Human Forum 2008
Promoting global peace and sustainability, today through Thursday, Real Intercontinental hotel, Escazú, www.anhglobal.org, 224-1919.

Medieval chant
A French cappella women's vocal group, conducted by Brigitte Lesne, 7 p.m., Iglesia La Inmaculada, downtown Heredia.

Jazz jam session
Jazz Café, San Pedro, 10 p.m., www.jazzcafecostarica.com

Alexis Argüello, Nicaragua's three-time world boxing champion, has undoubtedly become one of the ruling Sandinistas' strong arms in Managua. Today the party will officially announce his nomination as candidate for mayor of the Nicaraguan capital.

The former vice mayor of Managua, Argüello will run for mayor in an election on Nov. 2.

Years ago, Argüello, 56, would not have been a likely candidate for President Daniel Ortega's party, and not just because he was too busy throwing knockout punches in the ring.

In the early 1980s Argüello pledged support for the Contras – the Sandinistas' U.S.-backed arch nemesis, he told The Nica Times.

“I was a naïve guy,” he said of his pro-Contra days, during an interview in December, one month after he had first announced his intentions to run for mayor of Managua.

But after three years as the party's vice-mayor in the capital, Argüello is a card-carrying Sandinista who now refers to President Ortega as “my leader.”

The party hopes Argüello will take over the reins from present mayor José Dionisio Marenco, also a Sandinista, and is looking to up its municipal rule from 87 to 100 of the country's 153 municipalities, according to newswire ACAN-EFE.

Infant mortality increased in 2007 after dropping for 10 years, the National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC) said yesterday.

More than 10 babies out of 1,000 died before their first birthday last year, a 3.5% increase from 2006. The most common causes were respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

Infant mortality increased 6.6 % among boys and decreased 2% among girls.

Cartago, a landlocked province east of San José, had the highest infant mortality rate last year, with 12.3 deaths out of every 1,000 births. Heredia province, north of San José, had the lowest, with 7.4 deaths for every 1,000 births.

Demonstrations yesterday in Costa Rica that drew disgruntled telecom union members, high school teachers and dock workers in protest against President Oscar Arias' economic programs enjoyed little support, according to several Costa Rican media reports, and seemed to have no immediate impact other than causing a cruise ship to avoid mooring at a Costa Rican port.

The president's press office was quick to issue a statement pointing out that the 2,300 passengers aboard the Carnival Miracle cruise could have spent an expected $276,000 in the Caribbean port city of Limón if the vessel had docked there.

“That (boat's arrival) was cancelled, which represents a blow to the local (Limón) economy,” Israel Oconitrillo, spokesman for dock workers from the Japdeva union, acknowledged, according to The Associated Press (AP). “But another smaller one (a Saga Ruby cruise ship) did dock and people got off it as normal to take the usual tours,” he said.

Japdeva dock workers called a strike to protest Arias' Limón revamp plan.

Meanwhile, members of teachers' union APSE marched through central San José demanding better wages. Employees of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) protested outside their downtown headquarters, calling for legislators to block the pending free-trade agreement with United States, or CAFTA.