Costa Rica information, activities and news
As expected, dozens of people waited anxiously for several hours in front of Kölbi, Claro and Movistar stores for them to open their doors at midnight and be the first to acquire the iPhone 4S. The new model has a more powerful processor, supports version five of the i0S, comes equipped with a 8-megapixel upgraded camera, and has improved battery life.
An organization dedicated to distributing contraband liquor operated from Panama to Cartago, and are said to have generated millions in economic losses for the treasury of Costa Rica. Judicial police broke up the organization with 14 simultaneous raids throughout the country. Among those arrested is a police officer who authorities believe helped the group get trucks past police checkpoints.
Carlos Raul Gutierrez, president of the General Superintendency of Telecommunications (Sutel) explains why only phones approved by the agency are allowed to be sold in Costa Rica. Specifically, a consumer can be sure that a phone with the Sutel seal is not blocked to work with just one carrier and the presence of an IMEI number will eventually allow for the tracking of stolen phones.
Legislative deputies of the Income and Expenditure Committee Public stated that in the coming weeks they will be ready to summon all involved with the Alcatel case including former President, José María Figueres, who has recently returned to Costa Rica.
As announced in November, Radiographic Costarricense (RACSA) will launch new services for business and residential customers. Among the projects is a $5 million fiber optic network for high bandwidth Internet access, nationwide WiMax and partnerships with local software and cloud providers to provide ERP and fleet management.
A shallow magnitude 3.0 earthquake was reported Thursday morning 17 miles from Cartago, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 9:09 a.m. PST at a depth of 5.0 miles.
According to the USGS, the epicenter was 18 miles from Olancha, 24 miles from Coso Junction, 28 miles from Lone Pine and 150 miles from Los Angeles Civic Center.
In the last 10 days, there has been one earthquake magnitude 3.0 and greater centered nearby.
The state telecom is serious of entering the cable television market
The Grupo ICE intends to venture into the cable television business, making a bid to buy Cablevisión.
The move was confirmed by Orlando Cascante, manager of the Radiográfica Costarricense (Racsa), and Leyda Lombana, CableVisión’s general manager.
Neither Racsa or CableVisión would reveal details, saying that negotiations are ongoing and it is not opportune to say anything until the deal is done.
However, Racsa’s parent company, the Institutio Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) faces competition. Lombana said there are other suitors for CableVisión, at least two others, but did not name them.
The manager would neither specify the selling price and the offers of the bidders.
Negotiations for the purchase of CableVisión are expected to continue for some weeks with a target date of the end of February to ink a deal.
For his part, Cascante would not provide details of ICE’s plans for the purchase or its entering the cable television market, only saying that the negotiations are being handled by ICE officials and not Racsa.
“Racsa would be assigned the administration of the cable company, but the muscle of acquisition is with ICE”, said Cascante.
While ICE negotiates with CableVisión it is readying its infrastructure, that includes the announcement of the signing of agreements with the Empresa de Servicios públicos de Heredia (ESPH) and the Cooperativa de San Carlos (Coopelesca), to use its fiber optic network.
Although details are sketchy, the agreement calls for Racsa to provide the cable television service while the companies provide the customer end connections.
The 5th Annual Atenas Chili Cookoff is set for February 12th and is created to help the Hogar de Vida for children in Costa Rica.
Last year the cookoff raised ¢1.700.000 colones thanks to the 14 chili teams and more than 600 attendees.
The contest, to be held at the Quinta Romavista, Barrio Mercedes, Atenas - two kms. off the Monte de Aguacate (old Alajuela to Orotina highway) is open to the public.
The cookoff starts at 11am and ends at 4pm, with all proceeds going to the home for the abandoned, abused and orphaned children in Atenas.
Click here for contest rules.
This here organizers expect that 25 or more chili teams to participate, including in the new category of vegetarian chili – so get your application in soon – no fee to enter this year.
In addition to some great-tasting chili, there will be live music, all day raffle with great prizes, contests and games, beer and wine garden, and hot dogs, chicken wings, pies and cakes and other goodies.
When:
Sunday, February 12, 2012. (the Sunday after Super Bowl)
Where:
Quinta Romavista, Barrio Mercedes, Atenas – two kms. off the Monte de Aguacate (old Alajuela to Orotina highway.)
Click Here To See Map and follow the signs on the day of the event.
What Time:
Open To Public 11:00AM to 4:00PM
*All proceeds go to support the Hogar de Vida home for abandoned, abused and orphaned children in Atenas*
At least Costa Rica was down 4-0 at the time of this own horrid goal..
Just minutes into the second half of a 2012 Olympic Games qualification match against Canada’s women’s soccer team, Costa Rica defender Marianne Ugalde received a pass outside the box and delivered a slow pass back to goalkeeper Julieth Arias. As the ball rolled back toward her, Arias took her eyes off it for a split second to look at one of her opponents jogging toward her net. The ball, meanwhile, trickled past her feet and into the goal, causing the announcer to scream “Oh no!”
“Well we’ve seen a few strange things in this tournament, but that probably takes the cake right there,” the commentator said.
Following a report that a woman with a ruptured PIP breast implant would be denied treatment at a state hospital the Defensoría de los Habitantes has opened a case into the handling of the national healthcare system on this issue. As a first step officials will be required to publicly state their policy on the issue and provide a detailed report of protocols.
Opinions are mixed from courier services that assist with the importation of packages into Costa Rica. A ruling from the tax ministry that eliminates the once every six month $500 tax exemption on personal purchases was eliminated for Internet purchases handled by courier services. A trade group for the organization is planning a case before the constitutional court.
A legislative committee is looking into an alleged conflict of interest between Caja (CCSS) officals who control investment funds for the state heath care system (SEM) and national pension program (IVM). Allegations are that fund managers are swapping bonds between funds without floating them on the open market. If this proves true, then it means both funds are holding loan paper that is not backed by any real capital. A detailed article on the subject is presented in the full article in El Seminario.
A new vent has opened on one of Costa Rica’s active volcanoes, the latest activity following a series of small eruptions beginning in 2010, researchers say.
NASA’s Terra satellite captured an image of the new vent, located on the southeastern flank of the Turrialba volcano’s West Crater, on Jan. 12, a release from the space agency said.
The Observatorio Vulcanologico y Sismologico de Costa Rica reported the new vent exhibited “a vigorous output of bluish gas at high temperature … that generated a jet-like sound audible from the visitor lookout.”
Turrialba is the eastern-most of Costa Rica’s active volcanoes.
The rock at the summit of Turrialba is very weak due to the intense rains of the region and the persistent hydrothermal activity at the summit, seismologists said, allowing new vents to open when pressure from below is high enough to make its way through the weakened rock.
The current eruptions and vent openings are the first substantial activity at Turrialba since the 1860s, researchers said.
A court on Monday awarded ¢1 million ($1,976) for moral damages to a man who brought a case against the credit card division of Citibank for persistently harassing him via phone calls to use their services.
Reports that the British HSBC sold its operations in three Central American countries to Banco Davivienda in Colombia for $801 million in cash were confirmed by the entity on Tuesday. According to press release the bank’s branches in Costa Rica will continue to provide regular services. The deal is still subject to regulatory approval in Colombia.
