San José, Costa Rica -   Friday 01 October 2004

1.396 Daily Average Visits in September!

Updated every day by 8:00AM Central Standard Time

"Lobo Cantó" - Wolf Sings! Former ICE director, José Antonio Lobo, is escorted by OIJ agents from his home in Alajuela to an interview with  "la Fiscalía de Delitos Económicos y Anticorrupción, en los Tribunales de Justicia de San José - the  prosecutor's office to explain his his role in the ICE-Alcatel scandal. Lobo was detained after implicating former Costa Rican president Miguel Ángel Rodríguez. [Foto Róger Córdoba] Click for larger image!

insidenicaragua A new weekly feature published on Sundays, featuring a summary  of current news and events in Nicaragua.

EDITORIAL: Thank You! Insidecostarica.com (ICR)began as weekly publication way back in November of 2002, that had a few readers, mostly my friends.

Ex-President Rodríguez Implicated in Alcatel Scandal
José Antonio Lobo Solera, mid-day yesterday openly talked to television cameras from his living room of his luxurious home in Alajuela, telling reporters that his wife's sudden departure on Tuesday was for family reasons, a trip that had been programmed earlier, and she would return by the end of this week.

Scandals Chase One Another
First, Costa Ricans reacted angrily and shocked to a scandal involving multi-million "commissions" on the credit loan from Finland, that was paid to the Corporación Fischel for the purchase of medical supplies for the Costa Rican Social Security Institution (CCSS). - commonly known as the Caja.

Vioxx Taken Off the Market
Pharmaceutical giant Merck Sharp & Dohme will today explain in Sydney, Australia, why the company has pulled its internationally-sold arthritis drug off the shelves.

The Worst of the Rainy Season
It's October 1 and that means the start of the worst of the rain is season. October is the worst month, according to the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN).

Economy Grows
The rate of growth of the economy of Costa Rica has been steady since March.

Madrid-Costa Rica non stop
The Spanish airline Iberia announced that four of its daily flights linking Madrid and Costa Rica will be non-stop.

Nicaragua confirms Al Qaeda operations in Central America
 International terror group Al Qaeda had operations recently in Central America, but does not pose an immediate threat to the region, Nicaragua's army commander Javier Carrion said Thursday.

Cuba to defeat US blockade: FM
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez said Thursday that his country will defeat the decades-old economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the United States.

Mercosur not happy with EU offer for FTA talks
The Common Market of the South (Mercosur) was not happy with the latest offer by the European Union (EU) leading to their deadlocked free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, local press said Thursday.

Colombian military issues ultimatum for ACC
The Colombian armed forces Wednesday issued an ultimatum for Martin Llanos, chief of the illegal United Self-Defense Forces of Casanare (ACC) and his followers, ordering them to surrender, local media reported.

International News from the New York Times
 

GUATEMALA Who makes the decisions? Citizens and authorities of Rio Hondo, in eastern Guatemala, met on a sweltering August day to form an association to defend their water amidst a planned hydroelectric project on Colorado River, which flows down from the lush Sierra de las Minas Biosphere behind the town. The Colorado river provides drinking and irrigation water for a large portion of Rio Hondo’s population. Local opposition to the project is strong because of the river’s importance to livelihoods of town residents, and due to past experience with another hydro project on the neighboring Pasabién watershed.

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