With the expansion of the Daniel Oduber, airport in Liberia, Guanacaste, tourists can now be on the beach within the hour of of landing. More than 160.000 tourists are expected to use the airport this year. Today's Stories: • A Long Time Behind Bars • Tourism on the Increase • Coffee Importer Tries New Brew in Costa Rica • SunTrips, Mexicana Airlines Reach Deal • A Euro for Latin America? • 1.2 million protest in Cuba against US sanctions • Plane carrying 33 crashes in Brazil

The five men, Randall González, Adrián Chávez Matarrita, Frander Fallas Siles, Luis Aguirre and Jaime Barrios López were give 33 years each, however, current legislation limits the sentence to 30 years maximum for each man.

The original trial was to have been held in Pérez Zeledón, however, for security reasons, the trial was moved to the courthouse Goicoechea, east of San José.

Some of the sentenced are also being investigated as key suspects in the 2001 murder of radio journalist Parmenio Medina Pérez.


The Goicoechea court in a separate action, sentenced Hárold Hernández Quirós for the murder 2003 of American Brian Kane, in La Granja, en San Pedro de Montes de Oca, east of San José.

Hernández had claimed innocence since his arrest, telling the court he did not shoot Kane. However, a call made from his cellular telephone gave him away.

Hernández was given 32 years in prison for the murder and robbery.

Judge Rosaura Chinchilla, who presided over the trial, concluded that Hernández was responsible for the death of Kane and absolved Jeilin Céspedes Ríos, whom the Prosecutor had also attributed accused the crime.

During the trial, the Prosecutor told the court of a telephone call made by Hernández from Kane's cellular telephone to Céspedes shortly after the time of his death. The judge concluded in her statement, why would Hernández call Céspedes if both were to have been in the house and committed the murder?

Tourism on the Increase
The Cámara Nacional de Turismo (CANATUR) predicts that tourism will increase 9% this year. That figure is based on an increase of tourists coming to Costa Rica over the year 2003.

According to government figures, there were 1.192.889 visitors to Costa Rican in the year 2003. Based on those figures, Wílliam Rodríguez, president of CANATUR, predicts an increase of 108.000 more visitors for this year.

Rodríguez said that the stable economy in the U.S. and the increase in direct flights to the Guanacaste region are the principal cause of the increase.

Visitors can now fly from major centers in the U.S. non-stop to the Daniel Oduber, in Liberia, and be on the beach within an hour of landing. Figures from the Dirección General de Aviación Civil (DGAC) estimate that 160.000 passengers will be coming in at the Liberia airport.

Rodríguez also added that European tourism is also on the increase. Each year more and more Europeans visit Costa Rica. The year 2003 saw an increase of 18% over 2002.

Coffee Importer Tries New Brew in Costa Rica
The president of Houston-based Duncan Coffee Co. has three farms under contract in the Central American republic. If the deals go through, the 83-year-old business will import company-owned coffee for the first time.

Duncan sees similarities between growing coffee and raising cattle.

"I like the idea of being able to go out to the farm and oversee the growth and quality control of the coffee, just like I'm able to do at my cattle ranch," says Duncan, who seven years ago revived the business founded by his great-grandfather Herschel Mills Duncan.

The cream of the company's coffee crop holdings will be a 200-acre field in one of Costa Rica's top producing regions.

Duncan estimates it will take three to five years to produce top-quality coffee for import and sale in the local market.

The decision is a "pretty big" capital investment for the company, says Duncan, who projects an expense of several hundred thousand dollars to set up shop in Costa Rica.

The company currently relies solely on brokers to supply more than 130 different types of coffee. Ownership of the fields will allow Duncan to know exactly where the beans originate, and how to price the products.

"If this works out for us, we can produce 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of coffee a year, which will be exclusive to the Duncan brand," he says. "And if we can establish a foothold in Costa Rica, there's no reason we won't continue to expand through acquisitions."

Initial sales of the Costa Rica coffee beans, which are available only during certain times of the year, will be limited to a select few retailers in the Houston area.

Duncan Coffee currently caters to a list of upscale clients that includes the River Oaks Country Club, Pesce and Cafe Annie.

SunTrips, Mexicana Airlines Reach Deal
SunTrips has reached an exclusive agreement to ferry its travelers between Denver and Mexico and Costa Rica on Mexicana Airlines.

The flights on Mexicana begin May 21 for Costa Rica and May 25 for Mexico. San Jose-based SunTrips previously chartered B-757-200 aircraft for its flights from Denver.

The Mexicana Airlines flights will feature additional amenities, including free movies, bar service and meals.

From Denver, the SunTrips-Mexcicana flights will go to Liberia, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos and Cancun.

A Euro for Latin America?
A monetary union might be more viable at a sub-regional level for Latin America, according to a recent study.

Is a Latin American common currency on its way? A study by economists Mauricio de la Cuba and Diego Winkelried suggests that it might be more viable at a sub-regional level since some countries, particularly in the Andean Community, have similar economic cycles and relative price stability.

The study also reports a growing correlation in variable interest rates between countries in the region—a key condition for a successful monetary union. Interest rate correlation means countries face similar economic impacts and improves chances for a common currency.

The study, entitled Macroeconomic Coordination and Monetary Cooperation: Costs, Benefits and Applicability in Regional Integration Agreements, was awarded first prize in a research competition sponsored by the IDB’s Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean (INTAL).

De la Cuba and Winkelried find that the number of significant correlations among countries increases from 29 to 36 percent if monetary policy is not taken into account in the study. But the opposite occurs when fiscal policy is excluded. This indicates current fiscal policies are better lined up than monetary ones. The study covered 1980-2002 and included Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela and Mexico.

Could the results justify an eventual monetary union in the region? If the 29 percent of significant correlations in the region is weighed against the 67 percent of cases found in Europe, the answer is no. But a monetary union might still be considered for the future. The study indicates greater possibilities within the Andean Community, where the economic cycles of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela have greater correlations if their monetary policies are left out.

The study’s findings could serve as a starting point for Latin America and the Caribbean to follow the European Union, where adoption of the Euro has allayed concerns over currency conversions that delay trade and financial flows.

Before the demonstration, Castro delivered a 20-minute speech. He said the march was not a hostile expression against the US people but an indignant protest and denunciation against Washington's "brutal and cruel measures."

The United States intends to intimidate Cuba and destroy its economic, political and social systems, Castro said.

Official figures say that the economic, financial and trade embargo imposed by Washington has cost Cuba more than 72 billion US dollars over the years.

Plane carrying 33 crashes in Brazil
A plane carrying 30 passengers and three crew crashed in Amazon area in northern Brazil Friday night, local TV reported Saturday.

The Globo television network quoted air officials as saying that the wreckage has been spotted by search helicopters about 20 km from the city of Manaos.

The reports said the plane, taking off from Sao Paulo de Olivenca near the border with Colombia, had prepared to land at an airport in the city before the crash.

But the reports did not say what caused the tragedy and whether there were casualties in the incident, and only said search for survivors was already underway.