Geneva, Switzerland, December 2 2012 – IECEE, the IEC System of Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components, welcomes the Republic of Kazakhstan as its newest member country. Kazakhstan’s membership in IECEE puts it on a par with its partners in the EEC (Eurasian Economic Commission), a three-member Customs Union also consisting of the Republic of Belarus and the...

Washington, D.C., December 2 2012 (PAHO/WHO) — Increased access to antiretroviral treatment has changed the face of the HIV epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, helping tens of thousands of people to live longer and healthier lives while also helping prevent HIV transmission between sexual partners and from mothers to infants. Building on this success—say experts at the Pan American Hea...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published numerous articles about outsourcing in Costa Rica. -Softline International Group continues its expansion in Latin America with the opening of its headquarters in Costa Rica for Central America. -Meli Figueres, assumes the role and strategy of expansion in Costa Rica as General Manager, supported by the LATAM Emerging Business Director, Richard Po...

We wish to announce our upcoming exhibition "Boom Goes the Tropics," by Florencia Urbina at the Hidden Garden Art Gallery. The opening will be on Saturday December 1st from 10:00 am to 4:00 p.m. We invite you to attend, and would appreciate your exposure of the event online or in print. Please contact us for any additional information or high-resolution photos. Transforming light and ...

Government utility Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) seeks bids from consultants to determine Costa Rica's ocean energy potential for electricity generation. Bids are due December 7. ICE seeks analysis of electricity generation potential of waves, currents, tides, and other marine sources on its Caribbean and Pacific coasts. The selected consultant is to: determine theoretical and t...

The logo and mascot of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2014 have been unveiled at the official presentation to launch the fourth edition of the tournament. Costa Rica’s political and sporting leaders were present at the event, which took place on Wednesday 21 November in the capital San Jose. Costa Rica is the first Central American country to host a FIFA women’s tournament of any ag...

Once again, the local creativity will have an original venue to showcase art! Fresh ideas, creativity and emergent artistic proposals will showcase at the coming “Pecha Kucha Night, San José Costa Rica 2012” this coming Wednesday November 28th on the 6th floor and the rooftop of the new parking building of Avenida Escazú (one block to the right from Starbucks). 15 artistic voices will talk to u...

San José, Costa Rica - Nov. 17th - The First Regional Forum for youths from the Costarican Caribbean coast “Climate Change and youth leadership: actions for the future”, was held on November 10th and 11th 2012, executed by Manos a la Costa Project, with the support of the European Union. This forum was organized by the Foundation for Peace and Democracy (FUNPADEM), the National Biodiversity Ins...

Washington, D.C., November 15, 2012 (PAHO/WHO) — Diabetes has become a leading cause of death and disability in the Region of the Americas, and if current trends continue, the burden of the disease will increase substantially over the next two decades, according to experts at the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). On November 14, PAHO/WHO will celebrate World...

Down at WLTG 97 and a bit a zany cast of characters are coming together to put on a traditional Live Radio Christmas Show. Unfortunately times are hard and their sponsors, Claus and Kringle, makers of an organic green “high octane” fuel called Reindeer Nuggets, --- ” … They’re bigger than diamonds, better than coal!” ---- are threatening to close the account if the show does not meet th...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published an in depth article about the serene and peaceful Amatierra Yoga Retreat and Wellness Center in the mountains 50 minutes west of San Jose. For those of you who are Costa Rican residents or nationals, you can take advantage of their current promotion of $60 per person, nightly for a suite, including breakfast and dinner (based on double occupancy).   ...

Infosys BPO has announced that it will establish a service center in Costa Rica to serve the American market and support its growth in Latin America. A press release from the Costa Rican Coalition for Development Initiatives (CINDE) reads: -Infosys Technologies Limited is a global service information technology company based in Bangalore, India. -It is one of the largest IT companies glob...

Washington, D.C., November 9, 2012 (PAHO/WHO)- Three government-supported anti-malaria programs from Paraguay, Brazil, and Ecuador were named Malaria Champions of the Americas this week for their success in reducing the burden of malaria through improved diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance. The winners were honored during an event marking the 6th annual Malaria Day in the Americas, at the h...

