Ownership of the desk of “Don Pepe” (Jose Maria Figueres Ferrer) was officially transferred this Saturday by the Ministry of the Presidency to the José Figueres Ferrer Cultural and Historical Center, where it has been located for the last 21 years.
The desk was used by the former president in his three presidential terms: 1948-1949, 1953-1958 and 1970-1974.
The transfer was made through a donation signature between the Deputy Minister of the Presidency in Political Affairs and Citizen Dialogue, Nancy Marín Espinoza, and the director of the José Figueres Ferrer Cultural and Historical Center, Hugo Pineda Villegas.
As president of the Founding Board of the Second Republic, Figueres Ferrer formalized the abolishing of the army in a historic and symbolic act that took place in the Bellavista Barracks (today National Museum).
For Pineda, having the desk as part of the historic collection of the Center, “is very important because it consolidates the conformation of the institution’s collection”.
“In addition, it is very symbolic to have this asset that belonged to the former president because it strengthens the living monument to the democratic thought that was promoted by him,” he said.
According to the curator and art historian and director of the Calderón Guardia Museum, Luis Núñez, the desk was possibly created in the Casa Presidencial workshops; It is made of wood and is comes apart in three parts: two drawer bodies (seven in total) and an upper envelope.
The José Figueres Ferrer Cultural and Historical Center, located in San Ramón de Alajuela, is an institution attached to the Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud (Ministry of Culture and Youth), whose purpose is to promote art and promote culture, as a way to strengthen democratic values in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica celebrated on Saturday the 70th anniversary of the abolition of the army with official acts in the Plaza de la Democracia and the National Museum, in downtown San Jose.
The event was attended by the President of the Republic Carlos Alvarado, his cabinet, as well as diplomats, former combatants, legislators, among others.
“Costa Rica unarmed, has the strength of a great battalion. Proud to sing, long live the peace and let the cannon die! ” President Carlos Alavardo Quesada
The song to the abolition of the army, composed by the master Carlos Guzmán, will be sung every December 1 in all schools in Costa Rica.
“Costa Rica sin armas, tiene la fuerza de un gran batallón. Orgullosos cantemos, ¡viva la paz y que muera el cañón!”
El canto a la Abolición del Ejército, compuesto por el maestro Carlos Guzmán, se entonará cada 1° de diciembre en todos nuestros centros educativos. pic.twitter.com/5mTpRmLcZs
During the event, Alvarado announced the presentation of a bill to modify the Costa Rican Petroleum Refinery (Recope), the country’s intention to host the Conference of the Parties (COP25) of the United Nations, as well as the granting of the merit democracy and peace to Christiana Figueres, a Costa Rican diplomat with 35 years of experience in high level national and international policy and multilateral negotiations and appointed Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in July 2010, a post she held for six years.
Condecoramos al Mérito de la Paz y la Democracia a la científica y analista costarricense @CFigueres. Un homenaje a su enorme labor y carrera por buscar los ideales que su padre, don Pepe Figueres, también marcó en nuestra historia. pic.twitter.com/EvuBz5P3UE
She is also the daugther of José Figueres Ferrer, who during his first presidency abolished the army in 1948. Her brother, Jose Figueres Olsen was president from 1994 to 1998.
The family of Carla Stefaniak, gone missing in Costa Rica, is searching for her, sharing several cell phone images that appeared to show her smiling and cheerful on her vacation in our country.
The 36-year-old Florida resident never boarded her return flight home on Wednesday from her a trip to Costa Rica. She has not been heard of since.
Carla’s sister-in-law April Burton said she last heard from Carla around 8 pm on Tuesday. She said it was raining and the electricity had gone out. The last message she received from her was: “It’s pretty sketchy here.”
“Words cannot express how shocking and devastating this is to her family and her friends. If anyone can help us with this situation, it will be highly appreciated,” Burton wrote on Facebook.
The family told CBS News in Miami that they have spoken to the owners of the AirBnB in Escazú, where she was spending her last night in San Jose to catch her flight the following day, and the Uber driver she traveled with. They believe Carla got into an unknown car and left the area where she was staying early Wednesday morning.
Marisel Rodríguez, OIJ spokeswoman, confirmed that Carla left the Airbnb on Wednesday morning. She left with all her luggage, presumably bound for the airport. That was her last known movement.
“From what is known is that she left the house at approximately 5:00 am (on Wednesday). She took all her belongings and nothing more has been heard of her. The relatives were waiting for her in the US. The investigators initiated the investigation and have carried out several diligences. No specific details are known,” Rodríguez said.
Back in Florida, Carla’s sister-in-law said her husband (Carla’s brother) traveled to Costa Rica to search for his sister. “He said he’s not coming back until he finds her,” Burton said. “She was just such a happy go lucky person. I’m just afraid she was just too trusting with someone there.”
The OIJ on Thursday published Carla’s photo in an attempt to clarify the mistery of her disappearance.
Carla was in Costa Rica to celebrate her birthday, November 22. She was accompanied by her sister-in-law, April Antonietta, who made it back to the U.S. on Tuesday (Nov. 27). In fact, Carla accompanied April to the airport on Tuesday, then dropped off the rental car and took an Uber to her Airbnb in Escazú.
Carla is Venezuelan born but a resident of Florida from an early age.
What is puzzling for the family is Carla’s constant use of her cell phone and social networks, however, since her disappearance there has been no activity.
On her social network account, Carla last published four days ago. It was a photo of Manuel Antonio, with the message, “I’m going to miss this place.”
If you have any information on Carla’s whereabouts you can call the OIJ confidential line at 800 8000 645 or on Whatsapp at 8800-0645.
According to relatives, the U.S. Embassy in San Jose and the FBI are fully aware of Carla’s disappearance.
For reasons not yet clear, a customer of an informal taxi shoots the driver and then sets fire to the vehicle in an isolated gravel road, in the middle of banana plantations, of El Roble, 12 kilometers north of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui
The vehicle driven by the informal taxi driver who was shot by his pretend customer was found in an insolated area. Photo: Reiner Montero
The driver, Luis Alberto Lozano Hernández, 35, was taken to the Guapiles hospital and is in delicate condition.
A local resident called 9-1-1 when he saw the smoke.
Apparently the informal taxi driver reported that he was leaving with a fare to the area, but he did not provide details to the dispatcher.
At about 5:45 p.m., on the Rio Sucio bridge, police apprehended a suspect, who came out wet from one of the banana plantations in the area. No details were provided to the press.
After a process that took two years, on November 30, the airlines Avianca (Colombia), United (U.S.) and Copa (Panama) signed a commercial alliance, will allow the three to share revenue from flights and coordinate schedules.
Avianca, Copa and United are already tied through a code-sharing partnership. All three carriers are members of Star Alliance.
United’s deal with Avianca, long in the works, had undergone significant legal back-and-forth after the Colombian flagship carrier’s No. 2 shareholder Kingsland Ltd tried to halt negotiations between United and Synergy.
The three-way partnership will include flights between the United States and 19 countries in Central and South America (not including Brazil).
“This agreement represents the next chapter in US-Latin American air travel,” says United president Scott Kirby in a statement. “We are excited to work with our Star Alliance partners Avianca and Copa… providing a better overall experience for business and leisure customers traveling across the Western Hemisphere.”
The airlines say they will add new markets and additional flights on existing routes if the partnership is approved.
Joint ventures are increasingly popular among airlines globally, as the deals essentially allow them to collude legally with competitors in certain markets.
Avianca serves around 170 destinations with hubs in Bogota, Colombia and El Salvador, San Salvador and has more than 180 aircraft, while Copa has a fleet of about 100 aircraft and serves about 75 destinations from its hub in Cuidad Panama, according to the companies.
The three together will operate nearly 26% of capacity between Latin America and the United States this year. United, No. 3 U.S carrier and the largest of the three carriers, carries 15% of capacity in the market.
By comparison, American Airlines and Chile’s LATAM signed in January 2016 carry nearly 32% of capacity and Aeromexico and Delta have nearly 17% of capacity in the Latin America-US market.
In a filing on Friday detailing the deal with Avianca, United said it would provide a US$456 million loan to Syngery Aerospace Corporation, Avianca’s owner, using stock in Avianca as collateral. Loss-making Avianca has a roughly US$4 billion debt pile, of which 40 percent is due within the next two years, according to recent financial statements.
The partnership is subject to regulatory regulatory approval in the United States and several jurisdictions in Central and South America.
The airlines do not provide a timeline for implementation of the deal. However, Copa Airlines said in a press release that process would take between 12 and 18 months. Its chief executive Pedro Heilbron said earlier in November that the Panama-based carrier does not expect regulatory approval of the deal until mid-2020.
Latin American airlines, in general, have experienced a turbulent few years, hit by a double whammy of high oil prices and devaluing currencies in local markets, which make it more expensive to cover dollar-denominated costs like fuel and aircraft rent.
Travel has also suffered in the dominant regional economy Brazil, which has suffered from its deepest recession in decades but remains the largest aviation market in the region, and one of the biggest in the world.
United, which already owns an 8 percent stake in Brazilian carrier Azul SA, said it was exploring the possibility of adding the country to its joint partnership with Avianca and Copa.
United, Avianca, and Copa have regular daily flights to and from Costa Rica.
It was early Friday morning, (allegedly) drunk driving the wrong way on Paseo Colon, a well-known model hit a motorcyclist. Fortunately, the motorcyclist wasn’t hurt badly. But it didn’t go very well for the model, getting into a scuffle with police and refusing a breathalyzer test.
Andreina Samudio
What ticked off Efraín Ramírez Araya even more than being hit by a car, is that he was assaulted by the driver, which was none other than Andreina Samudio, who is no stranger to controversy.
Refusing to accept her situation, the model even attacked the police officers attending the scene of the accident, who, given the situation arrested her.
In one of the comments on the social networks, “she will be doing fitness in the Buen Pastor’, the woman’s jail as the news quickly buzzed on the social media.
According to Ramírez, he was on his way to work when he saw the Hyundai Tucson driving at a high speed coming head-on.
“The girl was driving the wrong way, she hit me and she wanted to flee,” he recalled.
Important for context, all lanes of the Paseo Colon are one way into San Jose between 6 and 8:30 weekday mornings.
Ramirez said the impact threw him to the ground, but once he noticed the model was going to make a run for it, he got up quickly to try to stop her. “I did not let her get away, I got her and I did not let go, and then the police arrived and then she got into a scuffle with the officers,” Ramirez added.
