Sales of new cars at the end of 2012 in Nicaragua will total over 12,000 units. Data published by the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) indicates that during the first five months of the year imports of sedans, vans, minibuses, trucks and ATV’s have gone up relative to previous years, surpassing even the 2008 statistics. In the view of Charles Benda, secretary of the Nicaraguan Association...

Honduras - In the capital of one of the world’s most dangerous countries, a hooded, masked man jumped out of a car on an assault mission. His target: a crumbling wall on a garbage-strewn corner. With his accomplice acting as lookout, the man plastered a giant black-and-white reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” — wielding a pink pistol. In minutes he was gone. The city’s self-...

SAN JOSE - Costa Rica utility Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) seeks offers from consultants to serve as hydropower expert on a panel reviewing preparation of hydroelectric and geothermal energy projects. Responses are due August 13. The work is to be performed under a program financed by the Inter-American Development Bank to confirm the projects meet the expectations of the l...

The U.S. women’s soccer team has lined up its first post-Olympics match. U.S. Soccer said Tuesday that the Americans will face Costa Rica in Rochester, N.Y., on Sept. 1. Rochester is the hometown of forward Abby Wambach, who is chasing Mia Hamm’s record for international goals. The team typically plays in a U.S. celebration tour after the Olympics. The players aren’t sure which color ...

Brampton’s Dave Fernando recently became the first Canadian badminton coach to conduct a series of clinics in Costa Rica. “Badminton is at the introduction stage in Costa Rica and I was honoured to be invited to promote the sport to youth and adults in San Jose and other surrounding areas,” said Fernando. The programs were conducted for beginner and intermediate-level players and more th...

Impoverished Honduras has been going through an especially rough patch. A military coup in 2009 ousted its president. Drug violence has helped give Honduras the world’s highest murder rate. Things are so bad that Honduran officials are considering something drastic. They want to build an experimental city to give the country a fresh start. Children frolic on a Caribbean beach near the Hondu...

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has its eyes on Panama’s scandal ridden Olympic Committee (COP). On Sunday, July 29 IOC president Jacques Rogge, told Panama President Ricardo Martinelli that the IOC is "following closely" elections scheduled for December to resolve the conflict over the COP. According to the IOC, the meeting between Rogge and Martinelli was "fruitful" and the P...

Nicaraguan prosecutors have accused alleged members of the Charros gang, linked to the murder of Argentine folk singer Facundo Cabral, of laundering more than $1 billion in the country. The network, led by Costa Rican Alejandro Jimenez, alias "El Palidejo," is accused of laundering over $1.11 billion in illegal profits through Nicaragua's financial system between 2005 and 2012. The charg...

NARGANA, PANAMA — In an 11th-grade classroom on this tropical island, the students have the deeply bronzed skin and black hair typical of ethnic Kuna people. That is, all except one: Mayli Gonzalez looks like she's from a Nordic realm. Her hair is blondish white and her skin is as fair as cream. The 16-year-old girl is an albino, and she is not unique among the Kuna, a band of indigenous...

An online video showing a now-former Costa Rican official in her underwear has sparked a debate over the privacy of government workers in the Central American country -- and cost the official her job this week. The video shows Karina Bolanos, who had been Costa Rica's vice minister of culture and youth since 2006, lying on a bed in her underwear and apparently talking to her lover. "I mi...

As one of the pioneers of payments for environmental services (PES), Costa Rica has already established several long term income streams to compensate landowners for conserving their rainforest. Trees and forests provide significant local and global environmental services, ameliorating climate change, maintaining rainfall patterns and, of course, protecting biodiversity. The concept, ho...

Here below are things you should consider before selecting a home. A PLACE OF YOUR OWN Like anything else related to lodging, home rental is an option that works best in certain circumstances. It's best for large groups and multiple families, although a couple with one or two children will have fun in a nice private residence. It is also best for stays of five days or longer. Most rentals ...

While you might know that Costa Rica is a small country in the southern portion of Central America, you may not realize the rich history that abounds there, or the ecologically diverse wildlife, or the incredible number of sights to see. Similar to the state of Florida in the U.S. geographically, it features two long coastlines as well as several tiny islands primarily located on the side o...

