(Prensa Latina) Venezuela has denounced the US double standard on human rights. The foreign minister, Delcy Rodríguez wrote on her Twitter account that the US, after causing massive suffering on the planet today, wants to lecture the world.
The comment came after the spokeswoman of the United States Department of State, Elizabeth Trudeau, critized the arrest of ultra right-wing leader, Leopoldo Lopez.
Rodriguez referred to US intervention in the internal affairs of the Venezuelan state and recalled the thousands of civilian victims and innocents killed by invasions launched by Washington and its allies.
The day before, Trudeau had described as ‘arbitrary detention’ the arrest of the right-wing opponent, Lopez, author of the coup plan ‘La Salida’, a terrorist act that killed 43, wounded 878 and left significant material losses.
Rodríguez retorted that the ‘US government defends and protects its main agent in the country, trained and prepared in the north to take power violently.’
‘Since the arrival of the Bolivarian Revolution, The White House has undertaken interventionist actions against the nation, which are in keeping with with the position of the Venezuelan right-wing, because the government addresses the interests of the people and does not respond to foreign powers,’ continued the foreign minister.
On Monday, Nicaragua showed off the first of 50 Russian tanks it confirmed purchasing
On Monday, Nicaragua showed off the first of 50 tanks it confirmed purchasing from Russia, expecting to take delivery soon.
(QCOSTARICA) Nicaragua may not get its armament shipment if Costa Rica can help it. That is the word of President Luis Guillermo Solis.
Given that Nicaragua port of Corinto on the Pacific coast cannot handle the heavy military equipment and weapons, including its purchase of Russian tanks, Nicaragua may have to bring it in by way of Costa Rica’s Puerto de Limon, in the Caribbean.
President Solis, in replying to questions by La Nacion, said that it is unlikely such heavy equipment can arrive without detection and pre-clearance with port authorities; and if it does, the government would have look into the legal options available to impede it.
If, however, the military weapons enter the country illegally, they will be confiscated.
Solis said his government, on hearing rumours about the passage of weaponry bought from Russia through Costa Rican territory, is investigating the matter.
There could be no surprise. The president was clear that his government maintains a customs surveillance to prevent surprises.
President Solis played down the news from Managua on Monday, of the government of Daniel Ortega displaying its Russian tank, calling it “a unnecessary show of force that is not acceptable in these times of peace.”
According to Solis, Costa Rica is willing the use of its ports to mobilize goods such as food, medicine and many other products, but “not for the import of weapons or tanks or military aircraft or ammunition of any kind”.
Many goods headed for Nicaragua enter Costa Rica at the Limon port and then moved by land to the Peñas Blancas border with Nicaragua.
Speaking out on the situation is Robert Callahan, who was US ambassador in Nicaragua between 2008 and 2011, warning that the recent purchase of tanks by the Ortega administration is an act of intimidation towards neighbouring countries, in particular, Costa Rica.
“He has thrown three American officials out of the country on the flimsiest of pretexts. In what appears to be an attempt to intimidate his neighbors, especially Costa Rica, which has no armed forces, he has arranged to buy Russian tanks. When three Venezuelan parliamentarians tried to enter Nicaragua to express solidarity with the political opposition, they didn’t get beyond the airport,” Callahan wrote in an opinion article published in the Miami Herald on August 14
A number of buildings in San Jose were evacuated this morning following the earthquake. Photo Jorge Arce, La Nacion
(QCOSTARICA) A 4.7 magnitude earthquake this Wednesday morning shook many different parts of the Central Valley, confirmed the National Seismological and Volcanic Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI). The National Seismological Network (RSN) reported the 10:06am quake as a 4.6.
A number of buildings were evacuated, as a precaution, in San Jose this morning like the Pavas courthouse pictured here. Photo Jorge Arce, La Nacion
The epicentre of the quake was seven kilometres west of San Marcos de Tarrazú, at a depth of 20 kilometres, and reported felt in Central Valley, Perez Zeledon and San Carlos.
No reports of damage to property or persons affected; however, as a precaution some buildings in San Jose (the capital) were evacuated following the quake.
Minutes later, at 10:22am, the OVISCORI reported another earthquake occurring 7.7 kilometres northwest of Laurel de Corredores, in the province of Puntarenas, in the southern zone. This second movement had a magnitude of 4.6, and a depth of 5 kilometres.
And yet a third quake was recorded at 10:33am, three kilometres south of San Isidro de Leon Cortes. This last one had a magnitude of 2.5, according to the RSN.
(TODAYY COLOMBIA) Electoral authorities say nearly 250 municipalities in Colombia are at risk of violence or fraud affecting the referendum on an anticipated peace deal with rebel group the FARC, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of this historic vote.
In an August 12 press release, Colombia’s Electoral Observation Mission (Misión de Observación Electoral – MOE) said the yes/no vote expected to be put before the Colombian people on whether to accept a final peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC) could be marred by violence or fraud in as many as 243 municipalities across the country.
The two sides agreed to a bilateral ceasefire in June, and the announcement of a final peace deal in the coming months appears likely. But the peace plan calls for Colombian voters to have final say on deal.
Of the 243 municipalities highlighted by MOE, 53 are at “extreme risk,” 83 are at “high risk,” while 107 are at “medium risk” of violence or fraud. More than half of the municipalities in the departments of Chocó, Arauca, Cauca and Putumayo are at risk. Antioquia registered the greatest number of municipalities at risk, with 13.
MOE based its classifications for likelihood of electoral violence on the presence organized crime groups, guerrillas, coca crops, illegal mining and potential for massive displacement, among other variables.
The high potential for violence and fraud cast a pall over a referendum process that is already politically contentious. Recent polls offer conflicting indications about whether or not Colombians will vote to approve the peace agreement being hammered out by the government and FARC. And earlier this month, former president and current Senator Álvaro Uribe, long a vocal opponent to the peace process, announced his political party would spearhead the “No” campaign. This environment of uncertainty is only increased by the unprecedented nature of this type of vote in Colombia.
“One must take into account that these are not normal elections because there are no close antecedents of other plebiscites,” said MOE Director Alejandra Barrios Cabrera.
MOE’s report also illustrates how there are many illegal armed groups apart from the FARC that have a stake in a potential peace deal. Neo-paramilitary groups such as the Urabeños and left-wing guerrillas like the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN) could benefit immensely by occupying strategic territory left behind by a demobilized FARC, but they will also become the principal targets of the government’s crusade to eliminate criminal actors. This calculus will help determine the level of organized crime violence surrounding the referendum; activists in rural Colombia have already reported receiving death threats from the Urabeños as a result of their work educating people about the peace process.
(Q24N) The recent murder of a beauty pageant director in Mexico draws attention to the long history of star-crossed romantic pairings involving two kinds of individuals Latin America is famous for: drug traffickers and beauty queens.
Media outlets frequently call these women “trophy wives” or say they have been “seduced” by the lure of money and fame that comes with drug trafficking.
But in some cases, that narrative may be too simplistic.
While there is certainly no denying that Latin American drug trafficking is saturated in “machismo” culture, it’s also worth noting that some beauty queens became significant underworld figures in their own right.
