Archive for October 22nd, 2008
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
The Costa Rica attorney general’s office said Tuesday it has opened an investigation into President Oscar Arias and Environment Minister Roberto Dobles for abuse of authority over a gold mining exploitation they claim to be of “national interest.”
“Monday, the national attorney general’s office ordered an investigation into the President of the Republic Oscar Arias Sanchez and the Minister of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications, Roberto Dobles Mora, for possibly committing the crime of abuse of authority,” a statement said.
Arias, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for helping end civil wars in several central American countries, took office as president in May 2006. He served an earlier term as president from 1986 to 1990.
The investigation centered on a decree signed by both ministers last Friday which said that the Crucitas gold mine project in the north of the country, by the Industrias Infinito company, was “of public and national interest,” the statement said.
Environmental groups have slammed the decree which authorizes the company — a subsidiary of the Canadian company Vanessa Ventures Incorporation — to fell 262 hectares (647 acres) of forests, including protected species, in the region bordering Nicaragua.
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the immediate suspension of the government decree, following a citizen’s appeal to protect the forests.
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Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
The Costa Rican Supreme court ordered a small Canadian mining company to halt construction at an open-pit gold mine on Tuesday, ruling with environmental groups who say the project is destroying virgin forest.
Infinito Gold Ltd. said the court ordered the company to stop clearing land at the Crucitas mine near the forested border with Nicaragua while it considered complaints brought by environmentalists.
The Canadian miner began last week cutting down trees to build a pit and tailings dam but has now stopped work until the court makes another ruling. The court has not set a date for a final decision in the case. (more…)
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Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
Infinito Gold Ltd. announced that its subsidiary in Costa Rica, Industrias Infinito S.A. (”IISA”), received a Change in Land Use Permit from the regional authorities in San Carlos Costa Rica pertaining to the clearing of land for the mining and tailings area for the Crucitas gold mine. This Permit followed the announcement of a Presidential Decree, dated 13 October 2008, that authorized the cutting of trees required for the mine and related infrastructure and declared that the Crucitas project was considered in the national interest.
Clearing activities commenced on Friday, 17 October 2008 and continued up until Monday 20 October 2008. This morning IISA was served with a court order from the Constitutional Court, or SALA IV, requiring that tree cutting operations be suspended. This suspension was due to a challenge from an individual in Costa Rica under provisions which allows any citizen to apply directly to the SALA IV for decisions on constitutional issues, in this case the environmental protection provision in Costa Rica’s constitution. (more…)
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Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
The 53 young people participating in the Iberian-American Chemistry Olympiad visited the Ad Astra Rocket laboratory, in Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
The intention of the visit is to see how science is applied first-hand. This laboratory belongs to the former astronaut, Franklin Chang Diaz, and it is where he is building the plasma engine to reduce the time it takes the existing NASA shuttles to travel into space.
The visit lasted an hour and a half and is part of the activities parallel to the Olympics. They are looking to encourage the young people to continue their exploration in the field of science and create their own initiatives.
The Chemistry Olympiad is being developed in Costa Rica and will end tomorrow. The students also visited the Earth University facilities in Guanacaste. The winners will be announced this afternoon.
TicosLand.com wishes them success in this competition and we are proud to see that such activities are conducted in our country because it is a stimulus to the development and advancement of science.
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