Long, fat, round pipes in dark brown and off-white snake along the rust red ground through the underbrush. They remind me of giant worms from some prehistoric setting … though not quite like that terrible 1990 movie Tremors. The pipes belong to the Pailas Geothermal Power Plant at the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Costa Rica’s northwestern Guanacaste region. As the world investigates alternat...

The story of the Tico Times appealing to the Constitutional Court after the Fedefut (Costa Rica’s soccer Gods) denied them passes to tonight's soccer game between the US and Costa Rica, reminds us of an old joke with the punchline, “buy a ticket!” Every media outlet in the country wants passes to the big game. And why not? A freebie for the countless hours of grind to bring the news to the p...

Washington, D.C., 6 September 2013 (PAHO/WHO) — Motorcycle deaths in the Americas more than tripled during the last two decades, according to a study by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) published in the International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion. The study, Trends in fatal motorcycle injuries in the Americas, 1998-2010, shows that motor...

Washington, DC – The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) today launches the first ever global survey of security concerns for women journalists. The survey, created in conjunction with the International News Safety Institute (INSI), will produce much-needed data on the challenges faced by women in news media around the world. The survey is part of a wider program of work initiated by ...

The members of the Human Rights Commission of the Legislative Assembly rejected a motion to start an investigation into the increase in cases of kidney failure in Guanacaste. The motion was made by the fraction of the Citizen Action Party (PAC) but did not have the support of the National Liberation legislators. The motion was intended to investigate the causes responsible for the increase i...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your business press release, please contact us. Pineapple prices, which have been marked by variability over the past two years, are finally recovering some stability and remaining at good levels. This is due, in part, to the fact that the number of pineapple producers has dropped, opening up some space in the market. One of the companies bene...

Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl wrote a story about all the ways Costa Rica is trying to mess with the U.S. men's national team before today's big World Cup qualifier. The craziest nugget: There's a rumor in Costa Rica that taxi drivers are planning to band together and create a traffic jam along the U.S. team's route to the stadium before the game. It sounds far-fetched, but the U.S. has al...

Every driver in Costa Rica knows well that the autopista General Cañas, the major route between the international airport in Alajuela and the La Sabana park in San José, is the busiest and most congested road in the country. And now there are numbers to back it up. According to the Laboratorio Nacional de Materiales y Modelos Estructurales (Lanamme), of the University of Costa Rica, 98,616 v...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your business press release, please contact us. The adventure with Costa Rica surf camp starts as soon as you get off the airplane. The drive to the coast is quite an experience itself, the road is surrounded with green valleys, cloud forests and dense jungle, which are signs you arrived to the tropics! Home to all kinds of amazing species of ani...

The yellow warbler may not pull a perfect latte, but it turns out it's a friend to coffee drinkers all the same. Research in Costa Rica shows that hungry warblers and other birds significantly reduce damage by a devastating coffee pest, the coffee berry borer beetle. A study found that insectivorous birds cut infestations by the beetle Hypothenemus hampei by about half, saving a medium-sized co...

The British Government is making important changes to the passport service for British nationals living overseas. From September 9, 2013, the application process will be centralized and British nationals in Costa Rica should submit their passport application to Her Majesty’s Passport Office in the UK. This important change follows reviews by the National Audit Office and is designed to ach...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Two fishermen were shot and killed yesterday evening in Playas del Coco, a quiet and pristine beach community in Costa Rica. The victims have been identified as Victor Davila, approximately 55 years of age, and his son David, who was about 30 years old. The men had recently returned from the sea and were in the process of selling their catch to a fish and seafood s...

San Jose, Costa Rica. September 5, 2013 – There is no doubt that tomorrow’s World Cup Qualifying match between the national teams of Costa Rica and the United States will probably be the most exciting in CONCACAF’s history. Tickets to the Chinese-donated National Stadium are completely sold-out, and authorities are keeping a close eye on scalpers. The Centro Cultural Norteamericano (North Ameri...

In Costa Rica, there are 116 active cellular phones for 100 people, according to the latest report by the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel). The study, whose results were released Wednesday reveals that there are now 5,378,082 active (postpaid and prepaid) cellular telephone lines for a population of 4.6 million. The largest number of active lines are “prepaid”, showing a growth...

