Pregnant teens in Casa Campo in La Dalia. PRESS / L.E. M
(Today Nicaragua) Health authorities reported today 12 new cases of Zika in the country, bringintthe total to 1,863 patients, of which 986 are pregnant.
Of the 12 positive samples that were added between yesterday and today, seven are of pregnant women, according to the report by the Ministry of Health (MoH) announced by the coordinator of the Council of Communication and Citizenship, Rosario Murillo, through official media .
So far, in Nicaragua only one birth of a child with microcephaly associated zika has been reported, the daughter of a woman who suffered from the disease during pregnancy.
On May 5 an epidemiological alert was declared throughout the national territory due to increased cases of dengue, chikungunya and zika, spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquitos.
The first cases of Zika in Nicaragua were reported by the government on January 27
(QHumour) “The shameful road to Cartago will receive the independence torch” is the title the Crhoy.com humour where we see President Luis Guillermo Solis ready to run off to his next away trip to the U.S. and Colombia.
24 of the 81 cantones across the country will allow the sale of alcohol on September 15
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24 of the 81 cantones across the country will allow the sale of alcohol on September 15
(QCOSTARICA) 24 of 81 municipalities (cantones) across the country said “no” to the Ley Seca (prohibition) for independence day, on Thursday.
The Unión Nacional de Gobiernos Locales (UNGL) – union of local governments – this afternoon (Wednesday) released of list of municipalities where beer, wine and liquor will be flowing.
San José province:
Alajuelita
Desamparados
Escazú
León Cortés
Mora (Cuidad Colon)
Alajuela province:
Atenas
Guatuso
Palmares
San Carlos
Heredia province:
San Rafael
Sarapiquí
Cartago province:
La Unión
Oreamuno
Guanacaste province:
Abangares
Carrillo
Nicoya
Santa Cruz (includes the town of Tamarindo)
Limón province:
Guácimo
Pococí
Talamanca
Puntarenas province:
Coto Brus
Buenos Aires
Golfito
Quepos
There could be some last-minute changes as some municipal councils have yet to report their decision either way.
(Prensa Latina) Genera – The U.S. blockade against Cuba is a violation of international law and a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of human rights of the people of the Caribbean nation, Anayansi Rodriguez, permanent representative in Geneva, denounced today.
The Cuban ambassador to the UN in this European city participated in an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the negative impacts of the unilateral coercive measures. She said the people of her country know well the consequences of those measures.
‘Cuba, whose people have suffered an economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States for more than 55 years, knows well the damages that unilateral coercive measures could cause,’ she said.
This siege is the main obstacle to the development of the Caribbean nation, and economic damage caused during nearly six decades of application amounts to US$753.6 million dollars, considering the depreciation of the dollar relative to gold, she added.
‘Although the government of President Barack Obama has introduced some modifications to the blockade and has urged the Congress to lift it, essential aspects of this policy are still in force,’ Rodriguez said.
The permanent representative considered that in order to advance in the process towards the normalization of ties between Havana and Washington, the unilateral and unconditional lifting of the blockade against Cuba will be required. ‘It should never exist and should cease once and for all.’
The ambassador reaffirmed her country’s position to defend that the international investment regime is not ‘autonomous,’ but should be in line with the United Nations Charter and international human rights treaties.
‘She also agreed on the need that binding obligations for investors and companies in trade and investment agreements should join,’ she added.
(Today Cuba) Cuban Telecommunications Enterprise – Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A. (ETECSA) – this week signed important deals, with Mexico’s Telcel and Puerto Rico’s Claro (a subsidiary of Telcel Mexico).
According to the ETECSA press release, the International Roaming Agreement between both companies will enable service for roaming voice, text and data to customers of the Operator Claro in Puerto Rico, which travel to Cuba .
So, those traveling to the island and users of Claro Puerto Rico Co. could use their mobile phones in the ETECSA network.
Once the implementation period and technical tests both operators are performing expires, operations will start, the text adds.
Irmarie Cervera, assistant manager for Corporate Relations and Publicity of the Puerto Rican company, said that those benefited from this agreement will be all customers in Puerto Rico with international roaming service.
‘We are pleased to strengthen our large comprehensive roaming service in 179 countries of the four continents, 32 airlines and some 100 cruise companies around the world’, said Enrique Ortiz de Montellano, president and chief executive officer of Claro Puerto Rico.
President Ortega Calls for Unity of Central America after receiving the torch of independence in Managua. The torch, symbolizing the unity of Central America countries after freedom from Spain, is making its way from Guatemala to Costa Rica.
(Today Nicaragua) Nicaragua’s President, Daniel Ortega, called for the unity of Central America, after receiving the torch of freedom during an emotional cultural event attended by a 600-voice student choir.
‘This is the message this tour has left us and the most important thing is that the youth of the region have brought this message, of the need for Central American union,’ Ortega said in reference to the torch.
The regional symbol entered the country on Saturday, September 10th, from Honduras and will be delivered to Costa Rica on Tuesday.
‘The Central American Union is necessary to make the region stronger, in order to bring its peoples more welfare, culture, education and health,’ Ortega added.
Rosario Murillo, Coordinator of the Communication and Citizenship Council, as well as government officials, students and young people known for their integrity, also attended the cultural activity.
The torch, which has been traveling through Central America since the early 60s represents the freedom and independence of the people; it will travel 503 kilometers in Nicaraguan. It will be carried by 12,800 young people from the Federation of High School Students and the ‘Alexis Arguello’ Sports Movement.
Artistic and cultural festivals are also being held in departmental and municipal capitals during its passage through different regions of the country.
Subsequently, the flame will be handed over to the education authorities of Costa Rica at the border of Peñas Blancas.
The torch has been traditionally carried by students. It has been received by government officials in each border country in the region, as a symbol through which they seek to preserve freedom and peace.
Central American countries will commemorate 195 years of independence from Spain on September 15th.
The head of the Congress Foreign Committee, opposition deputy Luis Florido, said the government of President Nicolás Maduro “turns its back on Venezuelans” by wasting more than US$120 million dollars in the 17th Non-Aligned Movement Summit
(Today Venezuela) The 17th Non-Aligned Movement Summit has opened on Tuesday in Margarita Island, north-eastern Nueva Esparta state, where the Venezuelan government expects to welcome more than 10,000 representatives from 120 nations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and other parts of the world.
Nevertheless, Luis Florido, the head of the Congress Foreign Committee, on Tuesday said that out of 120 delegations, only 11 would attend the meeting because, in his words, the government has “lost the support of the international community.”
The legislator added that the administration of President Nicolás Maduro “turns its back on Venezuelans” when squandering over USD 120 million in the summit taking place in the next six days.
Florido termed a “perverse move” the government attempts to hide through this event “the political, social and humanitarian crisis, human rights violations, and lack of democracy” in the Caribbean nation.
(Insightcrime.org) Experts say extrajudicial killings have jumped alarmingly since the Venezuelan government began a new anti-crime initiative last year, further suggesting that security forces could be involved in death squad-like activity.
Inti Rodríguez, coordinator of the Venezuelan human rights organization PROVEA, told El Nuevo Herald that “more than 700 extrajudicial executions have been committed” since Operation Liberation and Protection of the People (Operación de Liberación y Protección del Pueblo – OLP) began in July 2015.
“We are talking about 450 such executions so far this year, and 245 last year,” said Rodríguez, adding that the OLP security forces “are out to kill.”
