A poacher stabbed a volunteer taking part in efforts to stop illegal hunting in the central province of San Jose, Costa Rica's environment minister said Monday. The incident took place last Thursday as park ranger Aristides Chinchilla and volunteer Franklyn Araya were on patrol in the municipality of Puriscal, Rene Castro told a press conference. Citing Chinchilla's report, the minister said...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to cover your business, please contact us. The Osa Peninsula not only holds 5% of the world’s biodiversity, but it also has an extensive array of habitats, in which you can find and enjoy refreshing rivers and stunning waterfalls, primary and secondary forest, all joining together in a beautiful mix with the ocean. In these habitats we also find some amazin...

With younthful spirit, University week started on Monday, September 2 and runs through Friday, September 6 at the Nicoya campus of the National University (UNA) . The university invites the general public to enjoy the dances, concerts, sports events and theater workshops. On Tuesday, the performances of several folkloric dance groups delighted the audience at the kiosk located next to the campu...

The Costa Rica Star has published extensively on Dengue Fever in Costa Rica, read past articles. The Minister of Health, Daisy Corrales, announced that the number of dengue cases began to decline. She presented a chart showing a decrease in the curve of incidence going into the 34th week of the year, i.e mid-August. According to government data, the number of cases peaked in week 29. Since t...

Managua September 4- President Daniel Ortega warned Costa Rica that Nicaragua may ask the International Court of Justice to restore to Managua a province he said it lost to “occupation” in 1824. Ortega was referring to Guanacaste province, which is about 20 percent of neighboring Costa Rica’s territory and a popular tourism hub. “Costa Rica did not win that territory in an international ...

Being the victim of constant ridicule from his fellow workers for wearing women’s pants, a man named Sanchez working for the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), decided to rely on the law and file a “recurso amparo" (appeal) with the Constitutional Court. The appeal challenging his employer’s rules prohibiting him from wearing women’s clothes is being closely watched. Sanchez ...

Though it does not seem like it, this year to date, there have been fewer rainy days, when compared to the average of the last 14 years in Costa Rica. The areas with the least rain have been Guanacaste, San José and Alajuela. According to the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) – national weather service – the province of the “pampa” (Guanacaste) has seen 35% fewer rainy days this year, w...

There is a popular adage in Costa Rica, Pide perdón, no permiso. Doing this can get an expat snagged into a big, expensive problem. The saying means “ask forgiveness, not permission.” It is a strategy used by Ticos and expats alike to get things done without going through the normal red tape. The scheme is also used to avoid traffic fines, building permits, payments, and the list is long. Th...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your press release about Costa Rica, please contact us. Grecia, September 3, 2013 - The Supreme Court has accepted an unconstitutionality petition filed against agricultural burning in Costa Rica and given the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Environment fifteen days to rule on the merits of the allegations. In view of this Resolution agr...

The Municipality of Hojancha is advancing with a project to relocate families that live in the maritime land zone of the bay of Carrillo Beach. In August, the municipality sent machinery to clear land behind the Carrillo community hall in preparation for donating lots to eight families. Although the families who live in the bay signed agreements to accept a donation of land from the municipalit...

Patiently, expectantly, I gazed across deep indigo waters, ponderous swells rolling gently beneath the boat, our outboard motor silent. Suddenly eighty yards away an enormous dark sea creature broke through the surface, its long pectoral fins or flippers waving in the air, only to crash thunderously down and disappear into the ocean off Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. It was the thrill of a lifetime t...

Leaders Deportivo Saprissa extended their lead in the Costa Rica Primera Division with a convincing 4-1 win over Uruguay on Sunday. Johan Condega's equalizer after Manfred Russell's opener was only the fifth goal Saprissa have conceded all season. But Diego Estrada put Ronald Gonzalez Brenes' men back in front with a quickfire double after the interval, before the league's joint top goalscor...

Neighbors of Santa Marta have noted a marked change in the speed and force of the Nosara River, which has already caused flooding and erosion of some properties in the area. The suspected cause is the dredge and dike work being just done upriver. Facundo Barrantes Barrantes, who has lived next to the river in Santa Marta for 16 years, related that it has never had such force and estimated that...

