Source: OIJ On Friday afternoon, agents from the Office of Judicial Investigations (Spanish initials: OIJ) raided a home in San Miguel of Naranjo, a coffee-producing region located in the province of Alajuela. The raid was the culmination of a week-long investigation related to crimes against the archaeological record of Costa Rica. According to an official press release issued by OIJ, agen...

Source: Facebook Andrea Morales Diaz, a former Costa Rica legislator whose short political career was filled with controversy, will be the host of a new tabloid-style television show. According to a news report filed by Laura Morales of online news daily La Prensa Libre (the oldest news publication still running in Costa Rica), Ms. Morales will abandon her current occupation as an attorney ...

CONCACAF SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Rolando Blackburn scored a pair of goals to lead Saprissa to a 6-0 win over visiting Dragon on Thursday in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League campaign. Francisco Calvo, Marvin Angulo, Mariano Torres and Ulises Segura also scored to complete the most lopsided victory in the the Monstruo Morado’s 33-game SCCL history. Its previous largest margin of victo...

Wikimedia Commons Washington, D.C. — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) welcomes Costa Rica’s ratification of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance, on August 5, 2016. With this step, Costa Rica becomes the first country to ratify the Inter-American Convention against Racism, which was approved by the General ...

Illustrative image. (Flickr Commons) A 45-year old man survived a shooting that took place just outside of the Del Rey Hotel, a major sexual tourism hotspot in Costa Rica. According to a news report filed by Esteban Mora of daily tabloid Diario Extra, the man was identified by the last name Fonseca. He is reportedly a taxi driver whose workday often includes parking at the Hotel Del Rey and...

Source: Crowley As part of Crowley Maritime Corporation’s goal to help customers increase the velocity of their supply chains, and in doing so reduce their overall landed costs, the company announced today that it is launching a new, weekly, fixed-day container shipping service between Jacksonville and Costa Rica. “We are pleased to bring this new service to the market beginning today from ...

Gulf of Papagayo MIAMI- Gencom, a leading U.S.-based international luxury hospitality and residential real estate investment and development firm, today announced the acquisition of Peninsula Papagayo Resort by a Gencom affiliate. The ownership acquired the 1,400-acre luxury master development in Costa Rica’s famed Guanacaste province for an undisclosed sum. Anchored by the award-winning, 182...

Washington, D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) welcomes the progress made in recent months with regard to the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex persons (LGBTI), particularly in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, the United States, and Uruguay. With regard to non-discrimination within the family s...

Source: MSP Twitter Two earthquakes shook Costa Rica on Wednesday morning, prompting the evacuation of at least two public buildings in San Jose. The first seismic event registered a 4.7 magnitude with an epicenter located near San Carlos, a small town in the Tarrazú region of the province of San Jose. That initial earthquake took place at 10:06 in the morning, and it was followed by a 4.6 ...

With festive season fast-approaching Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica invites guests to enjoy an exclusive holiday season on Peninsula Papagayo filled with memorable experiences and festive celebrations. From eco adventure to relaxing beach gatherings with rum tastings and Costa Rican sunsets, create a festive tradition between the Resort's two beaches. From the moment one's plane lands at the Da...

Pixabay Commons ST. LOUIS (August 12, 2016) – The U.S. soybean industry is a multi-faceted, global business, and 10 U.S. soybean farmers just got a closer look at how their soy checkoff works in that marketplace to all U.S. soybean farmers’ benefit. Sponsored by the United Soybean Board’s Audit and Evaluation (A&E) Committee, the See for Yourselfprogram connected these farmers with their c...

Wikimedia Commons Costa Rica is the second most innovative economy in Latin America, and it is ranked  45 in the world according to the Global Innovation Index. The index gave Costa Rica a 78.5 score in political stability and safety but only 50.1 in terms of government effectiveness. Moreover, Costa Rica's ease of doing business received a score of 81. The country is ranked 64 in the world...

Gaby Alfaro. Source: NSU FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Only days after announcing 29 new players, NSU women's soccer coach John Constable has decided to add one more for the 2016 season. Constable makes it an eighth international signing with the capture of former Costa Rica U17 national team captain, Gaby Alfaro Alvarado. Gaby Alfaro Alvarado Hometown: Costa Rica Position: Center Defender/Cent...