The motorcyclists admits he is not sure what hurt more, being hit by the car or the punches and kicks he got from the woman “chivisima” (really pissed off mad)
It took four police officials to get the model out of the car
Denies breathalyzer
Police on the scene found the woman, in her car, refusing a breathalyzer.
In the report by La Prensa Libre, the following exchange occurred between the model and the traffic official at the scene.
“¿Va a soplar tita?” (will you blow young woman), asks the Transit official in charge of applying the breathalyzer test.
“This situation shouldn’t be as such you know it because I have never lacked you any respect, or anything. On the contrary, I have tried to talk things over,” the model responded.
“Three chance or (you are) going to the Fiscalia (prosecutor’s office),” warned the Transito.
“But it is hitting my tooth,” Samudio claimed. At the time, the officer determined that after giving her three opportunities to submit to the breathalyzer test he was going to take her in.
“You’re not going to blow? I’m not going to complicate my file, go play the role (of the victim) to channel 7” said the officer angrily and locked her the police car of the Fuerza Publica (national police).
The vehicle Andreina Samudio was driving was seized by police
The model was released later in the afternoon
The official police report says the woman was presented before the Flagrancy Court for driving in a supposed state of drunkenness and for aggression against authority.
During the detention, the woman refused to get out of the vehicle and it required 4 officers to get her out.
In addition, the young woman did not want to take the breathalyzer test, so she was transferred to the Office of the Prosecutor (Fiscalia) in a perrera (paddy wagon) and her vehicle seized.
The press office of the Fiscalia confirmed that the model was released Friday afternoon, but gave no details on the condition of her release.
The Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) are investigating the explosion of two Molotov cocktails against the Ministry of Finance building in downtown San Jose on Thursday and confirmed a note appeared on the site, alluding tot he approval of the plan fiscal or tax reform.
Two molotov cocktail bombs were thrown against the Ministerio de Hacienda (Ministry of Finance) building in downtown San Jose on Thursday. No injuries were reported.
The head of the OIJ, Walter Espinoza, explained Friday morning that the explosion broke one of the windows. No injuries were reported.
“On Thursday, around 11 pm, we received a report related to the activation of an explosive device on the north side of the Ministry of Finance building, as a result of which the specialized evidence collection team moved to the site and confirmed the situation. It was determined that there was a combustion and an explosion that caused the breaking of one of the windows of the building,” explained Espinoza.
Services at the central offices of the Ministerio de Hacienda were affected. That was confirmed by Hacienda’s spokesperson, Leonardo Salas.
“Both in the central building and in all the Hacienda facilities, we are working normally. The case is already in the hands of the OIJ. We call for calm so that irresponsible acts like these do not alter the tranquility of the people,” the official emphasized.
The Minister of Security, Micheal Soto, called the act one of cowardice.
“It is a cowardly act, it has psychopathic features, it has an intimidating intention. (…) The person who wrote it will feel satisfaction with the publicity that it is being given,” said Soto.
The unsigned note reads:
“We are organized, and we inform the powers of this country, that we are not defeated, that we will continue to fight, we will continue to act, in whatever way is necessary, to remind you that you have taken all the powers and institutions of the country, but we have taken the streets and every public space, we are many and we are everywhere, we have only one face, that of the people.
NO TO THE FISCAL COMBO
THAT THE CRISIS IS PAID BY LXS RICXS”.
The last two words can be read as “LOS RICOS”, “THE RICH” in English.
The unsigned note was found on site, claiming the act was against the tax reform that will soon enter the second and final face of debate in Congress
Last week the Constitutional Court endorsed the process of the bill for the “Ley de Fortalecimiento de las Finanzas Públicas 20.580” (Strengthening of Public Finances), which returns the bill to the Legislative Assembly for a second and final debate.
The bill – which is expected to be voted on this month – if approved would then require the signature of President to go into effect.
The Government of President Carlos Alvarado has promoted the bill since his first days in office in May, saying it needed to start healing the State finances.
A 72-year-old man in Batán, Limon will be spending the next three months in jail, suspected of a raping a five-year-old girl.
The Batán Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the man, identified by his last names Solano Solano will be held in preventive detention (remand) while the investigation continues.
The alleged rape occurred in September when the little girl was playing. According to the police report, Solano grabbed the girl and took her to her house where he is alleged to have raped her.
Months later, the girl commented on what happened, so her relatives filed a complaint with the Fiscalia.
Not all the teachers on strike since September 10 that were expected to be back at work today, Friday, following the latest with the decision by the Labor Court declaring their strike illegal. Again.
The press office of the teacher’s union, the Asociación de Profesores de Segunda Enseñanza (APSE), announced late Thursday night, at 11:05 pm, that 97% of their members refused to return to the classroom like their peers at the Asociación Nacional de Educadores (ANDE).
According to the APSE, 97% of the 38,000 members of the Association refused to approve the draft agreement that their representatives negotiated with the Education Minister, Edgar Mora.
“In accordance with the above, the APSE union is on an indefinite strike,” the organization said in the statement.
The note posted on Facebook by the APSE press office signed November 29 by APSE president Mélida Cedeño Castro and the union’s secretary general Roblin Apú Murillo
The APSE and ANDE unions combined represent 50,000 public employees of the Ministry of Education (MEP), who have been on strike against the ‘plan fiscal’ or tax reform since September 10.
Wednesday (November 28), the Juzgado de Trabajo del Segundo Circuito Judicial de San José (San Jose Labor Court) once again declared the labor movement illegal. The Court considers that the strike “was not peaceful”, affected “essential services” and “violated the principles of reasonableness.”
MEP lawyers argued that the strike is not against the ministry, that is the workers are not on strike against the employer, rather a government policy which is outside labor relations.
Today is day 82 of the strike.
According to the draft agreement between the unions and the Minister, the teachers would return to the classrooms this Friday to collaborate in the preparation of the 2019 school year.
In addition, the agreement guarantees that there will be no reprisals for going on strike, but disciplinary procedures would be maintained against those who left for travel (while on strike) and school principals who did not show up on Monday, November 26.
Likewise, it was established that any docking of wages would be subject to court decisions.
The strike by teachers has also left more than 79,000 students to be without meals, which for many is perhaps the only decent meal they get, because more than half of the schools are closed.
Thursday, the teachers affiliated with the Sindicato de Educadores Costarricenses (SEC) – Costa Rican Teachers’ Union, which has some 30,000 members, reported that they lifted the strike the movement, deciding to return to the classrooms on Monday.
That is, they will only work the nine days left in the 2018 school year and then will go on vacation to return in mid-January to prepare for the start of the 2019 school year the first week in February.
However, it is not clear if the SEC member teachers will be back to work on Monday, for as soon as the SEC informed its decision, in social networks the members threatened to disaffiliate themselves.
Ministry of Environment (MINAE) will be opening a case against a Canadian man, recorded by residents of Tamarindo, feeding a crocodile near the “Chiriguinto” restaurant.
Photo from Facebook
The MINAE says the practice is dangerous because it creates a dependence oi these reptiles and they get used to getting food easily, which could bring future consequences, including can cause a fatal incident for those who visit Playa Tamarindo.
The video was recorded on Thursday.
According to Mauricio Méndez, Marine Biologist and director of the Conservation Area, the MINAE would be denouncing the act with the prosecutor’s office for feeding the crocodiles is prohibited under article 116 of the law on wildlife conservation.
Méndez told Guana/Noticias that the reptile would be relocated for the safety of residents and tourists.
Apparently, the man became nasty with residents when questioning him, telling them he could do as wished.
Article 116 of the Ley de Conservación de la Vida Silvestre (Wildlife Conservation Law) calls for a fine of-of 15% up to 30% of a base salary to anyone, who, without the authorization of the national system of areasconservation, supply nonauthoritzed food or substances to wildlife.
A migrant, part of a caravan of thousands from Central America trying to reach the United States, pushes another migrant in a wheelbarrow at a temporary shelter during heavy rainfall in Tijuana, Mexico, November 29, 2018. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) – A handful of the thousands of Central American migrants camped out at the U.S.-Mexican border waiting to plead their case for asylum in the United States launched a hunger strike on Thursday to protest the Mexican police blocking their way.
A migrant, part of a caravan of thousands from Central America trying to reach the United States, pushes another migrant in a wheelbarrow at a temporary shelter during heavy rainfall in Tijuana, Mexico, November 29, 2018. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
Members of the 6,000-strong caravan, mostly migrants from Honduras, have been sleeping outdoors, on cold floors or on mats in an overcrowded shelter since they arrived in Tijuana city across the border from San Diego, California, three weeks ago.
Mexican immigration authorities on Thursday began transporting some of the migrants via buses to a new shelter to help lessen the strain.
Under the harsh immigration policies introduced by the administration of President Donald Trump, U.S. border officials say they may have to stay put in Mexico for months before they can petition the authorities.
U.S. customs and border control officers fired tear gas canisters into Mexico at dozens of migrants who tried to rush border fencing on Sunday.
On Thursday, as a steady rain fell and partially flooded the sports complex serving as the main shelter, it was Mexican police who stopped more than a dozen migrants from the caravan approaching the nearby El Chaparral border crossing.
“What the police are doing is unfair. The truth is we are fighting for our rights,” said one of the migrants, Gerson Madrid, a 22-year-old Honduran who started the trek to the United States in early October to better provide for a young daughter he left behind.
Madrid said the group was starting a three-day hunger strike to draw attention to the standoff.
“Why are (the police) treating us like this if we’re not causing them or the Mexican people any trouble?” he said.
Officials with Mexico’s human rights commission said the new facility opened on Thursday is bigger than the sports complex, which can handle only about 2,000 people, and will ensure migrants are not forced to sleep out in the open.
Overcrowding along with cooler temperatures and rain has already helped spread illness among migrants, including flu-like sicknesses, lice and chicken pox, according to city officials who declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Despite the conditions, many caravan migrants appeared determined to wait as long as it takes, with more than 600 applying for work permits in Mexico earlier this week, according to Mexican officials.
Trump has threatened to “permanently” close the U.S.-Mexican border if Mexico does not deport those gathered in Tijuana.
Mexico’s government has pushed back, arguing that the migrants have a right to ask U.S. officials for asylum. U.N. agencies said this week asylum seekers fleeing violence or persecution are entitled to lodge claims to obtain sanctuary.
