The repair of damaged infrastructure in La Anexion Hospital in Nicoya, after the earthquake of September 5, 2012, has progressed 40% and it is estimated that it could be ready in May. The information was provided by Dr. Jorge Fonseca Renauld, Director of the medical center and the engineer Danilo Monge, Director of Special Projects of the CCSS, who said that fortunately the work has not affecte...

Costa Rica's government will submit to lawmakers in 2014 a fiscal reform bill to boost consumption taxes and cut the deficit as it seeks to tap global debt markets, the country's finance minister said on Tuesday. President Laura Chinchilla's administration will ask lawmakers to scrap the country's sales tax and replace it with a higher-rate value-added tax (VAT), Finance Minister Edgar Ayales t...

Foreign capital inflows have rushed into Costa Rica too quickly, sparking the government’s efforts to weaken Latin America’s third-best performing currency this year, Vice President Luis Liberman said. The government is seeking congressional approval to raise deposit requirements on investors and boost taxes on interest paid abroad after inflows rose as global investors search for higher yields...

International debutants as late as 1995, Belize only made their first appearance in the Copa Centroamericana two years later. Since then they have always finished last in the regional tournament, organised by the Union Centroamericana de Futbol (UNCAF), the governing body of Central American football. In all that time Los Jaguares failed to win a single game in the competition. This unwanted re...

In Costa Rica the strong growth of retail space within large malls is leading to transfers, remodeling, and new tactics to attract tenants, and an increase in the number of vacant units. Elfinancierocr.com reports that "The ‘theft’ of tenants by new malls and the exodus of other brands to smaller formats are just two of the effects of the boom in malls in the country." "One of the immediate ...

Haiti President Michel Martelly met this weekend with Costa Rica President Laura Chinchilla on the sidelines of the EU-CELAC Summit in Chile. The talks focused on several topics, including environmental issues, according to a statement from the National Palace, including proposed environmental cooperation between Haiti and Costa Rica. Costa Rica is currently the rotating Chairman of the Cent...

We walk from the train station toward a Guatemalan restaurant where we decide to have breakfast. It’s 11 a.m. on a summer day in August, a little late to be eating the first meal of the day, but Sandra, Miguel and Robert requested the day off of work to be with us, and they decided that before opening the doors to their private life, we should get to know each other briefly. The restaurant is c...

Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez will perform a concert on April 12 in Costa Rica's Ricardo Saprissa Stadium, after 23 years of absence from the national scene, the organizers reported here today. According to companies Ariel Rivas Entertainment and Evenpro, Rodriguez, composer of over 500 songs, will arrive in Costa Rica with a team of about 25 people, including eight musicians who wil...

MILDLY distressed and hopelessly tangled, these birds look like the poster children for some environmental tragedy of our own making. In reality, they are the face of modern ornithology. Todd Forsgren, a photographer based in Baltimore, Maryland, is fascinated by the long and intertwined history of birds and art. The two meet in the mist nets researchers use to trap Costa Rica's wild birds, whi...

If you thought that 2012 was a year moved in the business world, pay attention to what is said about 2013, because the expectations are quite ambitious. This is not just about the arrival of new industrial enterprises but also the commercial sector, tourism and real estate, including shopping centers, office centers, shops, supermarkets, restaurants and others. The Central Bank estimates tha...

The Costa Rica Star recently reported about America Movil moving into Costa Rica to offer Television services with a 15 year license. America Movil, one of the leading telecom carriers in South America, has recently gained a 15-year license to market its cable television in Costa Rica. The multi-year agreement also has a renewal option for another ten years, depending on the company's profitabi...

Both Costa Rica and Chile suffer from high rates of deforestation, which means both can earn carbon credits by saving their rainforest and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). For that to happen in a way that is recognized under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), however, the countries must first develop national accounting procedure...

If you own a local business, you want new customers, and you don't want to spend any unnecessary funds to accomplish this. Making a calculated decision on how to spend your advertising dollars shouldn't be taken lightly. It's easy to put an advertisement on Facebook, and target a specific demographic in Costa Rica, but that does not help you with permanent ongoing search engine optimization...

This Central American country has become a strategic location for international companies to develop new forms of information technology. The data provided by the International Monetary Fund on the economy of Costa Rica reflects strength and growth. This small Central American country has seen its economy rise this year by 4.8%, one point more than speculated in January this year, and it is exp...

