Costa Rica cable operator Amnet has officially rebranded as Tigo. Amnet was acquired by Millicom International Cellular, who operates under the Tigo brand name, in 2008. Tigo's Costa Rican operations will include 500 employees and 23 offices across the country. Tigo Costa Rica will continue offering cable TV, internet and fixed telephony services. Tigo does not plan to launch mobile services i...

Youth For Christ's local Platform Skate Shop, which specialized in skateboard equipment, may be closed, but its owner Steve Hildebrand hopes to continue the opportunity to get kids engaged in the healthy activity of skateboarding. Hildebrand and his family will be heading to Costa Rica in the fall to embark on a 10-month project for Youth For Christ's skateboard program Hildebrand, from ...

The crowd of nearly 40 sat waiting patiently for this once in a lifetime opportunity they were all anticipating. The pianist took his seat and was welcomed with the clap of geckos and a rush of wind. The audience relaxed in their seats overlooking acres upon acres of wild jungle, perched in a one of a kind luxurious tree house. Google-ing “Piano Treehouse Costa Rica” had brought this piani...

WestJet announced today it will add four new sun destinations and extend two more from seasonal to year-round as part of its 2012-2013 winter schedule. The new Caribbean destinations are Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao and Costa Rica, all from Toronto Pearson International Airport. The airline's newest Mexican destination is Manzanillo, via Calgary International Airport. Details of WestJet's n...

Spend only hours in Costa Rica and you are still likely to come across the ubiquitous brand of Dos Pinos. Easily the most popular and profitable Dairy Operation in Costa Rica (and much of Central America), their milk, ice cream, yogurts, cheeses and other varied list of dairy (and other) products can be found in every Costa Rica hotel, business, restaurant and private household in the county, ...

The police took the shine out of a gang of international diamond thieves when they detained seven foreigners, including two students of local private colleges yesterday, and recovered stolen jewellery. Among the suspects were a 48-year-old Columbian and his 29-year-old son who is studying at a private college in Kajang. The diamond-studded jewellery was stolen from a Hong Kong-based jewe...

The population of unwanted dogs and cats that roam this small Central American country is staggering. Sadly, it is partly the owners of these animals who allow the perpetuation of unwanted litters…primarily because they cannot afford a vet’s services. That being said, there are local people, animal organizations, individuals and even tourists who are working to reduce these numbers. Our Spa...

Whether churchgoers realize it or not, the trees in their churchyards have religious roots. Those tall, thin-branched trees on the corner of the Episcopal Church Center of Utah, Purple Robe Black Locusts, were probably named after a biblical reference to John the Baptist eating locusts and honey. The crab apple tree just outside the Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Mark produces a small...

Learning about sea turtles in Costa Rica, eight Regina students also learned about environmental conservation and how it can benefit Saskatchewan. The students, along with a parent volunteer and Jolene Siemens, a Regina teacher and recruiter for the trip, travelled to Costa Rica on June 29 to participate in a 10-day program with the International Ecology Project, during which they learned a...

Updated November 2017: With a total of 1228km of coastline to offer, it is no wonder Costa Rica is known for its countless beach destinations. It is also no surprise that travellers have a hard time deciding on which beach town to visit, since there are so many different options to consider. For the purpose of this post, we will focus on Costa Rica’s northern pacific beaches stretching from the...

WBA interim super featherweight champion Bryan Vasquez will be defending his title today against experienced Mexican Jorge Lacierva, in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, and if the bout looks anything like the Thursday press conference, fans can expect some heated action. Vasquez, age 24, is from San Jose, Costa Rica. He holds a 28-0 record, with 14 KOs. Lacierva, age 34, with a 41-8-6 reco...

Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre / RCC Bermuda today said that Bermuda-registered mega yacht Golden Odyssey has gone to the rescue of a fishing boat in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Costa Rica. The 30-foot fishing boat Maria Christina had apparently been adrift for eight days, but all three people on board have survived. The Maria Christina is registered in Costa Rica and those on...

Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago had a tough competition in the final match for the 9th position at the XI Women’s Pan American Cup on Thursday. CRC started the match on a good note and secured first set, 25-19. The Trinidadians responded right away and tied the game score by winning second frame (25-21). The see-saw battle continued and Costa Rica retook the lead with third-set win, 25-15....

The President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, called for an international alliance to protect youth from risks of cyberspace. The governmental sectors, private and civil society participated in this effort, stated Chinchilla during her participation at “Connecting the Americas,” hosted by the International Union of Telecommunications (UIT) in Panama. “If we want to protect our children ...