Originally billed as a citizen security initiative by the Venezuelan government, the stated purpose of the OLP is to to reclaim territories controlled by criminal gangs and other armed groups by deploying heavily-armed police and military units to those areas. However, the effort has been marred by human rights concerns since its inception.
The 245 deaths linked to OLP operations that PROVEA documented in 2015 represent a 150 percent increase over the average number of deaths at the hands of Venezuelan security forces in the last 25 years, Efecto Cucuyo reported.
According to Javier Ignacio Mayorca, an InSight Crime contributor and expert on crime in Venezuela, police have been given broad leeway during OLP operations. “Every time they launch an OLP there are 15 or 16 deaths during supposed confrontations,” Mayorca told El Nuevo Herald.
Mayorca likened the phenomenon to past instances of “social cleansing” in Colombia by “extermination groups.”
“A police official rarely emerges with even a scratch from these alleged confrontations,” he said.
Echoing such statements, Marco Antonio Ponce, director of the Venezuelan Conflict Observatory (Observatorio Venezolano de la Conflictiviad), told El Nuevo Herald that OLP operations have served to “institutionalize” extrajudicial killings by Venezuelan security forces, resulting in the murders of suspected criminals and residents in poor areas.
Instead of being a remedy for violence and crime, Ponce said OLP operations “have only brought about more violence.”
Citizen insecurity in Venezuela has been steadily worsening as the country’s political and economic turmoil has grown. And critics say the OLP initiative has failed to achieve its goals, instead generating a number of human rights abuses.
For instance, Inti Rodríguez’s comments follow the April release of a report published by Human Rights Watch and PROVEA, titled “Unchecked Power: Police and Military Raids in Low-Income and Immigrant Communities in Venezuela,” which documented 20 cases of alleged extrajudicial killings by security forces during OLP raids in 2015. Eyewitness testimony suggests a number of these deaths were falsely registered as cases of armed criminals being killed during “confrontations” with police.
Nonetheless, it is difficult to disentangle the government’s motives for heavy-handed security actions. For instance, a recent report by Venezuelan media organization RunRun.es documented the involvement of armed pro-government groups known as colectivos in OLP operations, suggesting the government may be using anti-crime raids as a pretext to stifle protest and silence an increasingly mobilized opposition.
There is, however, an alternative — though not mutually exclusive — explanation. Criminals groups have increasingly targeted Venezuelan security personnel in order to steal their weapons and as a response to heightened security pressure. Given Venezuela’s over-burdened judicial system, security forces seeking vengeance may simply deem it more efficient to dispense their own brand of justice.
From Today Colombia- A shallow, 5.9 magnitude earthquake rattled residents of Colombia’s second-largest city of Medellin on Tuesday night in the country’s biggest tremor in over a year.
Colombia’s natural disaster office said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck shortly before 9 p.m. local time near the western town of Mutata.
The tremor had a depth of 10 miles (4 kilometers) and was felt as far away as the capital, Bogota.
While the quake startled people relaxing at home it barely registered among soccer fans attending a match in Medellin between Atletico Nacional and Bolivar from Bolivia.
Colombia is a seismically active country with a large potential for damage owing to its mountainous terrain and location along the Pacific Ocean ring of fire.
Policemen secure a crime scene where five men were killed in the town of Olocuilta, El Salvador January 2016. | Photo: Reuters
(Q24N) Insightcrime.org – A new report indicates that Central American states have increasingly relied on the military to fight crime with help from the United States, a decision which may bear consequences for human rights and levels of violence within the young democracies.
Policemen secure a crime scene where five men were killed in the town of Olocuilta, El Salvador January 2016. | Photo: Reuters
The Costa Rica based State of the Nation Program (Programa Estado de la Nación – PEN) presented its most recent regional study on the political, social and economic situations of Central American countries in Managua last week.
The 5th Report on the Regional State of Human Development (Quinto Informe Estado de la Región en Desarrollo Humano) — which was previously disclosed in Guatemala at the beginning of August and in Costa Rica at the start of September — reveals the extent of the militarization process in the fight against crime, a regional trend which is particularly strong in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
According to the 436-page report, the size of the military increased by more than 50 percent in three of the four above-mentioned countries between 2008 and 2014. Guatemala takes the lead with 57.3 percent military growth during that period, followed closely by Honduras and El Salvador, with 51.5 and 50.9 percent respectively.
The militarization process was in large part enabled by US financial support provided under the banner of fighting organized crime. Out of the total $768 million of military and police assistance donated by Washington between 2004 and 2014 to Central America, $410 million was introduced at a regional level through mechanisms such as the Central American Integration System, while the rest was donated directly, in particular the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Guatemala comes first once again with a total of $132 million in US military aid.
Washington’s role in the militarization process extends beyond financing. According to the report, the US sold more than $2 billion worth of military weapons and equipment to Central America during that same ten-year period, between 2004 and 2014. Honduras’ accounted for $1.5 billion, or over 75 percent of the total.
Beyond the figures, the report points out that militarization can also be seen through the extension of the military’s mandate in these countries. Governments have increasingly used the military for internal security objectives and in order to maintain social stability. For example, El Salvador witnessed 11 executive decrees between 2003 and 2013 which allowed the army to participate in police operations.
The PEN report also points with alarm to the increasing partisanship of Nicaragua’s military and President Daniel Ortega’s attempt to gain greater control of the more politicized armed forces.
The authors of the report sum up this pattern by arguing that “the fight against crime and drug trafficking has paved the way for militarization in areas of public safety.”
Militarization of the fight against organized crime in Central America has to be considered within the context of young democracies attempting — and in large part failing — to fortify their justice and law enforcement institutions.
For Northern Triangle states, strong criminal structures constitute a direct threat to democracy due to the widespread corruption, violence and significant economic costs that come with them. These states are steadily working towards creating efficient police and judicial bodies, as seen by Honduras’ police purge or Guatemala’s efforts with the United Nations-backed anticorruption body CICIG.
However, non-military institutions have generally failed to rein in crime and violence to acceptable levels, prompting governments fall back on the military to combat organized crime. This political decision is often facilitated by the general public’s view of the army as a less corrupt and more effective institution.
Contrary to these common perceptions, soldiers are no less immune to illicit financial incentives. This is especially true when they are moved to the frontline in the struggle against organized crime, where police and judicial bodies have been discredited. Examples of military operatives being corrupted include Venezuela’s “Cartel of Suns,” a network of military officers involved in drug trafficking, and Mexico’s notoriously violent Zetas Cartel, former special forces who left the military to work for drug cartels and eventually formed a cartel of their own. Central American examples include links between members of the Guatemalan military and criminal structures.
Another justification for a militarized response to organized crime is the increased capacity and militarization of criminal structures, which often can outgun and outmaneuver the police. While it is true that criminal groups are gaining easier access to more lethal weapons, repeated confrontations with the military may constitute a strong incentive for them to do so.
In El Salvador, gangs have reportedly acquired more assault rifles and sought military training in response to a militarized government crackdown on them.
Beyond the considerable risk of soldiers being corrupted, militarization of crime fighting without strong institutional safeguards can actually fuel violence. Soldiers — with the notable exception of members of “gendarmeries” — are neither trained nor equipped to apprehend criminals. They train to kill the enemy. Having soldiers on the streets has proved counterproductive in terms of respect for human rights as well as homicide rates.
