Source: Wikimedia Commons The Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) that observed the municipal elections in Costa Rica on February 7, 2016 today congratulated the citizens of the country on the successful participation in the process, which the Mission qualified as “a show of the solidity of its democratic system.” In his report (Spanish) to the Permanent Council of the Orga...

Gypsy Jaunt, a socially conscious travel platform for women of the African Diaspora, recently announced its first official trip, which will feature a five-day vacation in Costa Rica. The trip is focused on the idyllic coastal community of Santa Teresa, located in the Nicoya Peninsula of the Puntarenas province. Details on this girlfriend vacation to Costa Rica, which costs $500, are as follows:...

File photo Washington, Apr 20 (EFE).- Legal marijuana sales in the United States totaled nearly $5.7 billion in 2015, while more than 100,000 jobs are being created annually in that industry's medicinal and recreational segments, according to a study released Wednesday. Four states (Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington) - in addition to the District of Columbia, where the U.S. capital is...

Source: Wikimedia Commons MONTREAL, April 20, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada announced today it will launch four new seasonal Air Canada rouge services between Montreal-Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Montreal-San José, Costa Rica; Toronto Palm Springs, California; and Toronto-Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The non-stop flights will give Canadian travelers more competitively-priced options when ...

Source: Pixabay Commons Members of a credit card cloning crew arrested in Costa Rica earlier this week reportedly placed skimmers at nude cabarets, among other commercial establishments, where they made off with account information that was ultimately used to make fraudulent purchases and payments. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, a citizen of the United States was one of four...

Wikimedia Commons By Britt Nelson Homeboy billionaire Donald Trump and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the New York Primary on Tuesday night, further advancing a future face-off between the two for the upcoming national Presidential election in November. Republican Trump scored higher than expected with a whopping 60.5 percent of the vote and winning at least 89 of New...

Flickr Commons Quito, Jul 19 (EFE).- Volunteers are working to help animals, the silent victims of natural disasters, in the aftermath of the magnitude-7.8 earthquake that killed 413 people and injured more than 2,000 others in Ecuador. Lost and abandoned dogs wander the streets of the Pacific coastal areas shattered by Saturday's earthquake, with some pets sleeping in the rubble of their f...

Flickr Commons U.S. Sports Desk, Apr 20 (EFE; odds by IDSca.com).- The San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks stymied the Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics, respectively, with outstanding defense to grab 2-0 leads in their best-of-seven, first-round playoff series. The Spurs held the injury-riddled Grizzlies to 32.6 percent shooting and also got 56 points from their reserves in a 94-68 vict...

By Gavin Drake of Anglican News A lay canon of England’s Liverpool Cathedral has been elected unopposed to serve as vice-chair of the Anglican Consultative Council. She joins the Archbishop of Hong Kong, the Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong, who was elected last week as chair of the body; and five new members of the Standing Committee. The Anglican Consultative Council is the legally constituted body...

Wikimedia Commons Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today questioned State Department officials from the Obama Administration regarding the Cuban migratory crisis currently unfolding in Central America. Rubio also addressed security challenges in Central American countries. Rubio made his comments during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on 'Central America and the ...

Pixabay Commons The number of health travelers from the United States who visit Costa Rica for medical and dental procedures could double by the end of this decade. Such was the forecast recently broadcast by national television network Teletica in a report by Adrian Fallas. In 2015, Costa Rica welcomed about 50,000 medical and dental tourists; this figure was reported by ProMed, an organiz...

Source: FEDEFUTBOL The most popular social network in the world is once again engaged in the annual Facebook Football Awards, and one of the favorite nominees this year is star goalkeeper Keylor Antonio Navas from Costa Rica. Real Madrid fans call him el halcón (The Hawk). For all the glory enjoyed by the stellar trio of strikers comprised of Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, Navas is...

Los Angeles, Apr 18 (EFE; additional context by The Costa Rica Star).- J.A. Bayona, director of films like "The Impossible," has been picked to direct the sequel of the dinosaur saga "Jurassic World," the movie's producers announced Monday on Twitter. "Thrilled to announce JA Bayona is on board to direct JW2. Welcome to the team," producer Frank Marshall tweeted Monday. "Proud to collaborate...

