Moscow Stars on Ice
Presenting “Swan Lake,” “Cinderella” and more, June 11-12, 7:30 p.m.; June 13, 4 and 7:30 p.m.; June 14, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Palacio de los Deportes, Heredia, 2207-2025, www.mundoticket.com. 

Face painting workshop
June 11, 6-8 p.m., Librería Universitaria, Calle de la Amargura, San Pedro, 8890-2378.

French Film Festival
“La Marche de l'empereur,” at 6 p.m., Alliance Française, Barrio Amón, Av. 7, Ca. 5. Info: 2257-1944, www.afsj.net.

Cross Triathlon
Various categories, June 13 (inscription June 11-12), Rancho Margot, near Arenal Volcano, 2294-8612, www.multireto.com.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the rest of the board of directors for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) have officially decided to cut the remaining $64 million in development aid for Nicaragua as punishment for President Daniel Ortega's governance practices.

The MCC aid, which was originally suspended last December due to serious concerns over electoral fraud in the Nov. 9 municipal elections, was irrevocably cut Wednesday. The MCC stressed that it will continue to honor the some $110 million it has in contracts to complete works in progress, but will not issue any new aid to the Ortega government.

Nicaragua is only the second country in the world to have MCC aid cut as punishment for bad governance. The other country was Madagascar, which had its MCC compact suspended earlier this year following a coup.

“Although the Board would like to continue in full MCC's support for Nicaragua's economic development, we remain committed to upholding MCC's founding principles of working with those countries whose governments actively demonstrate a commitment to democracy and the rule of law,” said MCC CEO Rodney Bent in a statement. “Given the lack of meaningful reforms or progress in these areas by the government of Nicaragua, the Board has agreed to terminate these projects.” 

Bent continued, “This decision is made with deep disappointment, as our partnership with Nicaragua has yielded tremendous progress over the past years in reducing poverty through innovative economic growth projects. MCC regrets that the government of Nicaragua has not taken steps to respond to concerns expressed by its people and the international community surrounding the recent municipal elections. This has made it impossible for us to fully continue our collaboration with the government of Nicaragua.”

The Ortega administration wrote off the MCC aid months ago, when it was first suspended. Administration spokesmen accused the MCC of trying to “blackmail” the government.

Ortega has said that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez will replace the lost aid by providing Nicaragua with $50 million – a promise that already has opposition lawmakers concerned it will come in the form of a new loan, increasing Nicaragua's debt to Venezuela. The MCC compact was grant money that did not need to be repaid.

Some analysts fear the other shoe could drop later this week. The European donor community, which froze some $70 million for Nicaragua last year due to similar concerns over the electoral process, was scheduled to finish its negotiations with the government on Wednesday. The European donors said they would be watching the MCC decision closely (NT, May 22).

Independent lawmaker Salvador Talavera, a member of the National Assembly's Economic, Budget and Productivity Commission and a former Contra leader, lamented the MCC ruling and blamed the Sandinista government of selfish governance.

He said the MCC's aid cut should be viewed as a serious wakeup calls that “things are not going well” in Nicaragua, and be cause for reflection.

“This decision reinforces the popular sentiment that the political class of Nicaragua is not responding to the will of the people,” Talavera told The Nica Times. “Unfortunately, once again, it is the poor people who are going to have to pay for the broken plates.”

Ruffling feathers: A green macaw mascot demonstrates Wednesday outside the San José court building to protest the controversial Crucitas gold mine project near Costa Rica's border with Nicaragua.

Ronald Reyes | Tico Times

A group of environmentalists and concerned citizens gathered in front of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) in San José Wednesday to protest the Crucitas open pit gold mine near the Nicaraguan border.

Armed with a petition to stop the project and a green macaw-costumed mascot, the group cited environmental and social concerns as reasons not to continue the project.

“The green macaw is a symbol of conservation for this country, and if the Sala IV wants to keep that image they shouldn't approve this mine,” said Luis Diego Marín, coordinator for Preserve Planet and of the protest.

Construction of the mine involves clearing forests in northern Costa Rica. Marín said most of the trees that must be cut for the project are government-protected almond trees, a species on which the endangered green macaws depend on heavily for food.

Approving the mine's continuation would mean breaking the law, Marín said.

The mine, which was initially proposed in 1993, has been through a long and controversial legal process of suspensions and approvals. Construction began in early 2008 but halted within months over legal and environmental concerns. The continuation of the project is now in the hands of the Sala IV.

Proponents of the mine have rejected charges of environmental damage claiming that the almond tree and the green macaw will be minimally affected. The mine's owners, a Costa Rican subsidiary of Canadian company Infinito Gold LTD, also believe the creation of jobs would outweigh any environmental costs, but Marín believes the employment argument to be nothing more than problematic, short-term thinking.

“Mines eventually get mined out,” he said. “This mine will employ people for 11 years. After 11 years, what will they do? All that will be left behind will be the environmental problems caused by the clearing.”

The group of protestors presented the request to discontinue the project to the Sala IV Wednesday afternoon.

The Tico Times was unable to reach the mine's owners Wednesday afternoon for their response to the protest.

The number of people infected with the Influenza A(H1N1) virus in Costa Rica broke the hundred mark this week, although most of the cases are showing light symptoms and swift recoveries, health authorities said.

On Wednesday Health Ministry officials said the number of confirmed cases rose to 104, with 10 more “highly probably” cases still pending confirmation.

A total 114 cases are pending test results for the H1N1 virus.

Nearly 90 percent of the confirmed cases here have been detected in people under 39 years old, 22 of whom are under the age of 10 and another 13 people infected are over 40, according to data released by the Health Ministry.

Both the Blue Valley School, in Escazú, west of San José, and the Saint Anthony School in Tibás, north of the capital, closed after learning of at least three children with H1N1, the daily La Nación reported Wednesday.