Weekly review

Relief for the poor

Women who are heads of family and who are living in extreme poverty will benefit from a relief program which was announced by President Oscar Arias. Some 16,000 women in such condition, and who have children under 12, will receive roughly $100 a month. This is one of Costa Rica’s answers to the increase in the prices of food, as a means to lower the impact on those who suffer the most from such a trend. Also, in the face of the world food crisis, the Government has taken steps to strengthen the agricultural sector, in order to increase the production of rice, beans, and corn, staples in the Costa Rican diet. Small farmers, particularly, will benefit from the program, which is called the National Food Plan, whose impact is aimed at the short and mid term ranges.

Attraction of investment

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Costa Rica placed seventh in the attraction of foreign investment in 2007 among the Latin American and Caribbean nations, according to a survey by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Commission. The $1,889 million that Costa Rica attracted last year was surpassed by Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, and Peru, all of them much larger economies. The chairlady of the Costa Rican Chamber of Exporters (CADEXCO in Spanish) pointed out the good image that the nation has at the international level, but remarked that a large part of it is due to campaigns to promote tourism and some institutional efforts to attract investment. She added that work must continue to preserve the arrival of direct foreign investment.

AIDS fund

Costa Rica was left out by the Global Fund, which provides funds to fend off AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The non-profit organization with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, is a private institution that collects funds in developed countries to fight disease in the Third World. The Vice-Minister of Health Lidieth Carballo said that the denial of aid is due to the fact that the Fund considers Costa Rica a country with medium to high income. She added that the decision will be appealed. In 2003, Costa Rica received financing from the Fund for the first time and for $4.2 million.

Death at childbirth

The number of deaths of women before, during or after childbirth was drastically cut by 50 percent in 2007: 14, as compared to 28 in 2006. According to the Ministry of Health, it is the first time that such a drastic reduction is recorded in the important health indicator.

Map for tourists

Through a satellite map of Costa Rica, tourists will be able to access the most accurate information of the places they visit, as well as the ways to reach them. This tool was developed by the Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professionals (ACOPROT in Spanish) and is available free at www.costaricamaps.com. The information includes products and services for tourists in every region or province.

Toy arms? No, thanks

Some 110 schoolchildren in the Caribbean Port of Limon swapped their toy arms for notebooks and T-shirts at the launching of a program to eradicate the proliferation of weapons. Max Loria, who heads the initiative, explained that it all started five years ago, when a survey showed high crime levels in the Limon, San Carlos, Garabito, and San Jose cantons. He added that more recent data show that 5 percent of all Costa Ricans admit that they have a firearm to defend themselves. Schoolchildren are shown videos that emphasize the consequences of firearms and the steps to take if one comes across one such weapon. They are also oriented not to play with guns and not to resort to violence to solve conflicts.

Money laundering

A Costa Rican couple was arrested for their involvement in a money laundering organization led by U.S. citizen Michael L. Mayer, who was arrested on April 29th upon request of the DEA. Identified only by their family names, Villalobos and Zuniga, the local couple was arrested after the police raided several businesses in Jaco and San Jose. Mayer owns three properties, two boats, and four motor vehicles here, according to local sources. He is wanted by a District Court in Maine, charged of possession of cocaine with the intention of distributing it. His organization operated in that state, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, according to the DEA.