The prized eggs of the sea turtles that massively arrive in the shores of Costa Rica to nest are often subject to poaching and trafficking. Thanks to efforts of Fuerza Publica officers assigned to the Matina canton of the Limon province, nearly 500 turtle eggs were rescued from the hands of three men traveling in a taxicab. The eggs were contained in two sacks concealed in the rear compartm...

As the first-ever Costa Rica Craft Beer Festival is underway in Avenida Escazu, more good news for beer lovers just arrived: Passengers flying from Denver or St. Louis to our Juan Santamaria and Daniel Oduber international airports will be able to enjoy Colorado's finest offerings on their next flight. The latest press release from Denver-based Frontier Airlines announced: "This brew is on y...

Costa Rica's highest court, Sala Cuarta, has ruled in favor of a prominent Catholic radio station and its stance against in vitro artificial fertilization. The case in question dates back to last year, when Radio Fides 93.1 FM aired a series of 14 radio spots clearly stating the opposition of the station and the Catholic church against in vitro fertilization, a procedure that does not enjoy leg...

Brazil, the economic colossus of Latin America, is having a hard time getting ready to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. The construction and improvement of infrastructure needed to accommodate thousands of visitors to the world's premier sporting events is constantly running into problems. The country with the largest Portuguese-speaking population in the world has...

On Tuesday, April 24, at 12 noon Motorola will unveil its newest smartphone for the gadget-hungry Tico market at an event at the Luxe Lounge in Escazu. Based on preliminary reports, Motorola is hailing its new personal communications device as "Thinner, Faster, Smarter." Not much else is known about the smartphone. Since Motorola Mobility is currently in the process of being acquired by Inte...

While at the VI Summit of the Americas in Cartagena a few days ago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the following announcement: “For years Canada has been working with like-minded countries to make the Americas a safer place, providing necessary equipment and training, and technical and legal assistance to those fighting on the front lines against drugs, transnational organized crime and...

The National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC in Spanish) has announced Operation Jaguar, an effort to capture those responsible for killing and dismembering a black Panthera onca (black panther or jaguar negro) weeks ago near Pejibaye de Cartago. At least 20 members of different environmental protection and law enforcement organizations will be involved in the search for the poachers, who h...

Noe Mar McGonagle has been unstoppable in 2012. The young surfer from Pavones is now in the semifinals and his incredible performance thus far places him as one of the top ten surfers under-16 in the world. Thanks to strong swell conditions at Playa Venao in Panama yesterday, Noe Mar took advantage of two lefts averaging between 2.5 and three meters to beat Brazilian and South African surfers ...

Conectad@s and VUCE 2.0 are the names of two new initiatives launched by the administration of President Laura Chinchilla in order to make the lives of exporters and small business owners easier. The entities involved are the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Commerce (COMEX) and its leading agency for international trade and commerce, PROCOMER; as well as Banco Nacional and ICE. VUCE 2.0 is a proj...

One of the major concerns surrounding the passing of the Tobacco Control Law (law number 9028), which is now in effect and being implemented, is that it could leave the door open to unprincipled individuals who could take advantage of the new taxation regime applied to cigarette sales. Those opposed to the law argued that it would create a black market and possibly lead to organized crime. Whil...

Fuerza Publica is committed to the safety and protection of all domestic and wildlife species in Costa Rica, not just humans. For the second time in less than five days, Fuerza Publica officers used old-fashioned police work to rescue animals from the clutches of less-than-scrupulous humans. Five days after officers walking the beat in the capital city of San Jose apprehended a man concealing t...

Banco Nacional and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MICIT) will hold a press conference to mark the official announcement of the National Robotic Olympics on Monday, April 23rd at the stately and upscale Club La Union in the heart of Downtown San Jose. The Robotic Olympics this year will be coordinated by National Instruments, University of Costa Rica, the Technological Institute of Cost...

Now that the Fiscal Reform Plan is dead in the water due to a high court ruling, President Laura Chinchilla took to the airwaves last night and delivered a speech that outlined a new initiative to collect resources needed to shore up the deficit, which has prompted the government into borrowing 45 percent of the cash needed to meet its obligations. The President began her address with a rem...

