The ExpoEmpleo (Job Expo) 2018 will gather 19 companies that together have over 4,000 positions to fill, in particular for bilingual personnel with or without experience. The fair will take place April 13 and 14 at the National Stadium in La Sabana starting at 9 a.m. and finishing at 5 p.m. both days. This job fair takes place every year, but in this occasion it is directed exclusively to b...

This Wednesday, April 11 is a holiday in Costa Rica, do you know why? The country commemorates 162 years of the Battle of Rivas also known as the day of the National Hero, Juan Santamaria. The Battle of Rivas took place in Rivas, Nicaragua between the filibuster army lead by William Walker and Costa Rica's army lead by President Juan Rafael Mora Porras, General José Joaquín Mora Porras and G...

Between April 10 and April 18 Costa Rica will have higher levels of solar radiation due to the effects of the ‘zenith of the sun’. During these days the position of the sun causes the UV radiation to increase due to the rays impacting in a more perpendicular way. This phenomenon takes place every year in April and it has an impact in the entire territory; in the Central Valley the days of hi...

Photo Credit: Fundacion del Rio A team of 40 Costa Rican firefighters will travel to Nicaragua this Monday at 6 a.m. to offer their assistance in helping control the fire that is affecting the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve for several days now and that has already destroyed over 7,000 hectares of protected land. President Daniel Ortega declared yellow emergency. This Biological Reserve is t...

The dry season in Costa Rica seemed shorter this time around, the rain carried on well into December, the country just got through tropical storms and cold fronts and the rain is already appearing again. This week the area of Parrita in Quepos and some areas of San Jose were surprised with strong rain fall that caused even small floods in a few locations. The National Meteorological Institu...

Carlos Alvarado Quesada was elected President of Costa Rica just a week ago and will take the lead of the country on May 8th, with the big responsibility of dealing with a high fiscal deficit, a divided congress and a country that demands actions against corruption and inequity. But who is and what is the background of Costa Rica’s 48th President? Does he have what it takes to make positive cha...

On the surface it sounds like a great idea, most modern cities have exclusive bike lanes, it’s a way of promoting a clean method of transportation and a healthy lifestyle... but is the city of San Jose really ready for this? Or is this plan going to cause more harm than good? Many Costa Ricans that go through San Jose on a regular basis seem to think this plan is, as Ticos say “applying perfume on...

The Costa Rican government opened its first embassy in Africa, in the capital city of Nairobi, Kenya, location chosen by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Manuel Gonzalez, with the plan to access Eastern Africa. “In the case of Keya, it is an undeniable area of influence in East Africa. Kenya is a country with an important and growing economy, that has shown interest towards Costa Rica. I know thei...

An 11 year-old Costa Rican girl who lives in the area of Sarapiquí, Heredia was taken to the hospital by her mother due to an abdominal pain; however, after being examined, doctors discovered she is 14 weeks pregnant. “The girl was brought to the emergency service by the mother to check on an abdominal pain, when she is being examined the mother suggests that she gets a pregnancy test and inde...

42 days have passed since Samuel and Ezequiel Nuñez, former siamese brothers overwent their separation surgery at the National Children’s Hospital (HNN) in Costa Rica; both 2-year-olds finally left the intensive care unit and are evolving slowly. Ezequiel has been out of ICU for almost a month, while Samuel had left the ICU on March 23 but had to go back only five days later after suffering sev...

The Latin American Center of Competitiveness and Sustainable Development of the Incae Business School conducted a study for the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), the Index of Social Progress of Tourist Centers in Costa Rica, which measures environmental and social indicators in ten regions. Three indicators are divided in four aspects and each is assigned a grade between 0 and 100. One of the...

The official ceremony where the new elected president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, will take over the leadership of the country will be on May 8th at noon time. Four years ago, the ceremony took place at the National Stadium, but Alvarado made it clear already on April 1st after knowing he had won the elections that this was not going to be the case this time around, “We have to face the fi...

On April 4, the Costa Rica Minister of Justice and Peace, Marco Feoli and the Executive Director of the Melico Salazar Theater, Marielos Fonseca, signed a cooperation agreement with the purpose of organizing and implementing activities geared towards the promotion of culture and art for prisoners. The agreement will allow prisoners that have good conduct to attend artistic and cultural events,...