“The Food Truck” is the first restaurant on wheels to ride through the streets of Costa Rica. The project is an investment and risk by the Salas Barboza family, the first to bring to Costa Rica the popular style of eatery in the U.S. and Canada, but almost unknown in Costa Rica. Since the beginning, the family has faced all the limitations and tribulations of building in Costa Rica a company...

U.S. President Barack Obama and former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias have much in common. Both are winners of the Nobel Peace Prize and, as such have been critical of war as foreign policy and as a solution for problems. So why is Arias taking Obama to task without mincing words? Arias reacted on Facebook Thursday to President Obama’s speech promising armed retaliation against the Syrian re...

About one million students will participate in civic events and parades on September 15, a day in which Costa Ricans celebrate their 192 anniversary of the declaration of independence. This year schools will have the holiday on September 16, according to the coordinator of the National Holidays Committee of the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), Giselle Cruz. The coordinator also stated that t...

There is little disputing one central fact about Costa Rica’s outsourcing industry: it is on fire and it has been on fire consistently for the last several years. For some countries, such a development is entirely positive news, but for Costa Rica, such success has to be managed carefully. “We are really hot right now, due to our growth and our sophistication,” says Gabriela Llobet, Director G...

This year three Costa Rican cyclists will compete in the World Cycling Championship: Gregory Brenes, Andrey Amador, and Edith Guillen. The World Cup will be held in Florence, Italy, between September 21 and 29 this year. The three cyclists were chosen for their outstanding participation internationally, said in a statement the Costa Rican Cycling Federation (FECOCI). Amador ended in position...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your business press release, please contact us. Two young men promise to help entrepreneurs permanently relocate from their home offices in the US to exotic, all-inclusive "happy hubs" all over the world, including Costa Rica. Happy Hubs a concept launched by two young entrepreneurs in their 20s, promises to help entrepreneurs permanently relo...

Fourteen dogs were confiscated during a raid of a dog fighting kennel operation on Saturday, August 24. Law-enforcement authorities suspect that four of the dogs are from bloodlines imported from criminal dog fighting enterprises in the United States, according to Inside Costa Rica. Costa Rica’s Animal Health Service, known as SENASA, and Costa Rican law-enforcement authorities, with support fr...

Three bodyguards working for American football star Tom Brady and his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen are to stand trial in Costa Rica after firing shots at two photographers during an altercation at the couple's 2009 wedding. A court in Puntarenas, on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, set a trial date for September 23 against two Costa Rican security guards and a Colombian national who are accused o...

It seems like forever ago that I began my mission to find twelve monkeys. I actually found them a couple of weeks after I started my search but didn't bother reporting back since it was kind of hard to tell if I had found exactly twelve monkeys; it could've been eight, it could've been thirty. Who knew there were so many variables in nature? The nice thing about setting absurd goals for yoursel...

What started with an email turned into the dismantling of an international organ-trafficking ring. American surgeon Francis L. Delmonico, the chairman of the World Transplant Society, emailed Jorge Cortés, the director of Hospital Clínica Bíblica – one of the three private centers authorized to perform transplants in San José – in November 2012 that an Israeli had undergone an illegal kidney tr...

Costa Rica’s attorney-general, Jorge Chavarría, has brought charges against the Movimiento Libertario (ML) party for defrauding $480,000 from the Tribunal Suprema de Elecciones (TSE, the electoral authority) by charging for 190 training courses that never happened and submitting false documents. The Código Electoral (the electoral law) provides for campaign financing equivalent to 0.19% of the ...

The Catedral Metropolitana in downtown San José was packed on Thursday as some 3,000 Catholic faithful gathered to inaugurate the new Archbishop of San José, Monseñor José Rafael Quirós Quirós. Quirós was named the new archbishop of San José by Pope Francisco last month to lead the almost 1.8 million Catholics in the country, becoming the seventh bishop to hold that office, replacing Monseñor H...

This is a guest article from TravelMother.com. By moving from the States to Costa Rica with young children, we’ve allowed our surroundings to be replaced with a whole new society, a place where the village does indeed raise a child. Not wanting to keep my family in the bubble of set methods and practices, I have made an effort to observe the atmosphere that the local children grow up in. Here...

Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla on Monday sent a bill to Congress that seeks to limit the interest rates banks and stores charge on credit both in colons and dollars, the Economy Ministry said. The bill would forbid credit when the interest rate charged is more than double the average rate over the past three months in the regulated national financial system. The Economy Ministry said...