After 6 consecutive wins and 9 matches without losing, the three-time First Division Champions Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA) looked like they had it all worked out in terms of advancing to the quarter finals round of the summer football tournament. They were looking for a victory, but a tied score would have been to their advantage. They had the home pitch advantage at the Scotiabank-Ale...

The new Computer Security Incident Response Team of Costa Rica (CSIRT-CR) was formally inaugurated last Friday with an announcement in La Gaceta, the official government publication. On that same day, members of CSIRT-CR responded to an attack on the information systems of the National Assembly. According to a report by digital newspaper El Pais, the Executive Director of the National Assembly ...

The feud between screenwriter Joe Eszterhas and actor and director Mel Gibson continues, and this time Mr. Eszterhas has made public an audio recording that his son Nick, who is a teenager, surreptitiously captured in his iPod at Mr. Gibson's Hacienda Dorada in Playa Barrigona, Guanacaste last December. The audio file and transcript were published by entertainment news site The Wrap. It is ...

How would Ticos react if the University of Costa Rica one day decides to teach all of its courses in English? The Politecnico di Milano, the oldest university in Milan, counts several notable alumni like architect Gio Ponti and chemist Giulio Natta, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1963 for his work on polymers. It is a state-supported, quintessential Italian institution, an important aca...

In the 21st century, basic computer and Internet skills have become intrinsic tools of literacy. In San Rafael de Heredia, a group of 25 students learn those important skills at a community center twice a week. The ages of the students ranges from 13 to 80, and the instructor is a young man performing community service as part of his university degree requirements. This computer skills cour...

The Ministry of the Treasury employees who leaked data about unreported property values and unpaid taxes that lead to the resignation of three prominent public officials have been charged with unauthorized use of privileged information systems. Moments after the official announcement of the accusations against the twelve employees, whose names and positions are being withheld, Ticos took to social...

On May 1st, just as millions of workers around the world will take the day off to protest against labor injustices and demand better working conditions, the elected legislators at Costa Rica's National Assembly will see more money on their paychecks thanks to substantial salary increases. Three legislators who were vehemently opposed to the increases decided to reject their own raises, but ...

Residential customers of the National Power and Light Company (CNFL in Spanish) can expect to pay approximately 4.7 percent more on their electricity bills in May. According to an official press release by the Public Services Regulatory Agency (Spanish acronym: ARESEP), the CNFL had requested an increase of 9 percent for residential service and 7.76 percent for street lighting and other pub...

A Supreme Court ratification of a ruling by a court of appeals places the burden of liability on the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MOPT) in relation to a 2005 accident that took the life of Manuel Angel Morales Piedra in Perez Zeledon. MOPT must now pay the surviving family members about $135,000. Manuel Angel Morales was trying to cross the southbound lanes of the Inter-American...

Finding a message in a bottle is a very neat experience, especially if it comes from a faraway land and the sender wants you to correspond with them. In the last 20 years, Sue and John Eyre have launched more than 50 bottles with messages within them in different parts of the world. Each message includes the couple's name and address in Brown Deer near Milwaukee in the state of Wisconsin. They ...

The first day of the World Junior Surfing Championship in Playa Venao got off to a good start with solid heats by the best junior surfers in the world, but when Day 2 came around, the competition level went up a few notches. As Pavones native Noe Mar McGonagle paddled out for his heat, those who are familiar with his aggressive style of surfing knew that they would be in for a treat.  Noe M...

The National Seismologic Network (RSN) and the Observatory of Volcanic and Seismic Activity in Costa Rica (OVSICORI) have released reports on recent eruptions and other volcanic activity at the Poas and Rincon de la Vieja colossi over the last few days. The reports indicate that the activity in both volcanoes has been phreatic, meaning that it is related to underground water eruptions, not ...

According to a recent official press release (PDF) issued by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC), the love affair between Tico consumers and credit cards grew fonder in 2011. The number of credit cards circulating in Costa Rica increased by 2.4 percent, for a total of 1,502,389 currently in the market. The collective amount of debt owed by credit card holders in Costa Rica is ...

There was a time when Latin America was considered a bastion of Roman Catholicism and a powerful region for the Vatican to exercise its doctrine and work. Over the last few decades, however, Catholicism has been losing ground to various Protestant faiths and other religions. According to an online report by Al Jazeera, Latin America is still home to about half of all Catholics in the world,...