(QCOSTARICA) A rise in crime in Costa Rica can be directly attributed to drug trafficking, a rise in drug-related murders contributing to the homicide rate almost doubling in the last decade and a half.
According to the report by Crhoy.com, battles for turf between local drug gangs in Costa Rica is responsible for 399 murders recorded last year.
The homicide rate last year (2015) was 11.5 per 100,000 people, nearly as twice as the 6.3 in 2000.
The Minister of Security, Gustavo Mata, said that criminality in the country now revolves around the illegal drug trade, whereas in the past it largely consisted of bank robberies, vehicular theft and kidnappings.
The minister attributes the change to the presence of Colombian and Mexican criminal organizations operating in Costa Rica, leading to the formation of local structures allied with the larger international drug cartels.
Another change pointed out by minister Mata is the role of Costa Rica in the drug trade, local operators received cash for the transport of the illegal drugs through the country, rather now the local gangs are being given drugs, mainly cocaine, as payment as payment, which is then sold on the local market.
“Local drug dealing generates a number of homicides produced by rival groups battling for territory,” Mata told a meeting of regional security officials discussing anti-drug trafficking strategies, according to the Crhoy.com report.
Official statistics indicate Costa Rica has had 371 homicides so far this 2016, 16 fewer than the 387 recorded during the same period last year.
Although the increase in violence in the country is alarming among authorities and the public, violence levels in Costa Rica is pale compared to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
To combat the increase in violence, Mata has called for the creation of a new crime-fighting unit that would investigate “every homicide” suspected of having links to drug trafficking and the drug cartels (organized crime).
The drums are part of the Independence Day (Sept 15) tradition in Costa Rica
The drums are part of the Independence Day (Sept 15) tradition in Costa Rica
TICO BULL by Rico – If you are visiting or new to living in Costa Rica, you may be wondering what’s all the drumming about. It’s Independence Day (Día de la Independencia) and drumming is part of the tradition.
For the past more or so, children at schools all over the country have been practicing beating the drums, some taking part in any of the number of parades in small towns or cities on Thursday. It’s impossible to live in a small community (or close to a school in San Jose) without hearing the drumming all around you.
Today, Tuesday (Sept 13) the Independence Torch is set to arrive at the Peñas Blancas border, from Nicaragua, and then make its way to Cartago, for the ceremony on Thursday (Sept 15). All part of the tradition.
Across the country there will be parades, parties and more.
And the beating of the drums is part of it all.
BTW, Thursday is a legal holiday, professional and government offices and banks are closed. Many retail stores and commercial centres will also close for the day.
(PANAMPOST) When do the events that lead to the end of an authoritarian regime begin to accelerate? Nobody can tell for sure.
In the case of Poland, for example, a trade union called “Solidarity” organized the strikes of 1980, which became the crack in the dike for communism. Meanwhile in Romania, the situation began with protests in Timisoara.
So will Villa Rosa be the Timisoara of Nicolás Maduro’s government?
After returning to Bucharest from an international tour in Iran, Nicolae Ceaușescu discovered he had lost control of his country. A few days later, he would lose his life.
It was his arrogance during his final days — refusing to see what was obvious to everyone else — and trying to repress popular protests — that accelerated his fatal end.
President Maduro has been stumbling around in Venezuela for a long time. But a breaking point seems to have been reached this last week.
On Thursday, September 1, there was a mass demonstration in Caracas that left President Nicolás Maduro dizzy from a technical knockout. The government attempted to confront it with threats, road closures and reports of an attempted coup. On Friday, Maduro himself had to flee Villa Rosa, located on Margarita Island, after several residents of the village confronted him with pots and pans.
Cacerolazo en Villa Rosa, Venezuela
The government’s response to these events, however, has been worse than the events themselves: they responded to the monumental but peaceful opposition protest in Caracas (proving Maduro and his people — who announced they expected violent actions from the protesters — quite wrong) by posting a fake picture of the alleged Chavista concentration on social media.
Their lie was exposed given that some buildings (built in Caracas in 2013) did not appear in the image, which forced Diosdado Cabello to issue an apology.
In the case of Villa Rosa, Minister of Communication and Information José Luis Marcano, said the cacerolazo in Margarita never happened. However, the authorities raided the buildings of the area and arrested more than 40 people (who were gradually released). Since that day, Nicolás Maduro has not been seen.
Cacerolazo en Villa Rosa, Venezuela
More than 72 hours later, public officials responded by marching “in solidarity with Maduro” in that same neighborhood of Margarita. It prompted a response worse than the cacerolazo.
Maduro cannot invent an international tour to cool off a bit; most likely, only Bolivia and Nicaragua would receive him. Even Cuba has announced that they asked Russia to provide oil to the island given Venezuela’s “supply difficulties.”
Economist Francisco Faraco said to the PanAm Post that this quarter of the year “This will be the worst year in the economic history of Venezuela,” Economist Francisco Faraco said.
Maduro cannot ask Mercosur for help because Venezuela is completely isolated. China already told him he must pay his debts if he wants more money. If Maduro looks for help on the inside, he finds a country whose people find him completely revolting.
Villa Rosa demonstrates that Maduro will maintain power by all means — democratic or otherwise. That means he will continue to repress those who speak out against him.
His administration has now imprisoned journalist Braulio Jatar and accused him of carrying thousands of dollars in his car. Moreover, it’s threatening to leave Villa Rosa without any food.
By that time, the referendum may come too late for Villa Rosa. It might be too late for the entire country.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro unties his tie during a rally in Caracas
(The Economist) WHATEVER his awful defects, Hugo Chávez showed it when he was riding high as Venezuela’s firebrand leader. So too did Fidel Castro when he played a similar role in Cuba. A strongman in a crisis needs charisma. Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s current president, has none.
Take, for example, the moment on September 2nd when his motorcade passed through the gritty municipality of Villa Rosa on the island of Margarita. This used to be a red district, whose residents mostly backed the ruling leftists in December’s elections. But that support is vanishing. Margarita, like the rest of the country, has seen months of food and power shortages and, in particular, a lack of running water. When locals heard the president was coming, they reacted with a show of cacerolazo—banging pots and pans.
Hearing the commotion, Mr Maduro tried working his charm on the masses as his predecessor might have done. But the jeering grew. After some brusque exchanges, he set off on a sort of defiant jog through the crowd. But it looked more like running away. At one stage he seemed to lash out at a saucepan-wielding lady.
This farce, recorded on mobile phones, soon went viral on social media, thanks to sharing by a prominent opposition journalist, Braulio Jatar. He has since been arrested and, supposedly coincidentally, charged with money-laundering. The incident capped a disastrous few days for the president. On September 1st the opposition held a march, dubbed the “taking of Caracas”. Despite government closures of roads and transport, as many as 1m protesters took to the streets. Their ostensible aim was to accelerate a “recall referendum” which could oust Mr Maduro: the pro-government electoral authorities are deliberately stalling. But, perhaps more significant, the march was a vivid demonstration that the Chavista movement is now outnumbered by the opposition.
Mr Maduro seems unable to accept that. During the “taking of Caracas”, he held his own rally. Tens of thousands of his supporters were there; many had been bused in by government vehicles. He derided the rival event, insisting that only 35,000 people had showed up. Wielding a guitar at one point, he used even cruder language than usual. On daytime TV, he called the head of the national assembly, Henry Ramos Allup, a “motherfucker”. In a bid to exaggerate his support, a huge TV screen was mounted behind the podium. Officials tweeted images of a big red-shirted march. It emerged that these actually showed another rally, from 2012, when Chávez was alive. A national assembly staffer who tried flying a drone over the opposition march, to show its size, was jailed.
