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updated by 7:00 a.m. CST each day
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Teacher's Strike
Continues: Day 18
Given
that the Government is not moving on the issue of
pensions, the teachers will be deciding to continue
with the strike or return to classes.
A good possibility is that Saturday all teachers
will return to classes and start the make up
processes of school days lost.
Not all teachers walked
out of the classrooms during the strike. In some
schools, like Roosevelt School in San Pedro, only 2
of the 40 teachers, joined the strike movement.
Union leaders will be meeting today and tomorrow to
decide to continue or end the strike.
Strong
Rains Cause
Severe Damages
Intense
rains in different parts from the country yesterday
caused great destructions.
In agreement with the
National Commission of Emergencies, CNE, the
situations reported yesterday by the abundant heavy
rains resulted mainly of the underflow of the rivers
and problems with the sewage systems.
In San Rafael de
Oreamuno, Cartago, a mudslide dragged a vehicle with
three people, who only minutes later were helped by
the rescue workers, who were almost immediately in
the place following multiple calls from neighbors of
the area.
At 7pm, the North
zone of Cartago was cut off, because the Alto de La
Chinchilla, the main highway in the area stayed
closed due to landslides.
Several important
roads, like the Inter-American Highway and Braulio
Carrillo had to be closed due to landslides.
Several parts of Desemparados, south of San Jos!,
were also highly affected by heavy rains.
Residencial El Solar, in San Antonio de Desamparados
12 homes were in grave danger for hours.
Other areas like Tres Rios, Puriscal, Curridabat and
Turrubares forced river banks to overflow and some
flooding and landslides were reported.
The CNE warns that a new tropical wave originating
from Panama will affect the country again today with
more heavy rains.
Heavy
Security for Visit of Colombian President
Some 400
police officers, dogs trained in the locating of
explosives and special equipment, is part of the
safety precautions that will take place this
morning, when Colombian President Alvaro Uribe,
arrives at Juan Santamaria airport.
According to authorities, strong reasons exist to
create a safety ring around the Colombian president,
who is a victim of two attacks in his country in the
last months.
Uribe will in on a official visit. He is expected to
visit the Musuem of Arts, Presidential House, the
National Theater and Legislative Assembly.
In order to avoid any incidents, some roads near or
around where Uribe will be visiting will closed
and/or restricted to traffic for some hours.
Rio
De Janeiro Tops List of Simpatico Cities
It's crowded and
dangerous but Rio de Janeiro is the friendliest city
in the world, followed by San Jose in Costa Rica
and Madrid, according to a new study.
Residents in Kuala Lumpur, New York, Singapore
and Amsterdam are the least likely to help strangers
in need, which made theirs the least friendly cities
in a survey of 23 countries.
"It all comes down to simpatico, a Brazilian
word that describes a person who possesses certain
qualities such as friendliness and openness,"
New Scientist said on Wednesday.
According to a six-year study by Robert Levine of
California State University at Fresno and a group of
social psychologists, Brazilians have simpatico in
spades, which is why Rio topped their list.
When the researchers conducted tests of the
willingness of residents to help strangers, they
found that Latin American cities, where social
relationships are highly valued, came out on top.
Many of the poorest and least stable cities were
the friendliest while people in overcrowded, fast
paced ones were less likely to help strangers.
"This suggests environment has a greater
influence than ethnicity or cultural
background," the magazine said.
The findings also support the "stimulus
overload" theory of social psychologist Stanley
Milgram in the 1970s who suggested that people in
crowded environments cope by ignoring emergency
situations and depersonalizing strangers, it added.
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Canadian nurses association issues SARS warning
The nurses association in Canada's Ontario province has expressed grave concerns about the effectiveness of masks against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), including the possibility of further infections, it is reported on Wednesday.
Barb Wahl, president of the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA), said that a letter, in which the association accuses the Ontario Labor Ministry of easing off fit-testing of masks to guard againstthe SARS virus, has been sent to the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Toronto Mayor Mel
Lastman.
"There is ample evidence that many of the Toronto-area hospitals have not met the basic health and safety requirement formask fit-testing as set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Act," Wahl said in the letter.
"ONA is taking this strong position because of our serious concerns for the health of the public and our members. If these two basic measures are addressed, Toronto, Ontario will be a saferplace for all, visitors and residents," he said.
The union is demanding an explanation from the province about why nurses are still concerned about SARS and the possibility of further infections.
ONA represents 46,000 registered nurses and allied health professionals working in hospitals, long-term care facilities, community agencies, industry and other settings across Ontario.
