Marchers take to the streets to protest the Free Trade Agreement, shouting "Gringos go home!" Today's Stories: • May Day Report to the Nation • "Gringos Go Home" Major Theme of Protestors • Former President Get His Auto Back • Costa Rican Shark Conservationist Receives Top Honors in London • Panama's Presidential Election • Castro says Cuba will never accept any "democratic transition" • Nicaragua condemns US abuse of Iraqi prisoners • Chile: EU enlargement brings more business opportunity President Pacheco before the Legislative Assembly and other guests to give his annual report to the Nation.

The President stressed his government's priority to combat poverty in Costa Rica. He told the audience, that after 17 years of stagnant poverty, his government achieved a reduction of 2.1% in the number of poor families. That translates to 21,312 Costa Ricans who climbed out of poverty.

Among other topics and discussions, Pacheco said that his government has been successful in reducing the infant mortality rate with the lowest rate recorded at 10.1 per 1000 births.

The economy was a major part of his speech, claiming that the Costa Rican economy grew 5.6% in the past year, the second highest in Latin America. Exports from Costa Rica also grew a whopping 16%.

Other achievements that were highlighted were the increase in credit facilities for small to medium companies and training programs for women to better for them to reach equality in the work place.

The desertion of students from schools was also an important topic. Pacheco told that since 1995 a 5% desertion rate maintained steady, however, this past year that rate dropped to 3.9% and that now 76.6% of students complete high school.

Roads were part of the talk. Costa Ricans will soon count  with six new roads valued at more than $700 Million Dollars.

One of the projects detailed by the Chief Executive is the government's plans for the town of Limon, which is to become a major tourist centre, that will create employment and economic and social development for the area.

Pacheco, in his closing words, asked for all sectors of the government and public to work together to continue to develop Costa Rica and grow.
 

"Gringos Go Home" Major Theme of Protestors
Thousands took to the streets yesterday to show their frustrations at their government leaders, who were gathered in the Legislative Assembly building for the annual presidential report.

Taking part in the demonstrations were employees of the Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), teachers and students, employees of the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS), Ministry of Justice and the Costa Rican refinery RECOPE.

Also taking part in the march and demonstrations were the families that were expulsed from their farm homes in Bambuzal, Sarapiquí, who have been camping out in the Metropolitan Cathedral for the past week.

The march and protest was in Costa Rican tradition, peaceful, save for the shouts and chants against free trade and comments against U.S imperialism, shouting "Gringos go home".

The march took place along Avenida Segunda and ended in front of the Legislative Assembly, where inside the election for the president of the Legislative Assembly and President Pacheco's report to the nation, would take place.

Organizers were satisfied with the number of people that showed up to take part.

Former President Get His Auto Back
Having connections makes all the difference. And who would have better connections than a former president.

Last Saturday (24 April) in the early evening, former president Luis Alberto Monge (who governed between 1982 and 1986) was surprised by several masked men who having no idea of who the driver was, asked Monge at gunpoint to step out of this car and left him standing there. This occurred near the college Santa Inés, in Mercedes Norte de Heredia.

Monge who is now 78 years old was not hurt in the incident.

The thieves "robocarros" got away with Monge's 2003 Toyota Prado and became subject of an intensive police action to recuperate the vehicle and bring them to justice.

Last night in the area of Pérez Zeledón, south of San José, police were successful in their objectives.

The car was spotted in the early hours of the morning, driven by a 23 year old man identified only by the last name Blanco, who ran from the vehicle when police gave chase and was later caught.

The investigation was headed by the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), the Fuerza Pública and the Policía Internacional (Interpol).

Following Blanco's capture, police were successful in arresting two other men identified as Villalobos and Pereira, who were traveling in another vehicle, working as interference for Blanco.

The men had radio scanners to scan police communications and walkie-talkies to communicate with each other, unsuccessfully as it turns out. The police action was swift and precise that the men didn't have an opportunity to escape.

The ex-president's car was recovered undamaged.
 

Costa Rican Shark Conservationist Receives Top Honors in London
Costa Rican biologist, and president of PRETOMA, Randall Arauz, was recognized yesterday by the Whitley Laing Foundation, which seeks to raise awareness about nature conservation projects worldwide. 250 individuals were initially selected in October of 2003 with 8 being chosen for a final review process this week in London.

Arauz's work to stop shark finning and help protect Costa Rica's ocean resources took top honors. Finalists from Sumatra, Fiji, Mexico, Burma, Mongolia, Uganda and Tanzania were recognized for their work in their countries.

Arauz began PRETOMA's campaign to stop shark finning in Costa Rica in May of 2003 which soon had support from Costa Ricans signing petitions, student groups, biologists and conservation organizations from both Costa Rica and around the world.

The practice of shark finning, fuelled by massive demand for shark fin soup in Asia, is the main factor behind the decimation of Costa Rican and world shark populations. Other marine species, including the critically-endangered leatherback sea turtle, are also being driven to extinction by their incidental capture in fishing gear aimed at sharks.

The Whitley Laing Foundation was created in 1995 in partnership with the Royal Geographic Society. Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne, presented the honors at the final dinner ceremony.
 