The Constitutional Chamber of Costa Rica has rejected a petition against a series of economic sanctions for insurance companies defined in the law that regulates the market. ElfinancieroCR.com reports that the action was raised on May 7, 2012, by the Office of the Ombudsman. According to the arguments presented by the chief of the Ombudsman, Ofelia Taitelbaum: "Some clauses of Articl...

The Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, and the president of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, held a meeting this past week in Santiago de Chile in which they expressed their desire to expand the business relationship between the two countries. Both considered relations optimal, according to Spanish sources, but still have enormous potential. In that sense, Chinchilla thanked Spain for its d...

Once abundant in the Nicoya Peninsula, the Ara Macaw (lapa roja) population has decreased over the years, but efforts are now being made to help the macaws recover. Nelson Marin Mora, director of the Tempisque Conservation Area with Minaet in Nicoya, said there are now very few macaws in the peninsula, primarily because people have captured the vibrantly colorful birds to sell as pets. Ho...

Aloe Vera is one of the most useful and easy to grow plants. It has been called “a physician in a pot” since it can be used to treat a very broad range of illnesses. The gelatin inside the leaf can be used to treat most skin problems: burns, sunburn, insect bites, cuts, bruises, sprains, eczema, psoriasis, fungal infections and acne. In addition, it is a terrific hair conditioner. But aloe is...

The board of Costa Rica's telecoms regulator Sutel will select the number portability administrator on 30 January, local newspaper El Financiero reports. The administrator will be selected by Sutel, because the Portability Commission has not reached an unanimous verdict in the recent tender which included bids from Teletech, Telcordia, El Corte Ingles and Porting XS. Costa Rica’s Portability Co...

Host Costa Rica won the 2013 Copa Centroamericana with a 1-0 win over Honduras in the final. The match featured seven MLS players -- three for the Ticos and four for the Catrachos, who open the Hexagonal Feb. 6 at home against the USA. Giancarlo Gonzalez scored the game's lone goal in the 37th minute to give the Ticos their seventh UNCAF title. Real Salt Lake’s Alvaro Saborio and Portlan...

Artist David Villalobos, born in the province of Alajuela, Costa Rica, started to show his talent when he was very young. He expanded his knowledge of sculpture and technique studying under other sculptors from whom he learned the importance of finding his own style to exhibit his artistic language. "Over time, with the perseverance of those who were guiding my process, I managed to ac...

América Móvil's Claro (AMX) has been granted a 15 year license to sell cable television with the option to renew it for another decade if they actually turn a profit. The contract was signed last October but they could not start selling the new service until now. I want my HBO This is bad news for DirecTV (DTV) and Televisa (TV) which have been selling satellite TV for decades in Costa Rica ...

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Defending champion Honduras will take on host Costa Rica in the final of the UNCAF Copa Centroaericana on Sunday. The Hondurans overcame upstart Belize in one semifinal, 1-0, on Friday night, while the Ticos stopped El Salvador by the same score at Estadio Nacional. El Salvador, which lost for the first time in the tournament after playing three group draws, will take ...

If you haven't noticed recently, imported beers from Miller and Budweiser are often much less expensive then Imperial or Pilsen. Florida Bebidas should reassess their market approach, obviously they have a choke hold on the industry here in Costa Rica, but long term, you never know how business will unfold unless you are competitively pricing your beers. Take for example, the new Mas Por Men...

Recently The Costa Rica Star published an article about a new gym in Santa Ana Costa Rica called MC Gym. This gym is the mecca of hardcore training, with many machines, free weights, CrossFit area, and of course the owner of the gym is the National Olympic Lifting Champion of Costa Rica. Well, now MC Gym has become even more awesome, they recently added a set of well anchored punching ba...

Costa Rica’s central bank is “very likely” to impose more currency controls to stem the flow of capital from developed markets that has driven the colon higher, President Laura Chinchilla said. “It is very likely that the the bank will have to announce some measures on their own in the coming days,” Chinchilla said today in an interview in Davos, Switzerland, where she is attending the World Ec...

Nosara’s popular fiestas are fast approaching and this year there are some new additions. One of the most exciting is the construction of a motocross track next to the bull ring. The track, built in one week, is 1.3 kilometers long, and the course includes the classic obstacles, although this particular track has the advantage of being completely level ground. In addition, it has some small s...

