John Lennon's statue in Costa Rica. Wikimedia Commons New York, Sep 14 (EFE).- Yoko Ono is planning to celebrate what would have been John Lennon's 75th birthday by organizing in Central Park a huge human peace sign, assembling between 6,000 and 10,000 people to take part in the project and thereby setting a Guinness World Record. "You don't have to do much. Power works in mysterious ways V...

The Greenback The currency exchange rate between the United States dollar (USD) and the Costa Rica colón (CRC) in recent days has registered an uptick in favor of the greenback; however, some analysts believe that this is a trend that may not last too long. High trading volumes in the MONEX, a national trading platform that provides direct access to foreign currency exchange (forex) investo...

JACO, Costa Rica - Sept. 13, 2015 - PRLog -- A group of Costa Rican representatives will be traveling to Denver, Colorado in October to see first hand the results of the Medical Cannabis Industry. Working with The Council on Responsible Cannabis Regulation, they have set up meetings with medical cannabis business owners, as well as city and state officials involved in overseeing the system, for th...

Source: WBC Fight Network Press Release -- Roman “Chocolatito” González, who’s the WBC flyweight champion, says HELLO to San Jose, Costa Rica establishing his training camp, determined to defend his crown against former champion Brian Viloria. This fight will be on October 17th at Madison Square Garden in New York. It will be one of the most important of Roman’s career, because Viloria i...

President Shri Pranab Mukherjee The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has extended his greetings and felicitations to the Government and the people of the Republic of Costa Rica on the eve of their Independence Day (September 15, 2015). In his message to His Excellency Mr. Luis Guillermo Solis Rivera, the President of the Republic of Costa Rica, the President has said, "On behalf of t...

Rosh Hashanah treats. Flickr Commons Shalom. As a prime destination for medical tourism, many dental clinics in Costa Rica are staffed by multilingual professionals. At the Flikier Dental Institute, for example, English is spoken along with Spanish, French, and even Hebrew. On the day that Judaism celebrates its New Year holiday, which is known as Yom Teruah and Rosh Hashanah, it is importa...

The Guanacaste region of Costa Rica is the most affected by drought conditions and water shortages. During the Tamarindo Beach Marathon, which took place this past Saturday, non-profit organizations and activists complained about the numerous plastic pouches of water thrown along the road at several checkpoints along the race route. Although Tamarindo Beach is not currently facing water shortag...

Source: Wikimedia Cornella de Llobregat, Spain, Sep 12 (EFE; additional reporting by The Costa Rica Star).- Cristiano Ronaldo ended his goal drought in style here Saturday, scoring five times in Real Madrid's 6-0 rout of Espanyol in early-season Spanish-league action. Ronaldo needed just seven minutes to open the scoring, taking a pass from Croatian midfielder Luka Modric and beating Pau Lo...

"Radiation hotspot in Kashiwa 2012" by Abasaa - Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia CommonsRadioactive water has been leaking from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant following damage caused by Typhoon Etau. The plant's drainage system has been inundated by a surge of sea water brought in by the typhoon, which reached Japan on Wednesday. A spokesperson for TEPCO, the company that...

Source: Facebook Costa Rica is a favorite "study abroad" destination for higher education students from the United States, particularly those interested in the scientific, Spanish language, social work, medical, and political science fields. Although Costa Rica is considered a safe nation for U.S. students, tragic incidents and accidents have taken place. An unfortunate 2012 drowning of a New ...

Evelyn Gonzalez. Source: Facebook Former glamour model Evelyn Gonzalez is known in Costa Rica for her lingerie runway shows and seductive spreads on publications such as Diario Extra. These days, however, Miss Gonzales is a consultant for the Libertarian Movement, a political party under the leadership of former presidential candidate Otto Guevara, a staunch supporter of Uber. She is also the ...

Source: Las Catalinas Job seekers in the province of Guanacaste, preferably bilingual, are encouraged to attend the job fair at Las Catalinas, which will take place today, Saturday September 12th, at the Huacas Community Center from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.   Las Catalinas is a new beach town located on the Guanacaste Gold Coast of Costa Rica, on the pristine Playa Danta.  Its purpose is...

Source: FEDEFUTBOL CR Press Release Rocket - CapitalCityTickets.com is slashing ticket prices on all inventory to see the International Friendly Football Match: USA vs. Costa Rica in action this year. Save on already slashed tickets prices with promo code CITY5 at checkout. The National Football Team of Costa Rica recently broke a year-long streak of no victories during an international mat...