A decree by the government-appointed supreme court to invalidate all future decisions by the national assembly has made a political solution elusive, at least while Mr Maduro hangs on. Will his cronies ditch him? Vladimir Villegas, an ex-ambassador who hosts talks between government and opposition, hinted at this. He told a Colombian newspaper, El Espectador, that those in power were struggling with the “new reality” that their term could be finite. Some might see Mr Maduro as dispensable, he said: a movement would not be sacrificed for “an already worn-out leadership.”
Oscar Arias, two time president of Costa Rica and winner of the Nobel Peace prize is expected to announce wether he will or will not seek the party nomination for a third presidency
Oscar Arias, the two time president of Costa Rica and winner of the Nobel Peace prize is expected to announce this week whether he will or will not seek the party nomination for a third presidency
QGOSSIP – Oscar Arias is expected to take to the airwaves tonight (Tuesday) to make an announcement about his political future.
The former president, who turns 76 today, is paying a national television network to let us know if he will or will not run for the presidential nomination of the Partido Liberacion Nacional (PLN) party for the February 2018 elections.
Rumours on Monday said the paid spot would be at 8:00pm Monday on all national channels, however, journalist Rocío Álvarez, told the media that the announcement will this week on only one national channel.
Last Friday, Arias told the media he had not yet made his decision and described as “speculation” is support for Antonio Alvarez (president of the Legislature) and Roberto Thompson (Mayor of Alajuela).
The former president added that, if his decision is not to run, it will be “a long time” before he publicly announces who he will support.
(QTECH) Internet access in Latin America and the Caribbean almost doubled between 2010 and 2015, although nearly half the population is still not connected, according to a survey by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Cepal).
The number of homes connected to the internet in the region grew 14.1% on average over the past five years, reaching 43.4% of the total in 2015, almost twice the rate of 2010.
The percentage of internet users compared to the total Latin American population grew 10.6 percent between 2010 and 2015.
While in 2010 the cost of a 1 Mbps broadband connection amounted to about 18% of monthly income, at the beginning of 2016 the value had fallen to below 2%. Mobile broadband connections rose to 58 % in 2015 compared with 7 percent five years earlier.
Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay had the highest penetration rates, around 60%.
The countries with the highest growth rates in the number of households connected to the internet between 2010 and 2015 were Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Bolivia.
With computer servers in Costa Rica, toll-free phone lines, a smart-phone app for gamblers to bet on all major sporting events, the operation was technologically savvy, sophisticated and lucrative.
With computer servers in Costa Rica, toll-free phone lines, a smart-phone app for gamblers to bet on all major sporting events, Platinmum Sports Book was technologically savvy, sophisticated and lucrative. Image from Youtube.
QCOSTARICA – With computer servers in Costa Rica, in a Toronto (Canada) court, man pleaded guilty to running Internet services for an illegal sports betting ring that police say was linked to the Mafia and Hells Angels.
Gordon Baird, 59, admitted he was the administrator of the Platinum Sports Book, a sophisticated betting operation in Ontario.
Baird admitted that the Costa Rica operation that included computer servers, toll-free phone lines and a smartphone app for gamblers to bet on all major sporting events was “technologically savvy, sophisticated and lucrative”.
According to the National Post report, based on police wiretaps, it is estimated that Platinum employed hundreds of bookies servicing thousands of clients within the Toronto area. The bookies signed up their own clients, collected their debts and paid out their winnings on a weekly basis. The money flowed up the pyramid, court heard, with the top acting as “the bank.”
This was an extremely well-organized, professional criminal organization making millions of dollars
The National Post says a financial audit of seized betting records show that between 2009 and 2013 Platinum grossed more than $103 million. Police seized $4.6 million in cash during its probe, revealed when police raided a lavish Super Bowl party in Markham (north of Toronto) in 2013, a catered event with an open bar for 2,700 guests who vied for expensive door prizes including a motorcycle and Sea-Doo, said to have cost more than $100.000 dollars to run.
How the police see the Hells Angels-affiliated Platinum Sports betting ring. Image from Vice.com, March 2013
“The operation is best viewed as a highly sophisticated and organized pyramid-type structure. The pyramid structure involved a number of ‘cells’ consisting of bookies and their sub-agents signing up bettors/clients,” says an agreed statement of facts in Baird’s case. “These cells in turn are all connected to the top of the pyramid structure by those managing the organization.”
Since Baird was “not a part of the top” and with no criminal record and the guilty plea before trial, Judge John McMahon accepted Baird’s guilty plea to a charge of bookmaking as participation in a criminal organization and accepted a joint submission for an 18-month conditional sentence (to be served in Baird’s home) and a $400,000 fine. Baird handed over a cashier’s cheque for $50,000 and was given a year to pay the remainder.
If he defaults, McMahon warned Baird, he would be sentenced to three years in prison. Asked by McMahon if he was “pressured” by anyone — including co-accused, family or police — into taking the plea, Baird answered, “No, sir.”
Rob Barletta
“He was not a controlling mind of the criminal organization but through his actions he contributed to the criminal organization,” McMahon said. “This was an extremely well-organized, professional criminal organization making millions of dollars. It could not have functioned without his technical expertise.”
Meanwhile, in another courtroom in the same Toronto courthouse, two co-accused in the case — Rob Barletta and Andrew Bielli, both linked to the Hells Angels with Barletta named as a former president of the London, Ont., chapter — pleaded not guilty to charges, including bookmaking for the benefit of a criminal organization and possession of the proceeds of crime.
Immediately after his case adjourned, Barletta walked over to Baird’s proceedings to watch the plea. Barletta, Bielli and several other accused still face trial.
(QCOSTARICA) Great news for those looking for work or to improve their current, Amazon.com plans to hire 1,500 full-time positions to support the increase of operations in Lagunilla and Calle Blancos.
The online electronic commerce and cloud computing company is seeking customer service associates and managers, merchant support, finance and software development positions, among others.
“Our Amazon customer service organization has been operating in Costa Rica since 2008 and we’ve found talent in abundance here,” said Alejandro Filloy, general manager of Amazon in Costa Rica, in a press release. “We are proud to be creating more than 1,500 full-time jobs in diverse fields and to grow our footprint across the country.”
Since the start of operations in the country, Amazon has expanded rapidly and currently employs more than 4,000 full-time associates in many different business units.
“Amazon has grown immensely and has brought thousands of new jobs for the Costa Ricans,” said Alexander Mora, Minister of Foreign Trade. “This announcement confirms the huge dynamism of this sector and the multiple opportunities for the country to boost development beyond its current level. We are proud of this attractive ecosystem and it fills us with satisfaction to know that Amazon continues to trust Costa Rica as a destination to carry out their very successful global operations.”
Jorge Sequeira, managing director for the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency, CINDE, “Amazon is one of the best examples in the country of how companies in the services sector evolve by integrating new processes in different areas. Not only is Amazon one of the most important customer service centers operating in Costa Rica, and one of the largest employers in the services sector, but also as a multidisciplinary center of shared services and technologies. A world leader like Amazon has experienced this growth and diversification in the country speaks to the capabilities of Costa Rica as a competitive location for such operations.”
