Q COSTA RICA — Costa Rica’s domestic workers will receive a 5.88% increase in the minimum monthly wage starting Jan. 1, 2027, after the Consejo Nacional de Salarios (CNS)—National Wage Council—approved a special adjustment for the sector. The...

Q COSTA RICA — A 62-year-old man identified by the surname Mata was arrested in San Isidro del General, in Pérez Zeledón, on suspicion of sexually abusing a minor. Investigators allege he approached children and teenagers in public places—inclu...

Q COSTA RICA — Mónica Araya, former executive president of the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS)—Costa Rica’s National Insurance Institute, has accused then-President Rodrigo Chaves of threatening and pressuring her in early 2024 to award a ...

Q COSTA RICA — Two people who financed President Laura Fernández’s 2026 campaign through purchases of political-debt bonds are linked to a Brazilian company in a consortium awarded a ¢6.5 billion contract to supply 40 ambulances to the Cuerpo ...

RICO’s Q — Alonso Calvo’s post reads, “Me disfrazaré de cremoleta. Será genial” — “I’ll dress up as a cremoleta. It’ll be great.” The attached image shows people dressed in what appears to be a formal gathering. The joke com...

Q COSTA RICA —  From Spain, Costa Rican President Laura Fernández has called on European countries to reduce drug consumption, arguing that lower demand could weaken the criminal networks that produce and move narcotics across the Americas and in...

Q COSTA RICA — The Juzgado Penal de Pavas (Pavas Criminal Court) has closed the complaint filed by Laura Fernández, then a presidential candidate for the Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO), over an alleged listening device found in her campaign office...

Q TRAVEL — Traveling by bus is drawing interest from tourists who want to visit several Central American destinations without stretching their vacation budgets. The appeal lies not just in the ticket price, but in the total cost of a trip—includi...

Q COSTA RICA —Costa Rica’s apparent rice consumption rose to 270,594 metric tons in the 2024–2025 rice year, its highest level in more than two decades, according to the National Rice Corporation (CONARROZ). The total was 17,039 metric tons—m...

Q COSTA RICA — Organized crews are using leaked shipping data to target trucks, move stolen goods through a network of warehouses and resellers, and, in some cases, exploit captured containers to smuggle drugs. Cargo theft in Costa Rica is no longe...