Scientology objects of faith. Wikimedia Commons SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, March 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On a typically glorious Costa Rican afternoon in February, hundreds of guests assembled to welcome the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Latin American Goodwill Tour to San Jose. The celebration signaled the opening of the Volunteer Ministers bright yellow pavilion in the nation's capital. Here, v...

Wikimedia Commons GMB UK Press Release - GMB is calling for Fyffes, the Irish multinational fruit company, to improve working conditions for Honduran and Costa Rican plantation and farm workers and to pay them a living wage. At an advisory meeting to the EU-Central America Association Agreement on March 1st, Bert Schouwenburg, one of 3 European trade union representatives, condemned Fyffes ...

Source: MGP Costa Rica According to statistics reported by the Civil Registry of Costa Rica, less than 69,000 naturalized citizens were properly registered in 2014. When considering the number of foreigners living in Costa Rica under various legal statuses such as temporary residents, permanent residents and perpetual tourists, those who chose the naturalization path are the minority.  ...

Wikimedia Commons MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arcos Dorados, the world’s largest McDonald’s franchisee operating in 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, is celebrating the successful rollout of its popular “Puertas Abiertas”, or “Open Doors”, program across the region. The program provides the opportunity for customers to tour McDonald’s kitchens and see firsthand the hig...

Source: FreeStockPhotos.biz Prosecutors in Honduras have added two glamour models from Costa Rica to the list of defendants involved in a major scandal involving sex, drugs, money laundering, and the massive swindling of that country’s Social Security system.   According to a report published by La Tribuna, a national newspaper in Honduras, the names of the Costa Rican women have be...

Source: Tulemar Resort NEEDHAM, Mass., March 1, 2016 – TripAdvisor®, the travel planning and booking site, today announced its Travelers’ Choice™ awards for Family Hotels. Unlike any other hotel honors, TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice winners are based on millions of valuable reviews and opinions from travelers around the world. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into ...

Source: El Sabanero San Francisco, California (PRWEB) March 01, 2016 - Drishti Yoga Teacher Training announces a return to Costa Rica for the 3rd Year. The Yoga Training Retreat will take place at the updated Eco Lodge, El Sabanero, with new features for Yoga and will also highlight a Guest Teacher. “We are thrilled to be hosting our 2016 Costa Rica Yoga Teacher Training Retreat at El Saban...

Boeing 737 engine The first international route of Air Costa Rica will fly to Guatemala, followed by Panama and hopefully Miami in the next few months. Such are the ongoing plans of Costa Rica's newest international airline, which will fill a decades-old void in the history of commercial aviation in our country. According to a news report filed by business reporter Stefania Colombari of nat...

Wikimedia Commons LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwired - Feb 25, 2016) - Pure Hospitality Solutions, Inc. (OTC PINK: PNOW), parent Company of the Central American-Caribbean online travel Agency (OTA) Oveedia (www.Oveedia.com), announced today that the Company has continued validation of its marketing plan, after receiving a small, but undeniable proof of interest in travel to Central America; in partic...

Pixabay Commons Denver, CO (PRWEB) February 29, 2016 - Soccer fans can save money on upcoming Copa America Centenario events in their area by using the checkout code WINTER at buyTickets.com. buyTickets.com has tickets on sale now for Copa events running throughout the month of June, 2016—fans can see their favorite players: Messi, Neymar, James, Chicharito, Bradley, and more, take to the f...

By Alexis Barrera (Al Bar) of Oaktown Crack Comics.http://pixolid.com/Home/About/http://oaktowncrack.com/bios/index.html - http://oaktowncrack.com/Smoking_Crack/index.html, http://pixolid.com/Home/Archives/See , for additional information., CC BY-SA 3.0At any given time, someone in Costa Rica might be getting high by smoking crack, the freebase form of cocaine. Popular wisdom would suggest that ...

Source: Wikimedia Commons A report prepared by the Security and Vigilance Unit of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica indicates that the office of a controversial politician may have been used for sexual encounters by couples who volunteer as analysts.   The report was issued to the press on February 10th by Magaly Camacho, Chief of Security at the Assembly. The office in questio...

Source: British Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica On 2 February 2016, seven young women graduated from FEMBUZ (Female Entrepreneurs in Buffer Zones), a pilot project developed by Raleigh International with funding from the British Embassy San Jose. The programme was designed to strengthen the economic and social development of communities within protected areas in Costa Rica as well as to promot...