After more than a decade of wait, the National Congress and Convention Center (CNCC) opens doors today, April 5 under the management of a consortium formed by Colombian group Heroica and Costa Rican firm Volio and Trejos. Heroica group also handles the Cartagena Convention Center with positive figures. According to projections by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) the Convention Center is exp...

The President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solis, signed this April 4th Law Number 9521 which declares the National Theater (Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica) a National Symbol of Historic Architectural Heritage and Cultural Liberty. "Costa Rica pays tribute to its National Theater and recognizes it as a national symbol. In this way we seal the beautiful relation that links our emblematic archite...

An unprecedented scientific expedition left from the Galapagos Island in Ecuador this past April 2 and will conclude April 13 when it arrives in Isla del Coco (Coco Island) in Costa Rica; the purpose of this expedition is to identify the marine migratory species that use this route and quantify their distribution, abundance and diversity of their predators. According to Zdenka Piskulich from th...

The two Island-class patrol boats of 110 feet that the United States donated to Costa Rica's Coast Guard Service finally left the Baltimore dock towards Puerto Caldera, Puntarenas, where they will be used to battle organized crime and drug trafficking, as well as in the protection of marine biodiversity and humanitarian actions. "It was a proud moment to see this vessels, named after our nation...

An increase in cases of measles was first reported last year in Europe and some areas of the United States, but recently, several countries in Latin America have also raised the alarm; for this reason, health authorities in Costa Rica are on alert and have began promoting a vaccination campaign that will take place in August. Maria Luisa Avila, specialists in the area of infectious diseases in...

As of this Thursday, April 5 at 10 p.m. the bridge over the Virilla River in Lindora, Santa Ana will be completely closed in order to install an auxiliary structure that will support the beams of a new frame for the bridge under construction. Transit will be closed from 10 p.m. through 5 a.m. for five nights starting on April 5, confirmed the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT). ...

According to the 2017 Annual Report of the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ), a total of 4,747 reports of stolen cars were filed last year, for an average of 13 cars a day; this represents a 10% increase from the total of 2016. Thieves prefer the brands Hyundai (492 reports) and Toyota (478), but other brands such as Suzuki,Nissan, Mitsubishi, Honda, Isuzu, Geo and Chevrolet, are also common...

The Juan Santamaria International Airport in Costa Rica was ranked in second place in Central America and the Caribbean according to the World Airport Awards by Skytrax. The Costa Rican airport took second place to the Tocumen Airport in Panama which was recognized as having the best staff; the third place in the region was given by Norman Manley Airport in Kingston, Jamaica and the top five w...

A unified country and a unified government working together towards common goals for the benefit of the country is what Carlos Alvarado preached in the last two months of electoral campaign. One of Costa Rica’s biggest problems throughout the years has been the impossibility of advancing projects through a divided congress, different interests keep bills stuck for even decades and some never ...

A total of 59 people died in different accidents during this Holy Week in Costa Rica. According to the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) during the week of March 25 through April 1st, 24 people died in traffic related accidents, 11 people were murdered, 8 lost their lives in water related accidents (among them two sisters 5 and 7 years of age who drowned in a river) and 8 were victims of oth...

Most of the polls conducted prior to the second round elections in Costa Rica, had candidate of the National Restoration Party (PRN) Fabricio Alvarado ahead of the game, however, the reality proved to be very different from what the polls predicted, and Fabricio received only 39.33% of the votes, vs. a 60.66 obtained by his opponent Carlos Alvarado. When the presidential race began in Costa Ri...

Yesterday, April 1st, Costa Rica elected its President for the next four years, the candidate of the Citizens' Action Party (PAC), Carlos Alvarado. With the support of 60.66% of the voters, Carlos Alvarado became the 48th president of Costa Rica. Carlos is a 38 year-old journalist, he was the Labor Minister and one of the counselors for PAC in congress during the 2006-2010 period, he consultant...

The first Central American satellite, developed by Costa Ricans will be launched the afternoon of this Monday, April 2 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, USA. The rocket Space Falcon 9 and the Dragon spaceship will be in charge of the transportation of the small satellite, which was manufactured with CubeSat technology, and consists on a cube that measures only 10 centimeters (...

Polls leading to the Presidential Elections in Costa Rica never showed Carlos Alvarado, the candidate for Citizens' Action Party ahead; one had Fabricio Alvarado (PRN) up by almost ten points, while another showed a statistical tie. Today, April 1st, Carlos Alvarado was elected President of Costa Rica with 60.66% of the votes, versus 39.34% for Fabricio Alvarado. The last survey by Opol Co...

