San José, Costa Rica -    Sunday 17 October 2004

1.396 Daily Average Visits in September!

Casa por Carcél Don Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Echeverría's new home for the next six months after paying ¢250.000.000 colones bail. The house is located in Montes de Oca, San Pedro. The Fiscalía who had asked for nine months of preventive jail agaisnt the former president of Costa Rica will be appealing the judge's decision in the next days. Click for larger image! Our foto gallery of Miguel Angel Rodríguez's arrival at the Juan Santamaria airport The La Nación foto gallery  for a closer look of the man himself as he steps off the airplane and taken into custody

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

'Casa por Carcél'  for Rodríguez
A criminal court judge rejected yesterday the prosecutor's request to for a nine month preventive detention for former president Miguel Angel Rodríguez and ordered house arrest or 'casa por carcél' against the man who is accused of corruption while in office.

Taiwan Offers Help in Investigation of Rodríguez
The Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said that Taiwan will provide details of its donations to projects and funds to Costa Rica as soon as next Tuesday, following the detention of former Costa Rican president Miguel Angel Rodríguez on Friday amid accusations of corruption during his presidency.

Carnavales de Límon Winds Down
Today is the last day of the Límon festival that has been running all week long. However, shadowed by the events of the scandals surrounding the country and the arrival of the former president on Friday, the dancing and parades in the streets did not stop.

Holiday Day Tomorrow
Tomorrow will be a day off for public employees, as the country celebrates the October 12 holiday, which is now being called "Cultural Day".

insidenicaragua
Central American Leaders Rally Around Embattled Nicaraguan President
Central American leaders asked the Organization of American States to stop Nicaragua's legislature from impeaching President Enrique Bolaños on corruption charges.

Quality Beans Revive Guatemala's Coffee Industry
When a global glut drove the price of coffee beans to a historic low five years ago, Julio Flores almost shuttered the hillside coffee farm that had been in his family for four generations. But today Flores's farm is prospering as soaring demand for premium coffee brings new wealth to the old fields of Central America.

Cuba denies entry of anti-Cuban Spanish politician
Cuba has denied entry of a Spanish member of parliament as he was holding fraudulent travel documents, said the Cuban Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

International observers to monitor Ecuadorian elections
A total of 58 international observers from 17 countries will be deployed to guarantee the transparency of Sunday's municipal and provincial elections in Ecuador.  

International News from the New York Times
 

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BOLIVIA: Indigenous and Civic Groups to Field Candidates In Bolivia's upcoming local elections, indigenous and civil society organisations will for the first time be able to field their own candidates, thanks to a modification of the country's election laws. Political parties will find themselves competing against some 70 indigenous and citizen groups in December, when voters choose 3,500 mayors and town councillors. And in the view of Professor Joaquín Saravia, citizens organisations and indigenous groups will occupy the spaces left vacant by the parties, which have fallen into discredit. But, the analyst predicted in a conversation with IPS, a lack of experience in public administration is likely to create a gap between good intentions and what these new candidates will really be able to achieve, which would eventually lead to the traditional parties regaining a leading role.

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