Smaller units are trend in today's real estate development in Costa Rica
Smaller units are trend in today’s real estate development in Costa Rica
The Costa Rica real estate market has begun to respond to demands for minimal sizes in houses and condominiums.
Apartments measuring 40 square metres (430 square feet) for singles or small families with starting prices of US$65,000 are making up a large part of the real estate supply, a move by developments to build larger and high costing units.
The shift of developers has to been to aim at the lower middle class segment of the market.
More than half of the households in the country are made of not more than 3 people
According to Minister of Housing, Rosendo Pujol, “…The ‘magic number’ that the market is offering is US$65,000. The Housing chief says that about two years ago developers started to turn their eyes towards the lower middle segment of the population. Developers tend to produce projects for people with more wealth (…). Now they understand that the market has other features, especially now that we are talking about high-rise housing. ”
The change in shift by developers is in response to the constant demand of the middle class for not finding affordable housing in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), willing to accept small spaces, of not more than 65 m2 (700 sq. ft) for lower prices.
These are typically single people or family units of not more than 3 people. Studies by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) indicate that 816,562 of the 1.4 million households in the country are between one and three persons.
The small units can be found in horizontal and vertical developments.
(QCOSTARICA) Of three mobile operators in the country, Claro’s 4G service of Costa Rica reaches well over double the speed of its competitors in the most populated areas of the country, according to data from telecommunications regulator Sutel.
The mobile network quality assessment conducted by the Sutel in the second half of 2015 revealed that Claro’s (America Movil) 4G service offered an average download speed of 13.4 Mbps, compared to the 5.9 Mbps reached by state-owned operator Kolbi (ICE) and Movistar’s (Telefonica) 5.8 Mbps.
Claro also led the 3G rankings, with a top average speed of 3.6 Mbps, ahead of Movistar’s 2.6 Mbps and Kolbi’s 1.2 Mbps.
However, in terms of coverage, Kolbi led the ranking, reaching 88.7% of the population, compared to Claro’s 70.6% and Movistar’s 45.6%.
Nicaragua president Daniel Ortega (L) and Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) on August 23, 2016. In the brackground is a photo of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro
(TODAY NICARAGUA) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday in Nicaragua his country is interested in participating in the proposed, currently run under the control of a Chinese company.
The diplomat, touring Latin America, said relations between Iran and Nicaragua “are excellent”.
“I am accompanied by delegation of representatives of the private and state sector. From the private sector, they are here in order to participate in the grand canal project,” said Javad according to the official translator.
The construction of the waterway project, three times larger than that of the Panama canal and at a cost of US$50 billion dollars was given in concession to the Chinese company HKND, which expects to complete the work by 2020.
However, the start of construction that was to have taken place two years, was postponed to the end of 2016.
Nicaraguan government spokeswoman and vice-presidential candidate, Rosario Murillo, said cabinet members demonstrated to the Iranian delegation the investment opportunities in the canal and other areas of the country.
Mohammad visited the Congress, where he was welcomed by members of ruling Sandinistas (Frente Sandinista), and planned further talks with President Daniel Ortega before leaving for Ecuador, according to Murillo.
Iran and Nicaragua narrowed diplomatic relations after Ortega’s return to power in 2007. The two countries maintained relations of cooperation during the Sandinista revolution in the 1980s.
(Prensa Latina) In tone with the recession affecting today the Argentinean economy, unemployment rose to 9.3 percent in the second quarter of 2016, meaning that one million 165 thousand citizens are jobless at the end of June.
The amounts were reported by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (Indec), which admitted the manufacturing sector is one of the worst hit by retraction and particularly the small and medium enterprises.
The news portal El Destape web says by the numbers of Indec, it can be calculated that one million 688 thousand Argentineans were left unemployed from the end of September 2015 to the end of June, 2016.
The report coincides with the estimates of private consultants, including EcoLatina which calculates the loss of workplaces will rise to 12 percent by the end of this year.
After knowing the labor data, the Secretary General of the Central de Trabajadores de Argentina (tradeunion), Hugo Yasky, said on Tuesday to the CSN network that ‘when employment goes down, so do the salaries’.
‘There are some who say the Government needs two digits of unemployment so trade unions bow their heads. This is not by chance, the high unemployment rates go hand in hand with tghius government’s policies’, he warned.
Yasky, favoring that all trade unión federations summon a general strike, he believes ‘if we workers do not defend employment and demand a social policies agenda and the protection of the small Enterprise, the situation will get worse’.
(Q24N) he Government of Panama rejected today the remarks of the Department of Financial Services of New York (NYDES), of the United States, as a high-risk jurisdiction for money laundering.
The Minister of Economy and Finances Dulcidio De la Guardia told reporters he received an official communique of the U.S. Treasury Department or the State of New York, rejecting the remark.
In a document revealing a sanction of 180 million dollars to Taiwan’s Mega International Commercial Bank, for not complying with U.S. norms regarding capital laundering, the regulator referred to certain suspicious activities that involve a subsidiary of the Asian Bank in Panama.
NYDES affirmed the isthmus ‘has historically been recognized as a high-risk juruisdiction for money laundering, and only this year was announced that Panama was not object to a monitoring process by the Group of Financial Activity (GAFI)’.
De la Guardia explained that ‘opening a bank account in this account is very complicated, a great deal of information is requested. But it is easy to hit a fallen tree. That is what is happening’, lamented the official.
‘If the Bank of New York did not comply with the requirements, that is a responsibility of the regulator of New York, the same as it is a responsibiliuty of the Superintendency of Banks of Panama (SBP) that banks in Panama comply with the norm’, he argued.
Last Monday, the superintendent Ricardo Fernandez informed that an investigation was opened in Panama on the Taiwan entity, after the sanction imposed by NYDES.
The information offered by the New York regulator identifies a relation between the bank information and the revelations of Panama lawfirm Mossack Fonseca, known as Panama Papers, although the U.S. ambassador in this capital, John Feeley, denied such a relation, according to daily La Estrella.
Andres Fernandez, expert in financial issues, assured the newspaper that ‘there are regulations pending in the United States for years and, after the Panama Papers scandal, a new regulatory framework was casually approved in its final form’.
Political analysts suspiciously see these actions that attempt against the economy of the country and, for the second time, comes from a U.S. government institution.
‘After the debacle and bankruptcy of the French Channel there has not been a dismantlement, suffocation and destruction process of a comercial conglomerate in Panama like the Waked Case’, denounced the Bayano newspaper in its digital edition.
It referred to the form in which the French enterprise that started the Panama Canal was forced to sell its assets to the U.S. government, at lower prices than its true value, and the recent inclusion iun the Clinton List of the Waked family empire, whose owner is forced to rid himself from its assets, under an extraterritorial sanction.
Meg Pearson in Costa Rica with her husband. (Lilian Critchlow Noa's Art Inc)
Scores of city-dwelling Canadians daydream about ditching it all for a quieter, simpler country life. In an ongoing series, The Globe and Mail talks to ex-urbanites who actually got out of town – for good.
Meg Pearson in Costa Rica with her husband. (Lilian Critchlow Noa’s Art Inc)
I grew up in a small town called Exeter, Ont. All through my youth I suffered from serious problems with body image and developed anorexia and bulimia in my teens. My dream going up was, I want to move to Toronto and take the subway to work. As luck would have it, I got an internship in Toronto at Global TV after I graduated from college.
They offered me a job when I finished the internship. I was 21. I ended up bouncing around the television industry for about a decade in Toronto. But that whole time, I was really good at my job and I started making more money and moving into bigger apartments, but I was still feeling pretty crappy about myself. I was feeling the void of whatever was missing in my life.
In 11 years in Toronto I moved 13 times. Something was wrong. I never felt at home. I never felt grounded. I went bankrupt in December, 2009. I had racked up a lot of debt in my teens and 20s. The following February I found out my dad was going to die. He was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
I kind of had a breakdown. I quit my job and took some time off. My ex-fiancée took me to Florida for a week to spend with my parents. They vacationed in Florida every March. The day we got back he decided we should take a trip to Costa Rica.
The minute I got off the plane my whole being was like, “This is home.” I had never felt at home anywhere at that point in my life. I knew, this is where I’m supposed to be. It was really peaceful and calming for me.
That was in March, 2010. My fiancée and I called off our engagement in July. Then my father was diagnosed with ALS that October. I lost my father the following May. At his funeral, the funeral director read a poem called The Dash. It’s essentially about who cares about when people are born and when they die. The numbers that are written on their gravestones? What matters is that dash between the numbers because that’s your life, you have to live your dash.
That’s when I decided I needed to make a drastic change. What do I love to do? I love to cook, I love to eat raw food and I love to do yoga. So why don’t I get a career where I can do that? Once I made that decision, everything kind of fell into place.
I ended up getting a yoga teacher’s certification. I did a culinary nutritionist’s course. I came back to Costa Rica and there was a place looking for a yoga teacher and raw-food instructor. That was in 2013. I sold everything, spent the summer in Canada getting rid of my belongings, and I’ve been down here ever since.
I met my husband on a Facebook page that was started by expats down here. He’s Costa Rican. He’s a chef and a baker.
We just moved to Playa Guiones in July. It’s an international surf and yoga destination. This is where I do most of my work. I’m a private chef and a retreat caterer. We’re literally a 20-second walk from the beach.
