Weekly Review

Sole mating grounds

Costa Rica is the sole place in the world where the two populations of humpback whales, those from the northern and the southern hemispheres, coincide to mate and give birth to their calves. This data surfaced in research done by Universidad Nacional (the Costa Rican state National University). The mating areas are located in the neighborhood of Caño Island and Marenco Point, in the south Pacific, and in Cuajiniquil Bay, in the northern Pacific. Even though the whales arrive at different times of the year, in the months of November and December the two groups share Cuajiniquil Bay. Marine biologist Damian Martinez explained that, until now, scientists had observed the humpbacks feed and move off California and Chile, but then lost track of them for a period of time. It was when they came to Costa Rica that they watched males fighting for a female, listened to mating songs, and watched newborn calves.

FBI investigation

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The FBI launched an investigation of several reinsurance brokers operating in Costa Rica. The chief of the National Insurance Institution, Guillermo Constenla, confirmed the information and added that this is part of the results of the unearthing of payments made by the reinsurance brokers PWS, Great Britain, and the Mexican branch of U.S. firm Guy Carpenter-Reinmex, to a Panamanian company linked to former President of Costa Rica Miguel Angel Rodriguez, who had already been involved in at least another corruption case. The payments were revealed in a story printed by the daily La Nación in Costa Rica, and they prompted legal action in England, the United States, and Costa Rica.

Lowest deficit

Costa Rica reached the end of the year 2007 with the lowest fiscal deficit in the last 23 years, at 0.4 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. This was so even though in the nation’s budget for this year the Government had foreseen a 2.3 percent deficit. According to Central Bank records, no government in the last 23 years had been able to lower the deficit below 1 percent. In 2006, the difference between revenues and expenses had been 1.07 percent. Minister of Finance Guillermo Zuniga pointed out that the 0.4 percent is preliminary, and that the deficit could be lower after the final revision of all the data.

Intel invests $90 million

In 2008, Intel will invest $90 million so that new processors, that will make the transmission of data on the Internet faster, will be assembled and tested in Costa Rica. Intel spokesperson Karla Blanco confirmed the information, but did not go into detail on the new products to be developed. According to Blanco, there will be technological changes that will demand larger investment, in order to manufacture products to improve the speed on the Internet. However, she did not go into detail.

Talent and investment

The domestic human resource is responsible, after ten years of operations, for Intel to increase its investment in Costa Rica. The ability of Costa Ricans has enabled the company to evolve in the complexity of the products manufactured at the plant in Belen, Heredia.

Cocaine 1, marihuana 4 tons

In a joint operation with the U.S. Coast Guard, Costa Rican law-enforcement agents seized a small boat carrying 1 ton of cocaine. The 5-man crew abandoned the vessel near Punta Burica, in the Costa Rica South Pacific, but agents were deployed to arrest them in the forested area where they sought refuge. In the same vicinity, the Costa Rican Coast Guard confirmed the confiscation of a boat carrying 4 tons of compressed marihuana. In both cases, the drugs came from Colombia and were on their way to the United States.

More seats available

The number of airplane seats available to travel between the United States and Costa Rica increased by 22 percent from 2006 to last November, since they went from 1,088,202 to 1,332,679, Minister of Tourism Carlos Benavides announced. He explained that the number of seats grew because of the arrival of new airlines and thanks to the larger planes operated by airlines which have been here for longer. Some 55 percent of the overall number of tourists who come to Costa Rica hail from the U.S., therefore the advantage of having more seats available in that route.