Martha Lucía Echeverry (Colombia)
Echeverry won Colombia’s National Beauty Queen contest in 1974, representing the Valle del Cauca department. It wasn’t until 1980, however, that she would meet Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, head of the powerful Cali Cartel. According to Semana, the two met when Echeverry started working in public relations for Cali’s professional soccer team, of which Rodríguez Orejuela was a principal shareholder at the time. Their relationship only ended when Rodríguez Orejuela was extradited to the United States in 2005.
Aura Rocío Restrepo (Colombia)
Like his brother, Miguel, Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela ran the Cali Cartel and had a romantic partner that won awards for her beauty. Rocío Restrepo was a 20-year-old college student when she first met Rodríguez Orejuela in 1987.
The following year, she represented Valle del Cauca in the National Tourism Queen contest. Rocío Restrepo later wrote a book titled “I Don’t Want To Be Quiet Any Longer” (Ya no quiero callar) detailing the eight tumultuous years she spent with Rodríguez Orejuela prior to his capture in 1995.
Maria Susana “Susy” Flores (Mexico)
Flores became a beauty queen in 2012 when she was voted the Woman of Sinaloa. She still held that crown when she was killed during a gun battle between soldiers and a drug gang that November.
One of the members of the gang was reportedly Flores’s boyfriend, and some government officials have said Flores also participated in the shootout.
Liliana Lozano (Colombia)
Lozana won the Valle del Cauca beauty pageant in 1996 at the age of 17 and would later become a television actress. Her boyfriend, Leonidas Vargas, was a known drug trafficker in the area.
In January 2009, just days after Vargas was murdered in Spain, she was found dead alongside her boyfriend’s brother at a country house in Valle del Cauca.
Emma Coronel (Mexico)
The third wife of Mexico’s most infamous drug lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Coronel won a beauty contest in 2006 in the state of Durango when she was just 17 years old.
Chapo courted Coronel while on the run from the law and on her 18th birthday, the two married; he was 50 years old at the time. Coronel, who is a US citizen, reportedly crossed into the United States in 2011 to give birth to twin girls.
María José Alvarado Muñoz (Honduras)
Alvarado Muñoz was crowned Miss Honduras in April 2014, and was preparing to compete in the Miss World competition later that year in London. She and her sister went missing in November, however, and their bodies were found next to a river several days later. The boyfriend of Alvarado Muñoz’s sister confessed to the crime shortly thereafter. Authorities say the man had links to drug trafficking, but the murders appeared to be motivated by a personal dispute.
Laura Elena Zúñiga Huizar (Mexico)
Zúñiga Huizar was crowned the Hispanoamerican Queen in November 2007, and Miss Sinaloa the following July. But she and her boyfriend, an alleged leader of the Juarez Cartel, were arrested by Mexican authorities just months later when they were found carrying high-powered weapons and thousands of dollars in cash. Zúñiga Huizar was stripped of her titles following her arrest.
Angie Sanclemente Valencia (Colombia)
Known as the “narco-model,” in 2010 Argentine authorities sentenced Sanclemente Valencia to six years and eight month in prison for attempting to smuggle 55 kilos of cocaine into Europe. Before her career in drug trafficking, Sanclemente Valencia was Colombia’s “Coffee Queen” before becoming a model in Mexico. While there, she reportedly met a Colombian drug trafficker nicknamed “The Monster” and later started dating a fellow model. The couple traveled to Argentina, where they were both eventually arrested for drug trafficking.
Juliana Sossa Toro (Colombia)
Sossa Toro won the Miss Tourism beauty pageant for the department of Antioquia in 2008, and was also a model for over 150 clothing lines. She later traveled to Mexico, where she became romantic partners with a drug trafficker known as “JJ.” Authorities tracked the pair down in January 2011 after Sossa Toro reportedly revealed on Facebook where they were staying.
JJ was arrested in connection to the 2010 shooting of a Paraguayan soccer star in Mexico City; Sossa Toro was released in April 2011.
The top cellphone companies, Samsung and Apple, launch new flagship phone models at least once every year.
(QTECH) When was the last time you updated, that is got a new smartphone? Me, I got a new one this year, continuing my tradition of skipping one iPhone issue: going from the 5 to the 7SE. I skipped 4 and 6 entirely.
I am not alone in this. A recent survery shows that consumers think smartphone makers are releasing too many new models each year.
The survey conducted in six countries, commissioned by the environmental group Greenpeace, showed that more than half of those who responded would prefer to change their phones less frequently.
Handset devices are one of the most frequently replaced electronics products.
The top cellphone companies, Samsung and Apple, launch new flagship phone models at least once every year, showing off the latest display and mobile processor technologies. Phone makers typically upgrade their cheaper lineups as well.
The survey revealed some differences in attitude toward phone repairs across countries. Chinese and South Koreans were more likely to have had their phones repaired than respondents in the United States or Germany.
More than a third of those surveyed say they have bought new phones wanting a more up-to-date device, but more than half would be okay with changing phones less often. Photograph: IBL/REX/Shutterstock
Nearly half of respondents in all six countries believed that phone manufacturers should be more responsible in making recycling of their phones easier, that producing phones without hazardous chemicals is an important factor.
Respondents to the survey said battery life was an important feature for new smartphones, and they be “designed to last”.
More than 90 per cent of respondents in China, Mexico and South Korea said it is important for new smartphones to be easily repaired if damaged.
Greenpeace polled 1,000 consumers each in the United States, Mexico, Russia, Germany, China and South Korea.
The main reason for buying a new mobile phone:
More than one third of respondents surveyed in all countries answered that “getting a more up to date device” was the reason for buying a new phone last time they did.
Nearly 3 in 10 respondents answered that it was because their previous phone was broken or got lost.
Installin water supply tanks is one solution to a continuing problem of lack of water supply in many communities.
Installin water supply tanks is one solution to a continuing problem of lack of water supply in many communities.
(QCOSTARICA) In the neighborhood of El Carmen de Puriscal it is common for washing machines running past ten at night. No neighbour is bothered by the noise, everyone knows that it is time to wash, for come the morning there will be no water.
“At night is when I wash clothes, clean house and collect water for cooking the next day. People cannot image what we have to do to have water in Pursical,” Carman Barboza, a resident of El Carmen, told La Nacion.
Pursical is a community with water supply problems with more than three years. According to Yamileth Astorga, head of the Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) – the water and sewers utility – warns that this community of some 36,000 will have to continue “dry” for at least three more years, “the only option”, is to wait for the completion of the Orosi II project, located in Paraiso de Cartago, some 90 kilometres away.
“When there is no water we cannot supply it, simple as that. While the Orosi project is being finished, we have to live with what thre is. There are no water source options, we can not do anything. What good is building an infrastructure if there is no water,” said Astorga.
The Puriscal problems of water supply began a decade ago, becoming critical in 2014. The shortages can range from as little as four hours, but in other cases up to 20 hours a day, in this canton in the province of San Jose, some 30 kilometres southeast of the city of San Jose.
According to Juan Carlos Vindas, director of the AyA’s Central West Region, low production from sources is due to eroded soils. “It is poor water quality,” saidVindas.
Mismanagement of water resources is the cause of a growing number problems in providing water for both human consumption and industrial use, and at the same time is creating opportunities for businesses.
Some residents of communities continually struggling with water supply install water tanks that you can shop at PPS Professional Process Systems on average cost about ¢250,000 colones (material and labour).
But even then it doesn’t guarantee water coming from the tap.
