Vol. 3 • Edition 193 • Monthly • October, 2009 • Costa Rica, Central America •

americas P.21

global affairs P. 20

sports P.23

entertainment P.22

www.edica.co.crCERTIFICADA ISO 9001:2000

The fishermen organizations of Puntarenas support-ed the creation of a Communal Marine Area in Tarcoles of Garabito during an encounter that brought together 30 sea workers.

At the meeting, which took place in the Nautical Fishing Center of Puntarenas, there was representation for the areas of Lepanto, Esparza and the Nicoya Gulf who learned of the initiative to create the 19,600 hect-are marinas proposed by CoopeTarcoles R.L. and the technical support of the Cooperativa Autogestionaria de Servicios Profesionales para la Solidaridad Social R.L. (CoopeSoliDar R.L.).

Also, from these meetings of the cooperative sector

the plan has the support of the Costarrican Institute of Fishing and Aquaculture (INCOPESCA) and the Min-istry of the Environment, Energy and Telecommunica-tions (MINAET).

“This initiative is a fundamental step in the recogni-tion of our rights as small scale fishermen, our food safety and the strengthening of our cultural identity”, the signed document expressed.

For the operation of the Communal Marine area, the National Coastguard Service will be incorporated to support the surveillance and control of the area in front of the Tarcoles coast from the mouth of the Jesus Maria river up to the Punta of Coyol Beach.

PARIS (AFP) - Citizens and world leaders urged US President Barack Obama to seize on his sur-prise Nobel Peace Prize win Fri-day to forge peace in the globe’s troublespots and rid the world of nuclear weapons.

LONDON (AFP) - Green-peace environmental campaigners stormed the roof of Britain’s Hous-es of Parliament Sunday to protest about climate change and planned to stay there overnight until law-makers return to session.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Oscar-winning Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor said she underwent a heart operation to repair a valve and that it went “perfectly.”

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Ti-ger Woods, a 14-time major cham-pion, welcomed the return of golf to the Olympic Games Friday, a move that could give him another sporting world to conquer.

Elizabeth Taylor says heart operation went ‘perfectly’

Proposal for a Communal Marine Area gains ground

Obama urged to use prize as spur to peace

Environment activists occupy British parliament roof

Golf: Woods welcomes golf’s return to Olympics

www.journalcr.com

The database provides information about the captures performed by species, size, place and most adequate fishing method. Photo courtesy of Mediterraneus Hotel

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Edition 193 • October, 20092

P. 6 business & economyDecrease in income remains(InfoWebPress) The results of the Central Government’s accounts show a

reduction in income of 8.4% in the first eight months of this year, in relation to the same period last year.

P. 10 society Placement of asphalt started between Tilaran-Libano and street signs in Liberia(InfoWebPress) The placement of the surface for the asphalt base was

recently initiated, with a thickness of 7 cm., for the road communicating the communities of Tilaran and Libano in Guanacaste. In total 9.2 kilometers of road were being improved since last December and are programmed to be finalized by next December.

P. 14 cultureCosta Rica joins the celebration for the World Tourism Day(InfoWebPress) Nearly 4,000 Costarican tourism businesspersons came

together on September 27th for the celebration of the World Tourism Day under the theme: “Tourism, a consecration of biodiversity”, whose official celebration is held in the African country of Ghana, one of the first members of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), a key player in the Sustainable Tourism – Eradication of Poverty by the WTO.

P. 18 HealtHHealth bill would reduce US budget deficit: ExpertsWASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama’s plan to overhaul the

US health care system got a boost Wednesday when congressional budget experts said it would reduce the country’s ballooning budget deficit.

P. 19 europeOpel rescue dogged by European divisionsBERLIN, October (AFP) - Tempers are rising in Europe over Germany’s

promise of billions of euros (dollars) in state aid to support the sale of Gen-eral Motors’ loss-making European unit Opel/Vauxhall.

P. 20 global affairsIrish paramilitary group renounces violenceLITTLE BRAY (AFP) - An Irish paramilitary group responsible for doz-

ens of murders during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland has renounced its armed struggle, its political wing said Sunday.

P. 21 americasUS shares extend rally on economic recovery confidenceNEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street shares extended their rally for a second day

Tuesday as Australia’s decision to raise interest rates boosted confidence that a global economic recovery is taking root.

P. 22 entertainmentClown beams message of water conservation from spaceMONTREAL (AFP) - The first clown in space, Guy Laliberte, has

launched a 14-city poetic planetary extravaganza to promote clean drinking water, from the International Space Station.

P. 23 sportsNBA: General managers predict Lakers, LeBron repeatsNEW YORK (AFP) - LeBron James is predicted to repeat as NBA Most

Valuable Player and the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to defend their league crown in a survery of club general managers released Tuesday by the NBA.

Emergency Medical ServiceToll Free 800-EMS2000

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COSTA RICA BASICSArea: 51,000 km2Population: 4,509,290 (Nov 2008)Capital: San JoseLanguage: SpanishTime Zone: UTC/GMT-6 hours

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EmergenciesEMERGENCY SERVICES 911Fire 2688-8918Medical Alert (Ambulance) 2670-0258OIJ (Police Special Branch) 2690-0128Red Cross 2666-0994Hospital Liberia 2666-0011Hospital Nicoya 2685-8400Hospital San José 2257-7922Clinic (Coco) 2670-0987Clinic (Liberia) 2666-1881Emergency Medical Service 8380 41 25 24 hrs.Santa Monica Radialogy Center 2665-0704

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Vol3•Edition193 October, 2009 Costa Rica, Central America OUR TEAM

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ALSO INSIDE

P.04 Lead StoryP.06 Business & EconomyP.10 SocietyP.14 CultureP.15 Science & Technology

P.16 Week In BriefP.18 HealthP.19 EuropeP.20 Global AffairsP.21 AmericasP.22 EntertainmentP.23 Sports

Contents

COStA rICA tIDES ChArt Information for Pacific Coast

Page two

Day High Low High Low High

Tue 15 04:53 / 1.67 ft 11:19 / 7.92 ft 17:33 / 1.15 ft 23:58 / 8.06 ft

Wed 16 06:05 / 1.15 ft 12:25 / 8.37 ft 18:36 / 0.61 ft

Thu 17 00:58 / 8.78 ft 07:07 / 0.48 ft 13:22 / 8.89 ft 19:30 / 0.05 ft

Fri 18 01:50 / 9.48 ft 08:00 / -0.15 ft 14:14 / 9.35 ft 20:19 / -0.40 ft

Sat 19 02:38 / 10.01 ft 08:49 / -0.61 ft 15:01 / 9.63 ft 21:05 / -0.66 ft

Sun 20 03:23 / 10.30 ft 09:34 / -0.83 ft 15:46 / 9.68 ft 21:48 / -0.67 ft

Mon 21 04:06 / 10.30 ft 10:18 / -0.78 ft 16:30 / 9.50 ft 22:31 / -0.43 ft

Tue 22 04:49 / 10.04 ft 11:01 / -0.50 ft 17:14 / 9.10 ft 23:13 / 0.03 ft

Wed 23 05:32 / 9.54 ft 11:44 / -0.01 ft 17:59 / 8.55 ft 23:56 / 0.65 ft

Thu 24 06:16 / 8.89 ft 12:29 / 0.59 ft 18:47 / 7.92 ft

Fri 25 00:42 / 1.34 ft 07:03 / 8.18 ft 13:17 / 1.21 ft 19:39 / 7.32 ft

Sat 26 01:33 / 2.01 ft 07:57 / 7.51 ft 14:12 / 1.77 ft 20:40 / 6.86 ft

Sun 27 02:34 / 2.53 ft 08:59 / 7.01 ft 15:17 / 2.14 ft 21:49 / 6.66 ft

Mon 28 03:46 / 2.77 ft 10:09 / 6.79 ft 16:26 / 2.24 ft 22:57 / 6.77 ft

Tue 29 05:00 / 2.66 ft 11:16 / 6.87 ft 17:29 / 2.09 ft 23:54 / 7.11 ft

Wed 30 06:00 / 2.28 ft 12:12 / 7.17 ft 18:21 / 1.77 ft

If you wish to move to Costa Ricayou don’t need to pay more for the best

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Edition 193 • October, 20094 lead STory

1. area: 1.167,87 m2

2. price: USD$125/m2 (TOTAL: $145.983)

3. financing: USD$85 thousand financed through the Banco Nacional as a residential housing mortgage. Only cost is fifty thousand colones to transfer the mortgage onto the new owner’s name.

4. cHaracteristics: The property is located in an exlusive area of Escazu, at just 2 km. from the Multiplaza Mall and Plaza Itzkazu.

5. It has a 270° peripheral vision range and the possibility to build 3 condominiums. The view towards the west is the valley of Santa Ana.

6. construction Details: Studies already performed include CONTOUR LINES (CURVAS DE NIVEL) and SOIL SURVEY (ESTUDIOS DE SUELOS) that have a value of USD$ 5 thousand, which will be given as a bonus to the buyer.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG for their initials in Spanish) maintains an alert due to the “El Niño” phenomena in all regions of the country and elaborated on a prevention and effect mitigation plan, that contemplates actions in the short, medium and long term.

In Costa Rica, the main manifestation of “El Niño” is the unusual increment that the trade winds have shown, a factor that inhibits the general formation of rain in the Central Valley and the Pacific Region, while in the Pacific Region it increments the amount of rain.

According to the data supplied by Oscar Vasquez, the Regional Director of MAG in the Chorotega Region, the effects of ENOS 2009 over agricultural production in Guana-caste up till this past September 11th, caused that from 7,000 hectares of planted rice, a loss of 1,300 hectares be reported.

“Along with the livestock owners of the entire región, the use of grass cutting, im-proved floor grass, and protein banks is be-ing promoted with the purpose of improv-ing the animal feeding and nutrition during the whole year. These systems promote the conservation of water supplies, the develop-ment of pasture trees and the management of waste, amongst other actions. I think it is necessary that the livestock owners change the culture of extensive systems (open pas-ture areas and less cattle) to models of in-tensive production (small closed area with a greater number of animals), that ensure the production, conservation and storage of for-ages”, stated Vasquez.

In the same manner, the MAG recom-mends that all producers organize to face the

effects of the drought and in this way manage resources and acquire consumables, materi-als and machinery in a joint manner, amongst others.

Also, in a joint manner between the MAG, the Livestock Corporation (CORFOGA), the chambers of livestock owners and other groups, execution of a training program is being carried out with the purose of orient-ing and promoting the production technolo-gies and grass conservation, the use of shrub legumes like the Crathylea and the feeding

supplement to the animals.

As a group, the prívate and public sectors have constituted a regional commission for the attention of hydro-meteorological phe-nomena and with that they maintain a Re-gional Information System on the Phenom-ena of El Niño and Niña.

Elsewhere, the MAG recommends estab-lishing crops in an adequate season, with quality seeds, and give proper care according

to the crop, specifically concerning adequate ground preparation, fertilization, weed con-trol, plague and sicknesses.

