Transit Police
Operatives Continue
Since Monday,
the Transit Police, have dedicated themselves to
stopping drivers and their passengers who don't use
their seat belts.
Though they cannot issue tickets for the non-seat
belt use, they are taking the opportunity to advise
drivers on their use and to check for other
irregularities, while the legislative assembly
discusses changes to the transit laws.
Sub-director, Juan Manuel Delgado, told news
reporters that these days of operatives have
resulted in surprises: although the majority of
drivers are already using their seat belts,
surprising was the high amount of drivers still
using their cellular telephones.
In the first two days (Monday and Tuesday) transit
officials wrote up 125 drivers - a fine of 10.000
colones, plus 3.000 colones for PANI - the National
Child Protection Agency - for the use of cellular
telephones while driving.
In addition, transit officials found vehicles with
false documentation, excessive gas pollutants and
several cars not having paid their 'marchamo'.
The transit operative will continue for the next few
days.
Red Tape Keeps
Countries Poor: World Bank
Cumbersome regulations for business make it harder for countries to lift themselves out of poverty, while increasing the potential for corruption, according to a World Bank report released Tuesday.
“Poor countries regulate business the most,” the report said.
“Regulation in poor countries is more cumbersome for all aspects of business activity. A group of poor countries — Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Chad, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mali, Mozambique, Paraguay, the Philippines, and Venezuela — regulate the most heavily.
“A much wealthier group — Australia, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Jamaica, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, and the United Kingdom — regulate the least.”
The study of 130 countries, compiled by the bank with academic and management experts, was aimed at spurring greater reforms in the poorest countries that rely heavily on international assistance.
“Heavier regulation is generally associated with greater inefficiency in public institutions — longer delays and higher cost — and results in higher unemployment, increased corruption, less productivity and investment, but not better quality of private or public goods.
“The countries that regulate the most — poor countries — have the least enforcement capacity and the fewest checks and balances in government to ensure that regulatory discretion is not used to abuse businesses and exact bribes.”
The Bank said that contrary to popular belief, “many times what works in developed countries works well in developing countries too” on business regulations.
Excessive regulation, the report said, “has a perverse effect on the very people it is meant to protect. The rich and connected may be able to avoid cumbersome rules, or even be protected by them.”
Heavy regulation also encourages businesses to operate in the informal economy.
Canada Sees World Trade Talks Stalled Next Year
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Substantial talks to liberalize farm trade will be held up by next year's U.S. presidential election and expansion of the European Union, Canada's ambassador to the World Trade Organization said on Wednesday.
The WTO's Doha round, as the talks are called, aims to remove trade barriers, especially in agriculture. But after ministers from 148 countries failed to agree on U.S. and EU proposals last month in Mexico, few observers now see the round wrapping up by the end of 2004 -- the original deadline.
"Now the real chore is to try to narrow the gap between the EU and the United States ... and the rest of the (WTO) membership," Canada's WTO ambassador Sergio Marchi told Reuters. "Obviously, an election in the United States adds an additional layer of complication and intrigue."
The U.S. election and the addition of 10 new members to the EU next year will "test the leadership and generosity" of those two major economic blocs, Marchi said.
At stake are the huge subsidies rich countries pay their farmers, even as farmers in poor countries -- cotton farmers in Africa or fruit farmers in Latin America -- for example, must struggle to sell into the world's top markets.
A successful end to the Doha round would raise global income by more than $500 billion a year by 2015, the World Bank
says.
WTO diplomats next meet in Geneva in two weeks.
"I think most (WTO diplomats) feel that because of the Cancun outcome, that the Doha agenda has been put to a slower track," Marchi added. "I don't see that as fatal."
He called on Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Costa
Rica, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore and Switzerland to take the lead in the Doha talks now by discussing farm production and export subsidies plus market access, specifically for African-produced cotton.
Progress on other trade files, such as the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas covering all but Cuba in the Western Hemisphere, will be stalled until the agriculture logjam is broken, he added.
"The difficulty with FTAA, or the challenge rather, is on agriculture because you've got many Latin countries that have agriculture as their top priority, if not one of their top priorities."
Marchi also said he hoped the pending U.S. Bioterrorism Act, which is set to take effect on Dec. 12, does not hinder trade with Canada. The act is designed to prevent dangerous biological agents from being smuggled into the United States as food imports.
"We are very sensitive to the fact we remain, on the one hand, very vigilant on terrorism but without choking the very lifeblood between our two national economies," he said.
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