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TODAY'S CONTENTS
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*News Digest


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NEWS DIGEST
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*Downtown Contamination Almost Double the Limits

A study by the Universidad Nacional (UNA) reveals that at peak hours, some

areas of San José experience double the amount of contamination set by the

Ministerio de Salud (Health Ministry).

The UNA study was conducted in specific areas of the downtown core, using 14

monitors to detect the various substances in the areas of Merced, Hospital,

El Carmen and Catedral - from the San Juan de Dios Hospital to La Caterdral

along Paséo Colon/Avenida Segunda running about 4-6 blocks on the north and

south side of the central road.

The monitors read carbon dioxide levels higher than the 40 microgram per

cubic metre set out by the Salud. In places like the gasoline station La

Castellana alond Avenida 10, the monitors read level ranging from 50 - 70.

Those readings are likened the contamination in cities like Madrid, Santiago

de Chile and Mexico City. The World Health Organization considers 50 as a

maximum reading.

carbon Dioxide is produced by vehicle emission and is toxic causing

respiratory problems and becomes more of a problem during rain.

According to the UNA investigators, they say that 75% of the contamination is

caused by vehicles, while the other 25% by industry.

The Departamento de Planificación Urbana de la Municipalidad de San José

(Planning Department) estimates that between 7:00am and 8:00am about 1.260

busies and 13.000 cars come into downtown San José. An estimated 350.000

vehicles circulate the downtown core during the course of any weekday.

The principal cause of the contamination if the traffic congestion that is

common during the day hours in almost every corner of the downtown area. The

large amount of cars, vehicles parked without care to traffic flow and

pedestrians all add up to a constant problem. Poor vehicle maintenance also

contributes to the high level of contamination, especially trucks and buses

running on diesel fuel, that leave a cloud of black smoke every time it is

accelerated.

Discussion on solving the problem has been going on for years, from

restricting vehicular traffic in certain areas and at certain times, to a

eliminating the large number of buses that come from every corner of the

country into the downtown core, with a downtown bus line with bus stations on

the outskirts, to commuter trains.

San José Mayor, Johnny Araya, says that the only thing the municipality can

do for the short time is to plant more trees until a permanent solution is

found.


*Costa Rica No. 2 in Internet Use in Latin America

In Latin America, Costa Rica is surpassed only by Chile in the use of the

internet.

Numbers show that 1.931 out every 10.000 persons in Costa Rica regularly use

the internet , while in Chile the number is 2.375 per 10.000.

The use of the internet in Latin America has increased rapidly. It is

estimated that between 44 and 60 million people in the region regularly use

the internet, this according to a report by the la Conferencia de las

Naciones Unidas para el Comercio y el Desarrollo (UNCTAD).

According to the report, in 2003, Chile and Costa Rica were the top internet

countries, followed by Argentina (1.120), Perú (1.039), Mexico (985) and

Brazil (822).

Of the internet users, email was the most common resource used, followed by

searches, banking and financial transaction, shopping and communications with

government.

The UNCTAD report also shows that more than one half of the companies

investigated had their own website, and another 22% were in the process of

developing one.

The number one complaint by all users of internet in the region is the cost.

In Costa Rica internet users have several ways of connecting the national

network; by cable modem provided by local cable companies in connection with

RACSA (Radiografica Costarricense), ADSL and RDSI provided by the Instituto

Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) - the telephone company and parent of

RACSA or by dial up provided by RACSA.

The cost can be as high as $1 per minute for dial up, while monthly for both

dial up and ADSL, cable or RDSI can be as low as $15 per month.

Whichever method is used to connect. Internet cafés can range from anywhere

from ¢200 colones (us$0.44 cents) to ¢450 colones (us$1) per hour in the San

José area to as much as ¢2.000 Colones (us$4.40) at the beach.


*Figueres Declared a "Rebel"

Former president José María Figueres Olsen has been declared a "rebel" for

his refusal to return to Costa Rica and appear before a legislative

commission.

The declaration was made so that the International Police organization -

INTERPOL - can be asked to help Costa Rica authorities to force the former

president to come before the Comisión de Control de Ingreso y Gasto Público.

A date of February 3, 2005, at 1:00pm has been set.

Figueres who was president between 1994 and 1998 has refused to come before

the legislative commission to answer questions about his admitted receiving

of us$907.000 from the French telecommunications firm Alcatel, a consulting

fee that was paid to him by way of his former government aid, Roberto

Hidalgo, whose firm was contracted by Alcatel.

Figueres had first said that he would come, needing time to clear his

calendar of previous commitments, then doing an about face, sending a 15 page

letter explaining his reasons for not appearing and that he clear of any

wrongdoing.

The former president perhaps fears that he may find himself in sharing the

same cell block as two other former presidents, Rafael Angel Calderón, who

preceded Figueres and Miguel Angel Rodríguez who followed him.

calderón is linked to the Fischel-Caja scandal and is due to be released from

preventive detention on December 22, while Rodríguez, who is linked to the

ICE-Alcatel scandal and also receiving money from the government of Taiwan,

will be sitting out the coming months in La Reforma prison while the Fiscalía

continues it's investigation.

Figueres, now lives in Switzerland and recently stepped down as head of the

World Economic Forum, also based in Switzerland, following the revelations of

his payment.

Figueres' father - José Figueres Ferrer (Don Pepe) - was a three time

president of Costa Rica and is considered a national heroe.



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