Carmen Barboza and her husband, Ricardo Madrigal, told La Nacion they installed two water tanks to alleviate the problem, however, it didn’t help given the water pressure is so low, sometimes the best they can get is “a trickle”.
“If someone is bathing, no other water tap may be open. We share our water with a neighbour, a family with three children under six years of age, and they cannot afford putting in a tank,” said Madrigal.
But, Puriscal is not the only community with lack of flowing water.
In communities like Cuiadad Colon, Santa Ana, Escazu and Desamparados, for example, water shortages – from a low to no pressure on most days, to no water at all on some, is a way of living.
(QCOSTARICA) The Poas volcano, northwest of San Jose, on Tuesday (August 16, 2016), at 2:09pm local time, erupte with a column of gas that rose to a height of 100 metres above the crater (2,808 metres – 9210.24 ft – above sea level).
The activity lasted 2 minutes.
Watch the video by the national volcanoligical institute (OVSICORI-UNA)
Carlos Raphael, right, and his crew in July, mining for gold at the Cuatro Muertos, or Four Dead Men, an illegal mine near Las Claritas, Venezuela, that is 15 stories deep. Credit Meridith Kohut for The New York Times
THE ALBINO MINE, Venezuela — The 12th time Reinaldo Balocha got malaria, he hardly rested at all. With the fever still rattling his body, he threw a pick ax over his shoulder and got back to work — smashing stones in an illegal gold mine.
As a computer technician from a big city, Mr. Balocha was ill-suited for the mines, his soft hands used to working keyboards, not the earth. But Venezuela’s economy collapsed on so many levels that inflation had obliterated his salary, along with his hopes of preserving a middle-class life.
Maribel Supero clutched her son, an illegal gold miner who had been sick with malaria for 21 days. Credit Meridith Kohut for The New York Times
So, like tens of thousands of other people from across the country, Mr. Balocha came to these open, swampy mines scattered across the jungle, looking for a future. Here, waiters, office workers, taxi drivers, college graduates and even civil servants on vacation from their government jobs are out panning for black-market gold, all under the watchful eyes of an armed group that taxes them and threatens to tie them to posts if they disobey.
The Albino Mine in May. With the economy in tatters, thousands are streaming into this region. Credit Meridith Kohut for The New York Times
It is a society turned upside down, a place where educated people abandon once-comfortable jobs in the city for dangerous, backbreaking work in muddy pits, desperate to make ends meet. And it comes with a steep price: Malaria, long driven to the fringes of the country, is festering in the mines and back with a vengeance.
HAVANA – Madonna started her birthday celebration with a drive from José Martí International Airport into Old Havana in a caravan of classic 1950s American convertibles. She turned 58 on Tuesday.
She was staying at the hotel Saratoga, a five-story corner building with a Spanish colonial façade on Paseo de Martí. Beyoncé and Jay Z stayed there in 2013.
Pop queen Madonna was born on Aug. 16, 1958.
The luxury hotel, built in 1933, has suites for about $750 a night — in a country where the average state salary is about $20 a month.
“Cuba Libre,” Madonna said in the caption of a photo she posted on her Instagram profile.
Madonna dances on table while celebtraing in Cuba. Watch the video.
Madonna was traveling with her 19-year-old daughter Lourdes “Lola” Maria Leon Ciccone, whose father, Carlos Leon, is Cuban. Her friend Debi Mazar and her 10 and 16-year-old sons with English filmmaker Guy Ritchie, David and Rocco, were also with her.
Dancer Loic Mabanza posted photos on social media before boarding a World Atlantic Airlines flight and later at La Vitrola, a 1950s themed restaurant, where she had a “tres leches” birthday cake, danced on the table and was part of a “Conga” line.
Lourdes León, Madonna’s daughter in Cuba.
Costume designer Bea Akerlund and photographer Steven Klein were also among her guests.
Madonna in Cuba to celebrate birthday
She joins the list of celebrities — including the Kardashian sisters, Leonardo DiCaprio and Rihanna — partying in Cuba after Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro moved to normalize relations.
Pictured is a young José Daniel Ortega Saavedra. He will be 71 on November 11.
By Byron Rodríguez Palacios, Panampost.com – Both Nicaragua and its current President Daniel Ortega are very complicated topics to discuss these days. What exactly is Danielismo?
Kenneth E. Lawrence Morris’ book titled “Unfinished Revolution” does a good job of answering that question. It gave me a broader and deeper picture of Daniel Ortega Saavedra, whom many consider Nicaragua’s dictator.
It’s hard to figure out why a man who emerged from extreme poverty and obtained an education thanks to the help of a priest not only creates policy that takes from the lower class, but who is accused of raping his current wife’s daughter. He is also considered one of the the most bloodthirsty and ruthless murderers in Nicaraguan history.
Daniel Ortega was a very humble student, born in 1945 in the province of Chontales. He grew up in the mining town of La Libertad, where he worked alongside his father throughout his childhood.
His father, burdened by a lack of work and opportunities, moved the family to the city of Managua when Daniel was thirteen years old.
Ortega and his brothers acquired a very troubled “revolutionary” desire there, which later led his brother Camilo to die during a series of revolts in the city of Masaya.
The Ortega family was thrown out of rooms on numerous occasions for not paying rent. Their critical economic situation earned them fame as defaulters; no one in the neighborhood wanted to rent them a place to live.
At the age of 14, Daniel met Founder of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) Carlos Fonseca Amador. Daniel also visited a Masonic temple near his house, where he learned about revolutionary leader Augusto César Sandino. During these visits, Ortega’s admiration for Sandino grew.
Cuban President Fidel Castro (C) poses with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (R) and Nicaraguan vice-president Sergio Ramirez, on January 11, 198
In 1967, Daniel was jailed for robbing a bank in the heart of Managua. One of the orders that Ortega gave to his subjects was that all those who opposed the robbery should be killed, showing that his interests have always been more important than the law.
Humberto Ortega Saavedra, Luis Carrión y Daniel Ortega Saavedra en 1979. Photo www.plazapublica.com.gt
Ortega spent seven years in prison. During the revolution of 1978 and 1979, Ortega took refuge in Costa Rica. In 1978, he had a common-law marriage with Rosario Murillo, who would not marry him formally until 2005. Murillo, also a Sandinista militant, aimed to become the new Vice President of Nicaragua in the upcoming presidential elections, despite it being a direct violation of the country’s constitution.
The first lady has been criticized for her constant abuse of drugs and alcohol, as well as for promoting a culture of antisocial values derived from the “New Age” sect she follows. In addition, she has been accused of illicit enrichment, given that over the last 10 years, Murillo and her husband Daniel Ortega have managed to amass a fortune at the expense of tax evasion and bribes from state enterprises’ providers, among others.
Daniel Ortega has seven children and a stepdaughter named Zoilamerica Murillo, who formally accused him of rape. The Ortega administration has tried to cover up the situation.
Ortega’s political life truly began July 17, 1979 after President Anastasio Somoza Debayle left the country in response to the FSLN getting close to controlling Managua. As Coordinator of the Junta of National Reconstruction of Nicaragua, Ortega led Nicaragua from 18 July 1979 to 10 January 1985, succeeding himself as President from January 10, 1985 to April 25, 1990.
Since 1990, Daniel Ortega ran for president until finally being elected in November 2006, taking office on January 10, 2007.