Full-time employees at Amazon receive competitive wages and a comprehensive benefits package, including private health and life insurance, transportation, as well as extended maternity and parental leave benefits.
CINDE (the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency) is a private, non-profit, non-political organization, with more than 30 years of experience in attracting high and medium-tech companies in sectors such as services, advanced and light manufacturing, life sciences, agribusiness and food to Costa Rica.
Costa Rican diplomat Christiana Figueres said Monday she has withdrawn her candidacy for the top post at the United Nations
Christiana Figueres on Monday withdrew from the race to the top post in the United Nations
QCOSTARICA – Costa Rican’s Christiana Figueres said Monday she has withdrawn her candidacy for the top post at the United Nations, after failing to find sufficient support at the Security Council.
“All of the polls at the Security Council indicate that my candidacy does not have much future,” Figueres said at a press conference alongside Foreign Minister Manuel Gonzalez.
Gonzalez added: “You have to read the signs.”
Figueres expressed hope that the United Nations would choose a woman to replace Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who has been in office since 2007 and whose second term ends December 31.
Gonzalez said that Costa Rica has pressed for a woman to lead the world body, even before tapping Figueres, and will continue to work toward that goal.
The world body has never had a female leader in its 70 years.
A screenshot from Christiana Figueres’ Twitter
Figueres, who threw her hat in the ring in July, headed the negotiations that led to the historic 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. She is also the daughter of “Don Pepe”, José María Hipólito Figueres Ferrer, who served as President of Costa Rica on three occasions: 1948–1949, 1953–1958, and 1970–1974 and brother former president, Jose Maria Figueres Olsen (1994 – 1998).
In Argentina, UBER Drivers Could Face 10 Days in Jail, as officials try to neutralize Uber.
(Q24N) The Buenos Aires Public Ministry conducted 13 raids Thursday in the offices and homes of Uber managers and drivers.
The city prosecutor accused them of violating an order to close down operations in April.
Buenos Aires public prosecutors is expected to request that the eight involved receive 10 days in prison, according to La Nación.
The charges are for “illegitimately exercising an activity that exceeded the limits of the driving record,” meaning that the drivers were working without the permits required by Buenos Aires to provide public transport.
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police and the Judicial Investigation Corps (ICJ) of Buenos Aires prosecution reportedly raided an office in downtown Buenos Aires where the representation of the firm Uber Argentina SRL works.
They also they raided the homes of two executives who were in charge of Uber in Argentina until last June and the homes of two current managers.
“The goal was to collect evidence that would strengthen (evidence) of the crime and correctly identify the perpetrators in order to end the violation,” judicial sources told La Nación.
Documentation discovered during the raid links more than 20 defendants in the case with the activities of Uber.
Former President Andrés Pastrana said he has never approved of the pace talks in Havana
(Today Colombia) From Panamapost.com – Former President of Colombia Andrés Pastrana — one of the most vocal and important critics of the FARC peace accords — sent a letter to President Juan Manuel Santos in which he requested authorization to meet with Timochenko, the head of the guerilla group.
In the letter, Pastrana did not specify the motive for the meeting with Timochenko, but was explicit in his desire to meet with him after making serious criticisms about the dialogue taking place in Havana, Cuba.
Additionally, he has openly said he is going to vote No in the referendum for peace, the electoral mechanism for ratifying the agreements made with FARC.
Pastrana has never been in favor of a model of transitional justice with FARC, which other critics have labeled a form of impunity. He also disagrees with FARC’s possible ability to issue “legislative acts of peace.”
His political party has not been alone in pushing for the No vote, as President of the Board of Directors David Barguil decided that he would not be voting Yes on October 2. The only person aligned with Pastrana that looks to be leaning in that direction is Marta Lucía Ramírez.
At the moment, the response from Santos about the letter regarding a meeting with Timochenko has not been released.
(Prensa Latina) The President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega has criticized the double standard of the US government against the drug trafficking, a scourge that together with organized crime, he said, it is a common challenge faced by all countries in the region.
Daniel Ortega, President of NIcaragua
Speaking at an event last night celebrating the 37th anniversary of the national police, Ortega said that these problems are rooted in the northern nation, where the main drug market in the world is located, while corruption levels are high.
For the Nicaraguan president it is incredible that a power like the United States cannot control and eliminate drug trafficking in its society. Ortega also warned that drug trafficking is an enemy that seeks to take over the Mesoamerican countries and the Caribbean, which is why the security forces are demanding greater budget allocations.
He added that the fight against drug trafficking is not a problem of political will, but lack of resources.
He also denounced the double standards of the US government reflected in the immigration issue, which has generated problems in the region.
The ceremony for the anniversary of the National Police was attended by the coordinator of the Council of Communication and Citizenship Rosario Murillo, as well as by the director of the police, First Commissioner Aminta Granera, among other military police officers and civilian authorities.
The directors of the police of Haiti, Puerto Rico, Honduras and Mexico were also present, as well as deputy directors of Guatemala, El Salvador, Dominican Republic and the Regional Representative of Interpol.
(Prensa Latina) The popular mobilization to support President Nicolas Maduro and condemn the opposition coup attempts, led by the Democratic Unity Table (MUD) coalition, highlighted the week that concludes today in Venezuela.
In order to create a state of chaos and governability, the MUD continues leading the incitement to violent acts that bring about access to the political powers unconstitutionally, denounced government leaders and of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
Those political means criticized the dissidence because it lacks a viable political program through channels stablished in the Constitution.
In this regard, they pointed out the frustration of plans of political Léster Toledo, Daniel Ceballos, Delson Guarate, Yon Goicochea and Carlos Melo, who on September 7 intended to subvert order and create a minor armed rebellion to favor a push.
The PSUV has called on the people to demonstrate in the streets of the country to support economic management and social programs of the Bolivarian Government and in response took place mass demonstrations against such actions.
The day before, the National Assembly Deputy, Elias Jaua accused the president of the legislative body (of opposition majority), Henry Ramos Allup, of violating the constitution by inciting violence and civilian clashes.
Ramos Allup cultivates hatred against the Chavistas (Chavez ‘followers), that is why they call us ‘Malandro’ (crook), illiterate, to cause quarrel and war among Venezuelans, stressed Jaua during a demonstration in Cojedes state.
Precisely the repeal consultation was another topic of media importance, in keeping with the announcement of the CNE director, Socorro Hernandez that from September 14 to 16 she will announce the schedule of the process.
Hernandez and the other governing bodies of the CNE refused to tolerate political pressure and declared that they will not accelerate any of the steps set out in the Constitution of the Republic.
In addition, they confirmed that collecting 20 percent of the signatures, scheduled for the last week of October, would stop if irregularities or violent acts occur during their development.
On the other hand, in the economic field stood out the beginning of prospecting the Mining Arc of Orinoco (AMO), a project of the Bolivarian government to replace the oil real state model (economic dependence on the ups and down of the international oil market).
Minister of Mining and Environmental Development, Robert Mirabal, reported that the search program prior to certification is developed under scientific parameters, adjusted to strict international standards, with participation of a team of geologists and Venezuelan geographers.
This development model seeks economic, environmental and technical sustainability, and participation of the people represents a great wealth for Venezuela because of the great mining culture of the population, he noted.
The Cuban vaccine to treat lung cancer, known as Cimavax
(Today Colombia) The Cuban vaccine to treat lung cancer, known as Cimavax, was presented to a group of experts attending the First International Symposium on Active Immunotherapy, hosted in Medellin, Colombia over the weekend.
