|
|
|
4.380
Earthquakes in 2003, Say the Experts
The recent
tremors, shakes and earthquakes shakes that have
been experienced in Costa Rica in the past few weeks
- a 6.3 on December 25, 2003 and a 5.1 on January 7,
2004 - are all normal according to the experts.
However, there has been an increase in activity over
the past year, with more than 830 tremors than the
year 2002. There were 4.380 tremors in 2003 compared
to 3.550 in 2002. Of those only 101 in 2003 and 112
in 2002 were actually felt by the populace.
These numbers are according to La Red Sismológica
Nacional (RSN) - the National Seismological
Institute - that keeps a watch on seimic activity in
the country.
According to the Red, 75% of the activity is due to
geological faults, while 25% is on the movement of
plates between the Coco and Caribbean Plates. The
average depth of the activity is estimated at 30km
below the surface.
Last year the tremors most felt by the general
polulation was on the 16 September, a 5.4 quake with
the epicenter in Puriscal (west of San José) and on
25 of December, registering 6.3 on the richter scale
and centering in Panama near the Costa Rican border.
No to Transit Police Cars Without "Marchamo"
The
government yesterday rejected a proposal to permit
the Transit and Fuerza Publica vehicles that do not
count with "marchamo" to be back on the road.
Transit authorities made a request to the government
to permit it's 102 units to have their marchamo paid
though they have not had their technical revision, a
must for every vehicle to circulate public roads.
Ricardo Toledo, Minister for the Presidency, said
that after discussing with President Pacheco, the
President will not sign the decree. He stated that,
"the decree will not be signed since it goes agains
the Transit laws and would only benefit one group,
albeit it is for security reasons and would send the
wrong message."
102 Transit Police vehicles were taken off the road
on the 6 January following a La Nacion - the Spanish
daily - report that Transit vehicles that not had
their marchamo paid were being used to pull over
drivers who had not paid the annual marchamo.
The problem lies in a decision made recently by the
Comptroller's office where Transit vehicle repairs
must be paid by the Transit authority MOPT and not
the Consevi, another government agency. The 102
vehicles in question don't have their technical
revision as they need repairs and without the
technical revision a marchamo cannot be issued.
In the last two days there has been a increase of
Transit Police officials on foot patrol.
Roads to Costa Rica
The residents in eight
towns in southern Nicaragua - isolated from the rest
of their country by Nicaragua Lake - are planning
the building of two gravel roads, each some 3 miles
long, leading into Costa Rica.
Because of their particular location, some 600
Nicaraguan families have always depended on Costa
Rica for their food, clothes, and tools, as well as
for medical care.
"We have no other short, fast, and cheap option,"
admits Nestor Ubao, the chairman of the Association
for Development of Papaturro, Nicaragua.
On the Costa Rican side, the Major of Upala, Juan
Acevedo, said they will support the Nicaraguans'
efforts, because it would mean a better quality of
life for the residents of those towns and even
improved controls on illegal immigrants and
smuggling in the common border area.
New Book Captures Costa Rica in Space Photography
NASA scientists and Costa Rican students have
collaborated to publish a new book that captures the
splendor of Costa Rica's varied landscape as
photographed by astronauts from space.
"Costa Rica from Space," the product of a joint
effort between NASA and EARTH University in Costa
Rica, captures changes over the past two decades in
the environment and geography of Costa Rica. The
work reveals, visually and through accompanying
text, geographical, ecological, climatic, human,
agricultural and urban phenomena occurring within
Costa Rica, but illustrating the interdependence of
all inhabitants of Earth. Aerial and ground photos
supplement the photography from space.
"This book builds on two strengths - our unique
planetary perspective as captured by space
photography and the power of experience from those
who live and work in the places we photograph," said
Franklin Chang-Diaz, NASA astronaut, Costa Rican
native and author of the book's prologue. "From
these two perspectives, knowledge of our planet is
given to those who are entrusted with protecting
it."
Astronauts have taken 500 photographs of Costa Rica
since the days of the Apollo Program. This small
proportion of the more than 400,000 photos taken by
Space Shuttle crews is a measure of the persistent
cloud cover that obscures tropical countries like
Costa Rica. From 1993 to 1999, students from EARTH
University interned at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
in Houston, compiling the best of these 500 photos.
Tropical humid ecosystems, such as Costa Rica's
environment, are rich in natural resources and have
great biodiversity. These fragile environments must
be maintained by carefully balancing agricultural
production and resource conservation. This challenge
gave rise to the creation of EARTH University in
1990. The university awards degrees in agricultural
sciences and natural-resource management.
EARTH students interned at JSC for three to four
months to further their studies in these disciplines
and to think about new approaches to managing their
natural resources based on technologies available in
the United States.