Former Costa Rican-American astronaut Franklin Chang Diaz on Monday received an honorary doctorate from the state-run Universidad de Costa Rica, or UCR, for his contributions to science, technology and education on the global level. The honorary doctorate was presented by representatives of UCR, the country's main university, at a ceremony where the scientist expressed his pride at being recogn...

With the storms of the rainy season comes lightning, which can cause transient voltage changes that can be very damaging to electrical appliances in your home. Therefore, precautionary measures should be taken in offices and homes to minimize electrical damage. -During lightning storms, turn off and unplug appliances. If they remain plugged in and there is a voltage change of considerable magni...

Everyone is usually at least a little nervous and excited about heading out on a stand up paddle board for the very first time. After all, walking on water up until this point in time has only been something to dream about. Yet, now is the time and you have no idea how to get started. Well, never fear because Supconnect is here... to share a few tips that will help make the experience more ...

Nataly Bernold, Roxy team riderIf you would like to view the complete photo shoot with Nataly Bernold, click here, thanks to Scott Alexander for the photography and interview. At 7am on the south end of Jacó beach, Nataly Bernold casually pedals up on her bike, surfboard under her arm. The gray sky above is reflected a bright, metallic blue in her sunglasses; her smile radiates even more bril...

Recently The Costa Rica Star published about the co-founder of Facebook Eduardo Saverin renouncing his citizenship to the United States in order to enjoy tax freedom and maximize profits. Costa Rica was listed by the social network Facebook as one of the countries that requested information of users, according to a report issued by the social network. According to the newspaper La Nacion, th...

Since Thursday, August 21, the authorities of the Ministry of Health are spraying every house in the Canton of Nicoya, which so far this year is the canton most affected nationwide by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits dengue. In addition, the municipalities of Nicoya, Hojancha and Nandayure, as well as the Red Cross, the Ministry of Education and the private company Gollo are collecti...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your business press release, please contact us. Jaco, Costa Rica – Revel in the lush beauty and fantastic waves of Costa Rica’s Green Season during Vista Guapa Surf Camp’s YOLO SUP Experience set for October 19th to 25th in beautiful Jaco on the Pacific Coast. The YOLO SUP Experience offers an all-around SUP-based adventure where guests enjoy dai...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your business press release, please contact us. DogWalkerCR.com, is one of the first companies in Costa Rica dedicated to the business of taking dogs for a walk, literally. This business is perfect for the busy professional who does not always have time to spend with their canine companion to go for walks and play in the parks around their ho...

The Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica, located in the Gulf of Papagayo, Guanacaste, laid off 68 employees last week, due to low season visits. The hotel, by way of its corporate communications, confirmed the layoffs on August 20, saying it was necessary to adjust for the low vacancy rate it has experienced since July. In the statement, the hotel said, “vacancy varies throughout the year at ...

As a way to encourage the use of the new electronic parking meters, the Municipality of San José has announced one hour of free street parking starting this week. The director of the Municipal Police, Marcelo Solano, said the goal is to encourage people to use the meters. The city has 1,800 meters available for users. Dates provided by the municipality show that in June a total 29,000 dri...

1,200 students from 12 schools in the zona norte cannot get to school due to the “pésimo” (poor) state of the roads, including the trocha fronteriza or ruta 1856, La Nacion reports. According to the publication, the situation worsened Monday morning when a school bus got stuck in the mud some 150 meters from the Medio Queso river bridge, later in the morning three other school buses did the sam...

One of the reasons that La Nacion is the premier newspaper in Costa Rica is that their staff and management, in the past 30 years, refuses to avoid taboo topics. This week, the paper ran five stories meeting the topic of racism head on without blushing. Reporter Allan Andino hung the stories on the news peg of U.S. television star Oprah Winfrey speaking out about a racial stereotype she encount...

The Legislative Assembly is considering reforming Article 10 of the current Liquor Law, to establish fairer license fees for small rural businesses that sell alcohol. The new law took effect on August 8, 2012, and one of the controversial aspects is setting the base cost, which is currently 379,400 colones ($760), as a parameter to determine how much a business should pay to sell alcoholic bev...