Thanks to the joint efforts of police bodies of the Ministry of Public Security of Costa Rica and countries like the United States, Colombia and Panama, over a ton of cocaine was confiscated this Wednesday. The load was found by the Coast Guard service in waters of the South Pacific, 160 kilometers from the coast of the Osa Peninsula, were 46 packs of cocaine were floating attached to a radio ...

The National Emergency Commission in Costa Rica elevated form green to Yellow the alert given for the North and Central Pacific due to the strong rainfall, green alert was declared for the North Zone, Central Valley and South Pacific. “During the first hours of this evening the Central Pacific has been affected, particularly the areas of Paquita, Parrita, Isla Damas , the Center of Puntarenas, ...

Costa Rica’s Convention Center (CCCR) was elected as the site for the next World Congress of Veterinary Medicine, which is scheduled for April 27 to April 30 2019, this will be the first world congress that will be take place at the Convention Center. This event expects the participation of close to 1500 veterinarians. The event is organized by Comexp, Professional Congress Organization company...

Costa Ricans will soon be able to enjoy the Monster Jam show once again after four years since the last presentation in the country. The event was announced by production company RPMTV through a promotional video on their webpage. Even though the details of the show have not been confirmed, preliminary information refers to three dates in December at the National Stadium in La Sabana. The l...

In response to fake news circulating on social media regarding the “rationing” of fuel, the state refinery (RECOPE) clarified that the company has enough fuel supply of the main fuel products at each of their facilities to satisfy the demand. According to Recope, the distribution of products through the fuel pipeline has normalized 15 days ago and the pumping of Plus 91, Super, Diesel and aviat...

“The Chamber of Commerce of Costa Rica condemns the disrespect and attitude of the protesters towards President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, as he was leaving the National Theater. We reiterate that these actions go beyond legality and good intentions and are far from the right to strike that the working population of the public and private sector have. Above all, the President’s Char...

US expat Barry Lawson was  brutally beaten during a robbery back on April 1st, 2015, at the hotel Villa Alegre in Tamarindo Guanacaste. Barry died days later at the hospital, now, three years later the Intelligence Unit of the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) has been following fresh leads on four suspects, three men and one woman. The information was released by Channel 7 Telenoticias alon...

US Ambassador to Costa Rica, Sharon Day, celebrated her first year as head of the US Embassy in Costa Rica, Day, highlighted the natural beauties she has encountered in the country as well as the warmth with which she was received in the country.  Day has worked for more than 20 years for the U.S. Republican party at the local, state and national levels, and most recently in leadership posi...

Wednesday, October 3, after 24 days of labor unions’ strike, the tension was present in the streets. Several incidents were reported where the public police were forced to intervene to guarantee the security and free transit of the rest of the population. Early in the morning the Director of the Calderon Guardia Hospital in San Jose reported that a group of protesters had blocked the roads of a...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpFLcsgtGmI&feature=youtu.be This Wednesday when several members of the Government, including President Alvarado, were taking part on an official act at the National Theater in downtown San Jose, a group of strikers gathered outside the theater yelling and insulting the President who had to be escorted out by the Public Police Force that had to contain the cr...

In Costa Rica it is not uncommon to spot the President and former Presidents walking freely and with very little security, however, the ongoing labor strike that began September 10 has forced the Direction of Intelligence and Security (DIS) to strengthen the security for the President and other political figures. This Wednesday when several members of the Government, including President Alvarad...

According to the annual report of the Costa Rican Public Sector Transparency Index (ITSP), The Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) is the most transparent public institution in the country. The ITSP evaluated a total of 254 institutions, out of which 23 managed a result of 70 points -in a scale of 1 to 100-. This is an initiative of the Costa Rica's Ombudsman's Office (Defensoria de los Hab...

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recognized the efforts carried out by Costa Rica for the eradication of statelessness (Statelessness is the condition of someone who is "not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law"). Costa Rica’s efforts involve the approval of regulations and procedures for the determination of the condition of a statelessn...

Heavy rains are expected in the Central Valley and the Pacific for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the National Emergency Commission declared Green Alert for these regions. The rains would be caused by low pressure system located at the southwest of the Caribbean Sea that has a 20% possibility of transforming into a tropical depression. “Analysis have determined the presence of a low-pressur...

