Taking an Oath: Sixteen new Peace Corps volunteers were sworn in Friday during a ceremony at the home of U.S. Ambassador Mark Langdale in the western suburb of Escazú. They will work with the National Community Development Office's (DINADECO) regional offices assisting women's groups, small farmers and youth groups and teaching English.

Argentine singer Diego Torres will return to Costa Rica June 30 as part of his “Andando” tour, concert organizers announced Saturday.

Lifeguarding Seminar
Today through Sunday, Balneario de Aguas Termales, Orosi, east of San José. Info: 458-1212.

Computer Classes for Seniors
Excel for Windows, today through June 1; Basic E-mail, Windows and Internet, June 4-15; Advanced Internet, June 18-29; all 8 a.m.-noon; Omar Dengo Foundation, San José, Ave. 10, Calle 25. Info: 527-6007.

The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) Friday answered a question posed earlier this month by Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias as to whether public employees can campaign for or against the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) as the country prepares for a popular vote on this controversial trade pact tentatively scheduled for Sept. 23.

“Public officials... will be able to freely express their opinions” about CAFTA and “participate in forums, debates, conferences, talks, interviews and collective activities that facilitate the open process of citizens discussing and divulging their opinions freely,” according to statement from the Sala IV.

Police officers and Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE) employees are the exception and are restricted from expressing their opinions during the referendum and the period leading up to it.

The court also declared the “absolute prohibition” of the use of public funds for campaigns for or against CAFTA. The financial heads of public institutions will be responsible for making sure this type of spending does not occur and must report any anomalies to the Comptroller General's Office, TSE interim president Luis Antonio Sobrado told the daily La Nación.

The office of President Oscar Arias, a vocal advocate of CAFTA, expressed satisfaction over the court's decision in a statement released Friday.

The President's brother and spokesman Rodrigo Arias had argued when he requested that the court review the Electoral Code that a provision banning public employees from expressing their opinions was intended for elections in which candidates are seeking posts, not for a referendum, and that because September's vote would be modern Costa Rica's first referendum, this issue has never come up.

The court's decision is “congruent with the national reality” because a government that supports CAFTA must have “the opportunity to defend its thesis,” he said in the statement.

-Tico Times

Talk of an airport, remodeled police stations, more jobs and new roads and bridges for the Southern Zone was the focus of a visit there by Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias, Tourism Minister Carlos Benavides, Public Security Minister Fernando Berrocal and National Liberation Party legislator Olivier Jiménez Friday.

An executive decree signed by President Oscar Arias will allow for “optimized and appropriate” use of tax money by the Southern Zone Development Board (JUDESUR) to give small and medium businesses and municipalities loans for development projects, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial.

This decree will go into effect as soon as it is published in the official government daily La Gaceta, expected for Tuesday, and will affect the Southern Zone cantons of Osa, Golfito, Buenos Aires, Corredores and Coto Brus.

Tourism projects and a long-discussed Southern Zone airport are among initiatives the government hopes to get under way in the area, Benavides said.

In terms of security, Berrocal announced plans to spend ¢300 million ($576,923) remodeling area police stations and to deploy 150 Tourism Police officers to the Southern Zone this year.

-Tico Times

Argentine singer Diego Torres will return to Costa Rica June 30 as part of his “Andando” tour, concert organizers announced Saturday.

Torres, known for hits including “Color Esperanza,” “Tratar de Estar Mejor,” “Penélope” and, most recently, “Abriendo Caminos,” has already visited Peru and Guatemala on this tour.

He plans to perform at the Palacio de Deportes in Heredia, north of San José. The event's organizers have not released information about the cost of tickets.

The last time Torres preformed in Costa Rica was in 2006 at the Imperial Festival, alongside Sting and The Ramsus. In addition to being a singer, this brown-eyed star is also a goodwill ambassador to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).