Brother seeks witnesses
to missing man's evening


There has been no developments in the search for missing British tourist Michael George Dixon, so his brother has appealed for any witnesses who might have seen the man the

Michael Dixon

evening of Oct. 18 in Tamarindo. The brother, David, said that the police investigation is losing momentum, and he had returned to Britain after four weeks of search in Guanacaste. The Dixon case is one of several in which tourists or expats simply vanish. The best guess is that Dixon was last seen Oct. 19 as he left the Villas Macondo Hotel in Tamarindo for a swim. "The police in Costa Rica have investigated the matter, without any real clues," said David. "Michael’s family also hired a

private investigator and specialist dogs from the U.S. to help with the search. Sadly we believe that all indications point towards Michael being victim of a crime. We now fear the initial police investigation has lost momentum as we look to continue the search. For instance, we hope that a UK police officer will fly to Costa Rica to provide a fresh look at the investigation."

"He was traveling alone and his belongings were found in his hotel room," said the brother. "Initial theories about a swimming accident have been discounted, and as a very close family, we are absolutely certain that he has not disappeared on his own accord."

The family has set up a confidential hotline for information. It is (+44) 7541-161-093. There is a Facebook site with 2,500  members, the brother said.

The 33-year-old Dixon is described as: Height: 1.70 meters (5-foot, 10-inches). Weight: 65 kilos (143 pounds).  Build: slender. Hair: black short and balding with sideburns. Eyes: light brown. Shoe size: 7 U.S.

Also missing is David Gimelfarb, 28, an Illinois resident, who vanished Aug. 11 after he went hiking alone in Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja, and Ostional expat Greg Snell, who vanished in that community Feb. 18.

Deal reached on bananas
with European Union


The country has reached an agreement on banana exports with the European Union.

Marco Vinicio Ruiz, the minister of Comercio Exterior said he was pleased with the accord after three years of negotiations. The agreement was negotiated by Jonas Store, the Norwegian foreign minister.

The European Union agreed to reduce the import duty on bananas from 176 to 148 euros per ton and then to 114 euros, said Ruiz. The accord includes Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Perú and Panamá as well as Costa Rica. The countries operated under the standards of the Grupo de Productos Tropicales.

The European countries have established import quotas and duties that favored their former colonies.

It's just a bit chilly


There is no chance of snow, but Costa Ricans in the Central Valley are seeing the beginnings of the annual dose of cold weather and winds. Cartago saw a low of 15 C. Tuesday (59 F.) The area also had winds of 30 kph or about 18.5 mph.  By contrast, Liberia saw a high of 34 C or about 93 F. Tuesday.

Yule ad blackout decreed


There's good news for those sick of political attack ads. The Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones has decreed a holiday break in advertising, be it television, radio or in print. The blackout starts today.

Political parties and candidates may only air or publish holiday greetings until after New Year's. The election is Feb. 6. Still  politicians can glad-hand. Look for all the major candidates to be in the saddle during the tope or horse parade in San José Dec. 26.