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*News Digest

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NEWS DIGEST
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*Costa Rica May Criminalize VoIP

The growing surge in international VoIP calls has caused
the state-owned telecommunications monopoly in Costa
Rica to propose legislation that could criminalize the
use of Internet telephone calls. The Instituto
Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) said that it views
VoIP as a value-added telecom service and, as such, it
should be regulated. At its most Draconian, the
proposal would make Internet telephoning a crime. One
Costa Rican official of an agency seeking to promote the
Central American country's software industry said last
week that ICE's proposal would be "disastrous" to the
country's efforts to grow its software development and
outsourcing businesses. The official, who asked that
his name not be used, noted that Costa Rica has been
rapidly growing its outsourcing business and low-cost
telephone service is crucial to the growth of that
business. ICE is a telecommunications monopoly. While
some have criticized it for stifling competition, it has
established efficient telephone service throughout Costa
Rica, which is rapidly-emerging from third world status.
Market research studies have noted that some 78 percent
of software developers in the Central American and
Caribbean region are located in Costa Rica. The ICE
proposal was first reported in "La Nacion," the
country's national newspaper, which noted that some 20
percent of the country's international calls are made
using VoIP technology. The use of Skype Technologies'
peer-to-peer Web calling is widespread and other VoIP
services including U.S. VoIP pacesetter Vonage are also
used to make and receive calls to and from the Central
American nation. Claudio Bermudez, ICE deputy director,
was quoted by La Nacion as follows: "VoIP, which is
characterized as a telephone service, is a
(telecommunications) carrier and substitute telephone
service, and as such uses the public telecommunications
infrastructure." The question of VoIP and whether it
should be regulated as a telephone service or left
unregulated as a data service has been hotly debated for
several months in the U.S. Most governmental agencies
and courts have ruled that Internet phoning is a data
service that should not be regulated. Earlier this
month, Vonage complained to the U.S. Federal
Communications Commission that its service had been
blocked by a high-speed ISP. To date, there is no
evidence that the ICE has blocked any VoIP service in
Costa Rica.

*Some Support Cuban Five in Costa Rica

Relatives of five Cubans imprisoned
in the US since 1998 are continuing Monday their
extensive program of activities in this capital, to gain
support for the cause of their beloved ones. Wives and
mother of the five will meet today with local human
rights organizations and denounce the injustices
committed against them. Their cause has so far received
great solidarity from Costa Rica's civil society, with
the creation of a committee to support them being the
most palpable example. The Cuban Five, as they are
known in ongoing international campaigns for their
release, according to their supporters are serving
unfair and harsh sentences ranging from 15 years to
double life imprisonment, for merely defending their
country from terrorist activities by extreme right
groups of Cuban origin in southern Miami. The "5 por
los 5" campaign, consisting of protests every month in
front of the US embassies of the 83 countries where
there are solidarity committees with the Cuban Five, was
unanimously welcomed into the movement. "The US empire
can impose wars and nameless sacrifices, separate
relatives, condemn the defense of one´s homeland and
violate international human rights, but it will never
imprison people"s conscience," the Committee"s first
declaration stated.



*Alajuela Hospital Staff Incensed

Authorities at the Alajuela Hospital are incensed at the remarks made by

executives of the Spanish consortium, Obrascón Huarte Laín (OHL), that build

the hospital when it was insinuated that the staff at the hospital doesn't

know how to use the new equipment.

The kitchen equipment has failed. The kitchen staff at the hospital have had

to resort to the old pots and pans to prepare the daily meals. The new rice

cooker was burning or overcooking the rice, the soup warmer boils instead.

These are just some of the complaints of the staff at the new hospital after

the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) spend some us$40 million

dollars in a contract awarded to the Spanish company to build it.

OHL executives who fled the country short after arriving, fearing their

detention, in a press conference a week ago insinuated that the hospital

staff have not been adequately trained. The hospital director vehemently

defends the training of his staff of 700.

But the problems are not just in the kitchen. Air conditioners don't work.

Doors jam or don't open properly. Medical equipment has failed to function

and requires repair, are just some of the complaints by a staff who is trying

to keep the hospital running normally.

Last Thursday, officials of the Fiscalía de Delitos Económicos raided the

offices of OHL and detained the managing director, Hernaldo Lazo, who will be

sitting out the next three months in jail after a court dictated preventive

measures against him.

Israel Moya, a manager at the CCSS was also given the same preventive

measures for his role in what is suspected to be a case of corruption.

President Pacheco has said that he will personally contact his counterpart in

Spain to discuss the situation. He is upset that after all the planning and

spending a huge amount of the money, Costa Ricans didn't get what they had

bargained for.


*Uf Qué calor!

Is it hot enough for you?

The last few days have been unbearable in San José, that after the last two

months of cold winds, the thermometer has surpassed the average daily

temperature. And no cool breeze to offer relief.

You can feel the strong rays of the sun from the early hours of the morning,

which last well into the afternoon. And with no breeze to cool off the night,

you feel like being in a sauna.

The weatherman - the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) - says that this

condition may last for another few days before returning to normal highs.

Light clothing and sun screen is recommended to avoid burning the skin.

San José reached a high of 30.3 Celsius (86.5 Fahrenheit) on Sunday when the

average is 28 Celsius. Alajuela was at 32.6 Celsius, Liberia 37.3 Celsius and

Puntarenas 28.4 Celsius

Meteorologist , Norman Vega, explains that the heat of the last few days is

due to an atmospheric condition in the Caribbean that is affecting all of

Central America and weak winds off the Pacific.



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