Middle East

US Embassy Costa Rica US Embassy Consular Outreach Event in Golfito Costa Rica

The US Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica announced the upcoming Consular event – routine services for U.S. citizens in Golfito. The embassy's Consular staff will be on hand to provide several services in Golfito on January 30th and to answer questions. Those who wish to RSVP for passport renewals, notary services, and federal benefits inquiries, must indicate their preference by writing to ACS...

Trump Iran Iraq Suleimani attack Trump Ordered Airstrike that Killed Qasem Soleimani Head of Iran’s elite Quds Force

The Pentagon confirmed the airstrike perpetrated at Baghdad International Airport this January 2nd and which killed General Qasam Soleimani, key Irani military commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force and Abu Mahdi al Mohandis, vicepresident of Kata’ib Hezbollah and other seven people, was an order of President Donald Trump. “At the direction of the President, the US milit...

North Korea, Iran, Russia, China and President Trump

It would defy all the laws of gravity for President Donald Trump to lose the White House next year. Everything is up – economy is the best in decades, employment for real Americans is at record highs, the stock market almost hit 27,000 for the first time and the U.S. military -- that protects real American citizens -- is getting stronger every day. Our president is 100-percent responsible for thes...

Trump, Iran, death to america, Iranian, Nuclear deal Iranian Leadership Should Takes Some Tips From North Korea or it Could be “Death To Iran”

Iranian fanatics were on full display after President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the United States of America was going rogue pulling out of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal spearheaded by former President Obama and former Secretary of State John Kerry. Right there on the floor of the Iranian Parliament government leaders were jumping up and down screaming “Death to America” while burning an Amer...

Costa Rica Dubai Costa Rica Will Open Business Promotion Office in Dubai

The government of Costa Rica and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed a memorandum of understanding to open a Costa Rican Promotion Office in Dubai, the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The agreement was signed by Majid Safir Al Ghurair chairman of Dubai Chamber and Manuel Gonzalez Sanz, Costa Rica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Global Bu...

Longest Zip Line VIDEO: World’s Longest Zip Line in the UAE Made by Costa Ricans

The world’s longest zip line opened at the end of January on Jebel Jais, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) highest mountain, in the adventure emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, this incredible project was designed and built by Costa Ricans. “At over 2.8 kilometers long it is the equivalent to over 28 soccer fields in length and it’s suspended 1,680 meters above sea level. Riders enjoy incredible views of ...

Qatar Costa Rica Donation Qatar Donates $1 Million to Assist With Damages Caused by Otto and Nate in Costa Rica

Qatar donated US$1million to Costa Rica to be used for the attention and rebuilding process of the áreas affected by tropical storm Nate and Otto hurricane. Through a press release the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that the funds will be deposited in an account of the National Emergency Committee (CNE). “Receiving this generous help from friendly countries is very meaningful. A countr...

USA Jerusalem Recognition Costa Rica Voted Against the US Regarding Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica voted against the United States’ decision of recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. During the United Nations General Assembly which had the presence of 193 member countries, 128 voted in favor of the resolution which condemns the decision of the United States; 9 nations voted against the resolution and 35 abstained. Although the resolut...

Costa Rica United Arab Emirates Embassy The United Arab Emirates Will Open Embassy In Costa Rica

The government of the United Arab Emirates announced their decision to open an embassy in Costa Rica. The announcement was made by Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to Costa Rican chancellor, Manuel Gonzalez Sanz, in an act of reciprocity since the Embassy of the Republic of Costa Rica was officially opened in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. Curre...

Israeli Connected With Akl Money-Lending Ring Deported From Costa Rica

A 59-year-old Israeli man, Lita Jake, was deported from Costa Rica Monday, October 23, 2017 due to his alleged ties with the criminal structure led by the murdered Lebanese, Elías Akl. Akl was assassinated May 15 in Escazú, Costa Rica at the front entrance to a private school in Guachipelín. Police have continued to investigate those connected with Akl, and have made other arrests since his ...

Moin Will United Arab Emirates Come to the Rescue on Costa Rica’s Pending Port Project?

Costa Rican Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, Jhon Fonseca, concluded a third round of negotiations on a recent trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) centered on attracting investments for the country's planned "megaport" on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. At the site of the Moín, Limón port, an expanded facility with improved capacity and logistics aims to be able to receive over two and a h...

Hearings on Costa Rica’s Organ Trafficking Case Are Underway

  Starting this week and lasting until November 30, hearings are taking place at the San José Criminal Court on the case of five men who are accused of illicit trafficking of human organs in Costa Rica. The defendants are Mauro, Fonseca, Monge, Katsigiannis and Mora and are allegedly part of a transnational organization dedicated to human organ trafficking. The men were arrested in 2...

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development in Costa Rica to Talk Investment

A week-long visit to Costa Rica by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) is focussing on investment possibilities, said the Ministry of Foreign Relations in s statement this week. Fund officials from the United Arab Emirates will analyze possibilities and issue a report on Costa Rica's viability as a recipient of investments in areas such as infrastructure and services that have an impact o...

Europe Faces Weight of Terrorism in Wake of Deadly Manchester Suicide Bombing

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  No sooner had President Donald Trump spoken about the continuing threat of radical Islam in Saudi Arabia – the heart of Islam -- a lone suicide bomber walked right up to a pop-music concert in Manchester, England and blew himself up along with 22 others, mostly ...

Costa Rica Woos Middle East Direct Investment With Visits to Jordan and Israel

Costa Rica's Foreign Minister continued on from his meetings in Qatar last week to other regions of the Middle East to continue to court economic interests in Costa Rica's markets.   Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel González held a private meeting last week as part of his participation at the World Economic Forum in Jordan with His Majesty King Abdallah II of Jordan and Jordanian For...

