Since 2005, the MuNet e-Gobierno initiative has grown considerably in Costa Rica. What started as a pilot program sponsored by the Organization of American States (OAS), ICE and Canada’s Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development has grown into a robust digital information and services platform to be proud of. The administration of President Laura Chinchilla has been very supportive in this regard, an...

Source: WIkimedia Commons Although Canadian heartthrob Justin Bieber has not included Costa Rica on the itinerary of his Believe World Tour, that is not stopping young Ticas from doing whatever they can to ensure they do not miss their idol. According to Melvin Molina of La Nacion, if the Bieber does not come to Costa Rica, Ticas will go to the Bieber. The Believe World Tour is only the sec...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Football fans in Costa Rica are anxiously awaiting this Friday, September 6th, to witness what promises to be one of the most exciting games of 2013. On that day, the Costa Rica National Football Team (la sele) will host their counterparts from the United States in what has been repeatedly reported as: “the ultimate grudge match.” This international match is part o...

“The Food Truck” is the first restaurant on wheels to ride through the streets of Costa Rica. The project is an investment and risk by the Salas Barboza family, the first to bring to Costa Rica the popular style of eatery in the U.S. and Canada, but almost unknown in Costa Rica. Since the beginning, the family has faced all the limitations and tribulations of building in Costa Rica a company...

U.S. President Barack Obama and former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias have much in common. Both are winners of the Nobel Peace Prize and, as such have been critical of war as foreign policy and as a solution for problems. So why is Arias taking Obama to task without mincing words? Arias reacted on Facebook Thursday to President Obama’s speech promising armed retaliation against the Syrian re...

About one million students will participate in civic events and parades on September 15, a day in which Costa Ricans celebrate their 192 anniversary of the declaration of independence. This year schools will have the holiday on September 16, according to the coordinator of the National Holidays Committee of the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), Giselle Cruz. The coordinator also stated that t...

There is little disputing one central fact about Costa Rica’s outsourcing industry: it is on fire and it has been on fire consistently for the last several years. For some countries, such a development is entirely positive news, but for Costa Rica, such success has to be managed carefully. “We are really hot right now, due to our growth and our sophistication,” says Gabriela Llobet, Director G...

This year three Costa Rican cyclists will compete in the World Cycling Championship: Gregory Brenes, Andrey Amador, and Edith Guillen. The World Cup will be held in Florence, Italy, between September 21 and 29 this year. The three cyclists were chosen for their outstanding participation internationally, said in a statement the Costa Rican Cycling Federation (FECOCI). Amador ended in position...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your business press release, please contact us. Two young men promise to help entrepreneurs permanently relocate from their home offices in the US to exotic, all-inclusive "happy hubs" all over the world, including Costa Rica. Happy Hubs a concept launched by two young entrepreneurs in their 20s, promises to help entrepreneurs permanently relo...

Fourteen dogs were confiscated during a raid of a dog fighting kennel operation on Saturday, August 24. Law-enforcement authorities suspect that four of the dogs are from bloodlines imported from criminal dog fighting enterprises in the United States, according to Inside Costa Rica. Costa Rica’s Animal Health Service, known as SENASA, and Costa Rican law-enforcement authorities, with support fr...

Three bodyguards working for American football star Tom Brady and his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen are to stand trial in Costa Rica after firing shots at two photographers during an altercation at the couple's 2009 wedding. A court in Puntarenas, on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, set a trial date for September 23 against two Costa Rican security guards and a Colombian national who are accused o...

It seems like forever ago that I began my mission to find twelve monkeys. I actually found them a couple of weeks after I started my search but didn't bother reporting back since it was kind of hard to tell if I had found exactly twelve monkeys; it could've been eight, it could've been thirty. Who knew there were so many variables in nature? The nice thing about setting absurd goals for yoursel...

If you would like to view dozens of photos from this McKee Project campaign please visit their Facebook page. Playa Zancudo, Costa Rica – September 2, 2013 – In keeping with the philosophy of the Zancudo Lodge in giving back to local communities, this past week, the McKee Project - a NGO non-profit teaching organization providing spay and neuter surgery training to Latin American veterinari...

