In between News Digests, we are now proud to present our new NEWS BITES service, which will be mini bites of news as they happen!

After today, this service will ONLY be broadcast to our main costa-rica@yahoogroup.com list, but the regular News Digest will continue to come out twice or three times weekly as needed.

Enjoy!

John

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NEWS BITES
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Deputy Asks for Hacienda Minister Resignation Over "Cover Up"

Gloria Valerín, a legislative deputy for the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) has asked president Abel Pacheco to fire Hacienda Minister, Federico Carrillo, and is asking the Fiscalía (prosecutor's office) to begin an investigation in the apparent "cover up" by Carrillo of a young man who is accused of rape and happens to also be member of his family.

In addition, Valerín will be asking the Comisión de la Mujer to investigate the case as well.

Valerín is accusing Carrillo of intervening in the case where a young lady was raped outside of a bar in Santa Ana (west of San José) last December 12 by a group of youths well known in the area and accustomed to getting bailed out of trouble by their influent families.

The young lady that was raped was 20 years old and told police that four young men held her pinned to the back seat of their car. The young men did not realize that there were two witnesses outside at the time that promptly called police.

A letter to Valerín by the father of the young girl asked for help in the case, where many strange things have happened. The letter accuses Carrillo of trying to use his influence to help one of the young men, who is his cousin and works at Hacienda.

"These are young men who are used to commit all types of crimes and never see jail because of their families influence on the system", adds the girl's father in his letter.

Forensic evidence points the finger tothe young men accused of the crime, but the young girl's father adds that the men who raped are still free. And that the Minister of Hacienda has talked bad about the girl in the press in defending his cousin, without even knowing her.

Deputy Valerín read the letter to the Legislative Assembly as part of her charges against the Minister and adds that the prosecutor handling the case had requested that the accusers not bother the victim, however, when the young girl was ready to give her testimony to the prosecutor, a former judge who is acting as defense attorney insults the girl's mother. And adds that even though the assailants are not permitted to be in the presence of the girl when she is giving her testimony, one of them is present to frighten the girl and with the approval of the prosecutor.

For his part, Minister Carrillo has refused to speak on the matter and is not making himself available to the press.


* Bolivian Congress accepts president's resignation

Bolivia's Congress Thursday unanimously accepted the resignation of President Carlos Mesa and appointed President of the Supreme Court Eduardo Rodriguez as interim leader of the South American country.

The appointment of Rodriguez came after both Senate leader Hormando Vaca Diez and House leader Mario Cossio refused to accept the post in succession, said reports from Sucre, the constitutional capital of Bolivia.

According to the constitution, the interim president is entitled to call new elections.

The decisions were made by Congress in a quick late-night emergency session without debate.

Late on Monday, Mesa announced his decision to resign after mass anti-government protesters paralyzed the country for several weeks. Earlier this year, he also offered resignation, but was turned down by Congress.

The unrest in Bolivia erupted after the National Congress passed a law on May 17 to levy a 50-percent tax on foreign oil and gas companies operating in Bolivia, which has the second largest gas reserves in South America after Venezuela.

The opposition demands higher taxes on foreign firms and the nationalization of the country's lucrative oil and gas industry.

Demonstrations have escalated into riots since May 24 when demonstrators blocked a downtown square in La Paz, where the executive and legislative branches of government are located, and began to smash windows in buildings and cars in the surrounding streets.

In a bid to halt oil and gas production, hundreds of peasants in the eastern Santa Cruz province have blockaded roads and entrances to four natural gas fields operated by foreign firms