Vitec Videocom Costa Rica inaugurated an expansion of its Cartago factory last week in order to produce the Italian Manfrotto tripod. The tripod will be added to the list of devices produced by Vitec under such trademarks as O'Connor, Vinten and Sachtler. Julio Lizano, chief of Vitec operations here, said that the reputation of Vitec was such that the company decided to transfer part of its pro...

A study by the Universidad de Costa Rica notes that one company controls the distribution of 80% of drugs sold, with price differences of up to 1,000%. An article in Nacion.com reports that there is "little or no competition in the private sector of medicine, product of an industry that is "highly concentrated", causing Costa Rica to have higher drug prices compared to other Central American co...

Investments in port infrastructure, new free zones, condominium housing developments, and a new road promises more development in Limon Costa Rica. One of the projects planned to start in 2013 is the new Moin Container Terminal, by APM Terminals, whose construction will require three years and a workforce of 1,000 workers. Also, for 2013 is the expected start of construction of a "condominiu...

San Jose Mayor Johnny Araya and ex-Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias were in full cry during the weekend, both National Liberation Party primary candidates for the presidential nomination. Both held rallies before the unofficial holiday "cease fire" on the trail. Araya put forth his program before an estimated 4,000 educators brought to Belen in chartered buses, a base the Araya campaign believ...

The recent rise in the Ministry of Finance values of used cars has hit importer, car fleet owners, and the tax on selling a car. But, observes the national newspaper La Nacion, only 315 protests have been filed. The re-evaluation will raise import duties on imported used cars, a brisk business in this country with its own chamber to look out for its interests. And only Jose Carballo, president ...

The Costa Rican financial system makes no effort to provide resources to support innovation processes in companies. A report entitled ‘Indicators for Science, Technology and Innovation 2010-2011’ published by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Costa Rica, notes that "what continues to stand out in the country's financial system is the fact that it does not seem to be very mature in ter...

Everyone likes change in diet and institutional cafeteria food sucks! This was the thrust of convict demands this week at La Reforma prison. Some 1,700 minimum security section prisoners at La Reforma ended a peaceful 24-hour hunger strike with an accord with Reynaldo Villalobos of the prison system to be more flexible in allowing families to bring them food. The strike brought out 160 extra...

At last! The government is seeking a constitutional amendment that has nothing to do with politicians feathering their own nests, or robbing taxpayer coffers or gathering power like squirrels do pine nuts. Instead, the amendment sought is one that would allow Costa Ricans who commit crimes elsewhere and take refuge here to be extradited to the scene of their judgement. President Laura Chinch...

Although both economists and analysts tend to watch industry as an economic indicator, a recent survey shows that cooperatives in this country are alive and thriving. Cooperatives not only account for 21,600 jobs in the country but this figure has climbed 46% during the years after 2008. Many are small but others, like milk products giant Dos Pinos, loom high in finding economic health in the n...

Plans are being pushed forward to reform government structure on two fronts: ex-President Jose Maria Figueres would like to gather plans from a number of people for a referendum and the National Agenda group would like to pursuade lawmakers. The avowed goal of both groups is to create a more "governable" nation because, in the words of University of Costa Rica professor Jaime Ordonez, the "coun...

Recently The Costa Rica Star has published about the 2013 Marchamo insurance rate increase. Controversy over the 2013 Marchamo – circulation permit or sticker – continues as vehicle owners, supported by workers unions and at least one legislator, Luis Fishman, continue to press the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) and the government to justify the rate increase. The argument is that the i...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published numerous articles about outsourcing in Costa Rica. -Softline International Group continues its expansion in Latin America with the opening of its headquarters in Costa Rica for Central America. -Meli Figueres, assumes the role and strategy of expansion in Costa Rica as General Manager, supported by the LATAM Emerging Business Director, Richard Po...

As the national newspaper La Nacion corrrectly notes, the Social Security (Caja) main office taking over running of a local hospital has become a frequent feature in this country. This week, it was the turn of St. Francis de Asis Hospital in Grecia. This year, residents of the usually quiet town have gathered three times in front of the health care facility to protest exaggeatedly long waits fo...

