Costa Ricans Worried About Cost Of Life
Financial setbacks are a key problem for Costa
Ricans, according to a poll by Universidad Nacional.
|
Such was the scene the last
couple of days in front of
the San Pedro Mall. each
time there is a heavy
rainfall, the main East-West
thoroughfare becomes a small
lake. Complaints to the
Municipality and the MOPT
fall on deaf ears. |
|
|
39 per cent of respondents believe
the high cost of life is the biggest problem in the
country right now.
The Costa Rican economy grew 5.6 per cent in 2003,
and the Central Bank has forecast a 4.4 per cent
growth for 2004.
32.7 per cent of respondents cite problems with the
government and corruption as a key concern, followed
by unemployment, social unrest and public safety.
Polling Question: In your view, what is the biggest
problem in Costa Rica right now?
High cost of life - 39.0%
Government / Corruption -32.7%
Unemployment -12.0%
Social unrest -9.7%
Public safety - 5.0%
Source:
Universidad Nacional
Methodology: Interviews to 600 Costa Rican adults,
conducted from May 5 to May 8, 2004. Margin of error
is 4 per cent.
500 New Cases of HIV Each Year Reported
Alarming and
pre-occupying is the feeling of the members of the
Programa de Prevención y Control VIH/SIDA/ITS
(Prevention Program Against HIV/AIDS).
For each year at least 500 new cases of HIV are
reported. And between 12 and 16 of the cases
annually are reported at the Hospital Nacional de
Niños (Children's Hospital). At the moment, 60
minors have HIV.
The Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) and
the Ministerio de Salud estimates that there are
between 12.000 and 15.000 people in Costa Rica who
are carriers of HIV. However, projections done by
the Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS)
raise that number to as many as 20.000.
Since the first case of AIDS in Costa Rica back in
1983, to date there have been more than 2.500 cases
of which 700 have died.
The CCSS invests about $10.1 Million Dollars
annually for the remaining 1.800 cases.
50% of the affected are young, between the ages of
15 and 24, while 87% are between 15 and 49 years of
age. The numbers also show that 60% of the affected
are homosexuals, while only 25% are heterosexuals.
The ratio of infection between men and women is 7 to
1, that is to say for every 7 men, there is one
woman who is affected by the disease.
The majority of the cases reported are at the
Hospital México, followed by the Hospital San Juan
de Dios, the Calderón Guardia (all three in San
José) and the Hospital de Puntarenas.
Golfito, Cuidad Neilly, Puntarenas, Quepos,
Goicoechea, Desamparados, Limón and Guápiles, are
the areas that show the most problems with HIV/AIDS.
Rains Caused Damage
The rain in
Central Valley have calmed down, leaving a trail of
damage in places like Cartago.
An avalanche in the Orosi de Cartago on Friday left
at least 12 families isolated. Luckily no injuries,
nor missing persons were reported. The area is still
a worry as more material may still fall on the
community at any moment.
Last night, heavy machinery arrived to help with the
clean up efforts, that will last for several days.
In downtown San José, the sun broke through the
clouds if only for minutes, interruption the almost
continuous rain of the last several days. And this
morning the city woke up to partially clear skies
and what looks to be a sunny day.
The weatherman - El Instituto Meteorológico Nacional
(IMN) - advises that the low pressure system that
has affected the climate this past week, will
increase the amount of rain in the Guanacaste,
Central Pacific and Northern regions.
Seventeen Years of Prison in Nicaragua for Raping
Costa Rican Girl
The stay in jail will be a long one for José Lucas González, 19, who was
convicted this week in Nicaragua for abducting and raping a Costa Rican girl
who was barely 13 years old.
The sentence of the Criminal District Judge of Ciudad de Rama, Department
(State) of Bluefields, imposed 17 years of prison on the defendant for the
crimes of rape, abduction and injury of a minor.
After bravely giving her testimony, the young girl decided to remain in the
courtroom to await the decision of the jury. She cried a lot and was
accompanied by Casa Alianza Nicaragua personnel who offered her legal and
psychological support during the whole process.
Her suffering was not without good reason. The defendant took the girl from
Costa Rica to Nicaragua in August 2003 and once in the town of Zelaya, he
took her to his aunt´s house where he raped her.
The young victim still had marks on her wrists from the cords used by the
defendant to tie her up. The torture did not end there as González punched
her repeatedly in the ribs and used the blade of a machete to injure her
with the utmost cruelty.