October 2006: Daniel Ortega, former Nicaraguan President and his wife Rosario Murillo
His triumph was called into question after winning the presidency with only 37 percent of the total vote. He came to power with minimal popularity, having won due to a split vote between his opponents.
One of the most interesting parts of this political mess loaded with corruption, nepotism, and kickbacks is an alleged pact between Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo that increased her power.
Murillo has held full control over all the government offices of the Ortega administration and its relationship with the media. Moreover, Murillo actually leads the ranks of Ortega’s political party, so the appointment as her husband’s running mate was only a matter of time.
In order to eliminate any dissent against President Daniel Ortega’s quest for his third consecutive term, the Nicaraguan Supreme Electoral Council recently dismissed 28 opposition legislators (16 members and 12 alternate members) from Congress.
The Congressmen belong to the Independent Liberal Party (PLI) and its ally, the Sandinista Renovation Movement. They were dismissed for refusing to comply with the Supreme Court’s appointment of Pedro Reyes, one of President Ortega’s “unconditional” politicians, as the new PLI president.
With this arrangement, and Ortega’s immediate announcement of Rosario Murillo as his running mate, all the formalities and pillars of representative democracy in the Central American nation have been weakened.
A dictatorship has officially started in Nicaragua.
(TODAY NICARAGUA) Nicaragua’s army showed off on Monday its new Russian T-72B1 tank, on the occasion of its upcoming anniversary, after months of speculation about the acquisition.
Photo from ElNuevodiario.com.mi
Army chief General Julio Cesar Aviles, introduced the new battle tank during the opening of the naval, air and artillery exhibition in Managua.
The Army had kept silent about the acquisition of Russian tanks, that according to media it would be about 50, and other military equipment such as boats and helicopters that will be delivered later this year and next.
Photo from ElNuevodiario.com.mi
According to Aviles, the acquisition was made “through the management of cooperation with other countries”. He did not elaborate on costs.
Aviles said the modernization and development of the Army is based on six axes and ten processes that includes, “review, restoration and acquisition of new equipment, such as the BTR armored equipment, new weapons and the T-72 tank to replace the old equipment.”
Photo from ElNuevodiario.com.mi
Playing done the armed conflict role of the army, during the exhibition that on going until August 23 spoke about the army’s role in development of mapping the country, communications and contributions to repair and maintenance of roads, among others.
“Last year we made more than 300 kilometres of repair and construction of roads. We have mobile hospitals for the medical corps, six units with up to 200 beds, there are not tent beds, but very modern hospitals. We have been moving towards modernization,” said Aviles.
Photo from ElNuevodiario.com.mi
The exhibition is free to the public from 9:00am to 8:00pm at the Plaza La Fe, 100 metres from the Peurto Salvador Allande entrance.
The Ejército de Nicaragua (Nicaraguan army) celebrates its 37th anniversary on September 2.
Colombia coca cultivation jumps 39% ahead of peace accord
(TODAY COLOMBIA) Only months after medical marijuana was legalized, the Colombia senator that successfully sought the legalization is now seeking to do the same with coca, the main ingredient for cocaine.
Senator Juan Manuel Galan, the son of assassinated presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan, told press he will now push for the legalization of coca cultivation for medical purposes.
Coca has long been used by indigenous groups for multiple medical purposes, but has been criminalized in Colombia as the country became the world’s largest cocaine producer.
But in spite the criminalization and billions of dollars spent on the destruction of the crop, coca is alive and well and still funding some of Colombia’s most violent guerrillas, paramilitary groups and drug traffickers.
As part of a change in strategy to curb drug trafficking, the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos is developing crop restitution programs that would allow farmers to abandon illegal activity and grow legal crops instead.
In the case of marijuana, the government has even granted licenses for the legal production of marijuana for medical purposes.
But according to Galan, there is no reason not to do the same with coca.
The senator told newspaper El Tiempo there is “scientific evidence indicating coca has medicinal properties.”
Indigenous people in Colombia and neighboring Andean countries use the leave to combat altitude sickness.
According to Galan, coca farmers should be able to continue growing coca if this is meant for ancestral or medicinal purposes, allowing them to grow the crop without contributing to the country’s drug trafficking problems.
According to the Senator, the government is interested in his proposal and considering including it into crop substitution programs that will take effect if peace is signed with leftist FARC rebels.
The guerrillas have long used drug trafficking to fund their war against the state, but vowed to abandon their illicit activities.
(by Henry Morales, Vozdeguanacaste.com) Two new legislative proposals are contributing to efforts by the community of Nosara to prevent drowning at local beaches, as well as crocodile attacks and environmental damage caused by both outsiders and local residents.
One of the proposals is a bill to create a National Lifeguard Corps, while the other is a program to recruit ad honorem environmental custodians.
Although Tourism Police and members of the coast guard currently patrol the beaches, the lifeguard proposal would provide more resources to government agencies for the training of additional personnel to keep beachgoers safe.
Technical studies would be conducted on various beaches to determine their level of danger and warning signs would be placed as needed, said Nogui Acosta, an aide to lawmaker Luis Vásquez, the bill’s main sponsor.
The Legislative Assembly is expected to discuss the proposed legislation as the safety of tourists continues to be threatened by growing populations of crocodiles at Guanacaste beaches and drowning deaths of tourists, including experienced swimmers.
Last year, for example, a 56-year-old Canadian man died at Playa Barrigona, near Sámara and Nosara. According to a friend of the victim, the man was an experienced swimmer, but emergency response time was too slow.
Days after the incident, National Police delegation chief Jorge Jiménez told The Voice of Guanacaste that his officers are not trained in aquatic rescue or how to react to these types of accidents.
If the bill passes, the National Lifeguard Commission would be composed of representatives from the Red Cross, the Costa Rican Tourism Board, the Public Security Ministry, tourism chambers and the Costa Rican Coast Guard.
Municipalities would be tasked with hiring squads of full-time, trained personnel and providing them with resources, equipment and budgets.
Marco Ávila, president of the Nosara Development Association, said the bill is badly needed.
“(The bill) would be a very good thing because in Nosara there is no signage or lifeguards with proper equipment. There are also numerous crocodiles in the Nosara River where many people bathe. Yet there are no preventive measures in place,” Ávila said.
Protecting Natural Resources
Another measure that would aid Nosara and other communities near refuges and national parks is a decree calling for the creation of Natural Resources Vigilance Committees, or COVIRENAS. The decree was signed by President Luis Guillermo Solís and Environment Minister Edgar Gutiérrez on July 25 in Nicoya.
Those interested in becoming ad honorem environmental custodians should present a formal request to a local office of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) or to the Department of Prevention, Protection and Control at SINAC’s executive secretariat.
Better organization could help prevent crimes such as theft of animals or plants from protected areas and illegal logging. In Costa Rica, Guanacaste is the province most affected by illegal logging, according to the most recent report by the Environment Ministry, published in June.
The COVIRENAS decree takes effect once it is published in the official government newspaper La Gaceta. The National Lifeguard Commission bill is expected to enter into discussion in the Assembly in coming days.
Costa Rican authorities are in custody of Arthur Budovsky’s millions, vehicles and properties, waiting on the courts to cedied to whom they belong.
(QCOSTARICA) The man regarded as being the biggest money launderer in the world, currently servicing 20 years in a United States prison, is fighting to keep his Costa Rican nationality.
Arthur Budovsky Belanchuk, 42, born in the Ukraine, became a naturalized citizen of Costa Rica on January 20, 2010 after marrying Yesenia de los Ángeles Valerio Vargas.