Johnny Araya, mayor of the San Jose Municipality negotiated and reached an agreement with striking workers and these will immediately return to their jobs. According to the document signed by the Mayor and representatives of the National Union of Workers (UNT) strikers will return to their work in order to reestablish the services offered by the Municipality and in exchange they will have permi...

The Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) informed that foreigners who lose their Costa Rican identification document no longer have to file the report with OIJ in order to get a new one issued, instead, they only need to make the request in the Migration offices. Up until recently any foreigner who lost their Costa Rican ID first had to file a report with OIJ, sign a sworn statement with a nota...

The Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica has maintained relatively calm in the past weeks with just the regular column of gases and vapor that can be seen coming from the crater and occasional small eruptions. This Monday, however, the volcano registered an important column of ash that reached close to 500 meters above the crater, 3840 meters above sea level (12,595 ft above sea level). The directio...

The Labor Court of the First Judicial Circuit of San Jose declared the employee strike promoted by five different labor unions that has affected the Social Security Services (CCSS), illegal. Resolution No.2018001589 resolved by Judge Susana Porras Cascante, states that both the international norms of the International Labor Organization and national legislation expressly prohibit strikes in cli...

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 6-7 million people in the world are infected with Chagas Disease, a possibly fatal disease spread by the bite of a bug with the cute name of the “Kissing Bug”. Most of these people live in Latin America, usually in areas up to 1,600 meters above sea level, and Costa Rica has thousands of infected individuals, many of whom are completely una...

The different labor unions in Costa Rica rejected the “preliminary proposal” they had negotiated with the Government between Friday and Saturday, the meeting that was scheduled between the parties for this Sunday at 3 p.m. was cancelled and instead the leaders of the movement held a press conference where they confirmed they will continue with the indefinite strike until the Government eliminates ...

Even though part of the agreement between the Costa Rican Government and the labor union leaders included to keep the details of the negotiation confidential until this Sunday at 3 p.m. when an official announcement was made on whether the labor unions accepted the agreement or not, the document was filtered on Saturday evening. According to this document, if the labor unions agree, which appar...

Photo Credit: Guana/Noticias An American tourist drowned this Friday, September 28 in Playa Prieta near Flamingo, Guanacaste. The victim, with last name Ramsey was 51-years-old and was dragged out onto the beach by the Costa Rican Red Cross, paramedics proceeded to practice CPR but unfortunately the man did not respond. The circumstances surrounding the accident are still unclear. This...

The VIII Call for the financing of projects with funds of the First Debt-for-Nature swap between the United States and Costa Rica, invites non-governmental and community organizations to present proposals of projects for the conservation of forests to opt for donation funds. Debt-for-nature swaps are financial transactions in which a portion of a developing nation’s foreign debt (in this case ...

According to a press release sent by the Costa Rican Construction Chamber, the labor unions’ strike that has been going on for the last three weeks, have caused that five construction companies have had to let go close to 300 workers. The fact that there has been a shortage or raw material for the production of asphalt that is used in the works of roads in the country is leaving many workers wi...

The Costa Rican Government and representatives of the labor unions concluded the eighth and final meeting of their “preliminary dialogue” that began at 2 p.m. on Friday and ended at 4:50 a.m. this Saturday, during the press conference following the meeting priest Edwin Aguiluz, acting as mediator, explained that a “preliminary text” had been reached which now the leaders of the labor unions will p...

AC Hotels by Marriott officially opened doors September 24 in Avenida Escazu, Costa Rica; 9 thousand square meters (over 96 thousand square feet) of construction in the heart of one of the most exclusive areas in San Jose, Costa Rica. The hotel offers 122 rooms, 4 suites, 5 ballrooms, in addition to restaurants, bar, beautiful lobby, AC lounge, and fitness center. Ideal for business or pleasur...

A man originating from Mexico was apprehended by officials of the Drug Control Police (PCD) of the Ministry of Public Security, carrying $27,100.00 in cash that had not been reported. This detention took place at the Juan Santamaria Airport in Alajuela, when the man tried to come into Costa Rica carrying the money in a manila folder inside a briefcase. The man is 51 years-old and of last nam...

