Several communities in the northwestern province of Guanacaste registered rainfall levels below 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) in May, the National Meteorological Institute reported. Drought conditions are expected to hit the province again starting next week.
According to the latest survey by consulting firm Manpower, 17 percent of employers in Costa Rica expect to increase hiring, while 7 percent anticipate cuts in the next three months.
The Southern Caribbean Artisanal Fishermen's Association on Monday presented officials from the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry a plan to reduce the population of lionfish (Pterois), an invasive species that threatens Costa Rica’s fish and shellfish populations.
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) named Costa Rica among 72 countries (of 129 evaluated) that achieved the Millennium Development Goal of cutting in half by a 2015 deadline the number of residents living in situations of hunger.
According to the Ombudsman's Office, the number of complaints at public agencies increased from 82 in 2008 to 276 in 2011. The top targets of those complaints were doctors, teachers and police at the Social Security System, Education Ministry and Public Security Ministry, respectively.
