Sunday 23 February 2003
Nicaraguan health
secretary calls 9-year-old girl's abortion illegal
MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Nicaraguan Health Secretary
Lucia Salvo on Saturday joined a growing chorus of government and religious
voices opposing the abortion of a 9-year-old girl impregnated during a rape.
Salvo said the abortion, performed Thursday night at an unidentified clinic,
was illegal given that the girl's life was not in danger.
National Park to remain whole
The threat for Manuel Antonio
National Park to lose 40 percent of its current area has faded away. The
former owners of some 300 hectares (750 acres) will be finally paid the
money the state has owed them since 1972. Victor Hugo Chavarria, secretary
of the board of directors of the park, explained that approximately
$406,000 will be paid to the people who were expropriated in 1972, and who
were battling in the courts to get their land back. |
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The park, on the Pacific Coast, combines beach
and jungle and is one of the protected areas that more visitors attract,
particularly from abroad; therefore, it is one of Costa Ricaís major tourist
assets
Business outlook not bright
The possibilities of growth are not among the
expectations of the Costa Rican business sector; however, it does not expect
major negative surprises in macroeconomic stability, either.
This perception, that could be interpreted as a feeling of stagnation, springs
from the most recent Quarterly Business Survey, done by the Costa Rican Union of
Chambers (UCCAEP in Spanish), which assessed the points of view of 300 companies
during the last three months last year.
UCCAEP chief executive officer Alvaro Ramirez pointed out that the period
evaluated is usually highly positive, because it includes December, a period of
high spending and consumption. Even so, 2002ís last quarter, as compared to the
same period in the preceding three years, was rather discouraging, since 71
percent of the polled said that the level of employment did not rise and almost
9 percent said it had decreased as compared to 2001ís fourth quarter.
The cautious outlook of the sector is evident among exporters, 65 percent of
whom admitted that their sales abroad had not increased; another 11 percent said
their exports had actually decreased. UCCAEP chairman Samuel Yankelewitz
admitted that stagnation is likely to continue, because no signal of change has
been perceived so far.
Strategic alliance
The local software manufacturer Exactus entered a strategic alliance with world
microprocessor giant Intel, which will provide marketing and financial
assistance to the Tico company. This is the second such joint venture in Costa
Rica, because Intel had entered a similar one with ArtinSoft, a firm that
specializes in the migration of languages.
The program Exactus Impulso, designed for the managing of small and medium-size
companies, spearheads the joint venture. Exactus Impulso is classified as an
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) program, which is different from other
solutions in that it is adapted to Latin American characteristics. The plans
include extending the program throughout Latin America.
$82.9 million for coastal road
After a wait that had lasted 28 years,
President Abel Pacheco said that funds have been assured to build the remaining
unpaved gap of the Pacific Coastal Road ñQuepos-Savegre-Baruñ, which will be
part of the Inter American Highway. The Central American Economic Integration
Bank will lend $60 million and Costa Rica will provide the other $22.9 million
for the work, which involves the construction of several bridges.
"The construction of this road began over a quarter of a century ago. This
project is an example of what must be avoided in Costa Rica. Procedures have to
be stepped up," President Pacheco said in the outdoor ceremony in Quepos
where he announced the financing of the final stage of the road.
Common border development
The governments of Costa Rica and Nicaragua will seek the aid of different
countries and international organizations in order to fund a program for the
development of the common border area. T
he Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Affairs Roberto Tovar made the announcement
after a meeting with his Nicaraguan peer Norman Caldera. Part of the efforts
include a joint visit to the Central American Economic Integration Bank in
Honduras and another to the chairman of the Government of Spain, whom they will
meet in Greece.
Other visits include Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Tovar said that the
strategy is aimed at improving the conditions of living of the impoverished
residents on both sides of the border.
Improved treatment
The Catholic bishops of Mexico and
Central America met in the northern Costa Rican town of Ciudad Quesada, where
the issued a joint declaration requesting improved treatment for immigrants. At
the very same time, Costa Rican police and immigration agents arrested and
returned to their country 86 Nicaraguans who had entered Costa Rica
illegally.