Costa Rica made its position very clear, Carlos Alvarado from the Citizen’s Action Party (PAC) was elected the President of the country for the 2018-2022 period. The first official cut showed that Carlos Alvarado received a total 60.66% of the votes with an overwhelming support that makes him the 48th President of Costa Rica. Fabricio Alvarado from the National Restauration Party received 39...

The voting centers in Costa Rica closed doors at 6 p.m. sharp. The Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) announced the provisional results of the first cut at 8:05 p.m. After an initial 5992 tables (90.62% of the total) 66.91% of the voters participated to put Citizens’ Action Party's candidate Carlos Alvarado significantly ahead: PAC: 60.66% Total votes: 1,205,864 PRN: 39.33% Total Votes: 782,009 ...

The activity at the Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica just doesn’t stop, on April 1st, two significant eruptions took place early in the morning and carried on for close to 30 minutes. The biggest eruption was registered at 8:38 a.m. local time and the cameras located near the crater registered a column of ash that reached between 500-700 meters above the active crater. The activity at the volcan...

It is 2 p.m. in Costa Rica and in just 4 hours voting centers will close their doors and Costa Rica will have a new president. Fabricio Alvarado, candidate of the National Restauration Party, feels confident of coming out victorious in this process, he expected to have a million votes guaranteed by noon time, and said he was certain he’d get an overwhelming triumph. “It is important to remember...

The day is finally here, Costa Rica will know this Sunday evening who their president will be for the next four years. Costa Ricans are voting today in a second round of elections, between the two candidates that got the highest number of votes back on February 4. Early (9 a.m.) this Easter Sunday, election centers around the country looked somewhat empty in comparison to February 4; voting ...

The Handsmaid’s Tale television series based on Margaret Atwood’s influential and acclaimed novel, which explores topics related to the struggle of women to gain independence in a patriarchal and misogynic society, inspires the outfits (crimson robes and white bonnets) a group of women will be wearing this April 1st in the second round presidential elections in Costa Rica when they cast their vote...

The second and final round elections in Costa Rica officially began with the opening of the voting center in Sidney, Australia, where a native from Heredia, Randall Arce was the first Costa Rican to vote abroad in this presidential elections process. The Supreme Electoral Court opened 52 voting centers for citizens who live abroad; in total there are almost 31 thousand Ticos that live in diffe...

Six people have died so far this Holy Week in Costa Rica as a result of water accidents in the different vacation hot spots in the country, five more have been rescued and required medical attention, while the Coast Guard Service has been patrolling the beaches that have prevented many more tragedies. The last reported death was of a North American tourist in the area of Playa Hermosa de Jacó, ...

The United States Department of State through its International Narcotics Control Strategy Report 2018 makes a full analysis of Costa Rica’s situation when it comes to drug trafficking and the direct relation with the increase in homicides in the country. “Costa Rica’s strategic location, vast maritime territory, and the small size of its security forces combine to make it an attractive transi...

The activity started on the night of March 29th with a small eruption that lasted for about 10 minutes, a column of gas and ashes that reached just 200 meters above the active crater, the activity, however continued sporadically throughout March 30th. According to the National Seismology Network another eruption was registered at the Turrialba Volcano in Cartago at around 12:30 p.m. on Friday a...

A strange car accident in which a vehicle fell from the fourth floor of a parking lot in Costa del Este, Panama, caused the death of a 19-year old Costa Rican, a 17 year-old Venezuelan girl and her father, a 60-year old man. Apparently the young man, identified as Abel Sandi, was in the car with two friends, of last names Murillo Perrone, and the father of both a man named Eduardo Murillo; one ...

Latin America, duly registered since January this year in the National Registry of Costa Rica. In Costa Rica the use of marijuana or cannabis for medicinal purposes is still not legalized, but a group of 10 friends decided to start paving the way by creating this association, which has the purpose of “studying the varieties of cannabis and their different scientific, cultural and therapeutic ap...

A Dutchman tried to enter Costa Rica through the Juan Santamaria Airport with methamphetamines hidden in the double lining of his suitcase. The 50-year-old man, of last names Caurbocia Peña, who apparently has no criminal record or pending criminal causes, flew in from Zurich, Switzerland and had a ticket to go back to this same destination on April 10. Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug tha...