SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA – October 19th, 2012 – Misinformation and miscalculations in real estate appraisals in Costa Rica has driven the Chamber of Costa Rican Official Real Estate Agents (CCCBR) to create the first Property Price Index (PPI) in the country. Though it is still in the data collection phase, the Chamber has promised a first draft for the province of San Jose for the first trimester of ...

October 18th, 2012 – The 3rd round of negotiations surrounding the possible free trade agreement between Costa Rica and Colombia will begin in Cali, Colombia, on Monday. Anabel Gonzalez, Foreign Trade minister, said that this round of negotiations would focus on determining which of each nation’s products would be included in the agreement. “In order to prepare for this 3rd round, we have had a se...

October 18th, 2012 – Yesterday, a 1.2 meter diameter hole opened up in the bridge that crosses “La Fuente de la Hispanidad” (in front of the San Pedro Mall), in San Pedro.  The hole took drivers by surprise as the bridge had just recently been through repairs. This is the main bridge that crosses the rotunda below, in front of the mall, and is an important transit route. Christian Vargas, chief of...

October 18th, 2012 – The negotiations for next year’s minimum wage increases for Costa Rica’s private sector workers began on Tuesday. The unions will be requesting a raise of approximately 4%. Albino Vargas, general secretary for the National Association of Private and Public Employees, said that their exact proposal would be provided after the unions meet and reach final agreement. Representativ...

October 17th, 2012 – Patients of the Monsenor Sanabria Hospital, in Puntarenas, are having a tough time getting used to the “new facilities.” The parking lot in which they used to park their cars is now the outpatient area. The hospital was one of the structures most damaged by the September 5th earthquake. Entrance to the now-empty medical tower is forbidden, so patients and staff have had to rel...

In the past The Costa Rica Star reported on the opening of a new Reuters operations centre in Costa Rica. Effective immediately, The Costa Rica Star is pleased to offer World News from our partnership with Reuters. We will be making publishing changes to how we handle our content delivery. From day one, The Costa Rica Star has always had the goal of becoming the Central American version...

I won’t say I was stunned, but I admit to being surprised when I read the following story in Reuters: Panama leader tells Germany he wants to adopt euro. Anybody who follows the news at all has undoubtedly read about the problems in Greece regarding their participation in the European Economic Union, and you probably have heard dire predictions about the future of the euro due to problems i...

Costa Rica is quickly becoming one of Central America's hubs for all things design. There are a growing number of design education initiatives that have seemed to gain some momentum in the past few years by the local creative community. This year, Costa Rican designers have launched a national sketching workshop in their home country. They call it Sketching Lab Costa Rica. It's a 3-day, int...

Humane Society International and Costa Rica’s Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal (SENASA) will hold a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in the improvement of companion and farm animal welfare on Monday, Oct. 22. An official SENASA and HSI training session on dog fighting issues will follow the ceremony. WHEN: Monday, Oct. 22 at 9:00 a.m. WHERE: Hotel C...

Costa Rica, a Latin American country, plans to sign an investment protection agreement with India to boost bilateral trade, especially in the service and manufacturing sector. It would soon put in place a framework for economic cooperation with India, with any eye on the country's IT sector. In the Capital to participate in the OECD forum, Costa Rica vice president Luis Liberman told FE: "W...

High interest rates, the product of the Treasury’s steady increase in financing with debt, is leading banks to seek funds abroad. In the country the average lending rate in dollars is about 11%, considerably higher than in the United States, where the average is 4%. This gap is the result of higher government borrowing in dollars, which has increased its debt in this currency by 165% y...

In a few days the new traffic law, passed by legislators in September, will be signed by the Presidenta, published in La Gaceta and be in effect. Interesting is that the same inspectors who will be responsible for upholding the law have found errors in the approved text and will have to make amendments. One of the errors is the missing of a sanction (fine) for not obeying the instruction...

Are you looking for an amazing place to bring your special someone on a romantic date? You will be blown away by the beauty, layout, valley view, and Wine list at Vino Mundo in the mountains of Ciudad Colón, San Jose, Costa Rica. As you pull up the hill and see the sign on the left, it is very apparent you have arrived at a magical place. Huge iron gates and guards welcome you, as you d...