Playas del Coco Beach in Guanacaste A male tourist from the United States passed away at the public clinic in Playas del Coco, one of the Gold Coast beaches of Costa Rica, after suffering a fatal heart attack during a snorkeling expedition.   According to a news report published on Friday by daily tabloid Diario Extra, the U.S. tourist was in his mid-50s. He was on vacation along wi...

Solar Energy Park in Guanacaste, Costa Rica Palm Beach, FL, February 25, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Sun Fund Americas, SRL, a renewable energy development company headquartered in Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, and concentrating on the Caribbean and Central American markets has signed a 20mw Solar Power Purchase Agreement in the island nation of Jamaica. The project represents an investment of $50 mi...

Source: Palms Real Estate Costa Rica San Jose, Costa Rica, February 25, 2016 --(PR.com)-- With the announcement of a new strategic partnership, two of the top luxury real estate firms in Costa Rica have joined forces to offer their clients a broader portfolio of quality properties and services in Costa Rica. Palms International Realty, based near Los Suenos Resort and in Guanacaste, and LX Cos...

Source: Oral-B At the recent GSMA Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 in Barcelona, Oral-B unveiled its latest innovation that sets a new oral care standard: Oral-B GENIUS, the first of its kind and Oral-B’s most intelligent brushing system available to-date.   With this new smart toothbrush, dental tourists who return home after getting procedures in Costa Rica can closely follow the ...

An Uber driver in Bogota. Wikimedia Common6 Uber, the personal transportation solution centered on the use of a mobile app, recently announced a new service in Costa Rica. Despite its controversial illegal status, and despite being the recipient of a Presidential warning, Uber continues to operate and expand across Costa Rica. The new Uber feature is called uberXL, and it aims to attract pa...

Source: Wikimedia Commons One of the most common questions asked by foreign house hunters interested in the Costa Rica real estate market is: Can I bring my dogs/cats? According to the real estate professionals at RE/MAX Ocean Surf and Sun in Tamarindo Beach, the process of bringing cats and dogs to Costa Rica is not overly bureaucratic. To this effect, the United States Embassy has a Web p...

Luke Lehrer - Flickr Commons Dental tourists often travel to Costa Rica for affordable restoration procedures that involve implantation, a popular treatment that rarely presents complications. Although modern implantation techniques make this procedure minimally invasive, there is always a potential risk of infection that dental professionals and patients must consider. At the New Smile Den...

When you see someone flashing a smile at you, are you able to tell if crowns or porcelain veneers are part of their smile? Unless you are a dental professional examining a patient in a clinic, chances are that you will not be able to tell the difference. At the Flikier Dental Institute, a renowned dental tourism practice located near the capital city of Costa Rica, patients are counselled about...

U.S. DOJ Press Release - SAN DIEGO - Over four years after the disappearance and death of Yvonne Baldelli, Brian Karl Brimager pleaded guilty in federal court today to her murder, admitting that he fatally stabbed Baldelli in the back with a knife, dismembered her body with a machete and disposed of her remains in a remote jungle on the Panamanian island where they lived as a couple for two months...

In Costa Rica, eco-friendly and sustainable construction is a 21st century concept that has undergone formalization over the last few years. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, the Green Building Council of Costa Rica (GBC-CR) adopted the EDGE green building certification system for both residential and commercial structures in May 2015. Costa Rica was the first Latin American nation t...

Zika map. Source: CDC Washington, Feb 23 (EFE).- Two Texas hospitals announced Tuesday that they have created the first rapid detection test for the Zika virus, for which there is neither vaccine nor cure. The new test can detect Zika in the blood and urine, in the amniotic fluid that protects the embryo and in spinal fluid, a joint communique from the Texas Children's Hospital and the Hous...

Wikimedia Commons Foreign house hunters looking at real estate options in Costa Rica often inquire about local schools that offer international and bilingual curricula. According to the real estate professionals of RE/MAX Ocean Surf and Sun in Guanacaste, the Tamarindo Beach housing market is ideal for families looking to enroll their school-age children in programs that focus on bilingual educa...

Wikimedia Commons Tooth extractions are not the first option considered at clinics that cater to dental tourists in Costa Rica. In general, most dental professionals will only consider extractions when they evaluate teeth that are infected to the point of creating a systemic health risk, or that are fractured beneath the gum line, or when they are extremely loose. The dentistry specialists ...