An important aspect in living barrier uti-lization to avoid wind generated desiccation of plants, was to use drop based irrigation to take advantage of the adequate amount of available water and to be able to enjoy it for a longer time.

Other suggestions are to utilized water collectors or make reservoirs utilizing plastic sheets for the collection of rainwater, in such a way that is useful for irrigation in moments when it is needed. These must be covered to avoid being a focus of mosquitoes and other parasites.

The production of legumes under these protected conditions and with drop irriga-tion systems with adjustable windows on the sides of greenhouses to avoid the increment of internal temperature, is another option that the producers have.

The application of compost avoids the ground from drying out and provoke dehy-dration or death for these plants. The experts recommend applying covers to avoid leaving the ground uncovered.

These and other recommendations are contained in the Strategy for Mitigation of the Phenomena of “El Niño” South Oscilla-tion, elaborated by the Superior Management of Regional Operations and Agricultural Ex-tension, for the period 2009-2010, and in the Prevention Plan and Mitigation of the “El Niño” Phenomena 2009-2010 for the Choro-tega Region.

Alert Prevails due to the “El Niño” phenomenom in Guanacaste

The plantations in Guanacaste have been seriously affected by the reduction in que amount of rain this year. Photo by MAG

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SAN JOSE, September (AFP) - China and Costa Rica concluded the fourth round of ne-gotiations in Beijing aimed at reaching a free trade agreement, the foreign trade ministry said.

Costa Rica -- which gave up six decades of ties with Taiwan in favor of China two years ago -- is the third Latin American country to

negotiate a free trade deal with China, after Chile and Peru.

In the round of talks that ended Thursday agreements were reached for more than 90 percent of each country’s exports, the trade ministry said.

Costa Rican exports include coffee, ba-

nanas, fruit juices, cigars, pork, beef and chicken, said Costa Rican chief negotiator Fernando Ocampo.

Costa Rican negotiators face intense pres-sure from the local business community, which is calling for a long list of potential Chinese exports to be banned, fearing they will be overwhelmed by cheap imports.

Advances in trade talks were also made in other areas such as labor, investment, envi-ronment, and immigration.

Ocampo said he was very satisfied with the advances, but said that important issues were still pending.

China, Costa Rica make progress in free trade talks

Edition 193 • October, 20096 Edition 193 • October, 2009 7BuSineSS

(InfoWebPress) The results of the Central Government’s accounts show a reduction in income of 8.4% in the first eight months of this year, in relation to the same period last year.

According to figures from the Ministry of Finance, the total spending grew 21.7%, mo-tivated mostly by the increase in income, due to the different adjustments that have been made over the year, and from the transfers from the Superior Education Fund (FEES for it’s initials in Spanish). The income reflects an accumulated growth of 32.1% up till the month of August in comparison to the same period in 2008. Also, the item “other spend-ing” increased a 15.2% and the resources destined to pension payments increased 18.1% in the first 8 months of 2009 in com-parison to the same period in the year 2008.

The resources destined to financing of the FEES grew 39.4% in this period, in compari-son to the total as of August of last year, in-creasing the growth of the rest of the spend-ing items, as well as the growth forecasts of

the gross domestic product for 2009, even for the original forecasts of growth at the mo-ment of generating the budget forecasts.

About the behavior of the main income ítems, it can be called out that what was charged regarding items of “other tax in-come”, grew 5.2%, while what was collected from sales tax (internal) grew by 1.4% and what was collected by consumer tax (inter-nal) grew by 7.7%. In contrast, the income regarding income tax decreased by 6% and what was collected by customs was reduced by 21% up to the month of August of 2009, in comparison with the same period in 2008.

As it has been pointed out beforehand, the main cause in the decrease of collection is the fall in imports and consequently the loss of tax income for this same reason. The Min-istry of Finance, Jenny Phillips, pointed out that “if by the accumulated amount that is shown up to the month of August, the income from customs would have been the same as in the year 2008, the total fall in collecting income would have been just about 0.4%. It

is vital for the recovery of said income, that the economic activity be more dynamic and that these dynamics reach the consumer level and importing of goods from the exterior. The Government has been worried about implementing a spending policy that stimu-lates economic activity, by the increase in social spending and public investment, and avoiding in this manner a greater decrease in production.

The heirarch of Finance reiterated her call to the members of congress for the quick ap-proval of the project that would allow tem-porarily financing regular spending with dept, fundamental for coping with the effects of the financial crisis of the Government’s spending and avoid a fiscal closure with further complications. Also, she pointed out that the importance that this needed to be approved in parallel with the proposal of a special budget sent to the Legislative As-sembly, or there will be problems financing some of the running costs in the last months of the year.

(InfoWebPress) The Costarrican Fish and Aquaculture Institute (INCOPESCA for its abbreviation in Spanish), regulates the fish-ing in the Gulf of Nicoya between October 1st and Nobember 15th of the present year.

During the closed period, there is total prohibition to perform with any type of fish-ing practice, fishing in the area comprised of the straight imaginary line that goes from Punta Torres, also known as Peñon, to the beacon on the Negritos Islands and from that line, going inward up until the mouth of the Tempisque River.

The fishermen with a license who can operate in the closed zone, can fish in other waters, as long as they have expressed it in writing to INCOPESCA, so that they are au-thorized by the means of an exception, fuel at a preferential price.

Notwithstanding these fishermen will not be subject of the economic aid (175 thou-sand colones), that will be granted by the Government of the Republic by means of the Mixed Social Aid Institute (IMAS for its abbreviation in Spanish) to the fishermen

and aids, that desist from fishing during the closed period. To receive this benefit they will have to meet with what was stipulated in the Community Work Service Program,

an indispensable requirement to receive this economic aid.

Outside of the prohibition zone, fisher-

men and semi-industrial vessels that capture shrimp and sardine with drag and fence nets, will be able to utilize the means to fish au-thorized in their respective licenses, such as gillnets (trammels), hand lines and a flat line per vessel.

The establishment of periods and prohibi-tion areas is one fo the ways to protect the fishing resources and guarantee their sustain-able use, specially in the Gulf of Nicoya, one of the most important fishing zones of the country. Also, this measure contributes to the protection of a peak reproduction pe-riod for white shrimp and the main species of fishing interest such as croakers, snappers and sardines, amongst others.

INCOPESCA will coordinate with the lo-cal police force and the National Coastguard Service, operations by sea and land, to abide with Article 133 of the law of Fish and Aqua-culture, No. 8436, that points out that this is the ultimate authority responsible of verify-ing the respect for the prohibition and seizing of assets such as goods, equipment, fishing products, utilized to commit said crimes.

Decrease in income remains

The minister of Finance, Jenny Philips was in charge of communicating the reduction of income for the government. Photo by Ministry of Finance

Fishing period to be regulated in the Gulf of Nicoya

The prohibition period´s objective is to ensure the reproduction of fish and other sea species in the Gulf of Nicoya. Foto by Luis Castrillo

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Edition 193 • October, 20098 Edition 193 • October, 2009 9SocieTy SocieTy

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(InfoWebPress) The executive president of the Costarican Institute for Aqueducts and Sewage (AyA for its abbreviation in Spanish) Ricardo Sancho Chavarria met with more tan ten communities from Guanacaste to get to know their questions about drinking wáter, sewage and environmental conservation of the aquifers.

At the community hall in Tilaran, a meet-

ing was held with the communities of Tro-nadora, Buenos Aires, Cabecera de Cañas, Quebrada Grande, Nuevo Arenal, Buenos Aires and La Maravilla.

During the visit, the neighbors of the com-munity requested that sources of wáter from the slopes of the Tenorio volcano, a place where important rivers and brooks that pro-vide wáter to many communities in the area, be protected.

“In the coming months we will conduct a hydrogeology study for the protection of these sources of water, in the areas where the Corobici and Macho rivers are found, with the Leones, Peñasco, Agua Caliente, and Ca-jon brooks, to ensure the future of drinking water of communities such as Tilaran and Canas”, stated a representative of AyA.

For the community of Tronadora, AyA will conduct an inspection and an engineer-ing survey of its rural aqueduct to determine

the state of piping as well as the storage tanks within that.

In the meantime, the energy efficiency committee of the AyA will visit the ASADA of Nuevo Arenal, with the purpose of check-ing the system’s pump, to achieve the reduc-tion of costs associated with electric energy.

The designs for Solania de Tilaran’s aque-duct were given to the members of the com-munity, to initiate the project in the year of 2010.

On its behalf, the community of Cabecera de Cañas expressed their necesity to have a new aqueduct, due to the current one being having been constructed around 30 years ago, which is why the institution will make a final evaluation, to design the first stage of the work that needs to be done.

“According to the aqueduct’s situation, where more than one thousand people will benefit from these system by consuming water without any disinfection, the National Water Laboratory will conduct the necessary tests to determine the quality of the water, and with that seek the optimal system for disinfection according to the conditions of the water source”, Sancho stated.

At the same time, the rural communities of Porosal, Palmira, La Palma, Barrio En-trada Hotel, Barrio Las Brisas, Barrio Bello Horizonte, Barrio El Castillo and Barrio San

(InfoWebPress) To successfully be able to face the dry season, the national agricul-tural authorities called out to all the livestock owners of the country to take preventive measures that go from the incorporation of fodder banks (areas of their farm planted with perennial or occasional forage), strate-gies for managing floor grass, forage con-servation, herd selection to supplement and feeding.

Furthermore, the following was recom-mended: an extraction of unproductive ani-mals during November and December, im-plementing a program of herd management that contemplates pasture grounds, parasite control, vaccination, supplementation prac-tice and silo usage.

“It is necessary to reduce the animal load on the farm with the objective of prolong-ing the availability of forage resources and to encourage a more efficient use. Also, dis-card animals that present physical problems, those most susceptible to high temperatures and the more reproductively deficient, as well as those in the final stages of the fat-tening process”, added Oscar Vasquez, the Regional Director for the Ministry of Agri-culture and Livestock (MAG for its abbre-viation in Spanish) of the Chorotega Zone.

The investigator of the Institute of Innova-tion and Research in Agricultural Tecnology Transfer (INTA for its abbreviation in Span-ish), recommends planting a few forages such as sugar cane, King grass, camerum, sorghum and oats, as well as legumes such as cratylia argente, leucadena, poro, black tree, perennial peanut and other bushes like mul-berry and nacedero.

“For a livestock owner that has 20 beef cows or 20 bulls for fattening, must plant sugar cane (1 hectare), king grass, camerún (3,000 square meters) and bush (0.5 hectare). But if they do not have any material available for cutting, they could plant corn or sorghum (one hectare) to silage and prepare the terrain with minimum work”, added Sanchez.

The experts recommend utilizing a good forage to elaborate silos with, to harvest at the proper age and adequate characteristics, chop in pieces no greater tan 2 cm long, en-

sure that the place that is going to be used for ensilage purposes is hermetic, compact in layers no greater than 25 cm deep to achieve the extraction of the greatest amount of air posible between the particles of the chopped material and as a final measure seal the silo hermetically.

The silo is a part of an animal’s daily diet, and must be accompanied with other food, like floor grass, sugar cane and king grass. As long as it is not opened and no air or water gets it, it can last forever.

