“What bloody business has the USA to do with the Costa Rican immigration policies on border crossings?” - Posted reaction to a recent article published in TCRS (The Costa Rica Star) The answer: Plenty. The Bigger Picture: The issue is not just about border runners seeking to stay under the radar as Perpetual Tourists, or those needing to keep their foreign driver's licenses valid. Those con...

AyA says that aquifers that provide water to these communities are below the historical level. Daniela Abarca / CRH. The Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR) stopped a project of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA), with which it was intended to solve the lack of water that has the coastal area of ​​El Coco - Ocotal and Playa Hermosa, in Guanacaste. The comptroller den...

Costa Rica was chosen as the first country in Latin America to implement the new concept of Subway restaurants. This new model will be inaugurated on Wednesday, November 15, with the assistance of senior officials of the corporation at a regional level, who will expand the details of the restaurant of the future, the evolution in the business model, from the visual, technological, experience for ...

The developer company, of Ecuadorian origin, chose Costa Rica thanks to its good economic reputation in Central America and because it is home to important multinational companies worldwide, which generates greater market confidence. With an investment of US $ 45 million and the direct and indirect contracting of 200 people, the Furoinani Obras y Proyectos (FOP) real estate group starts operati...

Problems of coordination and differences in the modalities of care of the National Child Care and Development Network affect the management and quality of the services provided, according to the latest State of the Nation Report 2017. During 2016, the Care Network benefited 52,190 children, with wide cantonal  dispersion. The national average of the population from 0 to 6 years that serves t...

Costa Rican airport authorities seized a weapon and ammunition from a U.S citizen as he attempted to board an international flight, said the Public Security Ministry. The incident took place at the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) outside of the capital city of San José, Costa Rica. The man had failed to report he was carrying a firearm and ammunition, which are not permitted on f...

A few weeks ago, a Red Cross ambulance driver was threatened at knife-point and asked to hand over his cell phone when driving to the scene of an emergency in the agricultural town of Santa Rosa de Pocosol in the north-central region of San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica. This and other potentially life-threatening incidents involving aid workers in different parts of Costa Rica have the agency c...

In the northern region of Guanacaste, forested lands increased from 51 percent in 2005 to 60 percent in 2015, transforming the landscape that in the 1970s was nominated by livestock ranches, and now encourages eco-tourism, according to information released by the 2017 "Estado de la Nación," or State of the Nation report in Costa Rica. Today an estimated 75.5 percent of Costa Rica's territory is...

The annual report on Costa Rica's "State of the Nation" shows some disheartening realities with 20 percent of households stuck in a cycle of poverty and exclusion. While some families in extreme poverty, notably in rural areas, got a foothold out of their dire situation over the past year, this appears mainly due to government aid programs, and not due to permanent economic solutions or changes...

With different sources simultaneously publishing magnitudes of varying degrees, headlines clashed throughout the Internet on Sunday evening, November 12, when an earthquake rattled much of Costa Rica. The tremor was also felt in Panama. The Jacó earthquake, which occurred off the coast of the the central Pacific tourist town, was eventually pegged as a 6.5 magnitude quake by scientists at the V...

A self proclaimed 5-star ocean front hotel on Costa Rica's northern Pacific was the scene of an unusual death in October, and the details are only getting stranger. Shortly after 42-year-old Shawn Edmonds was handcuffed by security guards at the Riu Guanacaste hotel after an apparent argument with hotel staff, the Kitchener, Ontario, Canada father fainted while sitting in a chair and was pronou...

Longer commutes, busier parents, lack of safe and accessible recreation, combined with ready access to junk food and fast foods has made life for Costa Rican school kids more sedentary and filled with greater risks for obesity, and later development of diabetes and other consequences. The 2017 School Weight and Height Survey, conducted by the Costa Rican Ministry of Health in conjunction with t...

Over 33,500 new jobs were created at multinational corporations based in Costa Rica between 2014 and 2016. These jobs were created by companies that newly set up operation or expanded their existing projects in the country, said Luis Gamboa Arguedas, president of the Costa Rican Development Initiatives Coalition (CINDE). During this period, the country racked up at least 118 such foreign inv...

Women killed by their current spouse or partner, or as a result of their female gender such as in a sexual assault, now number 24 so far in 2017 in Costa Rica. These "femicides," the legal term for this type of homicide, have left 18 children orphaned, 15 of whom are under the age of 18, said Costa Rica's Interinstitutional Subcommittee on Femicide, which is led by the Observatory on Gender Vio...