The drug was developed in Cuba by the Center of Molecular Immunology and has been successful used to treat patients with advanced lung cancer.
The drug, considered a scientific achievement was developed over two decades in Cuba and has already been registered at the National Food and Drug Surveillance Institute in Colombia (INVIMA).
After presenting the medicine in the South American country, Cimavax could be marketed in the nation’s hospital network.
One of the great advantages of Cimavax is that it does not have side effects, as chemotherapy does, this was explained to the delegates from the different countries attended the scientific event in Medellin on Saturday and Sunday.
Cuban doctor, Tania Crombet, a specialist in Immunology and Doctor of the Higher Institute of Medical Sciences of Havana Sciences, presented the vaccine.
Dr. Kelvin Lee, Chair of the Department of Immunology at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and Dr. K. Govind Babu, MBBS in cancer medicine, with 26 years of experience in this field, were present during the presentation of the vaccine.
The drug allows the prolongation of life for up to five years, something almost unthinkable for those suffering from the disease in its advanced stage, until now the survival rate did not exceed 18 months.
(QCOSTARICA) If the bill approved in first debate last week receives final legislative approval, the Dirección General de Tributación (Tax Department) will be able to access in real-time, invoices issued by both businesses and professionals providing services to the public.
The bill, that was approved by 42 of the 55 legislators, also requires all trades and professionals to issue electronic invoices for their services.
The bill allows for a two-year period for the changes to occur.
The objective of the bill is to curtail corruption, in particular cash sales without receipts (and thus no tax paid/collected).
The bill also makes liable tax consultants (whether it be lawyers or accountants) that help taxpayers make incomplete tax filings to penalties, and including, if Taxation is not able to locate the tax evader, the professional will be liable for the tax payment.
Another change included in the bill is the seizure of goods (with a judge’s order) of the alleged tax evader.
And finally, the bill permits the controversial centralized shareholders registry and beneficial owners of companies, that will go into effect on January 1, 2019.
No arrests were made, but the OIJ chief is confident arrests will follow from evidence seized during the raid and the very detailed report from Interpol in Poland
No arrests were made, but the OIJ chief is confident arrests will follow from evidence seized during the raid and the very detailed report from Interpol in Poland
(QCOSTARICA) A phone call from Warsaw, Poland, alerted the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) of an alleged child pornography distribution by way of the internet operating from Costa Rica.
The call came last December. Last Friday, the OIJ raided a house in La Lima de Cartago. Although no arrests were made, agents confiscated computers, documents and other important evidence to continue their investigation in the case.
Walter Espinoza, head of the OIJ, explained that the Interpol office in Poland’s capital informed of the distribution of pornographic images involving children coming out of Costa Rica.
Although no arrests were made at the time of the raid, Espinoza believes they will soon learn the identity of the owners of the activity and arrests will follow.
“In the house there were several people and several computers. Based on the review (of the data) will be able to establish who was the user of each computer and the person in charge,” said Espinoza.
The OIJ chief added that the Warsaw report is very detailed, with information of the computers distributing information located in the country.
Health technician Willian Araya shows the cultivated Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae at a laboratory in Ministry of Health in San Jose, Costa Rica on Jan. 27. The Health Ministry confirmed on Tuesday, the first case of the Zika virus in the country, according to local media. Photo by Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters
Health technician Willian Araya shows the cultivated Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae at a laboratory in Ministry of Health in San Jose, Costa Rica in January 2016 Photo by Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters
(QCOSTARICA) Avoiding Zika is no longer an option of saying “I’ll just avoid places where there’s Zika”. According to the CDC, the Zika virus been reported in all countries in the Americas with the exception of Canada and and Chile.
In Costa Rica, the Ministerio de Salud (Ministry of Health) for the week ended September 7, 2106, reports 946 cases of the Zika virus. Click here for the latest Health bulletin.
The Zika Virus in Costa Rica (from the CDC)
Because Zika virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes, CDC recommends that travelers to Costa Rica protect themselves from mosquito bites. The mosquitoes that spread Zika usually do not live at elevations above 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) because of environmental conditions. Travelers whose itineraries are limited to areas above this elevation are at minimal risk of getting Zika from a mosquito. The following map shows areas of Costa Rica above and below 6,500 feet.* For more information, see Questions and Answers: Zika risk at high elevations.
It’s important to note that Zika is not particularly new, and that it’s relatively mild in comparison to other mosquito-borne illnesses like malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever.
The virus was first discovered in 1947 in the Zika forest in Uganda, and over the course of the following decades, it spread across central Africa, and eventually into South Asia. From here, it hopped to the Pacific Islands, and in 2015, it made its way to the Americas.
Researchers did not spend much time on Zika prior to 2015, mostly because it was a relatively mild fever. This changed after the outbreak in Brazil, where there were an estimated 1.5 million people who were infected with the virus.
Click here for the CDC’s All Countries & Territories with Active Zika Virus Transmission
Most people are not in serious danger when it comes to Zika.
The first thing we need to mention, when it comes to Zika, it is not a severe illness for most people. Symptoms include rashes, fever, conjunctivitis, and joint pain, but many people who are infected with Zika will never actually know they are sick. If you do get the symptoms, they will last up to a week, and after that, you will be immune. The disease itself will leave your body in a matter of weeks (though there’s some evidence that it stays in semen longer), and once it has left your system, you are immune. It is rarely fatal.
The only people for whom Zika is seriously dangerous is pregnant women and their unborn children. Scientists are still working to understand exactly how and when Zika causes the problems that lead to microcephaly, but if you are a woman and you are not pregnant, you do not need to worry — if you do get Zika, you simply need to wait for the virus to work its way through your system before getting pregnant. As long as you are on birth control (and are taking it properly), you should be fine. If you are exposed to Zika (by, say, traveling to a place where Zika is an issue), the CDC recommends waiting 8 weeks before trying to get pregnant.
Zika can be transmitted sexually from men to women, and there’s evidence Zika can last longer in semen, so the CDC recommends that men who have traveled to places with Zika and who have developed symptoms wait 6 months before trying to get pregnant with their partner.
If you return from a trip to a Zika zone, even if you don’t develop symptoms of Zika after traveling to a Zika zone, you could still have it, and the responsible thing to do is to take steps to make sure you don’t transmit it to someone else. This means you should wear insect repellent for three weeks after exposure.
If you’re a sexually active man, wear a condom — 8 weeks after exposure, 6 months after symptoms. If you’re a woman, there’s very little chance you’ll transmit it sexually.
If you develop symptoms, see a doctor. They’ll decide whether or not to test you for the virus.
If you live in a Zika zone, bear in mind that mosquitos breed in or near standing water. If there’s a place around your house that has standing water, cleaning it or turning it over once a week will help. Mosquitoes are primarily active during the daytime. This doesn’t mean the disease can’t be transmitted by them at night — just that it’s most likely during the day.
The long and short of it, though, is that you should not panic about Zika. If you’re pregnant, talk to your doctor about the disease, and avoid traveling to Zika zones. If you aren’t pregnant and don’t plan on getting pregnant, don’t worry: just be diligent about birth control and bug spray.
Read the original report by the Matador Network here.
Independence Day in Costa Rica . Photo from costaricalearn.com
TICO BULL by Rico – Every so often the debate comes up, especially when getting together with Tico friends (yes, though difficult to believe, I do have one or two Tico friends), is Panama is part of Central America.