Reporting by Christine Murray; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall
Nicaragua’s former Foreign Minister, Francisco Aguirre Sacasa, says that U.S. president Donald Trump and the U.S. Senate offered the Government of Nicaragua the possibility of a “soft landing” to overcome the political crisis, but President Daniel Ortega “did not take advantage of a great opportunity.”
Nicaragua’s former Chancellor Francisco Auguirre Sacasa
Sacasa, who was also an ambassador in Washington, said in an interview with El Nuevo Diario, in the Executive Order of President Donald Trump, declaring the Government of Nicaragua as a threat to the national security of the United States, political considerations would also have affected his interest in reelection in 2020 and setbacks suffered by the Republican Party in the House of Representatives, in the recent mid-term elections.
For Sacasa, “it was a historic day in relations between the Governments of Nicaragua and the United States. These actions show that Washington is serious about the restoration of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights in our country, and against corruption.”
What this, the sanctions and Nica Act, mean in terms of the state of relations between the two governments, they constitute blunt blows against the Nicaraguan Government, they imply that relations between Washington and Managua have fallen back to their worst level since the late eighties, when both countries cut relations at the ambassadorial level.
Nicaragua is an impoverished country, not a poor one; and this impoverishment is the direct result of our political errors and, above all, by our political immaturity.Francisco Aguirre Sacasa
“My reading is that the strong American reaction reflects a certain frustration over the way in which Commander Ortega and his spouse closed themselves to the attempts that both the Trump administration and the Senate offered to facilitate a soft landing for Nicaragua and the Ortega-Murillo family and their relatives,” said Sacasa.
Nicaragua’s former Chancellor says the US offered Daniel Ortega a “soft landing” but he did not take advantage of the opportunity.
The former Chancellor refers to the unsuccessful meetings held a few months ago by Caleb McCarry, senior adviser to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the U.S. Senate, and Carlos Trujillo, permanent representative of the United States at the OAS, with Comandante Ortega himself and his family members.
“There, Daniel did not take advantage of a great opportunity, and Nicaragua has been harmed by this mistake,” said Sacasa.
Sacasa said he was not surprised with the approval of the Magnitsky Nica or Nica Act, knowing there was a high probability of action in the U.S. Congress before the end of the year, because if not approved before December 14, the date on which the Congress recesses for the year, the bill would expire.
He was surprised, however, by the executive order signed by the U.S. President.
“I never imagined that it would be by an executive order signed by the president himself, sanctioning Vice President Rosario Murillo and Néstor Moncada Lau. In fact, the White House was ahead of Congress in this case,” said Sacasa.
U.S. President Donald Trump. The White House was ahead of Congress in this case according to Sacasa
For the former Chancellor, he believes Trump acted quickly on Nicaragua to strengthen his base in states with a lot of electoral weight, such as Florida, with its 27 electoral votes, if he wants to overcome after the setbacks he suffered in the House of Representatives in the mid-term elections for his 2020 re-election bid.
“Florida is a jackpot exceeded only by California, Texas and New York. And in acting against Nicaragua, he must think that he will expand his support within the influential Hispanic communities in South Florida,” said Sacasa.
Sanctioning the vice-president and Ortega’s wife, Rosario Murillo, sent a powerful signal according to Sacasa. Sacasa explained, “Since the genesis of the Nica Act, one of the most discussed issues in Washington is who to include among those sanctioned and in what order. In this sense, the most supported strategy was to gradually to lead up to Commander Ortega and his family circle to induce them to a soft landing.”
“But, with the Executive Order, it can be seen that the White House has ruled out this scheme and is playing for keeps. It is, clearly a serious warning. Daniel chose to ‘keep it all’ and it seems that the United States is on that same wave,” said Sacasa.
“Obviously, Nicaragua does not represent a military or economic threat to North America, but I do believe that in Washington it is thought that our crisis has the potential to destabilize our neighborhood: the Central American isthmus. Moreover, continuing could undermine the ‘wall of contention’ that we have been against illegal migrants, drug trafficking and organized crime,” according to Sacasa in justifying President Trump’s executive order.
The former Chancellor added that Nicaraguan migrants represent a burden for our neighbors and may end up joining the caravans that are heading towards the southern border of the United States. “President Trump considers that this migration from Central America represents a threat to his country,” said the former ambassador to Washington.
What will be the impact all this have on the Nicaraguan economy and on U.S. aid?
Francisco Auguirre Sacasa
According to Sacasa, “U.S. aid to the Ortega government was cut to the minimum since the beginning of 2017, and most of what little remains is to keep the flame of democracy burning in Nicaragua, to help the poorest and for defense issues.
“As for our economy, the truth is that it is already broken, in free fall, and that our people are already going through a severe socioeconomic and even humanitarian crisis.
“Until the political situation that caused this hecatomb is given a political solution, our economy will continue to collapse. Look, I am of the opinion that time is decisive in all this. If we continue with repression, violation of human rights and dictatorship, our economy will continue to melt and recovery will be slow, as it was after the lost decade of the eighties.
“But, if we move to heal right now, I am convinced that our economic recovery will be quick; It could begin to be seen in 2019. Let’s not forget that Nicaragua is an impoverished country, not a poor one; and this impoverishment is the direct result of our political errors and, above all, by our political immaturity.
“In more or less a thousand days, we will fulfill two centuries of life as an independent Republic. The time has come to leave behind our political underdevelopment. We already need to learn to manage our political transitions through democratic mechanisms, as does the vast majority of the countries of the Latin American subcontinent.”
Nicaragua, on September 15, 2021, celebrates its 200th anniversary of independence. This day in 1821 was a historic day for much of Central America as, after almost three centuries of colonial rule, the nations of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, gained independence from Spain.
In response to U.S. sanctions against President Daniel Ortega’s inner circle, he said that he would boost the popular economy to reactivate growth and face the Nica Act, which can mean for Nicaraguans a dangerous remedy given that it can worsen the productivity and income of millions of workers, economists warn.
Unemployment in Nicaragua forces many to make a living on the streets, that is, in the informal sector. La Prensa
In addition, Ortega did not say in his speech how he would provide technical and financial assistance to this economic segment, at a time when money is the most scarce in the government, due to economic stagnation and the reduction of tax revenue.
The Nica Act, approved by the U.S. Senate is a legislative initiative that seeks to close the financial tap to the Ortega regime internationally. Ortega, therefore, seeks to cushion the impact by promoting the popular economy.
The problem is that the popular economy which Ortega wants to promote as a new economic model in Nicaragua is nourished by self-employed workers, who in Nicaragua tend to be characterized by low levels of productivity, precarious income and lack of access to technology and financing.
Economist Luis Murillo explains that the popular economy plays an important role, providing sources of survival to large segments of the population, and therefore requires support, but clarifies that Nicaragua could not live on the popular economy because most employment generated in this is precarious and informal, with very low productivity and income.
“None of the governments has been concerned about a real policy to be able to support this sector, an innovation policy, a credit policy, but rather an incentive for informality to be generated: no tax payment, no registration of its operations, formally and practically the policies were only directed to the big company through subsidies,” said Murillo.
The economist warns that if Nicaragua were sustained only by the popular economy, poverty levels would rise, many would fall into destitution and chaos would be greater, a situation very similar to that of Venezuela.
Murillo said that if the popular economy had been in place for years in Nicaragua, the situation today would be different, but under the current context, the country could not survive.
According to calculations by economists, in Nicaragua, seven out of every ten jobs that are generated in the economy are created by the microunits, which employ 1 to 5 people as self-employed workers with low qualifications and in some cases without remuneration when they are of family micro-businesses.
It is basically jobs created by the population itself to survive.
Therefore, economists say that if Ortega now intends to promote the popular economy, the first blow will be suffered by productivity and therefore the already low income of workers.
Economist Murillo argues that Nicaragua has depended for years on external resources, and changing that economic model is difficult.
“This country has a small, highly open economy that depends on external resources. In this country, the economic model that has been used has been supported through cooperation, with family remittances, donations, and direct foreign investment; If Nicaragua is isolated due to the Nica Act, the popular economy has a problem and it is the fact that the country can not process its own raw material,” said Murillo.
BUENOS AIRES — For President Mauricio Macri, this weekend’s Group of 20 summit was supposed to showcase a confident, booming Argentina, re-energized by his pro-market policies that put the country’s longtime economic and political dysfunction in the rearview mirror.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri arrive for a press conference at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018. Macron is in Buenos Aires to attend the two-day summit of leaders from the Group of 20 industrialized nations starting Friday. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Instead, President Trump and other world leaders will descend upon a nation mired in social unrest and economic crisis, with deep doubts as to whether it can safely pull off an event that in recent years overwhelmed security forces in Canada, Britain and Germany.
The lead-up to the meeting of two dozen heads of state and government has been a litany of bad news for the conservative Mr. Macri: Inflation now tops 40 percent; the discovery of wreckage confirmed the deaths of 44 sailors in a military submarine disaster a year ago; and opposition leaders — and internal critics — are beginning to flex their muscles as Mr. Macri gears up for next year’s elections.
Even in the final days before the summit, the embattled president seemed unable to catch a break: Violent clashes shut down a highly anticipated Buenos Aires soccer match, back-to-back strikes crippled domestic flights and local transportation, and the peso — which this year has lost half its value against the dollar — dropped 3.5 percent in a day.
“What this exposes are the deficiencies the Macri administration has not been able to resolve in its years in power,” said Gustavo Cardozo of the Argentine Center of International Studies.
Sunday’s Copa Libertadores final between legendary rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate, which was suspended after stones thrown at the unprotected Boca team bus left several players injured, was particularly ominous.
“There was an excess of confidence as to the ability to guarantee security,” Mr. Cardozo said. “They never imagined that a sports event of this kind could put the entire status quo of security for the G-20 meeting to the test.”
To add insult to injury, organizers announced Monday that they felt it was prudent to reschedule the match between two Argentine clubs in a foreign country, a decision that reportedly infuriated Mr. Macri, a former Boca president.
Argentine officials still say they are confident in their preparations for the summit. But they would be foolish to take the G-20 security demands lightly, said analysts who scrutinized the violence at last year’s summit in Hamburg, Germany, which left hundreds of protesters and police injured.
“In Hamburg, we knew there was a large critical community,” said Thomas Feltes, who teaches criminology at Ruhr University. “And in Buenos Aires, due to the overall political and economic situation, we now have a very heated situation.”
