Weekly review

Progress in human development

Excepting Talamanca, the other 80 cantons of Costa Rica made slow, but steady, progress in health, education, and material well-being in the last five years. In spite of the improvement, poverty and inequality live along progress in most of the cantons. This conclusion was reached by a human development joint study by the United Nations Program for Development and the University of Costa Rica. The study includes life expectancy, education, and the standard of living. The cantons that show the most improvement are Escazu, Santa Ana, and Curridabat, all in the province of San Jose, while Los Chiles, Alajuela, and Matina, Limon, are the two with the slowest rate of progress. Now, Talamanca, also in the province of Limon, did not make any progress. The study also includes the Human Poverty Index, which includes lack of opportunities, chances of dying before reaching 60 years of age, adults with less than three years of school, the percentage of the poor, and the rate of unemployment. In this Index, only 29 cantons made some progress.

Consumer prices

	Imprimir		Recomendar
	Disminuir		Aumentar

The behavior of the two major indicators and projections show that inflation resists dropping below 8 percent. This was established by the Central Bank’s analysis of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the evolution of 292 goods and services, as well as the Inflation Underlying Index (IUI), which better shows the mid-term trend in inflation. The data for recent months shows that, after a downward trend, the indexes have remained at 8 percent to 9.4 percent. According to analysts, it is unlikely for the Central Bank to achieve the 8 percent top inflation for the year 2007 that it had set as its goal.

Chang’s lab out of NASA

Two years after leaving NASA and having established the firm Ad Astra Rocket, the Costa Rican-born astronaut Franklin Chang and his laboratory physically left the space agency’s facilities. After 12 years making experiments with plasma at Johnson Space Center in Houston, the laboratory dedicated to the development of a plasma engine that would enable spacecraft to fly Mars and even beyond. “It’s a turning point for the company, since it means moving to a larger facility than the current lab,” said Ronald Chang, the manager of the Ad Astra Rocket branch in Liberia, Guanacaste.

Turtles spawn earlier

A 1.5-meter (roughly 5-feet) leatherback turtle surprised scientists on September 15, when she arrived at Junquillal Beach, on the Costa Rican northwestern Pacific, to spawn. The turtle, a member of one of the most endangered species of turtles in the world, was named Sol del Mar (Sun of the Sea) by residents. She arrived a month before the normal spawning season in the area, which starts in mid October and continues through the next March. World Wildlife Fund and the Pacific Leatherback Conservation Program hailed the arrival as a sign of an abundant and successful spawning season. According to available data, the leatherback turtle has seen its ranks decreased by 90 percent worldwide in the last 20 years.

Shark finning

The premiere of Canadian filmmaker and biologist Rob Stewart’s documentary Sharkwater was highly successful in Florida and will be shown worldwide starting next November 2. The production shows the cruel finning of sharks in Costa Rican waters. The practice, which has been fought by environmentalist and other civil organizations in Costa Rica, spawns from the high prices the fins command in Asian countries, where the soup made with them is considered a cure for cancer. The Government of Costa Rica and several organizations took immediate steps to address the issue.

President to visit China

On October 22, President Oscar Arias will start in Beijing a tour of the People’s Republic of China, which will be the first official visit of a Costa Rican head of state after 63 years of relations with Taiwan came to an end last June 1st. According to official sources, during his visit, President Arias will analyze eight agreements with China, including a bilateral free trade one.

Charges dropped

The General Prosecutor’s Office requested that the Finance Penal Court disallow the charges against former President Jose Maria Figueres in relation to a $906,000 payment made by the French telecommunications firm Alcatel. According to an official spokesperson, the request is based on lack of evidence. The prosecutors were unable to confirm, as had been initially suspected, that the payment had been made as a bribe to promote the purchase of 400,000 cell phone lines by the Costa Rican Power and Telecommunications Institute from Alcatel.