According to Sanchez, supplementing is a strategic practice in the summer and can be done in one of three ways: in the pasture (offering supplemental food in gutters or on the ground), in semi housing (aside from the pasture, being given supplemental feeding in gutters) and housing (offering the food they need in facilities or in a corral).

Another option is the utilization of bales of hay. To elaborate them a clear and sunny day must be chosen, the grass is cut and laid out on the ground for two to three hours, and then turn it around to let the side that has not been exposed dry out and repeat the pro-cess until the desired level of dryness that wants to be achieved is there. A fistful of hay can be grabbed in one fist and squeezed with one’s hands and the stems should break lightly, conluded the Regional Director of the MAG for the Chorotega zone.

Tilaran and Cañas present projects for drinking wáter and sewage system

Cristobal communicated their necessity their needs for aqueduct systems to the institution,

which the AyA will process this to seek solu-tions for.

Regarding Cañas’s environmental topic, the Municipality exposed the effort that it has taken with the support of the AyA in the matter of planting trees.

Also in the middle of this visit, the Execu-tive President of the AyA had a conversation with the municipalities about the importance of a regulatory plan for the cantons, so that each municipality controls their industrial and housing growth.

Pie de la foto acueductoPresident of AyA, Ricardo Sancho, hands

over the plans to the aqueduct of the Sola-nia de Tilaran community. Photo by Grettel Corrales

Tilaran and Cañas present projects for drinking wáter and sewage system

Due to the lack of pasture grounds it is recommended that nutritional blocks be used to supply the needs of cattle. Photo by MAG

Experts recommend taking measures before the start of the dry season

Foundation Pro World was formed due to the concerns of an interdisciplinary group of people concerned about the social well-being of marginal communities in our country.

It was born more than five years ago with the purpose of paying attention to the basic needs of a human being, such as: clothing, food, recreation, literature, medicine, educa-tion and teaching of the base Christian prin-ciples. The attention is directed to people in a high level of social risk such as: the elderly, adults, teenagers, children, groups of home-less persons, groups of convicts, people with different types of addictions, said help is brought both to them as well as their fami-lies.

Work has been performed in different parts within the country (Las Tablas-Alajuel-ita, Lomas del Rio, San Ramon, Costa de Pajaros, Limon, El Carmen and Bebedero-Escazu, the Red Zone, Finca San Juan, the Indigenous Zone: Talamanca, Matina and Buenos Aires in Puntarenas, Upala, amongst others), in centers of social adaptation such as el Buen Pastor, the Virilla Center for Ad-aptation and Post 10 of the Reforma, as well as in the neighboring Republic of Nicaragua in the town of Nikinohomo in Rivas, El Ro-sario in Jinotepe and the Jonatan Gonzalez neighborhood and the La Chureca Municipal Dump in Managua.

The Pro Mundo Foundation carries out development programs and activities for minors who suffer from abandonment and are at social risk, ensure the well-being of elderly people; as well as the restoration and caring for teenagers with addiction problem, who are offered a chance to be admitted to the Zoe Home in Alajuelita for a period of 6 months for their complete restoration.

They also create programs with State and/or Private Universities (as is the case of the Veritas University) to provide help and counsel, as well as promote voluntary help to professionals in the fields of Law, Medi-cal Sciences, Nursing, Psychology, Odontol-ogy, Pharmacy, Administrators, Professors, Chefs, Stylists, amongst others. In each area there is a responsible Doctor that inspects all procedures.

Television Programs Due to all of these years of work, Urban

Challenge and the Esperanza Mission were born. Urban is a new and raw program, that puts in evidence some of the areas and cir-cumnstances where the church of our Lord should be more present, our first objective with this program is to challenge you to work for the Lord en your community, your state, your capital, your country and your conti-nent, and as a second objective it is to spread the knowledge of the ministries that work in areas of difficult access. In the program you walk the most dangerous streets and areas of our cities.

Email: desafioenlacejuvenil.tv Esperanza Mission

A space where love for ones neighbor breaks boundaries, creeds, education and gender. The Esperanza Mission shows how the human effort achieves rescuing hundreds of people from the nets of drug addiction and alcoholism. A space where the value of soli-darity is very present.

Area: RescueHours: Thursdays 9:30 p.m. fundacionpromundo@gmail.comTel.: 2290 6094

To accomplish the purpose mentioned beforehand, the Foundation carries forth two monthly events.

Urban Challenge It is done in an area of high risk, mainly

in the capital city or it´s surroundings, from 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., where people who live in the area and whose room or bed are the sidewalks of the city of San Jose or its

surroundings are cared for in an integral fashion. They are provided with food, medi-cal attention and given necessary medication.

A hair stylist offers them hair cuts and also provides clothes and above all spiritual and

emotional attention. In the case that these people accept to be admitted to meet a de-toxification process, they will be transported to a center for the restoration that the minis-try supports.

This event is carried out every second Fri-day of each month.

Festival with God

It is done every last Saturday of every month from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in a com-munity of the lower resource country and that also has a high risk zone. The dimension of this Festival has great reach, since during the same both the adult and child population is cared for, as well as teenagers and the el-derly.

Festichicos receives all of the children of the community from 8 a.m. to 12 md. Pop-corn, cotton candy, hot dogs, cookies, and juices are offered as well as entertainment activities are carried out for them, such as: Clowns, Face painting, Inflatables, Jumping and varied other games. All of the Children´s Fair is designed so that the children can de-velop different types of valued principles.

Since approximately 8 a.m. medical atten-tion is given (Odontology, Physical Therapy, Audiometry, Gastroenterology, Optometry, amongst others, this depends on the quantity of voluntary professionals that are at hand at the moment) with the respective handover of medications.

Also consult on areas like nutrition, psy-chology, legal and spiritual counseling are offered. Festival with God offers, when we have the opportunity, a tent of clothes where people can choose according to their mea-surements and taste. Also hairstyling ser-vices are offered.

In this activity we provide a very special treatment to our Special VIP Guests, the homeless people of that area. In a space only for them all services described beforehand are offered.

Around midday we have offered up to 4500 lunches to people that visit us, this lunch is prepared by professionals of the Se-cretos del Chef School in Rohrmoser.

Both activities are carried out at the same time with churches or government and non-government institutions.

It´s important to indicate that all these ac-tivities are offered in a completely free man-ner and that no volunteer receives pay, as it is offered by many professionals who give of their own time and knowledge as a service to the more needy.

Our team believes in active participation, that touch lives and changes all difficult con-ditions in which many families live in, we believe in coming close to the community and communicating the love of God in an obvious manner.

Currently we are administrating the In-habitants of the Streets of the Municipality of San Jose Dormitory Center.

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Edition 193 • October, 200910 Edition 193 • October, 2009 11SocieTy

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(InfoWebPress) The placement of the sur-face for the asphalt base was recently initi-ated, with a thickness of 7 cm., for the road communicating the communities of Tilaran and Libano in Guanacaste. In total 9.2 ki-lometers of road were being improved since last December and are programmed to be fi-nalized by next December.

It is a significant breakthrough in the de-velopment of a means of transportation for the districts that are at “the height of” the canton of Tilaran. The improvement –went from ballast to asphalt pavement- of the route between Tilarán and Libano, is one of the projects that substitutes the ballast roads of Guanacaste. In days past the construction of the whole drainage system was finalized, as well as the granular support layers and other duties of this project in the north of the “pampera” province. The placement of the sub-base of 25 cm. and the stabilized base of 20 cm. were finalized.

The work was budgeted at ¢2,650 mil-lion to convert a ballast road into a two lane street, with a surface of asphalt. The proj-ect includes also the horizontal labeling and vertical signage. The duties will allow the locals and visitors to count with a road that is in better conditions than those currently, will

facilitate transit all year round and reduce transportation times.

Also some sewage ducts have been sub-stituted by bridges of greater capacity. This work is financed with resources of the Na-tional Roads Council (CONAVI for its ab-

breviation in Spanish). Beforehand the roads between Veintisiete de Abril and Paraiso were improved, in Santa Cruz (13.9 kilo-meters and ¢4,971 investment) and between Carrillo Port and Lajas (21 kilometers and a cost of ¢4.205).

Meanwhile, in the central district of the canton of Liberia a series of vertical signage to orient tourists and local residents was started.

The work is being carried out by the Mu-nicipality of Liberia, Correos of Costa Rica and the Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MOPT for its abbreviation in Span-ish) that have together placed 237 street signs on avenue corners and streets in streets of Liberia.

Each one of the posts carries with it signs of the corresponding avenues and streets and have a number from the mail nomenclature committee, the number 5, which corresponds to the province of Guanacaste, and in this case 01, corresponding to the central district of Liberia.

The signage was achieved thanks to the sponsorship of private enterprise in collabo-ration with the local municipality, Correos of Costa Rica and the MOPT. Although the project takes into account the center of the city at its first stages, in the future the same work will be done in the surrounding area and each town hall must agree with the mail; for the moment, the work that is being done in the capital of Guanacaste is independent of this.

Placement of asphalt started between Tilaran-Libano and street signs in Liberia

With the repairs done to the stretch, the road went from being ballasted to having asphalt. Photo by Picassa

(InfoWebPress) The Chamber of National Tourism (CANATUR for their abbreviation in Spanish), handed over a recognition to the national tourism industry.

With this award CANATUR seeks to pay tribute to those persons, companies and in-stitutions that have been recognized for their diverse contributions in favor of the touristic Development of Costa Rica.

Gonzalo Vargas, President of CANATUR, recognized the combined effort that the group of professionals has done to face the hard tasks that the financial crisis has pre-sented to this sector.

“The tourism sector in Costa Rica can brag of being that triple wound thread, that by the combination of its efforts has not broken to the tugs imposed upon it by dif-ficulties. Three parts of a whole, each one understanding its purpose, recognizing their differences, but assuming with humility their interdependence and as a united strength, combine work, ideas, creativity and guts, to come ahead in the world and shout that with-in the crisis there is opportunity”, referring to the labor associated with the business sector of tourism, CANATUR, and the ICT.

“These are the efforts that we recognize in these awards tonight, in which we celebrate excellence, the constructive information about subjects of our sector. Tonight we ap-plaud the commitment of the regional cham-bers, the effort and bravery that hotel op-erators, travel agencies, logistics operators, restaurants, rent a cars and those companies distinguished by their leadership in their ac-tions of social responsibility”, manifested Vargas before initiating the handover of the

awards.CANATUR awards ten categories, and

the winners of the 2009 edition including the “Luis Paulino Jimenez” Touristic Merit Recognition, prize corresponding to the ho-tel operator category and the winner was the Hacienda Tayutic hotel in Turrialba.

For Laura Ramirez, general manager of the Hacienda Tayutic hotel “it is a great achievement to have won the award, we have

performed important work with the commu-nity; Hacienda Tayutic is a hotel of only six romos, all our personnel of gardners, guards, maintenance, kitchen, reception and other people of the same community have trained themselves through the years to offer the ex-cellent service that the hotel provides. The hotel is an important source of work for Sitio Mata through the direct and indirect hiring of services”.