The marriage, according to Costa Rica authorities, “was one of convenencie” with Budovsky paying ¢200,000 to the woman to sign the marriage contract.
U.S. Federal Court sentenced the naturalized Costa Rican and co-founder of Liberty Reserve to 20 years in U.S. prison. When he gets out, he will likely be deported, in his case to Costa Rica?
There are many such marriages of conveniences in Costa Rica. There was a time not to long ago when it was easy for a foreigner to enter into a marriage of convenience with a Costa Rican national to obtain residency and/or citizenship in the country. In some cases, notaries already had, for an agreed amount, willing Costa Ricans to enter into matrimony. The majority never met their spouses.
The reasons (and the cost) for marriages of convenience varied, but the end result the same.
In the last several years authorities have cracked down on marriages of convenience: the immigration service being more scrutinizing of residency applications and the Attorney General’s office, such as in the case of Budovsky, taking legal action to annul such marriages.
The reason Budovsky wants to keep his Costa Rica nationality may be, because, if his marriage is annulled, he will not be able to set foot in the country where he still maintains cash and property.
According to public records, Arthur Budovsky first arrived in Costa Rica in February 2008, operating the company Liberty Reserve (founded on May 8, 2006), to launder some US$6 billion dollars through the bitcoins.
In May 2103, police action taken in several countries dismantled the organization. Budovsky was arrested in Spain. He was then extradited to the United States, where, on May 6 was sentenced to 20 years in prison, for money laundering, by the Federal Court of Manhattan. In addition, he was fined US$250 million dollars.
On completion of his sentence and three years probation, he will be probably deported, in this case, to Costa Rica.
The press office of the Ministerio Publico (Attorney General) confirms that, in the case of Liberty Reserve, it has seized US$20 million dollars, cash that is now in the hands of the Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas (ICD) – Costa Rican Drug Institute.
In the case of Budovsky’s marriage, as is in all cases of bought marriages, the marriage does not exist because the Codigo de Familia (Family Act) stipulates that the parties (to the marriage) must enter the marriage freely and without pressure.
According to prosecutor Marcela Ramirez, in a document sent to the court, she said: “Yessenia Valerio gave her consent to marry in exchange for money. Clearly, she said she was given ¢200,000 colones and accepted without knowing who he (Budovsky) was or what he did for a living.”
However, in a court filing by Valerio, she rejects that the marriage was one of convenience. “A statement to the press says that I said that a lawyer offered me ¢200,000 colones to accepting the marriage, those were not my exact words. I said, amid a group of journalists, my husband gave me ¢200,000 colones a month,” she said.
Carlos Luis Ibarra Garcia, an attorney appointed by Budovsky to represent him in the case, said his client has no interest in annulling the marriage.
“It would be illegal invalidating (the marriage). He wants to stay married,” added the lawyer.
Users of the commuter train in the greater metropolitan area of San Jose found the doors closed a the Estacion al Pacifico and other stations. Machinists want better working conditions and a wage increase. Photo Alonso Tenorio, La Nacion
Users of the commuter train in the greater metropolitan area of San Jose this morning found the doors closed a the Estacion al Pacifico and other stations. Machinists want better working conditions and a wage increase. Photo Alonso Tenorio, La Nacion
Hundreds found out the hard way this morning that the trains weren’t running, arriving at the train station only to find it closed, the railway having to suspend service due to a walk out by the 15 conductors and their assistants.
Cristian Vargas, the newly appointed president of Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles (Incofer) explained that the crew are protesting against Catenaria S.A, the private company that contracts the service of machinists in the Caribbean and assume the service of the metropolitan area, starting today (Tuesday).
Commuter trains from Cartago to Alajuela were idle this morning
The machinists made it clear this morning that “they are not on strike”, it’s that they have no contract with their employer (Catenaria) and are making demands before doing so.
“The Incofer has a signed contract, but workers and machinists do not, they are making conditions to sign, but that is a matter between these workers and the company,” Vargas said.
Some of the conditions the workers want is a wage increase, better working conditions that include travel expenses, uniforms and rest areas.
Víctor Manuel Mena Ramírez, representative of the machinists, said Catenaria negotiated working conditions with the Incofer, but not with them.
Mena added that the company was warned that there would be a suspension of service on Tuesday, if the contract terms are not improved.
Machinists are expected to meet this morning at 10:00am with Vargas and Arturo Salazar, president of Catenaria.
(Q24N) As people get older, they become choosier about how they spend their time and with whom they spend it, become increasingly selective over their social partners. This change over time is believed to reflect shifting priorities that come with the knowledge that one’s remaining time is limited.
By maintaining fewer, more meaningful friendships, older individuals can maximize their positive experiences while minimizing emotional risks in their final years.
A similar pattern is observed in monkeys, who become less social with age. However, unlike humans, monkeys are not believed to possess an awareness of their eventual death. “Therefore, if they show similar motivational changes in old age, their selectivity cannot be attributed to their knowledge about a limited future time,” Laura Almeling of the German Primate Center explained in a press release.
“Instead, we should entertain the possibility that similar physiological changes in aging monkeys and humans contribute to increased selectivity.”
To understand what motivates elderly monkeys to socialize less, researchers examined the degree to which Barbary macaques of various ages were interested in social and non-social cues. More than 100 monkeys inhabiting the enclosure “La Forêt des Singes” in France were shown photographs and played recordings of their close friends and of monkeys with whom they did not associate.
Based on the monkeys’ responses, the researchers determined that the older ones maintained a keen interest in other monkeys, especially in their close friends.
But at the same time, the older females engaged in fewer social interactions with other group members. Nonetheless, other monkeys continued to invest in relationships with old females by frequently grooming them.
“With increasing age, the monkeys became more selective in their social interactions,” Almeling says. “They had fewer ‘friends’ and invested less in social interactions. Interestingly, however, they were still interested in what was going on in their social world.”
She adds, “Older females continued to respond particularly strongly to hearing a scream for help from their best friend.”
These findings will soon appear in the journal Current Biology.
Although older monkeys reduce their social behavior, it is clear that they don’t lose interest in others. Rather, study senior author Julia Fischer suggests that “older monkeys might spend less time socializing because they find social interactions increasingly stressful and therefore avoid them.”
The shifting social priorities of aging monkeys paralleling the social changes that commonly occur over the human lifespan suggests to the authors that the phenomenon “may be grounded much more deeply in evolution than previously assumed and may not necessarily be tied to an awareness of limited lifetime.”
From The Science Explorer
(QCOSTARICA) If you love banana (banano in Spanish), better get your fill because they might not be around in the next five to ten years. According to plant pathologist Ioannis Stergiopoulos, from samples collected in Costa Rica in an area with a high level of fungicide applications, a fast-advancing disease compound, known as the Sigatoka complex, could be a lethal threat to the world’s banana supply.
A worker at a banana plantation in Costa Rica.
The Sigatoka complex is made up of three fungal diseases: yellow Sigatoka, eumusae leaf spot and black Sigatoka. Of the three, black Sigatoka poses the greatest risk to bananas grown annually in almost 120 countries.
