Central American University Games
Chess, basketball, soccer, judo, karate, swimming, volleyball, cycling, today through Saturday, UCR sports complex, Sabanilla.

Face-painting course for Parents
At CCCN, 6 p.m., 305-6074. 

Santo & Zurdo in concert
Part of the Mundoloco series at Jazz Café, San Pedro, 10 p.m.

Costa Rican scientists have discovered a never-before seen volcano in the San Carlos forest, 170 kilometers north of San José, a find they've been sitting on for at least a year.

A tour last week of the area led researchers to a 2,300 meter high volcano with a crater that measures 200 meters in diameter, the daily La Nación reported.

Located at mount El Porvenir, the volcano is dormant and is shaped like an upside down cone, Wilfredo Rojas, volcano expert with the University of Costa Rica, told the daily.

The find came after NASA infrared images taken in 2005 revealed El Porvenir's crater, which is roughly the size of that of well-known Irazú volcano and eight times that of Turrialba. Scientists here did not view the images until a year and a half ago, according to the newspaper report, and finally made the trek up the hill Thursday to confirm its existence.

It is the 250th documented volcano in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica and the United States have reached a settlement on a trade dispute caused after the U.S. enacted laws designed to target online gambling.

As compensation for cutting off Costa Rican access to online gambling customers, the U.S. has offered Costa Rica greater access to other service markets, including research and development, storage, technical testing and analysis.

The settlement took place after Costa Rica filed for arbitration before the World Trade Organization (WTO). Under a WTO agreement on services, any country that blocks access to one of a range of markets must provide compensation to the affected countries.

Canada, Japan and the European Union have reached similar settlements with the U.S.

“The agreement has been satisfactory for the country,” said Foreign Trade Minister Marco Ruiz in a written statement.

Organizers of Festival Imperial confirmed the last four bands, including the likes of Seal and Café Tacuba, that complete the line-up of 10 artists to appear at this year's event.

Argentine rockers Babasónicos and Mexican alternative group Café Tacuba will feature on the first day of the festival. They will share the stage with previously announced acts including Tico band Le*Pop and internationally acclaimed U.S. groups Incubus and Smashing Pumpkins.

The second day will see British-born singer-songwriter Seal and Mexican group Zoé play along with Costa Rica's Porpartes, Spanish-American pop star Enrique Iglesias and British 1980s icons Duran Duran.

Tickets are now on sale for the event, to be held at La Guácima de Alajuela on April 19 and 20.

“We have brought together really top-drawer artists who will give us performances that would be worthy of an international festival in the developed world,” said Carlos Cañas, Brand Manager of Imperial.

“At Cervecería Costa Rica we are very pleased once again to offer Costa Ricans and those from neighboring countries the possibility of enjoying two days of concerts with some of the all-time greats of music,” he said.

Meanwhile, “La Ruta Festival Imperial,” which promoters describe as “a way to bring music and the public closer together and to build up the atmosphere ahead of the main event,” is continuing. The coming week will see events held at Jazz Café in San Pedro tonight, La Birrería in Heredia on Thursday and the Mundoloco festival in Sabanilla, East of San José, on Saturday.

Tickets for the festival are on sale through selected Mas x Menos, Hipermás and Maxibodegas supermarkets, at Vértigo stores and branches of Aval-Banco Uno. Alternatively, buy online through www.specialticket.net and www.festivalimperial.co.cr or call 206-7896.

Tickets cost ¢10,000 ($20) for the general area, ¢18,000 ($36) for the preferential section near the stage, ¢30,000 ($60) for the gallery and ¢18,000 ($36) for the stands.