Ramirez added that “in Hacienda Tayutic we support the local farmer, the crps are culti-vated organically on the same farm or bought from neighbors that grow them, in general all food is bought to local providers. We have a wonder labeled primary forest with paths so the tourists can get to know the species of the area and used by the indigenous residents. We also offer an agrotour that explains the coffee process, the mill and the macadamia”.

The criteria taken into account at the time that the winners were chosen were to have at least ten years of operation, as well as demonstrated efforts such as the Sustainable Tourism Certification (CST), Blue Flag, ISO, National Strategy and Climate Change, pro-grams for social business responsibility, rec-ognition as a leader of an initiative or giving towards the development of the sector and also, to be affiliated and actively participat-ing in the CANATUR events.

“We believe that this prize and the one bestowed upon by the Turrialba Chamber of Tourism, who also came out a winner in their category, is not only going to help the community where the hotel is located, but all of the canton of Turrialba, offer many attrac-tions both for the foreign tourist as well as the national tourist. We have the Guayabo Archaeological Park, the Turrialba Volcano, the CATIE Botanical Garden, agrotourism, adventure tourism, like rafting, canopy, etc.”, added Laura Ramirez regarding the “Hernan Chaverri” Recognition to Touristic Merit, corresponding to regional chambers of tour-ism, whose winner was the Turrialba Cham-ber of Tourism.

National Tourism sector given an award in several categories

The recognition given to Hacienda Tayutic Hotel in Turrialba was due to their projection towards the community and the preservation of the environment. Photo by Hacienda Tayutic Hotel

(InfoWebPress) This past month of Sep-tember the Conchal National Refuge for Wildlife was created in a mixed category, which is located in the district of Cabo Ve-las that belongs to the third canton of Santa Cruz, of the province of Guanacaste, with a total area of 39.75 hectares that include a sector of 11.46 hectares of marsh land that constitute a natural heritage to the State.

The management of wildlife will be sub-ject to the current legislation and policies in existence at the Conservation Areas Na-tional System (SINAC for its abbreviation in Spanish), as well as the corresponding management plan approved by the Temp-isque Conservation Area, that supervises its execution and emits technical and scientific dispositions that will need to be followed by the owners of the private sector ahnd the us-ers of the state.

In an equal manner, it is established that Reserva Conchal Sociedad Anonima in its quality of owner of the property, will not be able to develop any activity that will endan-ger the existence of the flora and fauna of the place, without the corresponding permis-sions from the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Telecommunications (MINAET

for its abbreviation in Spanish), through the SINAC and the Tempisque Conservation Area. Also the owners by willingly submit-ting to the protected areas regulations will give full collaboration needed by investi-gators, inspectors of natural resources and MINAET personnel, when they require visits to said area as a function of their work.

Meanwhile, Reserva Conchal Sociedad Anonima’s property is being submitted to the category of National Wildlife Refuge, a mixed category for a period of ten years. In case that the period needs to be extended, the owner will have to request it in writing to the Tempisque Conservation Area with three months notice before the finalization of said period.

Additional to the creation of the shelter the Conchal Mixed National Wildlife Refuge Management Committee was established, with the objective of encouraging the in-tegral and sustainable management of the natural resources of the wildlife area and joint participation on behalf of private en-terprise and state. Said committee will cre-ate the rules for the functional operation, to implement the objective of creation and the derived results of management of the areas,

within a range of six months after the publi-cation of said decree.

Notwithstanding, the Conchal Mixed Na-tional Wildlife Refuge, mixed category will be administrated by the SINAC, specifically for the Tempisque Conservation Area.

It was decided to create the refuge in the specific area since it is considered to be of great importance to the protection of the biodiversity of the coastal zone, since it presents special characteristics for the con-servation of significative species of flora and fauna associated with wetlands, amongst them: red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), ladybug mangrove (Laguncularia recemosa), salt stick (Avicennia germinans), and button mangrove (Conocarpus erecta) and reptiles such as the crocodile (Crocodylus acutus). In the ecosystems species of aquatic birds live permanently or temporarily, amongst which can be called out the luckless suitor (Jabiru mycteria), the common piche (Den-drocygna autumnalis) and the roseate (Ajai ajaja), amongst others. Meanwhile the crus-taceans are represented by a great variety of species of crab like the fiddler crab (Uca sp), the land crab (Cardisoma crassun) and the blue crab (Gecarcinus sp). Amongst

the mammals most present are the congo monkeys (Alouatta palliate), white tail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and the coati (Na-sua narica).

It was also taken into account that the area of interest to protect was a part of the Diria Biological Corridor, allowing the protection and the interchange of species between these places, aside from the consolidation fo the ecologic connectivity and viability of biodi-versity.

Equally of value was the fact that the area of Playa Conchal, the estuary, mangrove of Puerto Viejo and the forest that is to be sub-mitted to protection is found in the El Capu-lin micro basin. This micro basin serves wa-ter to the mangrove since the mouth of the estuary is separated from the mangrove by a section of beach and a dune that acts as a bar-rier or plug for the waters. During the rainy season, depending on the rainfall intensity, the barrier can break and reestablish com-munication with the sea, on the contrary the micro basin would be the only one to feed fresh water into the mangrove.

The Conchal National Refuge for Wildlife is Created

Edition 193 • October, 200912 Edition 193 • October, 2009 13conSTrucTion conSTrucTion

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(InfoWebPress) Nearly 4,000 Costarican tourism businesspersons came together on September 27th for the celebration of the World Tourism Day under the theme: “Tour-ism, a consecration of biodiversity”, whose official celebration is held in the African country of Ghana, one of the first members of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), a key player in the Sustainable Tourism – Eradication of Poverty by the WTO.

Said annual celebration was spearheaded by the WTO over the past 30 years and in 2009 rescues the importance of globalization, the implicit cultural diversity in the touristic activity realm, and the need to garner the cultural and environmental sustainability, for the growth of society, since tourism works as a catalytic for the encouragement of social inclusion.

“From Costa Rica we celebrate this World Day of Tourism, joining the call that the OMT makes about balancing the influence on tourism and the environmental and cul-tural sustainability. Equally, we encourage the agents of national tourism to take the ap-propriate measures for adaptation and miti-gation that will allow us to face the effects of climate change that is affecting the world and to reinforce the efforts to maintain tour-ism as an important catalytic of wealth, em-ployment and improvement on the standard of living”, was stated by Gonzalo Vargas, President of CANATUR.

Subsectors like tour operators, hotels, travel agencies and rent a cars, that make up the national tourism sector, celebrated with day and Costa Rica unites itself with the celebration by the WTO, extending their

support to all tourism businesspersons in the country.

The World Tourism Day is celebrated each year on September 27th. Its objective is to

increase the sensitivity between the inter-national community in regard to the impor-tance of tourism and its social, cultural, po-litical and economical value. The event tries to contribute with dealing with the world’s challenges as pointed out in the Develop-ment for the Millennium Objectives and influence the contribution that the tourism sector can do to reach those objectives and CANATUR as a representative of the sector is celebrating it by handing out awards to the tourism companies that excel in their duties during the past two years.

According to Vargas, the touristic activ-ity, one of the main driving sources of Costa Rica, generated around ¢2,160 million last year for the country. Also, this sector repre-sents nearly 7.2% of our national production.

During the first semester of this year, 1,025,460 tourists visited the country. The greatest amount (507,956) came from North America, mainly from the United States, followed by visitors of Central America in the fashion of business tourism mostly (316,618), South America (54,551), Eu-rope (119,942) and Asia and Middle East (13,608).

The most visited areas for tourists are the Central Valley (as a layover spot), Middle Pacific (beaches like Manuel Antonio and Jaco), the Northern Plains (places like La Fortuna and Sarapiqui) and Northern Guana-caste for all its beaches.

(InfoWebPress) Painting classrooms, donating educational material and plac-ing garden tables were some of the actions performed by a group of 47 teenagers, who came from a high school I Saint John in Tex-as, United States, during their community work in four localities of Guanacaste.

The Natioanal Park of Santa Rosa was also benefited with the visit of these young-sters, since they performed cleaning work in La Casona, weeding the surroundings, clean-ing the trails of the park and painting the en-trance booth.

Elsa Bonilla, manager of the office of Pen-insula Papagayo Community Relations, the

entity that makes this visit possible every year, pointed out that the groups of young-sters of the communities influence by the program “Growing Together” accompanied the Americans at all times.

“The community work of these youngsters not only benefited the schools, but also the groups of youngsters put into practice the English language, which gives them security of what they have learned”, stated Bonilla.

During these four years of social work the students of Saint John High School, the schools of Artola, Santa Rita, Obandito and Nuevo Colon have received tools to give maintenance to their orchards, sporting

equipment, playgrounds and educational ma-terial like computers, which is something the children look to strengthen their contact with the technology and can amplify their knowl-edge by means of the Internet.

Marci Bahr, teacher at the Saint John High School and a spearhead for this initiative, pointed out that this year they had the great-est number of participants, 47 kids, as well as seven teaches that supervised and helped with the work.

On the other hand, the program “I am the pump, I take care of my planet” is reaching 18 schools and 3 high schools with an educa-tional message about amicable practices with the environment.

Related behaviors with the savings in water and energy, reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), recycling, wildlife conservation and avoiding sonic contami-

nation, the students are given lectures by representatives of the “Growing Together” program, during the second semester of the present year. This content prevails also in their learning centers, thanks to the thems on posters that are placed at the institutions and the coloring sheets that the children keep.

Additionaly, training has been requested with specialized organizations like “Water Guardians” from the National Institute for Aqueducts and Sewage (AyA), the Costar-rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) and Mar-viva, as well as the Guanacaste Conservation Area, through their Biologic Education pro-gram.

The schools Altos del Roble, La Liber-tad, Los Lagos, Obandito, El Triunfo, Santa Rita, El Tablazo, Cacique, Ignacio Gutierrez, Artola, Nuevo Colon, Paso Tempisque and Hermosa, received the lectura on the envi-ronment.

Costa Rica joins the celebration for the World Tourism Day

The Mediterraneus Hotel in Potrero beach is an example of the new investments in hotel infrastructure in the Flamingo area. Photo courtesy of Mediterraneus Hotel

Youngamericansperformsocialwork in communities in Guanacaste

The young volunteers did work on the house at the Santa Rosa Hacienda. Photo by Ofelia Fernandez

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SoCietyCalderón Fournier convicted for

receiving ilegal commisions.(La Nacion) A court unanimously con-

victed ex-president Rafael Angel Calderon Fournier for two counts of embezzlement in prejudice of the Costarrican State, that sen-tenced him to five years in prison.

Calderón Fournier bécame the first ex-president in the history of Costa Rica in be-ing convicted for a case of corruption. The judges also sentenced the ex-executive presi-dent of the CCSS, Eliseo Vargas Garcia, to five years in prison for two counts of em-bezzlement.

Fort he same crimes, the ex-executive president of the Fischel Corporation, Walter Reiche Fischel, received a conviction of four years in jail.

