San José, Costa Rica -    Sunday 10 October 2004

1.396 Daily Average Visits in September!

OH, OH, OH! Santa Claus arrived in Costa Rica, making his first stop at the Universal department store on Avenida Central, downtown San José. The jolly man was received by a school band and dancers and many fairytale characters. Click for larger image!

insidenicaragua A new weekly feature published on Sundays, featuring a summary  of current news and events in Nicaragua.

EDITORIAL:
How are we going to trust the politicians?
It's a question that Costa Ricans are not used to asking. It is somehow fitting that Costa Rican president, Abel Pacheco, is also a psychiatrist.

PRESIDENTIAL SCANDAL
Rodríguez's Resignation A Lasting Shame
The resignation of Organization of American States (OAS) secretary-general and former Costa Rican president,  Miguel Angel Rodríguez, and an international warrant issued for his capture on corruption charges will bring only passing damages, but lasting shame, to the regional body and Costa Rica, say analysts.

More Alcatel Kickbacks Uncovered
Slowly, the "Costa del Kickback" monicker is sticking, as the investigation into corruption at the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) is continuing despite the uncovering of the "big fishes".

Where is Miguel Angel Now?
A report in today's edition of the Spanish daily newspaper La Nación says that the whereabouts of former Costa Rican president, Miguel Angel Rodríguez, is unknown following his resignation as Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Friday.

Wanted ICE Engineer Captured in Nicaragua
Rodrigo Méndez Soto, an Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) engineer who was restricted form leaving Costa Rica, wanted by Costa Rica for his role in the Alcatel-ICE scandal, was captured Friday in Nicaragua and was brought back to Costa Rican territory on the request of Costa Rican officials with their counterparts in Nicaragua.

CONCACAF SOCCER:
Costa Rica blanks Guatemala 5-0
Paulo Wanchope scored three goals Saturday as Costa Rica crushed visiting Guatemala 5-0 in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.  

insidenicaragua
Powerful Quake Hits Off Coast of Nicaragua
A powerful earthquake rocked Nicaragua's western coast on Saturday, sending residents running from their homes. No major injuries or damage were immediately reported.

Nicaragua controller asks removal of president over election funding
The federal controller's office said Thursday it is asking Congress on Thursday to remove President Enrique Bolaños for failure to explain the origin of the funds used in his 2001 presidential campaign.

H.B. Zachry to build U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua
The U.S. Department of State awarded H.B. Zachry Co. a $59.2 million contract to design and build a new U.S. Embassy complex in Managua, Nicaragua.

Mayorga under house arrest in Nicaragua
Former welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga returned home Wednesday after a loss to Felix Trinidad and almost immediately was ordered under house arrest.

Venezuela considers presenting candidate for OAS top job
Venezuela is considering the possibility of presenting a candidate for the post of secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), local press said Saturday.

S. American countries vie for OAS top job after Rodriguez quits
Immediately after the resignation of Organization of American States (OAS) chief Miguel Angel Rodriguez, names begin to appear in South America as possible replacements of the embattled former Costa Rican president.

Argentina, Bolivia to sign agreements on energy, cooperation
Argentina and Bolivia will sign on Thursday a series of agreements on the supply of natural gas and broad bilateral cooperation, diplomats said Saturday.

FARC murders five members of a family in Colombia
Five members of a Colombian family were killed and another one injured in a deep night attack, which police said on Saturday was conducted by the country's largest rebel group FARC.

International News from the New York Times
 

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HEALTH: UNICEF Urges Greater Commitment to Reducing Child Mortality First, the good news: while nearly one in five children was dying before the age of five in the early 1960s, this figure had dropped to less than one in 12 by 2002. The bad news is that child mortality remains shockingly high in many developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, and that these states will have difficulty meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing child deaths by two-thirds come 2015. This information is contained in a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), ‘Progress for Children’, released Friday. The report is based on information gathered between 1990 and 2002, which UNICEF says is the latest year for which dependable facts and figures are available.

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