The Laboratorio de Igeniería Sísmica de la Universidad de Costa Rica reported a 5.8 magnitude earthquake at 6:29am, with its epicenter some 68.3 kilometers off cabos Velas de Santa Cruz. The USGS reports the magnitude at 6.0. According to the National Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (Ovsicori), at 6:35am there was another earthquake with a magnitude of 3.8, 39 km to the southwes...

An interview with native Costa Rican Tica & AGU Academic Consultant Ania Chaves about university life in Costa Rica, courtesy of ISA Association of Global Universities. Filled with exotic wildlife and damp rainforests perfectly preserved by a government who has sectioned off over a fourth of the country’s land mass to nature preserves and national parks, Costa Rica is truly a unique study desti...

Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula is considered one of the world’s most beautiful places — a 120-kilometre sliver of land where tropical rainforest meets the Pacific Ocean. Now it has another claim to fame: its residents, despite living in poverty, seem to be aging more slowly than wealthier people elsewhere. Costa Ricans in general are known to enjoy particularly long lives. Costa Rican men have a...

There is a plethora of possible excursions to jump in to once you’ve arrived in the lush and tropical Central American country of Costa Rica. Things that tourists venture to do include zip lining, crocodile feeding, volcano trekking, and beach lounging–to name just a few. Well, for all you dog-lovers out there, Territorio de Zaguates (Territory of the Street Dogs) is a place you don’t want to miss...

United Parcel Service Inc will expand in Costa Rica by buying small package delivery company Union Pak de Costa Rica and brokerage company SEISA Brokerage. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deals are expected to close in the fourth quarter. Both companies have long worked with Atlanta-based UPS (NYSE: UPS) as authorized service contractors. “With the ownership of these operation...

Training before the big game. Source: FEDFUTBOL Welcome to the new CONCACAF classic. A few decades ago, football matches between the national teams of Mexico and Costa Rica were the most exciting in the region. The strong development of Major League Soccer in the United States and its national team gave way to Mexico vs. U.S. as an interesting alternative. It only took a snowy day in Colorado ...

On Tuesday evening, September 3, local fishermen in Nosara found thousands of dead fish and shrimp in the Nosara River, and the suspected cause is agrochemicals. Juan Carlos Cordero, chief of the Tourist Police delegation in Guiones, reported that the size of the dead fish, mostly bass, snook and gualajes, are around 15 inches and most were found in the river mouth. One of the first to see t...

Costa Rica is a land of endless charms, and not all of them are related to her natural beauty, amazing biodiversity and penchant for environmental protection. Until recently, the National Board of Tourism (ICT) has focused on two major concepts for the branding and marketing of Costa Rica as an international destination. From now on, however, the focus will be on the Ticos. Esencial Costa Rica ...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Source: Wikimedia Commons Costa Rica and Syria are separated by more than 7,500 miles (as the crow flies). There are more than just oceans and continents separating the two nations; there is a broad sociopolitical chasm between the two nations. Syria does not keep a diplomatic mission in Costa Rica and viceversa. Still, Costa Rica has come forward with her opi...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Exotic pet owners in Costa Rica continue to be a concern. Not long ago, reports of an escaped anaconda that was kept in a cage by an expat farm owner from the United States scared residents of some Guanacaste towns -although recent news reports indicate that this may have been a hoax; more on that below. The latest report of an ophidian on the loose come from the c...

My North American friends often ask me “What can I do in Central America?” in terms of business start up. I tell them Central America is an under developed group of countries, so everything needs development, there is opportunity everywhere for the entrepreneur at every level especially, in Costa Rica. At a population of 589,018,000+, Latin America as a whole is called the largest emerging econ...

Announcement from the Asociación de Vecinos y Empresarios de Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste. Guanacaste recycles! September is Mes de la Patria  ("Month of the Country") and the Municipalidad de Carrillo is promoting recycling at the COMUREC (Comité de Mujeres Reciclando/Women's Recycling Committee) Recycling Center in Filadelfia de Carrillo, Guanacaste. We have received word from Lic. Henry Aba...