Wikimedia Commons The Director of Intelligence and National Security of Costa Rica and his romantic partner, who happens to be the Vice Minister of Economy, reportedly held a meeting at a bar in the lovable city of San Jose. According to a news report filed by investigative journalist Carlos Mora of online news daily CRHoy.com, Director Mariano Figueres and Vice Minister Geannina Dinarte ar...

On Thursday afternoon, President Luis Guillermo Solis of Costa Rica signed an Executive Decree that aims to authorize and regulate in vitro fertilization (IVF), a reproductive practice that was prohibited for a couple of years after a landmark ruling in Constitutional Court. The government of Costa Rica has been under pressure to reauthorize IVF since 2012, when Inter American Court of Human Ri...

Market and industry research firm Canadean recently announced the availability of its latest report: Costa Rica Beer Market Insights 2015. SUMMARY The beer market saw growth in 2014 with low priced imports help fuel demand. The market remains a virtual monopoly but craft beer saw strong growth. Imports increased due to a key demographic favoring imported beer. Craft beer saw growth through c...

The tragic events of September 11th, 2001 shook the entire world. The terrorist attacks perpetrated by al-Qaeda left a deep mark on the psyches of many people, including a few from Costa Rica. Author's Note: Portions of this article were originally published by The Costa Rica Star on September 11, 2013. They are being reprinted in memoriam.   Fourteen years after the calamity, most people in Cos...

An Uber driver in Bogota. Wikimedia Commons The Executive Board of the Public Transportation Council (Spanish initials: CTP) of Costa Rica has determined that the controversial private transportation service Uber does not conform to standing law in our country. The resolution by CTP comes after weeks of debate and protest from the taxicab labor unions and lawmakers. This determination makes...

U.S. National Park Service News Release – Birds have begun their migration south! But before they began their flights to more tropical locations, Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and its partners the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO) and its sister parks in Costa Rica collaborated to conduct a summer solstice bird count, held on June 20, 2015. Much like the winter solstice bird count, comm...

U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. 1st Class Anna Doo, New Mexico National Guard Public Affairs NCO Story by Sergeant First Class Anna Doo of the 200th Public Affairs Detachment, New Mexico National Guard CUAJINIQUIL, Costa Rica - In a place where bicycle-powered transportation is the norm and a hammock sways in the soft breeze at every home, the "Pura Vida" relaxed lifestyle permeates all aspect...

Wikimedia Commons Bridgestone Media Release -- Tiger Woods, the biggest winner of the last 20 years in the PGA TOUR, committed to participate in the Bridgestone America's Golf Cup presented by Value in 2016 and 2017 editions of the event. Thus, the relationship between Tiger and the event is extended to three years, since he will play with Matt Kuchar this year at the Club Campestre of Mexico Ci...

New quick-action gesture iPhone 6s SAN FRANCISCO — September 9, 2015 — Apple® today announced iPhone® 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, the most advanced iPhones ever, adding a powerful new dimension to iPhone’s revolutionary Multi-Touch™ interface. The new iPhones introduce 3D Touch, which senses force to enable intuitive new ways to access features and interact with content. iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plu...

Shelley Lubben, right, at an adult industry expo in 2009 By her own account, Shelley Lubben had sex with hundreds of men and dozens of women in her prior life as a pornographic actress in the United States. These days, however, Ms. Lubben is one of the world’s leading reformers in the anti-pornography movement, and she is preparing a trip to Costa Rica. Ms. Lubben will deliver a lecture at ...

Source: FEDEFUTBOL CR After nearly a year of not winning an international match, the National Football Team of Costa Rica finally celebrated a victory with a performance that recalled the glorious days of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Sweet victory fired up the fans at the Chinese-donated National Stadium in La Sabana National Park during a cool night in San Jose. The National Team of ...

Still from Cosmos Laundromat. Source: Blender Pataz Studio, a boutique 3D animation and computer graphic imaging (CGI) outfit from Costa Rica, is currently involved in the Gooseberry Open Movie Project, coordinated by Blender. The Gooseberry Project consists of a feature film titled Cosmos Laundromat, which is written and produced by a coalition of more than 12 international animation studi...

NEW YORK & SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings has affirmed Banco BAC San Jose, S.A.'s (BAC San Jose) long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'BBB-'. The Rating Outlook is Stable. A full list of rating actions follows at the end of this press release. KEY RATING DRIVERS BAC San Jose's IDRs and National Ratings reflect the support it would receive from its parent, B...

