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Buckle Up? Not Just Yet!
The mandatory use of seatbelts has generated much discussion for
a long time. In the recent months, a project to make the use of seatbelts
mandatory received first reading in the legislature and was then sent to the
Constitutional court for a decision.
The Constitutional court came with the decision that only the driver may be
obligated to wear a seatbelt, while other passengers in a vehicle are not.
However, legislative deputies are separating themselves from this court
decision and are pushing ahead a law that the driver and all passengers of a
vehicle must wear a restraining seatbelt.
Gloria Valerín, legislative member of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC)
says that the legislative assembly will be asking in addition of making
seatbelt use mandatory for all passengers, that the driver be subject to a
fine if the passengers do not wear the seatbelt.
On the other side of the table, legislator Federico Malavassi, of the
Movimiento Libertario party said he will oppose the law and is asking for
people to start their actions of in-constitutionality or defend themselves
vigorously in traffic court in the event the law is passed.
So, as it is and it has been, the new law may be passed or die on the
legislative floor in the short time ahead.
As it stands, if the law is passed, given the Constitutional court's
decision, anyone can bring an action based on in-constitutionality and have
the new law struck down, as the old law was a few years back.
The law is coming up for second reading in a couple of weeks. If it passes
the reading, it will come into law. Transit officials have been gearing up
for the new law to be passed and have been actively promoting the use of
seatbelts on signs on the roadways, newspaper advertising and the little
receipts given at toll booths.
His name is David, known on the streets as "Chuky" and at only 14, but is
already known to the police. David is a member of the street gang known as "teletubbies".
At Only 14,
Boy Attempts to Rob Bank
David made the headlines this week when he tried to rob a San
José bank. His past criminal record is for petty theft, however, this week
he had his sights on a bigger booty.
The young man entered the Banco Nacional branch facing the eastern limit of
the Sabana park as accompanying customers coming into the branch for their
banking.
Once inside, David climbed over the counter and began ransacking a teller's
window stuffing his bag with 10.000 colone notes and was apprehended when he
tried to run off with the cash.
The bank has a double glass door security entrance where one door must be
closed before the other can open and an armed guard posted at the outside
entrance, in addition to other security personnel at the branch.
Members of the Fuerza Publica were called to the scene and arrested the
young man who was in a few short hours set free by a juvenile court. The
young man was charged with attempted robbery since his did not affect a
completed robbery. According to court officials, the police report failed to
include crucial elements of the case and the young man was given liberty.
Police deny any errors on their part.
For the moment, the Fiscal (district attorney) has issued an order to the
Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) to investigate the case completely
against the young man in an effort to stop his penchant for crime.
"NO" to Harken
Following an announcement earlier this week that
is would render a decision on the Harken case, the government yesterday said
it will not pay Harken.
In 1998 Harken was given a concession by Costa Rica to explore for oil off
the shores of Limon in the Atlantic. However, in 2002, the Secretaría
Técnica Ambiental determined that environmental studies done by Harken were
not approved and thus the government cancelled the contract with Harken.
In Septmeber last year, Harken asked for an arbitration before the Centro
Internacional de Diferencias por Inversiones, which is based in Washington
D.C. and asked for compensation of $57 Billion dollars, which it then later
withdrew.
The decision not to pay is based on the government's position that Harken
did not complete it's obligations as stipulated in the contract prior to
it's cancellation and thus does not feel obligated to pay.
The government's decision will leave Harken no other option but to take
legal action if it wants to continue with it's claim. Environment and Energy
Minister, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, said that Harken can continue it's
fight in Costa Rica's courts and does not need to get other countries
involved.
U.S. ambassador to Costa Rica, John Danilovich, told La Nacion daily Spanish
newspaper, that the U.S Embassy is up to date with the situation but will
not directly get involved and added that he hopes that the U.S. company gets
a fair process.
Real or False?
| An increase in circulation of false bills is worrying
police authorities. Yesterday, a man was arrested in San Rafael de
Guatuso, Alajuela, with attempting to pay a ¢700 bar tab with a ¢10.000
colone note. The bar tender suspecting the bill tendered by the customer
called police who found the man carrying 10 - ¢10.000 and 19 - ¢5.000
colones notes that were all counterfeit. |
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Yesterday's discovery is the 13th so far this year, where a quantity of
counterfeit notes are confiscated, mainly in the La Cruz, Guanacaste and in
San Carlos and Los Chiles, areas close to the Nicarguan border.