Cheaper than San Jose? Edmonton. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Comparing the cost of living across international regions is a popular activity among those who seek to retire abroad. Until a couple of years ago, Costa Rica appeared in just about every list of top places to retire -all of which considered low cost of living a priority. That no longer seems to be the case. Popular consumer financ...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Two recent articles in online news daily Costa Rica Hoy (CRHoy) call attention to the rising trend of Ecstasy use in Costa Rica. Ecstasy is a common English slang name for amphetamine-based street drugs typically manufactured in pill form. In Costa Rica, these drugs are referred to as “extasis,” “cristal,” or even molly, which is a trendy slang term for them in North ...

Looking for a Costa Rica family adventure out in nature? Spend a fun-filled day splashing in the mild rollercoaster rapids of the Pejibaye River. The beautiful, tropical Pejibaye River is a tributary of the mighty Reventazon River in the Turrialba Valley, just two hours from San Jose. Its low-key Class 2-3 rapids (in the lower section) make it a great introductory whitewater rafting trip for be...

I remember the first time I caught a needlefish. Its electric blue teeth and skeleton (seen upon filleting) were a shocking surprise. The needlefish is tricky to catch given its long, narrow jaws filled with needle-sharp teeth (hence, its name) that usually cut fishing line like dental floss. Once you have one, though, they are really tasty – especially fried in olive oil and garlic for a finger s...

What started with an email turned into the dismantling of an international organ-trafficking ring. American surgeon Francis L. Delmonico, the chairman of the World Transplant Society, emailed Jorge Cortés, the director of Hospital Clínica Bíblica – one of the three private centers authorized to perform transplants in San José – in November 2012 that an Israeli had undergone an illegal kidney tr...

Costa Rica’s attorney-general, Jorge Chavarría, has brought charges against the Movimiento Libertario (ML) party for defrauding $480,000 from the Tribunal Suprema de Elecciones (TSE, the electoral authority) by charging for 190 training courses that never happened and submitting false documents. The Código Electoral (the electoral law) provides for campaign financing equivalent to 0.19% of the ...

The Catedral Metropolitana in downtown San José was packed on Thursday as some 3,000 Catholic faithful gathered to inaugurate the new Archbishop of San José, Monseñor José Rafael Quirós Quirós. Quirós was named the new archbishop of San José by Pope Francisco last month to lead the almost 1.8 million Catholics in the country, becoming the seventh bishop to hold that office, replacing Monseñor H...

This is a guest article from TravelMother.com. By moving from the States to Costa Rica with young children, we’ve allowed our surroundings to be replaced with a whole new society, a place where the village does indeed raise a child. Not wanting to keep my family in the bubble of set methods and practices, I have made an effort to observe the atmosphere that the local children grow up in. Here...

Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla on Monday sent a bill to Congress that seeks to limit the interest rates banks and stores charge on credit both in colons and dollars, the Economy Ministry said. The bill would forbid credit when the interest rate charged is more than double the average rate over the past three months in the regulated national financial system. The Economy Ministry said...

Former Costa Rican-American astronaut Franklin Chang Diaz on Monday received an honorary doctorate from the state-run Universidad de Costa Rica, or UCR, for his contributions to science, technology and education on the global level. The honorary doctorate was presented by representatives of UCR, the country's main university, at a ceremony where the scientist expressed his pride at being recogn...

With the storms of the rainy season comes lightning, which can cause transient voltage changes that can be very damaging to electrical appliances in your home. Therefore, precautionary measures should be taken in offices and homes to minimize electrical damage. -During lightning storms, turn off and unplug appliances. If they remain plugged in and there is a voltage change of considerable magni...

Everyone is usually at least a little nervous and excited about heading out on a stand up paddle board for the very first time. After all, walking on water up until this point in time has only been something to dream about. Yet, now is the time and you have no idea how to get started. Well, never fear because Supconnect is here... to share a few tips that will help make the experience more ...

Nataly Bernold, Roxy team riderIf you would like to view the complete photo shoot with Nataly Bernold, click here, thanks to Scott Alexander for the photography and interview. At 7am on the south end of Jacó beach, Nataly Bernold casually pedals up on her bike, surfboard under her arm. The gray sky above is reflected a bright, metallic blue in her sunglasses; her smile radiates even more bril...

Recently The Costa Rica Star published about the co-founder of Facebook Eduardo Saverin renouncing his citizenship to the United States in order to enjoy tax freedom and maximize profits. Costa Rica was listed by the social network Facebook as one of the countries that requested information of users, according to a report issued by the social network. According to the newspaper La Nacion, th...

