by Rod Hughes
Is drug trafficking in Costa Rica getting worse? Or are the police getting smarter?
Or are both factors at play?
Whatever, police, both judicial (like the FBI in the United States) and regular cops, have bagged a record 20.3 metric tons of cocaine and 178 suspects so far this year. And 57 of the suspected […]
by Rod Hughes
Schools, the Lion’s Club, senior citizen’s homes—all have been inadvertantly acting illegally since 1998 by organizing raffles even for charity.
This was the legal ruling this week of the Procuria General de la Republica, acting as the government’s attorney.
It all stems from a slight glitch in the law that makes the National Lottery surpreme. […]
by Rod Hughes
The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court has prevented the Arias Administration from reassigning Javier Sanchez, ambassador to the Organization of American States, to other duties.
After being notified that he would be relieved of the post July 15, Sanchez filed a recurso de amparo, a writ seeking prevention of the government executing a […]
by Rod Hughes
As in much of Latin America, the past decades in Costa Rica has shown a steady rush from rural areas to the cities. Now, a recent survey says, 63& of residents live in urban areas.
The study, conducted by the United Nations Population Fund, indicates that this country is only following a worldwide trend. […]
by Rod Hughes
Here’s a scary figure:
A recent study of 500 Costa Rican adolescents showed that 65% of them do not know how the HIV virus is transmitted. Even more chilling is that the survey showed that, of those who admitted having sexual contact, 50% began relations between the ages of 12 and 15.
Naturally, the overwhelming […]
by Rod Hughes
It’s noisy, a bit bumpy and certainly not up-to-date luxury service, but the inter-urban passenger service between the western San Jose suburb of Pavas and Montes de Oca (San Pedro) on the east side is a big hit.
Time was, not too many years ago, when the only trains running in the country […]
by Rod Hughes
It appears that “Gato Felix” Araya, Costa Rica’s most famous jailbird, may have to go back to school to keep up with advances in state-of-the-art security systems.
In a country that does not particularly glorify its wrongdoers, Felix, whose nickname means Felix the Cat, is an exception because of his colorful personality and general […]
by Rod Hughes
Internet service to more than a million users was interrupted for more than 72 hours this weekend, due to a break in the ARCOS undersea fiber optic cable serving the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, Venezuela and Colombia, reported the daily newspaper La Nacion.
Columbus Networks, the operator, managed to replace five kilometers […]
by Rod Hughes
One might say that police vigilance is not exactly fierce in the tiny rural village of Quebrada Ganado, near Tarcoles. The town, of slightly more than 2,000 population, has a station house, but no resident policeman to put in it.
But the last straw fell when drug addicts and alcoholics took over the rundown […]
by Rod Hughes
NICOYA, GTE.—Good news came from the Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MOPT, its Spanish acronym) today, answering the dearest hopes and dreams of residents, farmers and tourists in the Northwestern province of Guanacaste: MOPT will send road repair equipment to be spotted in strategic locations around the province for ready repair […]