In the past week The Costa Rica Star has published on the shark finning ban that was signed by Laura Chinchilla in the presence of Sir Richard Branson, near Manuel Antonio National Park. Taken from seashepherd.org: Sea Shepherd is not buying it. This is simply smoke and mirrors by President Laura Chinchilla. Costa Rica is simply trying to do damage control for all the attention focused o...

In order to adjust to new rules coming into effect in 2015 to improve services to consumers, gas stations will have to invest about $30 million. Since in Costa Rica fuel prices are set administratively, business operators must focus on delivering better complementary automotive services and convenience stores. In an article on Nacion.com, José Miguel Masís, executive director of the Fu...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has reported on Green Washing in Costa Rica, which lends itself to businesses being "too" Green when in reality, they are far from that fact. It makes it hard for legitimate businesses to compete when doing things honestly. Elfinancierocr.com reports that in Costa Rica, "at a rate of four bills per year, since 2006 Parliament has provided 24 new regulations...

Historically, the best place to get fruits, vegetables, and other locally grown/made products near Escazu, has been at the Escazu Central farmers market, on the street just above the Catholic Church every Saturday morning. But if you want to try something new, we recommend Bodega Verde at Avenida Escazu every Saturday from 9am to 2pm. The food products are hand picked to be the absolute be...

Welcome to the Amistad Art Prize 2012 offered for the best art piece inspired by the “Plight of the World’s Rainforests”. -Supporting 3 different environmental projects -The artist makes 40% of the bid received for the piece in the auction -Social responsibility and exposure The Problem Deforestation in Costa Rica has a serious impact on the environment and directly or indirectly co...

Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the Chirripó Race. For the past 24 years madcap runners have been beating the clock in a 34 km marathon up and down the highest mountain in Costa Rica, and this past year a new record was set at 3 hours 5 minutes. For the anniversary run several of the prizes will be dazzling – especially if anyone can beat that 3 hour barrier! Registration for the ra...

One appealing aspect of moving to a place where you don't speak the language is you no longer have to hear anything stupid. Living in New York City, where strangers rub elbows and ears together, means that you are constantly overhearing cell phone conversations, 90 percent of which constitute of "I dunno, where do you feel like eating?" and what passes for bon mots on the subway ("No azzhole, ...

A tourist guide had a lucky escape from a crocodile recently after he tried to get up close and personal with the monster. Luckily, the croc was already full. A tour guide in Costa Rica can count himself (and his fingers) lucky after having this near miss with a monster of a crocodile. While trying to impress a group of tourists by dangling some chicken in front of the croc, the guide w...

The country’s National Police has turned to technology to make the streets safer, as it recently implemented a global positioning system (GPS) to coordinate officers’ responses, Minister of Public Safety Mario Zamora said. The system, which was first installed in 20 patrol cars in late April, allows officers to see exactly how far they are away from a potential crime scene. “If a citizen...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has reported on Costa Rican scientists working towards a cure for cancer. Experts from Costa Rica and the Spanish company PharmaMar, dedicated to marine biotechnology research, beginning in February will seek new cures and treatments for cancer in organisms living in Costa Rican waters. The Spanish company will work for five years in the territorial waters...

A long, tranquil beach, great surfing, a plethora of yoga classes, and all within walking-distance from your day-to-day life, It sounds like the perfect creative environment, and for many, it is. The ability to take some time off from the everyday, and turn Nosara or Samara into your base can be attractive, but can it be affordable? For longer-term renters, the balance between location and ...

An open letter to the honorable Sir Richard Branson and Jose Maria Figueres Olson, from Shawn Larkin, one of the most sincere animal activists in Costa Rica. I have raised my family on Costa Rican seas. The oceans sustain and provide for us everyday. So, I would like to thank you deeply for your most excellent support of saving sharks in this green country embracing blue. Having outstan...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published about bodybuilding and the top gyms in Costa Rica. RAW Fitness Costa Rica is an outdoor fitness club providing a balance of cardio, strength and endurance training across various RAW exercises. So grab a hammer, tire, sand bag and let's go! Description We believe in exercising Outdoors - moving the body the way it was designed to move. Dyn...