We live on the second floor of a Cuban-style local Costa Rican’s home. It’s very rustic. When I was in Toronto I couldn’t stand having a daddy long-legs spider in my apartment. Now I see scorpions and I don’t think twice.
(QCOSTARICA) The Ministry of Education (MEP) has launched and investigation to verify a marriage between a 40 year old teacher and her 15 year old student.
The marriage is to have taken place in Perez Zeledon, the teacher and student being identified by their last names, Rojas Elizondo and Hernandez, respectively.
Teacher may be fired for immoral, unethical and unprofessional conduct, but the union is not illegal.
According to Sonia Marta, Minister of Education, “we will take immediate and medium-term measures permitted me once the report is in and have all the facts of the case.”
However, it could be weeks before any detailed of the “very detailed” investigation,.
Both teacher and student are in the Colegio Técnico Profesional San Isidro, in Perez Zeledon.
The teacher-student relationship is a problem for the MEP. PabloZúñiga, adviser to the Minister said the teacher could haveviolated the duty of every teacherofviolating theCode of Ethicsof the profession.
“In the present case it could determined as a loss of the suitability of the person to exercise the teaching profession. A disciplinary process is opened for any improper relationships with a minor and for the dereliction of duty (…) the teacher could end up being fired.” said Zuniga.
But the marriage is not illegal.
The Civil Registry (Registro Civil) confirmed the marriage was registered last July 4.
In Costa Rica, a minor of 15 years of age can enter into matrimony with an adult if there is parental or guardian consent. Important to note here, parental or guardian consent must be given without conditions, such as the parent or guardian receiving a benefit from the adult in allowing the union.
In this case, according to a television news report with the father of the boy, who is upset at the situation, says the boy’s mother provided the consent.
Closing the loophole. Currently there is a draft law waiting legislative approval to prohibit the marriage of minors, establishing a prison term of four years for those who maintain a relationship with a minor with an age difference of five years or more.
Why does a minor want to marry? Aside from the obvious reasons of a relationship, in Costa Rica, right now, a 15 year-old, for example, becomes an “adult” in the eyes of the law if he or she marries.
The two major offenders of using vehicles on public roads for sales are Claro and Movistar.
The two major offenders of using vehicles on public roads for sales are Claro and Movistar.
(QCOSTARICA) Claro and Movistar have taken, for some time, to selling from vehicles parked on public roads and prohibited areas, starting in San Jose and now can be found in Cartago, Alajuela and other cities around the country. But are they legal?
In San Jose, for example, the constant battle between the Municipal Police (Policia Municial) and street vendors has been an ogoing street war for years: the vendors set up shop in the middle of the street, using the pedestrian boulevards as their showcases, constantly on the lookout for police patrols, closing shop temporarily to set up again moments later, after the police leave the area.
The two major offenders of using vehicles on public roads for sales are Claro and Movistar.
But what about the vehicles of the major cellular phone operators like Claro, Movistar and Kolbi, that many times cause traffic congestion in the narrow streets of downtown San Jose?
According to Marcelo Solano, chief of the San Jose Municipal Police, they are illegal, peddling in public space.
“They use the streets and sometimes the sidewalks, the vehicle becomes a stationary point of sale, where they sell cellular phones, phone cards and sim cards,” said Solano.
However, unlike the other street vendors, the situation is complicated when it comes to these large companies who already have numerous storefront locations in the hear of the capital city, that according to Solano, “these companies do not need public roads of the capital or most of the country to be successful”.
The Municipal Police action is limited. For now.
Solano explains that if the merchandise is out of the vehicle, police can confiscate it, otherwise it is deemed to be on private property and out of their reach. The parked vehicle is a transit authority problem and currently the San Jose Municipal Police force does not have the authority.
But that will all change in the coming weeks. Solano said that the San Jose Municipal Police will have, starting in September, a municipal transit police unit with the authority to tag and/or two illegally parked vehicles.
The Municipal Police chief said they will soon have officials and two trucks and will have no problem in removing these vehicles.
Pineapple production has increased by nearly 300 per cent since 2000 in Costa Rica
Superfoods put strain on developing countries keeping up with the demand
Increasing foodie trends are destroying pine forests and millions of hectors of land
Water resources are unable to fulfill the extreme expansion, leading to severe droughts
In recent years, the word “superfood” has become such a marketable label and almost guarantee´s certain foods, (awarded this most pretentious title) to fly off the shelves at inflatable prices. Health gurus touting the benefits of the likes of avocados or quinoa for example, not only have increased the demand, but contributed to the in-explainable droughts and destruction of forests. But aside from the environmental damage, these “foodies” nutrition’s are flown thousands of miles to reach the supermarkets, with little thought to the misery of farm workers, paid a pittance in the poorer countries trying to keep up with the latest demand.
But what happens when a certain “superfoods” fall out of favor? Or who takes the blame when drinking water becomes so contaminated with pesticides, the damage caused is irreversible? These are just a couple of questions to ask, but how many more forests have to be destroyed or land cultivated beyond soil quality, to wake us all up to fact that these “superfoods” are destroying our planet?
Here are some of the worse culprits in recent times…..
AVOCADO
Beloved for its “good fats” and mainly produced by Mexico, the ever-increasing demand of the avocado has led to an unacceptable level in the destruction of pine forests. With farmers rapidly expanding their orchards to keep up with boom in the market, little consideration has been given environmentally. Not only have precious trees been wiped out, but like many fruits, the avocado requires a huge amount of water which is now linked to severe droughts. Chile, Mexico and California have all suffered from water shortages and resort to the drainage of rivers, thereby depriving people of drinking water.
In South America, each acre of avocado trees require a million gallons of water per year and since the fruit has been labelled the new “superfood”, land has been swallowed up from 9,000 acres in 1993 to a whopping 71,000 acres in 2014.
QUINOA
Pronounced ´keen-wah´, quinoa in one of the latest food trends to be awarded the “superfood” label with its high content of protein (up to 18 per cent). Unlike other grains, it appeals to vegetarians and those on gluten-free diets, but quinoa comes with a huge price-tag.
Farmers in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru are now opting to exclusively grow quinoa, but having abandoned the traditional methods of rotating crops and failing to restore soil fertility, they go on to destroy more and more precious land for a fast buck.
And since the grain has become so popular in the Western World, the natives have been deprived of their own food source due to its rocketing value. Once a staple part of their diets, they are now turning to cheaper Western junk food, increasing all the health connotations this poor nutrition is associated with.
COCONUT
In the past couple of years, coconut has been hailed as the optimal body hydrator, although there is little evidence that the health benefits outweigh a simple glass of water. Claims are also questionable that its antibacterial and antiviral properties are digested differently to other saturated fats and with little to prove otherwise by the experts. But none-the-less the popularity has grown to such an extent that the United Kingdom alone now spends 100 million pounds a year on coconut products.
This intense popularity has led to more and more trees planted with each one only having a certain productive life-span. Soil becomes rapidly infertile, so to keep up with the demand, fertilizers and pesticides are used to a detrimental effect of the drinking water.
Few Coconut brands carry the ´Fair Trade´ stamp of approval with so many poor producing countries such as Indonesia, India, the Philippines and indeed Costa Rica, left vulnerable with lowly paid workers from the pressures of the big exporters.
PINEAPPLE
Costa Rica is one of the world´s biggest producers of the pineapple with this nutritious fruit having seen a recent revival thanks to the health food fanatics from around the globe. Jammed packed with vitamins and minerals, this latest increase in demand for the pineapple has grown by nearly 300 per cent since year 2000.
Farming of the pineapple relies heavily on a huge amount of pesticides and fertilizers which has contaminated the groundwater so badly, the government has had to supply tankers for drinking water in certain regions of the country.
In addition, workers are hired only in season and fired immediately afterwards. Non of them dare to protest against the poor pay and working conditions for the fear of being blacklisted of employment again.
Nor are the public informed that although the successive governments have tried to reduce the pesticide use, the contamination of drinking water is producing more and more ill health issues. Skin diseases, respiratory problems, gastric illnesses, nervous system disorders and birth defects have all been reported to be on the increase, with scientists warning the problems are only worsening since the rapid expansion in production.
SOYBEANS
A boom in sales for the soybean, particularly within the vegetarian market and a huge sway towards soy milk as an alternative to cow´s, have both had a detrimental effect to the ecosystems across Latin America. Soybeans are used for tofu (another foodie trend) along with the oil touted for its nutritional source of omega-3 and high levels of poly and monounsaturated fats, have all but contributed to a massive increase in demand.
However, huge swathes of land are required to make the soybean productions profitable and as a result, the Latin Americas are now suffering from extreme deforestation. In recent times, almost four million hectors of the Amazon, the Gran Chaco and Atlantic Forests have been destroyed each year. And until a new “superfood” takes the soybean´s place, this destruction is all set to continue with devastating consequences.
SUPERFOOD´S VERSUS THE SUSTAINABLE?
Whilst other recent “miracle” foods have been targeted such as the water-demanding almond and the land-guzzling cacao, what truly are the benefits to the body as opposed to the not-so-popular, yet sustainable fruits and vegetables?
Given that the humble carrot reduces cholesterol, which in turn prevents heart attacks, wards off certain cancers, improves vision and reduces the signs of premature aging; one can only ask, is our planets destruction really necessary for these so-called on-trend “superfoods”?
