Play in English: ‘Twelfth Night'
Shakespeare's classic comedy, presented by the Little Theatre Group, directed by Nicholas Baker, through Sept. 27, Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m., dinner theater and overnight hotel options. Info: 8858-1446, www.littletheatregroup.org.  

Oktoberfest 2009
Organized by Colegio Humboldt, German food and drink, live music, 7 p.m., Torre Geko, Plaza Real Cariari, 2232-1455, ext. 223. 

II International Linguistics Congress
With guest speakers from universities in U.S., France, Italy, Spain, through Sept. 26, at School of Philosophy, Universidad Nacional.

Play “La Esquina Olvidada de la Memoria”
Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m., through Sept. 27, Teatro Estudios Generales, UCR.

“Las Huellas de una Costa Rica Única”
Tourism fair, with talks, music, dances, parade, Sept. 26-27, park, La Fortuna, San Carlos. 

Gran Turno Event
With sales of handicrafts by Sarchí artisans, marimba music, traditional games, Sept. 26-27, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Else Kientzler Botanical Garden, Sarchí, 400 m north of Elieser Pérez soccer stadium. Info: 2454-2070.

Sancho Panza Gobernador
Puppets, through Oct. 25, Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m., Sala 2, Melico Salazar Theater, 2257-6005.

Alajuela National Band in concert
Sept. 27, 11 a.m., San Mateo Church, San Mateo, Alajuela.

“El Arte a la Vuelta de la Esquina”
Sept. 27, Oct. 4-11, 3 p.m., Eugene O'Neill, CCCN, 2207-7554, 2207-7555.

100th Anniversary of El Gallito Candy Shop
Including free candy, snacks, cake, giant chocolates, fireworks, concerts, Sept. 27, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Plaza de la Democracia.

The de facto government of Honduras announced Thursday it has accepted a future visit of a mediation team composed of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias and Panamanian Vice President Juan Carlos Varela, in order to maintain a dialogue regarding the Honduran crisis.

The crisis has deepened with the return on Monday of Honduras' deposed president, Manuel Zelaya, who remains holed up in the Brazilian Embassy in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa.

The announcement came along with the de facto government's postponement of a planned visit by the Organization of American States (OAS), which was expected to send a group headed by its secretary general, José Miguel Insulza, in the coming days. That visit would come after a conflictive one by Insulza on July 3, during which he failed to persuade Micheletti to meet the OAS' demands to allow Zelaya to return to the presidency.

According to a statement from the Honduran Foreign Ministry, Micheletti is willing to receive the OAS mission at a future date.

De facto President Roberto Micheletti said he suggested to President Carter that Varela, who also serves as Panama's foreign minister, accompany Arias and Carter.

In an ease-up from the region's hard line against Honduras' upcoming presidential elections, the recently elected Panamanian government has said it will endorse whichever candidate wins the November vote (TT Daily News, Sept. 21).

At the behest of the government of Brazil, the United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Friday to discuss the Honduran crisis.

The Environment Tribunal has paralyzed all work on the San José-Caldera highway because of apparent environmental damages, the court said in a statement Thursday.

The tribunal, an administrative court under the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Technology (MINAET), ruled construction of the highway has affected the Barva aquifer, the Río Tárcoles and at least 20 streams and rivers along the route from Ciudad Colón, a town southwest of San José, to the town of Orotina, just inland from the central Pacific coast.

The court ordered “detailed studies” from the MINAET's water department and the National Groundwater, Irrigation and Drainage Service (SENARA) before any work can continue.

Autopistas del Sol, the Spanish company carrying out the project, released a statement late Thursday in its defense. It said the court has followed “mistaken assumptions” in its ruling, claiming the project has stuck closely to Costa Rican environmental guidelines.

In May, construction workers cut a trench 15 to 20 meters deep near San Rafael de Alajuela, west of San José, despite plans that show the Barva aquifer rises to within five meters of the surface. Footage on Channel 7 news showed water pouring out of the ground in this area (TT, June 5).

MANAGUA – The head of Nicaragua's Foreign Affairs Commission denies that the recent approval of foreign troop arrivals in Nicaragua is related to the crisis in neighboring Honduras.

Based on a Sept. 23 “urgent request” from President Daniel Ortega, the National Assembly quickly approved entrance into Nicaragua of 10 U.S. Special Forces troops and 30 Venezuelan troops, scheduled to arrive in October and November, reportedly for “humanitarian” and training purposes.

According to Nicaragua's constitution, the presence of any foreign troops in the country must be approved in advance by the National Assembly.

Opposition lawmaker Francisco Aguirre, president of the Foreign Affairs Commission, said the request “certainly didn't raise any suspicions.”

“Am I naive? Perhaps,” Aguirre told The Nica Times in an email. “But I honestly don't think any of this has to do with Honduras.”

Aguirre said that if there were any covert military actions planned against the de-facto Honduran government of Roberto Micheletti, those operations would be “completely invisible." 

“The actors have no interest in having the National Assembly give them a green light,” the lawmaker said of conspirators. “Like mushrooms, they prefer moist, dark spaces to prosper.”

According to the congressional approval, 10 U.S. Special Forces troops, along with the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship, are authorized to enter Nicaragua from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. The 30 Venezuelan troops, along with ships and Venezuelan Air Force planes, are authorized to enter the country on a rotating basis from Nov. 1, 2009 to April 10, 2010.