Last Friday an man suspected of having counterfeit notes was discovered
momemts following his entry into Costa Rica at Peñas Blancas, the border
crossing with Nicaragua, who was found to be carrying some 170 ¢10.000
colones notes.
Most affected are small businesses and lottery ticket vendors.
In Costa Rica the circulation of counterfeit currency carries a penaly of
30-550 days of jail time.
Betmaker Proclaims Online Sportsbooks Are Just a Regular Business
Betmaker, operating out of Costa Rica, one of the world's largest online
sportsbooks, proclaims that they are a regular, legitimate business.
While gambling on lotteries and casinos is only legitimate in 46 of the 50
states in the U.S., and sportsbetting (to include betting on horse races) is
only legitimate in just about 30 states, many countries in the world
recognize gambling on sports as a person's right nationally and regulate it
just as they would betting on the stock market.
As in any industry, there are a few bad seed companies that occasionally hit
the headlines by making false promises and hiding from their
responsibilities. But for the weary bettor, there are many Sportsbooks that
do live up to their promises and don't want the consumer to be turned away
because of inaccurate opinions about the industry.
"Before placing a bet online, there are several things that someone should
look for in a sports book," states Herb Roberts, marketing manager of
Betmaker. "Always check to see if the company has a toll free number to
contact them.
If a dispute should arise, you want to make sure that you can contact them
to resolve the matter. Check around to see how long they have been in
business and their reputation on sites such as the Off Shore Gaming
Association (www.osga.com). Also check to see if they have a business
license, the jurisdiction they operate in and what their payout policies
are."
Betmaker has been in the Sportsbook business for eight years and has built
up a reputation for their excellent customer service that is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, generous cash bonuses on deposits, and absolute
security and privacy.
They have headquarters in the United Kingdom and operate from the licensed
jurisdiction of Costa Rica. They pride themselves on providing their
customers with the most convenient, user friendly and safe sports betting
service available.
Got Purim?
If the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch Purim experience were to be summed up,
perhaps a postcard gimmick from a newly-opened Chabad branch in Ponte Vedra,
Florida would do it best. Reminiscent of the popular milk ads, a
masked-and-mustached little boy on a brightly colored card asks, “Got
Purim?” The answer, on the back of the card, is swift and inviting: We do!
As sum-ups go, it’s probably the best there is. Because in fifty states and
dozens of countries and thousands of cities worldwide, Chabad has indeed
“got Purim” this year - with Purim events that ran the gamut from
large-scale carnivals to all-night parties to black-tie Purim feasts. And
while figures are difficult to come by, it’s safe to say there’s hardly a
Jewish community in the world that didn’t celebrate Purim with Chabad this
year.
“Purim is a kids’ holiday,” says Rabbi Hershel Spalter
of Chabad of Costa Rica. Spalter’s Chabad center coordinated a lively,
large-scale Purim-themed amusement park, enjoyed by some 400 members of
San Jose’s Jewish community.
Set up on the spacious grounds of a private club in San Jose, the event
featured rides, games, shows and holiday food stands.
The carnival, with game booths, kosher ice cream stands, a dance
machine, clown show, and more, was designed for the “kids and
kids-at-heart,” according to Chabad’s Rabbi Mendel Feigenson. |
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“The idea is to make it all really exciting for children, so even if they
only come once a year for this Purim celebration, they can associate Jewish
practice with a lot of fun,” Spalter in Costa Rica says.
And while Purim’s dramatic story and colorful traditions offer endless
appeal to kids, the joy of the day touches all ages, he adds. Purim parties
held in the resort towns of Mal Pais and Joca, each five hours from San
Jose, drew crowds of Israeli and Americans tourists and ex-pats, eager to
participate in the joy and excitement that characterizes Purim.
“People were looking for a place where they, along with their children,
could feel the simple joy of Purim,” Leah Kurinsky says. As one of only
several days in the Jewish calendar where the mandate is to feast, drink and
be merry, Purim is a day no Jew should miss out on.
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Ex-Guatemalan President's Visa Revoked
Former Guatemala President Alfonso Portillo has been stripped of
his U.S. visa as Guatemalan authorities investigate whether government funds
found their way into Panamanian bank accounts during his term, the U.S.
Embassy said.
Portillo, whose term ended in January, left Guatemala for El Salvador and
then Mexico in February on the day after Guatemala's Constitutional Court
lifted his immunity from persecution as a member of the Central American
Parliament. His exact whereabouts are unknown.
