San José, Costa Rica - Thursday 05 August 2004

1.116 Unique Visitors Daily Average in July!  What's This? 

Updated every day by 8:00AM Central Standard Time

During an organized forum at the Universidad de Costa Rica yesterday, director of the Comisión Económica para América Latina (CEPAL), Costa Rican Rebeca Grynspan, said that public institutions don't allow poverty to be reduced in Latin American nations, for insufficient or lack of actions. Click for larger image!

Canada Announces Labour Technical Assistance Program for Costa Rica
The Canadian Minister of Labour and Housing, Joseph Fontana, Costa Rican Minister of Labour Ovidio Pacheco,and Gerardina Gonzalez, the Director of the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Regional Office in Central America, announced that Canada has developed a Technical Assistance Program for Costa Rica.

Pessimism Permeates Costa Ricans
For the first time in almost two years, the number of Costa Ricans who think that their family's standard of living is worse than a year before is larger than the figure corresponding to those who think their lot has improved.

Increase in Arrival of Tourists
According to the figures for the first six months this year, 2004 is likely to be a record year in the arrival of tourists to Costa Rica.

Guarding The Foreign Embassies
Following last week's tragedy, when a member of the Fuerza Publica who had been in charge of protecting the Chilean Embassy for almost two years - who walked in and shot three diplomats before killing himself -  critics have surfaced, questioning the security provided to foreign embassies in Costa Rica.

ICE & RACSA Joined to Offer ADSL Service
In what can be called a first, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) and Radiografica Costarricense (RACSA) joined forces to bring "la Red Avanzada de Internet vía Banda Ancha" - ADSL - high speed internet access..

Gasoline Price Increases
Price of gasoline went up yesterday, following the approval by the regulating body.

Exiled Union Leader Returns to Venezuela Leaders of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation say union president Carlos Ortega has returned to the country more than a year after seeking exile in Costa Rica. CNE slams false signature collection for referendum in Venezuela The Venezuelan National Election Council (CNE) denounced Wednesday, less than two weeks ahead of the Aug. 15 referendum, a fraud in some signatures collected to support the recall referendum against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Paraguay rules out terror attack in supermarket blaze The Paraguayan government on Wednesday ruled out a terrorist attack as the cause of the supermarket blaze that killed more than 500 people on Sunday on the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay's capital. Colombian police seize four tons of explosives The Colombian Anti-Narcotics Police found 4 tons of explosives aboard two planes that were utilized to carry drugs, in an operation in the northern Colombian department of Bolivar, police sources said Wednesday. International News from the New York Times

TRADE: Brazil Deals Another Blow to Farm Subsidies The Brazilian government and farmers celebrated a third triumph so far this year against the farm subsidies shelled out by the industrialised North after the World Trade Organisation (WTO) handed down an interim ruling Wednesday that found that the European Union (EU) is illegally dumping millions of tons of subsidised sugar on the world market. The results that Brazil has achieved show that the developing world ''must file other complaints'' in the WTO, to get wealthy nations to live up to what was agreed in the 1986-1994 Uruguay Round of talks that gave rise to the WTO, Pedro Camargo Neto, the director of international relations in the Brazilian Rural Association, which represents the country's large agricultural producers, told IPS.   COSTA RICA TRAVEL No Mans Land, Paso Canoas, Costa Rica The border crossing between Costa Rica and Panama has to be the least hospitable in Central America, if not in the entire continent. Today I crossed it on bus for the second time in a place called Paso Canoas (the passing of canoes) and I really wish I was passing gently down a serene river on a canoe instead of going through the red tape mayhem they have set out for tourists here.

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