Regrouping: Opponents of the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) gathered Saturday in Zapote, east of San José, for the first large-scale meeting since Costa Ricans voted in favor of the trade pact in a referendum Oct. 7. The “no” contingency says it rejects CAFTA's victory and pledges to protest the laws needed to implement it.

Cell phone users could suffer more frequent interruptions in service beginning today through the end of the year as the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) works on its cell towers, this state-run telecommunications monopoly announced Friday in a statement.

“Código 10-54S” Free Dance Show
7 p.m., Pacific Train Station, San José, Ave. 20, Calle 2. Info: 815-0140, 399-3767.

Auditions for the 24th Graciela Moreno Dance Festival
Contemporary dance, today and tomorrow, 8 p.m., National Theater, San José, Ave. 2, Calle 3/5. Info: 233-2716.

Police Saturday busted a municipal employee of the Pacific port of Puntarenas for using a truck intended to haul trash to run shipments of cocaine, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry.

The employee, identified by the last name Reyes, 49, was driving a truck belonging to the Pacific Port Authority (INCOP) carrying more than one ton of cocaine. With him was a local fisherman identified by the last name Gómez, 27.

The port authority had loaned the municipality the truck to collect trash at the beach in Puntarenas.

After receiving calls that suspicious activity was going on in the nearby town of Barrancas, police intercepted the INCOP truck in Puntarenas and discovered 58 bags containing 1,125 one-kilogram packets of cocaine.

Reyes and Gómez were arrested and face drug trafficking charges before the Prosecutor's Office.

-Tico Times

Unstable conditions in the Pacific Ocean caused flooding in several Southern Zone communities over the weekend and led the National Emergency Commission (CNE) to declare a yellow alert for the cantons of Pérez Zeledón, Corredores, Osa, Golfito, Buenos Aires and Coto Brus.

Dozens of homes as well as rice and palm plantations flooded in Corredores, while intense rains washed out the road between Ciudad Neilly and San Vito, according to the daily La Nación.

Near the town of Puerto Jiménez, a bridge over the Río Rincón collapsed, leaving several families stranded.

Heavy rains also fell over parts of the Caribbean. The commission called for a green, preventive alert for the Caribbean cantons of Pococí, Guácimo, Matina, Limón and Talamanca and for the central Pacific areas of Puntarenas, Jacó, Parrita and Quepos, where strong waves washed ashore this weekend.

-Tico Times

Cell phone users could suffer more frequent interruptions in service beginning today through the end of the year as the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) works on its cell towers, this state-run telecommunications monopoly announced Friday in a statement.

Today through Dec. 14, ICE will be working on towers around the country to “notably improve the quality of service,” the statement said. The institute is working to accommodate the additional 300,000 GSM technology cell phone lines scheduled to become available in January.

In the meantime, users can expect spotty service and more dropped calls. ICE will be working on the towers during hours with less call traffic to lessen the inconvenience, the statement said.