Maintaining sexual relations with minors is a crime, but many men act with impunity
Every year, an average of four hundred cases are being reported of young girls (under the age of 15) getting pregnant.

The laws in Costa Rica constitute it a crime to have sexual relations with a minor, so it would be logical that a similar amount of charges would be registered. However, only in a few cases are the men charged with the sexual offence.

In 1999 reforms to the penal code were established. Sexual relations with a minor would be a crime punishable up to 6 years in prison, even if the girl gave her consent. Parents or guardians who such a consent could also be charged.

But this is not always the case, as the authorities ask for more cases to come forward and more persons to be charged. Especially in the countryside, where most of the cases go unreported.

According to the experts, part of the prevention programs must include educational programs that clearly point out that sexual relations with a minor is a crime.

Transport Minister visited the Tempisque bridge 
Accompanied by the engineers, Javier Chaves Minister of Transport crossed the 780 meters of the work previous Friday. The minister affirmed that the bridge will be ready to take more within 4 weeks.

The work has presented some delays, after it was detected of problems in the ground at the access points of the bridge. Included in the plans are the construction of toll booths.

For the inauguration of the work, the President of Taiwan is expected to visit, whose government donated the structure. If you will recall, the bridge was officially inaugurated by former President of Costa Rica, Miguel Angel Rodriguez, before leaving office last year.

Wage differences in high government positions
Although many civil employees of the government hold similar positions in diverse institutions, the wage differences are very wide.

BCSC Biller boiler room probe may include Costa Rica
Street Wire
by Brent Mudry

Frank Biller and Leigh Jeffs's downtown Vancouver penny stock boiler room operation was a well-honed operation with detailed scripts complete with bogus pitter-patter, if a small stack of seized evidence released by the British Columbia Securities Commission is any indication. "DON'T RUSH, THIS IS THE MOST CRUTIAL (sic) PART OF YOUR SALE, DON'T BE A PUSSY NOW!!!!!!!," stated one script, entitled "BUTTON UP-CLOSE," for the boiler room phone chimps.

The phoners, allegedly trained, coached and pumped up by Mr. Biller, who had similar roles running the sales teams in the massive Eron Mortgage fraud, also kept extensive notes on their targeted suckers. "Nice girl looking for an investment. Has to like what she sees and she can participate if she likes. Smaller level no more than 2000$. Also I pitched CMNN (Communicate.com) so beat that out of her too. Dumb bitch," stated one sucker sheet.

Mr. Biller was banned for 10 years in 2001 year by the BCSC for his key role in the $180-million Eron Mortgage fiasco, an unrelated case which featured controversial former Vancouver lawyer and alleged organized crime money launderer Martin Chambers as a key behind-the-scenes player. While most of the boiler room figures are targets of a BCSC regulatory investigation, Mr. Biller is also the subject of a parallel criminal investigation by the Vancouver Police Department.

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Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein "has no intention of disarming," Bush told reporters after meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Aznar at his Texas ranch. Resolution 1441 "did not ask for hints of progress or minor concessions. It demanded full and immediate disarmament," Bush said.

"The Security Council has taken a clear stand and it now faces a clear choice. With all the world watching, the council will now show whether it means what it says," he said.

For his part, Aznar said Spain is ready to fight together with the United States "against weapons of mass destruction and terrorism."

Aznar, a staunch ally in US efforts to press Iraq to destroy its weapons of mass destruction, arrived at Bush's ranch Friday night from Mexico.

France remains opposed to new UN resolution on Iraq
French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin reaffirmed France's opposition to a new UN Security Council resolution on Iraq, insisting that the UN weapons inspectors should be allowed to continue their mission in Iraq.

In an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro which is to be published on Monday, Villepin said that the inspections "produce results and can lead to the disarmament of Iraq." He stressed that Iraq must destroy its Al-Samoud missiles, saying "if the Iraqis went ahead with these destructions, it would be a positive step."

On Sunday, French government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope also said that France is opposed to a new UN Security Council resolution on Iraq as long as the weapons inspectors in Iraq are making progress. Speaking on Europe-1 radio, Cope urged Iraq to fully cooperate with the UN inspectors and destroy its Al-Samoud 2 missiles because their range exceeds the 150 km permitted by UN resolutions.