Projections of industrial output for Costa Rica are around 3% for next year, lower than the expected growth of 5% this year. Still, the expected growth for 2013 is better than in many European nations whose outlook is flat. The year began by causing a euphoria among some government analysts, gaining a remarkable 13.8% in the first quarter over the same period the year before. A slowing trend...

Seven robbers surprised and tied up two guards at a customs car park in Barranca, Puntarenas, and made off with four brand new autos recently imported. But they did not have it all their own way. Despite the ease of the robbery itself in the wee hours of Monday morning, the robbers had to abandon two of the stolen vehicles, one destroyed by fire to eradicate traces--and two suspects are in cust...

We wish to announce our upcoming exhibition "Boom Goes the Tropics," by Florencia Urbina at the Hidden Garden Art Gallery. The opening will be on Saturday December 1st from 10:00 am to 4:00 p.m. We invite you to attend, and would appreciate your exposure of the event online or in print. Please contact us for any additional information or high-resolution photos. Transforming light and ...

Tuesday's protests by several hundred motorcyclists demanding negotiations with the government to lower the price of the marchamos (circulation permit that must be renewed annually) boiled over. The demonstration lasted most of the day and resulted in five arrested and the windshield and driver's window of a minivan broken out. It is presumed that a helmet and a barrel were used in breaking the...

The Colombian banking institution Davivienda, one of the fastest-growing in the world, officially took over services from HSBC this week, making Costa Rica the fourth country to host its operations. The other countries are Colombia, Panama and the United States. In the near future the private bank is to take over operations in El Salvador and Honduras. The company announced that it was keepi...

The Costa Rica Star has recently published information about receiving your permanent residency in Costa Rica to avoid border runs, wasting time, and money. Rick and Lorraine have been coming to Costa Rica for the last ten years. Like good tourists they fueled the country’s top industry, tourism. And like many Canadian tourists, they fell in love with paradise. Since their first arrival in C...

From reading the laws of the land, one would think that women in Costa Rica are pretty well protected against violence, once not only permitted but encouraged by the old machismo of society. Not so, say marchers Sunday on the International Day vs. Violence Against Women who put the court system directly in the sights for allegedly winking at violence when a case is denounced. Sylvia Mesa of ...

It appears that it takes modern Costa Ricans as long to build a road as it took Medieval Europeans to build a cathedral. And the results are not nearly as pretty... The new road, currently under construction, to San Carlos has been promised for 23 years and the plan and contracts must be revised because of intervening wetlands encountered by surveyors along the route. The much-needed road to...

Government utility Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) seeks bids from consultants to determine Costa Rica's ocean energy potential for electricity generation. Bids are due December 7. ICE seeks analysis of electricity generation potential of waves, currents, tides, and other marine sources on its Caribbean and Pacific coasts. The selected consultant is to: determine theoretical and t...

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Public Security, alarmed at rising drug use among Costa Rican teenagers, now conducts unannounced random drug searches in high schools. Since March, the ministry’s Regional Anti-Drug Program (PRAD in Spanish) has found illegal drugs – usually marijuana – in 65% of its raids, said program coordinator Fernando Córdoba Brenes. Nine percent of Costa Rican teens admit to ...

Herbal Greetings from AmaTierra: We're getting ready to harvest our fresh, organic Turmeric (curcuma longa) that, once we solar-dry and grind it, we sell in our gift shop and use in the kitchen and in custom herbal formulas. If you don’t know about this spice which adds color to curries, you may be missing out on one of the most helpful herbs in existence. Turmeric has fabulous anti-infla...

We have commented in the past about reasons for the poor state of streets and highways in this country. Yes, lack of maintenance, poor materials, climate and lack of drainage play their part. But the tendency of truckers to overload their vehicles until the frame sags under the weight plays a big part in beating to death of innocent stretches of local pavement. The highway people, Conavi, have ...

President Laura Chinchilla has long been a fan of natural gas due to its low carbon emissions, so it came as no shock when she signed a decree this week declaring importation of the fuel "in the public interest." She said that the fuel would be an "transition" measure until the country develops alternative fuels. No doubt she has her eye on the 2021 deadline for the country to become carbon neu...

Complaints from Costa Rican tourism businesses have been constant since the crisis of 2008-2009, but now a survey shows that business is not so bad. A statement from the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR) reads: Study reveals industry perception in terms of profitability, employment and demand for tourist services - 69% of respondents maintained their staffing levels. - 70% of employe...

