EscucharTHE STRUGGLE FOR THE TAX PACKAGE , with Liberación congressmen for it and their Unidad colleagues opposed, is to continue, analysts believe. The coming Liberación leader at the Legislative Assembly, Luis Villanueva, said he hopes Unidad won't ruin the country just to get political benefits.
THE LEADING PROBLEMS THE COUNTRY FACES will be analyzed by six former presidents in a coming meeting, ex-President Oscar Arias disclosed. Luis Alberto Monge, Rafael Calderón, Mario Echandi, Rodrigo Carazo and José Joaquín Trejos will also attend and plan to make reccomendations to President José María Figueres.
A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE EXCHANGE POLICY is planned in a reform of the Central Bank law. Currently, dollars can only be bought or sold, officially, at banks. The reform would enable cooperatives and other financial institutions, even exchange houses, to participate in the currency market.
EIGHT PEOPLE DIED IN A CAR CRASH in Siquirres early yesterday, in the worst accident registered Easter Week here. According to the police, speeding was the reason for the crash. Authorities said that, different to preceding years, the return to San José of the thousands who had gone to the beach was peaceful.
AN ECOLOGICAL DISASTER WOULD HAVE CAUSED the fall of the Maya civilization, according to U.S. archaeologist Richard Hansen. He explained that the Mayas burned their forests, thus turning their lands into deserts.
CLEANSING THE POLLUTED BAY OF PANAMA , on the Pacific, will cost some $500 million, Panamanian health authorities said. They explained 21 sewer systems drain on the Bay, which shows pollution 200,000 times the accepted levels.
REFERENCE RATE OF EXCHANGE * 173.69 colones (buy); 172.74 colones (sell) per U.S. $1 at Costa Rican banks. *50-cent up/down fluctuations at participating banks.
Events
AN INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM OF ARCHITECTURE starts at 2 p.m. today at Europa Hotel. For details, call Nicolás Murillo, phone 233-0747; fax 233-9732.
BIRDS OF COSTA RICA, OILS AND WATERCOLORS by Bill Skuce, Douglas Selley, Brita Rosedahl, and others, is open at Centro Comercial El Cruce, San Rafael de Escazú, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., through April 30.
SCULPTURES BY 15 LOCAL ARTISTS are currently displayed in the lobby of San José Palacio Hotel.
Weather
FORECAST from the National Meteorological Institute valid from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, April 17, 1995.
CENTRAL VALLEY : Partly cloudy morning, with drizzle on the Central Mountain Range. Partly cloudy afternoon.
GUANACASTE : Mostly sunny morning, with drizzle on the Guanacaste Mountain Range. Partly cloudy afternoon.
CENTRAL PACIFIC : Mostly sunny morning. Cloudy afternoon, with showers and thunderstorms.
SOUTH PACIFIC : Partly cloudy morning. Cloudy afternoon, with showers and thunderstorms.
NORTHERN ZONE AND ATLANTIC WATERSHED : Cloudy morning, with light showers. Cloudy afternoon, with light, scattered showers.
