Costa Rica’s economic, social and environmental achievements are impressive. It has succeeded in combining rising living standards, virtually universal health care, pension and primary education systems with sustainable use of natural resources. Incomes per capita have nearly doubled in real terms over the past three decades and some well-being indicators (health, environment and life-satisfaction) are comparable with or even above the OECD average. However, as the latest Economic Assessment of Costa Rica highlights the country faces old and new challenges that will need be addressed to continue developing in a sustainable way.
Costa Rica, an ecological model in Latin America? - VisualPolitik EN
Tourists’ deaths in Costa Rica, this past weekend, two women were slain in Costa Rican coastal communities within a 24-hour span – both foreign tourists enjoying visits to beach destinations known for their off-the-beaten-path tranquility.
Marriage should be legal (someday), Costa Rica’s Supreme Court of Justice released a ruling this week stating that the prohibition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional – and that the Legislative Assembly has 18 months to overturn it.
The economy faces downturn due to lack of tax reform, the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) warned July 24, 2018 that the economy will face a growing public deficit and stunted growth if Congress doesn’t pass tax reform. According to the BCCR, the deficit risks growing to 7.2 percent this year, up from 6.2 percent in 2017. Economic growth could also see a decline to 3.2 percent from the projected 3.6 percent.
Marriage should be legal (someday), Costa Rica’s Supreme Court of Justice released a ruling this week stating that the prohibition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional – and that the Legislative Assembly has 18 months to overturn it.
The economy faces downturn due to lack of tax reform, the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) warned July 24, 2018 that the economy will face a growing public deficit and stunted growth if Congress doesn’t pass tax reform. According to the BCCR, the deficit risks growing to 7.2 percent this year, up from 6.2 percent in 2017. Economic growth could also see a decline to 3.2 percent from the projected 3.6 percent.
Supreme Court president resigns over corruption scandal, The president of Costa Rica’s Supreme Court (CSJ), Carlos Chinchilla, left his position on July 16, after being reprimanded for his role in an influence-peddling scandal involving imported Chinese cement.
Solving costa ricas traffic and pollution problem, the explosive growth of its gasoline-dependent transportation sector has caused an embarrassing stain on Costa Rica’s green reputation. While it touts 99 percent of its electricity as derived from renewables, that percentage only account for one-fourth of Costa Rica’s overall energy use. The problem has compounded as demand for cars doubled from about 700,000 to nearly 1.5 million between 2000 and 2014. Most of these cars are registered in San Jose and the surrounding Greater Metropolitan Area (GMA, or GAM for its initials in Spanish), where more than half of Costa Rica’s population is packed into just 4 percent of the country’s landmass. This has led to massive congestion that earned Costa Rica a “miserable” ranking on the Waze Driver Satisfaction Index 2016.
Four judges reprimanded over chinese cement scandal, four judges from Costa Rica’s Supreme Court (CSJ) were reprimanded for “serious misconduct” after dismissing a case against legislators related to influence peddling in the Chinese cement case known as the ‘cementazo.’ Carlos Chinchilla, president of the CSJ, is among the sanctioned judges along with his colleagues Jesús Ramírez, Doris Arias and María Elena Gómez, members of the criminal wing of the court. The four judges were reprimanded after they dismissed a case against two legislators who had been pointed out for collaborating with Juan Carlos Bolaños, the businessman at the epicenter of the cementazo scandal.
Missing persons alert Limon, André Devoto, the son of Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professionals (ACOPROT) President Massi Devoto, has disappeared in Limón, according to information published on Facebook by his family. He was last seen on Monday, June 11, in downtown Limón at 9:00 pm. If you have any information or know where he might be, call the following numbers: 8847-2582 or 8336-1882. You can also contact Massi Devoto directly via Facebook.
400 kilos of cocaine are seized in Costa Rica, Costa Rican authorities seized 406 kilos of cocaine that were hidden in a container in a vessel that originated in the Colombian port of Turbo, authorities reported Sunday. The shipment was found in during an inspection by anti-narcotics agents. The vessel arrived on Friday bearing a “Nederland Reefer” Bahamas flag, according to a news released from the Public Security Ministry. The shop had docked in the Costa Rican port of Moín, on the Caribbean coast, according to the Ministry; it was bound for Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. Costa Rica has seized 7.2 tons of cocaine so far this year, the Ministry reports.
Costa Ricas plastic invasión, Costa Rica generates 4,000 tons of waste every day. Of these, 11 percent are plastics that end up in the sea, including 1.5 million plastic bottles.
World Bank supports costa rican spending cuts, “The major challenges that Costa Rica currently faces are reducing the fiscal deficit and stabilizing public debt, given that they’re a threat to the principles that govern its social [programs],” World Bank representative Fabrizio Zarcone said in a news release.
Finance Minister Costa Rica needs drastic spending cuts, Costa Rica’s new Finance Minister, Rocío Aguilar, presented a package of drastic cuts to public spending at the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday and asked legislators to support a tax reform. Both efforts are designed to help the country address its fiscal deficit, which has reached 6.2 percent of GDP. “Time has run out,” Aguilar said. “If we don’t act, the interest rates Costa Ricans pay on loans will rise, investment will shrink, job generation will drop and the cost of living will rise.”
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The future is in our hands, Carlos Alvarado acknowledges that there’s no time to be lost given the country’s serious fiscal deficit. In his speech, May 8th, he sets the goal of decreasing the deficit from 6.2 percent to 3 percent of GDP before he leaves office.
Costa Rica’s shadows update, compilation of news from the Tico Times newspaper and VisualPolitik EN compiled by Rafael Vilagut for new episode of Feliz y Saludable.
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