Costa Rica Celebrates 185 Years
of Independence
Marking its 185th year of
Independence, Costa Ricans took
the opportunity to party - party
Tico style, with parades, music
and traditional costumes.
A Costa Rican university
student covered in fake
blood carries a sign
reading 'DO YOU BELIEVE
[PRESIDENT] ARIAS? I
DON'T EITHER.' in a
protest against the Free
Trade Agreement (TLC)
during celebrations of
the 185th anniversary of
Independence Day in San
José. |
Protests Mar
Independence Day Celebrations
The Independence Day
celebrations to mark Costa
Rica's 185th anniversary of its
independence from Spain was
marred by protests and
confrontation with police,
marring the traditional day of
peace, music and parades.
Steady Rate of Exchange
The modifications in the system
to establish the colon-dollar
parity will not result – in the
short term – in major variations
in the rate of exchange,
economists, scholars, former
Central Bank presidents, and
other experts interviewed by the
daily La Nación agree.
Lower Tariff for Bananas
Costa Rica looks forward to the
European Union gradually
reducing the current tariff of
176 euros per ton of bananas,
acting upon an analysis made by
Norway.
Good News
for Shrimp Lovers, Prices Drops
Though the price of fish
products has remained stable
during the past several weeks,
the Departamento de Mercadeo del
Instituto Costarricense de Pesca
y Acuicultura (Incopesca)
announced a considerable
decrease in the price of "camarón"
- shrimp.
Polls Show Ortega Ahead in
Nicaragua
Nicaraguan former President
Daniel Ortega, leader of the
FSLN (Sandinista National
Liberation Front) is the
favorite to win the November
presidential elections, reports
a poll by Zogby International
and Miami University .
Menchu: Evo Visit to Guatemala
Historic
The indigenous leader and Nobel
Peace prizewinner Rigoberta
Menchu described the recent
visit by Bolivian President Evo
Morales to her country as
“historic” for the encouragement
and enthusiasm he left with the
Guatemalan population.
Cuba Urges NAM to Unity
Cuban First Vice President Raul
Castro reiterated on Friday
President Fidel Castro´s call to
unity and cohesion of the Non
Aligned Movement, and defense of
the poor countries´ rights to
development, life, and
future.Chavez Proposes Bank of
the South
Fidel Castro Meets With Kofi
Annan
Cuba's President Fidel Castro
met with United Nations
Secretary General Kofi Annan,
who arrived in Havana to attend
the 14th Summit of the Non
Aligned Movement, official
sources reported early Friday.
Venezuela
Election Details
Equipped with over 16 million
registered voters, Venezuelans
move towards new objectives in
the preparatory stage of
presidential elections this
coming December.
CENTRAL AMERICA:
Soaring
Violent Crime Threatens
Democracy
Soaring violent crime rates
could jeopardise democracy in El
Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras
over the next few years if only
strong-arm (‘mano dura') tactics
are used to fight crime and the
deeper underlying causes of the
violence are not addressed,
experts warn.
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