This week, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced plans to close an Aluminum plant, which is state owned by Venezuela in the humble town of Puntarenas on the Pacific side of Costa Rica.

Chavez denied that he was closing the plant to spite Costa Rican president Oscar Arias, although it is publicly known that there is an icy diplomatic rift between the two nations, who are on opposite side of the ideological view in Latin America.

Chavez stated that the closure of the plant was part of a 3 year plan to restructure Venezuelans industrial sector, and that by claiming it was because of a grudge between Venezuela and Costa Rica, President Arias has offended his people.

It has also been reported that Costa Rican officials have been given many different excuses when trying to arrange talks with Venezuelan authorities about the future of the plant. This has not only failed to help the situation but has made it worse, with Arias becoming frustrated with his Opposite number.

Arias has also gone on to say that he would like to sit down with Chavez in order to discuss possible alternatives, and that he would support the idea of the Costa Rica government buying the plant in order to avoid closure and the loss of the 400 jobs.

Recent plans to build two 14 story condo towers in Playa Hermosa, Puntarenas, have been met with stiff competition from locals. They feel that these monstrous constructions would be detrimental to the local area, which has an abundance of wildlife as well as tourists who visit the quiet beaches for its great surf and relaxing setting.

They believe that it may disturb and prevent the arrival of endangered olive ridley turtles, to the adjacent turtle refuge, as well as disturb the water birds in the near by wetlands, and also put off tourists looking for quiet, undeveloped beach areas where they can spend a relaxing time, as they can in the area at present. The erection of these two towers, which are set to be 2 of the tallest buildings along that stretch of costa between Puntarenas and Panama would have a bad affect on tourism according to most. It has not yet been decided as to whether the protest will be supported and the project put on hold or cancelled. More updates to come!