Book Fair
Feb. 16-28, Casa de la Cultura Alfredo González Flores, Heredia. Info: 2261-4485.

Juilliard School Jazz Quintet in concert
Feb. 16, 12:10 p.m., National Theater, Av. 2, Ca. 3/5, 2221-5341. Also, at 7 p.m., at San Ramón Church, San Ramón, Alajuela.

Puntarenas Carnival
Feb. 16, folkloric dancing, 6-8 p.m., Plaza del Pacífico (PP). Feb. 17, band parade, 5 p.m., Parque Abelardo Lobo-PP; Big Band in concert, 5 p.m., PP; Logaritmo Band in concert, 6 p.m., PP; Tribute to Nirvana concert, 6:30 p.m., PP, Puntarenas, Central Pacific, www.puntarenas.com/carnavales.

Costa Rica remains on the list of tax havens published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to documents seen by the wire service AFP on Monday.

The Central American country of 4.5 million people had signed an agreement in July saying it would take steps to ensure free exchange of financial information. But while Costa Rican officials made strides toward complying with the OECD, the country has failed to pass legislation in congress.

In December, Finance Minister Jenny Philips said, “We are continuing trying to comply with the OECD, but we can't commit to legislators passing (appropriate legislation.).”

She said her ministry is looking to reduce the time it takes for judges to review and authorize the release of financial information of suspected tax evaders, but that she needs more time.

“The French government has taken a very tough, very strong position,” Philips said at the December press conference. “But at the moment France decides to pressure, other countries have to unite and say, ‘Wait a minute.'”

According to various news sources, the French government will begin imposing fines of as much as 50 percent – up from 33 percent – on dividends and interest fees paid by French firms to people or other firms domiciled in tax havens.

As of press time, the OECD had yet to make the updated tax haven list public.

The heavier-than-usual traffic in downtown San José on Monday might not be clearing up anytime soon. The Municipality of San José closed five blocks of Avenida 8 on Monday as construction began on a roadway renovation project anticipated to last up to four months.

Partnering with concrete manufacturer CEMEX, the Municipality of San José has closed the eastbound Avenida 8 from Calle Central to Calle 10, a stretch of five blocks located south of the Central Park in San José. The total investment in the project is estimated at over ₡ 156 million.

“The Municipality of San José predicts that the new road will have a lifespan of 40 years instead of the eight years that asphalt would last,” said San José mayor Johnny Araya at an inauguration Monday morning.

Araya and Carlos González, the Costa Rican director of CEMEX, agreed that a reconstruction of the worn stretch of Avenida 8 was necessary to ensure improved travel across the 500 meter stretch. González said that CEMEX would reconstruct the roadway with slabs of high-resistance concrete.

“We are going to fully meet the requirements … control and verification of the quality of the concrete, in order to guarantee Costa Ricans a satisfactory result,” Gonzalez said.

Though the proposed benefits of the improved roadway are due to arrive in four months, several restaurants and businesses along Avenida 8 fear that the construction will significantly disrupt customer traffic. Carlos Cordero, the director of commercial planning for CEMEX, addressed these concerns.

“The Municipality has … warned the businesses about the effects of the construction and the companies had prepared for this lapse in service,” Cordero told the Tico Times. “In order to make progress, sometimes there must be a setback in order to move forward. In the end, all will benefit from the improvements in the new road.”

According to the Municipality, the alternate routes for drivers and pedestrians traveling east to west in the construction areas should take Avenidas 6 and 12. Drivers and pedestrians heading north to south should take Calles 12, 4 and 0.

While still awaiting a Costa Rica court decision on its mine plans near the northern border, the Canadian company Infinito Gold Ltd. is making strides on another gold concession in Nicaragua.

Infinito Gold has signed an agreement with a private individual for further exploration of the Zungano concession near Nicaragua's Chachagua River in Nueva Segovia, about 25 kilometers northeast of the town of Quilalí, the company said in a recent news release. Part of the 25,000-hectare property lies 10 km from the historic San Albino gold mine.

In a $4.92 million deal, the concession will pass entirely over to Infinito Gold, although the current concession holder will retain a residual royalty of 1.5 percent on gold sales to a maximum of $10 million.

The current land use in the area includes farming on the steep slopes of hills, which are cut by local drainages including the Chachagua River, according to the news release.

Infinito Gold's mine in northern Costa Rica, in the town of Crucitas, remains a point of contention among environmental groups here and continues to cause tension with neighboring Nicaragua, particularly for fears of contamination to its San Juan River and nearby towns.

In 2005, Costa Rica's National Technical Secretariat of the Environment Ministry (SETENA) issued an environmental viability permit allowing the company to clear 126 hectares of trees in order to build the Crucitas mine and accompanying facilities. That area was reduced to 50 hectares in February 2008.  

Opposing parties argued whether cutting down the trees violated article 50 of the Costa Rican constitution, which ensures a “healthy and ecologically balanced environment” for the nation's citizens. The Supreme Court halted all activity at the mine in Las Crucitas on Oct. 20, 2008. The high court has still not announced a verdict on whether the mine can start up again.