Romeo Rhythms: The Costa Rican National Dance Company performed a dance version of Romeo and Juliet this weekend at the Cádiz Theater Festival in Spain.

Officials from the Prosecutor's Office Friday raided the National Olympic Committee (CON) headquarters in Coronado, northeast of San José, to investigate its president Jorge Nery, who is accused of 37 crimes including falsification of documents and fraud.

Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari Fly in Concert
8 p.m., Melico Salazar Theater, Ave. 2. Calle Ctrl, San José. Tickets: 207-2025.

Workshop “Strategies for Everyday Reading Motivation”
For teachers, parents and librarians, 4-6 p.m., Mark Twain Library, Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center, Barrio Dent, San José. Info: 207-7554.

President Oscar Arias traveled to China Saturday for a visit aimed at promoting Costa Rican exports and enticing the Chinese to invest here in projects including an oil refinery, according to the daily La Nación.

The President said such a refinery could meet the country's oil needs and supply oil to other Central American nations. During his visit to China, which is scheduled to include stops in Pekín, Xi'an and Shanghai, he plans to meet with representatives of the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation.

Arias also mentioned the possibility of seeking a free-trade agreement with China to expand the market for Costa Rican goods to this growing Asian giant.

“One of my government's objectives is to grow our exports at a rate of 18% per year. And this is a realistic goal taking into account the potential of the Chinese market for Costa Rican products,” he said, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial. “For Chinese companies, Costa Rica is a very attractive market, not just because of the level of education of our work force, but also because of the potential to export to the United States tax-free.”

Arias' visit comes four months after China and Costa Rica established diplomatic relations (TT, June 8). He is accompanied by Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias, Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno, Foreign Trade Minister Marco Vinicio Ruiz, Vice-Minister of the Presidency José Torres, Casa Presidencial Protocol Director Ana María Herrera and his personal assistant María Angel Solera.

-Tico Times

A new batch of bad weather hit the Pacific coast this weekend, bringing a second round of flooding to communities including Filadelfia, in the northwestern Guanacaste province, and the central Pacific canton of Parrita.

The Tempisque River overflowed early Saturday morning, washing out the La Guinea and Corralillos sectors of Filadelfia and forcing about 100 people to evacuate their homes, according to a statement from the National Emergency Commission (CNE).

The Parrita River also reached its limit, flooding the community of Sitradique de Parrita. In the Caribbean-slope town of Siquirres, strong rains drove 30 people to seek shelter.

The Guanacaste areas of Nosara, Hojancha, Santa Cruz and La Cruz also experienced flooding. About 1,500 people are staying in 21 shelters in this province, and shelters remain open in other areas that have been hit with heavy rains for the past couple of weeks including Santa Ana, west of San José; Cartago, east of San José; the coffee town of Atenas; and Acosta, south of San José.

The CNE maintains a red alert for the canton of Parrita and the Guanacaste cantons of Carrillo, Hojancha, La Cruz, Liberia, Nandayure, Nicoya and Santa Cruz. The rest of the country is under a yellow alert except for the Caribbean, where the commission has issued a green, preventive alert.

Help is needed for the thousands who have lost their homes in recent floods. Monetary donations can be made to the CNE through the following bank accounts: Banco de Costa Rica number 118281-1 (dollars) and 91100-3 (colones) or Banco Nacional account number 911-8 (colones).

Wal-Mart Costa Rica is also collecting non-perishable foods and personal hygiene items at its Costa Rican stores -- Más x Menos, Palí, Hipermás and MaxiBodega -- and will use its trucks to distribute these items to communities affected.

-Tico Times

Officials from the Prosecutor's Office Friday raided the National Olympic Committee (CON) headquarters in Coronado, northeast of San José, to investigate its president Jorge Nery, who is accused of 37 crimes including falsification of documents and fraud.

Four prosecutors, four judges and about 30 judicial agents took over the building for four hours, taking about eight computers and 20 boxes of documents with the committee's accounting information.

Nery was not in the building when it was raided and has not talked to the press about the issue. His lawyer Laureano Castro told the daily La Nación there was “nothing abnormal” to justify accusations against his client. He said the raid was a standard procedure the committee had been expecting.

The documents collected will be analyzed by the Accounting Unit of the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ). Prosecutor Ana Daisy Quirós has been assigned to the case, which came about after former CON official Danny Valverde presented a complaint against Nery.

No preventive measures have been taken against Nery, who has been president of the committee for almost 22 years.