ALL ABOUT NEWS
Joel Campbell scores in Arsenal's friendly against MLS All-Stars. Pag 7. San Sebastian prison closed by Judge Orders
Costa Rica’s overcrowded San Sebastián prison that inmates describe as “hell on Earth” could be closing its gates for good after a San José judge ordered it shut down. Sentencing Judge Roy Murillo made the decision in a July 20 resolution citing the prison’s horrid conditions and antiquated infrastructure, according to La Nación. Pag 2.
¡Find out
Christiana Figueres sees lessons for UN leadership in climate talks
U.N. secretary-general hopeful Christiana Figueres held up her success as executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change as an example of the international organization’s potential and a model for the broad consensus diplomacy she laid out in her nomination speech Thursday. Pag
3.
How your week is Going to be!
¡TEE REX IN STORES NOW! ¡GET YOURS RIGHT NOW! BEFORE IS TOO LATE.
ALL ABOUT NEWS
NATIONAL San Sebastian prison closed by Judge Orders Costa Rica’s overcrowded San Sebastián prison that inmates describe as “hell on Earth” could be closing its gates for good after a San José judge ordered it shut down. Sentencing Judge Roy Murillo made the decision in a July 20 resolution citing the prison’s horrid conditions and antiquated infrastructure, according to La Nación. The prison currently houses 1,260 inmates, only 165 of whom have been convicted of a crime, according to the Justice Ministry. The rest are being held in pretrial detention. The prison’s stated capacity is 664 inmates.
At a panel discussion last week alongside Villalobos, Murillo hinted at the legal decision by noting the unsanitary and inhumane conditions at San Sebastián. He compared the prison to a septic tank with a rat infestation, saying that rampant overcrowding has stripped the prisoners of essential human rights. “If I had to be in that prison I would either kill myself or immediately become addicted to drugs,” he told the audience.
Detainees at San Sebastián have complained of inhumane conditions in overcrowded cells with minimal ventilation and so little sleeping space that some prisoners have to sleep on the floor next to urinals. One former inmate told that his room in cell block B-3 had more than 50 people but only eight beds, requiring him to sleep on a piece of foam while crammed in the crawl space under a bed. The Justice Ministry said in a news release that the 165 convicted inmates from San Sebastián will be gradually relocated to other centers around the country. Prison System Director Reynaldo Villalobos said on Monday that the criminal justice system has a measure of responsibility for the country’s overcrowded prisons. “We’re always limited in terms of the reforms we can make but we’re ready to act accordingly with whatever decision a judge makes.”
pág. 2
Murillo’s order to close San Sebastián is sure to generate controversy similar to that stirred up by recent orders from Murillo and other judges to release low-level prisoners in order to reduce overcrowding. Recently, Villalobos and heads of the Justice Ministry were set to release more than 350 qualifying prisoners from Gerardo Rodríguez prison in Alajuela. However, on June 13, the decision was suspended after outrage from business owners, the public and officials.
ALL ABOUT NEWS
Christiana Figueres sees lessons for UN leadership in climate talks U.N. secretary-general hopeful Christiana Figueres held up her success as executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change as an example of the international organization’s potential and a model for the broad consensus diplomacy she laid out in her nomination speech Thursday. Figueres accepted her nomination to the post during a ceremony at Costa Rica’s National Theater in San José. The former U.N. climate czar, who stepped down Wednesday after six years on the job, said that if chosen as the next secretary-general, she would apply lessons from the historic Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation, which was unanimously approved by 195 countries. Figueres said the climate negotiations showed that global solutions can be achieved when countries see a common end that benefits everyone. Respecting the specific needs of a given country does not preclude a wider agreement, she said. “This was not an accident, it was strategy and attitude,” she said of the climate negotiations. “The Paris agreement could be an exception or could become the norm for multilateral cooperation in the 21st century.” Figueres said the negative effects of climate change exacerbate already complex problems, especially for the planet’s most vulnerable groups. Still, she outlined an optimistic view about the U.N.’s potential to successfully tackle some of the world’s most complicated problems, from alleviating extreme poverty to ensuring sustainable development to ending armed conflicts through peaceful means. “Impossible is not a fact, it’s an attitude,” Figueres told reporters at a news conference following her nomination. “Because without optimism, the firm conviction that we, humans, are capable of overcoming problems that we ourselves have created, we cannot begin to advance. Without optimism there is no victory.” Figueres called for strengthening the U.N.’s ability to prevent and respond to crises, and to implement her collaborative vision for diplomacy. To achieve these goals, Figueres said the U.N. must be further strengthened with resources and personnel. Her announcement was well received by climate change advocates, including former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
pág. 3
ALL ABOUT NEWS
INTERNATIONAL Colombia announces tough measures to battle migrant crisis Colombia will undertake emergency measures against illegal migration, including deporting thousands of Cuban and other migrants and reinforcing its borders following a massive influx of people bound for the United States, the government said late on Tuesday. “The national government has given the instruction to initiate an emergency plan” to stop “this irregular migration from proceeding through our territory,” migration director Christian Kruger said at the presidential residence, following an emergency government meeting that included President Juan Manuel Santos. Colombia will reinforce its southwestern border with Ecuador and along the Gulf of Uraba near Panama, where migrants have traveled in the hope of making it to the United States. The plan will involve military and police on the border and include prosecuting those who knowingly provide transportation and housing to undocumented migrants, Kruger said. Migrants may voluntarily request deportation, he added, and be granted safe passage to their home countries or to the last country they were in before entering Colombia — Cuba or Ecuador for many of them. Otherwise, the authorities will proceed with “mandatory deportation.” Colombia has deported more than 5,800 migrants over the past two months, most of them from Haiti and Cuba, according to official figures released last week. They are set to be joined by more than 1,200 Cubans who have been stranded in the country after Panama shut its southern border in June. Among them are almost 300 minors and 11 pregnant women housed in a 2,000 squarefoot (200-square-meter) warehouse in the port town of Turbo. They had asked the government to arrange an airlift to Mexico, from where they would continue to the United States, which grants asylum to most Cubans who make it to U.S. soil. However, the authorities rejected their request on Tuesday and are awaiting a court notice to enter the warehouse housing the Cubans in order to deport them, Kruger said. Mexico would not allow the flight, he added, saying illegal migration constitutes human trafficking and that an airlift risked prompting more migration.