NOTE: You can view more pictures showcasing these beautiful developments on CasitasForSale.com. I cornered Randy Berg, the developer of several projects in the Central Valley and the popular “Casitas projects” and was able to ask him a few questions that had been bothering me since I took a tour of the projects near Jaco a few weeks ago. Marcel Evans: Hi Randy, appreciate you taking the ...

The economic dynamism of the last half of 2011 and the first of 2012 has generated more demand for loans, particularly in dollars. Dollar loans reported an increase of 16% (17% excluding the currency effect), while loans in colones increased 14%. Mario Rivera, manager of the Banco de Costa Rica, told Nacion.com that the preference for dollar credit is being driven mostly by companies w...

Vegetarian-Vegan-Raw-Be inspired & change your life from the inside out through what you put into your body. Hop on the bus with Pura Vida Pantry and discover the magic of an AWAKENED LIFESTYLE through Compassionate Foods & Juicing! Mission To inspire and create awareness of how important the foods and drinks we put into our bodies are, and the changes that occur when we nourish ourselve...

Entrepreneurs, upwardly mobile business owners, and corporate executives are increasingly hitting the waves rather than the golf course to network, blow off steam and even come up with their next venture. Shah Gilani covered the growing phenomenon in a recent Forbes column, citing the Kalon Surf school as one of the movement's key incubators. "We have pretty much an equal number of men and ...

FLINT, MI -- A Flushing couple is out on bond after the federal government claims that they purposely hid profits from millions in foreign investments from tax officials, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court. James Stanley Gray, 80, and Karen Amerling-Gray, 67, are accused of purposely failing to claim their foreign bank accounts that were funded by profits from the million...

The State Government is offering a $100,000 reward for information about the suspected murder of a Huskisson teenager more than a decade ago. Kathleen Harris, 15, was last seen at her home by friend Clinton Hanlon about 9pm on May 31, 1999. She had planned to meet with friends the following day but never arrived and was reported missing by her father and Mr Hanlon. Mr Hanlon was a member ...

Residents of Latin America and the Caribbean, on average, are less likely than respondents worldwide and in developing countries to have formal bank accounts and formal savings, a recent Gallup/World Bank study finds. Fewer than two in five residents in Latin America and the Caribbean (39%) report having an account at a formal financial institution, and one in 10 report having saved at a formal fi...

Police swooped to arrest Frederick Colverson at a Brandon industrial estate last October after receiving a tip-off, Ipswich Crown Court heard. David Holborn, prosecuting, said officers found 175kg of cocaine inside Pineapple boxes imported from Costa Rica, valued at $53,000,000. He said police had watched a lorry arrive at the industrial unit in Highbury Road before hearing excited reactions...

Procomer has detected in Costa Rica a demand for organic coconut oil, dried fruits, electrical cables, tubing for electrical cables, sweet Chips, steel products, sponge biscuits, and cookies. On its website, The Trade Promotion Offices, PROCOMER, publishes business opportunities identified in countries outside the isthmus. In Belgium there is demand organic coconut oil, and the Dominican Rep...

Fashion Week Las Vegas (FWLV) is preparing an event for August 18, 2012, for a one night private event showcasing international and national emerging designers in the Semi Finalist Competition. The semifinalists were selected June 30, 2012 out of close to 40 entrants from all over the world. Designers were asked to submit their looks in photos or sketches, and provide a brief description of th...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has reported on the usage of Cage Free Eggs in Costa Rica. Humane Society International applauds San José restaurant Café de los Deseos for switching from battery cage eggs to eggs labeled as cage-free. Café de los Deseos now joins other socially responsible restaurants in San José that are already using cage-free labeled eggs, including Oasis, Alquimia Healthy, ...

The Costa Rican legislature has just passed Law 9048, which includes reforms to the country’s Criminal Code to create new cybercrime offences. Some of these bring the country in line with anti-hacking provisions present in international standards like the Convention on Cybercrime, such as rules against illegal access and interception of communications. However, the most controversial part of t...

In the year 1921 a new project was started in Costa Rica by the Latin American Mission. Several missionaries of various nationalities came to this country with the goal of helping those in greatest need. Mr. Henry Strachan, of Scottish nationality, and his Irish wife Susan Strachan joined this noble cause after having served as evangelical missionaries in Argentina for 17 years. Upon their arr...