Does an organic apple a day with its immune boosting vitamin C and soluble fibre not have just as much nutritional value as the pesticidal abused pineapple? Interestingly, were the carrot and apple suddenly to become popular by the health guru´s, would they too not become a farming issue? Certainly the prices would go up and who´s to say the food industry alone haven´t got a hand in deciding what´s going to become the next “superfood”? Are they possibly conspiring with governments, health experts and the media to populate a flagging food group to regenerate sales?
One excellent new trend on the other hand and which hopefully continues to make headway, is the growing popularity of seeking out locally sourced produce. Markets are starting to thrive again with more and more people educating themselves in the fundamental aspects of food production. Stepping back in time is perhaps the most valuable way to go, not only for our own health and well-being, but to enable our planet to repair itself from the ravages of mankind.
A newspaper investigation exposed how a prison in Venezuela has become a thriving marketplace for the basic goods in short supply throughout the country, a brazen display of how prison crime bosses are increasingly projecting their power outside the penitentiary system.
El Nacional has revealed that many residents in Aragua state have taken to visiting Tocorón prison to do their shopping amid mass shortages of food and essential goods nationwide.
The newspaper describes how the prison’s passageways have become an open market, with vendors selling everything from shampoo to cheese to visiting family members of prisoners and others there simply to buy groceries.
According to El Nacional, most of the merchandise is brought into the prison by hijackers who rob trucks on the outside, and who maintain relations with the prison “Pran” — the inmate who runs the prison as a criminal fiefdom.
Other prison-sourced products come from community associations set up by the government to distribute goods during the chronic shortages, known as Local Supply and Production Committees (Comités Locales de Abastecimiento y Produccion). Prisoners intimidate these association members into sending them supplies, according to El Nacional.
Each of the vendors must pay the Pran a hefty fee to operate, reported El Nacional, but can nevertheless bring in lucrative profits. Some are not even prisoners, but like their customers are allowed easy access to the prison due to official corruption. Guards are paid to allow them to enter without so much as registering their names and identification numbers, according to El Nacional.
Many of Venezuela’s prisons are essentially prisoner-run facilities, with the power of the authorities not extending much further inward than the perimeter walls. Tocorón is one of the most extreme examples of this; in addition to the new market places, there is also a nightclub, swimming pool, and a prisoner “bank,” according to media investigations.
Such prisons are domains of the Pranes. These prisoners have risen to the top of the inmate hierarchy to run lucrative economies within the prisons, charge other inmates “taxes,” regulate prison life and maintain some semblance of order, often via the use of brutal violence.
In recent years, there have been growing signs the Pranes have begun to extend their reach outside of the prison system, using the prisons as a base for running drug sales, extortion and kidnapping networks.
The fact that at least one Pran has turned a prison into a contraband market place for the general population confirms their influence reaches beyond the prison walls. In addition, it demonstrates how the current economic and security chaos of Venezuela has created ideal conditions for organized crime to flourish, and how criminal networks are exploiting the gaps left by a government focused on little more than political survival.
The FARC peace process negotiators in Havana, Cuba
A peace agreement between Colombia‘s government and the country’s largest rebel army has been reached, and while the end of the five-decade old civil war has immense political and social implications, it’s not clear what is going to happen to the criminal economies that have sustained thousands of rebels.
The agreement between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC) and the government came after almost four years of negotiations. And although the formal agreement will not be signed until next month, there are already questions about what happens to an immense criminal economies present where the FARC operates.
At the top of this pyramid is the cocaine trade. President Juan Manuel Santos stated during his nationwide address following the signing of the accords August 24, that as part of the agreement “the FARC have committed to breaking the link” with drug trafficking. But while the president talked about Colombia starting a new chapter of peace, InSight Crime is looking at the new criminal chapter that will begin once the FARC leave the stage.
The importance of the FARC in the world cocaine trade is hard to underestimate. They control up to 70 percent of the coca crops in the country (which total between 96,000 and 159,000 hectares depending on whether you use figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime – UNODC or the White House) and thus around 40 percent of the total world supply of cocaine.
The FARC also have a monopoly in their areas of influence on the trade in coca base, the sticky paste that is later transformed into powdered cocaine. A decent chemist can turn a kilogram of high quality coca base into a kilogram of crystalized cocaine, ready for export. Many FARC units, or “fronts” as they are called, trade cocaine as well as coca base. At least seven FARC fronts are involved in the export of cocaine and directly feed the world drug market. In sum, it is safe to say that the FARC are the single most important organization in the world cocaine trade.
A series of signatures in Havana is not going to bring an end to this trade. But there is going to be a seismic shift in the supply side dynamics of illegal drugs in Colombia.
While cocaine provides the bulk of the rebels’ earnings, the criminal economies under the FARC control are not restricted to illegal drugs. They also control illegal and legal gold mining activities and systematically extort thousands of individuals and businesses.
InSight Crime estimates that the total worth of the criminal economies in areas currently under FARC influence is in excess of a billion dollars annually. Of this, the guerrillasused $300 million for war, but another $300 million ended up in the pockets of individual FARC members, their families, friends and associates; and the rest went to other criminal actors that worked alongside the FARC.
To break the “link” to the drug trade and end the fighting, the agreement calls for the creation of 23 zones (formally called “Transitory Hamlet Zones for Normalization”) and eight camps where demobilized rebels will concentrate. But will all their commanders leave their lucrative areas? And what will happen to the all the FARC’s criminal economies when and if the armed fighters leave these territories?
We at InSight Crime are exploring five different scenarios, all of which could come to pass:
1. Elements of the FARC proclaim themselves as dissidents and stay in the field using the FARC name. This has already been seen with the First Front.
2. Colombia’s remaining rebel group, the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN), receives a massive boost from criminal income currently under FARC control, especially in more than 60 municipalities where the two guerrilla armies co-habit. There might also be a significant transfer of FARC fighters and weapons to the ELN as many decide that the peace agreement does not appeal to them, and they opt to remain in the “revolutionary struggle.”
3. A new generation Colombian transnational organized crime (TOC) syndicates — known in Colombia as the BACRIM (after the Spanish words “bandas criminales” — absorb FARC elements and territory. These groups were born after the last peace agreement in 2006, between the government the paramilitary army of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia – AUC).
4. Elements of the FARC are seduced by international TOC, which are key players in the international cocaine trade. Foremost among these are Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel; Brazil’s mighty prison gangs of the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC) and the Red Command (Comando Vermelho); Venezuela’s “Cartel of the Suns” (Cartel de los Soles); and European mafias, such as Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta along with the Serbian and Albanian mafias, which are stepping up their involvement in the cocaine trade. Many of these organizations, particularly the Mexicans, already have direct links with FARC fronts (like the 57th, the 29th, the 30th and 48th) and could offer local FARC leaders money, weapons, communications equipment and anything else they might need to retain their military capacity and territorial control — anything to maintain the flow of cocaine.
5. Elements of the FARC that have been collecting extortion money (“taxes”) from the drug trade and from mining proceeds decide to stay in business and keep the proceeds for themselves. This we call the “FARCRIM” option, a mirror of the BACRIM born from the AUC. These groups would likely form organized criminal syndicates in their areas of influence.
In the aftermath of the AUC demobilization, some 36 BACRIM were formed. There was a wave of violence unleashed as these different groups fought each other for control of the most important criminal real estate. Today there is one dominant BACRIM, the Urabeños (who call themselves the Gaitanista Self Defense Forces of Colombia – Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC). The Urabeños have more than 2,500 armed fighters. Working alongside them is a host of smaller regional organized crime groups.
There may well be another wave of violence as the underworld recomposes itself around the FARC‘s formal departure from the lucrative criminal economies they control. Yet today there is a form of “Pax Mafiosa” in the country, with very little fighting between criminal actors, who now prefer to cooperate and share the profits than fight for control. The FARC are already part of this world, providing BACRIM and TOC with coca base and cocaine. These relationships are unlikely to die with any agreement in Havana. They will more likely evolve and give birth to a new generation of criminal actors, some of which will inevitably have FARC roots.
This is not new to Colombians where illegal actors have been regularly recycled in the past. When the Popular Liberation Army (Ejército Popular de Liberación – EPL) demobilized in 1991, several elements stayed in the field, and one is still active in the Norte De Santander Department along the border with Venezuela, deeply involved in the drug trade. Other EPL fighters joined the prototype paramilitary group known as the Peasant Self Defense Force of Córdoba and Urabá (Autodefensas Campesinas de Córdoba y Urabá – ACCU). The ACCU gave birth the paramilitary army of the AUC. The AUC demobilized and gave birth to the BACRIM.
The question is can the government prevent or at least minimize the risk of a new generation of criminal actors being born from the FARC?
Peace will have untold benefits for Colombia. But it will also provide a new set of opportunities for criminal actors keen to take over the criminal economies that the FARC currently control. As long as the criminal economies remain intact, someone will take them over.
Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles asked nationals living abroad to rally next September 1 in support of a march in Caracas to demand authorities to speed up the process to hold a recall vote against the mandate of President Nicolás Maduro.
“I invite all Venezuelans abroad to turn September 1 (rally) into a world protest day, and head for consulates,” Capriles said during his radio show “Preguntas Capriles” aired on online video streaming app Periscope, as reported by Efe.
