All Entries in the "Asamblea Legislativa – Costa Rica Legislature" Category

There’s a WAR Ship In Costa Rica!

Costa Rica was the first country in the world to formally abolish its military. However, this lack of armed forces puts Costa Rica in a paradox while regional drug gangs and cartels lawlessly traffic narcotics.

The Costa Rica government has reached out to the United States military for assistance but in light of extremely vocal opposition says the U.S. is on its shore for humanitarian purposes. What’s really going on?!

7,000 U.S. Marines Landing on the Beaches of Costa Rica

A flotilla of 46 United States Navy warships capable of carrying 200 helicopters, along with 10 Harrier vertical take-off and landing fighter jets, and 7,000 combat ready marines is on its way to this Central American country with no standing army.

On July 1, 2010 the Costa Rica Legislative Assembly voted 31-8 to grant the U.S. military full in-country access through the end of 2010 to help fight drug trafficking.

Costa Rica Jaguars get a Protected Migration Pathway

Animal conservation groups are working to create natural corridors for big cats to travel through human-populated areas.

One such corridor is already in-place to help Costa Rica’s jaguars survive, but development is a constant threat to even established pathways.

The Inauguration of Costa Rica’s First Female President

Saturday May 8th, 2010 Laura Chinchilla Miranda was inaugurated into office as the first female president of Costa Rica.

The democratic, peaceful transfer from current President Óscar Arias Sánchez to Laura Chinchilla Miranda took place in a specially constructed viewing area in Parque Metropolitano La Sabana while visiting world dignitaries looked on.

President of Costa Rica Supports ‘Legal Recognition’ for Gay Couples

Outgoing Costa Rican President Óscar Arias finally takes a stand on gay unions by stating he supports legal recognition of same-sex couples.

A bill to grant gay couples pension, inheritance, immigration, social-security and other rights is languishing in the Costa Rica Legislative Assembly. So is same-sex marriage coming anytime soon to Costa Rica?

Meet the New Ticas of Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, one woman will soon be president. Another is training to summit Mt. Everest.

Women are increasingly taking jobs out of the home. Putting their careers first, delaying motherhood – while they are slowly rising up the corporate ladder and climbing the echelons of government.

Meet the new Ticas.

Costa Rica’s Relationship with the Catholic Church Amidst Controversy

Today is the religious day known as Good Friday, a holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Yet while a majority of Costa Rican’s are Roman Catholics, the Church has been standing in the eye of a hurricane for the many allegations of pedophilia by priests around the world … and Costa Rican bloggers are concerned!

The Last Jaguars of Costa Rica

For nearly 20-years Dr. Eduardo Carrillo has been tracking, filming and gathering data on the near threatened jaguar population of Costa Rica.

Carrillo explains that the forests of Latin America are the symbolic heart of this region, and the health of the jaguar population is a key indicator of just how healthy the forests are.

Analysis of the Newly Opened Costa Rica Insurance Market

Costa Rica President Óscar Arias Sánchez signed into law Costa Rica’s new insurance reform ending the Instituto Nacional de Seguros’ (INS) eighty-year-old monopoly over the country’s insurance industry.

Can the INS compete in an open market with other private insurers on price, product diversity and service?

Internet and e-Commerce Industries Booming in Costa Rica

Central American countries, like Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama, are all experiencing a considerable scale of development in their telecommunication sectors.

However, Costa Rica has managed to reach a high level of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and operation advancements due to its economic policies.

Is Costa Rica a Third World, Second World or Developed Country?

There is a multi-million-dollar mega-mall in Escazú, west of San José, which sports outlets of some of the world’s most exclusive stores. But, according to the State of the Nation report in November, at least 16,000 Costa Rican homes are “without basic services,” such as electricity and running water.

A constant feature of this disparity in the makeup of Costa Rica is that, while certain areas of the country are surging ahead, there are many areas in which the country is not keeping up or is, indeed, falling behind.

Costa Rica’s New Traffic Laws Take Effect March 1, 2010

Costa Rica’s new and sweeping traffic reform laws (reformas a Ley de Tránsito) will finally be the law of the land on March 1st, 2010.

The cornerstone of the new reform is the computerization of drivers’ license records, and the use of a strict points system to force drivers to re-evaluate and change their driving practices.

Costa Rica’s New Immigration Law Takes Effect March 1, 2010

Costa Rica’s new immigration law (nueva ley migratoria) was published in the official government publication La Gaceta on September 1, 2009 … meaning the new “Ley General de Migración y Extranjería” will be the Costa Rica immigration law of the land starting March 1, 2010. Costa Rica is a world-wide destination for vacationers, travelers, those [...]

Why and How To Do Business in Costa Rica

Investments in education and development make this Central American nation a hotspot for high-tech companies and suppliers. Costa Rica’s vote and approval of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) put the nation of 4 million people in the spotlight as a potential trade partner for U.S. firms. But savvy global companies—and even savvier buyers—have [...]

Costa Rica’s “La Gloria” Guanacaste Wind Farm Now Online

Costa Rica in its quest to be the first carbon neutral country on Earth has reached new heights toward its goal with the completion of the Proyecto Eólico Guanacaste or “La Gloria” electric generating wind farm. 55 wind turbines located at a spectacular site near the Miravalle Volcano (Volcán Miravalle) in Cordillera de Guanacaste, in [...]

Costa Rica Gambling; In-Country or Online [but not at the same time]

Casino gambling in Costa Rica has been around for decades, for the most part doing business as they wish with few enforced regulations.

Today, there are more than 30 large casinos and well over 100 online casino, poker, sports book and bingo websites operating out of Costa Rica – available to gamblers worldwide.

The Agenda and Challenges of Costa Rica’s New President

Costa Rica’s first woman head of state, president-elect Laura Chinchilla, must now get to work. For decades Costa Rica has been an oasis of stability in the troubled Central American isthmus. It is the only Latin American country to figure on a list of the world’s 22 “older democracies” compiled by Robert Dahl, an eminent [...]

North Dakota Tourists Narrowly Escape Costa Rica Bridge Fireball

Costa Rica and Potholes Costa Rica is as famous for its monkeys, beaches, volcanoes and hot springs as it is for its “potholes”. Normal driving in Costa Rica includes cars and trucks weaving along narrow roadways, often times crossing into oncoming lanes of traffic, in attempts at avoiding potholes – or at least just trying [...]

Heredia Hospital, Costa Rica’s Newest Modern Public Medical Facility

A new landmark for residents and visitors to Heredia sits in the sun on 11 hectares (27 acres) only 400 meters south of the 117-year-old obsolete Hospital San Vicente de Paúl that has long outlived its usefulness. The new Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) public Hospital de Heredia San Vicente de Paúl is a [...]

Costa Rica’s San José to Caldera Pacific Highway now Open

The Costa Rica government officially opened the new Autopistas del Sol San José to Caldera Pacific highway on January 28th, 2010 … 3 months ahead of schedule; but only after 30+ years of planning, stops, starts, controversy and perseverance. Posted speed limits on the new autopista range from 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per [...]