The Ministry of Environment and Energy (Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía, SITRAMINAE) Workers Union and former Environment deputy minister, Mario Boza, announced that a new law aimed to restructure the management of national parks and wildlife refuges is being drafted. Boza points out that several current issues regarding national parks, such as the absence of administrative or management polic...

Safari Surf School, Costa Rica's premier surf school and camp for fourteen years, strives to be carbon neutral with the addition of the "Innovative Biodiesel Project" -- the world's first small-scale biodiesel production system that is closed-loop (zero waste), energy independent (off-grid), and carbon-negative. Safari Surf's Sustainability Director, Carl Kish, has partnered with biodiesel expert ...

Costa Rica, Mexico and Colombia have opened talks with U.S. officials to prepare for the legalization of marijuana in some U.S. states, Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla said Wednesday. Chinchilla, one of the world leaders attending the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine resort, said concern over the easing of drug laws stems from the growing number of U.S. states with medical mariju...

When the Terraba tribe in Costa Rica rallied to oppose a hydroelectric dam they feared would destroy their land and their centuries-old culture, the indigenous community took a modern approach. They linked up with journalism students at Elon University in North Carolina, who built a website describing the tribe's way of life, including how it makes use of medicinal plants. To help the Terrab...

This morning we are getting reports of a woman who was attacked in Jaco Beach yesterday, while swimming offshore. A French couple heard her screaming by a surf lesson tent, they came to her rescue and brought her out of the water onto the beach. There was a huge gaping hole in her thigh, which revealed her bone and was bleeding heavily. At this point the emails we are receiving about the ...

The Samara Chamber of Tourism recently issued an advisory cautioning people to keep their valuables with them in the bus at all times and not to use the overhead bins because of recent thefts. “The thefts are perpetrated by people who get on the bus posing as helpers, offering to stow items in the overhead bins. They disappear with the bags before the bus has left town,” according to the advis...

Costa Rica wants to become the door for Chinese exports and investment to Latin America, as bilateral trade and investment has been growing rapidly since the two countries signed a free trade agreement in 2010. "We've seen very positive results in the field of trade and investment since we signed the free trade agreement with China," said Costa Rica's President Laura Chinchilla in an interview ...

Miley Cyrus and fiance Liam Hemsworth dodged the cold weather last week to celebrate Liam's birthday in Costa Rica. A pair of fansites snapped photos of the two enjoying some time with friends at a secluded river. Cyrus was spotted in a bikini in the middle of six friends by freshCyrus. They look a little cold, but at least they seem to be having fun. Another shot was taken by TeamMiley with th...

Movistar has launched a promotion for its prepay users in Costa Rica. Customers who make a minimum top-up of CRC 1,000 will receive free access to social networking services Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp for three days. Customers will also receive a bonus of 400 SMS to national numbers. The promotion is part of the operator’s ‘Generacion Movistar’ campaign, which targets young customers, La Na...

Public and private institutions have been empowered to provide financial resources and all kinds of help to the state phytosanitary service in order to handle the emergency. A statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock reads: EMERGENCY PHYTOSANITARY DECREE DECLARED TO AID COFFEE PRODUCERS Decree will expedite procedures for disease control -State of emergency will be exte...

The Costa Rican Social Security Department is putting out to Tender nine X-ray machines for the hospitals Calderon Guardia, Mexico, San Juan de Dios, Escalante Pradilla, Ciudad Neily and Monseñor Sanabria. The call is for the Public Acquisition of nine X-ray machines for conventional use for single studies of various types (column and overhead) or modalities (digital or analog). The installatio...

National and provincial statistics have been released from the 2011 Census on the major geographic features as migration, demographic, social, economic, educational and housing. A statement from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) reads: INEC publishes provincial indicators The publication provides insight into the similarities and differences between the provinces, beg...

San Jose, Costa Rica (PRWEB) January 23, 2013 Juanlotrae.com, the first comprehensive online food ordering service in Costa Rica, brings convenience to food-lovers and profits to restaurants by connecting them through an advanced online platform supported by a multilingual call center, a localized delivery fleet, customer service, and useful features that benefit both diners and business owners...