During the first reading, legislators approved a bill that allows the government to recover funds that institutions haven’t spent in two years. If the bill is enacted today, the government could handle 750,000 million colones that public and private institutions kept deposited in the state’s bank account (known as Caja Única del Estado). This amount […]

Environmental groups are opposing a regulation that would speed up the registry of pesticides in the country. Currently there is a 10 year waiting list fir the authorization of 2.124 agrichemical components. In the last few years, farmers and agrichemical distributors have been demanding a faster process for authorizing pesticides. In particular, environmentalists question a […]

The Ministry of Justice has suspended an order to release a further 380 convicts on parole, which had intended to reduce prison overcrowding. The order was issued on March 17th by a criminal court at Alajuela and made convicts, with less than 7 year prison sentences, including repeat offenders eligible for release. A government official said that the […]

Juan Manuel Cordero, deputy Ombudsman, said PANI’s remarks are unacceptable. The children’s protection agency (PANI) said it doesn’t have the means to fight child prostitution and that it cannot provide help for people who won’t accept it. This is a high risk threat, because it allows criminal networks to continue undermining the dignity of boys, […]

Businesses and the geologists association have been pressing the goverment to delay a plan to stop water wells digging at Guanacaste for three years. According to the minister of Environment and Energy, Egdar Gutiérrez, and the president of the water service company, Yamileth Astorga, the opposition against the action has been led by Guanacaste’s tourism […]