Wikimedia Commons GUANACASTE, Costa Rica, April 16, 2016 - Michael Plantinga (Langley, BC) and Cameron Wheelan (Barrie, ON) won their first gold medal on 2016 NORCECA Beach Volleyball tour beating Daneil Williams/Fabien Whitfield of Trinidad and Tobago in two sets (25-23, 21-15) in the final. The tournament took place over the weekend in Tamarindo Beach, a coastal community that has become ...

Source: ACAE The first space program for satellite development in Central America is being developed in Costa Rica with the help of small, private donations. According to a news report published in March by international news agency EFE, the Central American Aeronautics and Space Association, or ACAE, has kicked off a Kickstarter campaign to collect the $75,000 needed to launch the first sa...

Rescue team members wait outside a clinic that was evacuated after tremors were felt resulting from an earthquake in Ecuador, in Cali, Colombia, April 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jaime Saldarriaga The death toll of the powerful earthquake that devastated Ecuador and prompted Pacific tsunami alerts all the way north to Costa Rica has surpassed the 300 mark, and it includes a mother and son from Canada. ...

Four Seasons Costa Rica Summer is the season for kids to frolick freely and parents to disconnect and recharge poolside. This year, Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo offers the perfect family get away with something for everyone at Central and South America's only Forbes Five-Star resort. "With direct flights from so many locales to nearby Liberia airport and exciting act...

FARC child fighter. Flickr Commons Bogota, Apr 17 (EFE).- The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrilla group said in a post on social media this weekend that it did not have a fortune of $10.5 billion as reported by Britain's The Economist. FARC chief peace negotiator Ivan Marquez called the article a "joke" in a Twitter post. "They should check their sources and not be...

Source: NOAA PTWC The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PWTC) of the United States National Weather Service has lifted an alert that extended from Ecuador to the Pacific coastlines of Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica following a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that destroyed buildings in Guayaquil and claimed more than 230 casualties. The Observatory of Seismology and Volcanology of Costa Ri...

Flickr Commons Netflix recently posted its Internet Service Provider (ISP) index for March 2016, a monthly update on the international status of the ISPs providing the best -and worst – prime-time video streaming experience. As has been previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, the main ISP firms in our country such as ICE's Kolbi Hogar have long scraped the bottom of the Netflix list, an...

Source: A Small Section of the World ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - April 14, 2016) - Illy, a global leader in direct trade with coffee growers, and an industry innovator in sustainability and technology spanning eight decades, will mark key milestones in its storied history, and set the stage for what's next in coffee culture, at the annual Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Expo, Ap...

Pixabay Commons HOWELL, MI--(Marketwired - Apr 14, 2016) - Cleary University today announced the launch of its new Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in Costa Rica. The bootcamp is focused on teaching participants the basic principles of building a location independent business. The pilot bootcamp will run August 7 through August 11, 2016. Beginning in 2017, the Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp ...

(ICR-CRS archive/stock) Cannabis has overtaken tobacco as one of the recreational substances of choice among high school students in Costa Rica. Such was the conclusion reached by the Institute on Liquor and Substance Abuse Research (Spanish acronym: IAFA) following its Fourth National Survey in secondary schools. The longitudinal survey, which was conducted in 2015, has been put through va...

Wikimedia Commons Air France - KLM Press Release - Thursday 14 April 2016 - As of 2 November 2016, and throughout the 2016-17 winter season, Air France will offer two new weekly services to San José (Costa Rica) on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle. The flights will be operated by Boeing 777-300 with a capacity of 468 seats – 14 in Business, 32 in Premium Economy and 422 in Economy. “B...

"Stephen Curry 2" by Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA - Stephen Curry. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons Oakland, California, Apr 14 (EFE; betting context by IDSca.com).- The Golden State Warriors set an NBA record for most regular-season victories, eclipsing the mark set by the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls with a 125-104 rout here of the Memphis Grizzlies. Superstar point gu...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Toronto - 14 Apr 2016 - Sunwing Vacations Price Crasher Sale offers up to 50% off popular vacation packages. Just launched, Sunwing Vacations latest sale is sure to get travellers in the mood for shopping when they get a hold of these heavily discounted deals. Available from April 16 to April 22, 2016, during the Price Crasher Sale travellers can save up to 50% off p...

Wikimedia Commons GUANACASTE, Costa Rica, April 13, 2016 – Fresh from winning their first ever gold medal in the history of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit, Canadians Julie Gordon and Brandie Wilkerson lead the parade of teams going to compete at the Guanacaste Tournament in Tamarindo Beach, Costa Rica. Gordon and Wilkerson claimed the gold medal at La Paz in Baja California Sur, Mexic...