Source: Cruz Roja Costarricense The body of a 19-year old man from Germany, who had been swimming with friends in a river over the weekend, was recovered by Red Cross rescuers on Monday. As previously reported by sister publication ICR News, also known as Inside Costa Rica: The missing 18-year-old German man identified , who was reportedly a firefighter in his home country, went missing af...

Officers from Fuerza Publica, the national police force of Costa Rica, arrested a drunk man who, for some reason, was holding a baby howler monkey hostage in Liberia, province of Guanacaste. According to official press release CP-1602-2015 from the Ministry of Public Security, Fuerza Publica officers assigned to the main precinct in Liberia responded to reports of a threatening man who walked a...

Bogota, Sep 7 (EFE; additional reporting by the Costa Rica Star).- A joint operation conducted by police in Colombia and Mexico resulted in the seizure of two tons of cocaine hidden in a shipment of toner for printers and photocopiers, but no arrests were made, Colombian National Police chief Gen. Rodolfo Palomino said Monday. Police seized 1,070 kilos of cocaine in the cargo terminal at Bogota...

Christmas is arriving early for Star Wars fans around the world. At a recent press event highlighting the upcoming toy collection designed for the revitalized Star Wars film sequels, robotic toy manufacturer Sphero unveiled BB-8, a successor to the iconic R2-D2 robot from previous films. BB-8 is already making its way to toy stores in Australia and North America, Star Wars fans are eagerly awai...

Wikimedia Commons By Maria Jose Brenes San Jose, Sep 7 (EFE).- Every year some 700 humpback whales from the Northern Hemisphere swim down to Marino Ballena National Park, located close to Manuel Antonio on the South Pacific side of Costa Rica, to mate and give birth to their young. During four months of the year, the warm waters become a natural sanctuary where hundreds of humpback whale...

Medical tourists in Costa Rica often mention a healthy smile as their primary motivation for getting dental treatments, which means that they wish to return home with nice, straight and gleaming teeth. There is no question that the power of the human smile is the engine that drives the dental tourism economy, but many patients tend to focus too much on their teeth and forget about the importance o...

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) wants to feature the creative work of it member states. On the occasion of the 21st Session of the UNWTO General Assembly, this UN-affiliated entity is launching its first ever UNWTO Tourism Video Competition. All UNWTO Member States have been invited to participate in this competition. Submission of videos has been closed. The public is now...

The first Conference of States Parties (1CSP) of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was held from August 24-27 in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The conference was attended by foreign ministers, senior officials from around the world, international organizations, regional organizations, civil society organizations, industry and academia, and by the former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize winn...

Source; US CBP MIAMI, September 4, 2015 - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Miami’s seaport intercepted an unusual pest identified as Hesus flaviventris Burmeister during an inspection of a container of pineapples from Costa Rica. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed that this marks the first interception of this pest in the United States. Hesus...

Source: MSP A 49-year old male tourist attempted to leave Costa Rica with a belly full of cocaine, but his skittish and queasy disposition caused him to vomit 64 packets filled with cocaine, right in front of officers from the Drug Control Police (Spanish initials: PCD) at the airport. According to a press release from the Ministry of Public Security (Spanish initials: MSP), the incident oc...

Source: Access Access is an international human rights organization premised on the belief that political participation and the realization of human rights in the 21st century is increasingly dependent on access to the Internet and other forms of technology. Access has offices in various cities around the world, including the lovable San Jose, Costa Rica. From Costa Rica, the Access Digital...

File image Pointe-Claire, Quebec (marketpressrelease) September 4, 2015 - 1010 103, a Montreal, Canada, US and international long distance calling service provider, recently announced lower international phone rates being offered to call various Central American countries observing their Independence Days. The President of 10 10 103, Alejandro Bitar, said, "Our lower international phone calli...

Source: Andrea Calderon Facebook Andrea Calderon, a 26-year old model and television presenter of a popular youth series in Costa Rica, is currently the subject of active discourse on social media circles. According to a recent news report filed by entertainment reporter Angie Guerrero of online news daily Costa Rica Hoy, a set of photos showing the TV host naked along with two colleagues is g...

Source: Banco Central With a fiscal deficit approaching six percent of gross domestic product (GDP), Costa Rica is increasingly looking at tax reform as a viable option. At one point, the administration of President Luis Guillermo Solis hinted at the possibility of increasing enforcement, which many analysts believe is sorely lacking in Costa Rica; alas, such an option is taking a backseat to ...