Costa Rica Report

Demolition begins of hotel in Punta Uva

Daniel Woodall — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:23:07 +0000

The demolition of the former Punta Uva Resort begins today as contractors will break down and remove the concrete structure. Demolition is expected to last six weeks, and is necessary before officials can begin the work of restoring the 40,681 … Continue reading →

Doctors, dentists and attorney would be required to use electronic invoices

Daniel Woodall — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:17:49 +0000

Doctors, dentists, lawyers and other professional people should be thinking about changing their billing system, because this year the Directorate General of Taxation is planning to require the use of an electronic invoicing system. According to Carlos Vargas, the general … Continue reading →

Costa Ricans in defense of Paul Watson via social media

Daniel Woodall — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:10:17 +0000

A group of environmentalists are posting calls on Facebook for protests before the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The group notes that, “the work that Watson has done to stop whaling and its effort to raise public awareness of … Continue reading →

Paul Watson could be taken to Japan

Daniel Woodall — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:06:39 +0000

A new development on the detention of environmentalist Paul Watson in Germany, is that he may be instead sent to Japan to face changes related to problems with Japanese whalers. The process to bring Watson to Costa Rica could take as long as three months, during this time Japanese may request his extradition to that country. Costa Rican officals continue working to translate court papers to English, French and German as required by European authorities.

Costa Rica celebrates advances in recycling

Daniel Woodall — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:59:00 +0000

Advances in the popularity of recycling have made it possible for the Florida Beverage Company to introduce a new bottle, designed from 50 percent recycled plastic. The company currently recovers 2,876 metric tons annually in recyclable plastic and aluminum.

France delivers six pre-Columbian vessels to Costa Rica

Daniel Woodall — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:55:11 +0000

French authorities on Thursday delivered to the Costa Rican embassy, six pre-Columbian ceramics manufactured between the years 300 and 800 B.C. The pieces had been seized by customs officers, in May 2010 from a traveler at the Charles de Gaulle … Continue reading →

Post office to offer residency card renewal

Daniel Woodall — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:59:36 +0000

Starting June 1st, the Zapote, Escazú and Tibás post office branches will be able to process requests for renewal of a residency card, or cedula. Presently renewal is available at the headquarters of the immigration department and select branches of the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR). According to Kattia Rodríguez, Director of Immigration the service will be available at 60 post office nationwide by the end of this year.

60 percent of government employees did not submit statements of assets

Daniel Woodall — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:57:49 +0000

According to the Comptroller General, despite a looming deadline of May 22, only 60 percent of government employees have submitted sworn statements of financial assets. Officials who fail to file their statements are subject to an administrative processes that may … Continue reading →

Dengue cases increase by 40 percent

Daniel Woodall — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:54:29 +0000

According to the ministry of health, cases of dengue in Costa Rica have surged 40 percent during a one week period. The majority of cases are reported in Pococí, Limon. The full report in Diario Extra shows a map of … Continue reading →

Costa Rica prepares to renegotiate international IT agreement

Daniel Woodall — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:51:01 +0000

The Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX) has submitted for public comment a list of products to be included under a new version of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The agreement eliminates trade duties on … Continue reading →