Panama's Presidential Election
Panamanians today go to the polls to elect a new president.

Following are some facts about Panama, where the son of a late military dictator faces a former president in a presidential election on Sunday.

Geography: The most easterly nation in the Central American isthmus, Panama is bounded by Costa Rica and Colombia. It total area is 30,190 square miles (78,200 square km).

Population: There are about 3 million Panamanians, 70 percent of mixed Hispanic and Amerindian descent. Following immigration to build and operate the Panama Canal in the 1900s, Afro-Caribbeans and whites make up 14 percent and 10 percent of the population, respectively. Amerindian groups represent 6 percent.

There is also a growing community of U.S. retirees.

Language: Spanish is the main language, although English is widely spoken in business and government.

Religion: The country is predominantly Roman Catholic, but Protestant evangelical groups are increasingly active.

Economy: A well-developed service sector that sprang up around the canal accounts for three-quarters of the economy, including banking, insurance and flag-registry interests.

Unemployment has dropped by half a point to 12.9 percent in the past year, although many say the real number of Panamanians without a job is significantly higher.

Panama has used the U.S. dollar as its currency since work began on the Panama Canal in 1904, and has nominal inflation of around 1 percent a year.

History: The Spanish conquistador Vasco Nunez de Balboa founded a settlement in Panama in 1511, establishing it as a transit point for Inca gold en route to imperial Spain.

After gaining independence from Spain in 1821, the country became a province of Colombia until November 1903, when the United States engineered Panamanian secession in return for rights to build and operate an inter-oceanic canal "in perpetuity."

Following decades in which aspirations to full sovereignty were frustrated by successive U.S. governments, military ruler Omar Torrijos signed agreements with then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1977, pledging to hand over the canal by the end of the century.

Torrijos' successor, Manuel Noriega, fell out with the United States, and was removed in a December 1989 invasion by U.S. troops. Noriega was taken to Florida where he was jailed on drug trafficking charges, and the country returned to civilian rule under President Guillermo Endara.

At noon on Dec. 31, 1999, Panama gained full control of the canal under President Mireya Moscoso.

Elections: Held every five years. Unlike in many Latin American countries, as it occurred in the Costa Rican presidential elections that saw Abel Pacheco taking office, there will be no run off after the May 2 elections. Whichever candidate wins most votes on Sunday will take office on Sept. 1.

Castro says Cuba will never accept any "democratic transition"
Cuban leader Fidel Castro vowed here on Saturday that Cuba would never accept "democratic transition" in any form and would stick to its socialist system.

Speaking at a mass rally by over one million people at the Revolution Square to celebrate May Day, Castro slammed the US hostilities toward Cuba by the George W. Bush administration.

He called on the Bush administration to deal with Cuba "more calmly, more carefully, more reasonably and more cleverly."

Similar events were organized by trade unions in the rest of country to show support for the socialist system. The demonstrations were flooded with Cuban flags and placards advocating socialism.

Pedro Ross, Secretary General of the Cuban Workers' Center (CTC), demanded an answer to a US anti-Cuban initiative, as the demonstrations coincided with US Secretary of State Colin Powell's submission to Bush of a report containing proposals for a so-called political transition in the island. The report was blasted by Cubans as an act of intervention.

Ross called on the 3.2 million CTC members and the rest of the people to show with huge manifestations on May 1 that Cuba backed "a transition only to a more and better socialism."
 

Nicaragua condemns US abuse of Iraqi prisoners
Nicaragua condemned on Saturday US soldiers violated the human rights of Iraqi prisoners, demanding severe punishment for the appalling abuse.

These soldiers' activities contravened the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Norman Caldera Cardenal told the press.

The Geneva Conventions, commonly known as the laws of war, sets out an internationally binding set of rules to guarantee minimum standards of treatment for prisoners of war and other detainees.

Cardenal also noted that US President Bush had said the treatment against Iraqi prisoners is unacceptable and the hand of justice must fall with all the weigh of the laws over the guilty soldiers.

The Nicaraguan government will send a "note" on this issue to the US government on Monday, he added.

Nicaraguans were indignant on Friday as they saw the images of Iraqi prisoners being tortured and subjected to acts of cruelty and obscenity by the US soldiers.
 

Chile: EU enlargement brings more business opportunity
The enlargement of the European Union (EU) opens new possibilities of business and cooperation for Chile, the government said Saturday.

The 10 new EU members, with a total population of 75 million, will automatically implement the Chile-EU Political, Economic and Cooperation Association Agreement.

On trade with the new EU members, the tax reductions will be valid as of Saturday when they were formally admitted into the EU.

According to the Chile-EU agreement, which came into effect in February 2003, the two sides would lower tariffs to zero within the next 10 years.

Given the low level of trade with the new members, more possibilities will be created for those products that have not been exported previously, especially those of higher added value.

In 2003, Chilean shipments to the 10 EU new members reached 27.3 million US dollars, reporting a 35.2 percent growth from a year earlier.

The new members are Cyprus, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and the Czech Republic.