Brazil is home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan, with a population of some 1.8 million people of Japanese descent. About 60 percent live in the southeastern and most developed state of São Paulo.
Every year, an estimated 2 million people from across Central America leave their homes and begin walking to the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles in Cartago, east of the capital, to pay their respects to Costa Rica's patron saint, known locally as La Negrita.
Non-immigrant visas could take an additional 10 to 14 days to process because that the system is operating at just over 50 percent of its normal capacity.
Costa Rica’s former President Óscar Arias is correct in his assessment of the cause of the current U.S. “child immigration problem.” The clear takeaway is: If you interfere in the internal affairs of another country you create a responsibility for the outcomes. At least, try not to be shortsighted to the point of repeating past mistakes.
Haiti needs help funding its $2.2 billion, 10-year National Cholera Elimination Plan. So far, just 40 percent of the $448 million that will be needed in the first two years for investments in early warning, rapid response, water, sanitation and vaccines has been mobilized, and only 10 percent of the total has been pledged.
In a joint statement, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said both sides in the conflict are sending delegations to Cairo for negotiations aimed at reaching a lasting cease-fire. During the 72-hour respite, Israel will not withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip, a demand that Hamas had previously made as a prerequisite to peace talks.
Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel González met with Israeli Ambassador Avraham Haddad at the Casa Amarilla Wednesday afternoon to express outrage at ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip and its devastating toll on civilians. He urged the Israeli diplomat to push for an immediate ceasefire. The Foreign Ministry also said its ambassador to Israel would briefly return to Costa Rica.
