An announcement has been made of a Brazilian investment of $25 million to install a brewery in San Jose. An article in Nacion.com reports that Rui José Prudencio is the president of Grupo Mix, a company in Costa Rica dedicated to importing Brazilian products through its distributor Dibras. Rui Prudencio announced that a Brazilian consortium is to develop the beer Colônia in Costa Rica ...

The current interest rates for loans to companies have reached levels not seen for six years. An article in Nacion.com reports that "Business are facing real interest rates ranging from 11% to 13%", with "real rates" defined as "the nominal amount, announced or offered by entities, minus inflation." This situation particularly affects SMEs who not only pay the highest interest rates on...

In 1988, the Honduran Foundation for Agricultural Research (FHIA) finalized the development of a Gros Michel hybrid banana that was resistant to Panama disease, but by that time the Cavendish had long been the key export variety. The hybrid, known as FHIA 17, has proven its worth in the Central American country and elsewhere in Latin America, but the foundation is yet to receive a single lempi...

Maybe it is attacked. Maybe it is damaged. Maybe mines appear and traffic is halted. In the event that any of those scenarios ever occur at the Panama Canal — the 51-mile waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans — militaries from across the world want to be ready. So on Monday at Mayport Naval Station, personnel from more than a dozen nations came together to begin working out a ...

The Mexican government posted a hurricane warning for the Yucatan peninsula midday Monday as the strengthening Tropical Storm Ernesto advanced from the east. At 11 a.m., the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Ernesto was 190 miles east-northeast of the Nicaragua/Honduras border, moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph. The system had sustained winds of 65 mph with higher gu...

UNCTAD’s eRegulations programme, which helps countries cut red tape and ensure transparency for business rules and procedures, should be expanded to all 28 member countries of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Organization has announced.​ The eRegulations programme is currently implemented in six ACS nations: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, f...

Authorities in Honduras must immediately investigate the attack on the house of a radio journalist in the state of Yoro, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. José Encarnación Chinchilla López, a reporter for Radio Cadena Voces in the city of El Progreso, told reporters that he was certain he was the target of the attack, according to news reports. Two men on a motorcycle shot at...

After having signed a contract for leasing the land for 25 years, the Spanish company Terminales de Contenedores de Barcelona will invest $120 million in the project. After a rumor had spread about a concession for Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala, which would have involved an international competitive tender, the controller of the port of Quetzal (EPQ), Allan Marroquin, yesterday informed Prens...

It eluded Franklin Roosevelt, Sir Malcolm Campbell and Errol Flynn, but now an explorer from Melton Mowbray could be on the trail of a multi-million-pound hoard of gold, silver and jewellery stolen by pirates and buried on a treasure island. Shaun Whitehead is leading an archaeological expedition to Cocos Island, the supposed hiding place of the “Treasure of Lima” – one of the world’s most ...

Erick Barrondo made history at the London 2012 Olympic Games on Saturday, as he won Guatemala’s first-ever Olympic medal after claiming silver in the men’s 20km walk behind China's Chen Ding. The 21-year-old came through strongly on the final lap after lying fourth at the bell to take the silver medal in 1:18:57, with Chen finishing in 1:18:46. "I can't believe it; I am very happy,” said...

A man suspected of being the "main operator" of Colombia's Norte del Valle drug cartel in Nicaragua and who was the subject of an arrest warrant issued in June 2011 has been arrested, the National Police said. Bismarck Jiron Lira, who had more than $500,000 in his possession, was detained Saturday morning in an upscale neighborhood in south Managua, National Police spokesman Fernando Borge ...

It began on Ewell, Smith Island, in 1916 when Noah T. Evans was asked to build a boat to carry the mail, freight and passengers from Crisfield to Smith Island. He built the Island Belle which ran back and forth for 74 years. In 1920, during the oyster boom, he built a 66-foot buy boat and named it the Winnie Estelle after his two daughters. In 1922, he built the Dora Estelle, another buy bo...

In the indigenous village of Santiago Atitlan, Internet access has been declared “a human right” by both inhabitants and local authorities. Authorities are also implementing a plan to provide free community Wi-Fi to the entire population so that everyone can benefit from it and exercise their rights. The concepts of community and sharing are entrenched in the daily life of indigenous people...