Yes and no.
Independence Day in Panama is on November 3, in Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica) is on Septmber 15th
On the yes side, physically Panama is a geographical par of isthmus. Yet, on the side of the no, Panama is quite different from the rest of of Central America. Perhaps not for its present day people, but, for its past, its history as to how it go there.
This is where the discussion, sometimes heated (remember I am Italian and we can get pretty emotional about things, hands flying everywhere, voices raised).
My point in all this is that while every September 15 the Central American nations of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica celebrate their independence from Spain, Panama does not.
For the record, Panama celebrates is Independence, its separation from Colombia, on November 3rd. From 1821 until 1903, Panama was part of Gran Colombia (a short-lived republic that also included modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador). However, Panama wanted independence from Gran Colombia.
My argument is that since Panama did not get its independence from Spain like the other countries in the isthmus, it cannot be considered part of Central America.
Although Panamanians share similarities with the rest of Central America, in many ways, it’s much like Canadians and Americans, same difference. But not the same.
And in this way, like Canada celebrates its independence (from Britain) on July 1 and Americans (United States, I don’t want to start that argument that my Tico friends will say “we are all Americans” from the north to south of the continent) celebrate on July 4, Central America does the same, September 15 and November 3.
If my argument hasn’t convinced you yet, here is the Bull of Panama’s route to independence. The following is mostly from Wikipedia, so how could not be exact.
In 1819, New Granada finally achieved freedom from Spain. Panama and the other regions of former New Granada were therefore technically free. Panama considered union with Peru or with Central America, federations that were emerging in the region. Finally Venezuela’s Simon Bolivar, who, after residing in Jacmel, Haiti, was given 2 armies to liberate South America, won the hear of Panama.
Bolivar’s ambitious project of a Gran Colombia (1819–1830) was taking shape. In 1821, Panama declared independence and joined the southern federation.
Simón Bolívar had hesitated to include Panama in his Gran Colombia Panama’s geographical obstacles and the unique qualities and its critical role in trade throughout history and under Spanish tutelage, thus while Panama was linked historically and culturally to South America, he also knew that the region was part of the Central American geography.
Nevertheless, in 1821, convinced that under Bolivar’s leadership the Panama’s destiny would move in the most progressive direction, it joined Venezuela and New Granada (present day Colombia). The Republic of Colombia (1819–1830) or ‘Gran Colombia’ as it was called after 1886, roughly corresponded in territory to the former colonial administrative district Viceroyalty of New Granada (1717–1819). Although Panama belonged to that Viceroyalty, its economic and political ties had been much closer to the Viceroyalty of Peru (1542–1821).
Panama separated from the Republic of Colombia In September 1830 under the guidance of General José Domingo Espinar. Following rebellions and other political bull important at the time, in early 1831 Panama rejoined what was left of the republic of Colombia, forming a territory slightly larger that present Panama and Colombia combined, adopting the name Republic of New Granada. The alliance lasted 70 years.
More bull that included religious conflicts and civil war, in March 1841 Panama took on the name of ‘Estado Libre del Istmo’, or the Free State of the Isthmus. More bull followed, in the end, the union (called United States of Colombia 1863–1886 and the Republic of Colombia since 1886) was made possible by the active participation of USA under the 1846 Bidlack Mallarino treaty until 1903, when, with the support of the U.S. government, Panama issues a declaration of independence from Colombia.
The revolution was engineered by a Panamanian faction backed by the Panama Canal Company, a French-U.S. corporation that hoped to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans with a waterway across the Isthmus of Panama.
Following more bull, this time involving the United States, on November 6, 1903, the U.S. recognized the Republic of Panama, and on November 18 the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was signed with Panama, granting the United States exclusive and permanent possession of the Panama Canal Zone.
On November 18, 1903 the United States Secretary of State John Hay and Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla signed the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty. No Panamanians signed the treaty although Bunau-Varilla was present as the diplomatic representative of Panama (a role he had purchased through financial assistance to the rebels), despite the fact he had not lived in Panama for seventeen years before the incident, and he never returned.The treaty was later approved by the Panamanian government and the Senate of the United States. The ambassador of Colombia in Ecuador Emiliano Isaza was informed of the situation in Panama but did not inform his government to prevent a revolt in Bogotá. The government of Colombia then sent a diplomatic mission to Panama in an effort to make them reconsider by suggesting an approval by the senate of Colombia if they reconsidered the Hay–Herrán Treaty instead of the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty and also proposed making Panama City the capital of Colombia.
On Tuesday, Nicaraguan youths will hand over the Independence Torch to their Costa Rican counterparts, who will carry it the 386 kilometres from Peñas Blancas to Cartago, for the Independence Day ceremonies on Thursday, September 15
(QCOSTARICA) If travelling to and from Nicaragua by way of the land border crossing at Peñas Blancas keep in mind the restrictions in the coming days, in particular on Tuesday, September 13, with the arrival of the ‘Independence Torch’.
On Tuesday, Nicaraguan youths will hand over the Independence Torch to their Costa Rican counterparts, who will carry it the 386 kilometres from Peñas Blancas to Cartago, for the annual Independence Day ceremonies on Thursday, September 15. This year marks the 195th anniversary of Costa Rica and Central America’s the independence from Spain.
Affected mostly are customs operations, but it could also affect immigration check-in and check-out due to the large number of people at the border for the annual event.
According to the Ministerio de Hacienda, the customs office (Aduana) will be on restricted hours on Tuesday, processing only perishable goods between 6:00am and 8:00am. All other freight will have to wait until the event has concluded. According to authorities, both customs and immigration services will return to normal operations once the Nicaragua-Costa Rica torch protocols are over.
From Peñas Blancas, the Independence Torch will then travel by land the 386 kilometres from Peñas Blancas to Cartago, in time for the Independence Day ceremonies in the Viejo Metropoli (Old Metropolis) On Thursday, September 15.
Also to keep in mind are possible traffic bottlenecks along the Inter-American highway on both sides of the border as the torch makes its way down from Guatemala. In Costa Rica, the torch will move through San Jose to Cartago, temporarily affecting even more the already traffic chaos of the Central Valley.
The annual Independence Day ceremony is held in Cartago, the original capital city of Costa Rica. It commemorates the Independence of Central America from Spain. This year it marks the 195th anniversary.
Independence Day is a national holiday, celebrated in all Central American countries on September 15.
In Costa Rica, on this day school bands march beating their drums (they have been practicing for more than a month), children wearing traditional costumes and dancing at the beat of drums. Since the beginning of the month, flags are displayed everywhere, as young and old alike, demonstrate their patriotism.
The property in Escazu where it is alleged women and alcohol were being served up to clients, including minors. Photo Natalia Rodriguez, La Nacion
The property in Escazu where it is alleged women and alcohol were being served up to clients, including minors. Photo Natalia Rodriguez, La Nacion
(QCOSTARICA) It was 2:00am Saturday, when agents of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) raided a hotel/bar in Escazu allegedly running as a brothel.
Based on confidential information, OIJ agents raided the Seuño Español (Spanish Dream) hotel in Escazu, finding within the premises seven women working there, two of whom worked as waitresses and the remaining five apparently providing sexual services, one being a 16 year-old Nicaraguan girl.
In one of the rooms, agents also found six children, aged between 5 and 13 years of age, sleeping and apparently living there. Two of children are daughters of the owner, a Spanish national identified by his last name Burgués, the other four children of one of the waitresses. The children were taken into custody by the Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI) – Child Welfare Agency.