With more than 90% of its electricity generated from renewable energy sources and goals to reach 95% by 2014, Costa Rica is certainly one of the greenest countries on the planet. It also is on track to become the world’s first carbon-free economy. I recently returned from a 12-day tour sponsored by Global Renewable Energy Education Network (GREEN) and showcasing renewable and sustainable en...

The opening up of the telecommunications sector in Costa Rica promotes modernization and increased supply of cable TV services. Nación.com reports that "the entry of the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) with television services, and other new entrants such as Claro and Repretel with satellite television, predicts a sharp rise in subscription services, as radical as those of m...

If you are presently on vacation in Costa Rica, or planning to make your getaway soon, Costa Rica's port town of Limón on the Caribbean side of the country, converts to an all out party every October to celebrate “Carnaval”! Vaguely disguised around celebrating Columbus Day (October 12th) or “Dia de Las Culturas” (as we know it in Costa Rica), locals as well as every strange character you c...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has reported on a campaign to end dog fighting in Costa Rica. Costa Rican authorities detected the illegal import of genetically modified dogs for use in fights, reported local media yesterday. According to the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), this is the first time they seize these hybrid dogs used for profit, since of the 23 seized, 11 were aggre...

University students in Costa Rica and Athens can learn about sustainability — while learning from the same professors. Beginning in the spring of 2013, the UGA Costa Rica study abroad campus has a new program option: the Sustainability in Action semester, which offers a new sustainability certificate awaiting approval and collaboration between professors in both Costa Rica and Athens. Th...

A proposal has been made to change the rules for the election of congressmen so that the majority be elected in their constituencies, so as to legitimize them with their communities. A group of Costa Rican citizens have began to take action under the premise that the "Costa Rican political system is weakening" and must be renewed. From the text of "Our Position" on the website of the...

Costa Rica state-owned operator Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), via its Kolbi mobile unit, has launched a voice call service dubbed 'Kolbi Favoritos'. Service users can select a favorite on-net mobile number and make unlimited anytime calls to that number. The Kolbi Favoritos service is available for both prepay and postpaid customers and costs CRC 3,500 per month. Customers can...

Florida Ice and Farm has complained that vast amounts of beer are entering Costa Rica at very low prices. The complaint, originally made to the Directorate General of Taxation so that this institution could verify that the correct taxes were paid on these imports, was later presented to the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC) as a suspected case of dumping or unfair competit...

The Balloon Fiesta is no stranger to hosting international visitors. There are 550 pilots representing 19 countries this year. Esteban Elizondo is piloting the Serendipity balloon from Costa Rica, and is participating in the Balloon Fiesta for the first time. Elizondo said this is something he has always wanted to do. "It's always been a goal for every balloonist this - this is the Mecca...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has reported on how La Nacion is getting better at information visualization. Last year, Miguel Angel Rodriguez, who served as president from 1998-2002, was sentenced to five years in prison for accepting bribes from French telecom giant Alcatel; two years before Rafael Angel Calderon was jailed for embezzling funds from a Finnish loan intended for medical eq...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published about cage free egg choices in Costa Rica. Humane Society International encourages Costa Rica consumers to take steps to improve the treatment of egg-laying hens in conventional egg production. Costa Rica has approximately three million egg-laying hens, many confined in barren battery cages. In these small wire cages, each hen spends practica...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has reported on Sir Richard Branson calling for the end to Shark Finning in Costa Rica. Today, the Government of the Republic of Costa Rica will sign a decree that seeks to eliminate, once and for all, the practice of shark finning in Costa Rica. The activity for the signing of the decree called "shark finning ban, import, and transport in Costa Rica water...

We know how frustrating it can be to consume all of the news and information you need about Costa Rica, going between the Tico Times, Inside Costa Rica, La Nacion, Costa Rica Hoy, and others. We have decided to launch and will continually develop our newest feature at The Costa Rica Star. We hope this saves your time and energy when finding the news that you need most. The Costa Rica Star n...

Over the past few years, the local media has tried to pin the Costa Rican prostitution and pedophilia problems on foreigners and the local politicians have branded these foreigners as sex tourists. Now, these same politicians are trying to pass a new law that will penalize anyone who describes Costa Rica as a sex tourism destination online or in any advertising campaigns. Furthermore, the new ...