Affordable healthcare isn’t a myth. In fact, healthcare systems in other countries can be equally as good—if not better—than that in the U.S.—and charge far less for their services. As more and more U.S. retirees learn that better and faster healthcare is available abroad at a fraction of the cost they’re accustomed to paying at home, a growing number of them are opting to take advantage of what’...

Photo: ISA-Jimenez After eight days of world-class Surfing competition at the 2016 INS ISA World Surfing Games in Playa Jacó, Costa Rica, Team Peru has emerged victorious and earned the Team Gold Medal and coveted Fernando Aguerre World Team Trophy. The Gold Medal was the second for Team Peru in three years, having won the Team Gold Medal at the 2014 ISA World Surfing Games in Peru. Rounding o...

Pixabay Commons The success of a private school in Costa Rica can be thought of as a recipe in the sense that it requires certain ingredients and careful preparation. Let's take a look at the main ingredients of Pan-American School, a private learning institution located near the upscale sections of Santa Ana and San Antonio de Belén in Costa Rica: History Philosophy Accr...

Two weeks after eight people were rushed to the hospital due to lightning strikes at the main airport of Costa Rica, tourists visiting the Fraijanes lakes sector of Alajuela were also affected by a strong discharge of atmospheric electricity. The incident, which was reported on Saturday by Roger Soto of daily tabloid Diario Extra, took place in the early afternoon hours. A man and a woman were ...

When choosing a back office and support solution for their business, one of the most important aspects that sports advisors should remember is that cheaper is never better. In fact, cheaper will often mean that a disaster is just waiting to happen. There is no doubt that the best solution for sports advisors these days can be found in Costa Rica, the country where the concept of Pay-Per-Head wa...

Source: WIkimedia Commons For most sports bookmakers, the NFL season is always their busiest and most profitable time of the year. The market size of the global online gambling and wagering industry is greater than $40 billion per year, and a good portion is handled in Costa Rica through offshore sportsbooks. Since the late 20th century, Costa Rica has gained a strong reputation of providin...

Pixabay Commons Over the last couple of years, a major online poker and casino firm based in Costa Rica was targeted by hackers who threatened to take down the website unless a sizable amount of cash was transferred to a bitcoin wallet. While analyzing the ransom demand, the IT security staff of the online poker firm noticed that the cybercrime crew was not making idle threats. The servers ...

Many offshore sportsbooks based in Costa Rica manage to stay open for their clients 24 hours a day and seven days a week; this high rate of availability is achieved despite power and Internet outages caused by earthquakes, extreme weather conditions and business challenges. How do they manage to remain operational? Costa Rica is one of the major international hubs for offshore sportsbooks in th...

Source: ISA On Day 5 of the 2016 INS ISA World Surfing Games Team Portugal and Costa Rica surged into the lead of the overall team points standings, the only two teams that have five of their six competitors remaining in the competition. Main Event and Repechage Rounds ran and the Open Women Semifinal heats of the Main Event were decided. After the closing of the fifth day of competition, 1...

Costa Rica School of Massage Therapy, located in Nicoya, Costa Rica, is proud to support Las Divinas, an empowerment effort geared towards teen girls who are impoverished. The group is organized by Associacion CREAR, which aids these girls in self-esteem and education. To promote knowledge of the cause, and to support the group, the school held a yoga class for them. All CREAR teens who attende...

Rafael Antonio Rodriguez The Boulder Concert Band, a nonprofit, premier adult community band, today announced that Rafael Antonio Rodriguez has been selected as its conductor and musical director. "I am honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to make music with the wonderful musicians of the Boulder Concert Band as their new conductor," commented Rodriguez. "I look forward to many joyo...

Source: Pixabay Commons Costa Rican expats worldwide will receive a gift of $3 Voice Credit on every purchase of $20 minimum on LlamaCostaRica.com before August 13, 2016 (EST). The Bonus consists of calling minutes to both mobiles and landlines in Costa Rica using LamaCostaRica.com. The Bonus balance never expires. In order for the Bonus to be added automatically, one needs to have a free acco...

The new FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking has been released, and Costa Rica is the 21st best national football team in the world. Since the last ranking, Costa Rica has improved by six positions, which puts La Sele just below the national teams of Turkey and Hungary and one position above Austria.   Costa Rica will return to the qualifying rounds for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will be pl...

Pixabay Commons As the next academic year approaches, many parents in Costa Rica are concerned about the educational futures of their children. In choosing the best private school in Costa Rica for your children, there is one golden rule and three mistakes to avoid:   The Golden Rule of Choosing a Private School in Costa Rica   In the minds of parents, there are no perfect schools ...

