December 22
Café de Playa Lounge Concerts
Amarillo, Cian y Magenta, today; MasterKey (gospel), Dec. 24; Son Urbano, Dec. 31, all shows at 8 p.m., Café de Playa, Playas del Coco, northwestern Guanacaste province. Info: 524-0728.
Arts Fair
Sculpture, acrylic and oil paintings, photography, drawings, etc., today and tomorrow, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Don's Shopping Center, San Pedro, east of San José. Info: 524-3330, 271-3473.
Summer Workshops
For kids 5-12, workshops for making toys, crafts, masks, registration deadline today, classes start Jan. 15, José Figueres Cultural Center, San Ramón, northwest of San José. Info: 447-2178, 447-2381.
Mundo Loco Concerts
Santos y Zurdo, ethnic music, Dec. 23, 7 p.m. Peregrino Gris, Celtic music, Dec. 30; Badu n' Diay, Jazz Café, San Pedro.
Trip to Monteverde
Travel to this north-central cloud forest with the Organization for Tropical Studies, Dec. 30-Jan. 2. Info: 524-0625, 377-6169.
New Year's Eve Shows
With DJ Mauricio, Kim Russel Show and a surprise, Dec. 31, 8 p.m., Joanna's, 50 m south of El Cruce, San Rafael, Escazú, west of San José. Info: 342-4248.
U.S. Embassy and Consulate Closed
In observance of the holidays, the U.S. Embassy and Consulate will be closed Dec. 25 and Jan 1. During the rest of the holiday season, the Embassy and Consulate will maintain their normal hours, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Edited By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net
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In a controversial move, the Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) Thursday eliminated a subsidy for diesel fuel in place since the 1970s. This will raise the cost of one liter of diesel ¢17 ($0.03) as soon as the price hike is published by the official government daily La Gaceta, likely in January, according to ARESEP spokeswoman Ana Carolina Mora.
The price of one liter of diesel will increase from ¢347 ($0.67) to ¢364 ($0.71). At the same time, the cost of one liter of super gasoline will drop from ¢516 ($1) to ¢488 ($0.95) per liter and regular gas will drop from ¢486 ($0.94) to ¢460 ($0.89) per liter, according to a statement from ARESEP.
Diesel and airplane fuel been subsidized for 30 years because part of their cost has been covered by the sale of gasoline, according to the daily La Nación. Income from the sale of diesel fuel makes up 40% of the National Oil Refinery's (RECOPE) total income.
Maritza Hernández, president of the National Chamber of Transport Workers told La Nación the diesel hike is a “terrible” decision that will force diesel-guzzling bus companies to pass the price increase on to consumers.
The diesel hike could also make Costa Rica less competitive in terms of production, since this fuel is used to make exported products, Rafael Carrillo, president of the Union of Private-Sector Chambers and Associations (UCCAEP) told the daily.
In other news, ARESEP also approved Thursday an increase in taxi fare to go into effect as soon as it is published in La Gaceta. The price of the first kilometer of a taxi ride will increase from ¢330 ($0.64) to ¢365 ($0.71), while each additional kilometer will increase from ¢300 ($0.58) to ¢340 ($0.66). |
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recently approved a $50 million loan for Costa Rica to fight poverty by improving infrastructure and social services and providing government housing grants (or bonos ) to those living in shantytowns.
The funds will help 9,000 poor families in 31 shantytowns, according to a statement from IDB.
The housing-grant program will be carried out by the National Mortgage and Housing Bank (BANHVI) and the Costa Rican-Canadian Foundation, an organization with experience processing housing grants for low-income families without access to credit, the statement said.
The 25-year loan will also finance programs to improve BANHVI, the Housing Ministry and the municipalities where these projects will be carried out. The Costa Rican government will provide another $8.4 million to finance the program.
The loan has a five and a half year grace period and a variable interest rate.
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