Despite a recent lessening in the intensity of its eruptions, scientists and emergency officials will keep restrictions in place on entry into the Poás Volcano National Park, much to the dismay of local tourist businesses who depend on the park to draw visitors. The park was the most frequently visited in the country, being within an hour's drive from San José and about a half-hour from the int...

Last week, it was potassium dichromate, and yesterday, it was bleach. Two toddlers in the past two weeks in Costa Rica nearly lost their lives due to mishandling of toxic chemicals in the home. Potassium dichromate is bright orange and it main victims of poisoning are young children who confuse it with soda pop or juice due to its bright orange color when diluted in water. It doesn't help th...

A family-owned business near Arenal Volcano on Costa Rica's North Atlantic plains has plans to build a mineral spring treatment center drawing on the region's famed volcanic waters. Ganadera Manoa de La Fortuna, S.A., owners of Hotel Manoa Arenal, a Trip Advisor traveller's choice hotel, submitted an application for an environmental feasibility study for the healing treatment center in August o...

Tourist businesses affiliated with the Chamber of Tourism of Osa (CATUOSA) last week signed a pledge to eliminate the use of plastic containers, bags and other plastic disposable items in shops, bars and restaurants in the Osa Peninsula region in southern Costa Rica. Companies plan to substitute single-use plastics and styrofoam packages like utensils, cups, plates, straws and bags for biodegra...

The Ministry of Public Security (MSP) reported bringing in two people for treatment for heart problems following a 6.9 magnitude earthquake this evening, Sunday, November 12 at 8:28 p.m. south of Jacó off the Costa Rican central Pacific coast. The individuals, who were from the Jacó vicinity, were rushed to the regional Puntarenas Hospital but were declared deceased shortly after being admitted...

This video taken by Esteban Saborío at the Herradura beach Marriott Los Sueños Resort, adjacent to Jacó on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast shows the strong impact of this evening's 6.9 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake was felt virtually throughout the entire country.  ...

Jacó, Parrita, Esterillos and Turrubares were the towns closest to the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that rattled much of the country this evening at 8:28 p.m. local time, according to the Costa Rican National Seismological Network (Red Sismologico Nacional). The intense shaking that lasted for at least 30 seconds, was accompanied by a roaring sound, as reported by many throughout the San José capit...

An outdoor, casual environment for lunch, dinner, and afternoon snacks invites diners in Curridabat to a newly opened food truck park in this eastern San José, Costa Rica suburb called "Food Truck Park Calle Vieja" With seven trucks, that include a minibar and an ice cream cart, the eateries are open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. Diners can sit in roofer corridors alongside...

The upscale Multiplaza Escazú shopping center was the scene of two armed robberies in the span of eight days. One occurred last Tuesday, Oct. 31, and the second on Wednesday, November 8, 2017. The thefts alarmed customers and provoked a response from the Public Security Ministry who was surprised at the occurrences. In response, the shopping mall said they will be hiring armed guards, and ar...

Dominican women in Costa Rica, victims of global sex and human trafficking, have reported being married to Costa Ricans to obtain Costa Rican citizenship before being taken to Europe or the United States for exploitation, according to representatives of the Rahab Foundation, a Costa Rican non-profit dedicated to ending human trafficking and aided its victims. Networks dedicated to human traffic...

This Saturday, November 11 at 8 p.m. at the downtown San José, Costa Rica National Theater, U.S. and Costa Rican musicians join together for a delightful and inspiring concert dedicated to friendship between the two countries. Award-winning U.S.-based Medical Musical Group's chorale and symphony will perform together with Costa Rica's Coro Voces de Libertad, directed by Carol Guzmán, and the Un...

Over the past three years, Costa Rica's police force has gone from having 3 percent of female officers to 17 percent as the agency has incorporated a gender perspective into their polices, said Deputy Minister of Public Security, Commissioner Juan José Andrade A forum was held last week at the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly on gender initiatives within the public safety sector that included l...

Banks and credit unions in Costa Rica started receiving payments of the annual end-of-the-year vehicle registration fee, called the marchamo, on November 1. Vehicle owners have until December 31 to pay the 2018 marchamo fee to the National Insurance Institute. This year, banks have diversified their offers to attract customers to pay at their site. Some 1.4 million vehicles in Costa Rica wil...