"The students submitted reports at the end of their
internship," said Kamlesh Lulla, NASA chief
scientist for Earth and Imaging Sciences at JSC and
one of the book's authors. "The result was a
manuscript of the photography of Costa Rica from
space and analyses of that imagery."
NASA provided technical material and project
reports, while EARTH University contributed ground
photos. The book, written by Bert Kohlmann, Justin
Wilkinson and Lulla, was printed in Costa Rica in
2002. EARTH students who participated in the project
are listed among the book's contributors.
"This book is especially significant as it
represents a testimony to interinstitutional and
international cooperation," said Jose Zaglul,
president of EARTH University. "A product of a joint
effort between EARTH University and NASA's Johnson
Space Center, the publication has received the
support of the United Nations Educational Scientific
and Cultural Organization. I hope that this volume
will be an important educational resource, not only
for all Costa Ricans, but also for people in other
parts of the world."
Each chapter covers a specific region of Costa Rica.
The left column on each page is in Spanish; the
right is in English. "The book has been primarily
intended to educate the Costa Ricans in particular
and the public in general," said Kohlmann, a
professor at EARTH University. "We want to stress
the fact that ecological processes are global and
that they do not stop at political borders. So,
events taking place in Africa, like sandstorms,
reach all the way to the Caribbean Basin; river
sediments that flow to the sea in Costa Rica can
travel all the way to Colombia."
"Costa Rica's ex-vice president, Manuel Dengo, very
kindly interested himself in the book," added
Wilkinson, Lockheed Martin principal scientist at
JSC. "He asked especially that an educational slant
be given so that 'children and grandmothers' would
be able to read and benefit from the book. We took
this request to heart."
Turtle Conference
Costa Rica is to host
the 24th International Symposium on Turtles, in
which more than 1,000 researchers from 70 countries
will participate.
The main goal is analyzing the current status of the
species and the ways to prevent its worldwide
extinction, Ministry of the Environment sources
explained.
The conference is to be held next February 22
through 28 an one of the leading issues will be the
current situation of the leatherneck turtle, a
natural heritage of Costa Rica, Minister of the
Environment Carlos Manuel Rodriguez said.
According to experts, the number of leatherbacks has
decreased by 80 percent in the last ten years. Last
year, experts were able to locate only 54 nests in
the Costa Rican beach where the leatherback normally
spawns.
New United Service
United
Airlines plans to begin nonstop service between
Dulles International Airport and San Jose, Costa
Rica, on Feb. 12. United said it would begin weekly
Saturday non-stops between Dulles and Cancun,
Mexico, on Feb. 14.
|
|
|
 |
Global
Warming Threatens Mass Extinctions, Study Says
Global warming could wipe out a quarter of all species of plants and animals
on earth by 2050 in one of the biggest mass extinctions since the dinosaurs,
according to an international study.
The United Nations said the report, highlighting threats to creatures
ranging from Australian butterflies to Spanish eagles, showed a need for the
world to back the Kyoto protocol, meant to brake rising temperatures linked
to human pollution.
"A quarter of all species of plants and land animals, or more than a million
in all, could be driven to extinction," said Chris Thomas, professor of
Conservation Biology at England's University of Leeds.
Thomas, lead author of the study published in the science journal Nature,
told Reuters that emissions from cars and factories could push temperatures
up to levels not seen for one million to 30 million years by the end of the
century, threatening many habitats.
The survey, the largest of its kind to date, studied global warming links to
1,103 species of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and insects in
South Africa, Brazil, Europe, Australia, Mexico and Costa Rica and
extrapolated findings as far as 2050. It did not examine the oceans.
"Climate change is the biggest new extinction threat," said Lee Hannah, a
co-author, at Conservation International in Washington DC. Many species
would simply be unable to adapt or migrate to new habitats.
Thomas said the feared extinctions could be one of the worst since the
dinosaurs were wiped out 65 million years ago. "This could be on a par with
some of the geologically significant extinctions," he said.
US, Colombia
applaud capture of guerrilla leader
The recent capture of Ovidio Palmera,
one of top leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), was
applauded by Colombia and the United States.
Washington applauded Colombia and Ecuador for the arrest of guerrilla
ideologue Palmera, calling it "a blow to terrorism."
Palmera, alias Simon Trinidad, one of the seven members of the ruling
secretariat of the 17,000-member Revolutionary Armed Forcesof Colombia (FARC),
was captured late Friday in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito and swiftly
extradited to Colombia. He is being treated in the Ecuadorian capital Quito
for a flesh-eating, insect-borne disease.