Capriles, who is also the Miranda state governor and a two-time presidential candidate, recalled that all Venezuelans abroad “have the right” to take part in the next phase to activate the referendum.
(ANTIMEDIA)Venezuela — Life in Venezuela now consists of empty grocery stores, record rates of violent crime, and widespread shortages of just about everything. The economic and political conditions have been deteriorating for years, but recent stories coming from this once-rich nation are astonishing.
Bars have run out of beer, McDonald’s can’t get buns for their Big Macs, and rolling blackouts are a regular occurrence. The average person spends over 35 hours a month waiting in line to buy their rationed goods, and even basics like toilet paper and toothpaste are strictly regulated.
The fiasco began when the price of oil collapsed and sent Venezuelan finances into chaos. The oil-dependent nation, despite its imposing government policies, couldn’t prevent the fallout. The current problems are further compounded by rampant corruption throughout the Venezuelan government. The likelihood of a peaceful resolution is decreasing by the day, and political dissents are likely to be met with brutal crackdowns. The desperation of the masses could explode violently under the right circumstances, and there are few things more dangerous to a nation than a hungry population.
The food lines seen throughout Venezuela are reminiscent of the Great Depression. Thousands fill the sidewalks and wait for hours to get their hands on basic staples. Tensions have risen so dramatically that several people have been killed in recent food riots and lootings. Dogs, cats, and birds are finding themselves on the menu, and a group even broke into the Caracas’ Caricuao Zoo to slaughter the animals for meat.
A minimum wage is now only about 20% of the cost of feeding a family of five, according to a monitoring group cited by Reuters. Lines snake around state-run .
In an effort to relieve some of the pressure, President Nicolas Maduro briefly opened the border with Colombia, prompting over one hundred thousand people to pour across in search of products that have gone extinct in their own country. The border was originally sealed back in 2014 in an attempt to prevent the smuggling of food and people. The uncertainty of what the future holds has forced people to spend what little savings they have on securing enough food to get by. Without access to the resources needed for production and distribution, commerce has come to a complete standstill, and food shortages aren’t the only consequence.
The Venezuelan healthcare system, once a symbol of socialism’s success, has been crippled by vast medical supply shortages. Gloves, soap, and antibiotics have all vanished, with power often only working one or two days a week. The economic woes have created a full-blown public health emergency. Malnutrition combined with doctors’ inability to treat patients effectively has led to outbreaks of diseases like tuberculosis and malaria. With such extremely limited resources, many patients are falling through the cracks. Even simple illnesses are going untreated, leading to dangerous complications.
Jason Marczak, director of the Latin America Economic Growth Initiative, spoke about the crisis:
“When people are literally going hungry and children are dying at birth because there aren’t the right medical supplies … when basic things like Tylenol aren’t even available … this causes a huge amount of angst in the population.”
Yet another disturbing pattern has developed since traditional forms of birth control have become unavailable in stores. Record numbers of women are resorting to sterilization to prevent unplanned pregnancies. Local clinics have hundreds on the waiting lists for appointments. Aside from the financial burden, the possibility of watching their children starve is too much to handle and has prompted many women to take drastic action. This means the current economic depression is going to have long-term effects on generations to come.
Life in Venezuela is now built around waiting in lines. As much as the lines have become the key to survival, they are also hotbeds for violence. Crimes are often committed in broad daylight, with assailants meeting little resistance. For other people in line, the risk of leaving their spot to intervene is just too high. Their dependence on government has literally robbed them of their ability to help others in need.
“These days, you have to put the line above everything,”said pharmacist Haide Mendoza, who witnessed a murder in the line at her store, CBS News reported.
The hyperinflation currently affecting the Venezuelan currency, the bolivar, is undermining every function of the government and economy. The inflation rate is now the highest in the world and is expected to hit 1,600% by next year. Despite the government raising the minimum wage three times to appease workers, the move has only fueled a rise in prices. In a highly controversial move, the government imposed forced labor policies to keep food production going. Maduro’s emergency decree promises severe punishments for those who refuse to work in the fields without pay. The social contract appears to have no end when it comes to the ‘greater good.’
It’s always interesting to see the selective coverage the media rolls out, but the struggle of people on the ground is getting too severe for them to ignore. The same policies increasingly pushed by Western governments are on display in Venezuela as the country descends into chaos.
In the coming months, this story of societal collapse will likely force its way into the mainstream. Food shelves haven’t been restocked, the police haven’t restored order, and the food lines continue to grow. The faith in the State that was the cornerstone of stability under Hugo Chavez has been completely eroded. If oil prices surge, it may provide some relief, but the symptoms plaguing their economy are past the point of no return. The only way to remedy this type of repression is to hold the criminal government officials in power responsible for their contributions to the crisis.
David Strecker, aka as Cuba Dave from Cubadave.com
(QCOSTARICA) In Court, for the start of his trial on Monday, David Strecker aka as Cuba Dave, asked for a postponement of trial, telling the judge he had not been aware of the charges against him until that morning and not had time to a prepare a defense.
The start of trial was pushed to September 9, 2016.
Strecker is the first (and only so far) to be charged under Costa Rica’s 2013 Sex Tourism Law, and faces up to 12 years in prison if found guilty.
Prosecutors allege that Strecker, by way of websites and blogs, promoted Costa Rica as a sex tourism destination to North American tourists.
In Costa Rica, prostitution is not illegal, but promoting sex tourism is.
Strecket’s new lawyer, Luís Diego Chacón says he feels confident his client will cleared of all charges. For his part, Strecker, talking to Michael Krumholtz of the TicoTimes.net, by phone from La Reforma prison in Alajuela, said he has a renewed sense of optimism.
On September 4, 2015 Strecker was arrested at the Suan Santamaria (San Jose) airport.
According to the website Cubadave.com, when Strecker was first arrested he apologized “for having caused any problem or embarrassment” and offered to leave the country and never return if prosecutors would let him go. However, in July, just before committing to trial prosecutors demanded a 12 year prison sentence for any plea agreement.
(QCOSTARICA) Being a product of mass consumption in Costa Rica households, legislators of the Movimiento Libertatio (ML) party presented a draft bill that aims to substantially reduce the price of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and end the monopoly for its import and distribution.
Spearheaded by ML party leader, Otto Guevara, the draft bill would reduce the “impuesto unico” (single tax) on gas, reducing the cost to the consumer from the current ¢141.55 colones per litre to ¢94.30 colones.
According to the Census 2011, it is estimated that LPG is used in 451,000 households across the country.
The Libertarians say, “the tax (on gas) is highly regressive and hits directly the pockets of consumers, which many of these are Costa Rican families trying to prepare meals more economically, considering the high prices of electricity.”
“RECOPE, since August 2011 does not refine a drop of oil, does not produce Liquefied Petroleum Gas and demonstrated that a monopoly has no incentive to be efficient in importing, storing, transporting and packaging LPG. For these reasons we present this bill, so that consumers benefit from a reduction in the final price”, said Guevara.
Presidents Luis Guillermo Solis (L) and Barack Obama (R) on Monday at the White House
Presidents Luis Guillermo Solis (L) and Barack Obama (R) at the White House on Monday
(QCOSTARICA) The presence of Barack Obama at Luis Guillermo Solis’ meeting with U.S. vice-president Joe Biden on Monday “means that the relationship with Costa Rica is very important,’ said the U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, S. Fitzgerald Haney.
Haney, who was also present at the White House meeting, explained on the radio program Nuesta Voz that the scope fo the meeting between the two leaders was to strengthen North-South cooperation.
“We see Costa Rica as a leader in the region,” said the U.S. diplomat.
Biden was responsible to lead the U.S. relations with Central America, “has visited the northern triangle … and got approval to invest US$750 million dollars in the region,” said Haney.
With respect to Nicaragua, the recent news confirming the purchase of Russian military equipment and the re-election bid of President Daniel Ortega, Haney said, “what concerns us great is the direction of democracy in Nicaragua. The end of freedom in the face of the elections.”
“Maybe (Costa Rica and Nicaragua) will not be best friends overnight, but it is important to strengthen economic, trade, security and migration, ‘deepen relations’ between the two countries,” added the Ambassador.
Haney noted that a ‘constructive relationship’ between the two countries is necessary.
Joe Ledington of Corbin, Ky., displays a 1980s photo of him with his uncle, Colonel Harland Sanders, who perfected his world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken in his Corbin cafe. The photo is part of a family album. Photo Jay Jones / Chicago Tribune
KFC is without question the first choice in fried chicken in Costa Rica. And the Costa Rica franchisee has made sure there is near you. But you don’t have to go out anymore, you can now make it home.
No, KFC didn’t mess up in keeping their fried chicken recipe from us for over 80 years, but it’s possible that the Colonel Harland Sanders’ nephew might have just revealed exactly how the chicken is made.
According to the Chicago Tribune’s Jay Jones’ interview with Joe Ledington, Colonel Sanders’ nephew, and within the interview with Ledington, he casually handed Jones an old family scrapbook containing a list of 11 herbs and spices.
Why would the Coloner’s nephew just willingly reveal over one of the most precious and top secret recipes in the food world?
