Top 10 Costa Rica

A businessman shot and killed two thieves who had just robbed him of ¢990,000 (about $1,833) as they allegedly fired on him while trying to speed away on their motorcycles in La Uruca, on the northwest side of San José earlier this month.

A passing messenger pulled out his gun and joined in.

Last week, a 12-year-old girl shot and killed a 31-year-old man who tried to rape her in the Caribbean province of Limón . He fled, but only made it 50 meters from the house before collapsing in front of a church.

The businessman has already been cleared in the shooting. Given the wide leeway granted by Costa Rican law, the girl, too, will likely be found to have been as justified in killing her attacker.

According to Paul Chaves, a private legal consultant, three requirements must be met for a victim to use deadly force: The first is that there be an imminent attack without provocation; second, no other option is available to prevent the attack; and third, the victim does not employ excessive force against the attacker.

It is legal to act in defense of yourself, or in the defense of another person in imminent danger.

But it is illegal to fire on someone if they’re running away from you. Read the rest of this entry »

The Public Services Regulatory Authority, ARESEP, approved a 15 percent raise in electricity rates that would take effect in January.

The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) originally requested late last month a hike of more than 40 percent, citing operating costs and the need to guarantee the purchase of geothermal fuel as the main reasons.

ICE also mentioned preventing blackouts during the upcoming warm months as another reason to increase electricity rates next month.

For a family that spends about ¢25,000 (about $46) a month in electricity, the increase would amount to about ¢4,280 ($8), according to ARESEP.

About 90 percent of the energy generated comes from renewable sources, such as water, geothermal, wind and biomass, which allow the country to have more favorable prices in the energy sector compared to other Central American nations.

It is estimated that for 2009, inflation would be about 10 percent and the colón would lose 4.5 percent of its value. Those factors, ICE said, increase the cost of operations.

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Costa Rica real estate investing has been propelled forward by the last 10 years of tourism growth, and the real estate demand has been growing as well. While the prices are definitely climbing because of the real estate boom, they are still quite a bit cheaper than the prices that are offered in many other countries, such as Canada and the United States. So, it is very easy to see why Costa Rica real estate investing has become such big business with many investors.

The country of Costa Rica definitely has a lot to offer, and it is a very peaceful country that many people enjoy vacationing in. Many people are buying homes and condos in the area, and the increase of vacationers and the increase of people who are buying homes in the country is making it a prime place for Costa Rica real estate investing. So, if you are considering getting involved in investing in the near future, you may want to consider Costa Rica real estate investing and all it has to offer.

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President George W. Bush cleared the way on Tuesday for Costa Rica to formally join a regional free trade agreement between the United States, the Dominican Republic and four other Central American countries.

Bush issued a proclamation that brings the pact into force between the United States and Costa Rica on January 1.

“This step marks an important milestone in our relationship with Costa Rica, building on our strong economic and political partnership,” U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said.

Costa Rica began negotiations with the United States on the agreement in January 2003, along with Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and later the Dominican Republic.

It was the last of the five Central American countries to strike a deal with the United States, and then the last of all the CAFTA countries to ratify the pact.

Costa Rica’s voters narrowly approved the trade deal in a referendum in October 2007, but the nation’s lawmakers continued to haggle over its terms. The legislature finally voted to implement the agreement in November.

U.S. exports to the Dominican Republic and the five Central American countries hit a record $22.4 billion in 2007, Schwab’s office said in a statement.

Central American leaders are calling for a joint credit fund and single currency throughout the region. This idea has been a product of the world financial crash with the aim of maintaining some kind of fiscal stability in Central America.

There are fears that this crisis will prevent foreign investment in Costa Rican and other Central American economies which will further worsen the problem. In an effort to combat this problem, a 41 point economic blueprint has been put together and signed by leaders and representatives in all Central American countries.

Costa Rica in particular is pushing for the common currency in Central America, as well as allowing passport-free travel between the group of nations. The eight leaders have grouped together and have said that it is important to develop “a regional conscience that instills people with a sense of identity and belonging to a united Central American region,” including “perfecting the issue of a Central American passport and the adoption of a single Central American currency.”

It is said that all funds will be put towards a range of areas within the struggling economies of the nations. Areas of financial focus will be in agriculture, infrastructure, commerce and production. Currently it has not been announced where this funding will find its source.

In the face of the world economic crisis, Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias, is asking business owners and executives to cut costs, including giving up their salaries and bonuses, before laying off employees.

“I have suggested, and this is a nice moment to show generosity and solidarity of Costa Rica, the owner of a company does not begin by removing people, he begins to reduce costs by sacrificing his salary, reducing it by half, or in total . I have done it and live neither worse nor better without my salary, that can always be used better by someone who needs it. They can introduce, in some sectors, a four day work week, to avoid unemployment”, said Arias.