To understand how the fungi attack, Stergiopoulos sequenced the genomes of eumusae leaf spot and black Sigatoka, and then compared results with the previously sequenced yellow Sigatoka genome. To analyze the frequencies of molecular marker alleles and fungicide resistance within populations, four farms in Costa Rica were sampled during 2008 in San Pablo, Zent, and Cartagena, located in province of Limon, where bananas are grown at high density on large plantations and diseases are controlled by using chemical fungicides. A fourth farm, San Carlos, located in the province of Alajuela and is isolated geographically from the principal banana-production area.
Leaf tissue was collected from ten banana plants from each farm. What he found was the three fungal diseases not only shut down the immune system of the banana tree, but the metabolism of the fungi also adapted to match that of the host plant.
This means the fungi can produce enzymes to break down the plant’s cell walls to feed on its sugars and other carbohydrates.
“We have demonstrated that two of the three most serious banana fungal diseases have become more virulent by increasing their ability to manipulate the banana’s metabolic path ways and make use of its nutrients,” he told Digg.
“This parallel change in metabolism of the pathogen and the host plant has been overlooked until now and may represent a ‘molecular fingerprint’ of the adaptation process. It is really a wake-up call to the research community to look at similar mechanisms between pathogens and their plant hosts,” said the plant pathologist .
Banana: Black leaf streak (black Sigatoka)
Stergiopoulos pointed out Cavendish bananas – those most commonly found in the supermarket – are grown from shoot cuttings, which means a disease capable of wiping out one plant could destroy them all.
“The Cavendish banana plants all originated from one plant and so as clones, they all have the same genotype – and that is a recipe for disaster,” he said.
Stergiopoulos suggested the ready availability of bananas gives them an “image problem” because consumers think the supply will never cease to exist.
In order to prevent the global banana industry from being wiped out in the next decade, farmers need to make 50 fungicide applications to their banana crops annually. “Thirty to 35 per cent of banana production cost is in fungicide applications,” he said.
“Because many farmers can’t afford the fungicide, they grow bananas of lesser quality, which bring them less income.”
The discovery was reported online in PLOS Genetics. The research paper is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Romano Orlich MSc—deceased December 24, 2015—previous president of the National Banana Cooperation of Costa Rica (Corbana), who greatly motivated interest in banana research.
Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste. Costa Rica The perfect destination for a family friendly experience
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Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste. Costa Rica The perfect destination for a family friendly experience
(QTRAVEL) Travelling to Costa Rica from big cities in the U.S. or Canada or even Europe may be a snap, but what about from a small city or a country where there is no direct flight or connection? It may not be so easy. But it is doable.
Question: My daughter has landed her dream job in Costa Rica and is encouraging me to come out to stay with her in late September for two weeks (she is a teacher and this will be her first half-term holiday). My husband has work commitments so I will be travelling alone from Aberdeen. I am not an experienced traveller and want to make the journey as easy as possible with limited transfers while also booking my luggage through. Any advice on the best routes/airlines would be much appreciated.
Liz Neesam, Aberdeenshire
Answer: Thank you for getting in touch. What a great opportunity.
As I started researching your question, I thought finding the best way to San Jose, capital of Costa Rica, would be a piece of cake; just fly to Amsterdam or Paris on KLM or Air France and connect to San Jose. But then I found neither airline now flies to the Central American city.
British Airways re-started non-stop flights from Gatwick to San Jose this summer, but does not fly from Aberdeen to the Sussex airport. While easyJet does fly Aberdeen-Gatwick, it’s unsuitable for three reasons: the timings are unhelpful, meaning you would need to overnight at Gatwick; you would be travelling on two separate tickets, which would cause endless problems if the first flight were heavily delayed or cancelled; and you can’t check in your baggage in Aberdeen and retrieve it from the carousel at San Jose.
Does it sound as though I’m looking dubious, shaking my head and saying, “I wouldn’t start from here?” Probably. There is no one-stop option that I can see that would work for you (I’m ruling out the difficult Heathrow-Gatwick bus transfer). Once you start considering a two-stop trip, it’s looking complicated – and, with every change of aircraft, the chance of your baggage staying behind is increased. So I’m already picturing you on the A90 down to Edinburgh airport, where the number of options increases dramatically – and fares will tumble due to the extra competition. I’m leaving out the US, because of the onerous security regime and the need to apply in advance online for an ESTA, permitting a visit to America, even if you only want to be on the ground for two hours.
Air Canada Rouge via Toronto is one possibility, but easily the swiftest is to fly on BA to Gatwick and connect there for the long-haul flight to San Jose. Your bag will be tagged at Edinburgh and you won’t see it until you reach your final destination.
If your daughter happens to be in the far south-west of Costa Rica, close to the Panamanian border, then actually the answer I first thought of still works. Both Air France and KLM fly daily from Paris and Amsterdam respectively to Panama City. From there it is an exciting bus journey of four hours or so to the Costa Rican border, with buses onward waiting just across the border. Your daughter would, I’m sure, come to meet you, so you could have an extra adventure together.
When British Airways announced the new route, I put together a guide to Costa Rica that you (or she) may find useful.
How would you tackle travelling from where you are to Costa Rica with ease and least amount of time and connections? Share you plans using the comments section below or to our Facebook page.
TICO BULL – How many times has this happened to you, with no quickpass, you find yourself in a long line to pay the tolls on the Ruta 27. The worst is at Escazu.
And you ask yourself, why don’t they open (free) the tolls just like the do on the autopista General Cañas, near the airport, where the current standing order is that the tolls are free if the traffic queue is more than 300 metres?
The answer is quite simple, it’s in the contract. Yep. The contract.
The Ruta 27 is a public road on concession. The concessionaire is now called Globalvia Ruta 27. And clause 2.11 of the contract between Globalvia and the government agency regulation concession, the Consejo Nacional de Concesiones (CNC), states that “if it is found the queuing time (TEC) is over 8 minutes (…) the concessionaire shall permit the free passage of vehicles through the toll station until the congestion clears, and can resume charging when no longer there are vehicles in the collection lanes”.
In the report, for 2015, Globalvia found queuing times less than 8 minutes. Much less. Thus no free passes.
So, how is the TEC calculated?
The contract does not specify who regulates the concessionaire to comply with this specific clause of the contract and the TEC measurement. Thus, Globalvia measures the average and not the wait time during peak hours, the time when there is the greatest number of vehicles on the highway and through the tolls.
The CNC questions the TEC but seems powerless to do anything to its respect.
For example, around 5:00pm on weekdays, at the Escazu tolls, eastbound traffic at times has to stop at the toll booth because of congestion past the needles. Since the contract is ambiguous, Globavia can and does continue to charge tolls since the (average) queue time is less than eight minutes, no matter that in fact it can take more than that from the tolls to Walmart, a few hundred metres away.
In that scenario that is typical every weekday, how can it be that it takes more than 8 minutes to move a few hundred metres, but the queue time at tolls is not?
Similar situations occur at the tolls in La Guacima, Atenas and Pozon (Orotina) at various times. Once again, since the TEC is the average, it does not take into account times when vacationers are headed to the Pacific coast and their return.
Oscar Arias in front of his home in Rohrmoser giving an "improvised" speech to his supporters, who are asking to run for president for a third time
Oscar Arias in front of his home in Rohrmoser giving an “improvised” speech to his supporters, who are asking to run for president for a third time
An improvised show of support in front of Oscar Arias’ house on Saturday, to ask him to run for president in 2018 was neither improvised nor spontaneous.