Since Thursday, August 21, the authorities of the Ministry of Health are spraying every house in the Canton of Nicoya, which so far this year is the canton most affected nationwide by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits dengue. In addition, the municipalities of Nicoya, Hojancha and Nandayure, as well as the Red Cross, the Ministry of Education and the private company Gollo are collecti...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your business press release, please contact us. Jaco, Costa Rica – Revel in the lush beauty and fantastic waves of Costa Rica’s Green Season during Vista Guapa Surf Camp’s YOLO SUP Experience set for October 19th to 25th in beautiful Jaco on the Pacific Coast. The YOLO SUP Experience offers an all-around SUP-based adventure where guests enjoy dai...

As you head south along the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica from Jaco down past Quepos/Manuel Antonio toward Dominical, vast forests of palm trees stretch for miles along the highway. Lush and thickly planted, with emerald ferns growing on the trunks and a dense carpet of green underneath, the palms always remind me of a tropical enchanted forest. These immense plantations are African Palms, and...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your business press release, please contact us. DogWalkerCR.com, is one of the first companies in Costa Rica dedicated to the business of taking dogs for a walk, literally. This business is perfect for the busy professional who does not always have time to spend with their canine companion to go for walks and play in the parks around their ho...

The Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica, located in the Gulf of Papagayo, Guanacaste, laid off 68 employees last week, due to low season visits. The hotel, by way of its corporate communications, confirmed the layoffs on August 20, saying it was necessary to adjust for the low vacancy rate it has experienced since July. In the statement, the hotel said, “vacancy varies throughout the year at ...

As a way to encourage the use of the new electronic parking meters, the Municipality of San José has announced one hour of free street parking starting this week. The director of the Municipal Police, Marcelo Solano, said the goal is to encourage people to use the meters. The city has 1,800 meters available for users. Dates provided by the municipality show that in June a total 29,000 dri...

1,200 students from 12 schools in the zona norte cannot get to school due to the “pésimo” (poor) state of the roads, including the trocha fronteriza or ruta 1856, La Nacion reports. According to the publication, the situation worsened Monday morning when a school bus got stuck in the mud some 150 meters from the Medio Queso river bridge, later in the morning three other school buses did the sam...

One of the reasons that La Nacion is the premier newspaper in Costa Rica is that their staff and management, in the past 30 years, refuses to avoid taboo topics. This week, the paper ran five stories meeting the topic of racism head on without blushing. Reporter Allan Andino hung the stories on the news peg of U.S. television star Oprah Winfrey speaking out about a racial stereotype she encount...

The Legislative Assembly is considering reforming Article 10 of the current Liquor Law, to establish fairer license fees for small rural businesses that sell alcohol. The new law took effect on August 8, 2012, and one of the controversial aspects is setting the base cost, which is currently 379,400 colones ($760), as a parameter to determine how much a business should pay to sell alcoholic bev...

Monsanto GMO Corn Stalk Roots. Source: Wikimedia Commons Costa Rica's ongoing fight to keep genetically modified organisms (GMOs) bio-engineered by agro-industrial leviathan Monsanto away from her land has been justified once again. Researchers from the University of Illinois are Pnvestigating an outbreak of western corn rootworm in two Prairie State counties where Monsanto's bacillus thurigie...

UPDATED January 2017 You’ve met the man or woman of your dreams. You’ve planned your wedding down to the last sugared almond and flower arrangement. Now it’s time to think about the honeymoon. Costa Rica is one of the top destinations in the world for newlyweds to honeymoon. According to Perfect Honeymoons & Holidays Travel, Costa Rica ranks #3, right behind Hawaii and Italy, and outpace...

Travel can change the world. At least former U.S. President Bill Clinton thinks so. “The travel industry has the potential – and the responsibility – to spread peace and change the world,” Clinton told travel executives while speaking at the World Travel & Tourism Council's 13th annual Global Summit in Abu Dhabi in April 2013. Student travel organizations like EcoTeach and People to Peop...

Source: Flickr CC Information technology behemoth Google has made quite a few strategic acquisitions in the 21st century, but the most important for users in Costa Rica has been its purchase of mobile app Waze. Now that Google Maps and Waze are under the same umbrella, getting around in Costa Rica has become easier for smartphone users. Although smartphone users around the world will benefi...