Last month in Dallas, Texas, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested a man from El Salvador who had a criminal conviction for aggravated sexual assault on a 6-year-old child. The 57-year-old citizen and native of El Salvador arrested by ERO's special operations team in Dallas is just one example of the more than 4,400 convicted crim...

Brazil progressed to the semifinals of the London 2012 football tournament with a battling 3-2 win over nine-man Honduras. Honduras took a surprise lead when Mario Martinez chipped home from close range, before Damiao prodded into an empty net to level. The Central Americans re-took the lead through Roger Espinoza before a Neymar spot-kick and a second from Damiao earned the Brazilians the ...

Panama is negotiating with ISRO to enter into technological collaboration for setting up a Satellite Tracking Station, a senior Panamanian minister said yesterday. Senior official level talks were fruitful and modalities were being worked out for installation of the station, so that system would be set up to track various satellites, Dr Ruben Berrocal Timmons, Minister of Science, Technolo...

Guatemala's Kakchiquel speakers will now be able to access Facebook in their own language thanks to a new application developed by US software engineers. Facebook is available in more than 70 languages from around the world including Spanish, which is widely spoken in Guatemala, but not in any language used by indigenous Guatemalan populations, US software engineer Robert Henderson told the...

While various business sectors are trying to protect their interests from being affected, the governments involved want negotiations to proceed at an extremely fast pace. The Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Trade seems to be deaf to the complaints of the agricultural and industrial sectors, opposed to the FTA with Colombia, and are pressing for negotiations to be speeded up. The Govern...

The Universidad Metropolitana (UNIMET) of Caracas, Venezuela, and the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) of San Jose recently held their closing ceremonies for the FIFA / CIES Programme in sport management organized in their respective country. Nearly fifty students graduated after presenting a working paper on a national sport issue. UNIMET closed the second edition of the FIFA / CIES Program...

Unique and authentic experiences are now bookable through locals in Costa Rica, with Gunyah.com. Working with Green World Adventures a local company based in Cartago, Gunyah now offers a wide-range of short breaks in Costa Rica that are completely original and can’t be booked anywhere else. “Our goal is not to offer a run-of-the-mill package holiday,” says CEO Luke Ford, “by working with a...

Costa Rica-based melodic metal band SIGHT OF EMPTINESS will embark on a European tour in August with support from BENEATH, OPHIDIAN I, ATRUM, ANGIST, GRUESOME GLORY (Iceland), REIGN OF FURY, REFLECTION IN EXILE (UK), DAMAGE MY GOD, SPEED DEMON (Portugal) and THE NAIL, CHICKEN PIE (SPAIN). SIGHT OF EMPTINESS will be playing Bloodstock Open Air (BEHEMOTH, DIMMU BORGIR, ALICE COOPER, TESTAMEN...

El Salvador’s government announced that the police were going to slow the rate of operations to catch large numbers of suspected criminals, but denied that this was in response to recent demands made by gang leaders. Security Minister David Munguia Payes said that the number of large-scale operations would be scaled back in the coming days, prioritizing the capture of those accused of the m...

The agency has affirmed the international rating of Guatemala as 'BB +' with Stable Outlook. Fitch Ratings has affirmed the issuer default rating (IDR) and the Country Ceiling for Guatemala as follows: -- Foreign currency IDR at 'BB+'; -- Local currency IDR at 'BB+'; -- Foreign currency short-term IDR at 'B'; -- Country ceiling at 'BBB-'. The Rating Outlook remains Stable. Gua...

A new decree banning the public possession and transportation of weapons in northern Honduras, a key drug trafficking region, is intended to cut violence in the area though critics argue it will prevent farmers involved in a violent land struggle from arming themselves in self-defense. The decree passed August 1 and prevents civilians from carrying weapons in public or in vehicles in Hondur...

The Belize Dart Federation was the host during the past week of two international dart tournaments – the Americas Cup 2012 and the Caribbean Cup 2012, both held at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel at Mile 3 on the Northern Highway from July 20 to 30. Male and female players from the USA, Canada, Brazil, as well as Caribbean islands, Barbados, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Trinidad & Tobago, ...

Susan Adams has been living and painting in Costa Rica since 1995, finding unending sources of inspiration. Graduating from Southwest Texas State University with a degree in commercial art, and having studied with the likes of Scott Burdick and Tom Browning, Susan is an award-winning artist, including Best of Show 2002 Corpus Christi Independent, first place in Great Texas Birding Classic, an...

