Celebrity Visit: Renowned actor/director Mel Gibson, right, paid President Oscar Arias a visit yesterday at the President's home in the western suburb of Rohrmoser to discuss a charity project while touring the country. The Hollywood star, who appeared in movies such as “Braveheart” and “What Women Want,” and directed others such as “The Passion of Christ” and “Apocalypto,” has visited Costa Rica several times.

A subsidiary of the Bayer drug empire is making its Central American headquarters in Costa Rica. Bayer Schering Pharma, the result of Bayer's 20 billion euro acquisition of fellow German drug giant Schering last year, is expected to begin operations here July 15.

Photo Exhibit Begins
“Cartas para Nicolás” featuring photos by Roxana Naygeller, opening July 10, 7 p.m., Spanish Cultural Center, Av.13, Ca. 31. Info: 257-2919, ext. 118, mediateca@ccecr.org.

Painting and Textiles Workshop for Children
Kids ages 8-10, July 10, 10 a.m., Museum of Forms, Space and Sounds, Av. 3, Ca. 21. Info: 256-1281.

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

The mayors of the flood-ravaged cantons of Guácimo and Pococí, in the northern Caribbean region, are asking the government to declare a state of emergency to facilitate aid after last week's devastating floods.

National Liberation Party (PLN) legislator Jorge Méndez told The Tico Times yesterday that he has talked with Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias, brother of President Oscar Arias, about the need for the Executive Branch to declare an emergency to speed up repairs in the region.

“The damage is seriously alarming,” Méndez said. “If the roads aren't repaired, it's going to threaten Costa Rican agricultural products and even exports, such as banana, pineapple and ornamental plants” from the region that are exported from the Caribbean port of Limón. This, in turn, would affect the area's employment and overall economy.

Floods caused by torrential rains damaged more than 100 bridges in the Northern Zone and Caribbean, National Emergency Commission (CNE) Director Daniel Gallardo told the daily La Nación.

At least 45 bridges have been destroyed just in the cantons of Guácimo and Pococí, and some 300 kilometers of roads have also been damaged.

Cantons including Guácimo, Pococí, Siquirres and Matina, in the Caribbean, as well as the Northern Zone areas of Los Chiles and San Carlos and parts of Heredia, north of San José, are among those affected.

Floods have also damaged at least 1,000 homes, affecting an estimated 5,000 people, hundreds of whom have been forced to abandon their homes to seek shelter.

The floods are the latest spurt of nasty weather so far during this rainy season, and officials warned further heavy rains are likely.

Méndez said the Arias administration would likely announce a decision on the request to declare a state of emergency Wednesday after the President's weekly Cabinet meeting.

U.S. First Lady Laura Bush yesterday announced the launch of the Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research of the Americas – an initiative to unite experts from the United States, Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico in the fight against breast cancer.

She made the announcement during the White House Conference on the Americas in Arlington, in the U.S. state of Virginia. According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in San José, the effort will unite some of the premier breast cancer research facilities and universities in the United States with embassies in the three Latin American countries.

“Together, these partners will work to build capacity in the region by increasing research, training and community-outreach efforts, and help women in these countries gain the knowledge and confidence they need to take charge of their own health,” said the statement. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death for women worldwide.

A similar program, called the U.S.-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research, launched by Laura Bush in 2006, has begun establishing workplace awareness programs, community assessments and bilateral medical exchanges in Mid-East countries.

The White House Conference on the Americas convened representatives from nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, religious and community groups, as well as volunteer organizations dedicated to improving regional education, health care, economic opportunities and building public-private partnerships in the area, according to the statement.

-Tico Times

By Peter Krupa
Tico Times Staff | pkrupa@ticotimes.net