Guatemala and Mexico have the smallest military budgets as a percentage of GDP in Latin America, according to Mexican newspaper Excelsior. Excelsior reported that Mexico’s armed forces receive 0.49 percent of GDP, while Guatemala’s receive just 0.40 percent. At the other end of the list are Chile, with 2.43 percent of GDP spent on the military, and Colombia, with 2.3. The United States, mea...

COATEPEQUE, Guatemala - Jairo Jimenez scored a 77th-minute winner and 10-man Panama beat Guatemala 1-0 on Sunday to send itself and El Salvador to the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship. All three teams finished with three points and an identical zero goal difference from three matches, but Friday's 4-3 victory by El Salvador over Panama was the difference, as both qualified for the CONCACAF fi...

This morning, the front page of the New York Times featured an article titled “South America Sees Drug Path to Legalization,” which discusses the growing debate on alternatives to the drug war. Throughout Latin America, both former and current heads of state are demanding that the full range of policy options be expanded to include alternatives that help to reduce the prohibition-related crime...

Two Dutch companies say they have been awarded a $720,000 ((EURO)587,000) contract by the Nicaraguan government to study the feasibility of building a rival to the Panama canal that would travel through Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Since the early 1800s, the so-called "Nicaragua Canal" has been considered a serious possibility as a route that could link the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, tho...

High school students from the Technical Institute Honduras were evacuated yesterday by police with tear gas and clubs, demanding a bonus payment at the boulevard of the Armed Forces in this capital. According to reports published by the digital media and elheraldo.hn and latribuna.hn at least five of the young participants in the protest were arrested by National Police. Jorge Jimenez, o...

More than 3,000 women have been murdered in Honduras in the past decade with more than 90 per cent of those never being investigated, according to a latest report. The country, which is already deemed the world's deadliest by the United Nations, has seen the number of female deaths skyrocket. What's even more shocking is that 40 per cent of those are thought to have happened in the last ...

Starting next Wednesday, August 1, no more running to the bank by the 15th of each month, as all tax submissions and income statement amendments must be submitted online only. The Ministeio de Hacienda (Ministry of Finance) released the information on Friday, that according to the entity, the requirement is part of the "Cero Papel" (Zero Paper) program, in which the Tax Administration requi...

JACO BEACH, COSTA RICA -- From his oceanfront balcony, Tyler Forrester glanced out at the Pacific surf on the beach. Palm trees rustled in the breeze. "Tough life I'm living," Forrester said, cackling at his own humor. Forrester is 28. He has a degree in Slavic literature from Duke University, but his academic life is a thing of the past. Forrester now makes his living in a bedroom befor...

Heavy rains in central and eastern Costa Rica have triggered floods that have forced evacuations and may be responsible for at least one death, relief workers said Sunday. Four people are missing, down from eight earlier, according to Freddy Roman, a spokesman for the local Red Cross. The government has declared a "yellow alert" in various parts of Cartago, a central province where one p...

LONDON: Spain crashed out of the Olympic football tournament Saturday after the world and European champions suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Honduras at Newcastle's St James' Park. Jerry Bengtson's seventh-minute header was all that separated the sides in a stunning victory for the Central Americans that meant Spain could not qualify out of Group D following their opening defeat by Japan. I...

Managua - The citizens' verification process in Nicaragua to improve voters' registers for the November 4 municipal elections, entered its second day on Sunday. Nearly 4,296 Verification Centers nationwide opened early today, so citizens over 16 can check the correct inclusion of their names and address in the electoral roll. In case of any mistake, voters are eligible to rectify their p...

There are critics who expressed themselves in real time, such as British designer Stella McCartney. As reported by E!'s Fashion Police, McCartney disavowed any responsibility for the outfits worn by British athletes. McCartney tweeted: "designed the Team GB performance kit, podium suit & villagewear, not the Olympic ceremony suits." In other words, don't blame me for the gold and white h...

Panamanian boxer Juan Huertas lost his opening contest but won experience in the London Olympics on Sunday, July 29, while calling on Panama’s authorities to give more support to amateur boxing. Huertas lost to Puerto Rico's Felix Sanchez Verdejo, in the 60 kilos division but said on RPC Channel 4": In this fight I won experience and hope to continue improving said the 20 year old who ma...

The Government of El Salvador will invest 70 million dollars in the modernisation of the country’s international airport, in order to make it a more efficient, profitable and environmentally friendly service. According to the President of the Autonomous Executive Port Commission (CEPA), Alberto Arene, the Government will invest in immediate improvements to include replacing the current rada...

