaste seeks funds for defibrillators By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
How much is a human life worth? The Guanacaste English speaking community figures that one is worth plenty and is trying to raise funds for five or six defibrillators for rescue agencies and clinics there. A resident, Hara Maderich, said a young man of 30 came very close to dying of a heart attack and there was no portable defibrillator anywhere in the area to prevent it. The Guanacaste Veterans Association spearheaded by Linda Gray of Coldwell Banker in Hermosa has joined forces with a Papagayo ladies group, area merchants and a Playa Cocos physician to raise funds for portable defibrillators to be given to the local first responders, trained volunteers and local clinics. Ms. Gray said a fund raiser will be Sunday with wine tasting, food, live music, a raffle, silent auction, vendor sales special items, baked goods. Prizes will be raffled off including cases of wine, restaurant meals, auto care items, fishing trips and original art pieces. Painting by Carlos Hillier will be featured. All sales and raffle donations will contribute to the goal of purchasing the life-saving defibrillators, supplies and training. said an announcement. Each device is said to cost from $1,000 to $1,200. The group already raised $450 at an earlier fund raiser.  Servicios.Periodisticos Globales photo
Visitors inspect the biodigester.Biodigester in
Atenas shows
how to reduce electric bills By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A biodigester was the star attraction when the Universidad Técnica Nacional in Atenas showed 39 visitors how the gas produced by the device can be used for heating and other ways to reduce the utility bill. Fundación Red de Energía organized the event with support form the Programa de Recursos Digitales para el Desarrollo Económico Sostenible and the Dutch Fundación HIVOS. The biodigester, an 85-cubic meter bag, takes the waste from some 90 milk cows and converts the material into methane gas for cooking and heating. The firm Viogaz installed the system. The device is about 3,000 cubic feet. The emphasis was on the applications in rural areas where there is a sufficient amount of material for the biodigester. Runoff from cows is a big pollution problem, and one of the goals of the project is to eliminate that, said Diego Argüello, director of extension for the school. Ojochal will have a party to celebrate TV show By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Residents around Ojochal on the Pacific Coast are having a party Wednesday to celebrate the appearance of a local property in the television show House Hunters International. Marcia Oro of OSA Tropical Properties appeared as the broker in the segment, which is posted on YouTube HERE Scott Dinsmore, owner and general manager of the Alma Hotel Group, is hosting the party. The hotel's restaurant, the Castillo, appeared in the show. House Hunters has taped shows in Costa Rica in the past, including one in the Central Valley and one in Tamarindo. |
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| From Page 7: Commerce minister praises World Trade deal By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
and wire service reports The minister of commerce is praising the Bali accord as a cost-saving measure that will promote international trade. The minster, Anabel González, represented Costa Rica at the World Trade Organization in Indonesia where the pact was approved. She had spoken in favor of the agreement earlier in the week. "We are very pleased by the agreement reached in the ministerial conference in Bali, in particular the accord over the facilitation of commerce because it will speed up such exchanges, reduce costs and improve the competitivity and the climate of business in the country," said the minster. The so-called Bali Pact is the first agreement that the world body has approved since the organization was founded in 1995. Roberto Azevedo, World Trade Organization director-general, actually shed tears during the summit's closing ceremony Saturday, saying, "for the first time in history, the WTO has finally delivered." The centerpiece of the agreement eases barriers to trade by simplifying customs procedures and making them more transparent. The deal still must be approved by all 159 member governments. The four days of talks had been threatened when Cuba said it would not accept a deal that would not help end the U.S. embargo of the Communist nation. Cuba later dropped its threat of a veto. Analysts estimate that the deal will add $1 trillion to the world economy and say it preserved the future of the World Trade Organization. |