Balancing act
Tensions were underlined two weeks ago when a group of anarchists detonated homemade bombs at Recoleta cemetery, a major tourist attraction, as well as outside the home of a well-known federal judge.
Police now face the near-impossible balancing act of protecting the globe’s political elite and containing violent instigators without infringing on the rights of peaceful protesters.
“We learned in Hamburg [what happens when] the police commit massive errors at the beginning of these kinds of events,” Mr. Feltes said. “Last weekend’s canceled soccer match showed that there is a massive potential for violence and that the police lack the ability to adequately deal with it.”
Police presence in the Argentine capital is already massive: The army has added 3,000 soldiers to the 22,000 members of four federal police units already dispatched, and 5,000 foreign security guards will help protect visiting delegations. Bus and subway lines have been closed or rerouted, a 7½-mile-long security zone with limited or no access has been set up, and Friday has been declared a citywide holiday.
The disruptions have left some locals unhappy.
Adrian Pestano, who sells traditional choripan sandwiches, said his stand along the Rio de la Plata promenade — steps from where Mr. Trump and his counterparts will holds their talks — is forced to shut down until next week.
“The people want to work, and they have to put up with those from the G-20,” said Mr. Pestano, 36. “I’m an employee, so I’m even more upset because I don’t get paid for those four days.”
At Buenos Aires‘ domestic airport, closed to accommodate arriving dignitaries, newsstand vendor Cristian Gonzales, 36, said he was happy for the days off — paid in his case. But that was all he was expecting from the summit.
“It doesn’t affect me at all,” he said. “It doesn’t do a thing. For my country, it doesn’t do a thing.”
That attitude — common among Argentines weary of a president popular with his counterparts abroad but often blamed for a faltering economy at home — is more bad news for Mr. Macri, a former businessman who in Hamburg dubbed his nation “the expression of the entire developing region, anxious for the opportunities.”
“It [causes] resignation given that Argentina is in a situation without immediate exit,” said Mariano de Vedia, a political analyst for the La Nacion daily. “The president hits it off with and certainly will strike a chord with his peers. But that doesn’t mean that investments will rain down the next day.”
Princely problem
Recent global events have put a special strain on the tact and organizational skills of the Argentine hosts, not least the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his first trip outside the Middle East since the global furor sparked by the gruesome Oct. 2 killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a high-level Saudi hit team.
Argentina’s foreign ministry insists that the prince enjoys “special immunities” during his visit. A federal judge has opened an investigation, in part because the country’s constitution gives local courts universal jurisdiction in cases of crimes against humanity.
Lest there be any physical danger to the heir to the throne, the Saudi Embassy hastily installed bulletproof windows on Tuesday.
Although Mr. Trump and Mr. Macri are old acquaintances and onetime business associates, it’s not clear how ordinary Argentines will greet the American president on his first visit to the country. For “security reasons,” Mr. Trump will refrain from holding the customary press conference after a Friday morning meeting with Mr. Macri, the Casa Rosada — Argentina’s version of the White House — has announced.
Meanwhile, some 1,000 American troops and agents, many based in neighboring Uruguay, have been deployed to protect Mr. Trump, who landed in Buenos Aires on Thursday. The U.S. effort reportedly includes an aircraft carrier and several AWACS warning and control aircraft.
Such over-the-top measures have Mr. Feltes and other security analysts questioning the wisdom of holding such high-powered global summits in the middle of major urban areas.
But Dennis Gladiator, a Hamburg lawmaker who investigated the fallout from last year’s summit as part of a special commission, disagreed.
“If you simply do this on an aircraft carrier or a remote island, you of course don’t get the criticism” leaders need to hear, he said. “I’m not ready to let criminals dictate to us that [world leaders] can only meet on the outskirts, far away.”
This weekend the ‘chancho’ used by Roger Waters in his concert in Costa Rica, will be distributed among fans who were at the concert last Saturday. But not to make tamales for Christmas.
Parts of the floating “pink pig” that was part of the concert in the National Stadium attended by 46,500 people, will be distributed on Saturday, between 10 am and 2 pm, in the esplanade of the stadium, to anyone with their concert stub.
The mega activity is being presented by MOVE Concerts that brought Rogers Waters to Costa Rica.
The activity is to raise funds to support the young singers of the Oratorio Don Bosco de Sor María Romero, who caused fury in mid-concert when they shared the stage with Roger Waters with the song “Another brick in the wall”.
The Oratorio Don Bosco de Sor María Romero foundation has worked for years with children at social risk, providing education, food and principles in their development.
PS, you don’t need to have your concert stub to donate to the foundation.
The expansion of the Ruta 27 has been in the slow lane in the last 10 years
2019 will be the year full of “road work” according to the Minister of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT), Rodolfo Méndez, who on Wednesday confirmed the beginning of the negotiation process for the expansion of the autopista José María Castro Madriz, better known as the Ruta 27 San Jose – Caldera.
President Carlos Alvarado (left) and the Minister of Public Works and Transport (MOP), Rodolfo Mendez
Méndez explained that in addition to the Ruta 27, the MOPT expects to advance work on the Rotonda de las Garantias Sociales, the Guadalupe intersection, the Estadio Saprissa bridge (on the Ruta 32), the road Limon and the expansion of the San Jose – San Ramon (General Cañas and Bernardo Soto).
With respect to the expansion of the Ruta 27, Mendez said the project was approved in September by the Consejo Nacional de Concesiones (CNC), which included a plan of expropriations.
The minister added that the acquisition process is underway for the first 9 hectares required for the improvement of the Santa Ana intersection. In total, the expansion project requires the acquisition of 79 hectares of land.
One of the initial plans proposed for the extension is a 4 lane highway for the entire 62.6 km portion from Cuidad Colon (Santa Ana) to Caldera.
The average vehicular traffic on the Ruta 27 is 70,000 vehicles daily. The road was originally planned for 25,000 vehicles.
The History
De design of the Ruta 27 is from 1978. For political and budgetary reasons, as well as for bad administrative decisions, the road project began to pave way 32 years later, in several constructive stages starting in 2005.
The idea of construction an intermountain road began earlier, in 1973, when the administration of José Figueres Ferrer decided to relocate the main Pacific port from Puntarenas to the Caldera Bay, with which it was evident that with a new highway connecting Ciudad Colón with Orotina, the new port would be only 80 km from San José, in less than one hour.
Subsequent administrations (Oscar Arias 1986-1990, Rafael Ángel Calderón 1990-1994, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez 1998-2002 and Abel Pacheco 2002-2006) tried to move the project forward, but it was during Óscar Arias’ second administration (2006-2010) that the Ruta 27 became a reality. Interestingly, there was no significant advance made during the administration of Jose Figueres Olsen (1994-1998) – the son of Jose Figueres Ferrer.
Finally, the consortium called Autopistas del Sol was contracted to build Ciudad Colón-Orotina and also to improve La Sabana-Ciudad Colón and Orotina-Caldera, already built. The road infrastructure was completed for the most part until almost 5 years after the start.
The official inauguration took place on January 27, 2010, prior to Arias completing his term office and opened to the public months later.
To finance the project, its maintenance, and surveillance, the road became a toll road. Autopistas del Sol (now Globalvia) installed 4 toll stations at strategic points, which have very variable amounts: Escazú, San Rafael (Coyol), Balsa de Atenas and Pozón de Orotina.
The Ruta
The Ruta 27, starts at the National Gymnasium, in San José to Ciudad Colón (14.2 km section), with four-lanes (two in each direction) to the Circunvalación interchange where it becomes 6-lanes to Multiplaza Escazu then returns to four. From Ciudad Colon, it is reduced to 2 lanes throughout its trajectory to Caldera (62.6 km), expanding to 4 lanes for short distances at several points.
The ruta 27 is a 76.7 kilometers road from San Jose to the Pacific port of Caldera
The road, although it has mountainous sectors in the areas of Atenas and Orotina, presents a much flatter relief than its alternate routes the Cambronero section of the Ruta 1 (Interamericana North) and Ruta 3, known as the Monte del Aguacate or the old road to Jaco, which weaves and climbs to the mountain between Atenas and Orotina.
Compared with the Rutas 1 and 3, the travel distance has been shortened and travel time from San Jose to Caldera can be in 55 minutes.
Expect road closings in downtown San Jose on Saturday night, December 1, with the traditional Christmas lighting on the Museo de Los Niños, at 6:30 pm. The activity, which is expected to last one hour will feature a stage show, music and the lighting of more than 4,000 bulbs,
For authorities, the ‘safety of families’ attending the event is had has been a priority. The slogan “Ruta Segura” (Safe Route) highlights the work of some eight institutions that includes a broad and ample police deployment and road control (closures and detours) in the area of the museum.
The safety protocols will be applied prior to, during and after the event. Starting at noon on Saturday, Calle 4, Avenida 2 and the road to the main entrance to the Children’s Museum will be closed. The closures will continue well into lat Saturday.
They lived in total opulence while Venezuela plunged into misery. Alejandro Andrade, 54, went from being the bodyguard of former President Hugo Chávez and National Treasurer of Venezuela to becoming a multimillionaire in Florida, until he was arrested by the United States Department of Justice.
Alejandro Andrade: Former bodyguard of Hugo Chávez is sentenced to 10 years in prison in the United States for laundering one BILLION dollars
Surrounded by luxuries. Exhibition horses, jets, trips to Europe, and living in a mansion, the Andrade family amazed their neighbors when they looked over the fence and realized the opulence in which they lived.
Andrade was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday by a U.S. judge for his central role in a US$1 billion bribery and money-laundering scheme that enabled him to acquire luxury real estate and other assets in South Florida.
The former Treasuer sold access to the Venezuelan government’s lucrative foreign-currency exchanges both before and after Chávez’s death in 2013. He enriched himself and an elite circle of other senior officials and a prominent businessman, according to court records.
According to the Miami Herald, “U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg imposed the maximum sentence for Andrade’s money-laundering conspiracy conviction in West Palm Beach federal court, rejecting a proposal by his defense attorneys to give him seven years in prison for accepting responsibility for his crime in a plea deal.”
Court records reveal Rosenberg did not impose a fine because Andrade has no money to pay one. He was allowed to surrender to prison on Feb. 25 instead of immediately because he has been assisting federal authorities in the massive corruption and money-laundering investigation.
