EscucharA SERIES OF PROPOSALS TABLED BY CONGRESSMAN Rodrigo Gutierrez, of the minority party Fuerza Democratica, has blocked the approval of the tax package, which the Figueres Administration is promoting as the means to lower the fiscal deficit, currently at some $600 million.
NO MAJOR INFLUENCE FROM TROPICAL STORM IRIS, currently in the eastern Caribbean, is expected here, weather experts agree. They don't expect influence either from Hurricane Humberto, located in mid Atlantic and moving north.
ALTHOUGH FOUR YEARS AGO THE PRISON IN THE ISLE of San Lucas, in the Gulf of Nicoya, was closed in order to allow room for a tourist development there, now authorities are considering re-opening the prison. They explained this would help lower the crowding in other Costa Rican prisons.
EX-PRESIDENT OSCAR ARIAS AND THE DALAI LAMA, both Nobel Peace Award, will be among the personalities attending the inauguration of the Berlin-Postdam University of Peace, set for next Friday.
A FIRE DESTROYED SEVEN STORES IN RIO FRIO, Guápiles, yesterday. Losses are estimated at over ¢27 million.
REFERENCE RATE OF EXCHANGE * 183.56 colones (sell); 184.56 colones (buy) per U.S. $1 at Costa Rican banks. *50-cent up/down fluctuations at participating banks.
Events
UNIVERSIDAD DE COSTA RICA'S INTER-CULTURAL Festival starts today with activities that include a Costa Rica-Guatemala foklore presentation (7 p.m., Centro de Recreacion) and a concert to honor Carlos Vargas, (7 p.m., Auditorio Bellas Artes),--works by Schumann, Paganini, Villa-Lobos, Beethoven and Manevich.
KRISTEN HUNGERFORD, 16, FROM SWEDEN, was elected Miss Teen International in the beauty contest San Jose Palacio Hotel hosted last week.
A CAMPAIGN TO CLEAN THE BEACHES in the Paquera are was launched yesterday and is to continue through September 2. All residents and visitors are invited to join.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, DIAL 911. Operators speak both English and Spanish. This service is limited to the greater Central Valley area, Cartago to San Ramon.
Weather
FORECAST from the National Meteorological Institute valid from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, August 28, 1995.
CENTRAL VALLEY: Partly cloudy morning. Cloudy afternoon, with showers and thunderstorms.
GUANACASTE: Mostly sunny morning. Cloudy afternoon, with showers and thunderstorms.
CENTRAL PACIFIC: Partly cloudy morning. Cloudy afternoon, with showers and thunderstorms.
SOUTH PACIFIC: Cloudy, with afternoon showers and thunderstorms.
NORTHERN ZONE AND CARIBBEAN WATERSHED: Partly cloudy morning. Cloudy afternoon, with showers on the northern plains and on the mountains.
COMMENT: A wetter day--as compared to yesterday--, normal for the rainy season, is expected in most of the country today.
