File photo of retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro. EFE/File Miami, Mar 22 (EFE).- One of Fidel Castro's sons said during an interview on Univision that there are no dynasties in Cuba, and when his uncle Raul Castro "leaves office" in 2018, no one in the family is going to take power. "Power won't stay in the family, but will go to those prepared for it," Alex Castro said in an interview filme...

Panama Canal Panama City, Mar 22 (EFE).- The Panama Canal Authority, or ACP, said it would impose new draft restrictions on ships starting April 18 due to a severe drought affecting two artificial lakes that feed the interoceanic waterway. "The maximum allowable draft will be 11.89 meters (39 feet)," the canal's administrator said in a statement Monday. The "temporary and preventative" m...

Nutrivida By Anne Salter. SEUK UK Social Enterprise News Release - As a part of the British Embassy programme ‘Exporting Social Enterprises’, in February 2016 Social Enterprise UK traveled to San Jose to represent the UK social enterprise sector in Costa Rica. The week included conferences, meetings with government, press, charities and social enterprises to discuss the opportunities for the mo...

(Apple press photo) Cupertino, California, Mar 21 (EFE).- Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook vowed Monday that his company would not shirk its responsibility to protect its users' privacy, calling it an issue that affects everyone. "We did not expect to be in this position, at odds with our own government. But we believe strongly that we have a responsibility to help you protect your data and protect ...

Grand Ole Party logo By Britt Nelson Editor’s Note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff. President Obama’s choice to replace the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has turned 100 percent political as Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vows the U.S. Senate will not conduct confir...

U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuba's President Raul Castro shake hands during their first meeting on the second day of Obama's visit to Cuba, in Havana March 21, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria By Daniel Trotta and Matt Spetalnick HAVANA (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama was received by Cuban President Raul Castro in Havana on Monday at the start of historic talks where the U.S. leader ...

(FILE / Reuters OMX) Marriott International bought Starwood Hotels and Resorts for $13.6 billion on Monday to create the world's biggest hotel chain. The deal came three days after Starwood rejected Marriott's $12.2 billion buyout offer in favor of a $13 billion offer from China's Anbang Insurance Group; but then, Starwood accepted Marriott's new, bigger cash and stock offer. The merged ...

U.S. President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, and their daughters Malia and Sasha, exit Air Force One as they arrive at Havana's international airport for a three-day trip, in Havana March 20, 2016. REUTERS/stringer By Matt Spetalnick, Daniel Trotta and Jeff Mason HAVANA (Reuters) - President Barack Obama arrived to small but cheering crowds on Sunday at the start of a historic visit to C...

Wikimedia Commons By Carol Blair Vaughn March 20th is International Day of Happiness; as adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011 this day promotes, preserves, and observes happiness as a universal right and goal, and has been celebrated every year since. “Happiness is your birthright,” said singer Pharrell Williams on Happiness Day 2015. “Happiness is a fundamental huma...

Wikimedia Commons Miami, Mar 19 (EFE).- The U.S. Coast Guard said nine undocumented Cuban migrants died while trying to complete a perilous journey by boat to the Florida coast. "Our deepest condolences to the families of the nine people who recently did lose their lives," Capt. Mark Gordon, the head of enforcement for the Coast Guard's 7th District, said Friday. "Unfortunately, tragedy ...

Panama Canal Panama City, Mar 19 (EFE).- Panama's economy will grow 6.1 percent in 2016 and as much as 7 percent in the coming years thanks to the expansion of the canal and low fuel costs, an International Monetary Fund delegation said in this capital. Panama has boasted the region's highest average growth rates over the past decade and will be able to continue expanding at a clip of betwe...

(Archive image for illustrative purposes. Wikimedia Commons) New York, Mar 19 (EFE).- Around 1,000 people demonstrated in downtown New York against the Republican hopeful for the presidency of the United States, Donald Trump. The protesters, surrounded by a strong police contingent, gathered at Columbus Circle next to Central Park to slam Trump's rhetoric of division, hate and extremism, ac...

Wikimedia Commons Indian Wells, California, Mar 19 (EFE).- Serbian world No. 1 Novak Djokovic won a hard-fought first set that lasted well over an hour before asserting full control in a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 victory here Saturday over Spain's Rafael Nadal at the BNP Paribas Open. Djokovic had won the last five matches in the rivalry - all in straight sets, mostly recently a 6-2, 6-1 shellacking i...