Foodie Tours invites gastronomy lovers to experience a sensory experience in different parts of Costa Rica. Whether you are a gourmet or not, these tours will be sure to educate and entertain through visits to restaurants and interactions between chefs and participants to learn about the foods used, their history, and the traditions surrounding the dishes. "We want attendees to learn about and...

The Costa Rican Constitutional Court, the country's highest chamber, ruled in support of restrictions on water permits for developments in some hilly areas of Heredia, a province adjacent to the San José metropolitan area, said the judiciary press office this week. The high court rejected an appeal filed by a citizen by the last name of Rodríguez against the Public Services Company of Heredia (...

Friday, November 10, the United States Embassy and Consulate in San José, Costa Rica will be closed in commemoration of the U.S. federal holiday, Veterans Day, In May 1938, this day was set as a commemoration of world peace and to celebrate what was known as Armistice Day, when it was customary to honor the veterans of World War I. "However, in 1954, after the Second World War, its name was ch...

The Costa Rican government and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines are joining to combat carbon dioxide emissions, said the KLM press office. KLM is the only European airline operating intercontinental flights using biofuel. Over the coming months, the business will collaborate with the Costa Rican government in a first ever such alliance for the company to research the possibilities of flying betw...

If you've ever felt out of your element upon boarding an airplane, imagine how these marine creatures must have felt. A Costa Rican man arrived at the Juan Santamaría International Airport outside of San José, Costa Rica Saturday, November 4 with a dozen or so hermit crabs stashed into two Tupperware containers with holes poked in the top. A failed school science project? Who knows ... Costa...

Così, the Boston, Massachusetts-based fast-casual restaurant chain known for its homemade flatbread, opens its eighth eatery in Costa Rica this Friday, November 10. The new Così locale will be inaugurated in the northern San José suburb of Guadalupe, in the canton of Goicoechea, at the Distrito Uno shopping plaza. Situated next to Distrito Uno's new Auto Mercado grocery store, Così in Guadal...

Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Trade Alexander Mora was in Miami, Florida last week for the VII International Banana Congress organized by Costa Rica's Corporación Bananera Nacional (Corbana). Participants spanned those involved in the entire value chain, from production to sale, of the fruit, and included at least 600 representatives from 40 countries. Bananas were one of the products that...

A U.S. citizen by the last name of Krause, who is on the Interpol alert list for sexual abuse crimes in the United States, was turned back Monday, November 6, 2017 after arriving at the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) outside of San José, Costa Rica. Costa Rican immigration police stationed at the airport saw that Krause's name came up on an Interpol alert list when they did a routi...

The U.S. Embassy in San José, Costa Rica is pleased to announce upcoming outreach sessions in the southern towns of Dominical and Pérez Zeledón. Consular staff will be on hand next week to render routine services and hear inquiries. A special information session in Pérez Zeledón will be held on visas for non-U.S. citizens. To RSVP for passport renewals, notary services, and federal...

The marine research yacht, the Shark Water, will dock in the Pacific port of Puntarenas, Costa Rica at the tourist pier Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 10 a.m., and will be open to the public for viewing. The 40-meter yacht was refitted to facilitate biological research of highly migratory sharks and other marine fauna in the Eastern Pacific, and is owned by the Colorado, United States-based ...

From November 7-15 in the Mal Pais - Santa Teresa area on the southern Nicoya Peninsula, instructors from The Netherlands will offer a survival swim class for children aged two to 12. Private and semi-private lessons are available in 1, 3 or 7-lesson packages. The class instructors describe the activity as follows: "Baby survival is a special technique for very young children (under 2 year ...

The eagle logo on Costa Rica's national beer, Imperial, is now taking on new meaning, as the company sends out volunteers, called "Aguilas al Rescate" or "Eagles to the Rescue," on different community improvement projects. The company's first initiative is being carried out in conjunction with the Costas Verdes foundation, and involves planting native trees along the central Pacific coast of Co...

A 41-year-old Costa Rican named Navarro Quesada pleaded guilty in the Pennsylvania Western District Court to the crimes of conducting mail fraud and money laundering. Navarro Quesada was arrested in February at the Adolfo Suárez-Barajas airport in Madrid following an alert sent to the International Police (Interpol) by U.S. authorities. The Costa Rican man admitted to having used a website d...