In the style of a public square, everything was pre-arranged. From people bused in for the event, to a microphone plugged in to speakers for the speech, a podium, to attendees dressed in white shirt or blouse, every detail captured on camera was part of production by a company hired especially for the activity.
Cimarronas, along marimba music and tumbacocos were on hand for the staged event.
Even Arias’ wife, Suzanne Fischel and his brother, the former minister of the Presidency, Rodrigo arias, were in dressed (as the attendees) for the occasion.
For 25 minutes. Arias spoke full of self-praise of his the achievement of his two past governments (1986-1990 and 2006-2010).
On issues of national policy, he said to regret the energy market has not opened up and that his successor, former president Laura Chinchilla, “chickened out, afraid of the ICE (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad) unions”; and current President Luis Guillermo Solis “does not share the ideology.”
According to the former president, the country needs to invest more in road infrastructure through public-private partnerships. He added that teachers must be more qualified because there will be no progress if education is not improved and regretted the delays in the modernization of the train.
Arias has not yet confirmed whether he will or not run, starting with seeking the Partido Liberacion Nacional (PLN) nomination for the 2018 elections, saying publicly he is still weighing his options, “doing his calculations”.
If the former president does decide, he is most likely to go up against former president Jose Maria Figueres Olsen (1994-1998) for the nomination.Rumoured to be also considering the PLN nomination are former legislator Sigifredo Aiza , lawyer Enrique Rojas Franco, legislator Ronaldo Gonzalez and the current mayor of the city of Alajuela, Roberto Thompson.
During his speech Saturday he said that he would easily win the (nomination) convention.
Arias turns 76 on September 13th. In 1987 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the Central American crisis.
Costa Rica deported 66 Cuban migrants who entered the country illegally in the first 13 days of this month. The immigration service confirms it will deport all who enter illegally.
Costa Rica deported 66 Cuban migrants who entered the country illegally in the first 13 days of this month. The immigration service confirms it will deport all who enter illegally.
(QCOSTARICA) The immigration service reports returning to Panama 66 Cuban migrants who entered Costa Rica illegally through the southern border, between August 1 and 13.
The move confirms the government’s recent position that it will turn back all who enter the country illegally, in an effort to curb the migrant crisis facing the country.
Between 100 and 150 African and Haitian migrants arrive in Costa Rica, looking to reach the United States. Costa Rica says it cannot provide for them and will deport any who enter the country illegally.
Authorities say many of the foreigners were caught by the Policia de Fronteras (Border Police) after crossing into Costa Rica by any palm plantations and fields along the Panama border.
The Director of Immigration, Gisela Yockchen, admitted that there is concern about the increase in influx of Cubans to the country. She added that the situation could worsen if the Panamanians decided not to take them back.
Recently Panama’s president Juan Carlos Varela said that his country will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the migrants, but, in actuality Costa Rican authorities say the “canaleros (as the Panamanians are often referred to) are promoting a policy to ensure the migrants do not remain in their territory and continue north on their journey to reach the United States.
“The Costa Rican government reiterates that although we are a caring and respectful of human rights, (in the country) there are no conditions for new irregular migration flows. Therefore, the authorities will apprehend and initiate deportation proceedings to those who enter national territory an irregular way,” said the Immigration service in a press release.
Despite this vehicle was a total right-off, there were no fatalities reported.
(QCOSTARICA) A total of five vehicles were involved in a multiple collision Sunday afternoon, in the area of the Parque de la Paz, in Desamparados, on the south side of the capital city.
Given the extend of the damage to some of the vehicle, fortunately there were no fatalities.
The accident occurred about 2:00pm. The weather was clear, no rain in the area.
Firefighters at the scene of the accident ruled out the initial report of one of the vehicles catching fire.
All eight people, including a minor, involved in the accident were treated by paramedics of the Cruz Roja (Red Cross); two were transferred to the nearby San Juan de Dios hospital in “yellow” condition, that is the injuries were not life threatening.
The collision occurred just metres away from the pedestrian overpass connecting the two side of the public park, on the Circunvalacion, west of the Desamparados intersection.
Traffic officials began a search of the driver responsible for the accident, fleeing the scene. According to traffic police report, witnesses said driver hit a vehicle, sending in the opposing lanes, causing the chain reaction.
In the country there some 500,000 officially registered motorbikes and more than 150,000 on the roads illegally
(QCOSTARICA) Every day there seems to be more and more motorcycles on the roads, in between vehicles, on the shoulders; drivers of four-wheeled vehicles constantly are surprised with the sudden appearance of a motorcycle on its side or front. In many cases motorcyclists put their lives at risk and that of others.
Why is this happening?
With the high prices of gasoline and growing traffic congestion, many are opting for the two-wheeled motorized transport.
In fact, there are some 500,000 motorcycles moving through the streets of the country; that’s according to the number of officially registered motorbikes, but it is estimated that at least 150,000 more circulate illegally, so the total would exceed 650,000.
Many use them to get to and from work. Others are recreational. But in call cases, the risk is very high and many have lost their lives.
Purchasing a motorcycle or scooter is easy in Costa Rica, just as easy as buying a rice cooker. In fact, “importadoras” – appliance retailers – have gotten in to the game of selling motorcycles. Most of the appliance stores offer low prices and easy credit, as if you were buying a stereo or kitchen stove.
Purchasing a motorbike, at an importadora or bike dealer, there is not the requirement to have a driving license. You go in, put your money down (or get credit) and take the motorbike home.
Roy Rojas, project director of the Road Safety Council (COSEVI), to bring the point home says , “it is less complicated to buy a motorbike than a washing machine or refrigerator.”
Motorcycles have become popular, they are relatively inexpensive to purchase, fuel-efficient and can be used to maneuver through traffic congestion, getting to work or home more quickly.
In rural areas, motorcycles have become so popular that they have replaced the horse, car and bicycle, according to Rojas, explaining that the “bike boom” began in 2007, which unfortunately coincided with the increase of people killed in traffic accidents.
The numbers are chilling.
According to the Dirección de Proyectos de Cosevi, provided by the Dirección General de Tránsito (Directorate General of Traffic), in the first half of this year (2016), 215 people have died (on site) in traffic accidents, 101 involved a motorcycles: 94 were motorcyclists and 7 passengers. In the same period in 2015, there 25 deaths: 23 motorcyclists and 2 passengers.
In the last five years:
In 2015 there a total of 398 deaths on the roads, of which 158 involved a motorcycle;
In 2014, it was 122 of the 359 road deaths;
In 2013, 87 of 288 deaths;
In 2012, 90 of 330 deaths;
In 2011, 72 of 289 deaths;
and in 2010, 72 of the 298.
These numbers don’t take account of deaths in hospitals resulting from a traffic accident.
The numbers also reveal that the largest number of motorcycle deaths were of young people, between the ages of 15 and 34 and most accidents occurring at night, the period from 6pm to midnight with the largest number of deaths.
Weekends are the most tragic. In the first six months of this year, 24 motorcyclists died on a Friday, 42 on a Saturday and 66 on a Sunday.
Playing Chicken (Gallina Ciega in Spanish). Transport officials cite imprudence as one of the main cause of traffic accidents and fatalities.
Roy Rojas explains the “gallina ciega”, the game that many young riders in rural areas get into after hitting the bars at the end of the work day. The game consists of two motorcyclists and the required companion (on each bike), they come to a straightaway and agree to play; they head to opposite sides of the stretch of road, (the motorcyclists) cover their eyes and at the start command head toward each other.