A group of six men armed with AK-47 assault rifles and 9mm handguns forced their way into a nursery set up to protect the large Leatherback sea turtles and stole their eggs. According to a televised news report broadcast by Repretel channel 6, the gunmen descended upon a beach encampment in Playa Moin, in the province of Limon. A group of volunteer workers, many of them foreigners, were bound a...

Hundreds of Tico headbangers were disappointed earlier today when they learned that the Rock N' Roll All Stars presentation, originally scheduled for May 3rd, was canceled due to a disagreement between the American and Costa Rican event organizers. According to Telenoticias 7, Brunca Productions delivered the sad news this morning. The concert would have taken place at the Ricardo Saprissa ...

Should child soldiers be held accountable for their actions after they have been brutally conscripted? Should they be prosecuted if their rehabilitation is not successful? A new classified diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, a notorious whistleblowing and secret-divulging service, indicates that a former child soldier conscripted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda was given u...

Dozens of rescue workers have been involved in rescuing aquatic species from the Reventazon river since April 11th. On that day, ICE engineers and technicians changed the course of the river in order to accommodate their hydroelectric project, which will include a dam measuring 130 meters in height. The rescue area of operations in the river is about 820 meters and features strong currents. Bio...

The heads of state participating at the VI Summit of the Americas in Cartagena have all returned to their respective nations. Most news media outlets are reporting on the fact that no major treaties were signed, and no final declaration was issued due to lack of consensus in various topics. President Barack Obama returned to the United States to deal with a scandal involving Secret Service agen...

Costa Rica Extrema 2012 is our country's first expo dedicated to ecotourism, adventure and extreme recreational activities. It brings together the best Costa Rica has to offer to people who enjoy both active and relaxing vacations. The three specific areas of interest at Costa Rica Extrema 2012 will be: extreme sports, ecotourism and adventure travel. At the fair, visitors will have a chance to...

When it comes to online banking, security is the main concern. In Costa Rica, the online banking platform of Banco Nacional is known for its strong security measures like security certificates, virtual keyboards, password policies, and physical tokens. For account holders who want an even stronger chain of trust between their computers and bank accounts, Banco Nacional now offers Domain Name Syste...

Don Herman Davis, better known as Daddy Banton, is one of the Tico hip-hop recording artists scheduled to visit the United States in August for a series of live performances. Joining Banton will be DJ P, Masta and Toledo, all from the "Top a Top" hip-hop crew, a music collective that is responsible for most of the rap and dancehall hits in Costa Rica. The Top a Top crew will perform in the ...

Earlier this Sunday afternoon, First Division champs Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA) won an important game against Limon Football Club by 2-0. With this victory, LDA is one of the contenders in the quarter finals of the Summer Tournament. The team is currently in fourth place, behind first-place leader Perez Zeledon, Santos (Guapiles) and Deportivo Saprissa. LDA has 30 points, the same as ...

The Hollywood film industry in the United States may be the most influential around the world, but in terms of output and economic relevance it was surpassed by Hindi films (Bollywood) years ago, and now it is falling behind the prolific work of filmmakers in Nigeria. Nollywood, as Nigeria's booming movie machine is endearingly known, is developing at a dizzying pace. The ethos of Nigerian film...

As scientists from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced the launch of the Unha-3 rocket last week, Tico graphic artist and cartoonist Arcadio Esquivel Mayorga retreated to his studio in Curridabat and penned a simple cartoon: a stylized red rocket that looked more like a firecracker than a ballistic missile, surrounded by accusatory index fingers pointing at it. The online ed...

“From an unlikely location, a place known for its peace and tranquility, for its marvelous ecosystems, and for a flowing lifestyle all here refer to as 'pura vida' or pure life emerges cutting edge technology." The message above welcomes visitors to BioTD, a tiny biotechnology firm located in Barreal de Heredia, in a nondescript industrial park. From this location, the scientists and techni...

The DaKine/International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Surfing Championship, presented by Billabong, is now underway in Playa Venao in Panama. This event has drawn more than 300 surfers from around the world, all under the age of 18. Surfers from 31 countries participated in a colorful parade yesterday in the town of Pedasi. Costa Rica has sent her best young wave riders to Panama, and...