San José, Costa Rica - Wednesday 08 September 2004

1.234 Daily Average. Visits in August! Up 10%

Updated every day by 8:00AM Central Standard Time

Where it all began! The Fischel/CCSS scandal all began when it was discovered where Eliseo Vargas, former president of the CCSS lives. The house picture above, located in the prestigious Parque Valle del Sol in Santa Ana, was paid by funds from the Finland government credit to the CCSS, by companies owned by members of the Corporacion Fischel. Click for larger image!

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

President Pacheco Assured There is No Crisis in Costa Rica
"This government, like others, has responsible people and when one goes another takes the helm... Ricardo Toledo will be missed. Apart from being an ingenious politician he is my friend.." were the words of President Abel Pacheco on Tuesday.

Former CCSS President Eliseo Vargas Detained
The former president of the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS), Eliseo Vargas Garcia, presented himself before the Fiscalia (prosecutor's office) on Tuesday after lunch and following a lenghty interview, he was detained by the end of the day.

Follow the Money; Calderón Deposits in Miami Account
A report by the daily Spanish newspaper La Nación reveals that the transfer of $440.000 from the Harcourt Holdings in Panama, controlled by Walter Reiche Fischel, to former president Rafael Ángel Calderón, were deposited in a Miami bank.

Spanish Tourism to Costa Rica Increased 23%
Direct flights between Spain and Costa Rica are on the increase. AirMadrid began operations in Costa Rica last June and now carries more than 600 passengers each week, on two flights.

New Los Angeles Auxiliary a Native of Costa Rica
Pope John Paul II has appointed Monsignor Alexander Salazar, the 54-year-old vice chancellor of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, as auxiliary bishop.

CONCACAF SOCCER:
Canada Needs Win in Costa Rica
The light at the end of the World Cup qualifying tunnel will be a lot harder to see if the Canadian men's soccer team loses to Costa Rica tonight.

Did you Know?
As far as climate goes, the late -December to mid - April dry season is the most pleasant.

Hurricane Ivan hits southeastern Caribbean countries
Hurricane Ivan rampaged through the tiny islands of the southeastern Caribbean on Tuesday, blowing off roofs, felling trees and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate from coastal areas.

Chile begins probe into Pinochet's bank account
The Chilean court has started an investigation into the several million US dollars the country's former dictator Augusto Pinochet deposited in Riggs Bank of the United States, La Tercera daily reported Tuesday.

Colombia Says Army Killed Union Chiefs
The attorney general's human rights unit on Monday ordered the arrest of an army officer, two soldiers and a civilian who took part in the killings of Jorge Eduardo Prieto, Leonel Goyeneche and Héctor Alirio Martínez on Aug. 5 in Saravena, a town long besieged by leftist rebels. Since 2002, American military trainers have been instructing Colombian soldiers there in counterguerrilla techniques, though it is unclear if the Americans trained the unit accused of killing the union leaders.

International News from the New York Times
 

BOLIVIA: Foreign Prices for Local Petroleum The Bolivian government, with its hands tied by a promise to charge international prices for petroleum produced in the country by foreign corporations, agreed to a 100-day price freeze on gasoline after the biggest protest ever by the capital's transport workers. Maintaining the gas price at 42 cents on the dollar per litre for that period will cost this Andean nation some 10 million dollars. Bolivia possesses some of the greatest hydrocarbon resources in the region, with proven natural gas reserves of around 727 billion cubic meters, and probable reserves of a similar volume. The government's decision came after a 24-hour strike in the La Paz passenger transport services last week, accompanied by roadblocks set up by bus drivers and others that interrupted normal daily activities in the public and private sectors.

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