Toronto is the hardest hit area by SARS in Canada. The SARS death toll in the area is 34, but the number of active probable cases in and around Toronto -- the only region in Canada with active SARS cases -- fell to 37 on Tuesday, down from 64 a week earlier.
US, Colombian navy seize large haul of cocaine in Caribbean Sea
The US Coast Guard, in collaboration with the Colombian navy, arrested five people and seized 2.3 tons of cocaine stashed in their speedboat in the Caribbean Sea off Colombia's coast on Wednesday, a Colombian Navy spokesman said.
The boat set off from the port of Santa Marta, North Colombia, earlier in the day for the United States. But the navy was keeping a close watch on the Colombian smugglers' activities, the navy spokesman said.
Acting in accordance with a bilateral anti-drugs agreement, the Colombian Navy kept the US Coast Guard informed of the smugglers' movement during the joint operations.
Colombia, one of the largest drug producers in the world, supplies much of the US market. It produces 570 tons of cocaine a year, accounting for 90 percent of the world's total output.
Since the beginning of this year, Colombian authorities have seized 28.6 tons of cocaine.
Argentine economy to grow 4.5 percent: minister
The Argentine economy is expected to grow by 4.5 percent this year, Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna said Wednesday.
"The economy is still growing, we are not in a plateau. The gross domestic product grew by 5 percent in the first quarter and will grow by more than 3 percent in the second quarter, " he said.
The Argentine government had said the economic growth slowed down in the second quarter of this year compared with the first, arousing concerns among experts and officials over possible economic stagnation in the second half of this year.
"We would have to go four years back to find this kind of situation," Lavagna said before leaving for Paraguay to attend a summit of the South American Common Market.
Argentina's economic policy last year centered on how to stabilize the economy, which had witnessed a trend of free-fall, while this year, the government would focus on structural reforms,which will be launched soon, he added.
Finland's first woman prime minister resigns over political scandal
Finland's first woman prime minister, Anneli Jaatteenmaki, resigned on Wednesday amid accusations that she used leaked secret information on Iraq to help win parliamentary elections in March, local reports said.
Jaatteenmaki, whose Center Party won a narrow victory in the March 16 general election over the ruling Social Democrats, was accused of using confidential information on talks between her predecessor, Paavo Lipponen, and US President George W. Bush on Iraq to attack Lipponen, who was seeking a third term at that time, said the reports.
Earlier on Wednesday, Jaatteenmaki told the parliament that shehad not actively sought the secret documents. However, Martti Manninen, an aide to President Tarja Halonen, said Jaatteenmaki had approached him before parliamentary elections asking him for information on Iraq, according to the reports.
Prior to Jaatteenmaki's resignation, leaders of the Center Party and the Social Democrats held separate meetings to discuss the fate of the cabinet. It was not immediately clear how soon a new government would be formed.
Italian parliament set to approve premier immunity bill
Italian Parliament is set on Wednesday to approve a hotly-contested bill which would freeze a corruption trial against Italy's center-right Premier Silvio
Berlusconi.
The bill, which has already been approved by the Italian Senateand is expected to get the definitive green light from the ItalianHouse in a vote later Wednesday, would suspend any trials against the country's top five serving institutional figures for the duration of their office.
The trial-suspension measure, embracing the offices of the president, the premier, the two parliamentary speakers and the head of the Constitutional Court, has been rushed through parliament in a near-record time.
The center right is anxious to make the rules effective this month in order to save Berlusconi the embarrassment of a possible conviction during Italy's six-month term as European Union duty presidency, which begins on July 1.
But the opposition decries granting the premier immunity from prosecution as an abuse of power aimed purely at easing Berlusconi's personal legal woes.
It has vowed to overturn the law by public referendum, arguing that it is unconstitutional and marks a return to Italy's corruption-scarred past.
Berlusconi and his former attorney and defense minister Cesare Previti are on trial in Milan accused of judge bribery.
The three-year-old trial is in its closing stages and the prosecution has already recommended sentences of up to 11 years for the premier's eight co-defendants including
Previti.
Berlusconi, who is now being tried separately because of his busy political schedule, is charged with bribing a judge to block the 1985 sale of the SME food conglomerate, owned by state holdingcompany IRI, to long-time rival businessman Carlo De
Benedetti.
He faces a 3-8 year sentence if convicted but has the right to two appeals.
Berlusconi denies all wrong-doing and insists he and Previti are the victims of judicial persecution by "politicized" magistrates.
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