Acting president, Laura Chinchilla, put ink to the "Ley Derechos de los Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes a la Disciplina sin Castigo Físico ni Trato Humillante”

The law - Rights of children and adolescents for discipline whithout corporal punishment and humiliation - is part of the government's plan to teach parents and guardians to educate their children with love, discipline and example, but without physical and humiliating punishment.

"Correcting with love is a supreme act. It is following the example of Christ with his disciples. Those who correct with violence reap violence and a battered child will go out grasping a gun in the nieghbourhood, rather than receiving a school diploma", said Chinchilla.

According to Chinchilla violence now begins at home with corporal punishment and the objective of the law is to create a society without violence.

The law, which goes into effect once published in the official government publication, La Gaceta, amends Article 143 of the Código de Familia (Family Code) and provides with parental authority is conferred the rights of guiding, educating, caring, monitoring and disciplining the children, which in no case authorizes the use of corporal punishment and any other form of humiliation against minors.

The law allows the Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI) - child welfare agency - to develop programs of teaching parents to educate with love and will make available training, care centres and consultations by telephone to parents.

Costa Rica joins Brazil into signing into law a ban on child abuse by parents and guardians.

In Costa Rica 65.3% of parents beat, kick and pinch and 74.2% yell and verbally abuse their children, according to IDESPO 2003. The results indicate that 34.6% do so once a week, while 10.2% make it a daily occurrence and 6.2% once in a while.


www.insidecostarica.com

The Banco Nacional has introduced its latest product "Inversión a la vista en euros" to attract savings in European currency.

The bank said it is offering investments in Euros to give customers an alternative in the management of their funds and greater diversification in currency. Customers would have to maintian at a €2.000 Euros limit and withdrawls must be of at least €500 Euros and the account earning an interest of 1.15% to 1.4o%.

The investment in Euros is not for a set time limit and the funds can be withdrawn or the account closed at any time.

www.insidecostarica.com

Costa Rica has broken up its state-run telecommunications monopoly.

The law signed Wednesday by President Oscar Arias meets one of the requirements demanded by Washington for the implementation of the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

The state Electricity Institute has run Costa Rica's telecommunications industry since it was formed in 1949. Officials say private companies can now offer cellular phone and Internet services at competitive prices.

Arias also is urging lawmakers to approve other U.S. requirements, including opening up the state-run insurance sector. The deadline for meeting the requirements is Oct. 1.

The rest of Central America and the Dominican Republic joined CAFTA in 2006.

The Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica passed at second debate the General Telecommunications Bill of Law.  

The new regulation opens the telecommunications sector allowing private and state-owned companies to effectively compete to directly provide customers services such as private networks, Internet, mobile wireless telephony as well as others that may arise by virtue of the technological improvements provided these companies get concessions and state approval.

This new bill of law will come into effect as of its publication in the Official Newspaper “The Gazette”.

However, according to this Bill of Law, within nine months as of its publication, the Executive Power together with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority should issue the necessary bylaws for the appropriate regulation and full market operation of this law.