Archive for October 2nd, 2009
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Fourteen politically motivated killings have taken place in Honduras since the June 28 escorted departure of former president Mel Zelaya, a human rights group founded when death squads stalked the Central American country in the 1980s said Wednesday.
“We have 14 people who have been murdered since the coup d’état,” the coordinator of the Committee of Relatives of Disappeared Detainees, or Cofadeh, told Efe.
The killings took place in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula – the country’s two largest cities – and other locations, Bertha Oliva said, adding that police and soldiers were also “torturing people.”
Some people arrested for their opposition to the coup have been burned by their jailers with cigarettes, while others have been sodomized with police batons, she said. (more…)
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009
The ministro de la Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias, assured yesterday that this year’s “aguinaldo” (Christmas bonus) will be paid to all public employees as established by law that obligates every employer – public or private – to pay to its employees between December 1 and 20 of each year.
The statement followed the announcement the day ealier by the ministerio de Hacienda (Finance ministry) that the government doesn’t have the financial resources to pay the aguinaldo, salaries and pensions at the end of the year due to a shortfall because of a drop in tax revenue.
The government, by law, is prohibited from increasing debt to pay for “current expenses”. The aguinaldo and salaries are deemed current expenses.
Minister Arias assures that the government will find a way to pay the some ¢500 billion colones plus obligation, but wasn’t specific of the how or where he would find the cash.
The aguinaldo is equal to, for simplicity, the average of month’s pay (or a fraction thereof) of the salary earned by an employee between December 1, 2008 and November 30, 2009.
The aguinaldo is an important source of income for most Costa Ricans, as it represents either a savings for a few, but a spending spree for a happy Christmas.
The government employs some 119.000 which will share the ¢104 billion dollars obligation by the government, while some 700.000 private sector employees will share ¢815 billion colones.
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009
When you read about Costa Rica on the chats, blogs, reviews etc, one thing that always is talked about is, “Stay out of San Jose, the crime rate outrageous, stealing, robberies, and the worthless of the police are no good as we posted on the armed robbery of a Tortuguero bus a few weeks ago.
However, surprise!
The Judiciary and the Ministry of Public Security reported this week, “the crime rate HAS declined in the last year in the capital.”
Robberies and thefts during the first half of 2009 in the central canton (areas) of San José, decreased by approximately 1514 cases (40 percent) compared to the same period in 2008.
According to the Minister for Security, this decrease is due to the new way of doing police work, because now the system work requires staff accountability for their performance.
Accountability? Yes each police precinct is now held accountability for the crime in their area, which is now monitored by a crime awareness delegation composed of 100 personnel.
Now if I read and translated this Spanish report right, it claims that last year each month about 456 burglaries and thefts occurred the first half of last year, this year the average dropped to 381. The director of the Public Force in San Jose said, although a reduction was achieved, work for these numbers down further. Which by the way, San Jose has around 2 million people, so considering, the percentage of crime is lower than any country in Central and South American, and that is pretty damn good.
However, we also must consider, that tourists and many do not always report crime. And that tourism is down a lot, which is a main target with their $400 Niki cameras dangling and/or laying unattended at a restaurant table when heading to the restroom. In other words, many do not use common sense!
Despite these new reports on the decline in crime, the Merced district (northwest of San Jose) is the most dangerous in the capital with a marked difference to other sectors and that is because it falls within the Red Light District a place where drugs and prostitution and just plain bad people hang out. You enter at your own risk.
From January to July this year, 700 robberies and thefts reported in Merced. Cathedral (Southeast) remains dangerous as the second district with 277 complaints. Pavas had 246 cases and 142 complaints The Uruca.
This delegation will also claims it will create four new branches in the central canton to counter the higher crime areas.
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Costa Rica recovered from an opening loss to Brazil to beat Australia 3-0 on Wednesday, reviving its hopes of a quarterfinal berth at the Under-20 World Cup.
Diego Madrigal put the Ticos ahead in the 35th minute and an 82nd minute own-goal and a injury time tally by David Guzman moved Costa Rica within a point of Group E leaders Brazil and the Czech Republic.
Costa Rica will finish its group schedule against the Czech Republic on Saturday, when a victory will send it to the knockout round.
In Alexandria, Honduras was unable to answer Ahmed Khalil’s free kick in the 41st minute, and was beaten 1-0 by the United Arab Emirates, a result that moved the Middle East side atop Group F but still left the Central Americans in position to advance.
Tied on points with Hungary, Honduras will face winless South Africa on Saturday while Hungary will have to face the Emirates. A draw would be enough to assure Honduras of a spot in the final eight.
Madrigal took a short free kick, spun and scored from 20 meters to put Costa Rica ahead. With Costa Rica preventing Australia from generating much offense, the Ticos’ cause was boosted when Socceroos substitute Tahj Minniecon was ejected in the 60th minute for an off-the-ball incident.
