San José, Costa Rica - Monday 09 August 2004

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

Updated every day by 8:00AM Central Standard Time

Costa Rican squatters and ex-banana workers build temporary shelters out of bamboo and plastic after arriving in Bambuzal, Saturday. Guerrero and 150 families had been staying at the Metropolitan Cathedral in the capital since April, when police removed them from the Bambuzal plantation, owned by Standard Fruit Co. in Rio Frio de Sarapiqui, about 30 miles north of San Jose. (AP Photo/Kent Gilbert) Click for larger image!

Air Traffic Controllers Strike Continues, Though Solution May Come Soon!
Today, Monday, following more than a month of being on strike, representatives of the striking 125 air traffic controllers will meet with members of the "Poder Ejecutivo" - the Executive Branch of the government - in a meeting with Minister for the Presidency, Ricardo Toledo.

Costa Rica Dispute Could Block U.S. Antidrug Flights
A political dispute over the air traffic controllers’ strike threatens to interrupt U.S. antinarcotics flights over Costa Rica.

Dad Drowns Saving Sons
A Pittsburgh, PA, man helped save his sons from a riptide off the coast of Costa Rica but then drowned in the Pacific Ocean, friends and officials said.

Bambuzal Farmers Leave the Cathedral, Head Home
Some 120 families who occupied the hallways of the Metropolitan Cathedral for more than three months, made their way home to Bambuzal de Sarapiquí, over the weekend, with the illusion to recover what is theirs.

Costa Ricans Enjoy Import Tax Break
A recent change in Costa Rica’s Customs Law enables residents to import up to $500 worth of personal goods tax free every six months without leaving the country.

RACSA to Fight  'Spam'
Radiográfica Costarricense (RACSA) has announced to it's 120.000 customers that will will block their internet connection if they are found to be sending undesirable emails or 'spam', by way of it's network.

Inter-American Court of Human Rights Overturns Journalist's Libel Conviction
Reporters Without Borders today welcomed a judgment issued on 4 August by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) overturning the heavy fine imposed by a Costa Rican court in November 1999 on journalist Mauricio Herrera of the daily Spanish newspaper, La Nacion, for alleged libel.
 

Presidents of Bolivia, Brazil, Peru to inaugurate border-linking bridge The presidents of Brazil, Bolivia and Peru will meet next week to unveil a bridge in the border area between Brazil and Bolivia, and to lay the cornerstone for the Integration Bridge that will link Brazil and Peru. Ecuadorian foundation to be observer of Venezuelan referendum Ecuador's Guayasamin Foundation announced Saturday that it will join the Group of International Electoral Observers of the First Presidential Referendum in Venezuela scheduled for Aug. 15. Bomb explodes in Colombia, injuring at least 21 A bomb exploded in Medellin, the second largest city of Columbia, on Sunday, injuring at least 21 people, including seven children. US hostage beheading video is hoax A video aired Saturday that purportedly showed an American being decapitated in Iraq was a hoax. International News from the New York Times

ENVIRONMENT-LATIN AMERICA: Andean Nations Bet on Bio-Trade Colombia produces coffee, cut flowers, but also bamboo. Peru supplies minerals and fish for restaurants, but also ornamental fish for home aquariums. Venezuela is a leader in petroleum and aluminium, but also aloe. Environmentally sustainable ''bio-trade'' is gaining ground among the long-standing commercial products that the Andean region puts on the international market. The extraordinary biological wealth of South America's Andean countries is beginning to pay off for those who take advantage of it. Despite the ecological and economic importance of preserving biodiversity, the notion of leaving nature untouched is falling by the wayside.

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