Free Bus Rides Monday Morning!

Thursday morning the bus companies stage a work stoppage in the early morning causing many to find an alternative way to get to work or school.

An agreement was reached Thursday evening after extensive talks between the Minister of Transport, Javier Chaves, and the regulating authority, ARESEP,  whereby the regulating authority agreed to an increase in bus fares, not to exceed 13% and to do so fast. It is expected that the increase will take effect in less than a week.

The Minister also suggested to the bus companies that they compensate their riders, in some way, for the damage caused by the work stoppage. Friday night the bus companies heads agreed to give a free ride to all passengers on Monday, on all routes, until 12 noon.


Mother of U.S. student slain in Costa Rica pleas for help
The mother of a U.S. college student slain here nearly two years ago issued an urgent plea Friday for help in finding a taxi driver who could be a crucial witness in the case.

President's style changed
That President Abel Pacheco has changed is evident to journalists, who now look for -but no longer find- the man who was always willing to answer on a vast array of important issues. The President's advisors have apparently convinced him of the need to provide short answers, to rapidly leave press conferences, to point out the "achievements" of his administration, and not to share time with journalists once an issue is covered

Costa Rica grants asylum to Venezuelan strike leader
CARACAS, Venezuela - A leader of a failed two-month strike to oust President Hugo Chavez received diplomatic asylum from the Costa Rican embassy on Friday, escaping charges of treason and rebellion.

Labor union leader Carlos Ortega entered the embassy earlier Friday, Costa Rican Ambassador Ricardo Lizano said. Costa Rica has granted Ortega diplomatic asylum, allowing Ortega to stay in the mission, Lizano said.

The Central American country is evaluating whether to grant territorial asylum, which would allow Ortega to live in Costa Rica, the ambassador told reporters. He said the decision could take up to two days.  · Complete Story

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Six undecided UN members propose 30-day deadline for Iraq
The six undecided UN Security Council members on Friday offered a draft presidential declaration proposing a 30-day deadline for Iraq to comply five key disarmament tasks or face war.

The five key tasks are as follows:

-- The authorization to interview at least 30 scientists outside Iraq.

-- Disclose all mustard gas filled shells and mustard gas filled aerial bombs unaccounted for since 1998 or full documentation providing its destruction.

-- Disclose 10,000 liters of anthrax unaccounted for or full documentation providing its destruction.

-- Destruction of all al-Samoud missiles and components.

-- Provide full documentation on the purpose of the remotely piloted vehicles.

Iraq should, "no later than 30 days after the adoption of the present resolution," complete the above-mentioned five tasks, the draft declaration says.

The proposal also asks Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to write to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the president of the Security Council, indicating his readiness to destroy all remaining prohibited weapons and other items. The initiative was presented by Chile on behalf of the six so-called middle-ground nations, which also include Angola, Cameroon, Guinea, Mexico and Pakistan.

Under the declaration, the council shall determine that Iraq has failed to take the final opportunity afforded by resolution 1441 unless it has demonstrated that it is "cooperating fully, unconditionally to comply with the benchmarks."

Germany renews calls for peaceful solution of Iraqi issue
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Friday reiterated his call for peaceful settling of the Iraqi crisis and his opposition to US-led war against Iraq.

In a keynote speech to the Bundestag (lower chamber of parliament), Schroeder said Germany needed "the courage to fight for peace as long as there is a glimmer of hope that war can be avoided".

He insisted that Germany pursue "the logic of peace ... rather than the logic of war".

UN inspectors' latest report has shown that Iraq is cooperating better and more actively than before and this means that the inspection has to continue, he said. The speech was mainly devoted to measures to jump-start the domestic economy, as he said "a massive joint effort" would be needed to bring about "comprehensive changes" needed to overhaul the German welfare system and labor market.

Those measures include welfare cutbacks and loosening of rigid labor laws in an effort to cut soaring unemployment as well as new taxes.