Meanwhile, the ex-employee of the CCSS, Gerardo Bolaños Alpizar, the ex-manager of modernization of the Caja, Juan Carlos Sanchez Arguedas; and the ex-manager of O. Fischel R., Marvin Barrantes, were sen-tenced to three years and six months, also for two counts of embezzlement.

The ex-financial manager of the Fischel Corporation, Olman Valverde Rojas, was the only one acquitted of the eight accused.

After hearing the sentence, the defense attorneys for the convicted stated that they would present appeals to the Sala III. As a consequence, the prison order emitted yes-terday for the seven convicted would remain suspended until the Sala III would rule on the

appeals.

tSe declares oficial start of 2010 elections

(La Nacion) Two minutes past 11 a.m., the president of the Supreme Elections Tribunal, Luis Antonio Sobrado, gave the official go ahead to the electoral process of 2010.

With this green light on october 7, the po-litical campaign started with the presence of candidates to the Presidency of the Repub-lic from the major political parties in the country, except for Otton Solis, from Accion Ciudadana and some representative from the Social Christian Unity, in light of the reluc-tance of Rafael Angel Calderon to aspire to this post.

In this election participated 71 political parties to elect the seats for congressmen and president of the Republic of Costa Rica.

Sobrado demanded absolute respect to

the constitutional rule of neutrality “without excuses or cheating”. He also asked costar-ricans for a campaign with prudence and sen-sibility in spite of any passions.

PUSC Party Considering Not Fielding A Candidate For the 2010

Presidential elections(Inside Cosa Rica) Luis Fishman, the pres-

ident of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) which saw its presidential candidate resign on Monday after being sentenced to fives year prison for “peculado”, said he is evaluating the possibility that the party not field a candidate for the 2010 elections.

The party will be holding a national as-sembly this weekend to decide on a course of action, to either choose a candidate to lead the party in the February 2007 elections, or sit this one out.

If they choose to sit it out, it would be an historic event as part of an historic week with the prison sentence of a former president.

San José - Caldera Highway Gets Green Light For Completion

(Inside Cosa Rica) The Tribunal Ambien-tal Administrativo gave the Autopistas de Sol the green light yesterday to continue work on the San José - Caldera highway.

Work on the section between Santa Ana and Orotina of the highway, which links San José to the port town of Caldera, Puntarenas, was stopped last month after environmental concerns, specifically in the area known as Barva, were denounced against the contrac-tor.

Environmental officials have been inves-tigating the complaints since as the highway work affects some 20 rivers and creeks and has local residents up in arms.

The Tribunal, although it will allow the workd to continue, will ensure that environ-mental officials keep a close eye on the situ-ation.

The San José - Caldera highway has been in the planning and construction stage for al-most 30 years. It wasn’t until two years ago that the Autopistas del Sol, a Spanish consor-tium, was given the concession to complete the construction of the highway and charge tolls to recover its investment.

The section between San José (the east end of the Sabana park) and Piedades de Santa Ana (although it is referred to as Cui-dad Colón) and the section between Orotina and Caldera have been completed.

What remains is the middle section that should be completed by mid 2010.

BUSiNeSSPublic specification for electric

train bid presented(El Financiero) Since October 6th those

interested in presenting offers for the pub-lic bid for the electric metropolitan train (TREM) will have two weeks to ask ques-tions.

Karla Gonzalez, employee of the Minstry of public works and transportation (MOPT), informed that the bid for TREM was made public since that day, so that after those two week it is ready and they can receive bidders.

Between december and next January, bids are expected. Once the contract is awarded, it will take less than two years plus the con-struction of the first stage. Las march been let know that the works would be in 2013 even though Gonzalez stated that there are possibilities that it be ready in one year.

The construction, operation and mainte-nance grant was awarded for 35 years. The works will be performed over the existing right of way for the train administrated by the Costarrican Train Institute (Incofer).

The route would be from the Heredia Hos-pital to the Atlantic station and from there to the Pacific station on the first stage (parallel to the current route for the train to Heredia). The total cost of the work is estimated at $344,9 million, according to the feasibility studies generated by the company Engevix Engheneria S. A. From said amount, the government would provide $100 million for the railway.

HP selects Costa Rica for their research laboratory

(La Prensa Libre) The company Hewlett-Packard (HP) now has their first research and development laboratory for ProCurve, in Latinamerica, and for that they selected Costa Rica. Moving forward, costarrican en-gineers will develop products and solutions from networks that will be incorporated in the product lines offered by the company.

The director for HP Costa Rica, Arturo Velasco, explained: “This center for research and Development is one of six centers that the company has worldwide, will focus its work on strategic technologies like inte-grated circuits for high velocity networks, wireless network software, data management center software and network security man-agement software.

HP ProCurve has become one of the lead-ing sellers of LAN networks for companies of all sizes. The pilot project was initiated since the year 2008 and to date counts with more than thirty engineers, a number that will increment according to how operations increase.

New Luxury tax in Costa Rica - A Contribution to the Poor

(Inside Cosa Rica) As of October 1st. 2009 Costa Rica sets a standard for giving home to the poor at times when the luxury real estate industry of the world is facing the challenges of the current worldwide financial crisis.

The new “Solidarity Tax for the Strength-ening of Housing Programs” will collect approximately $45 million a year during 10 years.

The purpose is to build affordable housing in order to help impoverished families out of the shanty towns. There are roughly 390 shanty towns and government estimates put the number of families living in inadequate housing at 40,000.

The solidarity tax is to be paid in addition to the other property tax owed to the govern-ment of Costa Rica (for an amount of 2.500 colones annually for each million of colo-nes).

tACA And Avianca Will Form the Leading Airline Network

(Inside Costa Rica) The merger of Grupo TACA ”TACA”, Central America’s leading carrier, and Aerovías Del Continente Ameri-cano SA, ”Avianca”, Colombia’s leading air-line, will capitalize on two of the best known airline brands in Latin America, two world-class product offerings, strong hubs and com-plementary networks, as well as to uniquely entrepreneurial and service-oriented cultures with highly motivated employees.

By leveraging the new group’s four hubs-in Bogota, Lima, San Salvador and San José, Costa Rica - Avianca and TACA will be able to offer customers better service to more des-tinations than any other carrier in the region.

The merger, which is subject to regula-tory and other antitrust approvals, instantly makes TACA Avianca one of the region’s largest arilines after Brazil’s TAM and GOL, with 129 planes and flights with more than 100 destinations.

But beyond its sheer size, the partnership is bound to alter the regional business map.

Hours after the merger announcement on Wednesday, Grupo AeroMexico, the holding company of AeroMexico and AeroMexico Connect, also said it would review partner-ships with local and global players to help it face the global economic crisis.

Forming alliances may be crucial for the survival of some regional carriers such as the ones in Latin America at a time when the worldwide recession punished the airline sector, with companies and families sharply cutting back on air travel.

Banks Face Huge Fines For Non Compliance of Money Laundering Law

(Inside Costa Rica) The reason for the ex-aggerated requirements by banks in Costa Rica for requirements to open an account and for existing customers to, in some cases, to completely reapply for their existing accounts is based on the Ley de Psicotrópicos, to avoid money laundering from drug trafficking, im-posing heavy fines on institutions that do not comply.

The Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) and the Banco Nacional (BN) are two banks owned by the state that have been militant in forc-ing customers to update their account infor-mation or face the freezing or closure of their account, as has been reported, if they do not comply.

Since April of this year, banks have imple-mented new anti money laundering rules and regulations under the program “Conozca a su cliente” (know your client) and face a fine of up to 1% of their assets, up from 0.01% be-fore the new law, which can be “dispropor-tionate and irrational” for those institutions that do not comply.

In the case of the Banco Nacional, the fine could amount to as much as us$5 million dol-lars.

In the case of the Banco de Costa Rica, they are strict in the efforts to comply. New customers have to provide a series of docu-ments with clearly establishes the source of the funds to be deposited into the account. Existing customers have to keep their per-sonal information (address, telephone num-ber, business activity or employment, among other things) updated at all times.

In some cases, the bank has cut off custom-ers from access to their accounts for lack of all or any of the foregoing, claiming it is their duty in the effort to combat money launder-ing.

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By Eleonore DermyOSTROGOZHSK (AFP) - For years,

foreign investors have been attracted by the gleam of Russia’s vast reserves of crude oil.

But deep in the quiet, rolling landscapes of southwest Russia, it is not the seductive power of black gold that has brought foreign money into the country.

It is the more mundane appeal of black earth, millions of hectares of ultra-fertile ag-ricultural land that foreign companies hope will provide the ideal answer to the world’s changing food needs.

Swedish company Black Earth Farming (BEF) since 2006 has bought 300,000 hect-ares (740,000 acres) of Russian farmland af-ter the government finally allowed land to be privatised after decades of state ownership.

“In Europe the price of land is very high,” BEF chief executive Sture Gustavsson said as he surveyed the newly acquired lands in the Voronezh region some 600 kilometres south of Moscow.

In Russia, a hectare of land can still be ac-quired for several hundred dollars.

“It is a great challenge. But we are loving it,” Gustavsson said.

Russia has tens of millions of hectares (acres) of chernozem, or black earth, consid-ered a dream soil because of its richness in humus, which is formed by the decomposi-tion of plant matter by micro-organisms.

The high humus content gives the soil an ability to retain moisture that makes it per-fect for farming. The famous Black Earth region of Russia and Ukraine covers an area approximately half the size of Germany.

Yet while Russia has become one of the world’s main grain exporters, the full poten-tial of its vast agricultural lands remains un-fulfilled, with vast tracts of arable land going fallow after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

As a result, the modern techniques that foreign firms can bring to the most tradition-al of industries are essential if Russia is to fully realise its potential.

“The foreigners have brought us innova-tive technologies and jobs,” said the head of BEF’s local subsidiary Agro-Invest Ostrogo-zhsk, Alexander Averyanov.

“When we arrived in 2006, just 30 percent of the land in the region was being cultivated while 70 percent had been fallow for five, seven, even 12 years,” he added.

“We have worked for two-and-a-half years

and now we have been able to start cultiva-tion.”

Other investors in Russian agricultural land have ranged from investment funds to foreign governments.

In April 2009, South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries took a majority stake in Khorol Zerno, a firm which owns 10,000 hectares of farmland in Russia’s Far East.

“The world needs grain more and more,” said Dmitry Katalevsky, a financial analyst with Deloitte, pointing to a shift in Asian di-ets towards wheat, the development of bio-fuels and the rising global population.

“The surge in agriculture prices has prompted investors to become more inter-ested in these goods, when before they had invested more in oil, metals and gas.”

Russia has set ambitious targets to fulfill the export potential of its agriculture indus-try.

Agriculture Minister Elena Skrinnik has said Russia could raise its annual grain pro-duction to 120 million tonnes in the next 10-15 years, allowing it to roughly double its exports to 50 million tonnes annually.

This year the total grain harvest is expect-ed to be 90 million tonnes, down from last year’s bumper figure of 108 million.

Gustavsson admitted that the challenges remain enormous as the yield from the land being cultivated by BEF remains relatively weak and it will take years of investment to harvest the full benefits of the company’s in-vestment.