File photo BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Tackling digital literacy and ensuring that locally relevant content and services are available will be key to connecting the estimated 363 million citizens in Latin America and the Caribbean that are covered by mobile broadband networks but not yet connected. According to a series of new reports commissioned by GSMA’s Connected Society and pr...

File photo HSI Press Release - The Costa Rican Minister of Environment presented the country’s official stance on wildlife, stating that wildlife issues are a priority to the nation. During a press conference, Minister Edgar Gutiérrez highlighted the importance of respecting wildlife in a country where tourist activities are developed around its natural resources and are one of Costa Rica’s ma...

Pixabay Public Domain Coffee responsibly grown in a rain forest farm in Costa Rica will be showcased by a major Ontario university. York University’s annual fair trade fair will take place Wednesday, Feb. 24 in the Bear Pit near Central Square from 10am to 4pm. The fair will feature a range of fair trade products including arts and crafts, coffee and tea, chocolate, t-shirts and more. In ad...

Source: Telefonica Barcelona, February 22, 2016.- Telefónica presented at Mobile World Congress 2016 (MWC) a pioneering and unique initiative in the world of television that integrates interactivity and the social component in its video offering. The service known as Social TV allows the user to interact with other people directly on their TV screen. At MWC Telefónica has added the innovati...

"Stephen Curry 2" by Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA - Stephen Curry. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons MEXICO CITY, Feb. 16, 2016 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Binbit, one of the leading companies in distribution of mobile entertainment content in the world, today announced a new multiyear partnership that will provide the league’s growing fan base acros...

Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo in Guanacaste ATLANTA, Feb. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Forbes Travel Guide today unveiled its 58th list of worldwide Star Rating recipients, including 42 new Five-Star hotels, 101 new Four-Star hotels and 57 new hotels in the Recommended category. Forbes Travel Guide now rates properties in 29 countries throughout The Americas,Europe and th...

Pixabay Commons Chicago Fire Press Release - (February 21, 2016) -- U.S. Soccer, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), and the Copa America Centenario Local Organizing Committee (LOC) on Sunday announced the complete tournament schedule for the this summer's Copa America Centenario (June ...

Source: Sloth Institute Nature’s Miracle Orphans, a special program produced for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), has twice visited Costa Rica to tell the story of Monster, a female sloth rescued by primatologist Sam Trull of the Sloth Institute, located in Manuel Antonio. The BBC program is an observational documentary series following orphaned baby animals and the dedicated peo...

A Brioche Doree in Paris Press Release by All Points PR - SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica – Travelers at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) can now visit the Parisian-style urban bakery café, Brioche Dorée, during every arrival and departure. The exciting new eatery at the airport serving Costa Rica’s capital city, San Jose, specializes in an impressive range of European café options. From fr...

Wikimedia Commons OAS Media Release - Washington, D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) filed an application with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Case 12.798, Gómez Murillo and others, with regard to Costa Rica. The case has to do with the violations of the rights to humane treatment, personal liberty, private and family life, to raise a family and to equa...

Messi Poster in Buenos Aires FC Barcelona football star Lionel Messi became the first player to score 300 goals in La Liga competitions as he scored a brace against Sporting Gijón in an away match at El Molinon and his tally reached 301 on Wednesday. Barcelona defeated Gijon 3–1 and leads the La Liga table. Messi scored a long range goal in the 25th minute of the game. He has scored 173 goa...

Wikimedia Commons The United States Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica, informs U.S. citizens that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a travel notice for Costa Rica regarding the Zika virus.  There is evidence that Zika is linked to birth defects in the fetuses of infected pregnant women and Guillain-Barré syndrome in infected individuals of any age or gender.  Zika i...

United States Dept. of Justice Press Release - An Ohio man was sentenced to 108 months in prison for his role in laundering money for a Costa Rica-based “sweepstakes fraud” scheme that victimized U.S. residents, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose of the Western District of North Carolina. ...

WirelessDevNet.com Press Release - ICT professionals and government policy makers wanting to present their strategies for progressing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals at the IFIP World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) 2016 have two weeks to submit their papers and demo proposals for review. March 1st 2016 is the deadline for submissions, with the event scheduled to be held...