Andrade apologized to the judge, his family and the Venezuelan people for his crime. He described how he became involved in a “movement” led by Chávez that he believed would benefit his country. Soon, however, he that he betrayed the public’s trust as the top financial official in Venezuela’s government from 2007 to 2010 before moving with his family to South Florida in 2014.
“I made some very bad choices when I was treasurer, and for that I am very sorry from the bottom of my heart,” said Andrade. “To this day, I am convinced the decision I made [to cooperate] is the right one.”
At Tuesday’s sentencing, federal prosecutor Vanessa Snyder said Andrade conspired with three other key players in the money-laundering ring by giving them access to the Venezuelan government’s favorable dollar-to-bolivar currency exchange. Snyder said the scheme generated about US$2.4 billion in illicit profits for Andrade’s three co-conspirators and they agreed to share half of their money with Andrade while keeping it in European and U.S. banks.
“Mr. Andrade abused the trust of the people of Venezuela,” Snyder said, describing how his crime contributed to the longstanding economic crisis in the South American country. “The amount of money he agreed to receive was staggering.”
Andrade, who pleaded guilty to a money-laundering conspiracy charge last December, has provided insider information to Snyder and fellow prosecutor Michael Nadler to assist them in building a sprawling criminal case against some of Venezuela’s richest people. Among them: TV network tycoon Raúl Gorrín, 50, who was indicted last Monday, one day before the case against Andrade was unsealed in federal court in West Palm Beach.
Andrade, Gorrín and other associates in Venezuela’s government, banking and business sectors are accused of enriching themselves, concealing their staggering profits in European and U.S. bank accounts and investments. According to the Gorrin indictment, Andrade used his official position to give Gorrín access to the government’s preferred exchange rates to maximize profits on currency transactions. The funds to fuel the scheme were generated by the Venezuela’s national treasury’s issuance of bonds.
The dollar has dropped, hovering the ¢600 mark after a high only a few weeks ago of ¢630. What could be expected from the exchange rate in the coming weeks?
The position of the Constitutional Court (Sala Constitucional ) with respect to the bill – Ley de Fortalecimiento de las Finanzas Públicas (file 20.580) – commonly known as the plan fiscal (tax reform) – gave the economy a respite, since it reduced slightly the uncertainty of families and businesses.
However, pressures on the foreign exchange market and interest rates will continue in the coming months due to the high financing required by the Ministerio de Hacienda (Ministry of Finance) to be able to meet its obligations.
This conclusion was reached by the Observatorio Económico y Social (Economic and Social Observatory) of the de la Universidad Nacional (UNA), an entity that analyzed recent movements in the exchange rate.
According to the researchers at the UNA, pressures on the foreign exchange market will continue in the coming months, as the tax reform will not take effect until the second half of 2019 (at least with respect to the first tax revenues received regularly), and most taxes would not begin to be collected until 2020. This would continue to grow the fiscal deficit and public debt.
Likewise, in case approval is obtained by the Legislative Assembly to issue external debt (which requires 38 votes) it would take between 5 and 7 months to materialize, which means financing of the deficit would continue to be in the domestic market and, therefore, resulting in upward pressures on interest rates and the exchange rate.
However, if the government is able to raise dollars effectively by way of an external debt, two scenarios could occur: a) that the Ministry of Finance convert the dollars to colones to pay the needs in local currency, pushing the exchange rate downwards or b) that this situation be taken advantage of by the Central Bank and buy U.S. dollars to recover the reserves lost throughout this year to intervene in the market to stabilize the exchange rate, and in this way the exchange rate will not be altered.
In addition, the UNA researchers consider that it is very likely that the U.S. Federal Reserve will continue with the gradual process of raising its reference rate, which could translate into additional pressure on the behavior of the dollar exchange rate in Costa Rica, in case the adjustments in domestic interest rates are not made in a timely manner.
Thus, the approval of the tax reform bill gives the economy a break, but there still lacks much to achieve stability in the public finances.
It is expected that volatility in the exchange rate will continue in the coming weeks, with a pause in December, as a consequence of a seasonal effect of the “colonization” of resources for the payment of taxes and aguinaldos (year-end bonuses), but with an upward trend.
Costa Rica is known for a lot of things including natural beauty and delicious food. Visited by more than 1.7 million tourists every year, the country’s economy is largely dependant on tourism. In fact, tourism alone generates more than $1.7 billion for the country.
While most tourists come from the United States, Costa Rica is now increasingly getting popular among Asians as well. If you’re planning on visiting Costa Rica but need that last bit of motivation then look below for some reasons to visit this beautiful place:
Accommodations
One single room in a budget-friendly hotel in Costa Rica costs only about ¢17,000 colones (US$28) for a single night. You will get free WiFi in almost all the hotels. Some hotels also offer full board and half board at very affordable rates.
Shared and private hostel rooms are also common in Costa Rica and they are much cheaper than hotel rooms. A shared hostel dorm bed will cost between ¢5,500 to ¢10,000 per night (US$14) while a private one will cost up to ¢15,000 CRC (US$25).
Bookings can be made online and discounts are also offered to people who make advanced bookings.
Food
Gallo Pinto, Casado, Sopa Negra, Tamal, Patacones, Chifrijo are some of the most famous and delicious foods offered in Costa Rica. We suggest that you try these foods if you ever visit the country. They will bring you closer to the local culture.
A one time meal in a local restaurant can cost between ¢500 – ¢2,800 colones (US$4). These restaurants might not offer the luxuries that a high-end tourist restaurant does but the food is usually always delicious.
If you need more luxury, look for five-star hotels where a meal can cost up to ¢9,000 colones (US$15).
There are street vendors as well who sell lighter meals and snacks for as low as ¢300 (US$0.50).
You may also opt to make your own food as many hotel-apartments come with the facility to cook your own meal. This way you can save even more money.
Transport
Public transport is easy to avail in the country both for residents and tourists. A one hour trip will only cost you about ¢700 CRC (US$1.10).
The common mode of transport in the country is buses. However, tourists can also hire private vehicles to enjoy privacy. They are, however, three times the price of a common public transport bus.
The train system is not very common here.
Entertainment
There are many national parks in the country including Manuel Antonio, Arenal Volcano, Corcovado etc. The entry fees is between US$7 – US$15 for a single person. The parks offer many activities such as:
Horse Riding: The horses are big and powerful. If you’re adventurous then you’d definitely enjoy horseriding here.
Zipline: Ziplining is quite popular among people of all ages. Enjoy this incredible activity here, surrounded by nature. The views are simply breathtaking.
Sunset Sailing: Enjoy a ride on a boat and enjoy the beautiful view of a sunset.
Snorkeling: Diving deep into the sea in the presence of experts can be a fun activity. However, it is a bit expensive and costs around US$110 per person (includes a boat ride, equipment, etc).
There are a plethora of other activities too, such as surfing, canoeing, snorkeling, boating, massages etc. Since Costa Rica has beaches and nature, most activities revolve around water and nature.
You may also go to enjoy the wildlife the country has to offer. Many tourism companies offer wildlife tours that are worth a try.
Shopping
While Costa Rica is not popular for shopping, you can find some known brands here as there are quite a few big malls and marts. You may also choose gifts such as a name necklace. They’re affordable and can serve as a nice memorabilia.
Seasons
Most tourists arrive in the dry season which is from December to April. The weather is mostly sunny during these months and huge crowds make way to the beaches, parks, and other places.
The prices of accommodation and food go slightly up during this season as the country receives many tourists.
Fewer tourists are observed during the rainy season as the weather is cold even when prices are much lower.
The Conclusion
Costa Rica is an affordable place. It has everything to offer so plan your trip today.
Drivers can breathe a little easier starting today with a record price drop at the pumps, a liter of super gasoline dropping ¢57 colones, regular ¢48 and diesel ¢12.
Yesterday, the official government newsletter published the latest gasoline price drop approved by the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep).
Thus, as of 12:01 am today (November 29), the cost of a liter of super went from ¢694 to ¢637, regular dropped from ¢674 to ¢626 and diesel from ¢599 to ¢587.
The price drop also includes Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and aviation fuel, among others.
What the drop means is that today it costs ¢2.565 less to fill a 45-liter gas tank for super, ¢2,160 for regular and ¢540 for diesel.
Changes in gasoline prices are requested every second Friday of the month by the Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo (Recope) – state refinery to the Aresep, in a process that then includes a public hearing and publication in La Gaceta.
The next request is on December 14, the last one for 2018, which is expected to take in effect in the first days of 2019, taking into account the holiday period.
Reasons for the drop
The morning drop is the strongest in 2018. According to Recope there have been seven increases and four reductions (including this one) in the year.
For this drop, the Recope cites an increase in world oil production, the demand also influenced the drop, when a speculative effect arose on the possible economic slowdown, commercial wars and the increase in interest rates by the U.S. Federal Reserve, which hit U.S. stock markets.
All this lowered the price up north, from where Costa Rica imports finished fuels.
The increase in the dollar exchange in the recent weeks prevented the price drop to be even greater, according to Recope officials.
The United States should pay more attention to Latin America, lest China and Russia take root in the region, US Air Force Chief of Staff David Goldfein said in the wake of a trip to Colombia.
General Goldfein visited the South American country to persuade its leadership to continue buying expensive US weapons; speaking to the authorities he said Colombia may be kicked out of allied operations if it switches to much cheaper Russian or Chinese-made hardware.
“While there may be other cheap hardware out there that might be available on the market, at some point it becomes really hard to make it connect and share within the system,” Goldfein commented in a phone interview Saturday.
His trip is only a part of a broader effort by the US administration to restore its former grip on the region, which deals with a number of security issues, including drug trafficking, terrorism and ramifications of Venezuela’s economic crisis, including a refugee influx of more than 4,000 people crossing the border into Colombia every day. Faced with a direct and present threat, the troubled region finds it lucrative to turn towards cheaper, effective security solutions.
During his trip to Colombia, Goldfein reportedly met with Colombia’s minister of defence and air force chief as well as he taking the time to speak with students at Colombia’s war college.
“When it comes to China and Russia, we are looking at cooperation where we can and pushing back aggressively where we must,” Goldfein said, as he tried to reassure the Colombians. “We keep a close eye on their activities globally, but certainly we keep an eye on their activities [in Latin America].”