The handwritten list of 11 herbs and spices, jotted down on the back of a document Joe Ledington described as the will for Claudia Sanders, the Colonel’s second wife. Photo Jay Jones / Chicago Tribune
Jones said that while Ledington was excited to show him old family photos and tell him stories about Uncle Colonel Sanders, within these photo albums and scrapbooks was a handwritten note with a list of THE 11 herbs and spices.
When Jones asked, Ledington didn’t hesitate in confirming. Ledington even said when he was younger, he used to help blend those ingredients in the Colonel’s garage.
What are those ingredients? According to the handwritten note, from a living relative of the man who created the recipe:
2/3 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
1.2 teaspoon of basil
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of celery salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of dried mustard
4 teaspoons of paprika
2 teaspoons of garlic salt
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
3 teaspoons of white pepper
– Mixed with 2 cups of flour
Of course, KFC wouldn’t confirm if that is the original recipe, just giving the Tribune lip service, “Everyone thinks they have the secret”.
The original Sanders Cafe sign is small compared to the newer KFC sign and bucket that tower over the Corbin, Ky., restaurant. Photo Jay Jones / Chicago Tribune
This has to be legit. This isn’t just any guy thinking they have the secret, or some YouTube reverse-engineer. It’s coming from family, the freakin’ Colonel’s nephew!
KFC will never admit it, but the cat is out of the bag, and the world now knows how their chicken is made.
The Tribune says it tried the recipe for themselves and said it was pretty spot-on.
Watch Maikol Yordan visiting a KFC
Will you be trying it? Use the comments section or post to our Facebook page on what you think of this and your results.
Click here to read the original article at the Chicago Tribune.
“If you’re going to speak in English, don’t speak at all,” my mother hissed at me before we headed out to the market.
Prior to this pronouncement, we had made sure our outfits were appropriate: no jewelry, no purses with long straps, no clothing bearing logos. I was 9, and we were visiting relatives in El Progreso, Honduras. While Honduras was still years away from the 2009 military coup that would throw it into a dangerous downward spiral, it was already a place marked by casual violence. Speaking English in public would have invited unnecessary attention.
I spent the majority of the trip silent.
Although my first words were probably some variation of mamá and I had spent my previous visit to Honduras at the age of 4 chatting and asking for more “colate” (my pronunciation of the word chocolate), by the time I was 9, I didn’t really speak Spanish. When I was going to start kindergarten, my mother was faced with the option of putting me in the English-only class or enrolling me in the bilingual one. However, both of my parents worked, and the bilingual class had a break in the middle of the day, which would have required someone to come to school and pick me up. She also wasn’t convinced that the quality of the bilingual program was as good as the English-only class.
I had to learn English and I had to do it quickly.
For weeks before my English exam, I was forbidden from speaking Spanish. I watched Sesame Street, and my parents spoke to me in English. When exam day came, I was ready enough, and when September rolled around, I began in the English class and never really looked back.
While I could perfectly understand anyone speaking Spanish, whenever I was faced with the task of speaking myself, the words would float through my mind and get lodged in my throat.
Growing up in a mostly Latino town and bearing Central American features, I faced so much ridicule for only speaking English. My relatives, some of whom had been living in this country for many years but hadn’t made any real attempts to learn English, would openly talk about me in Spanish right in front of me. I was made an example: Don’t be like Wendy, don’t forget Spanish, don’t forget where you came from.
It wasn’t any better in school. My classmates would float between languages and make fun of the American accent they assumed I would have when speaking Spanish. Once, the faucet in the bathroom jammed, causing a never-ending torrent of water to float out. When I went to tell the janitor what was going on, distressed over believing I had broken school property, I was nervous and couldn’t think of the words to explain what was happening. My Cuban second-grade teacher swooped in, and after she explained the situation to him, she proceeded to talk about how shameful it was that I didn’t speak Spanish, as if I wasn’t standing right there.
None of these innumerable instances made it any easier for me to speak, so I just didn’t. The few words I did utter in Spanish only came out after I had polished them in my mind thoroughly, as I didn’t want to say something grammatically incorrect or mispronounced. That would only confirm what everyone thought about me: that I was just some arrogant American child who had abandoned her roots.
I was made an example: Don’t be like Wendy, don’t forget Spanish, don’t forget where you came from.
My language issue and the response I received from my family and the larger Latin American community shaped how I perceived my Latina identity. On top of not speaking Spanish, I wasn’t a very good dancer, I didn’t really enjoy Spanish language music, and I didn’t have a body like Jennifer Lopez. The violence in Honduras began escalating to the point where I could list people I personally knew who had been kidnapped and held for ransom, so we never made another journey south of the border. Although my hometown was composed primarily of Latin Americans, I didn’t know any Hondurans my age. Central America slipped away from me, and I wished for blonde hair, a narrow nose, and a last name not associated with one of the world’s most famous drug lords. I dated white guys and dreamed of the children I’d have one day who wouldn’t be plagued by remarks about their Latin American faces and lead tongues.
Over time, my parents accepted that I wasn’t going to wake up one morning rolling my R’s. We worked with what was easiest for us. They would speak to me in Spanish, and I would respond in English. Some things were definitely lost in translation — for example, for a long time I thought the word jamás meant “rarely” when it actually means “never,” which changes the meaning of a lot of conversations I had with my family — but we more or less understood each other.
I wished for blonde hair, a narrow nose, and a last name not associated with one of the world’s most famous drug lords.
It wasn’t until I went away to college that I realized how much being the child of Honduran immigrants and growing up in a minority-majority town had shaped my worldview. While I had rejected all the things I had perceived as Latin American peculiarities, being confronted by a different kind of homogeneity made me appreciative of my own background. I began studying the history of Latin America, I enrolled in Spanish literature courses, and I slowly started embracing a world that I had rejected because it had rejected me.
To this day, I sometimes still experience a great deal of nervousness and anxiety when I’m faced with situations that require me to speak Spanish. When I was younger, I always thought that people would ridicule me if I said something incorrectly, but that hasn’t happened so far. I’ve made friends with people of other cultures who’ve experienced similar problems speaking the language of their parents, and it has helped me see how common my experience was. Occasionally, I overhear bilingual conversations between American children and their Spanish-speaking parents and I can’t help but think back to my childhood.
I recently saw a relative who I hadn’t seen in a long time — someone who always cited me as an example of someone who had forgotten their culture — and he asked me about a trip I had taken to South America and if that meant I had finally learned Spanish. The old anger came back, but I simply told him I had always spoken Spanish. Rather than crawling inside myself like I used to do, I pushed past the discomfort of feeling defined by one thing because I’ve finally stopped letting other people’s perceptions of what I can or cannot do affect how I feel about myself.
Vaya pues.
This article by Wendy Escober originally appeared on xoJane.
Copa Airlines operates 66 fligths weekly between San Jose and Panama City
(QCOSTARICA) With more than five decades of operating in Costa Rica, the Panamanian airline, COPA, is the first airline licensee of the “Essential Costa Rica” brand.
“We feel pretty Tico (Costa Rican),” said Adolfo Sen, director of COPA Airlines.
COPA currently operates 66 flights weekly from the Juan Santamaria (San Jose) airport to Panama and two from the Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia.
(PRNewswire) Adding a sexy, healthy spin to our familiar breakfast menu of pancakes, eggs and cereal is now easier than ever with Costa Rica’s “gallo pinto.”A recent study published by Nutrition Journal found that the pairing of any type of beans with rice can help stop unhealthy blood sugar spikes in adults with type 2 diabetes.
With 25.8 million people in the U.S. living with this condition, Costa Rican “gallo pinto” is both a healthy and creative alternative to the mundane breakfast menu. A side dish traditionally served in Costa Rican breakfasts, the typical mix of rice and beans, also known as “gallo pinto,” can now be served with a Costa Rican flair that includes an elaborate selection of nutritious ingredients for those seeking to lead a healthier lifestyle with a little bit of spice. And everyone agrees that adding a bit of spice is a great, sexy move!
As firm believers of the farm-to-table movement since before it became popular, Costa Ricans are experts at creating delicious meals from fresh, local ingredients grown through sustainable farming methods. The National Plan for Healthy and Sustainable Food, one of Costa Rica’s latest efforts to promote its competitiveness as a culinary destination, encourages the revival of highly nutritious and tasty traditional dishes such as “gallo pinto.” Previously lost in Costa Rica’s culinary offerings, the nutritional value of the classic mix of rice and beans has been rediscovered.
The following is a contemporary recipe for Costa Rican “gallo pinto”:
Ingredients
1 ounce of fresh cilantro
4 garlic cloves
2 ½ tablespoons of chopped onions
2 ½ tablespoons of chopped sweet peppers
2 ½ tablespoons of butter
3 teaspoons of salt
2 ½ cups of cooked rice
1 cup of drained black or red beans
½ cup of beans broth
Worcestershire sauce (a substitute to the local Costa Rican sauce)
Preparation
Sauté onions, sweet pepper and garlic with 2 ½ tablespoons of butter until crystallized. Add beans and broth until the broth is reduced halfway. Then add salt, cooked rice and mix well. Once mixed, add Worcestershire sauce to taste. At the end, add cilantro and check the seasoning.
*Serves 3-4 people
**Additions may include tomatoes, green onions, and protein sides.
Presidents Luis Guillermo Solis (L) and Barack Obama (R) on Monday at the White House
Barack Obama and Luis Guillermo Solis at the White House on Monday
(QCOSTARICA) In a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday, President Luis Guillermo Solis finalized a deal that will send millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Costa Rica.
