Festival Imperial tickets on sale
Yesterday tickets for the big shebang in La Guácima went on sale. The festival is April 19-20, starring Smashing Pumpkins, Duran Duran and Incubus. Tickets can be purchased at 25 sites around the country, check www.festivalimperial.co.cr, www.specialticket.net, telephone: 206-7896.

Mozart's Requiem
Performed by Danza Universitaria, National Symphony Orchestra and UCR Choir, today and tomorrow, 8 p.m., National Theater.

Bonanza 2008
Spanish horse exhibit, including paella marathon, climbing wall, zip line, Through March 2, Club Hípico La Caraña, Santa Ana , 291-6810, asocpre@ice.co.cr.

Thousands of heavy-metal fans from across Central America gathered Tuesday night for one of the biggest and most eagerly anticipated events ever held in Costa Rica. Following weeks of hype and expectation, legendary British band Iron Maiden finally took to the stage at the Ricardo Saprissa stadium in Tibás as part of their “Somewhere Back In Time” world tour.

The scale of excitement in the lead up to the concert was staggering. Some fans had camped out since Friday to be sure of a prime position near the stage, and more than 25,000 people saw the show.

Unsurprisingly, the hordes of fans were determined to enjoy every last moment. A vast majority of what seemed to be a largely middle-class crowd had bought one of the group's T-shirts, making the stadium a sea of black. There were grown men wearing illuminated red devil horns. The crowd sang Happy Birthday to guitarist Adrian Smith. Nobody batted an eye when a giant Eddie robot appeared during the song “Iron Maiden.”

Costa Rica has until Oct. 1 to enter the Central American Free-Trade Agreement (CAFTA), according to a pact reached yesterday by the treaty's signers that extends the deadline by seven months.

Representatives of the United States, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic signed the extension document in Washington, D.C., three days before Costa Rica's March 1 deadline for entering the treaty.

Costa Rica is the only country that has negotiated but not yet entered CAFTA, which was ratified in a controversial referendum in October. Lawmakers are still debating a package of 12 bills required, in some form, to put the country in compliance with the treaty.

President Oscar Arias' administration asked for a seven-month extension because the Caribbean Basin Initiative, which allows most Costa Rican exports to enter the United States tariff-free, expires Sept. 30 for certain goods, including tuna and textiles. Still, Foreign Minister Marco Vinicio Ruiz said Costa Rica would try to enter CAFTA by July.

U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab also urged Costa Rica to join CAFTA as soon as possible.

“We look forward to welcoming Costa Rica as a full member of this important regional free-trade agreement in the next few months,” she said in a statement.

Two of the CAFTA bills have become law, while seven more have made substantial progress in the Legislative Assembly. The Arias administration yesterday presented the 12 th bill, which would strengthen intellectual property rights.

U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce Christopher Padilla will meet with Arias tomorrow to discuss ways to boost Costa Rican exports to the United States.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – A trade representative from the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush traveled to Managua yesterday to tout the importance of the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) and to stress the need for the Ortega administration to respect democracy and the free-market.

Christopher Padilla, under secretary for international trade at the U.S. Commerce Department, said that CAFTA is the “common ground” between the United States and Nicaragua, despite ideological differences between the two governments.

“CAFTA is common ground; it is the nucleus of the bilateral relationship” between the United States and Nicaragua, Padilla told a group of investors belonging to the U.S.-Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM).

Padilla noted that CAFTA, which on April 1 will complete two years of existence in the United States and Nicaragua, has already resulted in 30% export growth of Nicaraguan products to the U.S. market, compared to 2005. That is the fasting-growing export rate of any Central American country, he noted.

Padilla, however, also warned that the Ortega administration needs to be careful of its rhetoric against private investment.

“Capital is a coward,” Padilla said. “Investors don't go to places where they fear they will lose their money. For this reason, the message of the Nicaraguan government is of utmost importance.”

Padilla further warned, “CAFTA created the conditions for success, but doesn't guarantee success.”

The U.S. trade representative was scheduled to meet with Ortega last night at 9 p.m., after press time. He is scheduled to meet with Costa Rican authorities in San José today.