Wikimedia Commons Washington, Mar 19 (EFE).- Mexican-born American actress Kate del Castillo said in a televised interview that drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" (Shorty) Guzman probably was in love with the powerful, tequila-drinking drug trafficker she portrayed in the 2011 telenovela "La Reina del Sur" (The Queen of the South), which would explain his interest in her. "I don't think it was...

Source: International News Safety Institute Mexico City, Mar 17 (EFE).- Attacks on the press rose 21.8 percent in Mexico last year, compared to 2014, with seven members of the media murdered and 397 cases, or one every 22 hours, registered, the Articulo 19 press rights organization said in a report. Public officials were involved in 41.5 percent of the cases, the press rights group said. ...

Wikimedia Commons Rio de Janeiro, Mar 18 (EFE).- A Brazilian court has found FC Barcelona striker Neymar guilty of tax fraud and ordered him to pay 188.8 million reais ($52.15 million) in back taxes, interest and penalties, local media reported Friday. The ruling, which was handed down on March 4, according to the daily Folha de Sao Paulo, found that the 24-year-old Brazilian failed to pay ...

Wikimedia Commons Miami, Mar 17 (EFE).- SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. said Thursday it was ending its killer whale shows and would offer visitors new "natural orca encounters" at its theme parks. The marine mammals will not be released in the wild because "these orcas could not survive in oceans that include environmental concerns such as pollution and other man-made threats," SeaWorld said ...

50-cal rifle. Wikimedia Commons Washington, Mar 17 (EFE).- The U.S. government has confirmed that a rifle found earlier this year at drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" (Shorty) Guzman's hideout in Mexico entered the country as a result of the failed Fast and Furious gun-walking operation. In a letter made public Wednesday and sent to members of Congress, the Justice Department confirmed a Fox ...

Hellen is a sexy Costa Rican model who has been modeling professionally since the tender age of 16. The pre-dental student is juggling her studies and modeling assignments effectively and one day will be the most sought after Orthodontist in San Jose. Source: Pinterest...

Thanks to the nutrient-rich coastal waters, diving in Costa Rica can be a magical experience. Divers might even find themselves distracted from the underwater beauty by the ‘big animal’ sightings — including whale sharks, manta rays, dolphins, sea turtles, and the occasional humpback whale. Source: costaricaexperts.com...

(Archive image for illustrative purposes. Wikimedia Commons) (Reuters) The U.S. Republican presidential debate scheduled for next week in Utah has been canceled, host Fox News said Wednesday, after party front-runner Donald Trump told the network he would not participate. Trump, who has clashed with Fox News throughout his campaign, told the network in an interview Wednesday he would not ap...

Global Peace Foundation Press Release - Five former Central American presidents proposed an integrated regional approach as the only way to tackle the endemic problems of organized crime, drug trafficking, violence, and rising income inequality. “No nation can be an island of democracy, in a sea of conflict,” said former Guatemalan president Vinicio Cerezo. The presidents met at the Organizatio...

Agencia Venezolana de Noticias Caracas, Mar 16 (EFE).- Venezuelan security forces are continuing to search for more missing persons after 17 bodies were found earlier this week at an illegal gold mine in southeastern Venezuela. National ombudsman Tareck William Saab, the head of a commission named by President Nicolas Maduro to investigate the disappearances, told reporters Tuesday that the...

"Rolling Stones 26" by Gorupdebesanez - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons Mexico City, Mar 16 (EFE).- Mick Jagger joked during The Rolling Stones' first of two concerts in Mexico City about American actor Sean Penn's interview with notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" (Shorty) Guzman. After the band had played its first songs on Monday night, the 72-year-old lead singer an...

(YouTube screen capture) By Britt Nelson Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won five out of five Democratic presidential primary elections Tuesday in: Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri, leaving Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders far behind in total delegate counts. Sanders said he is staying in the race and will not drop out. On the Republican side, New York billio...

Wikimedia Commons Toronto, Mar 15 (EFE).- Toronto police said Tuesday they have not dismissed terrorism as the motive behind the stabbing of two Canadian soldiers at a recruiting center on the city's north side. Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders identified at a press conference Tuesday the suspected assailant as 27-year-old Montreal native Ayanie Hassan Ali. The suspect, who will appear...

Jurassic footprints. Source: Wikimedia Commons Bogota, Mar 15 (EFE).- A team of scientists headed by geologist Herman Bermudez working on the Colombian island of Gorgonilla, in the Pacific, has found fragments of the meteorite that 66 million years ago caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, sources close to the investigation said Tuesday. "(We have) evidence of the impact of the meteorite,...

