QMedia

Costa Rica’s Corruption

In this caricature by Crhoy.com, we see the Fiscal General (Chief Prosecutor) Emilia Navas collecting evidence in the #cementazo case.

Meanwhile, former Fiscal General,  “the cool: Jorge Chavarria is out completely as of today and Navas (blonde on left), with an ice pick in hand is applauded by a typical Tico, while former politicians including Oscar Arias (far right) is left in wonder.

The survivor of the shark attack in the Isla del Coco on Thursday, the 26-year-old diving guide identified by his last name Jimenez, said it was a female tiger shark that attacked and killed the American tourist identified by her last name Bhandari.

The tiger shark returned to the Isla del Coco a decade ago after a 30 year absence, becoming one of the largest predators in his national park

Accord…

Costa Rica’s Volcanos Not On The List Of 10 Most Active Around The World

How do Costa Rica’s volcanos rate among the most active in the world? Pretty down the list.

Though locally the Poas and Turrialba continue to spew out gas and ash, even forced the closuse the San Jose airport on several occassions, they are tame in comparison to the following list of the 10 most active around the world, compiled by Msn.com.

Mount Agung, Bali © Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP/Getty Images

Sin…

To commemorate the World AIDS Day, today December 1, we feature the article “Monger Culture: Sex tourism and HIV in Costa Rica” by Jacobo Schifter, published on Wall Street International , June 20, 2017.

(Wsimag.com) When we think of HIV we have certain populations in mind. We hear about its ravages on young men and women; on the gay and transgender populations; on the homeless and the…

The National Coast Guard Service of the Ministry of Public Security (Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas, del Ministerio de Seguridad Pública) confirmed the death of an American tourist, whose identity has not yet been made public, after being attacked by a tiger shark in the Isla del Coco.

The Isla del Coco is located 523 kilometers off the coast of Costa Rica, travel by sea takes more than 24…

The #Cementazo is the corruption scandal in Costa Rica that keeps on growing, the investigation now focusing on legislators and a government official after the importer of the Chinese cement, Juan Carlos Bolaños and six former members of the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) were detained two weeks ago and are currently in preventive detention (jail).

The Fiscal General (Chief Prosecutor) Emilia Navas…

In the last three months, the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar against the national currency, the Colón, in the wholesale Monex market dropped from an average of ¢580 per dollar at the beginning of September, to ¢566 on November 27.

Experts say exchange rate would have a great downward pressure after the Ministerio de Hacienda (Ministry of Finance or Treasury) raises US$1.5 billion dollars in the…

  The demand and use of Uber in Costa Rica is on the increase. And so is the pressure by the current administation to put Uber to rest,  by attacking the driver app company at its drivers.

Banco Nacional customers and users of Uber are not affected by the bank’s decision to close the accounts of Uber drivers

Deeming the service illegal, the administration of Luis Guillermo Solis, being pressured…

The Diaro Extra, the self-billed “most sold newspaper in the country” reports that the Banco Nacional (BN) will close the accounts of Uber drivers, the State bank deeming the activity “not acceptable”.

In the photo an Uber driver (and his passenger) came under the scrutiny of the airport police and the Policia de Transito in a routine spotcheck being carried out in the area of the airport in the…

Potholes…But Well Painted!

Potholes are so much part of the ‘Tico’ culture that work crews paint in them, like the one in the photo published in the front page of La Teja today.

Huecos…pero bein pintados

You can’t make up stuff like this.

Pura Vida, mae.

Buying an electric car just got cheaper with the approval on Monday of the bill that exempts electric vehicles from sales taxes and import duties.

The bill, that was stalled in the legislative process for the past two years, got final approval with 38 votes in favor and 2 against, from Frente Amplio legislators Jorge Arguedas and José Ramírez.

La Nacion reports several electric cars Nissan,…

Christmas or ‘cypress’ trees are part of the Costa Rica Christmas. And this year, you can decorate your home (or office) with a natural Arbol de Navidad from Canada.

Photo taken in Multiplaza Escazu Monday (Nov. 27)

The trees are available in Multiplaza Escazu and Multiplaza Curridabat for about ¢25,000 colones, depending on the size you choose.

Photo taken in Multiplaza Escazu Monday (Nov. 27) P…

The first hydrogen fuel cell electric bus in Central America went into operation on Monday, November 27, on the Ad Astra Rocket Company campus, located in Liberia, Guanacaste.

The first hydrogen powered bus began rolling in Guanacaste, in the area of Liberia, on Monday. For now rides on the bus are free

This means of transport is part of the project of Hydrogen Ecosystems promoted by the company…

The Sistema Empresarial de Información Salarial (Salary Information Business System) survey reveals salaries in Costa Rica increased, on average, by 1.9% in the last 6 months.

The increases are mainly made in service and manufacturing companies in Zona Franca.

During the first semester of 2017, salaries grew on average 1.6%

The report was prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers Costa Rica (PwC) taking…

Rico’s TICO BULL – It is midnight, one, sometimes even two in the morning, in front of my computer in Piedades de Santa Ana, I can hear the roar of engines and screeching times not from too far away. This occurs a couple of times a week. Every week.

On a number of occasions, the noise from the vehicles is silenced by the sound of the sirens, fire trucks and ambulances. They have a distinct sound…

A ‘very large’ team of investigators and prosecutors are working around the clock to solve the murder of Heredia prosecutor, Hans De la O Solís, gunned down in front of his home in the early hours of Thursday.

Heredia prosecutor Hans de la O Solís was gunned down in front of his home in Desamparados

Mauricio Boraschi, deputy prosecutor of Territorial Prosecutors, said Friday that all lines of…

Costa Rica’s national team, “La Selección or Sele”, were one of the major surprises of the 2014 World Cup and will head to Russia in 2018 with largely the same team of players after qualifying from the CONCACAF region.

The Costa Rican team going into the 2018 World Cup in Russia is basically the group of players that made history in 2014 in Brazil.

Little was expected of La Sele, known around the…