Archive for April 22nd, 2009
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
The city of Alajuela, northwest of San José, has become the fifth Costa Rica home of a PriceSmart warehouse shopping club.
The warehouse, across from the Mutual Alajuela headquarters and the entrance to Barrio La Trinidad, raises to 26 the number of PriceSmart membership shopping clubs worldwide. The company has warehouses in a total of 12 countries, including Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and countries across the Caribbean.
Recession does not seem to be deterring PriceSmart buyers; in fact, the opposite appears to be true. The company announced a 34 percent increase in sales profit for the U.S. fiscal second quarter, according to Forbes.com.
We have better prices and special packaging, which is very good for savings, said PriceSmart’s Costa Rica marketing manager, Carla Chaves, who pointed out that the club’s shoppers purchase products in three, four and six packs.
The 5,000 square meter Alajuela warehouse, which opened doors Friday, cost about $14 million to build and is creating 120 new jobs in the area, according to a company press release.
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Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
While President Oscar Arias has launched an international campaign to curtail the sale of firearms, he’s also waging the battle against firearms on the home front.
Two days after returning from the Summit of the Americas during which he used his floor time to speak against gun trafficking his administration announced the progress of a bill that would amend the current Arms and Explosives Law.
The bill, which is currently before legislators, would prohibit the manufacture of weapons within Costa Rica, establish a limit on the number of firearms someone can have and adopt measures to avoid the possession of weapons by minors.
But the draft law goes further than that. (more…)
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Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Singapore and Costa Rica held the first round of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) from April 20 to 22, 2009 in Singapore. This was launched earlier on the sidelines of the official visit to Singapore by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez from 1 to 4 December 2008.
One of the things discussed during the negotiations was the setting up of a general framework to look at measures that will liberalise trade in goods and services as well as the investment regime.
Both are also looking into simplifying customs procedures. The negotiations also touched on cooperation in the protection of sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade, along with other general provisions.
The two countries both believe that the FTA will lay a strong foundation for future cooperation in other areas of mutual interest.
The FTA, when concluded, will strengthen the trade and investment relations between the two countries.
Negotiators from both sides expect to meet in the third quarter of this year for the next round of negotiations in Costa Rica.
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Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will have to take a pass on reality TV.
U.S. District Judge James Zagel on Tuesday refused to modify Blagojevich’s bond, so the Democrat won’t be able to travel to Costa Rica to appear on the show.
Zagel says Blagojevich needs to remain in the United States to help his attorneys formulate a strategy for his defense.
Blagojevich appeared in Zagel’s court today. He arrived at the downtown Chicago courthouse just minutes before his hearing and was swamped by media, just like a week ago when he pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges.
Blagojevich is charged with scheming to sell or trade President Obama’s old U.S. Senate seat and plotting to use the governor’s office to pressure companies for campaign contributions.
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