The government will also release 15 billion euros (16.2 billion US dollars) in low-interest loans to local governments and for private property renovations in a bid to boost the construction industry.

Hamas, Jihad doubt US, British seriousness about peace roadmap
Leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas and Islamic Jihad (Holy War) on Friday expressed doubts over the seriousness of US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair about their commitments to solving the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflicts.

Isma'eel Haneya, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, said the speeches of the two leaders "are aimed at deceiving the Palestinian people as well as the Arabs and the Muslims to prepare the Palestinian and the Arab stages for the war against Iraq."  

"Bush's speech came to touch the Palestinian emotions and mislead them, pretending that their suffering would end soon, in order to earn more support in the Arab and Islamic worlds to strike Iraq," said Haneya.

He said all that the US, Britain and Israel look for "is to end the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, and resistance, bring security to the state of Israel through speaking about peace and bring the parties back to the negotiating table."

"Such calls would never deceive the Palestinian people. The blood of the dead and the wounded hasn't dried yet, and our people understand that such calls are just aiming to bring security to the Israelis," Haneya said.

Mohamed Al-Hindi, an Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, said his movement doubts that Bush and Blair "are serious," adding that "it is an attempt to gain more time and mislead the world's public opinion."

"We see that there are so many common things between Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, especially the United States began to call for implementing the roadmap plan after Israel made 100 changes in it," he said.

Earlier on Friday, Bush said in a special address at the White House that the long-delayed "roadmap" for Middle East peace will be published as soon as the nominee of the new Palestinian prime minister is empowered with real authority.

Intel launches Centrino mobile technology
The world's largest chip maker, Intel Corp., on Wednesday launched its Centrino mobile technology, which integrates wireless capability into mobile personal computers to offer easy and fast Internet access.

The technology includes a new mobile processor, related chipsets and 802.11 wireless network functions that have been optimized, tested and validated to work together, Intel said. The processor, manufactured with 0.13-micron process technology and consisting of 77 million transistors, runs at speeds of 1.60, 1.50, 1.40, 1.30 GHz. It has a 400 MHz power optimized system bus and a 1 MB low-power L2 cache.

In addition to wireless communications, Centrino mobile technology includes features designed to enable extended battery life, thinner and lighter notebook designs, and outstanding mobile performance.

"Unwiring the PC will change the way people use computers, allowing them to communicate, be productive or be entertained wherever and whenever they want," said Craig Barrett, Intel's chief executive officer, in New York City.

With notebooks based on Centrino mobile technology, a business traveler can check office email or read the hometown newspaper on-line while waiting for a flight at the airport, and still have battery life left to watch a DVD movie on the plane riding home, Intel said.

It also said a real estate agent can check the latest listings wirelessly while dining with prospective home buyers. A financial planner can check the market and activate client orders while at a seminar without compromising on the performance necessary to run the most demanding office applications. Students can register for next semester's classes or seek a part-time job from the college library, all on a sleek, light-weight system that will not drag them down.

As part of the introduction of Centrino mobile technology, Intel has been working with leading wireless network service providers, hotels, airports, retail and restaurant chains worldwide to accelerate deployment of wireless public hotspots.

According to US hi-tech market research firm IDC, there will be more than 118,000 hotspots worldwide by 2005.

As Intel took its Centrino technology to the center stage in New York City, its major rival and the world's second largest chipmaker AMD launched 12 new mobile chips for notebook computers in Germany. AMD's new mobile chips for thin and light notebook computers include the low-voltage mobile Athlon XP-M processors 1800+, 1700+,1600+, 1500+ and 1400+ with micro PGA packaging, marking the first time that its microprocessors will be featured in thin-and-light notebooks weighing less than 4 pounds.

AMD's introduction of new mobile chips "means that notebook PC manufacturers can select from a wide array of mobile AMD Athlon XP-M processors, combining them with a variety of best-in-class wireless and chipset solutions to meet the needs of both business and home consumers," said Rob Herb, executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer for AMD.