Q COSTARICA — Costa Rica and Panama have been embroiled in a tariff and phytosanitary dispute since 2019, centered on Panama’s blockade of imports of Costa Rican agricultural products, primarily dairy and meat. This disagreement escalated las...

Q COSTARICA — Costa Rica’s economic growth is not necessarily reflected in household income or consumption. While the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.7% at the end of 2025, a trend that continued in the first quarter of 2026, with a ra...

Q COSTARICA — “A prison is not a hotel,”  the Minister of Justice, Gabriel Aguilar, told inmates in the high-security wing of the Centro de Atención Institucional (CAI) Terrazas of the La Reforma prison, who continued a hunger strike on Monda...

RICO’s Q — It’s been a few days since I received the following message on my cellular phone. Mine was from the Dirección General de la Policía de Transito (traffic police). Several friends received, on the same Friday, a similar messa...

Q COSTARICA — The Supreme Court of Justice on Monday revoked the appointment of Randall Zúñiga as the director of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), after determining that he committed a very serious offense. “The decision is b...

Q COSTARICA — Gone are the days when then-President Rodrigo Chaves declared his mission in power would end on May 8, 2026, and that he would retire with the satisfaction of having awakened the people. He said he wouldn’t endorse anyone, but t...

Q COSTARICA — The combination of various adverse factors brought relief to the Costa Rican agricultural sector with a “perfect storm” this year. Producers and exporters of banana, coffee, melon, and pineapple face multiple obstacles: th...

Q COSTARICA — The Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) is carrying out a large-scale operation nicknamed “Caso Lusso” this Monday morning against a suspected money laundering ring, with 17 simultaneous raids in areas including Esc...

Q COSTARICA — In Costa Rica, holidays carry a special kind of respect — they are celebrated right on their calendar day, not moved to create long weekends. This tradition, deeply rooted in the country’s culture, sets Costa Rica apart from many ...

Q COSTARICA — The president of the Legislative Assembly, Yara Jiménez, decided to shelve the reports prepared by the special commission that investigated the alleged sexual abuse committed by former legislator Fabricio Alvarado during the previous...