The president made the statement at Casa Presidencial during an interview with the general manager of the Diario Extra, William Gómez Varga and several other members of the newspaper group that quotes itself as the most read newspaper in the country.

During the interview Arias spoke about the achievements of the past year, satisfied that the TLC debate is finally coming to a close after two and a half years of controversy and the hardships facing the world and Costa Rican in 2009.

Arias said he came to office to generate employment.

Arias reconfirmed the three priorities that he said he came to office with: generate employment, the second, to generate employment and the third, to generate employment.

Arias does not deny that the times ahead will be tough for the country, the worst perhaps in the last 80 years. However, Costa Rica is prepared fro what lies ahead and that was confirmed last week by the president of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss Khann, saying last week that Costa Rica is better prepared that most of the other Latin American countries.

Good news for last minute Christmas shopping, many supermarkets and department stores are opening late all week and Christmas Day. The shopping malls will also have extended hours all week long.

At Más x Menos, the supermarket said it will extend its Sunday hours to midnight until December 31 and will open until 10pm on December 25 and 31. On January 1, it will open at 9am and close at 7pm. The supermarket chain already stays open until midnight at all its locations during the week.

Hipermás says it will keep its stores from 8am to midnight through to December 21 and the 24 hours on December 22 and 23, until 8pm on December 24 and 9pm on the 25th.

Hipermás and Más x Menos are part of the Wal-Mart chain of stores in Costa Rica, along with Palí and Maxibodegas.

Other supermarkets and retails stores are expected to follow the Wal-Mart lead.

Alvarion, the world’s leading provider of WiMAX(TM) and wireless broadband solutions, today announced that it was awarded a $6 million contract by ICE (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad), Costa Rica’s leading incumbent operator for telecommunications and electricity.

Under the terms of the agreement Alvarion will implement a turnkey project to provide advanced broadband services, deploying its 4Motion(R) solution with its WiMAX Forum Certified(TM) BreezeMAX(R) 2500 platform, and enabling ICE to enhance its network performance while providing customers with advanced means of communication.

The 802.16e network rollout, using the 2.5 GHz frequency band, is expected to commence in San Jose and the rural areas of Limon. As part of this turnkey project, Alvarion will provide ICE with thousands of CPEs (customer premises equipment), radio planning, system integration and configuration support, maintenance services at customer premises, training courses, and more. Telerad is Alvarion’s local partner for this project.

“We are eager to bring the advantages of WiMAX to the people of Costa Rica and look forward to working closely with ICE to increase adoption in the country,” said Tzvika Friedman, president and CEO of Alvarion. “Alvarion’s end-to-end solution will enable ICE to offer new broadband services while creating new revenue opportunities. We are committed to the growing market in Latin America and intend to leverage our vast experience in the region to offer exciting and innovative options for broadband communication.”

In order to shorten installation time and avoid copper cable theft, ICE will offer both residential and enterprise users high-quality voice and data services based on Alvarion’s advanced Mobile WiMAX technology. Ubiquitous coverage will enable ICE customers to enjoy a new broadband experience in both rural and urban areas.

To fight the spread of illness in the Caribbean region, Spain last week announced it would be donating 35,000 Euro (USD 47,900) through the Spanish International Cooperation Agency.

The spread of diseases followed heavy flooding that hit the area at the end of November and early December. The donation would go via the Pan-American Health Organisation to Costa Rica’s Public Health Ministry, according to a press release from the Spanish agency. It added that the funds would be used to “prevent problems such as dengue, malaria and pests, as well as ensure the quality of drinking water in homes and sanitary infrastructure.”

Spain joins countries such as France, the United States and the Netherlands as donors following the latest flooding, which left one person dead, forced more than 5,000 people out of their homes and caused more than USD 75,000 in infrastructural damage, primarily in the Caribbean province of Limon. France donated 50,000 Euro (about USD 68,400) and the United States gave USD 50,000, and loaned helicopters for evacuation operations. The Dutch, meanwhile, have pledged engineering expertise in flood prevention.

A new law was signed yesterday by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias that will make big changes in the penalties on traffic violations. These traffic violations include drunk driving, speeding and driving without a valid license. Even forgetting to wear a seatbelt, holding a cell phone, or ignoring traffic lights carry a hefty fine.

On average, one person dies in a road accident in Costa Rica every day and so authorities hope that by bringing in this new law the accident statistics will be dramatically reduced. Oscar Arias commented on the laws stating “I know this law is harsh, but rather than get scared, we should thank law makers for passing it. We have let drivers get away with too much”.