On his Facebook page Monday night, Solis said “the U.S. cooperation will allow us to combat organized crime and strengthen security at land borders.”
The President said the Costa Rica will receive around US$30 million in military supplies which includes two cargo planes, two large patrol boats and two smaller interceptor boats, air surveillance equipment and biometric software to help identify illegal immigrants in the field.
At White House Monday, August 22 2016
The agreement also provides supplies for police, including three armoured vehicles, the construction of virtual shooting ranges and communications equipment primarily for the rangers at the Corcovado national park. In addition, the U.S. will provide extensive training of Costa Rica’s Coast Guard and maintenance for the boats.
President Solis called the donation from the U.S. government “the biggest assistance granted in the last 30 years”.
The donation is part of what U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden (present at the meeting) referred to in a Monday opinion piece for Univision as a “two-track approach” aimed at dealing with illegal immigration into the U.S. The first track being expedited processing for immigrants in immediate danger, and the second being long-term solutions to combat the root causes of illegal immigration.
At White House Monday, August 22 2016
“Together, we’ve developed a comprehensive plan that is rooted in our commitment to improving security—the indispensable foundation for all other progress,” Biden wrote. “And we’re going to keep working to eradicate the transnational criminal networks that drive drug smuggling, human trafficking and financial crime.”
Tension. The U.S. aid comes after the recent announcement by Nicaragua confirming the purchase of 50 T-72 tanks from Russia. Solid said he expressed to Obama concern about the “remilitarization” of Nicaragua by its president Daniel Ortega, calling it a “veiled threat”.
“We mentioned to president (Obama) and vice president (Biden) our concern about the remilitarization in Nicaragua(…). It is not comfortable to see a government buying much power as is doing the government of Nicaragua. We are not comfortable with the rearmament,” said Solis, who does not expect the military equipment to be used against Costa Rica said.
The Costa Rica delegation was made up of Solis; Foreign Minister, Manuel Gonzalez; Minister of the Presidency, Sergio Alfaro; Costa Rica’s ambassador in Washington, Román Macaya; the Director of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), Mariano Figueres.
Joining Obama and Biden at the meeting was also the US Ambassador to Costa Rica, Stafford Fitzgerald Haney.
At White House Monday, August 22 2016
Last month, Costa Rica announced that it would offer temporary refuge to people fleeing from the violence-plagued Central American countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala – a decision spurred by U.S. efforts to stem illegal entries along its southern border with Mexico.
President Solis added that during the meeting with the highest political authorities of the United States, he called for U.S. support for the candidacy of Costa Rica’s Christiana Figueres to the general secretariat of the United Nations (UN).
The donation reported by Casa Presidencial (Government House) that will be made through the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica includes:
Two C-145 cargo planes
Three vessels for maritime surveillance, including two to interceptors
A Coast Guard station
A Dock in Golfito, Puntarenas
US$ 1 million for the refurbishment of the King Air Air Surveillance plane
Team To extend to 24 hours counternarcotics aerial surveillance
A Hangar
An Operations centre for air surveillance in Coto 47, in Corredores (southern zone)
The Construction of police checkpoint Kilometre 35, near the border with Panama.
Biometrics to identify undocumented migrants
Training for the Border Police and equipment for mobile inspections
Field tents to house 2,400 people that includes folding beds and blankets for disaster relief
Three armoured vehicles for the Fuerza Publica (police)
Virtual shooting range for police
US$350,000 to the Canine Unit of the Penitentiary Police.
Communications equipment with a value of 40,000 for Corcovado National Park rangers
Kits treat victims of sexual violence, among others
2,000 scholarships for at-risk youth, training them on labour and entrepreneurship skills
Full release from Casa Presidencial here (in Spanish)
America Free Zone (Zona Franca America) located in Heredia, Costa Rica
America Free Zone (Zona Franca America) located in Heredia, Costa Rica
(PRNewswire)More than 82,000 direct jobs and 43,000 indirect jobs generated, a return of US$3.179 billion on incentives received (Net Country Benefit), added to a major technology transfer, incorporation of key business innovations, dynamic productive linkages that galvanize the entry of small- and medium-sized businesses to the global economy, as well as the implementation of novel and modern business practices and the assimilation of high international quality standards in Costa Rican companies — these are some of the benefits that the Free Trade Zone Regime in Costa Rica has contributed in 2015, a year in which both Net Country Benefit and direct employment grew 5% over 2014, as confirmed by the study “Free Trade Zone Balance Sheet: net benefit of the free trade zone regime for Costa Rica 2011-2015 (Balance de las Zonas Francas, beneficio neto del régimen para Costa Rica 2011-2015).
The analysis conducted by the Foreign Trade Promoter of Costa Rica (PROCOMER – Promotora de Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica ), the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica (COMEX – Ministerio de Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica) and the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE – CoaliciónCostarricense de Iniciativas de Desarrollo ), confirm that the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Regime of Costa Rica is socially profitable: each dollar of incentives granted to companies last year generated $6.2 for the country.
Average wages in the FTZ grew at rates of 7% in the past year, reaching $1,551 per month in 2015, a figure that is 1.8 times greater than the average paid for private activities in the rest of the country.
The presentation of the study was attended by the President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solís. “The study presented this morning confirms for us once again the fundamental role played by Free Trade Zones in the development of the country, as generators of quality employment for Costa Ricans and dynamizing platforms for national productive activity. Our government maintains a strong commitment to guarantee the juridical security of the Regime of Free Trade Zones (FTZ) and its stability. Today more than 125 thousand Costa Ricans work in the regime, giving rise to greater well-being for them, their families and our country. We reiterate our support for, and commitment to the regime” said the President.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, Alexander Mora, noted that the study released this morning by PROCOMER comprises par of the strategy that the foreign trade sector is pursuing to sustain its public policies and actions, as well as the initiatives deriving from them, with evidence and solid data. “The study uses a widely recognized international methodology, whose method is to model costs and benefits, presenting a net result, that is to say, it deducts costs from benefits therefore making it possible to approach more precise and rigorous results than other alternative methods. This confirms for us that the free trade zone regime is increasing its social profitability for the country at a greater speed than before, consolidating itself as a powerful tool for promoting and providing incentives for production,” the Minister observed. “We are committed to keep generating and strengthening the conditions necessary so that more companies can put down deeper and deeper roots by establishing linkages with local businesses, and hire Costa Rican personnel for a higher addition of national value, one of the variables that, along with productivity, we are also studying in greater depth, and about which we will soon be sharing information with the country,” Minister Mora concludes.
For the first time, the study analyzed the productivity level of the regime’s workers, concluding that, for manufacturing industry, real added value per worker within the FTZ showed annual growth of 8.1% in the 2000-2015 period, a much higher figure than that registered outside the regime, which was 1% during the same period.
Pedro Beirute Prada, General Manager of PROCOMER, said that the free trade zone regime is vital for the country’s competitiveness, since it creates nearly half of its exports.
“The FTZ has contributed to the diversity of exportable supply, we have companies in all sectors and in all provinces, generating employment, linkages and knowledge transfer,” said Beirute.
Jorge Sequeira, Managing Director of CINDE, added that the FTZ is one of the main tools Costa Rica has to attract companies for direct foreign investment.
“The competition to attract companies to invest is getting stiffer and stiffer. Our country is competing with countries that are very aggressive in terms of the benefits and incentives offered to companies. The FTZ is one of the elements that has enabled Costa Rica to be considered within the list of competitive options for companies. Continuing to ensure its stability and juridical security is of the greatest importance to attract new companies to invest, while this also helps established companies to keep growing and generating quality employment for more and more Costa Ricans,” Sequeira said.
Finally, Beirute noted that it is important to emphasize that national expenditure on purchasing of goods and services (linkages) came to $1.516 billion in 2015, which accounts for 38% of all purchases made by FTZ companies, including imports.
(Q24N) Yes, you can leave the North America bubble It’s not the only place that matters
I resisted moving to South America, as much as I enjoyed my time there during my mini-lives over the past several years.
But yesterday, after selling or giving away all of my stuff, I moved to Colombia.
In some ways, life is clearly better for me in Colombia than in the U.S.. I can get all of the fresh vegetables I can carry from the farmer’s market for less than $10, I can afford an apartment in a building with a pool, and my health insurance plan — the best available — is about $100 a month. Even though I’ve learned I can be miserable or happy in just about any kind of weather, the climate is an added bonus: 75˚F and sunny all year.
I have to admit, the lack of American*-level convenience was one of the factors that held me back. Can you imagine living without Amazon Prime? Still, I can get items from Amazon within about 2 weeks (after paying 30% extra on shipping and import taxes).
But the challenging parts of living in a developing country are the parts that make it worth doing. For example, since I’m operating in Spanish day-to-day — and interacting with people from a totally different culture — I’m forced to constantly assume that I’m wrong. The foreigner is always wrong. This is a kind of “patience therapy.” At first I get frustrated easily, but the relaxed rhythm of Colombian life eventually takes over.
For reference, New York City has the opposite effect. It fools me into thinking that I’m right, and there’s somewhere I have to be.
