ELECTIONS-URUGUAY: Former Guerrilla vs Neoliberal
MONTEVIDEO, Oct 22 (IPS) – The streets of the Uruguayan capital are a blur of white, red and blue in the final stretch to Sunday’s elections, which the governing left-wing Broad Front coalition stands a good chance of winning.
IMF Executive Board Concludes Article IV Consultation with Costa Rica (IMF)
On September 23, 2009, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the 2009 Article IV consultation with Costa Rica. 1 The global crisis has hit Costa Rica hard.
Neenah Paper Takes Part in Costa Rica Reforestation Project (PaperAge.com)
Oct. 20, 2009 – Neenah Paper announced that it has partnered with Friends of the Osa and the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin to help reforest a conservation property in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world.
Crackdown Big Victory In Mexico’s Drug War (NPR)
Mexico’s attorney general gave a speech this week addressing the battle against drug cartels that continue to wreak havoc across the nation. The speech comes one day after the U.S. Justice Department announced a major crackdown on U.S. operations of Mexico’s La Familia drug cartel. Host Scott Simon talks to NPR’s Jason Beaubien in Mexico City.
Costa Rican Bridge Collapses, Dropping Bus and Killing 5 (Fox News)
A traditional hammock-style wood-and-cable bridge has collapsed as a bus crossed it in rural Costa Rica, dropping a bus filled with 38 people into a riverbed. Five people are reported dead.
Mexico Looks To U.S. To Fuel Economic Recovery (NPR)
The massive economic downturn in Mexico, with the slowest recovery in Latin America, has opened a debate about close ties to the U.S. market. The codependent relationship means that as Mexico struggles to get back on its feet, it also hurts the U.S. economy.
PERU: On Track to Meeting Poverty Reduction Target
LIMA, Oct 21 (IPS) – Peru is only one percentage point away from halving the proportion of its people living in extreme poverty, one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed by the international community in 2000, according to a United Nations report.
CENTRAL AMERICA: The World’s Most Violent Region
MANAGUA, Oct 23 (IPS) – Although the UNDP’s Report on Human Development in Central America 2009-2010 says the region has the highest rates of non-political crime in the world, there are nevertheless plenty of opportunities to improve public security, analysts and experts say.
MIGRATION-BRAZIL: Gov’t Engages Three Million Far-Flung Citizens
RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 19 (IPS) – Brazil, a major source of migrants since the 1980s, is now working at recognising and supporting the rights of the three million Brazilians who are scattered among over 100 countries.
Panama, Costa Rica hit by quake (Gulf Times)
An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale shook the border area between Panama and Costa Rica late on Wednesday without causing serious damage, Panamanian authorities confirmed.
COLOMBIA: U.S. Aid Must Leverage Reforms, Rights Groups Urge
WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (IPS) – Defending human rights in Colombia – never an especially safe endeavour – has become even more dangerous lately, several NGO leaders and Colombian human rights defenders testified on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
Costa Rica Tourist Arrivals Increased To 2.51mn In 2008 Before Dipping Down To 2.29mn In 2009 (OfficialWire)
After increasing from 2.06mn in 2006 to 2.29mn in 2007, the report expects tourist arrivals to have increased to 2.51mn in 2008 before dipping down to 2.29mn in 2009. Arrival numbers are forecast to tick up again in 2010, and to grow at an average rate of 2.2% until the end of our forecast period in 2013. The majority of tourists visit Costa Rica during the peak season (January-May) and come …
New Mexico: New Home for Otters (New York Times)
Six river otters from the Pacific Northwest have been released into the ice-cold water of a river in northern New Mexico as part of an effort to return the mammals to their historic range.