Costa Rica has one of the most ambitious and developed conservation programmes among tropical rainforest countries. More than 10% of the country is protected and the government has a target of protecting 18% of the country in national parks and a further 13% in privately owned reserves. The government has initiated many programmes to promote sustainable development, including forest managem...

Recently a new community has started up in Costa Rica which has a mantra to expand and promote Mozilla products. Mozilla Firefox is the worlds most popular and widely used web browser. You can join and support this new community on Facebook and Twitter. About Mozilla: Our mission is to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the Internet. Mozilla is a proudly non-profit organ...

Legislative approval will allow the government to take advantage of the record minimum rates in the international market, easing pressure on interest rates in the domestic market. It will also decrease the pressure to solve the underlying problem, which is excessive government spending, especially that generated by the staff payroll, which not only continues to grow in quantity but also in ...

Toronto FC may not have much to brag about this season when it comes to their record in Major League Soccer. But when it comes to competing in the CONCACAF Champions League, they're a different team altogether. Toronto's soccer side put on a dominating performance — before a troublingly sparse crowd at BMO Field — in defeating El Salvador's Club Deportivo Aguila 5-1 on Wednesday night. ...

Panama — Led by smugglers armed with knives and machetes, Mayra Reyes and 14 other Cubans sloshed through swamps and rivers and suffered hordes of mosquitoes as they struggled across the notorious Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia, the only north-south stretch of the Americas to defy road-builders. After walking for three days, the group reached the foot of a steep, scrubby mountain. T...

APM Terminals has signed a concession contract for 32 years to build and operate a container terminal with an investment of $900 million. The start of construction is scheduled for September. This first stage, at a cost of $300 million, should be completed in 2015. "The company said, through a statement, that they have signed a concession for 32 years with the Port Authority of Lazaro Ca...

The opening of Expomueble shines a spotlight on the growing numbers of exports of furniture and wood products. In the first half of 2012 exports from the sector totaled $43 million, confirming the trend that started 25 years ago in 1986 with overseas sales of just $3 million. Carlos Porras, president of the organizing committee said that Expomueble aims to increase exports from the sec...

The Honduran finance minister has stepped down after his wife was arrested with the equivalent of some $50,000 in her car, a violation of embezzlement laws. Police stopped Dinora Arambury, wife of Hector Guillen, as she headed from the capital to the city of San Pedro Sula on Monday. Arambury was briefly arrested after police found over a million Honduran lempiras in cash in a suitcase. ...

Clinica Zahha is a new, AAAASF accredited ambulatory surgery center located in eastern San Jose, Costa Rica that offers an opportunity for pristine tranquility, relaxation, and unparalleled surgeons performing surgical procedures. With two operating rooms, the ability to handle cosmetic, general, oncology, orthopedic, vascular, urological, and pediatric surgery, one may wonder what else there ...

The Executive branch organized a special session 18,070 project, which will absolve 80% of taxes on land for agriculture and livestock. The members of the agricultural sector celebrated, but will not be satisfied until the project becomes law, said Guido Vargas, National UPA. Saborío, the Agricultural Affairs Committee of the Legislative Assembly, said the list of projects will be establ...

The Costa Rica Star previously reported on the Karina Bolaños Youtube video. Men and women are getting their picture taken with hand-written signs stating, “We are all Karina” to show support for the Vice-Minister Karina Bolaños, who was dismissed after a video where she appears in underwear speaking to an undisclosed lover surfaced. Karina was black-mailed for years regarding this video, a...

Consumers have become increasingly more demanding regarding the conditions under which the products they consume are produced, and businesses that have an ethical commitment are growing. A statement from the Costa Rican Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) reads: Commitments made by the food industry have meant increased sales of products certified as Fairtrade worldwide Sales of Fairt...

FICEM-APCAC’s cement congress and exhibition is being held in San José, Costa Rica, between 3-5 September 2012. Costa Rica’s attractive location in Central America should see a busy event and ICR provides an outlook on the country’s cement industry. Little is said in terms of the cement industry in this Central American country, but recent developments have been fairly traumatic with the lo...

Belize’s “Celebration Season” got off to an early start this year with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Hol Chan, the Caribbean nation’s first national marine park, The Lodge at Chaa Creek’s marketing administrator Larry Waight announced today. “We usually begin what we call our celebration season in September, a big month in which we celebrate the Battle of St George’s Caye, Be...