In the recent past The Costa Rica Star has published about the Costa Rica Easy social network. Living in Costa Rica is a dream for many people, but the distance it creates between friends and family can often lead to feeling lonely and transplanted into a different culture. A great cure for this is video conferencing with your friends and family, which can be achieved on the Costa Rica Easy soc...

The Costa Rica Adventure Race, hosts of the AR World Championships 2013, have just opened entries to 40 additional registration spots for general entry teams. The AR World Series unites in competition the worlds best endurance athletes at premiere Qualifier events around the globe. The top two teams at each of these races gain a coveted position on the start line of the annual pinnacle of the s...

ImportGenius.com, a U.S. company that specializes in providing enormous datasets to companies in the international trade industry, today announced that they have added a 10th country to their growing Latin American datasets: Costa Rica! ImportGenius.com’s new database of shipping manifests for Costa Rica reveals the trading activities of the country’s importers and exporters. By revealing shipp...

Whether surfing familiar swells or venturing out on a surf vacation, Surf Survival Camp could help you gain basic medical skills to keep you and your buddies safer. Dr. Andrew Nathanson, co-author of the best selling handbook Surf Survival, will arrive in Nosara on November 10 and plans to share his knowledge of emergency and marine medicine during Surf Survival Camp hosted by Harmony Hotel that w...

When Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman travelled to Costa Rica in 2009 after graduating from San Diego State University, they were just looking for a fun trip to celebrate their accomplishments and unwind before starting the job hunt. They never imagined that a finding in a small beach community would be the catalyst for their own successful business, one which not only generates profits, but als...

A new music festival that will bring world class musicians and rising stars together on one stage has been born in the southern pacific zone of Costa Rica. The first annual Best Fest promises to be an amazing event featuring musical genres such as reggae, latin, jazz, rock, blues, and more performed by bands from Costa Rica and the United States. The Best Fest invites audiences of all ages to expe...

Notice to the readers of The Costa Rica Star: We have met with many Costa Rica based Cosmetic and general Dentists, and thought very carefully before deciding who to promote on our website. We believe that Meza Dental Care is the best choice for your Dental needs in Costa Rica, in part because they have been in business since 1995 with a focus on treating Dental tourists from the US and Ca...

Let's Xplore Costa Rica Tours & Transfers is located in the heart of Tamarindo on the Pacific North West. Denise Hazell & Paul Bobadilla, as your hosts have been long time locals of the area and very well travelled throughout Costa Rica and beyond. Denise is a Canadian transplant from Southern Ontario, Canada who started traveling to Costa Rica in 1989 (and just kept coming back) and has lived he...

With all of the news about the health crisis in the United States and other countries around the world, people are becoming more aware about the dangers of consuming excess sugar, chemicals and other harmful food additives. Eating clean and simple foods at home is a good way to avoid encountering these dining pitfalls, however sometimes it is nice to enjoy a meal outside of the home. The p...

Costa Rica's Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art telemarketing outsourcing call center located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica in Central America. Our bilingual call centers primary objective is to personally fulfill your need of key BPO call center telemarketing services. The main focus of every BPO outsourcing campaign will always be to personally educated and enhance the skills ...

From November 1st to November 3rd 2012, The Costa Rica Star will be receiving press releases about local businesses here in Costa Rica. If you own or manage a local business and would like us to publish an article about it in our press release section, please read carefully below, normally this service costs $100 USD per press release. However, we are giving away free press releases to those of yo...

Humane Society International applauds Miami-based Carnival Corporation – the world’s largest cruise company – for improving farm animal welfare by working to eliminate controversial pig gestation crates from its pork supply chain. The tiny cages are used to virtually immobilize breeding pigs. “Carnival Corporation & plc supports the pork industry’s movement away from gestation crates and will w...

For all of you who have lived in and around Costa Rica for awhile now, you have undoubtedly experienced water skiing, jet skies, surfing, and other water sports. While, make sure you are sitting when you read the rest of this, imagine flying under water with a totally new water sport experience called, SUBWING. SUBWING is a product invented by 20 year old Simon Sivertsen during a sail t...

Evanescence will perform live in Costa Rica for the first time. The amazing voice of Amy Lee accompanied by the sound of the Evanescence band will rock Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in Tibás. Evanescence is an American rock band founded back in 1995 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The group consisted singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After many single releases, Evanescence released t...