The Witness Matlou Trio—a Berklee student group signed to the college's label, Jazz Revelation Records—was invited by the Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano (CCCNCR) to perform at the Promising Artists of the 21st Century performance series in San Jose, Costa Rica, July 23 to 30. For over 65 years, organizers have brought talented students from prestigious universities in the United Stat...

Today GSMA Latin America announced the commitment of the main mobile network operators (MNOs) in Latin America to collaborate with the regional governments in initiatives designed to reduce mobile phone theft and related crime. This voluntary initiative of GSM MNOs will allow the sharing of stolen mobile device information in order to block stolen devices and make their trafficking and reuse acros...

Monster Energy is giving you chances to win adventurous vacations in Costa Rica. Enter Monster Energy's Win the Ultimate Costa Rican Adventure Sweepstakes and you could win a trip or one of 100 other prizes. Each of the five grand-prize winners will receive a trip for two to Costa Rica worth $4,750. Plus, 100 first-prize winners will each receive a Haro Flightline Sport Bike worth $...

When it comes to Costa Rica, Gilbert Brown is The Man. He’s the guy you call to find out the right tide, the right wind, the right spot… except he doesn’t ever answer cause he’s already out there. Getting the right wave. More than that, Gilbert is just a living embodiment of CR’s pura vida, climbing coconut trees, fishing with handlines and cooling in the shade even when he’s out surfing. F...

ORONO, Minn. – David P. Grzan made a living on Wall Street as a banker and consultant. In his free time, he always had a fascination with the story of Don Quixote. He eventually realized he could learn more life lessons from that story than from his years in finance. In his new book, Don Quixote's Impossible Dream, Grzan, explores the notion of chivalric love, which Don Quixote advanced to the ...

The Colombian Navy captured four Costa Ricans allegedly attempting to smuggle a ton of cocaine near San Andres island in the Caribbean, pointing to Costa Rican groups' growing role in the drug trade. On July 14, the navy detained four Costa Rican citizens who were transporting 81 packets of cocaine, estimated to come to 1 ton, in a motorboat. The boat was spotted by a Colombian naval helico...

The 4th of July was an important day for Guanacaste-based nonprofit Salvando Corazones. After two years of preparation, it received a license from the Ministry of Health to operate a safe house for young female victims of sexual enslavement. Maria Jesus Gonzalez, Area Rectora de Salud is quoted as saying, “This is an historic day for us as this is the first license of its kind ever issued in Costa...

Canadian-Costa Rican pianist, Jonathan Duarte, student of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory college in Moscow, will give a piano concert on July 17 at 8:00 p.m. at the Teatro Nacional, interpreting works of Bach, Chopin, Rachmaninov and Liszt. Nineteen-year-old Duarte has won eight international competitions in North America and Europe. He has performed in New York, Paris, Rome, Vilnius, Kazan and M...

Panama Canal image for illustrative purposesNicaragua wants to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans with a $30 billion canal that it is hoped will lift the Central American country out of poverty. But it remains unclear who will foot the bill. Whenever Nicaraguan heads of government have the feeling they have to give their ailing popularity a boost, they reach into a drawer. For almost 200 ...

The Costa Rica Star previously reported on the Science Behind the Success of Nery Brenes, the article below details more about the man on a mission. Hardly a day passes in Limon when the streets aren’t drenched in shades of scarlet, and a limonese family isn’t mourning the loss of a dear one. Consumed by murderous gang-wars and a burgeoning drug trade, the impoverished town in Costa Rica’s Cari...

Birdwatching is no longer a passive sport, thanks to a new Costa Rican educational vacation package from the teams at the National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica (INBio) and Nature Air (the world's first carbon-neutral airline). Enthusiasts of all experience levels will get down and dirty as local bird researchers take travellers through the scientific process of tracking migrant and residen...

Despite having the advantage of familiar conditions and the stupendous support of local fans, Mexico lost its third match of the XI Women's Pan Am Cup to Costa Rica on Friday. The visiting team exhibited a spectacular show of volleyball and finished the match with following result: 3-1 (25-27, 25-18, 25-20, 25-23). The match was hotly contested and scoring was intensely tight from first frame t...

Once the design for the new sewer system and treatment plant in the province of Heredia, Costa Rica, has been finished, its construction will be put out to tender. The company Servicios Públicos de Heredia (ESPH by its Spanish initials) has estimated the cost of the project design at about $3.2 million. The Mexican-Costa Rican consortium GIA-Cacisa will be in charge of the design. The first ...