A moderately powerful earthquake has shaken the Mexico-Guatemala border region, but there are no reports of damage. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 7:22 a.m. (8:22 a.m. EDT; 1222 GMT) quake had a magnitude of 6.0. Mexico's seismology service calculates it at 5.7. The quake was just a few miles off the coast at the border, with a depth of 22 miles (35.5 kilometers). Chiapas state c...

Finca Bellavista -- the world's first treehouse community -- yesterday announced the formation of its non-profit branch, the Bellavista Initiative. For their highly anticipated launch, this Ewok-themed community that swings high in the tropical forests of Costa Rica came to San Francisco, a city on the cutting edge of lifestyle curation and environmental awareness. For the last six years, t...

Tigo Costa Rica -formerly known as Amnet- formalized the brand change and introduced news for the rest of the year. The company’s subscribers will be able to watch thousands of hours of HD content through their new Video On Demand (VOD) service in the short term. Besides, HD subscribers will have access to YouTube and other apps through their TV sets as of August. Tigo is Costa Rica’s bigge...

Well it's that time of year again....the end of July and as August 2nd quickly approaches, the "Romeria" of pilgrims can be seen walking, riding, cycling and including other ingenuous means of transporation along the Pan American Highway and along other main roads of Costa Rica that lead to the city of Cartago where they will participate in the annual celebration of the "Virgen de Los Angeles"...

The Japanese government has confirmed that it asked Germany to arrest and extradite Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson just days before the environmental activist jumped bail and fled the country. The Japanese Embassy in Berlin said Friday in a statement that it submitted documents July 19 to the German Foreign Ministry in "which the Japan Coast Guard requested the detention of Paul Watson wi...

First distilled on sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean beginning in the seventeenth century, rum has enjoyed a long history in popular culture as the preferred drink of pirates, sailors and daiquiri-swilling tourists on tropical vacations. While early descriptions of the molasses-based spirit refer to it as a "hot, hellish, and terrible liquor," today we know rum as the base alcohol in tiki...

The Sandinista government’s treatment of childhood pregnancies as a “miracle” from God rather than a mortal issue related to public health, sexual violence and reproductive rights has contributed to a dramatic increase in kids giving birth to more kids, according to human-rights activists. Official statistics released yesterday by the Ministry of Heath’s Dr. Wilmer Beteta reveals a 48% incr...

Latin American and Caribbean countries are hoping the London Olympics, which officially kicked off Friday, offer them a chance for more medals than the 2008 Beijing edition. The countries which are certain to better their Olympic previous performances are Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Panama, which together brought home 11 gold medals from Beijing, Xinhua repor...

A man accused of helping a Colombian drug gang smuggle tons of heroin and cocaine through Panama on its way to the U.S. has been extradited to face charges in New York. Andres Cajiao-Barberena is accused of operating a warehouse where boatloads of narcotics were stored after arriving from Colombia by sea. The drugs were then hidden inside heavy construction machinery and sent to Mexico, whe...

Valdosta State University will send 12 students and an instructor to Nicaragua for a 10-day field study in transcultural care. The study abroad excursion will be a first for the College of Nursing and was made possible when one University System of Georgia institution of higher learning reached out to another. Troy Spicer, a faculty member at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s School o...

One of the 200 peasants taking part in an occupation of a palm-oil plantation in Bajo Aguan, a region on Honduras’ Caribbean coast, was killed Friday by private security guards, his comrades said. Guards at the Los Laureles property unleashed a “massive” volley of gunfire against 37-year-old Israel Garcia, the leader of the Muca peasants organization told Efe. “People who were near him s...

Introducing you to a new and fun event that is going to take place in August 2012, in the City of Quepos Manuel Antonio Costa Rica. A brand new Zumba catamaran tour on the new Custom built catamaran called “Ocean King.” Are you ready to party yourself into shape? That’s exactly what the Zumba program is all about. It’s an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burn...

Note: The Costa Rica Star has published about concerns in the Costa Rica Real Estate market here in the San Jose valley in the past, the interview below confirms our thoughts from an industry veteran who has been developing on the Pacific coast for many years. Randy Berg, we've interviewed you before in The Costa Rica Star and many of us here have seen your casitas and developments.  Is it ...