The labor union strike affecting the state refinery (RECOPE) was declared illegal by the Labor Court which resolved that it did not comply with the requirements stated in the labor code that movements must be peaceful, the alternatives of conciliation must be exhausted, and it must have the support of a minimum percentage of employees. The sentence was dictated by Judge Alexander Contreras Barr...

The Labor Court of the II Judiciary Circuit of San Jose declared the labor union’s strike at the Costa Rican Institute of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (IAFA) legal. This is the first of 9 sentences that have been issued that considers the movement to meet all legal requirements. The sentence was given by Judge Angela Keiko Minero Akiya, who stated that “in conformity with the disposition of a...

The employees on strike working for the Atlantic Zone Development and Port Administration Group (JAPDEVA) has been deemed illegal, determined Judge Francisco Vargas Ramirez who considered that the services offered by JAPDEVA are essential and that the conciliation alternatives were not exhausted. “Paralyzing the services offered by the Limon and Moin ports, implies the suspension of an essentia...

This Thursday the director of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in San Jose, Doctor Ileana Balmaceda, denounced the actions of the labor union that took over surgery rooms preventing oncology patients from getting programmed surgeries. According to Balmaceda, members of the labor union were upset because the hospital arranged to get assistance from surgeons and professionals from the Puriscal clini...

While in 2012, the number of teenage pregnancies represented 19.4%, on 2017 this indicator went down to 14.7% , the lowest percentage ever registered in the country. According to doctor Nineth Alarcón from the Comprehensive Care Program for Teens of the Social Security Service (C.C.S.S.) this is a very satisfactory achievement resulting from the efforts carried out to bring down the number of...

The labor union strike has been declared illegal so far for six different institutions; today the resolutions regarding the legality of the strikes for the Central Bank and the Social Protection Board (JPS - Institution that handles the lottery in Costa Rica) were made public. The Labor Court of the First Judicial Circuit of San Jose, declared illegal the movement promoted by the National Assoc...

Taxi drivers joined the general strike today and are protesting by doing “tortuguismo”, basically driving slow enough so as to cause congestion in different sectors of the country, causing many transit problems, mainly in the General Cañas highway (Alajuela-San Jose). Messages of angry drivers are flooding social media channels complaining against the red cabs and their practice, which is affec...

The labor unions gathered since 10 a.m. this morning in La Sabana and started their march towards the legislative assembly as planned; currently the Central Avenue in San Jose and 42nd Street as well as the Second Avenue are completely closed for this reason; the tension between the strikers and the Government continues to raise as traffic police has run operations the morning of this Wednesday, a...

Investigations and surveillance processes by the Costa Rican Judiciary Investigative Police (Regional Office of OIJ Limon), concluded with the interception of a truck loaded with 330 kilograms of cocaine originating from Colombia. The drugs were hidden in a container that was supposedly carrying ceramic tiles and packed in black backpacks. OIJ had been alerted by international police of the ...

The Ministry of Treasury and the Central Bank of Costa Rica resorted to treasury bills to finance expenses such as salaries, pensions, social programs and debts this as a result of the impossibility to place bonds. This is an emergency measure used to face the critical financial moment the country is facing and gain time while the fiscal reform is approved by the Legislative Assembly; this fina...

The Labor Court of the First Judicial Circuit of San Jose declared the strike promoted by the National Association of Public Employees (ANEP) in the National Emergency Commission (CNE) illegal. The sentence 1549-2018 was dictated by Judge Javier Camacho Duarte considering that the minimum requirements for a legitimate strike were not met and in addition to this, the National Emergency Commissio...

The Costa Rican Government affimrs that participation of employees of the Social Security Service (CCSS) in strike went down by 49%, going from 10,426 absent employees on September 10 to 5,325 this Monday, September 24. According to the detailed report, after the first week, the decrease was of 37% and after the second week it reduced another 17% in relation to the prior week. The employees ...

Costa Rican biologist Esteban Brenes, Director of Science and Conservation of the Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation and coordinator of the project Nai Conservation for the protection of tapirs was awarded the "UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme Young Scientist Award" (MAB Young Scientists Award). This award provides young researches funding to support their research on ecosystems, natural resour...