A poacher stabbed a volunteer taking part in efforts to stop illegal hunting in the central province of San Jose, Costa Rica's environment minister said Monday. The incident took place last Thursday as park ranger Aristides Chinchilla and volunteer Franklyn Araya were on patrol in the municipality of Puriscal, Rene Castro told a press conference. Citing Chinchilla's report, the minister said...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to cover your business, please contact us. The Osa Peninsula not only holds 5% of the world’s biodiversity, but it also has an extensive array of habitats, in which you can find and enjoy refreshing rivers and stunning waterfalls, primary and secondary forest, all joining together in a beautiful mix with the ocean. In these habitats we also find some amazin...

With younthful spirit, University week started on Monday, September 2 and runs through Friday, September 6 at the Nicoya campus of the National University (UNA) . The university invites the general public to enjoy the dances, concerts, sports events and theater workshops. On Tuesday, the performances of several folkloric dance groups delighted the audience at the kiosk located next to the campu...

The Costa Rica Star has published extensively on Dengue Fever in Costa Rica, read past articles. The Minister of Health, Daisy Corrales, announced that the number of dengue cases began to decline. She presented a chart showing a decrease in the curve of incidence going into the 34th week of the year, i.e mid-August. According to government data, the number of cases peaked in week 29. Since t...

Managua September 4- President Daniel Ortega warned Costa Rica that Nicaragua may ask the International Court of Justice to restore to Managua a province he said it lost to “occupation” in 1824. Ortega was referring to Guanacaste province, which is about 20 percent of neighboring Costa Rica’s territory and a popular tourism hub. “Costa Rica did not win that territory in an international ...

Being the victim of constant ridicule from his fellow workers for wearing women’s pants, a man named Sanchez working for the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), decided to rely on the law and file a “recurso amparo" (appeal) with the Constitutional Court. The appeal challenging his employer’s rules prohibiting him from wearing women’s clothes is being closely watched. Sanchez ...

Though it does not seem like it, this year to date, there have been fewer rainy days, when compared to the average of the last 14 years in Costa Rica. The areas with the least rain have been Guanacaste, San José and Alajuela. According to the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) – national weather service – the province of the “pampa” (Guanacaste) has seen 35% fewer rainy days this year, w...

San Jose, Costa Rica September 3rd 2013 - AmaTierra, Costa Rica’s premier mountain retreat and wellness center, is offering an extended green season special for locals and expats alike. This is one of the best times of the year to visit AmaTierra; the vegetation is lush and in full bloom thanks to the rains, there are plenty of butterflies and toucans to admire, and the white-face monkeys are more...

There is a popular adage in Costa Rica, Pide perdón, no permiso. Doing this can get an expat snagged into a big, expensive problem. The saying means “ask forgiveness, not permission.” It is a strategy used by Ticos and expats alike to get things done without going through the normal red tape. The scheme is also used to avoid traffic fines, building permits, payments, and the list is long. Th...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your press release about Costa Rica, please contact us. Grecia, September 3, 2013 - The Supreme Court has accepted an unconstitutionality petition filed against agricultural burning in Costa Rica and given the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Environment fifteen days to rule on the merits of the allegations. In view of this Resolution agr...

The Municipality of Hojancha is advancing with a project to relocate families that live in the maritime land zone of the bay of Carrillo Beach. In August, the municipality sent machinery to clear land behind the Carrillo community hall in preparation for donating lots to eight families. Although the families who live in the bay signed agreements to accept a donation of land from the municipalit...

Patiently, expectantly, I gazed across deep indigo waters, ponderous swells rolling gently beneath the boat, our outboard motor silent. Suddenly eighty yards away an enormous dark sea creature broke through the surface, its long pectoral fins or flippers waving in the air, only to crash thunderously down and disappear into the ocean off Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. It was the thrill of a lifetime t...

Leaders Deportivo Saprissa extended their lead in the Costa Rica Primera Division with a convincing 4-1 win over Uruguay on Sunday. Johan Condega's equalizer after Manfred Russell's opener was only the fifth goal Saprissa have conceded all season. But Diego Estrada put Ronald Gonzalez Brenes' men back in front with a quickfire double after the interval, before the league's joint top goalscor...

Neighbors of Santa Marta have noted a marked change in the speed and force of the Nosara River, which has already caused flooding and erosion of some properties in the area. The suspected cause is the dredge and dike work being just done upriver. Facundo Barrantes Barrantes, who has lived next to the river in Santa Marta for 16 years, related that it has never had such force and estimated that...