Meanwhile the price of grain has fallen after a spike in 2007 and foreign investors still have to cope with the hurdles of Russia’s notorious bureaucracy.

And because of the lack of rural infra-structure -- a major problem for the Rus-sian agriculture industry -- BEF is this year spending tens of millions of dollars on new silos to keep the grain harvests.

Such investment can only be welcome for Russia and President Dmitry Medvedev admitted last week that billions of dollars of investment were needed to expand storage facilities that currently hold only 30 percent of the harvest.

“Over the past 10 years we have under-stood that agriculture is not a black hole where money is lost and brings nothing for the state,” Medvedev said.

Black earth stirs investors in Russia

Opel rescue dogged by European divisionsBy Simon Sturdee BERLIN, October (AFP) - Tempers are

rising in Europe over Germany’s promise of billions of euros (dollars) in state aid to sup-port the sale of General Motors’ loss-making European unit Opel/Vauxhall.

In a preliminary deal announced in Berlin with great fanfare on September 10, GM is selling a 55-percent stake to Canadian auto parts maker Magna and Russian state-owned lender Sberbank.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, keen to safeguard the jobs of Opel’s 25,000 German employees, half the total, agreed to sweeten the deal with 4.5 billion euros’ (6.6 billion dollars’) worth of public money.

Merkel, Forbes magazine’s most powerful woman on the planet for four years running, was eager to secure a rescue before elections on September 27. She duly won a second term.

The financing was contingent, however, on other European governments where Opel has plants, such as Britain, Spain, Poland and Belgium, stepping up to the plate and provid-ing their own taxpayers’ money too.

But instead, the deal has been met with grumbling, with these countries unwilling to stump up cash for a deal that they see as only guaranteeing German jobs and keeping Ger-man plants up and running.

With Opel losing money fast, dependent on a market where too many cars are being made for too few customers, Magna is re-ported to be looking to take around 10,500 workers off the payroll.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government, which has a far tougher re-elec-tion battle than Merkel waiting for it next year, has made clear that it is not amused.

Peter Mandelson, British business secre-tary, told the Financial Times in Seoul last Thursday he could not “sign off” on the deal in its current form, citing “shortcomings” identified in an independent auditors’ report.

Britain, where Vauxhall employs 4,700 people, is ready to provide 400 million euros in loan guarantees, but first wants assurances that two plants in Luton and Ellesmere Port remain open, the FT said.

Spain, where Opel employs 7,000 people in Zaragoza province, has also been up in arms, with Industry Minister Miguel Sebas-

tian boycotting a European meeting on Opel in Berlin on Friday.

“We have never been favourable to Mag-na’s offer,” a spokesman in Madrid said on Friday, with Sebastian “pretty unhappy” after the last get-together in the German capital.

Instead, Sebastian met with Magna boss Siegfried Wolf, appearing aftwards slightly more concilatory, pledging to improve “com-munication problems” with the Canadian firm.

In Belgium, where Opel’s Antwerp plant is seen as a prime target for closure, thou-sands of workers, including hundreds from Germany, held a mass protest last month. The plant employs around 2,500 workers.

These countries have turned to EU head-quarters in Brussels for help.

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes is scrutinising the deal to determine whether Germany’s state aid was contingent on German plants not being closed, which would make it illegal.

Germany, though, has expressed confi-dence that all will be well, and GM, Magna and Berlin reportedly want to sign a final deal this week. The transaction would then be completed by the end of November.

But for analyst Tim Urquhart at IHS Glob-al Insight, as long as the EU has not given the thumbs-up, and as long as there is no deal with unions on employees taking a 10-per-cent stake in “New Opel”, this aim is ambi-tious.

“I have said right from the start that there are still a lot of twists and turns to be done before this deal is completely signed off,” Urquhart told AFP.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, keen to safeguard the jobs of Opel’s 25,000 German employees, half the total AFP PHOTO DDP / PHILIPP GUELLAND GERMANY

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama’s plan to overhaul the US health care system got a boost Wednesday when con-gressional budget experts said it would re-duce the country’s ballooning budget deficit.

According to the non-partisan Congres-sional Budget Office (CBO), the health care reform plan currently before the Senate Fi-nance Committee would reduce the budget deficit by 81 billion dollars over 10 years at a total cost of 829 billion dollars.

That finding was in line with Obama’s pledge that his health reform push will not increase budget deficits by “one dime.”

The legislation that would extend health insurance to the around 46 million people who currently lack coverage in the United States would also likely lead to “continued reductions in federal budget deficits,” the CBO added.

Senator Max Baucus, who chairs the panel and has played a key role in designing the legislation, hailed the findings as he seeks to obtain the backing of at least one Republi-can, Senator Olympia Snowe, and convince centrist Democrats who remain undecided.

“Our balanced approach to health reform has paid off yet again,” he said on the Sen-ate floor.

“This legislation is a smart investment on the federal balance sheet, and it’s an even smarter investment for American families, businesses and our economy.

Under the proposal, 94 percent of non-elderly US residents would have insurance coverage, up from the current 83 percent, ac-cording to the CBO. That translates to nearly 30 million more US residents covered by insurance.

The findings paved the way for a vote in the Senate Finance Committee, which would then reconcile its measure with the Health Committee before a full Senate vote.

A total of five different versions of health care reform are competing for influence in Congress, with weeks of haggling and horse-trading expected before any final version of the bill comes to a vote.

Obama, whose political viability is on the line with his health care push, and lawmakers in his Democratic Party are seeking a final vote before the end of the year.

Republicans, who have warned the bill could raise costs and increase the budget def-icit, had required the budget estimate before they cast a vote.

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell labeled the draft legislation as “partisan” and warned it will “never see the Senate floor since the real bill will be writ-ten by Democrat leaders in a closed-to-the-public conference room somewhere in the Capitol.”

The “real bill,” he said, “will be another 1,000-page, trillion-dollar experiment that slashes a half-trillion dollars from seniors’

Medicare, raises taxes on American families by 400 billion dollars, increases health care premiums and vastly expands the role of the federal government in the personal health care decisions of every American.”

The CBO found the bill would “signifi-cantly expand” eligibility for Medicaid, the insurance program for the poor, and “sub-stantially reduce” increases in payment rates for most services provided by Medicare, a health plan for seniors.

An excise tax would also be imposed on insurance plans with “relatively high” pre-miums.

Lawmakers remain divided on a “public option,” a new government-run insurance program Obama and liberal Democrats have said will increase competition in the insur-ance business, thus driving down costs.

Baucus’s plan does not include that op-tion, substituting it instead with a non-profit cooperative.

But the CBO charged that the proposed co-ops “seem unlikely to establish a signifi-cant market presence in many areas of the country or to noticeably affect federal sub-sidy payments.”

The Senate Health Committee’s bill and versions passed in House panels do include a public option.

NEW YORK (AFP) - A New York City law requiring restaurant chains to display calorie counts has not changed eating habits among poorer people, a study released Tues-day said.

The research by a team from New York University and Yale University, which was published Tuesday in Health Affairs, sug-gests some people actually ordered slightly more calories than before the July 2008 law

took effect.New York was the first US city to impose

the calorie law, which is meant to promote healthier eating and combat the national obe-sity epidemic.

According to the survey, only half of 1,156 low-income, fast food consumers noticed the calorie count, and just over a quarter of those who did actually based their decisions on the

information.“We found that 27.7 percent who saw cal-

orie labeling in New York said the informa-tion influenced their choices,” the research-ers wrote.

“However, we did not detect a change in calories purchased after the introduction of calorie labeling. We encourage more re-search on menu labeling and greater atten-

tion to evaluating and implementing other obesity-related policies.”

Pie de la foto hamburguesa“We did not detect a change in calories

purchased after the introduction of calorie la-beling”, noted the study by a team from New York University and Yale University. Picture by Getty Images.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Scientists have decoded the three dimensional structure of the human genonome, opening the way for new insights into its functioning and struc-tures, according to a report published Thurs-day.

“By breaking the genome into millions of pieces, we created a spatial map showing how close different parts are to one another,” said Nynke van Berkum, one of two main authors of the study, which appears in the journal Science.

“We made a fantastic three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle and then, with a computer, solved the puzzle,” said Berkum, a postdoc-toral researcher at University of Massachus-

sets Medical School.To do it, scientists used a new technol-

ogy called ‘Hi-C’ that allowed them to solve previously unanswered questions about how each human cell could contain some three million pairs of base DNA and still be able to access functionally crucial segments.

“We’ve long known that on a small scale, DNA is a double helix. But if the double he-lix didn’t fold further, the genome in each cell would be two meters long,” said Erez Lieberman-Aiden, a graduate student in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology and a researcher at Harvard and the Broad Institute.

“Scientists have not really understood how the double helix folds to fit into the nucle-us of a human cell, which is only about a hundredth of a millimeter in diameter. This new approach enabled us to probe exactly that question,” said Lieberman-Aiden, the study’s other main author.

The researchers found that the human ge-nome is organized in two distinct compart-ments that keep active genes accessible to proteins and separate from densely packed stocks of inactive DNA.

Chromosomes snake from one compart-ment to another as their DNA alternates between active and inactive stretches of the genome.

The research also revealed how the ge-nome employs an unusual form of organiza-tion known in mathematics as a “fractal” that enables the cell to pack DNA into its nucleus at a density three trillion times greater than a computer chip.

It manages that while avoiding knots and tangles that might interfere with the cell’s ability to read its own genome, while allow-ing the DNA to easily unfold and refold dur-ing gene activation, gene repression, and cell replication.

“Nature’s devised a stunningly elegant so-lution to storing information -- a super-dense, knot-free structure,” says senior author Eric Lander, director of the Broad Institute.

Health bill would reduce US budget deficit: Experts

Researchers decipher 3-D structure of human genome

Food habits of the poor unchanged byNYcalorieslaw:study

Mitch McConnell: will “never see the Senate floor since the real bill will be written by Democrat leaders in a closed-to-the-public conference room somewhere in the Capitol.”/ AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN

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PARIS (AFP) - Citizens and world leaders urged US President Barack Obama to seize on his surprise Nobel Peace Prize win Friday to forge peace in the globe’s troublespots and rid the world of nuclear weapons.

From Tokyo to Cape Town news, that the 48-year-old had won the prestigious award just nine months into his presidency was greeted by a mixture of shock and appeals for Obama to solve a host of local and global issues.

The five-person Norwegian Nobel panel praised Obama’s “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples,” in a win that astonished the laureate himself.

A “surprised” and “deeply humbled” Obama said he doubted he deserved the hon-our but vowed to wield it as a “call to action” to lead a united world against its greatest challenges.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the prize as “America’s return to the hearts of the world’s peoples” after disenchantment with the previous presidency of George W. Bush.

Former UN chief Kofi Annan called it “an unexpected but inspired choice.”

But the announcement was not universally lauded.

“Who, Obama? So fast? Too fast -- he hasn’t had the time to do anything yet,” was the incredulous response of Lech Walesa, Poland’s historic trade union leader and the 1983 laureate.

