LA Vida Loca: Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin dazzled fans last night during a concert at Ricardo Saprissa stadium in Tibás, north of San José. Today this heartthrob star is scheduled to sit down with President Oscar Arias to talk about the Ricky Martin Foundation's program Llama y Vive (Call and Live), which works to combat human trafficking.

Strong rains have led the National Emergency Commission (CNE) to declare a green, preventive alert for the Caribbean slope and Northern Zone, according to a statement from the commission.

Costa Rica Investment Fair
Today and tomorrow, Hotel Real Intercontinental, Escazú, west of San José. Info: www.costaricantourisminvestment.com.

Johnny Dread and Bamaselo in Concert
El Observatorio, Barrio La California, San José. Info: 863-0395.

By Blake Schmidt
Tico Times Staff | bschmidt@ticotimes.net

Government officials yesterday expressed concern over the potential closure of a Venezuelan state-owned aluminum plant in Costa Rica they say would be the result of political differences between President Oscar Arias and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

The closure of CVG Aluminios Nacionales S.A. (Alunasa) – which appears likely after the company stopped ordering prime materials for production and began making layoffs yesterday – could further freeze already icy diplomatic relations between two nations whose leaders are on opposite sides of an ideological rift in Latin America.

The future of the plant, which employs about 400 people in the Pacific-slope town of Esparza, was called into question after Arias criticized Chávez for usurping power and “negating democracy” in an interview that aired on Radio Columbia earlier this month.

In a letter last week to Arias, Alunasa workers said Chávez may have decided to close the plant due to Arias' comments, though Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno said the government couldn't confirm this since there is little communication between the two governments.

In attempts to find a resolution, Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias met yesterday with Foreign Trade Minister Marco Vinicio Ruiz, Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno, Labor Minister Francisco Morales, Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) legislator Bienvenido Venegas and representatives of the company.

“We don't know if they're going to close operations, or if they want to move part of the plant or something else,” Arias told reporters at a press conference in the Casa Presidencial Monday.

Meanwhile, Alunasa employees sent a letter to Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez requesting that the socialist President consider their plight.

With workers saying the plant could move to Panama or Nicaragua, where officials reportedly are in talks with Venezuela to build an aluminum plant there, there was speculation yesterday as to whether Venezuela plans to relocate the plant to a country with which it maintains better diplomatic relations.

By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net

Costa Rican cantaloupes testing positive for salmonella bacteria Friday led the fruit company Dole to recall a shipment of this fruit delivered to the eastern United States and Quebec, according to a statement posted on Dole's Web site.

The cantaloupes, which were packaged Jan. 25-27 by a third-party grower in Costa Rica, tested positive for this bacteria, although no cases of the gastric illnesses it produces have been reported, the statement said. As a result, Dole “voluntarily decided to recall all cantaloupes imported from Costa Rica and packed by that grower.”

The cantaloupes being recalled were distributed for sale in bulk between Feb. 5 and 8 in cardboard cartons containing nine, 12 or 15 cantaloupes. The recalled cartons are dark brown with “Dole Cantaloupes” in red lettering. They have a 13-digit number on a white tag pasted to the carton, and the tenth digit is a 2, the statement said.

The fruit was likely infected with salmonella bacteria by a handler carrying it, said Elías Barquero, a microbiologist at the Universidad Nacional (UNA) in Heredia, north of San José. Another possibility is that the cantaloupe came into contact with salmonella-infected water.

Salmonella, which causes diarrhea and vomiting and can spread throughout the body in extreme cases, is transmitted through human and animal fecal matter, Barquero said.

Once this bacteria has found its way onto a fruit such as a cantaloupe, it could survive a couple of months until it finds “the home it's looking for,” a human or animal intestine, Barquero said.

According to Dole, consumers in the eastern United States or Quebec who have uneaten cantaloupe purchased on or after Feb. 5 may contact their retail store to see if their purchase is being recalled, the statement said. Those with additional questions should contact the Dole Consumer Center in the United States at (800) 232-8888.

Strong rains have led the National Emergency Commission (CNE) to declare a green, preventive alert for the Caribbean slope and Northern Zone, according to a statement from the commission.

Local emergency-prevention committees are monitoring the country's main rivers, especially those in the Caribbean, and are prepared to deal with flooding.

Because the Caribbean slope has seen below-average rainfall so far this year, the rivers have so far not been overwhelmed with rainfall. However, the commission is still calling on residents of this area, particularly those living near riverbeds, to stay alert.

According to the National Meteorological Institute (IMN), rains are likely to continue through today along the Central Valley.