San José, Costa Rica - Monday 19 July 2004

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A Spaniard held for two years in the US military camp at Guantanamo Bay before being handed over to Spain walked out of prison on bail on Tuesday. Hamed Aderrahman Ahmad was the first detainee to be transferred from the prison camp where the United States is holding about 600 people, captured since US forces invaded Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks.   Click for larger image!

More Transit Officials Required
A report by the daily Spanish newspaper La Nacion says that one half of all transit officials actually are out on the streets, protecting the public from irresponsible drivers.

Bambuzal Farmers Still Occupying the Cathedral
About 80 families are still camped at the Metropolitan Cathedral, in downtown San José, living among the daily murmur of prayers. 

Scientist Calls Decaf Coffee Row Tempest in Teacup
The Brazilian scientist who recently discovered naturally decaffeinated coffee plants from a collection of wild Ethiopian beans said last week,  reports that he had taken coffee plants illegally from the African country were “nonsense.”

News Briefs
The Coordinadora Unitaria Sindical y Magisterial (CUSIMA), which groups some 70% of all the unions in the country, have announced that they will stage a protest strike next Thursday, the 29th of July.


 

Castro promotes prostitution there, president Bush charges President Bush on Friday accused Fidel Castro of taking advantage of U.S. good will in the past to foster child prostitution in Cuba, turning the island nation into what the president called a "major destination" for visitors seeking sex.  Mexico, Cuba to send back ambassadors Cuba and Mexico agreed on Sunday to send back their ambassadors to each other's capital as part of an effort to smooth over a rift that prompted both countries to withdraw their ambassadors in May.  Bolivians turn out for referendum on natural gas Bolivians turned out Sunday for a referendum that will decide on the future of their country's natural gas resources, news reaching here from the Bolivian capital of La Paz said.  Brazilians protest over recession President Lula has urged patience as he implements his reforms Thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets in protest at the slow recovery of the country's worst recession in more than a decade. International News from the New York Times

SPECIAL REPORTS HEALTH-LATIN AMERICA: Participation the Best Anti-AIDS Weapon Jacqueline Rocha Cortes symbolises the fight against AIDS in many regards, particularly the important role played by civil society in controlling the epidemic in Brazil and in other Latin American countries. At age 44, she has been HIV-positive for ten years and is active in many different ways in the anti-AIDS struggle. Locally she works for the government programme to fight HIV/AIDS in Rio Preto, a city of 390,000 people in Sao Paulo state with a high rate of HIV infection, blamed on the fact that it is a cocaine trafficking hub. TRAVEL Travel Stories... Rhythms of the Rainforest: Exploring Costa Rica The dense jungle surrounds us, pulsating with the sounds of roaring howler monkeys and chattering birds. Clambering after the agile, barefoot guide, my companion Cris and I clutch at the jagged rocks lining the dried riverbed, eager for any leverage up the steep, uneven slope. My hand reaches automatically for a large boulder, covered in gorgeous, emerald-green moss. "The snakes know you're coming before you ever see them," our guide Esteban warns, and I've obviously forgotten what I was told back at the tent camp. Don't touch before looking--don't assume. An hour later, we trod into the space of a deadly fer-de-lance viper, its brown coils blending perfectly with the river's edge.   THE TAKE: DOUBLE TAKE In an attempt to surpass an already extraordinary 97% literacy rate, the Costa Rican government now requires cattle to attend school. [Photo by Stephen Bauer]

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