News Home Page Costa Rica Latin America Sections Special Reports Travel/Tourism Real Estate Business Health The Internet Letters Opinion Colu millionists Leisure EroTica Entertainment The Take! Learn Spanish Photos Editorial Letters Opinion Columnists Public Forum Who We Are About Us Contact Us Advertise with us Subscribe to our Newsletter Links Page     COSTA RICA - Saturday 22 January 2005 < Back   Send this Page To a Friend Cuba Shows Proficient Readiness for Natural Disasters Cuba"s delegation to the UN Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe explained the domestic experience in dealing with such phenomena, especially the priority given to protecting the population. A release from the Cuban embassy here says the Island was represented by Civil Defense Chief of Staff, Ramon Pardo, and experts from the Disaster Relief Medical Center and Meteorogical Institute. Pardo said such policy have helped prevent fatalities and material losses despite the US over 40-year financial, economic and commercial blockade. Pardo noted that poverty and underdevelopment as true cause of the state's vulnerability whose capacity to prevent and reduced to the lowest possible expression the damages inflicted by disasters are owed to the foreign debt. The Cuban official called the most developed countries to reduce military expenses and increase their contribution to the developing countries" advancement in terms of protection for the respective populations in the event of disasters. UN Undersecretary for Humanitarian Affairs, Jan Egeland, said Cuba is among the countries standing as world examples in terms of preparedness and response to natural disasters. Cuba participates in the Committee that coordinates the Action Program of Hyogo for disaster reduction for the 2005-2015 decade, that regulates cooperation and the Declaration of Kobe. The more than 1,200 officials from near 150 countries, including numerous ministers, the civil defense, UN officials and representatives from near 30 non-governmental organizations, agreed to set up a global warning system. The project, to be operational within six months in Kobe, may issue early earnings to prevent floods, droughts, typhoons, and even earthquakes. The lack of one such system is blamed for the disastrous aftermath of the December 26 Tsunami in southern Asia. The UNESCO General Director Koichiro Matsuura stressed that regional and international cooperation, in addition to the free data exchange, are the only ways to make the global warning system truly effective. Colombian troops kill six paramilitaries www.chinaview.cn 2005-01-22 11:51:33 BOGOTA, Jan. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Six Colombian paramilitaries were killed and 11 others captured in clashes with government troops inthe eastern department of Casanare, the military said Friday. The exchange of fire erupted in the rural area of Hato Corozal in an army offensive. The dead were presumably members of the United Self-Defense Forces of Casanare (ACC), a dissident faction of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) which has beenin peace talks with the government. The ACC has fought fiercely with other factions of the AUC for control of the east. The military also seized 20 rifles, 60 clips, a grenade-launcher and more than 3,000 cartridges in the clash.   Come Fly With Us! Let the power of advertising work for you.  Click here! Do You Know Where Your Credits Cards Are? Tourists and residents alike are warned to keep a close eye on their credit cards and to closely review the monthly statements for unusual purchases. Thieves can easily duplicate and clone stolen cards and in a short time take it to the credit limit. Yesterday, police were able to break up a gang, using information contained in the magnetic stripe of credit cards, that defrauded banks and their customers for some ¢40 million colones (us$86.500 dollars). A man identified only by his last name Rodríguez, living in Aserri, south of San José, took advantage of customers at upper scale hotels by duplicating the information stored on the card and selling it to a group who duplicated or cloned the cards. The group, according to the police report, would continue to use the card until the it reached the credit limit. More than 50 foreigners and nationals were affected by the fraud. A joint effort by the agents of the Asociación Bancaria Costarricense (Costa Rican Banking Association), La Sección de Fraudes del Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) (Fraud Squad) and the Servicio Policial de Intervención Inmediata (SPII) were able to stop the gang. The arrests took place in Desamparados, Aserrí, Barrio la California and Calle Blancos in San José, that saw the arrest of an Italian identfied by the last name Salvatorrene and another Costa Rican, Jimenez along with Rodriguez. The investigation had been going on for more than two months when police first detained a man identified only by his last name Valerín who was attempting to use one of the cloned cards. More than 600 false plastic card, three magnetic strip readers and two computers were confiscated in the police action.

Today's Stories: Sixaola Completely Under Water Guilty Plea in Sales of Fake Lipitor Made in Costa Rica Tourists Stay Longer Do You Know Where Your Credits Cards Are?   Did you feel it? According to the Red Sismológica Nacional de la Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR),the Earthquake registering 4.4 on the Richter scale, shook the ground shook at 5:39am Friday. The epicenter was located in La Isla Damas, nortwest of the coastal town of Quepos with a depth of 10 kilometer. No damage or injuries were reported during the quake that was felt throughtout the entire country. Looking for a job in Costa Rica? Well, the Grupo Nación has launched it's elempleo.com website that will allow those looking for a job in Costa Rica and Colombia to see the recent positions offered. The website is for individual who are looking for work and for companies looking for talent. For now, it is only in Spanish, but it is expected to be offered in other languages soon.