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19 Dic 2005

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, December 19, 2005

A LUCKY Landing : All six passengers and both pilots survived Friday when the Nature Air airplane they were in crashed into a forest as it attempted to make an emergency landing at approximately 11:50 a.m., a half-mile from the Tamarindo Airport, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste. The pilot and one passenger remain hospitalized with broken bones.
Photo courtesy of Tamarindo News.

Nature Air Flight
Crashes in Tamarindo
A Nature Air airplane with eight occupants, including two French citizens and two U.S. citizens, crashed as it attempted an emergency landing Friday, approximately half a mile from the Tamarindo Airport, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste on the Pacific Coast, the Red Cross said. No deaths were reported.
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Conservationist Organizations
Launch Campaign to Save
the Whales
A group of environmental authorities and government institutions last Friday launched a fundraising campaign that will extend until March to protect whales against commercial whaling, a practice that some countries seek to legalize.
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Government Announces
Public Sector Raise
The Costa Rican government announced Friday that it would be increasing public sector salaries by 5% in the first semester of 2006, taking effect Jan. 1.
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December 19

Party at Jazz Café
Mixture of three different styles, house, progressive and tribal played by Dj Dr Leo, Dj Prestinary and Dj Tekes and the Ethnic Ensamble by Alvaro Lopez, Andrés Servilla, Danny Bonilla and Bernal Monestel, plus a great dance floor, tonight at Jazz Café, San Pedro.

Christmas Carols with the Salvation Army
Enjoy mulled wine and mince pies, tonight at 6 p.m. at the British Embassy Residence, Escazú. Info: 258-2025.

Edited By Rebecca Kimitch
Tico Times Staff
rkimitch@ticotimes.net

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Nature Air Flight
Crashes in Tamarindo

A Nature Air airplane with eight occupants, including two French citizens and two U.S. citizens, crashed as it attempted an emergency landing Friday, approximately half a mile from the Tamarindo Airport, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste on the Pacific Coast, the Red Cross said. No deaths were reported.

As of Sunday, only the pilot, María del Rocío Vargas, 32, and a French tourist, Jaques Bitoune, 72, remained hospitalized, both with broken bones, the daily La Nación reported.

Initial reports said the pilot attempted an emergency landing because of mechanical errors, however La Nación reported yesterday that it could have been because of strong winds. The twin-engine Twin Otter, which had a capacity of 15 people, crashed into trees in a forested area at approximately 11:50 a.m.

The other occupants of the plane were copilot Gustavo Carrera, Luis Gerardo Gómez, José Lluguno, Peter Noble and Audy Smith of the United States, and Jacques Bititoune and Floruy Davtrien, from France, the Red Cross reported. All were transferred to area medical centers and treated for light injuries and later released.

The Civil Aviation Authority and Nature Air are investigating the accident.

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Conservationist Organizations
Launch Campaign to Save the Whales
By María Gabriela Díaz
Tico Times Staff
mgdiaz@ticotimes.net

A group of environmental authorities and government institutions last Friday launched a fundraising campaign that will extend until March to protect whales against commercial whaling, a practice that some countries seek to legalize.

Through the campaign, called “S.O.S. Save our Whales – Costa Rica,” money will be collected from moviegoers at CCM Cinemas throughout the country to raise funds for Costa Rica to regain active membership in the International Whaling Commission (CBI), an intergovernmental whale conservationist organization.

Although Costa Rica joined the commission in 1982, it has not participated as a voting member because it lacks the funds to pay membership fees, Priscilla Cubero, chief coordinator of the non-profit marine conservation group PROMAR, said during the campaign inauguration on Friday.

Costa Rica wants to recover its voting capacity within the organization to support countries that oppose commercial whaling.

According to Cubero, the difference in votes in support of the practice to votes against was only three.

CCM cinemas will also feature a 30-second publicity spot during trailers to incite viewers to donate to the campaign, organized by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MINAE), the marine conservationist non-profit organizations PROMAR and MarViva and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).

TV channels 6, 7 and 13 have also offered to run this publicity free of charge, according to Cubero.

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Government Announces
Public Sector Raise

The Costa Rican government announced Friday that it would be increasing public sector salaries by 5% in the first semester of 2006, taking effect Jan. 1.

A Labor Ministry official told ACAN-EFE that the 5% raise, which will affect 163,245 state employees, was decreed in order to counter rising inflation, which will close this year at approximately 14%.

The last public sector salary hike was announced in July, corresponding to the second semester of 2005, and was 4%.

This raise and the one in July were both approved by decree, meaning that it was not negotiated with workers, something that is standard practice when raising private sector salaries.

ACAN-EFE

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