Costa Rica was assured the victory when Australian defender Luke Devere tried to head the ball back to his goalkeeper, Dean Bouzanis, but instead, looped it over the Liverpool netminder.
Guzman completed the victory in the third minute of injury time, curling the ball from just inside the 18 past Bouzanis.
In Alexandria, Honduras finished with 10 men in a match that had 57 fouls and eight yellow cards, including a pair by Reinieri Mayorquin – his last in the fourth minute of second-half injury time.
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009
The Costa Rican government named journalist and diplomat Jose Maria Penabad as its ambassador to Cuba, informed the minister of the presidency, Rodrigo Arias. The official had acted as the Costa Rican consul to Cuba since 2003, noted IPS.
Until earlier this year, Costa Rica, El Salvador and the United States were the only countries on the American continent without diplomatic relations with Cuba. Costa Rica had severed ties with Cuba back in 1961.
“Today, it makes no sense to play the official coldness when we have opened channels of cooperation in diverse areas, when we have consular relations and commercial relations with Havana of some importance, and even direct flights between our capitals,” said Costa Rican President Oscar Arias back in March with the resumption of official diplomatic ties was announced.
Now, with ties restored between Havana with the two Central American countries, the only country to continue to shun Cuba is the United States, which also maintains a half-century economic blockade on the island and a travel ban that prohibits its citizens from visiting the neighboring country.
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009
As a part of its expansion plans all over the central America region
Pan-American Life Insurance Group (PALIG), a provider of insurance and financial services, has announced that it has filed a request for authorisation to enter iAs a part of its expansion plans all over the central America region
Pan-American Life Insurance Group (PALIG), a provider of insurance and financial services, has announced that it has filed a request for authorisation to enter into Costa Rican Market.
The company has said that upon receipt of authorisation from the Superintendencia General de Seguros – Costa Rica’s equivalent of the insurance commissioner’s office, Pan-American Life plans for preparation and filing of a customised portfolio of products, including individual life and health insurance, as well as group life, accident and health insurance.
Jose Suquet, chairman of the board, president and CEO of Pan-American Life, said: “Expansion into Costa Rica is a natural step that supports the company’s geographic expansion and regional strategic plan. As an insurance industry leader in the region, ranked number 1 by collective market share in life and health insurance, entry into Costa Rica will complete our total coverage in the region – while underscoring our commitment to central America.”
Eugenio Magdalena, executive vice president of international markets, Pan-American Life, said: “The Costa Rican insurance market is ready for substantial expansion. The growth potential is overwhelmingly evident when considering that Costa Rica’s close neighboring personal insurance market, Panama, is almost four times greater in terms of premiums, even though both countries per capita GNP are similar, with Costa Rica roughly having one million people more than Panama.”
nto Costa Rican Market.
The company has said that upon receipt of authorisation from the Superintendencia General de Seguros – Costa Rica’s equivalent of the insurance commissioner’s office, Pan-American Life plans for preparation and filing of a customised portfolio of products, including individual life and health insurance, as well as group life, accident and health insurance.
Jose Suquet, chairman of the board, president and CEO of Pan-American Life, said: “Expansion into Costa Rica is a natural step that supports the company’s geographic expansion and regional strategic plan. As an insurance industry leader in the region, ranked number 1 by collective market share in life and health insurance, entry into Costa Rica will complete our total coverage in the region – while underscoring our commitment to central America.”
Eugenio Magdalena, executive vice president of international markets, Pan-American Life, said: “The Costa Rican insurance market is ready for substantial expansion. The growth potential is overwhelmingly evident when considering that Costa Rica’s close neighboring personal insurance market, Panama, is almost four times greater in terms of premiums, even though both countries per capita GNP are similar, with Costa Rica roughly having one million people more than Panama.”
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009
In an act to prevent the repeat of last the tragedy of last week, officials of Santo Domingo de Heredia yesterday closed the “puente de hamaca” – suspension bridge. Santo Domingo municipal officials said that the bridge closure was following preliminary inspection that showed the bridge is deteriorated and rusted.
The bridge is located in Santo Tomás in the barrio El Socorro en Santo Domingo de Heredia, an important bridge to and from the area and Heredia from Tibás.
Yesterday traffic congestion at the bridge was beyond description as drivers were not made aware of the closure and confused as to who had the right of way of the use of the “bailey” bridge next to the suspension bridge.
Municial officials say the bridge will be closed for at least three weeks as evaluations on the condition of the bridge is made, in an move to avoid the tragedy of Thursday, October 22, when the suspension bridge between Turrucares and Orotina failed when a bus loaded with passengers plunged into the river, claiming five lives and injuring dozens.
To avoid being collapse number of two of the country’s ten most dangerous bridges or the top 100 that have a high risk of collapse, the Municipalidad de Santo Domingo opted to have the experts from the Laboratorio Nacional de Materiales y Modelos Estructurales (LANANME) inspect the bridge and make recommendations.
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