For others, Obama’s promotion to the rank of global peacemaker was an opportunity to

give him some new assignments.The prize is in “good hands,” said Brazil-

ian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, ex-pressing “hope that world peace is a reality and that we have no more nuclear bombs.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Obama’s win was an “incentive” for all to do more for peace, adding that his goal of a nuclear-free world is one “we must all try to achieve in the coming years.”

The 2008 laureate, former Finnish presi-dent Martti Ahtisaari, noted that as Middle East peace efforts remain stalled, “this time, it was very clear that they wanted to encour-age Obama to move on these issues.”

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said he hoped the prize would help bring about an in-dependent Palestinian state, but the Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, decried Obama’s win.

“He did not do anything for the Palestin-ians except make promises,” said Hamas spokesman Samir Abu Zuhri.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said the award “expresses the hope that your presidency will usher in a new era of peace and reconciliation.”

In Afghanistan, where the United States is in the ninth year of a bloody conflict against Taliban extremists, President Hamid Karzai hailed Obama’s “hard work and new vision on global relations.”

But the decision was condemned by the Taliban, who said he had “not taken a single step toward peace in Afghanistan.”

On the streets of Kabul, Afghans said they did not believe Obama’s policies had

improved the situation in their war-ravaged country.

“The situation is getting worse here,” said shopkeeper Ahmad Tawab.

Abdul Hakeem, an 18-year-old tailor, said: “At least I can say that he is better than George Bush.”

The Nobel committee acted “hastily,” said arch foe Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, arguing a “good timing” for the prize would have been after US troops pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq “and the United

States is standing up for the rights of the Pal-estinian people.”

His comments were echoed in Iraq, where Obama has vowed to end a war started by his predecessor.

Obama “was able to calm the situation in Iraq and other countries, and he made Amer-ica reach out to Islamic and Arabic countries -- he really deserved this prize more than anyone else,” said Abu Istabraq, a 45-year-old security guard for a Baghdad bank.

UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei -- another former winner -- said Obama had “reached out across divides and made clear that he sees the world as one hu-man family, regardless of religion, race or ethnicity.”

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of Japan, the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, said he saw “the world changing” since Obama entered the White House on January 20.

South African archbishop Desmond Tutu, who won the prize in 1984, saw Obama as a younger incarnation of Nelson Mandela, a 1993 co-laureate.

“It is a very imaginative and somewhat surprising choice. It is wonderful,” he said in Cape Town.

Obama’s Kenyan relatives reacted with delight.

“It is an honour to the family... we are very happy that one of us has been honoured. We congratulate Barack,” Said Obama, the presi-dent’s step-brother, told AFP. Obama’s father was Kenyan and the president is considered a favourite son of the east African country.

NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street shares ex-tended their rally for a second day Tuesday as Australia’s decision to raise interest rates boost-ed confidence that a global economic recovery is taking root.

The blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average lifted 131.50 points (1.37 percent) to 9,731.25, a day after jumping also by more than 100 points.

The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite added 35.42 points (1.71 percent) to 2,103.57 while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index in-creased 14.26 points (1.37 percent) to 1,054.72.

The market opened on a bullish note after Australia on Tuesday became the first advanced economy to raise interest rates since the finan-

cial crisis.The central bank announced a rise of 25 basis

points to 3.25 percent, lifting rates off a 49-year low.

Although the United States is unlikely to raise rates in the near future as it still undergoes the painful transition of emerging from reces-sion, investors saw the move as a key indication of global recovery.

“It is clear that there is a psychological bid in the market as the symbolism of the first rate hike from a G20 nation is trumping any nega-tive considerations that go hand-in-hand with higher rates,” said Patrick O’Hare of Briefing.com.

“That symbolism shines through in the fact

that most equity markets around the globe have gained at least 1.0 percent in the wake of the rate hike announcement,” he said.

The rate hike is being interpreted as “another confirmation that the world is back from the brink of economic disaster,” O’Hare said.

Analysts at Charles Schwab & Co said the market also notched gains from a weaken-ing dollar which lifted energy and commodity prices.

“Stocks were solidly higher, boosted by strong gains in energy and materials issues as commodity prices soared amid concerns over the dollar,” they said in a note to clients.

The Independent daily in Britain claimed in a report Tuesday that several Arab countries were in talks to discontinue the practice of pricing their oil exports in dollars, which many of the countries later denied but nevertheless led to broad-based pressure on the US currency.

Economic recovery has prodded investors to pump their investments into riskier assets such as stocks and move away from the safe-haven dollar.

Among gainers were commodity-linked stocks. Chevron was up 1.69 percent to 70.56 dollars, ExxonMobil 1.60 percent to 68.66 dol-lars and Barrick Gold 5.23 percent to 38.84 dol-lars.

Aluminum producer Alcoa, which will kick off the third quarter corporate earnings report-ing on Wednesday, rose 3.50 percent to 13.89 dollars.

Industrial equipment maker Emerson Elec-tric rose 1.40 percent to 38.84 dollars following its move to take over information technology company Avocent, which jumped 20.96 percent to 24.82 dollars.

Chemical giant Dupont added 1.69 percent to 31.89 dollars and General Electric climbed 1.58 percent to 16.08 dollars.

The bond market fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond rose to 3.248 percent from 3.224 percent Monday and that on the 30-year bond increased to 4.058 percent from 4.023 percent. Bond yields and prices move in oppo-site directions.

Obama urged to use prize as spur to peace

President Barack Obama speaks at the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 9, 2009 after he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Obama said Friday he was “surprised” and “humbled” by being awarded the prize and said he doubted he deserved to be honored alongside luminaries who had won the award. AFP PHOTO/Saul LOEB

US shares extend rally on economic recovery confidence

LONDON (AFP) - Greenpeace environ-mental campaigners stormed the roof of Britain’s Houses of Parliament Sunday to protest about climate change and planned to stay there overnight until lawmakers return to session.

At least 40 activists occupied the roof of the famous Palace of Westminster in central London, unfurling several yellow banners reading: “Change the politics, save the cli-mate”.

The demonstrators were planning to stay on the roof through the night and wait for the morning, when lawmakers are due to return from their summer break, and urge them to sign up to a 12-point manifesto.

“We’ve got to raise the temperature of the debate because we are really running out of time. We are at a minute to midnight and there is so little time left but so much to do,” said Greenpeace executive director John Sauven.

“Parliament is opening and there is an election looming so this is a golden oppor-tunity for the political parties to really think about the future and what future generations will face.”

He said politicians should be “building a low carbon economy, creating green jobs and helping to save the world from climate change”.

A spokesman for London’s Metropolitan Police said officers were on the scene talk-ing to activists, though no arrests have been

LITTLE BRAY (AFP) - An Irish paramili-tary group responsible for dozens of murders during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland has renounced its armed struggle, its political wing said Sunday.

The Irish National Liberation Army’s re-nunciation of violence came as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Dublin before heading to Belfast in a bid to boost the peace process.

The INLA, a splinter group of the main paramilitary Irish Republican Army (IRA), was responsible for some of the bloodiest actions in the Irish conflict after it came to prominence in 1975.

“The Republican Socialist Movement has been informed by the INLA that following a process of serious debate... it has concluded that the armed struggle is over,” said Martin McMonagle of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, the INLA’s political wing.

“The objective of a 32-county socialist republic will be best achieved through exclu-sively peaceful political struggle,” he added, referring to the aim of a united Ireland, in-cluding counties in the British province of Northern Ireland.

The statement made at a ceremony in Lit-tle Bray, south of Dublin, made no mention of decommissioning weapons.

The INLA’s decision is also likely to boost Northern Ireland’s peace process, which has hit a stumbling block in recent weeks in a dispute between the main Protestant and Catholic parties over when to devolve justice and policing powers.

The INLA’s highest-profile attack was the 1979 murder of the British Conservative Party’s Northern Ireland spokesman Airey Neave -- a close advisor of future prime min-ister Margaret Thatcher.

He was killed in London after the INLA planted a bomb under his vehicle in the Houses of Parliament’s underground car park.

In 1982, the INLA killed 17 people in a bomb attack on the Droppin’ Well pub in Ballykelly, County Londonderry. The bar was targeted because military staff at a near-by army base reportedly drank there.

Police say the group is now involved in criminal activity, including drugs.

A 1998 peace accord ended most of the violence which plagued Northern Ireland for three decades, killing at least 3,500 people.

But the murders of two soldiers and po-liceman this year, and the discovery of a number of bombs in recent weeks claimed by the Continuity IRA and Real IRA splinter groups, have raised fears for the peace pro-cess.

In its May 2009 report, the Independent Monitoring Commission, which assesses the paramilitary threat every six months, said INLA members “remained deeply involved in serious crime, notably extortion.

“We believe that INLA remains a threat and is no less capable of violence than it has been in the recent past.”

Assessing their activity since 2004, they said the INLA had been behind two mur-ders and had been less active than CIRA and RIRA.

“It is smaller and has generally focused more on non-terrorist crime; it had declared a ‘ceasefire’ in 1998 though it was sporadically involved in violence throughout the period.

“We have frequently concluded that we were doubtful of INLA’s capacity to mount a sustained campaign but that it was capable of serious violence.”

Environment activists occupy British parliament roof

A banner is seen hung near Big Ben after Greenpeace demonstrators scaled the roof of the Houses of Parliament to protest against perceived government inaction on climate change, on October 11, 2009 in London. At least 40 activists occupied the roof of the famous Palace of Westminster in central London, unfurling several yellow banners reading: “Change the politics, save the climate”. AFP PHOTO/Carl Court

Members of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement, (IRSM) carry wreaths to be laid on the grave of Seamus Costello, at St Peter’s Graveyard, in Little Bray, Ireland, on October 11, 2009. An Irish republican paramilitary group responsible for dozens of murders during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland has renounced its armed struggle, its political wing said Sunday. The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)’s renunciation of violence came as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Dublin, from where she was due to travel to Belfast later in the day. AFP PHOTO/BARBARA FLING

made.Speaking from the roof, Greenpeace em-

ployee Brikesh Singh, 29, from Bangalore in southern India, said the protesters had energy bars and warm clothing to get them through the night.

“This building is considered as the mother of all parliaments and the UK is one of the leading developed countries,” the demon-strator said.

“We want them (lawmakers) to get the message loud and clear that if you want a planet-saving deal in Copenhagen we need to change the climate policy.”

The December 7-18 United Nations cli-mate summit in Copenhagen will see nations attempt to hammer out a new global climate

treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.

It is not the first breach of security in re-cent times at the palace.

In March 2004, Greenpeace demonstra-tors scaled the landmark clock tower on the first anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

Two months later, fathers’ rights cam-paigners threw condoms full of purple flour in the lower House of Commons, hitting then-prime minister Tony Blair.

Four months on, five protesters got into the chamber to protest during a hunting ban debate.

And protesters got onto the roof in Feb-ruary 2008 to demonstrate against a planned third runway at London’s Heathrow airport.

Irish paramilitary group renounces violence

Edition 193 • October, 200922 Edition 193 • October, 2009 23SporTSenTerTainMenT

Each column, row and box must contain each number from 1 to 9. There is only one solution, wich is shown here.