The United States is expected to submit a draft new UN resolution on Iraq in the next few days, seeking authorization from the United Nations for an attack on Iraq.

A French diplomatic source said on Sunday that the United States would probably submit the draft resolution to the Security Council on Tuesday. The draft document would be short and would not include an ultimatum to Iraq, said the source. It would focus on two issues: Iraq has committed patent violations on disarmament and it must be punished for these violations, the source said.

Meanwhile, in the Turkish capital of Ankara, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Sunday that Iraq must destroy its Al-Samoud 2 missiles, or it will prompt the UN Security Council to take a decision on the issue. Upon his arrival in Ankara, Annan told reporters that he is confident that Iraq will destroy these missiles. "They (the Iraqis) should realize the urgency and the seriousness of the situation," said Annan, who is to discuss the issue of reunification of Cyprus with Turkish leaders.

In a related development, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Farouq Al-Shara said on Sunday that there is no reason for the United Nations Security Council to adopt a new resolution on Iraq.

It is still possible for a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis, Shara told US Secretary of State Colin Powell by phone, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. Syria believes that a new resolution, no matter how moderate in verbalism it would be, "will give the impression that Resolution 1441 has expired and will be used by the warmongers in the United States and outside as a pretext to strike at Iraq," Shara said. Syria is the only Arab member on the 15-member UN Security Council.

In Cairo, the Arab League (AL) announced on Sunday that 21 of its 22 members have agreed on the annual summit to be held on March 1 in Egypt's Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh.

The only country yet to give an approval is Iraq, which wants a postponement until after March 14, when the UN Security Council is expected to assess the weapons inspections in Iraq at the request of France.

Saddam faces mid-March deadline to comply
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is to face a final deadline of the middle of March before a second UN resolution is voted on by the Security Council, a British newspaper said on Sunday.

Within three weeks, there would be a definite vote on the second resolution to be tabled jointly by Britain and the United States early next week, The Observer quoted British official sources as saying. The planned resolution will say Saddam Hussein is in "material breach" of resolution 1441 which demands he comply with UN requests or face "serious consequences," the paper said.

On Saturday night, US, British, Spanish and Italian leaders held a conference call to finalize details of the new resolution.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to make an emergency statement Tuesday to the House of Commons on Saddam's final chance to comply or face military action. There will then be a full parliamentary debate on Wednesday, the paper also said.

In another development, British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon, who will be in charge of military operations, will travel to the Gulf Monday to inspect British armed forces in the region. Military sources confirmed that there are about 8,000 British troops in the Gulf, with several thousand more being arriving each week.

Germans rally again to protest possible war on Iraq
With memories of the massive anti-war demonstrations last weekend still fresh, some 20,000 Germans took to the streets again in major cities on Saturday to protest a looming United States-led military attack on Iraq.

In Frankfurt, nearly 3,000 demonstrators rallied outside the US Rhine-Main air base to protest US and British war threats against Iraq and the government's permission for US military aircraft to use German airspace should a war break out. Carrying banners reading "No blood for oil" and "Disarm Bush," demonstrators blocked the main gate to the base with worn-out tires and foldaway chairs. Hundreds of police stood guard outside the base. The demonstration proceeded without incidents, police said.

The Rhine-Main air base, one of the three US air bases in Germany, serves mainly as a transit point for US military personnel and logistic support.

Demonstrators in Cologne formed the word "peace" with their bodies on the streets to dramatize their call on the United States to scrap its war threats. Around 10,000 protesters joined the anti-war rally in Cologne, police said.

Seven militants killed in India-controlled Kashmir
Seven militants were shot dead on Sunday in an encounter with Indian troops in Poonch district of India-controlled Kashmir, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

The encounter, which lasted about five hours, broke out when Indian troops launched a search operation in the district, a defense spokesman was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, PTI said, Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire along the line of control in the disputed valley on Sunday.

Official sources reportedly said that there was no loss of life or damage to property on the Indian side in the "small arms fire."