With the new law in place, drunk drivers automatically lose their license for 2 years and could face imprisonment for up to 3 years. Cars driving over 150 mph will also face the same penalty. Other related laws restrict certain car modifications in an attempt to target the informal drag races that continue to go on in San Jose’s streets and have cost several lives.

The 1993 legislation stated that there was a $36 fine for traffic offenses, which has now been considerably raised to $410. For forgetting a seatbelt, using a cell phone or ignoring traffic lights, you can incur a charge of up to $310.

The actual fines will come into full effect in September once the Public Works and Transport Ministry have had time to inform drivers of the changes. So buckle up and watch your speed!

Next week is Christmas and and estimated 70.000 Nicaraguans living and working in Costa Rica are expected to make the trip to the homeland for the holidays.

Nicaraguan ambassador to Costa Rica, Harold Rivas, says that is the number his officials are estimating will cross the land border crossing at Peñas Blancas beginning this weekend.

The estimate is based on the number of people lined at the Nicaraguan embassy in San Jose requesting a temporary passport and registering children born in Costa Rica so that they obtain documents to travel from Costa Rica.

Rivas added that in line with the thousands of Nicaraguans are also Costa Ricans and other nationals who are looking to travel with the Nicaraguan spouse or significant other to celebrate the Christmas and New Year’s holiday north.

“We are attending some 1.200 persons daily for visas and passports”, said Rivas.

All Nicaraguans travelling to their homeland must obtain a travel document, according to Rivas, who confirmed that the embassy has been processing requests since November.

Nicaragua has several consulates in Costa Rica. In addition to the embassy and consulate in San José, Nicaraguan nationals can go to consulates located in Liberia, in the province of Guanacaste and Ciudad Quesada (San Carlos) and Los Chiles in the province of Alajuela.

Rivas rejected that more Nicaraguans enter Costa Rica in January that those left in December. The Nicaraguan ambassador rejects the idea that Nicaraguans leave their country following the holidays to look for a better economic situation in Costa Rica.

However, the reality is different, as Costa Rican immigration officials see the large number of Nicaraguans enter Costa Rica in January, usually more than those leaving in December, many coming with relatives and friends who have been living and working in Costa Rica, seeking employment opportunities in domestic work for the women and construction for the men.

The exodus begins this Friday and Saturday, as bus operators with direct travel to Nicaragua being sold out beginning this weekend and well into the first week in January.

Finally Costa Ricans will have an opportunity to learn to drive properly with the approval of the Comisión Plena II del Congreso approved the bill “Ley de Regulación de las Escuelas de Manejo” - a law regulating driving schools.

The bill was presented by Guyón Massey of the Partido Restauración Nacional, that pretends to obligate driving schools to impart basic and uniform courses on the rules of the road, driving skills and the Ley de Tránsito (traffic laws).

Under the proposal, the Dirección General de Educación Vial del Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), would have the legal tools to regulate driving schools and the instructors.

Currently, anyone can call themself a driving instructor and operate a driving school for the preparation of driving lessons.

The new proposal would ensure that instructors have at least a high scholl diploma and have five years driving experience and a license equal to or superior to the type of instructions being imparted.

Massey feels that regulating driving schools and instructors is an extension of the reforms to the Ley de Tránsito recently passed by legislators, that introduces stiffer fines and sanctions against bad drivers.

Massey added that instructions will have to pass a course by the Dirección General de Educación Vial with at least an 80% grade, driving schools will be required to have a classroom equipped with driving material approved by the Dirección, and texts and written material to include basic auto mechanics and understanding of a vehicle’s operation.

Driving schools, if the law is approved, will also be required to have at least one registered vehicle that has double controls, vehicles used in driving instructions be fully identifiable with signage and must be insured.

In addition, driving school directors must hold a valid driving license and at least five years driving experience, know how to read and write, in addition to having a high school diploma.

Costa Rica’s Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) and the Costa Rican banking unit of London-based HSBC (NYSE: HBC) have signed an agreement under which the bank will sell INS insurance products, state-run INS said in a press release.

Starting January, Banco HSBC Costa Rica will sell INS life insurance policies which are especially suitable for being distributed through the bancassurance channel, an INS spokesperson told BNamericas.

These life products are one of the 17 types of insurance policies which INS has designed for being distributed through financial institutions, the official said.

Banco HSBC already sells some INS products, including credit card insurance, according to the spokesperson.

One of INS’s goals for the next few years is to significantly grow the share of life and health insurance premiums of total premiums, Guillermo Constenla, executive president of the state-run insurer, previously told BNamericas.

Life premiums accounted for 11% of the US$506mn in premiums reported by INS in 2007, according to the institution’s financial statements.

Banco HSBC, which has some 200,000 clients, will sell INS products through the bank’s 38-branch network.