A police under-lieutenant at Los Chiles was recalled from his post by Deputy Security Minister Celso Gamboa for allegedly giving a most un-Costa Rican order -- "Shoot to kill." Supposedly, the order was given by the officer identified as Efrain Sanabria in an eviction of squatters from farmland. The operation was carried out Friday without a hitch and with the arrest of four squatters. This ...

So-called "Black Friday," an import from the United States in the offering of bargains after the Thanksgiving holiday, brought out hordes of shoppers who exhibited none of the rudeness and ill-temper of U.S. counterparts recorded on CNN and other international media. Local shoppers appear less territorial and desperate than up north. Still, the national newspaper La Nacion recorded some complai...

A poll of households by the National Statistics and Census Institute seems to indicate that poverty stubbornly refuses to go away in the country in crushing the hopes of one fifth of the population. Although the data looks good on paper, 20.6% in 2012 as opposed to 21.6% last year, the statisticians are quick to point out that the seeming change for the better is within the margin for error of ...

The logo and mascot of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2014 have been unveiled at the official presentation to launch the fourth edition of the tournament. Costa Rica’s political and sporting leaders were present at the event, which took place on Wednesday 21 November in the capital San Jose. Costa Rica is the first Central American country to host a FIFA women’s tournament of any ag...

Costa Rican authorities inaugurated the country’s first large-scale solar energy plant, built with a $10 million Japanese donation. President Laura Chinchilla and the head of the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity, or ICE, Teofilo de la Torre, inaugurated the Miravalles solar park in Bagaces, a small town in the northwestern province of Guanacaste. “Today we not only took another step in t...

While motorcyclists continued to mount protests against the stiff rise in insurance premiums for next year, the National Insurance Institute (INS) revealed that accident claims by the government-owned company costs them eight billion colones per year in medical costs. In 2011, INS shelled out 53% of its medical expenses to treat motorcyclists of injuries connected with their means of transport....

Yesterday The Costa Rica Star reported on $1 million destined for poverty housing in Costa Rica disappearing. As prosecutors open bank accounts of the Arias Foundtion for Peace in search of a missing million dollar donation from Taiwan, the Central American Bank for Economic Development issued a statement Thursday that may clear up the mystery. The Bank says the money, the second half of a d...

The abortive firing of Constitutional Judge Fernando Cruz by a vote of the Legislative Assembly still simmers in some highly academic circles. The session that contained that vote by representatives was declared invalid by the president of the Assembly. But the move still resulted in a demonstration Thursday morning in front of the Supreme Court building -- not a march but a gathering of magist...

Brace yourselves: It may be merely a political ploy or it may be a mega-scandal brewing. But prosecutors are investigating whether a million dollars of building funds for poverty housing may have been hijacked by the Arias Foundation. The original $2,488,500 donation was earmarked for the Housing Ministry by Taiwan to fund housing in Pavas. In 2007, the money was supposed to have been deposited...

The privatization of telecommunications in Costa Rica is still hampered by bureaucracy and lack of agreements in favor of consumers. They are still 13 Costa Rican municipalities who are not authorizing the installation of “so called” cell towers because of lack of regulations in this respect, or because the regulations, where they do exist, contains disproportionate demands which make it "virtu...

Once again, the local creativity will have an original venue to showcase art! Fresh ideas, creativity and emergent artistic proposals will showcase at the coming “Pecha Kucha Night, San José Costa Rica 2012” this coming Wednesday November 28th on the 6th floor and the rooftop of the new parking building of Avenida Escazú (one block to the right from Starbucks). 15 artistic voices will talk to u...

The significant increase in urban disasters generated by a rapid population growth and poor planning and the definition of agency actions was discussed in the National Risk Conference for urban environments, organized by National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Response (CNE) and the Costa Rican Red Cross, under the DIPECHO VIII program on November 20, 2012.  

DIPECHO, also known as ...

They were made from structural steel found in the walls of La Reforma prison cells -- 600 knives, not innocent kitchen knives, mind you but lethal weapons, all of them were laboriously made by the convicts. This is what a special force of 800 policemen found this week when they conducted an exhaustive search. What is chilling is how the prisoners got the raw material. The director of the cou...