It’s hard to quantify the value of immersing yourself in another culture. Like a cold shower, it’s all at the same time shocking, refreshing, and invigorating. Once I reached the level of Spanish where I was able to give directions on the street, I felt like I had discovered a secret level on Super Mario Bros..
Suddenly, the world felt bigger. Not only could I now travel in newfound comfort in 13 countries, I had — in the process of learning and living — developed a new understanding of humanity at large: Having a sense of the universality of emotions like happiness, fear, and love; and the myriad ways of navigating all of it, brought vibrance to every face I saw on the street.
When Tim Ferriss asked Malcolm Gladwell what advice he would have for his 30-year-old self, his response was quick, and simple: “Leave North America…. Which is — despite the fact that it pretends to be the only place that matters — is not the only place that matters.” He then recalled an opportunity he had to live in Jamaica. “I should have done it,” he said.
I wonder about the details of Mr. Gladwell’s decision-making process when he passed up that opportunity. I imagine that the conveniences and familiarity of his home country felt even more comfortable when wrapped in a blanket of fear of the unknown.
Of course, it was a different world twenty-two years ago. There was no Skype or Facebook. He couldn’t just log onto JOL (Jamaica Online) to send an email to a friend. My own geographic flexibility would be unthinkable without impromptu FaceTime chats with my parents, and scheduled Hangouts with close friends.
I also imagine someone as accomplished as Mr. Gladwell was driven by his career aspirations. When you feel like you’re in “the only place that matters,” competing with your Washington Post colleagues, running off to Jamaica looks like career suicide.
I personally had to overcome the sense that by running off to South America, I was somehow admitting defeat in “The America Game.” But, this isn’t the first time that I’ve left the well-worn path for something counterintuitive. Eight years ago, I left my life as a product designer for Silicon Valley startups — job opportunities nipping at my tail. I didn’t have a plan in mind, but I eventually transformed into a writer, teacher, and podcaster. These are all things I can do from abroad, and in fact, I do my best work when in Colombia because I’m just happier here.
Sometimes I think about what my life would be like if I had stayed on that path (as if I could have stomached it). I’d probably be using my good fortune to build products that do whatever my mom doesn’t do for me anymore, paying $3,000 a month for a studio apartment, and looking for the next molecular gastronomy restaurant to cross off my bucket list.
I know that sounds sanctimonious, as if my flexible lifestyle weren’t made possible by innovators in Silicon Valley and beyond. It’s just that sometimes I think about how each of us could be living a life different from the one we’re living — a life that would actually make us happier — yet we have no way of knowing about it. We’re like dogs that haven’t figured out that the doggy door isn’t just a solid wall.
I think about a well-intentioned product designer in his studio apartment, shoving the last bite of pad thai he ordered from Seamless into his mouth while rushing to his Uber to drink craft cocktails. While surrounded by people discussing the latest TechCrunch article, he feels a faint sense of dissatisfaction — a sense that he’s not good enough. He takes another drink and forgets about it.
I wish he would reconsider. I wish he would seek out discomfort, face his insecurities, and live a life on the great frontier that technology has expanded for so many of us.
And even when I hear a real innovator like Elon Musk fantasize about colonizing Mars — as exciting an idea as that is — I cringe a little. The same way a magician waving his hand will keep you from seeing the dove he’s pulling from his pocket, I fear it will make people forget about the Earth, and humanity, and human experience — and how much of all of it each of us has yet to explore.
* I don’t like to call U.S. Citizens “Americans” (Colombia is also in The Americas), but I’m not sure what else to call us.
Original article by David Kadavy can be found at Medium.com
(Q24N) Researchers at UCLA recently published the findings of a study that suggests that Latinos age slower than any other ethnicity. Scientists refer to the phenomenon as the ‘Hispanic paradox’, since Latinos typically have higher rates of diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.
According to researchers, the ethnic group is unequivocally healthier, lives longer than others, and has cells that take much longer to age.
To reach that conclusion, the researchers analyzed eighteen sets of data on DNA samples from around 6,000 people. In their analysis, they discovered that the blood of Latinos aged more slowly than other groups.
DNA specifically from the Latin American indigenous group Tsimané aged even slower than the general Latino group: around two years younger than Latinos and four years younger than whites.
We suspect that Latinos’ slower aging rate helps neutralize their higher health risks, particularly those related to obesity and inflammation,’ said Steve Horvath, a professor of biostatistics at the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA.
‘Our findings strongly suggest that genetic or environmental factors linked to ethnicity may influence how quickly a person ages and how long they live.’
According to Horvath, the UCLA research points to an epigenetic explanation for Latinos’ longer life spans.
For example, the biological clock measured Latino women’s age as 2.4 years younger than non-Latino women of the same age after menopause.
“Drive Your Car & Be Your Own Boss” says Uber sas in its driver recruitment ads. Some drivers are taking it one step further, setting up their own fleet?
(QCOSTARICA) Driven by Facebook, some Uber drivers are looking to hire other drivers to operate their vehicles, in exchange for payment of a fee, working schedule and rules.
In the same way the driver/owners of formal taxis, these Uber drivers want to maximize their vehicle’s utility, offering them up to other drivers to work shifts up to 12 hours, having their cars on the road around the clock.
“Wanted driver from 6am to 6pm (…),” with conditions of work and coverage begin some ads appearing on Facebook.
An edited post placed by a Uber driver on Facebook
Uber says it is aware of the situation and encourages its driver to register the number of vehicles they wish, provided they meet the minimum requirements.
“These things happen often without any guidance from us, these are two people connecting through technology. Nothing to do with us,” said Humberto Pacheco, head of Uber in Costa Rica.
Pacheco went on to explain that the law of supply and demand protects the consumer from owners/drivers who exploit the (growing) Uber situation in the country.
“If a partner (Uber calls its drivers partners) offers unfit conditions, the customer will find another that will provide better,” said Pacheco.
In the works and expected to be ready next month, is a bill to regulate private drive companies using apps such as Uber and Cabify.
The bill aims to force these (and others) companies to register each and every one of their drivers with the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC) and linked to a particular vehicle.
Each vehicle would have an ID on the windshield that includes the name of the driver and or cooperative, the license plate number and special sticker for this kind of service.
However, lacking in the development of the bill is the employment relationship and working conditions of the drivers. According to the Ministry of Labour, they, the drivers, are at the mercy of the Ministry of Transport.
Spearheaded by PAC legislator, Franklin Corella, the draft bill calls for:
all transactions to be in national currency
a tax of 3% to 5% for each trip that would be earmarked for transportation projects
allowing only the transport of persons
maximum passengers of 5 to 7
applies only to ground transportation (no air or sea)
For its part, Uber says it wants greater autonomy on transactions, the tax is too high, wants the transport of goods included, the maximum number of people should be greater to include groups under its Ubervan and its application should apply to all types of transport, including maritime and air.
Corella explained that in the last several months it has called on Uber to participate in the negotiations, however, they have not been present.
The legislator added that in the coming weeks, prior to the final draft to be presented to the Legislative Assembly, the draft bill will be presented to the transportation sector and government authorities.
“We do not want the transport sector to see it as a threat, rather as an opportunity to regulate the service and improve this new form of mobility,” said PAC legislator.
(QCOSTARICA) Cockroaches are nasty insects, their physical appearance may scare everyone. They are often related to garbage and dirt, but you can also see them at home, walking down in our pantry or bedroom. We can find them anywhere in the world due to their power of adaptation. Especially in Costa Rica, it seems
Cockroaches are one of the most resistant species on the planet as they support high levels of radiation and can survive without food for more than a month. These insects are omnivores, meaning they can eat both, plant foods or other animals. For these reasons we can find cockroaches everywhere, feeding on anything they find.
In addition to feeding on garbage, cockroaches leave chemical traces through their stool. In this way, they can easily find sources of water or food. That is a way of communication between them and that’s the main reason why they are all installed in a certain place. Amazing, I know… But we will help you to get rid of these nasty insects once and for all
If you want to get rid of cockroaches that present in your home, I recommend you try this trick which is very effective.
I discovered it by accident, the most powerful cockroaches repellent – Bay leaves (Laurel in Spanish).
I recently purchased from the Masxmenos (local supermarket) a package of dry bay leaves I sometimes use for cooking, then left the package open (my bad) in a room adjacent to the kitchen. After reading the article on http://www.feelhealthylife.com/, I consciously noted I had not seen a cockroach for some time.
My opened package of bay leaves (laurel in Spanish), next to my coffee grinds I burn to repel flying insects in the house and spread in the garden.
Bay leaves are an inexpensive and apparently are the best natural and effective way to repel cockroaches. This herb can’t kill them, but it the drives them away quickly because the smell is unbearable for the cockroach.
Place bay leaves in the garden or in the kitchen and you will never see cockroaches roaming around. They are perfect for the areas where food is stored such as kitchen or pantry because they are safe and non-toxic.
You can use fresh bay leaves or dry. But the best way to use these leaves is to crush dry leaves and make a powder. They release a much stronger smell used this way.
Share this post with your friends and help them to get rid of cockroaches once and for all!
(QDATING) The internet is a treasure trove of eligible women, especially if you sign up for a free online dating website. As plentiful as the sea of singles may be, it can be a little overwhelming trying to find a great catch. Sure, you may come across some great contenders, but when it comes down to it, things can fall flat even before they get going!