“Liquor has been a factor in this kind of ‘nonsense’ that has caused deaths, including in some cases all 4 involved,” said Rojas.
And then there are the acrobats and street racing (piques in Spanish). “That’s the fun of the boys in many rural areas, but the same is true in urban areas,” said Rojas, adding that there are organized networks for such activity.
But not all is bad. Rojas explains that some of the “acrobats” have now become an ally of the authorities, mixing with networks looking to stop these activities.
Other allies, said Rojas, include riders of “bike gangs” that circulate the roads in large displacement motorcycles. Accidents among these groups is practically nil. Also, the Association of Motorcycle Importers is active in preventive work.
Second French Riviera resort follows Cannes as mayor calls Muslim beachwear ‘unwelcome’
(Q24N) World News – Villeneuve-Loubet is the second French Riviera resort to announce a ban against “burkinis”, following Cannes as mayor Lionnel Luca calls Muslim beachwear ‘unwelcome’.
So far on France has prohibited the full-body swimsuits worn by some Muslim women was for sanitary reasons.
“In France, one does not come to the beach dressed to display religious convictions,” the Villeneuve-Loubet mayor said.
“I was told that there was a couple on one of our beaches where the wife was swimming fully dressed, and I considered that unacceptable for hygienic reasons and unwelcome given the general situation,” he told the AFP news agency.
Luca did not stipulate how the ban would be enforced, only saying that the new local by-law stipulates that only clothing that “is respectful to morality and secular principles, and in compliance with hygiene and safety rules” is allowed.
Cannes announced its decision last week, also citing “secularism”, while a water park in Marseille cancelled an event for women wearing burkinis after organisers received death threats.
(QCOSTARICA) This a great video of San Ramon, Alajuela, is a city that lies at an elevation of 1,057 meters (3,467 feet) above sea level in the Cordillera de Tilarán. While retaining its rich heritage and tradition, San Ramón continues to serve as a link between the agricultural communities further north in the Meseta Central and the central cities of San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia, and Cartago.
San Ramon is located 58 kilometers from the national capital city of San Jose, 55 kilometers northeast of Puntarenas on the Gulf of Nicoya, 44 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela.
Climate. Despite tropical latitude of San Ramón, the temperatures tend to be very mild year-round: 21-27 C (70-80 F). This is largely due to the city’s altitude.
(QCOSTARICA) Today is August 15, and like every August 15th, it is Mother’s Day in Costa Rica – a day celebrating a time-honored tradition when mothers are showered with gifts, flowers and goodies.
Costa Rican society revolves around tradition and family ties and the role of the mother is evident in virtually every household.
The day is also a legal holiday. Banks, offices, government offices, schools and professional services, such as doctors, dentists, lawyers,etc. are closed today. Commerical centres are open, as are most retail stores.
Mother’s Day is one of the holiday in Costa Rica where an employee can refuse to work on the day without reprisals. However, those who do work on Mother’s Day will receive double pay for the day.
This year Mother’s Day falls on a Sunday, a long weekend. But this holiday cannot be moved to any other day, the following Monday, for example, to make a long weekend of it. It was tried several years back against strong criticism. The result was two holidays, one the 15th as tradition calls, the other on the Monday following. The moving the holiday was abandoned.
Although Mother’s Day may be celebrated differently depending on one’s social status, one thing is certain, no mother goes unnoticed on this very special day.
So, don’t forget to wish today every woman you know or meet today a “feliz dia de la madre!”.
This circle was created by Alberto Lucas Lopez for the South China Morning Post. It’s an easy way to wrap your head around the 4.1 billion people around the world who speak (as their native tongue) one of 23 of the world’s most-spoken languages.
(COSTA RICA CONFIDENTIAL) Political figures, sports, music, social movements and a former Miss Costa Rica beauty, on Wednesday put the candidates of Miss Costa Rica 2016, chose the ten finalists to the Miss Costa Rica 2016 pageant that will take place next week.
That day, the beautiful women looking to be crowned Miss Costa Rica expressed their thoughts on political, social and environmental issues in Costa Rica and the world, answering questions sent on video.
Each of the aspiring beauty pageant responded separately to questions, focused on issues such as the employment of women, student exclusion, climate change, in vitro fertilization, domestic violence, gender equality and the US election campaign.
The Miss Costa Rica 2016 finalists.
The beauty contest, sponosed by Teletica, will be held on August 19 at the Auditorio Nacional del Centro Costarricense de la Ciencia y la Cultura (Museo de los Niños), in San José, starting at 8:00pm.
Hosts for the event are Mexican actress Carmen Aub (El señor de los cielos) and Randall Vargas (Dancing with the Stars Costa Rica).
In the coming days, Costa Rica Confidential will feature photos of each of the ten contestants:
US asylum applications filed by Venezuelans have jumped 168% in October 2016-June 2016, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of US Citizenship and Immigration Services data.
During this period, a total of 10,221 applications were filed, a considerable rise from 3,810 filed during the same time period the year before.
Venezuela now ranks third among the nations with more asylum applicants to the US, trailing only China (11,826) and Mexico (10,749).
After the US, Venezuelans’ second-most common destination country is Spain, which is home to some 150,000 nationals.
According to the Pew’s report, only in June 2016, applications reached 1,370, a sharp change from February 2014, when only 92 Venezuelans applied for asylum.
Venezuelan Pharmaceutical Federation president Freddy Ceballos announced Droguerias Cobeca’s decision to abolish its credit system to pharmacies completely, a decision leading to dwindling drug inventories
The Venezuelan Pharmaceutical Federation President Freddy Ceballos warned about the sale of illicit pharmaceutical products in Zulia state, endorsed by state governor Francisco Arias-Cardenas.
“This has been exacerbated in Zulia state taking advantage of the facilities offered by the state government for the sale illicit pharmaceutical products When drug distributors are asked about the required permits, they argue that they have been given carte blanche by the governor.
Arias-Cardenas has minimized all import customs clearance procedures,” said Ceballos.
In an interview on a radio show, Ceballos said that unavailability of drugs in Venezuela spurs a breeding ground for the sale of illicit pharmaceutical products.
“The governor has removed all sanitary barriers to illicit pharmaceutical products. He cannot expect that only medicines from legal sources will enter the country when 10% products in the global medicines market are counterfeit and illegal medicines. To believe that they are going to take these facilities lying down would be naive,” Ceballos said.
“Indeed, we’d never seen anything like a government facilitating the entry of illicit pharmaceutical products by removing the country’s sanitary barriers. Governor Arias-Cardenas argues he’s doing it in compliance with President Nicolas Maduro’s Economic Emergency decree,” said Ceballos.
In view of this situation, Droguerias Cobeca – one of the most important pharmaceutical distribution companies in the country – has decided to abolish its credit system to pharmacies completely, a decision leading to dwindling drug inventories. “It’s a serious situation. Availability of medicines is being brought to an end. I wonder who will provide the service to the neighborhoods and villages when pharmacies disappear because they have no way to stay on the market. In Venezuela there is a pharmacy for every 7,000 inhabitants and it is getting worse,” said Ceballos.
US asylum applications filed by Venezuelans have jumped 168% in October 2016-June 2016, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of US Citizenship and Immigration Services data.