The property apparently did not have the respective permits to operate as a hotel or bar. The Spaniard, who is believed to be a permanent resident, was taken into custody as authorities determine his legal status.
According to the report, the investigation began in January when OIJ agents received information that women and alcohol were being served up at the bar/hotel, where both minor and adult women offered sexual services in exchange for payment of ¢70,000 colones (US$125).
Burgués faces charges of “proxenetismo agravado” (aggravated pimping).
Last week in the San Carlos/San Ramon raids, the immigration service rescued 16 Nicaraguan women who apparently, on the promise of work as waitresses in Costa Rica, were being sexually exploited and held captive, as sex slaves, by their promoters. In that case, four women and man have been indicted for alleged trafficking of persons.
TICO BULL by Rico – Who sends a fax anymore? I can’t remember the reason why but some months ago I set up an account with eFax, a company offering online the sending and receiving of faxes.
This post is not to gripe about the service, I never really used it, so I can’t comment either way; it is about the eFax business practice, more particular that of cancelling an account.
On the eFax website they make it easy to sign up. But once you do, you are now in a trap: there is no way to cancel the account online, it can only by done by a phone call or chat to their online support.
You cannot cancel by fax. The irony!
In my case, every month for the last several months I got the reminder of my account with efax when charges appeared on my card account. And each month I have been somewhere else other than home to connect to the chat or call they toll free number that doesn’t work outside the U.S.
Until finally today, when hell or high water, I was going to cancel this damn account. No matter what.
Calling the 800#’s from outside the United States or Canada is useless, it isn’t free.This is true for most 800 numbers from the US or Canada, hence, the importance of online account setup and cancelling.
From Costa Rica, when dialing an 800 number to the U.S. or Canada, a very pleasant voice will tell you that your call will incur charges,if you continue with your call. Click. Hanging up stops the charges. And is in most cases when calling some 800 number for something or other, you can spend lots of time before you will talk to someone to help you with your problem.
A toll free number that did work from Costa Rica, I remember sometime last year was that of the Bank of Montreal or BMO as it is known up there, but the call would automatically cut out at exactly three minutes, just about when I got to talk to a live person. And had to restart the process again, until finally I gave in and make a direct long distance call.
But back to efax. Surprisingly the chat opened in less than one minute. I had tried the chat on several occasions and never got past the wait for the next available agent. Something always came up or the internet connection died. In Cuba in June, totally impossible. Then I would forget about. Until next month.
After explaining my situation to the online agent, I never got “why would you want to close the account?” but bombarded with offers, among them an offer for a waiver of fees for two month “to continue using the service for free and then can call back to cancel, if I really want to” to downgrading the account (lesser charges).
No thanks, cancel the damn account!
Next, while the agent says he has to look up my account, I am asked to give reasons for my wanting to cancel.The choices are 8. I choose 9, “I don’t use the damn service, I type”.
Minutes go by, the agent looks up my account, offers me a copy of the terms and conditions agreement where it clearly states no refunds – hey, had to try for a refund, no? – and a reconfirmation that I really want to close the account.
“YES, CLOSE IT, PLEASE.”
“Can I help you with anything else,” the agent politely asks.
“Do you really have to ask?”, I type. The next line, disconnected, the equivalent of a hang up.
Is my account closed? Yes, two emails later confirm the account closure, one on the day of the chat, then another today, a day later. Two confirmation dates.
A third email confirms even further the account closure, I am now referred to “as a former customer” they want my opion. Really?
Again, can’t speak for the service, but their online business practice of making it nearly impossible to close an account, sucks.
QBLOGS – Everywhere, every corner and every barrio there are thousands, but thousands of cars trying to make it to work, to school, to the supermarket, to medical appointments, home, etc. Almost no place goes unscathed from massive congestion in the Central Valley.
Those living in rural zones are almost exempt from all this, except whenever they need to drive into the San Jose. But they do need to enter this hell on wheels area from time to time.
Ruta 27, the toll paying “autopista” was intended not only to offer a quick, albeit increasingly more expensive ride from San Jose to the Pacific Ocean, but also to lighten the traffic burden of the Central Valley where most people of Costa Rica both live and work.
The autopista has done little except to kill more drivers, bikers, motorcyclist, and pedestrians.
Of this traffic, only cars and motorcycles are permissible on the autopista. But others use it freely such as runners and ‘Tour de France’ bicyclists. Especially on weekends! However, the laws, like many in “Pura Vida”, are not enforced and therefore not respected. This just adds to the headache of driving in the Valley.
The legislature has indeed taken notice and more than once.
The original concept was to limit the number of cars entering San Jose by prohibiting daily, rotating license plate numbers. As a cash cow, this is being enforced by Transit Police. But has it resulted in getting to your destination any quicker? Not at all.
Drivers have stooped so low as to steal license plates with “winning” numbers alternating them by the day I was even offered to “rent” a license plate to beat my #4, Tuesday prohibition, and those who can afford it purchase another car absent of the restricted number.
The “presas” (lines) still look like the Rose Bowl Parade, eat up expensive gasoline, spew carciogenic plumes of smoke, cause driver frustration and no matter how hard one tries; to be late for work or an appointment you will be late and that has been dubbed “Costa Rica Time”
The government has tried staggering employees work start, which has been met with disdain. After all, if one can arrive late and leave early while receiving the same pay and benefits, why not?
Now the government, in its infinite wisdom is proposing to extend the license plate restriction rule to surrounding areas of the Central Valley and not just San Jose. Meaning more reasons to stay home, fight the law, come with ways to beat the law because people need cars in CR since public transportation is a disaster.
We have commuter trains that might or might not run on schedule, buses that are dilapidated, crowded and also might be on schedule.
You can actually get one to your desired destination without a breakdown or a driver who thinks this all about Formula 1 racing. Ergo scaring the living crap out of stacked-up passengers.
Our friend, Chris Howard, has evolved in the values of public transportation. He almost never goes by car or taxi, only public transportation. Howard lives in Heredia one of the worst traffic jam locations on the globe. He has a system and I suggest he should be contacted through Q Costa Rica.
Remember, one of our next presidential candidates and former presidents, Jose Maria Figueres closed down INCOFER, the train company. Now it is a big deal to re-invent it, and even make it possible to travel from San Jose to the port city of Limon on one single trip where local shuttles take folks to their ultimate destination.
I just want to get from Cartago to downtown! Limon is a luxury that may come to fruition long after I am deceased.
In the meantime, the local commute should be made both comfortable and safe. Buses/commuter trains should not packed like a can of Calvo tuna, and most important, offer employees in both the public and private sector a shorter work week and telecommuting twice per week.
The Wal-Mart audit department does just that and it runs just fine. Kudos!
(Insightcrime.org) Experts say extrajudicial killings have jumped alarmingly since the Venezuelan government began a new anti-crime initiative last year, further suggesting that security forces could be involved in death squad-like activity.
Take, for example, the moment on September 2nd when his motorcade passed through the gritty municipality of Villa Rosa on the island of Margarita. This used to be a red district, whose residents mostly backed the ruling leftists in December’s elections. But that support is vanishing. Margarita, like the rest of the country, has seen months of food and power shortages and, in particular, a lack of running water. When locals heard the president was coming, they reacted with a show of cacerolazo—banging pots and pans.