If you experience this sort of let down more often than not, perhaps it’s not the people you’re meeting (or not meeting), but it is your profile that could be doing you dirty. Your profile is so important, whether you join a free online dating site or even a paid site. Keep reading if you want to know the best ways to appeal to someone, regardless of what dating site you decide to try.
1. Just Be You – When you join a free online dating service, you might feel inclined to embellish the truth because you may think that there is no way you could stand out among all the other singles on the site. Stop! Don’t even think about it! When you embellish the truth, you’re doing yourself a disservice, and you are also lying, and we all know that the truth always has a way of coming out, right? Just be yourself.
2. Don’t Use Boring Language – What we mean about using boring language on a free online dating site is don’t use phrases and words that appear on the majority of the profiles you see. For example, if you describe yourself as being laid back and carefree, you’ll probably get passed over because no one admits they are high strung—everyone is basically laid back. Instead, try to be more descriptive.
3. Tell Stories and Avoid Lists – Have you ever came across something and all it does is list things? It’s almost like you’re reading a grocery list! When you are filling out your profile, tell a story. People who read your profile should be able to picture how they will fit into your life, and they can do that when you describe things to them. For example, instead of listing some of the things you like to do, talk about a few experiences in detail. It’s a great way to draw interest and make people want to get to know you even more.
4. Avoid Sharing Too Much Information – While you may want to be upfront and honest with people about your past, some of your interests, and views, you don’t have to spill your guts on your profile. In fact, you want to put just enough information to draw attention and still have a little bit of mystery about you. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it can be a magnet on a free online dating site.
5. Carefully Choose Photographs – Unlike Facebook where you can post all sorts of photographs, the pictures you upload to your free online dating profile should have some thought behind it. Most free online dating sites give you a limited number of pictures you can have, so you’ll want to choose pictures that best exemplifies who you are as a person, as well as some of your interests and hobbies. When you choose the right photos, you will almost see an increase in how many messages you receive.
(CONFIDENTIAL) Tickets for the San Jose (Costa Rica) concert for one of the most iconic Hard Rock bands, Guns N’ Roses NOT IN THIS LIFETIME… tour went on sale Monday, sparking a craze among the fans.
The band will take to the stage at the National Stadium, in La Sabana, on November 26, 2016.
At 12:01am Monday (August 22) tickets were available to members of Fan Club International; from 12:01 Tuesday (August 23) to 11:59pm Saturday (August 27) they will be available to American Express cardholders; from 12:01am Sunday (August 28) to 11:59pm Sunday September 4 to Credomatic cardholders; and whatever is left will be available to the public from 12:01am Monday September 05 onwards.
Ticket prices range from ¢35.000 to ¢75,000 colones and available only through Publitickets.com.
Christian Marin, Publitickets operations manager for Latin America, confirmed Ticos have been purchasing tickets to see the legendary band, however, there have been sales of a large number of tickets to fans in Central America, South America, North America, the Caribbean and Europe. Marin said they have also received a number inquiries from other countries, including from Asia.
Marin added that “unfair competition” attempted to hack their server by overloading the server with the idea of crashing it so that nobody can make purchases. “They tried hacking into us, but we responded in time,” said the operations manager.
The San Jose date is one of twelve announced to date in Latin America, that includes Medellin (Colombia), Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Santiago (Chile) and Lima (Peru), among others. Click here for all tour dates.
Guns N’ Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1985. The classic lineup, as signed to Geffen Records in 1986, consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The current lineup consists of Rose, Slash, McKagan, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese, guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer.
(CONFIDENTIAL) The first time Amores Extraños was heard in the country was in 1994, when Laura Pausini released her first Spanish-language album, Laura Pausini, a compilation of ten adapted versions of hits from her previous albums. The record became the best-selling album of 1994 in Spain.
Laura Pausini on stage at the National Stadium in La Sabana (San Jose) Saturday night
The album was successful in Latin America too, being certified platinum by the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers, the Asociación Colombiana de Productores de Fonogramas and the Chilean division of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Moreover, the first four singles from the album, “La soledad”, “Se fue”, “Amores Extraños” and “Gente”, entered the top 30 on the Hot Latin Songs chart compiled by Billboard. Thanks to these results, Billboard ranked Pausini the second female revelation of 1994, after Mariah Carey.
Would you recognize her? In the photo is the Italian singer, Laura Pausini (left) who took to the stage in La Sabana Saturday night, is seen here coming out the San Jose airport terminal. Photo David Chacon, Diario ExtraIn 1995, Pausini also received the World Music Award for Best Selling Italian Recording Artist and the Lo Nuestro Award for Best New Artist of the Year.
Saturday night, following the opening by Andres Carranza, who perfomed four original songs, at 8:00pm sharp the stadium lights dimmed and the sound of a heartbeat filled the open space. The screends showed a video, setting the tone for the evening.
“Tonight we are not alone,” said the voice with an Italian accent and the entire lower floor of the stadium stood up.
Laura Pausini came on stage.
The San Jose show is part of the Pausini Stadi Tour 2016 or Simili Tour, part of 17 Europe and 23 America dates, that began on May 25, 2016 and ending on October 25, 2016 in Munich, Germany.
In the Americas, Pausini opened her tour in Brampton (Ontario, Canada) on July 26, working her way down to New York City, Miami and Los Angeles, before hitting for five Mexico cities (Monterrey, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Queretao City and Puebla), ahead of San Jose (Costa Rica) on Saturday night.
Tomorrow, Tuesday night (Aug. 23) Pausini will be Panama, then off to Medellin and Bogota (Colombia) on the 25th and 26th, next to Quito (Ecuador), Lima (Peru), Snatiago (Chile), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Asuncio (Paraguay), Punta del Esta (Uruguay), Sao Paol and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and San Juan (Puerto Rico) before heading back to Europe, with a date in Madrid on October 7.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez said that oil nations are aware that oil prices must be balanced
Venezuelan government authorities have insisted on the necessity to balance oil markets and set fair prices that help recover the country’s economy; hence they are making efforts to reach consensus around their stance.
Petroleum and Mining Minister Eulogio del Pino and Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez embarked on a tour of OPEC and non-OPEC Member States with the aim of rethinking the oil market and leveraging the global economy.
As part of the tour, Del Pino on Wednesday met with his Omani counterpart Mohammed Al Rumhy.
For her part, Rodríguez stated that the nations have backed Venezuela’s proposals to face the future of oil markets.
You already know that there are so many awesome ways to travel when you’re on a serious budget. But what’s equally important is ~where~ you go in the first place.
Your dollar will get you pretty far in a dozen countries that include Nicaragua — which means they are pretty much the best places to go when you’re watching your wallet.
Nicaragua
Many people say Nicaragua is the new Costa Rica, which basically means that it’s getting to be an increasingly popular Central American destination. So get there while it’s still on the rise! Bonus: You won’t have to pay much once you arrive. The country is known for all of its high-adventure outdoor activities, particularly surfing — so do it up on the cheap. And you can get a dorm bed for as little as $5.
While you are in Nicaragua, take a look at these very close by countries:
Guatemala
Those waterfalls are as beautiful as they look. This country is known for its gorgeous outdoor landscapes, as well as its cool arts-and-crafts handiwork. You can find tons of cool wooden sculptures and knickknacks in the weekend markets. It’s all affordable, too: A good meal, for instance, is roughly $3, and everything else is similarly budget-friendly.
Honduras
Most people think of Costa Rica and even Nicaragua when they think of Central America. But Honduras is quickly becoming one of the rising hot spots for budget travelers looking to backpack on their own path. Fortunately, it’s very affordable — here’s what everything typically costs. Our favorite: A good local meal costs about 65 Honduran lempira, which is $3. Sold.
Peru
Whatever you do, please, please put Machu Picchu on your travel bucket list. It is one of the coolest and most magical structures in the world. And the other parts of Peru are equally stunning — not to mention affordable. A taxi all around Lima, for instance, is about $7 (25 Peruvian nuevo). *Dances around apartment in joy*
Operativo del OIJ en Pérez Zeledón, este lunes 22 de agosto. (Mario Cordero)
OIJ police operation in Pérez Zeledón Monday morning (Aug. 22) Photo Mario Cordero, La Nacion
(QCOSTARICA) In a series of raids early Monday morning, the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) detained seven people involved in the cultivation and growing of marijuana in 14 different points of La Amistad International Park.
The raids were carried out in eight locations in Perez Zeledon and Buenos Aires de Puntarenas, in the southern zone.
The detained were part of a ‘narcofamilia’ – drug trafficking family – and two officials of the Minister of Environment and Energy (MINAE).
OIJ director, Walter Espinoza confirmed the police operation and the arrests. Espinoza explained that the two officials were part of the drug trafficking operation, allowing the planting and removal of the marijuana plants and monitoring the area of the national park.
The OIJ investigation was an eight month work that included two raids earlier this month (on Aug. 5) that netted the detention of seven people and seven more on Monday.
La Amistad park is located in Costa Rica’s southern zone, part in Costa Rica and Panama.
According to Espinoza, this ‘narco structure’ has been operating for more than two decades, taken down for the first time over 21 years ago. At the time, the drug network trafficked marijuana and cocaine hydrochloride sent to Germany, however, it is believed they started back up in operation in 2011.