While Portillo is not a fugitive, federal prosecutors have said he will not
be allowed to leave the country if he returns during the money-laundering
investigation.
Former vice president Francisco Reyes and Portillo's former private
secretary Julio Giron also had their U.S. visas revoked under the same
provision of immigration law covering people who may use their visa to enter
the United States legally and remain illegally past the visa deadline, a
U.S. Embassy spokesman said Wednesday.
Other officials of the Portillo administration have left the country amid
investigations.
Guatemala's former tax chief Marco Tulio Abadio, who is being sought in
connection with the disappearance of $6.5 million in public funds, fled to
Miami in February.
And earlier this month, former comptroller Oscar Dubon was arrested while
attempting to cross the Nicaraguan border with Costa Rica. Dubon said he was
making a family visit.
Dubon's office funneled $447,000 to two presidential campaigns last year,
according to a complaint from Guatemala's bank superintendent.
Venezuelan opposition rejects ultimatum of electoral body
The opposition Democratic Coordinator has rejected an ultimatum
from the National Electoral Council (CNE) in which they were urged to voice
position on the reconfirmation of the signatures collected for a recall
referendum, local daily El Universal reported on Wednesday.
The opposition issued a communique, describing as "immoral" the electoral
body's decision to brand the data delivered by the opposition as "incomplete
and disordered".
They also accused three judges of the electoral body of favoring the
government, saying they had no moral, institutional or political authority
to issue the ultimatum.
Last Saturday, the CNE handed over a database of signatures to the
opposition and government sectors so that both sides could check the valid
ones and those being questioned.
While checking the data, the Democratic Coordinator found differences in
6,224 signatures with the figures released by the CNE.
It said the data did not even match the figures provided by CNE president
Francisco Carrasquero last week.
The opposition submitted 3.4 million signatures, but the CNE ruled last week
that only 1.8 million were valid, well short of the minimum 2.4 million
legally required for a vote to unseat President Hugo Chavez.
The ruling triggered a week-long wave of demonstrations on Feb.27. More than
500,000 people took to the streets and at least nine were killed and 111
wounded in the turmoil, the Scientific, Penal and Criminalistic
Investigation Corps said.
Chavez, who survived a brief coup in April 2002, has accused the
opposition-led recall petition of being filled with forgeries, including
using the names of deceased voters, minors or foreigners.
The opposition leaders said the protests would continue until the government
agreed to hold a referendum.
Venezuela to
denounce US interference at OAS meeting
The Venezuelan government said Wednesday that it would denounce the United
States at a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) for its
interference in the South American country's internal affairs.
Venezuelan representative to the OAS Jorge Valero said Venezuela would
submit to the OAS Permanent Council evidence indicating the United States
had provided financial and logistic support to the opposition bent on
ousting President Hugo Chavez.
In an interview with local private TV station Globovision, Valero said a
foreign government backing opposition, which destabilized Venezuela's
democratic institutions, could not be tolerated.
Venezuela would launch actions in the OAS to make the US authorities
"correct those mistakes for the benefit of our bilateral relations," the
diplomat said.
However, he ruled out that Venezuela may request to expel the United States
from the Inter-American organization.
During a public event last week, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused US
President George W. Bush of playing a part in the failed coup in April 2002
and financing groups that conspired against the government.
Chavez has repeatedly warned the United States not to intervene in
Venezuela's internal affairs.
In his weekly radio program last Sunday, Chavez warned the United States
that oil exports to it would be suspended if Washington continues to finance
Venezuelan opponents seeking a recall referendum on his presidency, calling
the US administration "a real threat to the world."
Diplomatic relations between the two countries have soured as a result of
Chavez's ties with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, his criticism of the US-led
talks on a hemisphere-wide free trade zone and his opposition to the war in
Iraq.
Despite the strained relations, Venezuela and the United States maintain
close oil-trade ties.
The United States is Venezuela's top trading partner and Caracas is one of
the main suppliers of oil and oil products to the United States, supplying
more than 1.5 million barrels of oil per day for Washington.
On Tuesday, Chavez praised the economic links with the North American nation
during the signing of an accord with the US company ChevronTexaco to explore
and exploit gas in the country's eastern Deltana Platform.
Most recently, Venezuela became a focus of international attention as street
battles between opposition protesters against President Chavez and the
police left at least nine people dead and more than 110 injured.
As a member of the "Group of Friends" of Venezuela, which also comprises
Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Chile and Portugal, the United States has been
calling for an electoral way out of the crisis plaguing the world's fifth
largest oil exporter.
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