pág. 4
ALL ABOUT NEWS
“In neighboring countries like Ecuador, Brazil and Guyana, there are more than 50,000 irregular migrants that might demand the same treatment,” Kruger said. Last year, Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico adopted similar policies after Nicaragua closed its border to migrants, prompting a humanitarian crisis among thousands of Cubans heading to the United States.
GOP Frustrations with Trump Mount as Allies Weigh Options
Their party in crisis, Republicans' frustration with Donald Trump reached new heights on Wednesday as party leaders on Capitol Hill and inside New York's Trump Tower scrambled to persuade their presidential nominee to abandon divisive tactics that have triggered sinking poll numbers and low morale. Party chairman Reince Priebus appealed to the New York billionaire's adult children to help amid new signs of a campaign in trouble. Trump's operation has been beset by internal discord, including growing concern about general election preparedness and a lack of support from Republican leaders, according to two people familiar with the organization's inner workings. One of the people said Trump privately blames his own staff for failing to quiet the backlash from his own party after he criticized an American Muslim family whose son, a U.S. Army captain, was killed in Iraq. The inner tension comes as Priebus and handful of high-profile Trump allies consider whether to confront the candidate directly to encourage a new approach following a series of startling stances and statements. In the midst of the uproar over his continued criticism of the Khan family, Trump infuriated Priebus and other
pág. 5
ALL ABOUT NEWS
party leaders by refusing to endorse GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan's re-election. The officials, including one with direct knowledge of Priebus' thinking, were granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy after one of the most tumultuous weeks of Trump's presidential campaign. Trump on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that the GOP frustration was hurting his campaign, even as he openly contemplated an Election Day loss. "Wouldn't that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton? That would be terrible," he said during a campaign stop in battleground Florida. He also insisted, "We've never been this united." In an interview later Wednesday with Florida's WPEC-TV, Trump was asked if he was being "baited into battles." "I think that's probably right," he acknowledged. "We're going to focus more on Hillary Clinton." The most powerful Republicans in Washington and New York's Trump Tower concede things will not change unless Trump wants them to. "The candidate is in control of his campaign," campaign chairman Paul Manafort told Fox News Channel, highlighting his inability to control the nominee. "And I'm in control of doing the things that he wants me to do in the campaign." Clinton, meanwhile, kept up her assault on Trump's business practices, holding up a Trump-branded tie as she spoke at the Knotty Tie Company in battleground Colorado. "I really would like him to explain why he paid Chinese workers to make Trump ties," she told employees in Denver, "instead of deciding to make those ties right here in Colorado." Trump blamed the media — "so dishonest" — for growing criticism of his recent statements and his unwillingness to accept guidance from senior advisers.
pág. 6
ALL ABOUT NEWS
SPORTS
Joel Campbell’s offseason has included a disappointing performance at the Copa America and a litany of transfer rumors from his English club Arsenal. On Thursday night, Campbell was able to briefly overshadow those lows with a goal in Arsenal’s exhibition against the MLS All-Stars. The 24-year-old forward converted on a penalty kick in the 11th minute to give the Gunners a 1-0 lead in the MLS All-Star game. But the real highlight came afterwards when Campbell, sporting his new mohawk, did a little shimmy for the cameras.
pág. 7
ALL ABOUT NEWS
Campbell has said this offseason that he plans to remain in Arsenal, but Coach Arsene Wegner has clearly never been the biggest fan of the Costa Rican forward. After severely limiting Campbell’s playing time despite his success when inserted into the lineup last season, Wegner was rumored to have advised Campbell to seek out other club options this offseason. La Sele’s star forward has been linked to a reunion with Spanish club Villarreal, who he played with in 2015 while on loan. A penalty score in a friendly isn’t likely to convince Wegner that Campbell is deserving of more playing time, but it’s better than nothing. Campbell will have one last chance to impress in an Aug. 7 friendly against Manchester City before Arsenal opens the English Premier regular season the following week against Liverpool. Fellow Costa Rican national Kendall Waston was voted onto the MLS All-Star squad, although he was not among the starting 11 on Thursday. The big defender that plays for the Vancouver WhiteCaps is generally regarded as one of the more effective defensemen in the MLS and has been a mainstay for La Sele in the past year.