Source: Kate del Castillo Twitter Mexico City, Mar 14 (EFE).- Actress Kate del Castillo said in a letter published by Proceso magazine over the weekend that she used her only one-on-one meeting with drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" (Shorty) Guzman to tell him that the film she planned to make would serve to make amends to the victims of organized crime. "Our project is also going to serve to in...

The Westin in Playa Conchal New York, Mar 14 (EFE).- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., owner of the Sheraton and Westin chains, said Monday it received an unsolicited $12.8 billion takeover bid from a consortium led by Chinese insurance company Anbang. In Costa Rica, Starwood operates the all-inclusive Westin Golf Resort & Spa in Playa Conchal, Cabo Velas, province of Guana...

Source: User jsbarrie Flickr Commons Guatemala City, Mar 14 (EFE).- Some indigenous people in Guatemala suffer under "contemporary forms of slavery," the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said Monday. "The working conditions of indigenous people continue to be of great concern since these workers are often "subjected to different forms of exploitation" such as "forced labor" or "slave...

A municipal health worker fumigates the restroom area of a shopping mall as part of the city's effort to prevent the spread of Zika virus' vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in this January 26, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera/Files By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - As the world focuses on Zika's rapid advance in the Americas, experts warn the virus that o...

Zinedine Zidane. Wikimedia Commons Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, Mar 13 (EFE; odds by IDSca.com).- Real Madrid beat Las Palmas 2-1 in the Canary Islands on Sunday, but the game was on tenterhooks as things heated up with a tying goal in the 87th minute and the capital squad's game-winner two minutes later, re-securing a victory from the jaws of an unexpected potential draw. The visitor...

YouTube/Google under Creative Commons 2.0 Bogota, Mar 13 (EFE).- The relatives of a Colombian police captain who revealed an alleged male prostitution network within the police force said that he was kidnapped on a highway in Norte de Santander province, local media reported. Capt. Anyelo Palacios was abducted on Saturday evening by four men on two motorscooters as he was riding in a car th...

Source: Anonymous Turkey Ankara, Mar 13 (EFE). - At least 34 people were killed, while 125 other were wounded - the vast majority of them civilians - on Sunday when a powerful car-bomb explosion ripped through Kizilay Square in central Ankara, Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said at a press conference. Meanwhile, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said at the same press conferen...

A Cuban traveler Panama City, Mar 12 (EFE).- The Panamanian government finished Saturday the transport to Mexico of 1,301 Cubans who had been stranded while waiting to find a way to continue their journey to the United States, an official told EFE. Almost 300 Cubans left Saturday on a commercial flight from Tocumen International Airport in the capital, thus wrapping up an operation describe...

EFE/David Fernández Chicago, Mar 12 (EFE).- Chicago Bulls and Spanish national team star Pau Gasol defended tennis great Rafael Nadal after France's former sports minister accused him of doping, saying he had complete faith in his countryman. "I disregard these statements that are baseless and lacking objective elements," Gasol said after the Bulls' 118-96 home loss to the Miami Heat on Fri...

Source: Discovery Havana, Mar 12 (EFE).- Cuba has welcomed 1 million foreign tourists to date in 2016, a 14.6 percent surge over the same period last year, the Tourism Ministry, or Mintur, reported. The year in course has been characterized by "continuous growth" in the number of tourists to Cuba from such markets as Germany, Britain, the United States, France, Italy and Argentina, a Mintur...

(Archive image for illustrative purposes. Wikimedia Commons) By Britt Nelson   The Republican and Democratic presidential debates appear to be over and the primaries are gaining steam. Voters from both parties head to voting booths on March 15 in winner-take-all primaries in Florida, Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri.   Thursday night’s Republican debate in Miam...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Bogota, Mar 11 (EFE).- Colombian authorities arrested in Bogota 10 employees of Avianca airlines as part of an international operation against drug trafficking and money laundering, the company said in a statement. Avianca said the 10 taken into custody as part of Operation Pajaro Azul (Bluebird) were turned over to the appropriate authorities, but gave no further ...

Source: Villa Thoga Tamarindo, Costa Rica - March 10, 2016 /PressCable/ — Villa Thoga, a vacation rental home in Tamarindo Beach, Costa Rica, has launched a brand new special offer allowing guests to experience two activities in the surrounding area completely free. These can be selected during the booking process while purchasing a stay in the property, or chosen upon arrival at the holiday h...