Credomatic Music Festival
Doelen Quartet (Dutch string quartet), Aug. 14, 8 pm. National Theater, San José.

Sonorous Ensemble, Aug. 14, 5:30 p.m., Hacienda Pinilla, Tamarindo.

Berlin Brass, Aug. 14, 7 p.m., Centro Neotrópico Sarapiquí (Sarapiquí).

Juan Bau in concert
Spanish balladeer, Aug. 14, 8 p.m., Double Tree Cariari, Ciudad Cariari, Heredia, 2239-0022. 

“The Last Full Moon” dance show
“La Ultima Luna Llena,” UNA Dance Company, Aug. 14, 8 p.m., Teatro de la Danza, CENAC, 2221-2154.

(Early) Mother's Day concerts
Alma de América Trio, Aug. 14, dinner. Fogo Brasil restaurant, 100 m East of Datsun in Sabana Norte, 2248-1111.

Laus Deo Choir, Aug. 14, 7 p.m., Casa de la Cultura Alfredo González Flores, Heredia.

Scientists have confirmed the existence of the elusive Mexican hornshark ( Heterodontus mexicanus ), off the coast of Isla Herradura near Playa Jacó on the central Pacific. The species, previously reported to exist only in certain Central American Pacific waters and Mexico, but was not known to inhabit Costa Rican waters.

“It's a very rare species to start out with,” said Randall Arauz, president of the Marine Turtle Restoration Program (PRETOMA). “The fishermen themselves don't have a name for it. Very little is known about this species.”

Working with locals was key for PRETOMA in establishing what exists in the local fisheries.

“We worked with the fishermen for a year and we've been doing these things called ‘shark day' events,” Arauz said. At the events, scientists invite locals to share information on different species. “The horned shark, we had a picture of it, and this fisherman recognized it. This was about a year ago.”

That same fisherman, Luis Angel Rojas, caught a hornshark on Aug. 4. He excitedly held onto the specimen, a female, to show to PRETOMA scientists.

The shark is small, with spines on each dorsal fin. It lays eggs on the ocean floor that require a year to hatch. This is unusual among sharks, many of which bear live young. Arauz also said that the hornshark, with teeth specially designed for grinding, eats mollusks.

The discovery expands the known geographic range of the shark's habitat, whose numbers and status are virtually unknown.

About two years ago, PRETOMA confirmed the existence of the brown smoothhound shark ( Mustelus henlei ) in the country's oceans.

“This is all thanks to the help of the fishermen,” Arauz said. “Without them, this couldn't have happened.”

The Costa Rican economy slowed last month to the smallest growth rate in six years, the Central Bank said this week.

The bank's Monthly Index of Economic Activity showed Costa Rica's economy in grew just 2.6 percent from June 2007 to June 2008, the smallest growth registered since March 2002.

The Central Bank foresaw economic problems this year and lowered its estimate of economic growth for 2008 from 3.8 to 3.2 percent, according to the daily La Nación.

Agriculture, mining and industry, including the technology powerhouse Intel, were among the sectors of the economy that have fallen in production, the daily said.

Surging oil prices earlier this year and high inflation have also been plaguing the Costa Rican economy, and the colón has fallen sharply against the dollar in recent months.

Last week, the Central Bank spent $62.9 million of its international reserves trying to keep the colón afloat.

Since April, the bank has dumped $902.5 million, or 18.3 percent, of its reserves.

The bank had an all-time high of $4.9 billion in international reserves in April, but those reserves had fallen to $4.03 billion as of Aug. 8.

A dollar fetched about ¢500 on MONEX, the domestic money market, at the beginning of May, but this week it was buying ¢556, just under the upper limit the Central Bank allows.

The Central Bank established a new dollar-colón exchange regimen last year based on upper and lower bands within which the colón can be traded against the dollar.

When the price of a dollar gets close to either limit, the Central Bank buys or sells currency on the local market to alter supply, thus controlling the colón's price.

Beginning today, bus riders will have to shell out 13 percent more for their trips.

The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) set the hikes, which range from ¢5 to ¢770 ($1.40), in response to a 25 percent increase in diesel costs between April and August, to ¢726 ($1.32) per liter from ¢556 ($1.01).

The increase is the second this year. Bus fares went up 5 percent in April.

President Oscar Arias' administration has proposed to eliminate the ¢95.5 ($0.17) per liter diesel tax, but lawmakers have not agreed on how to compensate for the cut in government revenue.

Fuel prices have increased around the world this year, and Costa Rica has not been immune. New price hikes approved by ARESEP went into effect yesterday.

Regular gas prices increased to ¢721 ($1.31) a liter from ¢704 ($1.28); super increased to ¢732 a liter from ¢716; and diesel increased to ¢726 from ¢720.

However, with the world price of oil now on the downswing, the National Oil Refinery (RECOPE) has requested a slight decrease in fuel prices.

RECOPE requested diesel drop by ¢2.8, super by ¢1.5 and the regular by ¢4.9.

The refinery said the decreases would have been greater had the colón's value against the dollar not plummeted. In July, when this week's price hike was requested, the dollar was trading at ¢523. The colón's value has since dropped to ¢556.

According to RECOPE, ARESEP has 15 working days to consider the decrease request and, if approved, five days to make it official.