Finca Luna Nueva will be hosting its second “Slow Food in the Rainforest” luncheon in celebration of Terra Madre Day on December 9, 2012. It will be a fun and exciting day at our eco-lodge in the rainforest. The event will start between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. with an introductory gathering in Casa Luna where we will serve fresh juice, coffee or tea, and galletas, after which the group will spli...

Washington, D.C., 26 October 2012 (PAHO/WHO) – A mobile application that enables health professionals to make evidence-based decisions on students’ health, while on-the-go, was launched by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization this week, during the Ninth Regional Congress on Health Sciences Information (CRICS9). The new eGSHS mobile application provides access to data f...

(BRUSSELS – 26/10/2012) A new report released by EuropeanVoice this week examines the policies and practises tasked with correcting the world’s climate change challenges. International Climate negotiations The next major meeting of international climate negotiators will start on 26 November in Doha and run until 7 December. One of the big issues will be outlining the rules of the second Kyot...

NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2012 - KPS Capital Partners, LP ("KPS") announced today that it signed a definitive agreement to sell its portfolio company, North American Breweries Holdings, LLC ("NAB" or the "Company"), to Cerveceria Costa Rica, S.A. ("CCR"), a subsidiary of Florida Ice and Farm Company, S.A., for $388 million in cash. NAB is one of the largest independently owned beer companies in the ...

PAHO/WHO Technical Advisory Group on Vaccine-preventable Diseases makes recommendation in view of the challenge to guarantee a steady supply of priority vaccines and maintain achievements to date. Washington, DC, October 25, 2012 (PAHO/WHO)—The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) on Vaccine-preventable Diseases has recommen...

On offer in Juan Santamaria International Airport are spaces for a gift shop, an ice cream parlor and coffee shop, a fast food outlet, and spaces for ATMs. Aeris Holding Costa Rica, the company managing the Juan Santamaria Airport, has opened a contest for 3 commercial spaces: a gift shop, with flowers, cards and other items, an ice cream parlor and coffee shop, selling juices and the like, and...

Negotiations are being conducted with the National Network of Spanish Railways for a passenger train to join the urban centers of Cartago and Alajuela. A statement from the Presidency reads: Vice president Liberman seeks options for passenger train between Alajuela and Cartago. Madrid, October 22, 2012: The Vice President, Luis Liberman, participated this morning in a series of meetings w...

Dear friends and colleagues of Pretoma: Pretoma hereby wishes to express its sincere thanks to each one of you, whom at one time or another, for over a year, supported the campaign “Shark Fin Imports…Is Shark Finning.” With the signing of the decree “Ban on Shark Finning, importation and transportation, and transfer and possession of fins on board any vessel inside territorial waters”, Octob...

Seven Costa Rican properties take coveted spots on the list’s top resorts in Central and South America. The Costa Rica Tourism Board is thrilled to announce that Costa Rica was the most celebrated destination in Central America in the 2012 Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards released this week. The top honors went to the region’s favorite hotels and resorts, as voted by the readers of ...

Halloween with Little Theatre Group (LTG) will be happening this year at the Tin Jo Restaurant on Saturday November 3rd 2012. Starting at 8pm, the talented actors of LTG will be providing suitably scary entertainment for your enjoyment. Under the management of our favourite ghoul (Kevin Huey), LTG will be offering its members a very special night of horror.  Scary stories, silly skits, 'Name that ...

An Akron-based satellite telecommunications company has won its lengthy fight to do business in Costa Rica. VSAT Systems has been trying to get a license from the Costa Rican government for more than three years to offer satellite services in the Central American country. Company attorneys received a call “out of the blue” recently from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative saying the ...

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica (Oct. 22, 2012) –Humane Society International- Latin America and the Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal (SENASA), the Costa Rican animal health service, celebrated the signing of an agreement to join together to work for improved animal welfare standards. “In recent years, SENASA has become increasingly involved in the fight against dogfighting, an activity which oftentimes ...

Help SASY! stop animal suffering by bidding high and bidding often at this year’s Annual Charity Auction. It is guaranteed to be a groovy party with over 200 items up for bid. Take part in our Live and Silent Auctions with hundreds of items in health, beauty, travel and much more! Don’t forget – all proceeds raised benefit the all-volunteer SASY! Organization working hard to end animal suf...