According to Foreign Policy, Russia and China have strong interest in the region, albeit for different reasons. China is primarily interested in natural resources, such as Venezuela’s sheer oil reserves. For Russia, experts say, the main interest is strategic security. With NATO ramping up their military presence in Europe in proximity of Russian borders, having some form of counterweight in Latin America sounds like a reasonable goal.
In many ways, US has created this problem themselves, experts say.
“The Colombians are concerned that the U.S. has been leaving the region behind, and it has created a void, this vacuum to fill,” says Moises Rendon, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. [Colombia] “can’t say no to China, because they are providing opportunities and investment, [while] the U.S. is not providing the same types of opportunities.”
Ana Quintana, an analyst with the Heritage Foundation, spreading recognition of Taiwan as a part of China is very indicative of growing Chinese presence in the region. Countries that recognize Taiwan as Chinese soil now include El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.
For White House, Chinese and Russian presence also means that the governments Washington wants to see fall — such as Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro, as well as governments in Nicaragua and Bolivia — keep receiving support, Rendon says.
Speaking in the interview, General Goldfein acknowledge, if indirectly, that it was the US politicians who ensured US relations with the region are now considerably colder.
“There are times when our diplomatic relationships may change based on the political environment, but we are able to maintain a military-to-military relationship and dialogue,” Goldfein said.
The general provided his close friendship with Colombia’s Air Force chief, General Carlos Eduardo Bueno, as an example of close military relationship.
Costa Rica’s Estadio Nacional (National Stadium) will be the site of the first two Group B matches for next summer’s edition of Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) championship.
Costa Rica’s first match in the 2019 Gold Cup will be played on Sunday, June 16.
This will be the first time in the tournament’s 15 editions that matches are played in Central America.
The official announcement was made this Monday in an activity that took place in the La Sabana stadium with the participation, among others, of the President Carlos Alvarado, the Minister of Sports, Hernán Solano, leaders of the Fedefútbol headed by President Rodolfo Villalobos and representatives of the CONCACAF.
The CONCACAF is the continental governing body for association football (soccer) in North America, which includes Central America and the Caribbean region.
While the bulk of the tournament will be in the United States, as every edition has been since the Gold Cup was launched in 1991, this is the first time in its history some games will take place outside of North America. The decision coincides with an expanded field of 16 teams vying for the Cup.
We are very proud to bring the Concacaf Gold Cup to Costa Rica, where fans have shown great excitement, passion and love for our game,” said Concacaf President Victor Montagliani. “By hosting our premier competition in Central America, we are achieving a core principle of our ONE Concacaf Vision, which is to increase access to the game, develop football and ensuring our fans experience the highest quality of football in the region.”
“It’s an honor for the Costa Rican Football Federation (Fedefútbol) to have the confidence and support of Concacaf to host a Gold Cup group stage doubleheader in Costa Rica,” said Concacaf Council Vice President and Fedefútbol President Rodolfo Villalobos. “This announcement is part of our efforts to transform the Federation into a highly professional entity and a benchmark at the regional level. It is part of the constant and planned efforts to grow our football. We also celebrate the opportunity Costa Ricans will have to enjoy the Gold Cup at home for the first time in its history.”
Greater inclusion of teams and fans in Central America and the Caribbean has been a frequent talking point for CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani since he took over in 2016. The decision to play Gold Cup matches outside the U.S. is in line with other initiatives launched by the CONCACAF.
“The expansion of the Gold Cup and the upcoming launch of the CONCACAF Nations League are key steps in delivering on the ONE CONCACAF Vision, to make the region’s most competitive football more accessible to more of our Confederation’s teams, players and fans,” said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani.
Next summer’s expanded Gold Cup, set to kick off on Saturday, June 15, will be the largest Gold Cup in history. Alongside the group stage doubleheader in Costa Rica, 15 U.S. metropolitan areas and one yet-to-be-announced Caribbean venue will welcome the 2019 edition of the tournament.
The Estadio Nacional, known as “The Jewel” of La Sabana, for its allusive and modern architecture, was inaugurated on March 26, 2011. The stadium has hosted many international events, including the 2014 FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup, matches of the national team of Costa Rica and athletic events.
Tickets for the double day of the Gold Cup in Costa Rica will go on sale on Friday, December 7 through www.specialticket.net and its service points throughout the country.
Tickets for all other Gold Cup games in the United States are available at www.GoldCup.org and Ticketmaster.
The 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup is sponsored by Allstate Insurance Company, Cerveza Modelo, Nike, Scotiabank, and Toyota. The tournament will be broadcast in Costa Rica on Teletica and Repretel, and in the United States on the Univision and FOX family of networks and transmitted on radio in Spanish by Fútbol de Primera Radio Network.
Vice President and Chancellor of the Republic, Epsy Campbell, co-chairs the Ministerial Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which takes place in Vienna.
Costa Rica’s Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Epsy Campbell Barr, reiterated on Wednesday the country’s commitment to the peaceful development of atomic energy, during the Ministerial Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) taking place in Vienna, which Costa Rica co-chairs together with Japan.
Costa Rica’s Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Epsy Campbell, co-chairs the Ministerial Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is taking place 28–30 November 2018, in Vienna, Austria
“We reiterate our support and cooperation, so that the activities of the Atomic Energy Agency contribute to the peaceful development of atomic energy,” said the Foreign Minister, speaking at the plenary, dedicated to science, technologies and nuclear applications for peaceful purposes and the supply to the Member States through the Technical Cooperation program.
Costa Rica has been a member state of the IAEA since 1965. The IAEA has 170 member states as of May 2018.
Minister Campbell highlighted the offer of the Cooperación Sur-Sur through the public universities of Costa Rica, and the Collaborating Centers of the IAEA accredited in the country, which supports research, development and training activities, aimed at promoting the achievement of the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
She also highlighted the case of the Centro de Investigación en Contaminación Ambiental (CICA) – Center for Research in Environmental Pollution – of the University of Costa Rica, which became the accredited laboratory in the region of reference tests for environmental protection and for the proper use of pesticides in agriculture.
She also cited the Laboratorio de Plasma para Energía de Fusión y Aplicaciones del Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (Plasma Laboratory for Fusion Energy and Applications of the Technological Institute of Costa Rica), which seeks to be accredited as the first Center for Collaboration in Plasma and Nuclear Fusion of the IAEA in the world, becoming the reference Center for the Latin American region and from the Caribbean.
“Nuclear fusion gives us an enormous opportunity: to obtain large amounts of energy in a much cleaner and safer way than using fossil fuels or nuclear fission,” she explained.
“Costa Rica is a Latin American leader in plasma research and fusion. We are part of the International Fusion Research Council of the IAEA, and we aspire to collaborate with renowned institutions to strengthen the scientific community. The Plasma and Fusion Laboratory will offer in 2019 the first training workshop “Latin Fusion Energy” aimed at scientists around the world,” said Campbell.
“We also celebrate that said Laboratory and the National Children’s Hospital would be working together for the application of plasma in medical uses within the framework of the 2020-2021 Technical Cooperation Program, an unprecedented event for this Program. We highlight the high scientific value with the Costa Rican stamp of the plasma research in medicine, agriculture and industry “, highlighted the Chancellor.
The Vice President and Chancellor also took the opportunity to call for an increase in the geographical representation of the Agency’s staff and for gender equality and equity policies to be promoted as a cross-cutting axis of the organizational structure and its programs.
“History has shown us that the participation of women has enriched nuclear science and technology with pioneering contributions. Education in Science and Technology has a multiplying effect that enables equal opportunities and the eradication of poverty,” she said.
“Some people cool them off in the fridge, but it compromises quality, something I’m not willing to do,” she says.
Originally from Venezuela, Julissa is among a growing number of enterprising refugees and asylum-seekers getting a chance to start over in Costa Rica, a small country with a long tradition of welcoming people in their hour of need.
Support from the Costa Rican Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and local nonprofits is allowing refugees like her the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial ideas and compete for start-up funds.
With the help of the NGO Fundación Mujer, the 32-year-old recently competed at the Second Gastronomic Festival Integrate al Sabor in the Costa Rican capital, San José, co-hosted by UNHCR. She won a coveted spot in an event to promote small and medium sized businesses – all while juggling her energetic two-year-old.
Julissa’s passion for baking began at home on Margarita, a small island off the Caribbean coast of Venezuela popular with holidaymakers, where she studied tourism and hospitality.
Her baking business took off in 2016, despite hyperinflation, widespread shortages and unrest. With supplies scarce, she had to get eggs, flour and other supplies on the black market to keep up with demand, leading her to fall foul of the authorities.
“If I could make it in Venezuela, I can make it anywhere.”
Julissa and her family fled, taking only the essentials: clothes and cooking utensils. She brought a hand blender and Mickey Mouse cookie cutter molds, knowing that as long as she could bake, she would succeed in Costa Rica.
“If I could make it in Venezuela, I can make it anywhere,” she says.
During the turbulent 1970s and 1980s, when civil wars buffeted much of the region from El Salvador and Nicaragua to Colombia, Costa Rica remained a haven of peace, keeping its doors open to those at risk.
The country has developed standout systems of protection allowing asylum seekers and refugees to flourish. It allows asylum seekers two appeals and grants them the right to work and attend schools while their petitions are processed.
Through the Living Integration programme, developed by UNHCR in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, refugees and asylum seekers are also given employment skills training, access to job fairs, and support to set up their own businesses – among them is Salvadoran business woman Gloria Hernández.
Gloria ran a massage business and a store for her own spa products at San Salvador’s Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport — until 2014, when her daughter witnessed a brutal gang kidnapping. After she agreed to testify in court, the Hernández family started to receive death threats – often carried out in a country with a high crime rate and struggling institutions.
“The prosecutor told us they didn’t have the ability to defend a witness in El Salvador,” says Gloria, who gathered up her family and a bag of clothes, and fled on a two-day overland bus journey to Costa Rica, where they knew no one.
But now, at the age of 45, she’s rebuilding her dream with support from Costa Rica, including Fundación Mujer. It hosts frequent competitions where enterprising refugees of both sexes pitch their products and can win seed money. The Ministry of Economy, meanwhile, provides talks and workshops to help the entrepreneurs navigate Costa Rica’s business landscape.
With their help, Gloria has been able to make a prototype of a new line of massage oils, and, using the start-up funds that she won, she bought ingredients and bottles to make her products. The trick, she says, is to use almond oil, which leaves the skin feeling smooth. She also used the money to rebrand her product.
“This is a new challenge,” she says. “I want it to look different.”