"We congratulate the Ecuadorian police for its extraordinary performance in
this case and the high level of professionalism it has shown by undertaking
such a delicate operation," said J. Adam Ereli, the spokesman of the US
State Department.
The US Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist said the arrest of Trinidad
was a forceful blow to narco-terrorism.
He told Defense Minister of Colombia Jorge Uribe that the United States will
continue its support in combating drug trafficking, which he called the
principal source of guerrilla financing.
In Colombia, the government of President Alvaro Uribe, the military, the
political sectors and political analysts have applauded the capture of
Trinidad as the most serious blow to the FARC in nearly four decades of
armed conflict.
"It is the most important capture of a FARC member ever," said one political
analyst. He said the capture could even bring new life to the government of
Uribe, after the failure of the referendum against corruption, in which 14
out of 15 points were rejected.
Since taking office in 2002, Uribe has adopted a tough policy toward rebel
groups in a bid to put an early end to the country's four-decade civil war,
the longest in Latin America.
Nonetheless, the military strategy of Uribe was described as inefficient for
several months as it could not locate the whereabouts of the FARC
leadership.
The capture of Trinidad opens the possibility of new arrests, like that of
Manuel Marulanda, alias Tirofijo, and Jorbe Briceno, alias Mono Jojoy, the
military leaders of the FARC.
President Uribe has applauded the arrest of Trinidad as evidence that the
country's leftist rebels can be defeated on the battlefield.
He also highlighted the cooperation between Ecuador and Colombia in
arresting one of the FARC leaders.
Describing the capture as a "successful model" of cooperation by the forces
of Colombia and Ecuador in combating terrorism, Gen.Martin Orlando Carreno,
the Colombian army chief, said the army will continue to cooperate with
neighboring countries in arresting leaders of anti-government rebels at
large abroad.
Some politicians said this capture does not represent the end of the
conflict, but they admitted it was a really heavy psychological blow to the
FARC.
Observers warn that the FARC may take revenge for Trinidad's capture by
kidnapping more high-profile Colombians, and possibly foreigners, as well as
launching more attacks against citizens. The Colombian army vowed to foil
any retaliation by the FARC.
Trinidad's arrest was just the first step toward restoring peace in the
country, said President Uribe. He said, "With perseverance and patience, the
work will continue until terrorism in Colombia is totally dismantled."
Mexico welcomes US
immigration proposal
Mexican President Vicente Fox said
Wednesday he had spoken briefly by telephone with United States President
George W. Bush over his immigration proposal, andhad found it "very
interesting."
"This is a very interesting proposal. It is an issue which President Bush
and I have been discussing since before we were presidents," Fox said.
The new immigration plan was recognition of the value of those Mexicans who
were working in the United States and who contributed to its development,
Fox said.
By allowing the regularization of the situation of the migrant Mexican
workers living in the United States, the plan would also enable them to
enjoy all the rights that any worker had in the United States, Fox said.
Under the plan, Mexican migrants would be able to come and go to their home
country, something that was difficult to do now, Fox said.
Fox is due to meet with Bush next Monday for a regional summit in the
northern Mexican city of Monterrey, capital of the Nuevo Leon state.
Bush announced Wednesday an immigration reform proposal that will give legal
status to foreign workers who obtain jobs in the United States, the first
major policy initiative as he gears up for re-election in November.
There are an estimated 10 million undocumented workers in the United States,
about half of them from Mexico. The Hispanic population has been growing and
represents a swing voting bloc that Bush aides see as key to victory. Bush
won only 35 percent ofthe Hispanic vote in the 2000 presidential election.
Cuba
refutes US accusations of canceling talks on immigration
The Cuban government on Wednesday
refuted US charges that it was responsible for the cancellation of a new
round of immigration talks between the two countries, state-run daily Granma
reported.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry instead accused the US government of unilaterally
canceling the talks and called it an "irresponsible act."
The US government informed Cuba on Monday that it was impossible to start
the new round immigration talks previously scheduled for Jan. 8, the
statement said.
Washington blamed Cuba for intransigence, saying that it resulted in the
failure of the talks. It added that the talks would be restarted only on
conditions that "the Cuban authorities show a real interest in finding those
very important aspects to achieve an orderly, legal and safe flow of
immigrants."
The Cuban Foreign Ministry said those "very important aspects" are none
other than issues that have been traditionally listed on the agenda of the
US delegation, noting that Cuba has never rejected discussions about them.
Spokesman for the US State Department Richard Roucher recently said the
United States wanted to discuss such issues as the need for a deep-water
port for repatriation and for restoring US access to repatriated Cubans, but
Cuba considered these issues as insignificant for the advancement of the
migration accords.
Talks over immigration between Cuba and the United States started in 1994
and take place every six months. They have been the only official contact
between the two countries.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
