China Welcomes Ties with Costa Rica
China said Thursday it welcomed the establishment of ties with Costa Rica and urged other allies of Taiwan in Latin America to end their relationships with the island.

President Arias Said Taiwan Is stingy
Costa Rica's president, Oscar Arias, yesterday criticized Taiwan for being stingy with aid to its handful of allies, while other Latin American nations struggled with whether to remain loyal to the democratic island or strengthen ties with Taiwan's diplomatic rival, China.

Former ALCATEL Exec Admits Pay Off To Costa Rican Officials
Christian Sapsizian, a former Alcatel CIT executive pleaded guilty to participating in the payment of more than us$2.5 million in bribes to senior Costa Rican government officials in order to obtain a mobile telephone contract from Costa Rica’s state-owned telecommunications, the Instituto Costarricense de Electridcidad (ICE), in violation of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the United States Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Former ICE Director Admits To Pay Off
Former Instituto Costarricense de Electridcidad (ICE) director, Hernán Bravo, will avoid jail time in a deal he negotiated with the Fiscalía (prosecutor's office) in exchange for an abbreviated trial and testimony in the trial against former Costa Rican president, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, former ICE directors José Antonio Lobo and Joaquín Alberto Fernández, among others.

Pedestrian Boulevard Projects Come To A Hault
One of the first consequences of the break up between Costa Rica and Taiwan is that the planned boulevards - pedestrian walkways - planned for downtown San José will be no more, unless someone else steps in to pitch the us$2.6 million dollars needed for the construction of three new boulevards.

Prez Breaks Up With Girlfriend
Rumours abound that Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias, is single again, after ending or suspending, his romantic relationship with Geovanna de Mendiola.