Source: Nu Essence Facebook In Costa Rica, there is a place where men and women, individually or as couples, can be gently touched and fondled in their erogenous zones for the purpose of inciting pleasure and relaxation. This place, which is located in the mountains of Escazu, has a jacuzzi and offers wine to guests. The above may sound like a description of a brothel, but it is actually a ...

Source: Sylvania One grumbling commonly expressed by North American expats residing in Costa Rica is related to their monthly electricity bills. Not only do they assert that they pay more in Costa Rica than they used to pay in Loafers Glory, North Carolina or in Dildo Harbour Newfoundland; they also assume that their new monthly bill has to be the most expensive in the world. The dubious re...

IOM Costa Rica Chief of Mission Roeland de Wilde explains the options to stranded migrants. Photo: IOM / Jorge Gallo Between April 21 and August 3, Costa Rica registered the arrival of over 5,600 irregular migrants. The number has continued to rise over the past week and at least 2,500 migrants remain in the small Central American country, overwhelming the government's limited response capacit...

Serena Williams. Source: Wikimedia Commons The world's women tennis number one Serena Williams was disappointed by her defeat to Ukraine's Elina Svitolina (6-4, 6-3) and regretted the missed opportunity at the Rio 2016 Olympics. "It was a great opportunity. It didn't work out the way I wanted it to be, but at least I was able to make it to Rio. That was one of my goals," the reigning Olympi...

Wikimedia Commons An unusual legislative proposal by a group of female legislators in Costa Rica would send an adult five years older than his or her sex partner to jail. According to a recent news report filed by Bharley Quiros, a reporter covering the Legislative Assembly beat for La Prensa Libre (the oldest news publication in operation in Costa Rica), the proposal seeks to amend the Cri...

Source: Wikimedia Commons A common gripe heard among North American expats and tourists in Costa Rica is their disappointment at not being able to exert their purchasing power in a Third World Country. The constant nagging about how expensive Costa Rica appears to be often results in a less-than-pleasant quality of life experience, particularly for expats on a fixed income and tourists whos...

When it comes to tourism, birdwatchers are often regarded as the nicest visitors Costa Rica can hope to attract. Birdwatchers like the abundant avian biodiversity of Costa Rica, and our country enjoys the fact that these tourists tend to be well-educated, generous spenders who are respectful of nature and enjoy longer stays. Central America is teeming with colorful birds, and thus other nations...

Photo: Sam Trull The death of a female sloth that gained international attention after being featured in documentary films was recently reported in Costa Rica. The documentaries were produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as well as by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) of the United States. The following press release was issued by the Sloth Institute, located within the...

The idea definitely has its merits: Move abroad to a beautiful place and live for a fraction of what it would cost to retire in the United States, especially in light of increasing life expectancies and costs of living. Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Spain, and Thailand are all popular retirement destinations for Americans not only because of their temperate climates, but also for their marginal cost...

Natalia Alfaro and Karen Cope. Source: FIVB Madelein Meppelink and Marleen Van Iersel posted their second Rio 2016 Olympic Games victory here Monday over a team from Costa Rica as the Dutch girls are one win away from matching their combined win total at the London 2012 Summer Games when they played with two different partners. After opening Rio action with a two-set win Saturday over a tea...

U.S drillship Joides Resolution The effects of earthquakes are often severe and highly visible. They can destroy homes, induce slope failures and trigger tsunamis. The main cause for earthquakes are the stresses that occur in the Earth's interior, when two tectonic plates pass each other and interlock during this process. But even the worst earthquake starts with a very small first crack in th...

Serena Williams. Source: Wikimedia Commons United States tennis superstar Serena Williams, the world No. 1, rolled over Australia's Daria Gavrilova 6-4, 6-2 Sunday in her debut at the Rio Summer Olympics.   The 34-year-old Williams is trying to add a second singles gold medal to her Olympic medal haul, which also includes three golds in doubles.   Williams kept the pressu...

Illustrative image. (Flickr Commons) A man believed to be responsible for the murder, necrophilia and corpse desecration of two women at a love motel in Costa Rica was arrested just as he was planning to flee to Nicaragua on foot. According to a recent news report filed by Gustavo Retana of daily tabloid Diario Extra, the suspect has been identified by the last names of Núñez Rubí. He check...