Despite her success, Gloria needs to complete more steps to get her business off the ground. Her products need lab testing to get a label of ingredients and a patent — a regulatory hurdle she did not have in El Salvador. She is unable to offer massages in her home, because she does not have a dedicated room for her business, which is required under Costa Rican law.
“We want a way to support ourselves.”
These costs are something Gloria cannot currently afford. She hopes that one day she can find other refugees and set up a shop where they all sell their products and share the cost of doing business in Costa Rica.
“We want a way to support ourselves,” she explains.
Costa Rica is one of six regional countries applying the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework. Known by the Spanish acronym MIRPS, the framework calls for a greater emphasis on refugee self-reliance and support to host communities, alongside stronger partnerships. The approach underpins a new global compact on refugees which is expected to be adopted by the UN General Assembly by the end of 2018.
The ability to learn in a safe place allows refugees to develop their business ideas, even if they do not succeed the first time, like Yasid Areiza, a 28-year-old refugee from Colombia who had an idea to start a mobile car-wash business.
After adapting and fixing his pitch over the course of a few years, he finally managed to win start-up money from Fundación Mujer at a competition.
“There were 30 or 40 people in the first competition I went to and everyone got seed money except for me,” Yasid said.
His idea was too general, the judges said. So Yasid went back to the drawing board and with help from classes offered to refugees, he was able to formulate a new spray that would let him wash cars with a minimal amount of water. The new design also allowed him to fit everything he needed to wash a car into a backpack instead of a van, which is what he originally pitched.
He studied examples of successful products across Latin America and further refined the concept. Then he went to the competition with a spray bottle and hubcap in hand and presented his new idea. This time, he was granted the start-up funds, and hopes his business will now take off.
“That’s what the seed money is for,” he says, “to organize the logistics, the permits and to get started.”
José María Figueres, Ferrer, on December 1, 1948, when with a hammer blow at the Bellavista Barracks, now the National Museum, he abolished the Army.
Days before Costa Rica celebrates the 70th anniversary of the abolition of its army, the Government of President Carlos Alvarado Quesada expressed its firm support for the bill “Celebración Nacional del 1 de Diciembre como Día de la Abolición del Ejército” (National Celebration of December 1 as Day of the Abolition of the Army), presented by the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) legislators.
Don Pepe hitting the walls of the Bellavista Barracks on December 1, 1948 in celebration of the abolition of the national army. Photo Casa Presidencial
The Minister of the Presidency, Rodolfo Piza Rocafort, also announced that the Executive Branch will convene this project to extraordinary sessions, which begin in December.
The bill modifies article 148 of the Labor Code so that the day is considered a “feriado de pago no obligatorio” (non-obligatory holiday), replacing the October 12 holiday, and proposes that the Executive Branch organize events throughout the country in celebration of this important commemoration.
While the date has been officially commemorated since 1986, the current initiative would establish December 1 as a day off from work.
“The abolition of the army is one of the most politically relevant decisions of our nearly 200 years of republican existence, and it is an essential part of our national identity,” Alvarado said in a press statement, which he also shared on Twitter.
La abolición del ejército: de las decisiones políticas más relevantes de nuestra identidad nacional. Por ello, apoyamos el proyecto de ley “Celebración Nacional del 1 de Diciembre como Día de la Abolición del Ejército” presentado por @DiputadosPLN. https://t.co/Lg31twS9Ow
Then-president Jose Maria Figueres Ferrer, who headed up a provisional military government, grounded in the new constitution the army’s abolition to ensure that militarism would not undermine Costa Rica’s future democracy.
Don Pepe. José María Hipólito Figueres Ferrer (25 October 1906 – 8 June 1990), Benemérito de la Patria (Ben Emeritus of the Fatherland) and three times President (1948–1949, 1953–1958 and 1970–1974) was born in San Ramón de Alajuela. He was the son of Don Mariano Figueres Forges and of Francisca Ferrer Minguella.
After the civil war, Figueres became President at the head of a provisional junta known as the “Junta Fundadora” (Founding Council) that held power for 18 months. During that time he took several actions, in addition to the abolition of the army, among others:
Enabled women and illiterates to vote
Put into effect basic welfare legislation
Nationalized the banking sector
Outlawed the Communist Party
Guaranteed public education for all
Gave afro descendants the right to vote, as well as access to Costarrican nationality
Established civil service to eliminate the spoils system in government
In the abolition of the army, Figueres said he was inspired to disarm Costa Rica by H.G. Wells “Outline of History”, which he read in 1920 while at MIT. “The future of mankind cannot include armed forces. Police, yes, because people are imperfect.”, he declared.
In 1953, Figueres created the Partido Liberacion Nacional (PLN), the most successful party in Costa Rican political history.
Ever since, Costa Rica has had no army and has maintained national police force (Fuerza Publica), becoming one of only a handful of nations worldwide that have no official national army.
After the presidency, as an acknowledged elder statesman, Figueres became a roving ambassador for subsequent administrations. He has been considered to be the most important political figure in Costa Rica’s history.
Figueres married Henrietta Boggs of Alabama in 1942. They had two children, Muni and José Martí, before the marriage ended in divorce in 1952. He later married Karen Olsen Beck of New York. They had four children, José María, Karen Christiana, Mariano and Kirsten. His wife was a member of the country’s Legislative Assembly.
His son, José María Figueres Olsen, also served as president from 1994 to 1998. His daughter, Christiana Figueres, is a Costa Rican diplomat who served from 2010 to 2016 as the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and is widely considered to be the architect of the Paris Agreement.
December 1 celebrations
Este 1° de diciembre Costa Rica cumple 70 años de haber abolido el ejército. Iniciamos la celebración de esta fecha y por eso varios edificios del Estado se pintarán de los colores patrios.
Tenemos 70 años de ser ejemplo para el mundo #AbolicionCR#CRsinEjercito#NoOlvidarpic.twitter.com/W2y9OHbRin
Celebrations this Saturday, December 1, include a series of official activities in the National Museum, former Bellavista Barracks, across from the Legislative Assembly.
At the Centro Cultural e Histórico José Figueres Ferrer (CCHJFF), located in San Ramón, will celebrate this historic event with a special cultural agenda, which began on Tuesday and runs until Saturday.
The activities at the CCHJFF include music, film, history, activities for children, exhibitions, dance and educational programs.
Casa Presidencial has been posting on the social networks an audiovisual campaign with testimonials from Costa Ricans and foreigners about the importance of this date and what would have been the course of the country if this historic decision had not been taken.
A law aimed at reducing Colombia’s female homicide rate — of three killings per day — has struggled to secure convictions as people tend to blame or disbelieve women and excuse men for violence, experts said Thursday.
Girls paint a banner during a demonstration to protest the violence against and killings of women, in Cartagena, Colombia, Oct. 27, 2016. The words at bottom left read: “Colombia Femicide Free.”
Only 17 convictions have been handed down since Colombia introduced a law in 2015 that defines and punishes the killing of a woman because of her gender — known as femicide — as a specific crime, a study found.
Most killings were carried out by former boyfriends or husbands, and sentences ranged from 10 to 49 years in prison, according to the study by U.N. Women and Colombia’s National University.
“The biggest challenge we have is to increase conviction rates,” Mario Enrique Gomez, a state prosecutor, said at a conference in Bogota on combating gender violence. “It is imperative to believe the voices of women and girl victims.”
U.N. figures show that globally in 2012, nearly half of slain women were killed by a partner or ex-partner. This compared with one in 20 for men.
Acceptance of violence
Studies show Latin America is home to 14 of the 25 countries with the world’s highest rates of femicide, and many women accept violence as a normal part of life, campaigners say.
Earlier this year, Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope, called for lawmakers to protect women and spoke out against the “machismo” culture in Latin America.
The report also found attitudes among state prosecutors and society at large are stifling efforts to get more and tougher convictions for femicide.
Almost a quarter of 88 judges and prosecutors interviewed said Colombia’s femicide law had done little to change perceptions that often condone the crime, such as “she provoked him,” “he loved her too much” or male jealousy.
In addition, women who report being victims of domestic violence are motivated by revenge, nearly half of 21 prosecutors who deal with the crime told researchers.
Gomez said Colombia needs to combat rising rates of domestic violence to prevent femicide. One in 10 women who are murdered had previously filed reports of domestic violence, he said.
“The most important thing is to end the culture of impunity,” Ana Guezmes Garcia, head of U.N. Women in Colombia, told the conference, describing violence against women as a “worldwide pandemic.”
Taking inspiration from Cuba, Nicolás Maduro has recently decided that tourism will now only be only for foreigners or for “well off” Venezuelans, since he announced that the regime will charge in foreign currencies and cryptocurrencies for tourist services in some “economic zones.”
Tourism has plummeted in Venezuela following economic collapse and social unrest (Twitter).
In Cuba, only foreign citizens and Cubans with foreign currency can enjoy tourism, and in Venezuela the policy will be the same: Venezuelans will not be able to enjoy their own tourism destinations.
Maduro announced Monday that on the islands of Margarita and La Tortuga, as well as the Gran Roque archipelago and some of the beaches of Falcon state (the country’s major tourism destinations) that “all” payments for tourist services will be made “in international currency, with the proviso that they will also accept major cryptocurrencies.”
In Venezuela, the people endure exchange control whereby citizens can not freely access foreign currency, and where the minimum wage is less than USD $6. Now Venezuelans will not be able to enjoy the renowned Margarita Island, for example, unless they have foreign currency.
“The policy applies to all services that are provided, from the payment for airfare, hotels, yachts, food, and gifts,” said Maduro.
Thus, Maduro’s dictatorship isolates Venezuelans even more and discriminates against them by denying them the possibility of having access to tourism goods and services in their own country.
The same thing happens in Cuba, where the inhabitants of the island can only enjoy tourism if they have foreign currency and the permission of the state.
In Venezuela “there is no tourism”
Faced with this serious economic, political, and social crisis in Venezuela, foreign tourism has become almost non-existent, particularly in the wake of high levels of violence and insecurity that have overwhelmed the South American country.
The tourism sector is considerably impacted by the economic and social problems that Venezuela is enduring, which has resulted in a decrease in trips to the island of Margarita and other destinations in the country, and in the deterioration of hotel operability.
For the president of the Tourism Bureau of Margarita, Julio Arnaldes, the national market has been more affected in 2018 because the hotel occupancy rates have dropped between 40% and 60%.
