San José, Costa Rica - Monday 16 August 2004

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

Updated every day by 8:00AM Central Standard Time

Such was the scene yesterday at noon at the Juan Santamaria airport, where the line to leave Costa Rica spilled out onto the sidewalk. The heavy traffic at the airport is due to an increase in tourism during the "green" season mainly fueled by lower fares by the airlines on flights to and from Costa Rica. Click for larger image!

Mother's Day, a Day of Happiness
Yesterday, Sunday, was Mother's Day in Costa Rica where almost a million mothers celebrated their day.

General Strike Called for August 23
Make sure to mark August 23 on your calendar, as unions have decided to call for an indefinite general strike beginning on that date.

Nineteen Stolen Cars Recovered
Haven't seen your car lately? It's not where you parked it? Well, it could be one of the 19 cars that were reported stolen and confiscated by police in the northern zone.

53% of Ticos Believe Corruption Can't be Eliminated
A recent report by Latinobarómetro Corporation, of 18 countries, between May 21 and 29 June of this year, reveals that 53% of Ticos believe that corruption will never be eliminated.

Season of Savings
With the exception of areas of red and orange foliage or the trade shows of London, Paris and Rome, the month of September brings a pronounced slowdown in travel North American.

Olympic Soccer: Costa Rica loses to Iraq
Iraq made it to the quarter-finals on a 2-0 win over Costa Rica at the Olympic men's soccer tournament Sunday.

Venezuelan opposition rejects Chavez's victory
The Venezuelan opposition rejected President Hugo Chavez's victory in a referendum over his mandate Monday and said they would contest the outcome.

Venezuelan referendum held smoothly with high turnout
The recall referendum held on Sunday on the mandate of President Hugo Chavez, which features a high voter turnout, have gone largely smoothly in spite of sporadic violence and several casualties.

Dominican Republic's ex-leader returns to helm today
Four years after stepping down as the Dominican Republic's president, Leonel Fernández returns today, promising improvements as the Caribbean nation suffers its worst economic crisis in decades.

International News from the New York Times
 

SPECIAL REPORTS VENEZUELA: Recall Referendum Draws Record-Long Queues Millions of Venezuelans stood in line Sunday from the early hours of the morning to vote in the recall referendum that will decide whether President Hugo Chávez will complete his term or be removed from office. Voters queued for hours outside the polls in the longest lines ever seen in an election in this South American oil-producing nation. Nobel Peace laureate and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, one of the international observers, said the Carter Centre had monitored nearly 50 elections around the world and that he had never before seen such a turnout.

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