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings has assigned an 'A-(EXP)' rating to the proposed $100 million Series B notes to be issued by CIC Central American Card Receivables Limited. The Rating Outlook is Stable. A full list of rating actions follows at the end of this press release. Credomatic International Corporation (CIC) is the exclusive issuing and acquiring partner of American Express (AmEx...

Miami, Apr 13 (EFE).- Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Paramount Pictures have acquired the production rights for "The Corporation," a film in which Benicio Del Toro will play a Cuban mafia kingpin, Rock Moon Production, the multimedia firm that sold the rights, announced on Wednesday. The Appian Way production company, owned by DiCaprio, and Paramount Pictures bought the rights to produce the film ...

Wikimedia Commons San Francisco, Apr 14 (EFE).- Microsoft Corp. filed a lawsuit Thursday against the U.S. Justice Department, challenging so-called secrecy orders that bar the company from notifying its customers when the government has reviewed their e-mails and other data. The tech giant says in the suit that it has received 5,624 requests from the government for customer information or d...

Flickr Commons Getting deported from Costa Rica can be a terrifying experience, but it can be managed with skilled legal representation. Deportation is one of the most potentially worrisome situations for foreigners residing in Costa Rica. The forcible removal of a person from one nation to another is a very upsetting condition that leaves individuals completely powerless over their own liv...

Wikimedia Commons The Honorable Noel Holder, Agriculture Minister of Guyana arrived in Costa Rica on April 11 as part of a visit to discuss Agricultural priorities among the two countries. Among the discussions held, the main topic will be the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture’s (IICA) Country Strategy 2014-2018. The Agriculture Minister is accompanied by Chief Executi...

BOGOTA, Colombia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA) today announced that CAF – development bank of Latin America - , Google Inc. and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) will be joining an incredible line up of speakers at its Global Summit in Bogota, Colombia (26-28 April). CAF promotes a sustainable development model through credit operations, non-reimbursable reso...

An Uber driver in Bogota. Wikimedia Commons Buenos Aires, Apr 13 (EFE).- Ride-sharing service Uber, which has started operating in the Argentine capital, is "failing to follow regulations" and providing a service "that is illegal," the Buenos Aires city government said. Uber rolled out its alternative to traditional taxi service on Tuesday, prompting officials to warn that it would be subje...

Source: SWAmedia.com DALLAS, April 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV),California's largest carrier* is embarking on a new chapter in a faithful partnership with Southern California travelers that began with a single arrival nearly 35 years ago and now, takes flight beyond the continental U.S. Today, the departure of Southwest® Flight 6920 to Daniel Oduber Quiros Intern...

Pixabay Commons Can you really fly to Costa Rica as a medical tourist to get a facelift done over the weekend? A mini facelift, also known as a lifestyle lift, quick lift or weekend facelift, is a cosmetic surgical procedure that is less invasive and more affordable than a full facelift; the rejuvenation results are about the same but they last between five and ten years. Mini facelifts are...

WSOF WSOF Press Release - LAS VEGAS, NV April 5, 2016 World Series of Fighting – Global Championship (WSOF-GC) continues with the promotion of worldwide events by adding International Combat Elite Fighting Championship (ICE FC) to their list of affiliates, which will be hosting events as the exclusive representative for WSOF Global in the United Kingdom. WSOF-GC has also entered into a strateg...

Wikimedia Commons Cap-Net UNDP News Release - The Central American Network of Engineering Institutions (REDICA), along with the University of Costa Rica (UCR), the Euro-American Consortium and the British Embassy in Costa Rica, have been interested in the development of applied research on gasification from biomass waste from the cultivation of pineapple in Costa Rica.   The project...

YouTube Commons Buttock augmentation, commonly known as butt lift, is the name given to a series of surgical procedures that aim to correct the surface and contour of the anatomical rear end. In Costa Rica, butt lift surgery has become one of the most requested procedures by medical tourists in the last few years, and it is interesting to learn how this trend has been shaped. Gluteoplasty i...

Wikimedia Commons NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In its Latin American Sovereign Overview, Fitch Ratings forecasts that regional GDP will contract by 1% in 2016 after an estimated contraction of 0.9% in 2015, with risks largely skewed to the downside. Latin America continues to suffer from lower commodity prices, moderating China growth and external financial volatility. In some cases, political c...