NEW YORK (AFP) - The Chicago Cubs, whose century of Major League Baseball championship futility is the longest title drought in US sports history, had their sale to the Ricketts family approved by club owners Tuesday.

The unanimous owner vote, which came in a conference call, ends a journey that in-volved convoluted negotiations for the Cubs and their hallowed ballpark, Wrigley Field, with their former owners, the media firm Tri-bune Company.

Tom Ricketts, who represented his family in the sale, could assume day-to-day opera-tional control of the National League Central division club by the end of October.

The Ricketts will also acquire a 25 percent stake in Comcast SportsNet Chicago, with the total deal worth at least 845 million dol-lars.

“The Cubs have the greatest fans in the world and we count our family among them,” Joe Ricketts said when talsk were concluded. “We look forward to closing the transaction so that we can begin leading the Cubs to a World Series title.”

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Tiger Woods, a 14-time major champion, welcomed the re-turn of golf to the Olympic Games Friday, a move that could give him another sporting world to conquer.

“I think it’s great for golf,” said Woods, who is in San Francisco as part of the US team taking on an International squad in the Presidents Cup match play tournament.

“It’s a perfect fit for the Olympics, and I think we’re all looking forward to golf get-ting in the Olympics.”

The International Olympic Committee voted in Copenhagen on Friday to add golf to the programme for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The International Golf Federation (IGF) has promised that the world’s best will take part in Olympic golf, which will see 60 play-ers in both the men and women’s competi-tions facing off over 72 holes.

“Everybody is very excited that golf be-came an Olympic sport, and we are work-ing hard on our games so that over the next six years we are able to make the team and represent our country in the Olympics,” said American Phil Mickelson.

“I think this is important for the game of golf,” Mickelson added. “It’s important for the growth of the game of golf and it’s excit-ing what it will mean on a worldwide level for this great game.”

Woods, who is in pursuit of golf great Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major titles, said he

wasn’t quite sure what it would mean to be part of the Olympics.

“We as golfers have never had it, so this will be a new experience for golfers who get to participate in the Olympics,” he said. “Having talked to other athletes who have gotten a chance to experience the Olympics, they have absolutely loved it and had the greatest time.”

America’s British Open champion Stewart Cink was pleased with the decision, even if he never ends up playing in the Games.

“It’s great for golf,” Cink said. “I don’t know if it’s great for me or not because I’ll be 43 and I might be over the hill by then.”

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem also hailed the decision as a turning point for global golf.

“First and foremost, I think the trajectory of growth for the game globally will be sig-nificantly enhanced,” he said. “When you consider that over a hundred countries will now invest in the sport to grow the game, to be competitive in the Games in this particu-lar sport, will catapult the level of growth, particularly in Asia, Eastern Europe, also in South America and other areas that have not had the level of growth historically.”

Finchem insisted that golf is an ideal addi-tion to the Olympics.

“It’s a growing sport and it’s a sport that’s reaching kids. It’s a sport of diversity. It’s a sport that does very well on television,” he said. “It’s also a sport that corporate sponsors

are very supportive of, like the image of, and like to be associated with. All of those things played to our favor.”

Finchem praised the work of the Royal and Ancient’s Peter Dawson and Ty Votaw, executive director of the IGF’s Olympic Golf Committee, in lobbying for the game’s inclu-sion.

But even though Finchem believes golf is ideally suited to the Games, he admitted he wasn’t 100 percent confident golf would get the vote.

“I was a little nervous, just because I didn’t expect Chicago to get 18 votes,” he said of the US city’s stunning first-round ouster in voting for the Olympic host city last week.

NEW YORK (AFP) - LeBron James is predicted to repeat as NBA Most Valuable Player and the Los Angeles Lakers are ex-pected to defend their league crown in a survery of club general managers released Tuesday by the NBA.

Those who took part in the eighth annual survery for the league’s official website gave the Lakers 60.7 percent of the votes when asked who would win the league title with Boston and Cleveland sharing second at 17.9 percent.

When asked who would claim the Eastern Conference crown, the Celtics had 50 per-cent to 42.9 percent for Cleveland despite the big expectations for star playmaker James now that he has Shaquille O’Neal as a new teammate.

Orlando, the reigning Eastern Conference champion, elicited only 7.1 percent support in the survey, in which general managers were not allowed to vote for their own teams or players.

San Antonio and Portland joined the Lak-ers, Boston, Orlando and Cleveland as ex-pected division champions in the poll.

James had 69 percent of votes for MVP to 17.2 for Lakers star Kobe Bryant and 6.9 percent for Orlando’s Dwight Howard. NBA GMs also made James the choice by a wider margin when asked who they would want if starting a club today.

Dirk Nowitzki, the German star forward for the Dallas Mavericks, was chosen by 64.3 percent as the best non-US player in the

NBA with Spain’s Pau Gasol, the Lakers’ big man, second at 10.7 percent.

Sharing third, all on 7.1 percent, were Ar-gentina’s Manu Ginobili and his San Anto-nio teammate Tim Duncan of the US Virgin Islands as well as Canada’s Steve Nash, a Phoenix Suns guard. Frenchman Tony Park-er of San Antonio was sixth with 3.6 percent.

When asked which global player would have a breakout season in the 2009-2010 campaign, Spain’s Rudy Fernandez of Port-land had 22.2 percent support to 14.8 percent for New York’s Danilo Gallinari. Fernandez also won the honor in 2008.

Galinari’s Italian countrymen, Marco Belinelli and Andrea Bargnani or Toronto, shared third on 11.1 percent.

Ricky Rubio, who snubbed overtures from the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves for a new deal in his Spanish homeland, was named the best non-US player outside the NBA by 50 percent of those replying. The 18-year-old impressed scouts at last year’s Beijing Olympics.

Brazil’s Tiago Splitter and Spain’s Juan Carlos Navarro were next on that list with 15.4 percent support.

Top NBA Draft choice Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers was predicted by 79 percent of general managers to become the NBA Rookie of the Year.

Golf: Woods welcomes golf’s return to Olympics

“I think it’s great for golf,” said Woods. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK

NBA: General managers predict Lakers, LeBron repeats

Baseball: Owners approve sale of Cubs to Ricketts

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Oscar-winning Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor said she un-derwent a heart operation to repair a valve and that it went “perfectly.”

The 77-year-old English-born movie leg-end announced the success of the procedure in a post Thursday on micro-blogging site Twitter.

“Dear friends, my heart procedure went off perfectly,” she tweeted.

“It’s like having a brand new ticker. Thank you for your prayers and good wishes.”

On Tuesday the actress told her more than 165,000 followers on Twitter that she was going into the hospital for a procedure “re-pairing my leaky valve using a clip device, without open heart surgery.”

Taylor’s health has been the subject of in-tense speculation in recent years.

She has had hip replacement surgery, and in 1997 she underwent surgery to have a brain tumor removed. In 2006 she appeared on US television to deny rumors she had Al-zheimer’s.

In July 2008 she was hospitalized in Los Angeles but her spokesman denied reports that she was close to death and had been placed on life support.

Taylor, who first soared to worldwide fame at the age of 12 in “National Velvet” and went on to leading roles in “Cleopatra” and “Cat On a Hot Tin Roof,” has only rarely appeared in public in recent years.

But the star who won Academy Awards

for best actress in “Butterfield 8” as well as “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” was among the mourners at the private funeral last month for her longtime friend Michael Jackson, who died in June aged 50.

Taylor now devotes most of her time to her two-decade-old crusade against the scourge of AIDS and HIV.

MONTREAL (AFP) - The first clown in space, Guy Laliberte, has launched a 14-city poetic planetary extravaganza to promote clean drinking water, from the International Space Station.

The billionaire space tourist and founder of Cirque du Soleil described his journey as a “poetic, social mission.”

The two-hour live One Drop show, broad-cast online Friday included guests Al Gore, Bono, Salma Hayek, Peter Gabriel, Shakira, Canadian astronaut Julie Payette and a mu-sical theatrical performance by Laliberte’s circus troupe.

It kicked off with a reading of a poem by Man-Booker prize-winning author Yann Martel, describing a conversation between the Sun, the Moon and a drop of water. Throughout the show, several people read bits of the fable.

Former US vice president Gore used charts and video to warn of melting polar ice caps, water pollution, and extreme weather causing droughts and flooding.

“To solve the climate crisis and safeguard our planet and its beauty ... will require glob-al effort,” he said.

Australian Tiffany Speight sang from the Sydney opera house. Inuit singer Elisapie Isaac belted out haunting lyrics in her native language, while rappers Fnaire performed from Morocco.

Throughout the show crowds danced and cheered in the streets of Rio de Janeiro, New York’s Times Square and at outdoor concerts worldwide.

The 14 segments were broadcast from South Africa, Mexico, Russia, Brazil, Can-ada, Britain, Japan, France, India, Morocco, Australia, and several cities in the United States.

Acrobats swan underwater with whales in the Pacific Ocean, as others swung from a makeshift ship dangling high above a pool at a Las Vegas casino.

In Moscow, ballet students of the State Academic Maliy Theatre splashed in a cur-tain of rain with Bolshoi Ballet star Nikolai Tsiskaridze.

U2 rocked a stadium crowd in Tampa Bay, Florida as part of what Bono described as “an out of this world event.”

Between songs, Laliberte spoke with Bono onstage from orbit via a satellite video link. “Every time I look down at this fantas-tic planet (from the International Space Sta-tion) ... it looks so fragile,” he said, at times losing his footing in zero gravity.

Later, Laliberte was shown trying to gulp a drop of water floating in air.

Flanked by the ISS crew who described onboard technology for recycling urine into drinking water that could someday be used to allay a water crisis predicted to be coming in 25 to 50 years, Laliberte touted: “All for water, water for all.”

As well, he expressed his wish that a “rip-ple effect” from the show would spur more people to become water conservation activ-ists.

Critics lamented the enormous cost of the promotion and Laliberte’s own 35-million dollar space voyage aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket, suggesting the money would have been better spent digging wells in Africa.

Others said it was a modest sum for such exposure of an important cause.

Montreal’s daily Le Devoir accused Lalib-erte of being a “narcissus” and blasted media coverage of the event, saying it focused more on his red clown nose than on water issues.

Laliberte boarded the ISS with US as-tronaut Jeffrey Williams and Russian cos-monaut Maxim Surayev on October 2, two days after they blasted off from the Baikonur space base in Kazakhstan.

A former stilt-walker and fire-eater, Lal-iberte entertained his fellow crew members with a soap bubble show during their Soyuz flight.

Elizabeth Taylor says heart operation went ‘perfectly’

Clown beams message of water conservation from space

Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté in the foreground as the entire crew onboard the International Space Station (ISS) is seen on a screen in the Mission Control Center Moscow in Korolev, Russia shortly after the successful docking of the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft with the International Space Station marking the start of Expedition 21 with Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté, on October 2, 2009. AFP PHOTO/NASA/Bill Ingalls

“Dear friends, my heart procedure went off perfectly,” she wrote at Twitter. AFP PHOTO / Robyn BECK