The event at the border is an every day one, even though the numbers of the
illegal immigrants who actually settle in Costa Rica are far greater than those
of the ones that are caught and sent back to their country. Currently, Costa
Rica holds the largest percentage ñas compared to the overall populationñ of
illegal immigrants in the world.
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The
Week in Review: 17 - 22 February 2003
From
the Daily News! |
Protest Against War with IRAQ
Hundreds of
thousands of demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday from cities
worldwide to insist that the United States give an opportunity to Peace
and not to hurry in a war against Iraq. 7
Deal Reached at ICE
As reported yesterday, ICE has reached a
deal that satisfies all the parties involved in the negotiations - the
government, unions and the executives at ICE - to avoid a planned strike for
tomorrow Tuesday. 7
Two Jamaicans Captured for Drug Smuggling
One of the arrests occurred in the
airport Juan Santamaría, when two kilos of marijuana compressed in the luggage
of one of the suspects was detected as he came to the country coming from
Panama. 7
Now Roaming With TDMA Cellular
Telephone possible
Aresep (Autoridad
Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos) approved
ICE's rates for roaming telephone service to it's TDMA cellular telephones. 7
MANAGUA, Nicaragua - A government board was
studying whether a 9-year-old girl could carry a baby to term safely while
considering her family's request to have an abortion. 8
Guatemala Admits Slaying Responsibility
GUATEMALA CITY - The Guatemalan government
admitted to an international tribunal that it was responsible for the 1990
slaying of human rights leader Myrna Mack, the nation's foreign minister said
Sunday. 8
Panama to decide whether five Cubans can stay
Five Cubans arrested while
trying to cross into Costa Rica have asked Panama's government to let them stay
as refugees, a migration spokeswoman said Tuesday. 9
Police
arrest a man who apparently sold technical revisions illegally
According to unofficial versions, the man
is a pirate taxi driver and apparently, undercover OIJ (Organismo de
Investigacion Judicial) agents negotiated with him the purchase of two
technical revision stickers. He was selling the documents for 28.000 colones
each. 9
Suspect in rape of 9-year-old Nicaraguan girl jailed
Tuesday, the 20-year-old Costa Rican man was arrested in
the rape of a 9-year-old Nicaraguan girl.
Nicaragua Board Rules in Baby Case
MANAGUA, Nicaragua - A government medical board
ruled that a 9-year-old pregnant Nicaraguan girl faces the same risks whether
she has an abortion or carries her baby to term, the girl's lawyer said
Wednesday.
Costa Rica
asks its own U.N. representative to resign over Iraq remarks
Costa Rica's U.N. ambassador was ordered to resign
Wednesday after making unauthorized remarks in a speech to the Security
Council about Iraq.
Costa Rican U.N. Ambassador to Stay
A day after demanding the resignation
of his country's U.N. ambassador over a speech on Iraq, Costa Rica's foreign
minister backtracked on Thursday and said the ambassador could stay in New York.
Man Who Murdered Neighbor Wins Parole
One of South Florida's most notorious killers, a
man who blamed TV violence for the murder of his elderly neighbor, will not
serve out his life sentence.
Panama expelled close friend of fugitive Luis
Milanés
One of the men closest to fugitive Luis
Milanés Tamayo-Coto, tied to the swindle approximated at $300 million, was
expelled Wednesday from Panama and sent to Costa Rica.
Despite national controversy, 9-year-old
Nicaraguan girl receives abortion
MANUGUA,- Nicaragua - The 9-year-old Nicaraguan
girl impregnated during a rape ended her pregnancy at a private clinic after
officials stalled on approving an abortion, supporters announced Friday. A
government official called the procedure "illegal" and vowed to
investigate.
2
Banco Nacional Closes Sportsbook Accounts
By way of board directive issued some two
weeks ago, the Banco Nacional closed all accounts related to electronic betting
houses or sportsbooks. 2
Director of La Nacion resigns
After 23 years of
service, the director of Costa Rica's main newspaper announced his resignation
Friday.
2
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