In February 2004, the girl finally was able to escape González cruelty and
told everything to the National Police, who contacted Casa Alianza Nicaragua
to ask for help for the girl.
The girl was transferred to Casa Alianza Nicaragua´Conrad Hilton Crisis
center in Managua.
Throughout the trial, the defendant had a smirk on his face. His defense
lawyer maintained that he acted in such a manner because of the love he felt
for the girl. Nevertheless, his true feelings surfaced during the hearing.
“No one has died in prison", expressed the accused shortly before the end of
the trial. "I will be released still young enough to continue to abuse new
girls".
But the five members of the jury - four women and one man - wiped the smile
from his face with their verdict. Judge Renee Lucía Delgado not only imposed
a sentence of 17 years in prison, but also ordered between five and six
years of supervision for him after he finishes his sentence.
“The Nicaragua system of justice reminded him and many other people like him
that children are not objects to be owned. The aunt of the criminal said in
the hearing that her nephew and the girl were living a relationship of a man
and wife, but the girl was always the victim and he, the rapist”, clarified
Bruce Harris, Regional Director of Casa Alianza´s programs in Latin America.
The Costa Rican girl, who comes from a broken home in the Costa Rican
Province of San Carlos, decided to stay a while longer in Nicaragua to
finish a training course she has been taking for several weeks with Casa
Alianza.
Casa Alianza has requested that the Costa Rican authorities order a
permanent ban against the now convicted man, so that he cannot return to
Costa Rica to abduct more girls.
Paquera Says No
To Pecora
Neighbours of
Paquera finally had had enough of the Canadian
businessman who recently came to the community with
promises and hopes and nothing to show for.
Members of the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de
Paquera voted to expel Franceso Pecora, fearing they
may have been duped.
Members of the ADIP listened to a report by
financial expert Mario Valverde, who told the
membership that the association is at serious risk
due to the actions of Pecora.
The Members, after listening to the financial
expert, decided to remove Pecora as general manager
of the association and his partner, Ileana Romero,
who acted as vice-president of Human Resources.
Pécora is promised to finance a paradise: a new
port, an airport, a university, a hospital, hotels
and casinos. Pecora offered ADIP $134.2 Million
Dollars without showing if he really has the money
or where it's origin.
Members of the ADIP board of directors of ADIP
believed Pecora and gave him the keys to the
treasury. Pecora had been manager of ADIP since
December and is spending the organization's money. .
However, the ferries that were promised as part of
Pecora's financial plan never arrived nor did the
documentation backing Pecora financial promises.
|
|
Explosions rock three Mexican banks, causing property damage
Explosions rocked three banks in the town of Jiutepec,
Morelos state, early on Sunday, but they caused no casualties, local
media reported.
The blasts heavily damaged the front of the branches of Bancomer,
Banamex and Santander Serfin, and police also found undetonated
explosives outside a branch of the HSBC, local official said.
A group calling itself the Comando Jaramillista Morelense 23 de Mayo
left a note near the explosion sites, criticizing President Vicente Fox
and asking for the departure of Sergio Estrada, governor of Morelos
state, local police said.
The group said in the note that it esteems peasant leader Ruben
Jaramillo, who was killed along with his family by state forces on May
23, 1962.
"Foxism has demonstrated that under imperialistic hegemony, moral and
political degradation has no limits," the note read, without mentioning
the explosions.
Governor Estrada, a member of Fox's National Action Party, appeared at a
news conference on Sunday. He condemned the explosions but refused to
answer any questions.
Opposition legislators have called for his resignation, accusing him of
having connections with drug-trafficking groups.
7 killed in
bombings by Colombia's rebel group
The Colombian government declared on Sunday that at least
seven people were killed in two recent two separate bomb attacks and
blamed the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for being
behind the attacks.
According to the government, FARC planted a bomb in a discotheque in
northwest Colombia crowded with football fans and killed six people and
wounded 82 on Saturday night.
The latest reports said another bomb exploded early Sunday at a pool
hall in the port city of Cartagena, killing one person and wounding
three.
FARC is the oldest and largest leftist guerrilla group in Colombia, with
some 17,000 to 20,000 members. Last Thursday, the rebel group staged a
series of attacks to mark the 40th anniversary of its revolution and
killed more than 10 people.
|