Costa Rica beach volleyball duo looks to make history in Rio On the sand court next to a kindergarten, sporadic shouts break through the otherwise quiet Sunday morning in San José’s southern district of Hatillo.
Olympic play in Rio de Janeiro in a matter of weeks. But the practice feels almost as intense as a match on the world stage. “Karen and I always like to win,” said the 29-yearold Alfaro, who makes up one half of the first Costa Rican women’s beach volleyball duo to qualify for the Olympics. “We’re competitive and we always fight and I think that’s going to play into our favor in Rio.”
Alfaro and Cope will keep reaching for historic heights after winning the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) tournament in Mexico that qualified them for this year’s Summer Olympics. Calls are loudly contested and score totals questioned as Costa Rica’s top women’s beach volleyball team spars against two male opponents. There are no packed crowds and television cameras like the ones that await Karen Cope and Nathalia Alfaro when the pair begins
pág. 8
“We’re really proud,” Cope said of being the first Costa Rican beach volleyball pair in Olympic history. “All of the trust we had together was the best part of it all. We made it as a team.”
ALL ABOUT NEWS
The pair has only been playing together for around three years, but they’ve carved out a long list of accomplishments. Last year, they became just the second Costa Rican women’s pair to ever participate in an International Volleyball Federation World Games. Coach Ingrid Morales, a former star on the women’s beach volleyball team, has managed the duo for the past three years after playing alongside Alfaro as her teammate in international competitions. The Costa Rican team will begin Olympic play on Aug. 6 at Copacabana beach, taking on Australia. In Pool “F” play, the Ticas will also face Dutch duo Madelein Meppelink and Marleen van
Iersel — ranked No. 13 in the world — followed by the Venezuelan team. Cope and Alfaro, who rank 71st in the official international standings, said they’re ready to take on the underdog role and send shockwaves through the sands of Rio. “I think the bigger teams expect us to stand there and not do much but that’s good for us,” Cope said. “We’re still aware that there are bigger teams that have been working together for a lot longer than we have. It’s going to be hard, but we’re still willing to work for it.”
COMICS
pág. 9
ALL ABOUT NEWS
pรกg. 10
ALL ABOUT NEWS
pรกg. 11
ALL ABOUT NEWS
Aries (March 21 - April 19) Taurus (April 20 - May 20) Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
This is definitely a full steam ahead kind of week which means that if there’s a project, creative or otherwise, that you’ve put on the backburner; you get the green light to see it through. Overall, it’s time for a new beginning.
pág. 12
The theme this week is to find sanctuary. If you’ve been thinking about relocating or moving, this is a stellar week for you to put the process in motion. Later in the week the focus turns to love. Things are heating up!
You get by with some help from a few new friends. Think about ways you can join forces with others to create your own band of superheroes. Combining your talents with those of a talented few, can help you become unstoppable.
ALL ABOUT NEWS
Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
Libra (September October 22)
Make this your week to send out resumes, job applications, and to interview with potential employers as your money mojo will be high. If selfemployed, this a great week to launch a service or product too.
Online seems to be where it’s at for you right now whether it’s delving into a webinar to boost your skills or launching an online based venture like a vlog. You have a gift that others are willing to pay you for; how will you deliver it?
Ready, set, re-set! This week is all about reigniting your inner fire and remembering what you came here to do. All those wonderful intentions you’ve been sitting on? Now is the time to act on them. Don’t hold back
Scorpio (October November 21)
Sagittarius (November 22 December 21)
Virgo (August September 22)
23
-
Have you been playing yourself small? If the answer is yes, this is your week to evaluate how settling for what’s in front of you could be getting in the way of something bigger. Now’s the time to level up.
pág. 13
r23
-
Do you have a theme song for kicking ass? If not, this is the week you’ll want to have one at the ready. Yes, Sag, the wait is over. It’s time to get back on top again and have some fun while you do it. Just make sure to stick to a plan.
Leo (July 23 - August 22)
23
-
You’re in high demand as the stars begin aligning in your favor. Whether you’re looking to woo people for professional or romantic aspirations, you’ll get the right amount of charm and magnetism to make it happen.
ALL ABOUT NEWS
Capricorn (December 22 January 19)
You may feel pulled in two directions this week with one
pĂĄg. 14
Aquarius (January February 18)
20
-
Pisces (February 19 - March 20)
part of you wanting to retire from the world and the other part of you wanting to explore it. The happy compromise here is to allow your heart to lead you.
other as a means of improving your sense of security and stability.
Partnership is a major theme this week as you may be asked to pool your resources (your money, personal power, or your heart) with a significant
This week you’re called to put on your grown-up pants and reevaluate your professional place in the world, as now is the time to implement changes that could bring you big rewards in the future. You want that dream? Work for it.