For his part, the vice president of the Venezuelan Association of Tourism Representatives and Wholesale Companies (Avemarep), Reinaldo Pulido, clarified that every time there are fewer seats and flights, transportation by road is increasingly precarious, and there are problems for hotels because they often lack public services such as electricity and water.
“Right now, annual tourism arrivals are under 125,000 people,” Pulido said in a recent radio interview.
The South American country faces a war economy characterized by a shortage of food and medicines. It also faces serious failures in public services and high levels of violence that make it in the most insecure country in the region, and the least attractive country for tourism.
Venezuela is dollarized only for those who can afford it
After the rampant devaluation of the bolivar and skyrocketing hyperinflation in Venezuela, its people now use the dollar for commercial transactions and savings, despite the iron-fisted exchange control established by the Maduro regime.
Venezuelans use the dollar for the purchase and sale of real estate and vehicles, but also for transactions involving electronic items, appliances, clothing, toys, and even second-hand footwear.
The crisis has obligated Venezuelans to prefer the use of the dollar. Although it is not a legal phenomenon, it is becoming quite common.
Now in Venezuela rents for commercial properties are charged in dollars, but also services and private medical consultations.
Not all Venezuelans have dollars, however, and salaries paid in bolivars fetch only small amounts of foreign currency.
Luis Oliveros, a Venezuelan economist, said through his Twitter account that paying for goods and services in dollars in Venezuela will “become increasingly normal” and expects that the country’s economy will be dollarized.
The economist explained that Venezuelans will now seek ways to receive more dollars, even by enlisting the help of their relatives abroad and the sending of remittances.
Oliveros added that everything indicates that by 2019 hyperinflation will continue, which means greater “devastation”, so he predicts that the prices of more goods and services will be dollarized.
“Is it healthy? Is it good? Do I like it? Better not talk about it? It doesn’t matter!!!! It’s what happens when the currency collapses,” he said.
Venezuela is going through the worst economic crisis in its history, with widespread shortages and hyperinflation, which the International Monetary Fund estimates will reach 2,500,000% this year.
Faced with this situation, Venezuelans seek to “protect” their finances by charging in foreign currency despite the risk of doing so in the midst of exchange control and the persecution by the state, which seeks to crack down on dollar usage by Venezuelan citizens.
Socialist firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has revealed major gaps in her understanding of basic government (PanAm Post).
A 29-year-old Latina, the youngest in history elected to Congress, made headlines with her triumph in the 2018 midterm elections. But, now, what propelled her to victory has turned her into a target of criticism: her lack of preparation.
Socialist firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has revealed major gaps in her understanding of basic government (PanAm Post).
She is the intellectual heir of the presidential candidate, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who shook the Democratic party with a call for “democratic socialism.” Like him, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants to offer everything for free to voters, financed by the taxes of others.
The triumph of Ocasio-Cortez exposes not only her academic deficiencies, but those of a whole generation, thanks to the standardization of the equation that brought with it strong features of state indoctrination.
Hillary Clinton herself said she lost to Donald Trump because “Bernie offered free ponies for everyone.” And that is the new trend within the Democratic Party, particularly when appealing to young people, to pretend that the state will finance health, education and even housing, whatever the cost, even despite destroying the entire Republican structure.
In a recent video broadcast on social networks, elected lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explained that Democrats need to regain control of “the three chambers of Congress.”
Then she corrected herself, and claimed they needed to control the three chambers of the government, but misidentified those three.
That is to say, the congresswoman-to-be did not know the basic structure of the republic that demands that none of the three powers have more power than another, so that there is a separation of powers.
These are: executive (presidential branch), legislative (parliament), and judicial.
Her video exploits belie her ignorance. In the case of a bicameral system, as its name suggests, two chambers, not three, are required to approve legislation: The House of Representatives as the voice of the people, and (originally) the Senate as the voice of the states (senators were originally appointed by state legislatures until the 20th century, when they were popularly elected).
In another event during her post-election tour, she said before cameras that in January she will be “inaugurated” the 3rd of January, and will start signing laws on the 4th, when, in fact, the legislators are not inaugurated and do not sign laws: that function corresponds to the president.
But the ignorance of the legislator is not limited to political knowledge: it also extends to the economic sphere, since she speaks of “free stuff” when it comes to state services, despite its enormous tax cost; this, despite having a graduate degree in economics.
So the question arises: is her lack of economic knowledge for real…or is it feigned for electoral reasons?
Then, a few weeks ago when they consulted the elected legislator about what should be done in case that the Supreme Court reverses the ruling (Roe vs Wade) that allowed the legalization of abortion at the federal level, she responded: “we should abolish the Supreme Court.”
Actor James Woods, who has faced threats of constant expulsions from social media for his conservative political criticism, argues that “the power of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should not be underestimated.”
In addition, he insists that “socialism, although it is a poison, is a deeply seductive political drug.”
She is three months away from assuming her office, and has no way to pay the rent for her DC apartment. This event should be used as propaganda to reflect the shortcomings of her generation.
She gave up her job in a bar to undertake a political crusade consisting of taking power, and demanding that the state, with its citizens’ taxes, finance the health, education, and housing of citizens.
That is, instead of setting an example, being the voice of a generation that strives to get ahead and contributes to the economy and therefore to society, she comes to the government demanding everything for nothing.
Ocasio-Cortez defended herself against the ridicule by claiming that the Republicans, instead of “drooling” over her statements, should have the courage to take her on the point they want to highlight: “they do not believe that the state health service is a right.”
That is to say, for her, the problem is not that she does not know what her job consists of or how the government works: the real problem is the lack of socialized medicine.
But both ignorance and contempt for republican institutions are not limited to Ocasio-Cortez. Also this week, another Latina woman, senator Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, former president of Argentina, called the division of powers obsolete and proposed to “update” it. And her appeal focused mainly, like Ocasio-Cortez, on underestimating the judicial branch (very convenient for those who have outstanding criminal charges against them.”
Both are the reflection of the contemporary left: more focused on the appearance, the ethnicity, the sex, of their candidates than their proposals. Because this fits with their rhetoric of victimhood, and the state as the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-giving father of all.
Prince Mohammed Bin Salman gets off his airplane at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza airport.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman arrived in Buenos Aires at around 7 am on Wednesday and, thus, became the first international dignatary to touch Argentine soil for the G-20 Summit.
Prince Mohammed Bin Salman gets off his airplane at Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza airport.
Other world leaders due in Buenos Aires by Wednesday evening are France’s President Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong.
Bin Salman’s arrival drew particular attention not only for being the first leader to land at Ezeiza airport, but also for Human Right Watch’s petition before the Argentine courts that he be tried for human rights violations under the universal justice principle which recognises no specific jurisdiction for that type of crimes.
The Saudi prince is said to have personally ordered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashogi in October in Turkey. He is also blamed for humanitarian law violations in Yemen that led to numerous deaths of civilians and many more wounded in Saudi-led military attacks.
Buenos Aires authorities have strengthened all security measures at the Saudi embassy by placing armoured glass and additional fences around the building.
A larger-scale police presence was ordered for all the diplomatic representations of countries attending the Summit, it was reported.
Leftwing and anti-Summit organisations have announced they will be marching all over Buenos Aires and probably in other parts of Argentina to protest against the meeting.
Peronists and Kirchnerites, meanwhile, are said to have opted for a low key attitude, with no public appearances scheduled for the duration of the encounter.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order targeting sanctioning Rosario Murillo, Nicaragua’s vice-president and wife of President Daniel Ortega, and one of his aides under a new executive order allowing Washington to target Nicaraguan officials for a crackdown on anti-government protests.
Rosario Murillo, the real power behind President Ortega?
The U.S. Treasury said it had used the new executive order to punish Murillo, Ortega’s wife, and Nestor Moncada Lau, accusing them of undermining Nicaragua’s democracy.
The step will have the effect of freezing any property owned by Murillo and Moncada that falls under U.S. jurisdiction and of barring U.S. individuals, banks and other entities from carrying out any transactions with them.
There was no immediate response from the Nicaraguan government.
The U.S. is trying to influence Ortega.
“It’s a message to President Ortega to find an exit strategy and to begin a process for … free and fair elections,” a senior Trump administration official told reporters on condition of anonymity. “It’s an opportunity to find some type of solution … to the crisis that they have created.”
Published in 100% Noticias
Earlier this month, U.S. national security adviser John R. Bolton said in a speech that Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba comprise a “troika of tyranny.” He promised a comprehensive, new administration approach to confront leftist, anti-democratic regimes in the Western Hemisphere.
“This Troika of Tyranny, this triangle of terror stretching from Havana to Caracas to Managua, is the cause of immense human suffering, the impetus of enormous regional instability, and the genesis of a sordid cradle of communism in the Western Hemisphere,” Mr. Bolton said. “The United States looks forward to watching each corner of the triangle fall. . . . The Troika will crumble.”
Since the protests began on April 18 of this year, more than 300 people (and as many as 500) have been killed and at least 2,000 injured in crackdowns by police and armed groups.
Ortega, 72, who ruled the country from 1979 to 1990 after the toppling of U.S.-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza, has held elected office as president since 2007. In that election, Murillo, who held a prominent position in her husband’s administration, was officially elected as vice-president, as a possible continuation of the Ortega-Murillo dynasty.
The current violence comes after years of calm and is the worst since his Sandinista movement battled U.S.-backed “Contra” rebels in the 1980s.
On April 18 protests began in April over government plans to cut welfare benefits and then escalated into broader opposition to Ortega, who in July rejected the idea of calling a early elections before the next scheduled presidential election, due in late 2020.
In announcing the sanctions, the U.S. Treasury accused Murillo of dismantling Nicaragua’s democratic institutions and looting its wealth in an effort to consolidate power.
It described Moncada as acting as a national security adviser to both Ortega and Murillo. While he does not have an official position in the government, he is believed to have considerable influence over the national police.
Moncada’s involvement in intelligence operations with the Sandinista party stretches back to the early years of the revolution in the 1980s.
For Pineda, having the desk as part of the historic collection of the Center, “is very important because it consolidates the conformation of the institution’s collection”.
Avianca, Copa and United are already tied through a code-sharing partnership. All three carriers are members of Star Alliance.
“I made some very bad choices when I was treasurer, and for that I am very sorry from the bottom of my heart,” said Andrade. “To this day, I am convinced the decision I made [to cooperate] is the right one.”
