San José, Costa Rica - Wednesday 11 August 2004

1.116 Unique Visitors Daily Average in July!  What's This? 

Updated every day by 8:00AM Central Standard Time

If the proposed project to modify the Costa Rican immigration laws is passed in the Legislative Assembly, a fine of five times the minimum salary and including jail time would be applied to anyone who shelters an illegal alien for more than 48 hours. [Foto is for illustrative purposes /La Prensa Libre] Click for larger image!

Rumours of Possible Intervention of BAC San José
Banking authorities are asking for calm following rumours that the Bac San José (formerly Banco San José) may be intervened by the General de Entidades Financieras (SUGEF).

Costa Rica Sentences U.S. Man in Child Sex Crimes
A Costa Rican court sent a U.S. man to jail for 45 years on Tuesday, after finding him guilty of having sex with minors, trafficking in child pornography and supplying drugs to children.

Proposed Immigration Law Causes Stir in Nicaragua
A motion approved last Friday by the Legislative Assembly that will form part of the new 'Ley de Migración y Extranjería', pretends to fine up to five times the minimum salary to those who give shelter to illegal aliens for more than 48 hours.

Police Chiefs from Central America and the Caribbean Meet in San José
The chiefs of police of Central America and the Caribbean began a meeting yesterday in downtown San José to discuss and co-ordinate a series of actions against organized crime in the trafficking of drugs, automobiles, false documents, merchandise without the payment of duty and the sexual exploitation of minors.

Largest Confiscation in Costa Rican History
The drug enforcement police - Policía de Control de Drogas - say they have confiscated the largest amount of money in Costa Rica history in their fight against the drug trade.

300.000 High School Students Off School for 3 Days
Some 300.000 high school students will be off school for the next three days as teachers take part in the 49th Congreso Nacional de la Asociación de Profesores de Segunda Enseñanza.

News Briefs
Tourists have been complaining vociferously of late over the under-staffed and glacial process of clearing immigration and customs upon arriving in Costa Rica.

Venezuelan electoral body to give results 3 hours after voting The Venezuelan National Election Council (CNE) said on Tuesday that it will give the first results of this weekend's recall referendum three hours after the closing of voting stations. Annan calls on Venezuelan govn't, opposition to resolve disputes through dialogue As Venezuela prepared to hold a recall referendum on President Hugo Chavez on Sunday, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday called on the Venezuelan government and the opposition to remain committed to resolving all issues through consultations and dialogue. Venezuela gives oil reassurances The Venezuelan government says it will guarantee oil exports and prevent violence regardless of who wins next Sunday's vote on President Hugo Chavez. Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel told a meeting of foreign diplomats that more than 100,000 troops would be deployed during and after the vote. International News from the New York Times

SPECIAL REPORTS RIGHTS: Women Suffer Double, Triple, Quadruple Discrimination Abuses against indigenous or other minority women, referred to merely as ''double discrimination'' by experts and activists, has not yet been understood in its full dimension. Although both men and women belonging to ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples suffer discrimination, it is women who do so in a multi-pronged fashion, argue Fareda Banda and Christine Chinkin, researchers with the Minority Rights Group (MRG), an international organisation based in Britain.     OPINION A Message from a Industrialist Deprived of His Liberty From his prison cell at San Sebastián, president of Banco Elca, Carlos Alvarado Moya, who is being detained in preventive detention for three months for alleged fraudulent administration, fraud and falsifying information, relating to the activities of Banco Elca, which is currently under supervision of the Consejo Nacional de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero (Conassif) and the Superintendencia General de Entidades Financieras (Sugef), he wrote the following letter, published in the weekly financial newspaper El Financiero.

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