Trump Addresses Arab Summit, Says Islamic Extremism Must End

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  By Britt Nelson On his first trip abroad President Donald Trump sure had the entire world’s attention Sunday, including all the terrorists, when he addressed 55 leaders of Muslim-majority counties, representing more than 1.5 billion Muslims -- at a go...

Costa Rica Strengthens Diplomatic and Trade Ties With Qatar

-- Qatar Airways and Katara Hospitality, a hospitality and tourism investment agency, eye Costa Rica's market. Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel A. González Sanz met Monday with representatives of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce, the Investment Authority - also known as the Sovereign Fund of Qatar, and members of the Qatar Development Fund, said the Foreign Ministry's press office. On this se...

What Will Trump Do Next to Try and Curb Islamic Extremism?

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  With the U.S. Congress out for a 2-week Easter break, President Donald Trump has time to kick some ISIS butt – especially in Egypt – before asking Congress for a declared war against radical Islamic terror in whatever countries it is known to exist. It’s...

Over 300K in Drug Cash Seized at Costa Rica’s Northern and Southern Borders

By late yesterday afternoon, Costa Rica’s Drug Control Police (known as the PCD, in Spanish) had finished counting the cash hidden in a truck attempting to enter into Costa Rica over the northern Peñas Blancas border with Nicaragua. A whopping US$310,380 was found stacked in 12 neatly wrapped packages, and meticulously placed under the front passenger’s seat in part of the air conditioning syst...

Costa Rica and Palestine Sign Historic Cooperation Agreement

This week the legislature approved in a second and final debate a cooperation agreement between the Republic of Costa Rica and Palestine that supports technical, economic, scientific and cultural cooperation activities, as reported in various Costa Rican media. The original agreement was signed in 2013, but faced some legal hurdles in the legislature. One vocal detractor, National Liberation...

Lebanese Sentenced to 12 Years for Human Smuggling in Costa Rica

The recent trial of a Lebanese man by the last name of Anis led to him receiving a 12-year prison sentence for smuggling migrants, reported the judiciary press office today. His trial was held earlier this month in the Criminal Court of Corredores, Puntarenas province,in the southern border region with Panama. He was sentenced to “aggravated illicit trafficking of persons” for his activities...

US Men arrested Costa Rica scam calls Israeli Shot Dead Near La Sabana Park in San José, Costa Rica

This morning at 5:20 a.m. police responded to a report of a man being shot in Sabana Sur, a residential neighborhood on the southern side of San José's La Sabana Metropolitan Park. The man, identified as Michael Chain Caspi (48) and of Israeli nationality, was here on one of his occasional visits to the country, said Judicial Investigative Police (OIJ) in a press conference this morning. Acc...

Costa Rica Syria Refugees Project Habesha, Costa Rica will Provide Scholarship to Syrian Refugee

The International Project Habesha and Cenfotec University are gathering efforts to provide a Syrian refugee with the necessary financial help so he can conclude his college studies. The young man/women has yet to be selected through an interview process, “We are working together with NGO’s and educational centers in the Middle East that represent the first contact to recommend candidates for th...

US Court Rules 3-0 to Uphold Suspension of Trump Travel Ban

Washington, DC, Feb. 9 — Federal appellate judges on Thursday decided unanimously to uphold an injunction issued by a lower court last week blocking President Donald Trump's executive order to temporarily bar residents of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. This is the 45th president's first major legal challenge, and his first major blow, after signing numerous execu...

US Appeals Court Set to Rule on Trump’s Travel Ban

The United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, Feb. 7 to determine the immediate future of the immigration ban implemented by the U.S. president, which has been blocked by a federal judge. Government attorneys presented their arguments on Monday to the San Francisco-based tribunal, which will now decide whether to reinstate the travel ban on all refugees and on ...

US Reviews Nuclear Pact in Wake of Iran Missile Tests

Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday that the Donald Trump administration is "evaluating" whether or not it will continue to maintain the nuclear agreement with Iran and five great powers, a pact the new president harshly criticized during his election campaign. "Well, we're evaluating that as we speak," Pence told ABC News in a Sunday interview in response to a question about whether the Trump ...

US Court Rejects Trump’s Appeal to Maintain Travel Ban

Madrid, Feb 5 — A United States appeals court on Sunday, Feb. 5 rejected a request by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to reinstate a travel ban on entry to the U.S. for citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries. This means the nationwide halt on the ban continues to be in effect for all the affected countries. The Washington State Attorney General's Office said in a Twitter po...

Palestinian Rights Committee to Convene in Managua, Nicaragua

By Wendy Anders The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will convene at the Holiday Inn–Convention Center in Managua, Nicaragua this weekend, said the United Nations General Assembly. The theme of the event is, "Building Bridges with the Palestinian Diaspora in Central America" and comes near the fiftieth anniversary of the Israeli occupation of Pale...

Costa Rica Immigration US Judge Partially Blocks Trump’s Widely Criticized Immigration Ban

A United States federal judge on Saturday blocked part of the controversial ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries imposed by the U.S. President. Judge Ann M. Donnelly of the Federal District Court in Brooklyn ruled that refugees or other people affected by the measure and who have arrived at U.S. airports cannot be deported to their countries. In an emergency hearing, the judge...

Trump Islamic State Trump gives Pentagon 30 days to present strategy for defeating Islamic State

The president of the United States on Saturday signed an executive order giving the Defense Department 30 days to present a strategy for defeating the Islamic State terrorist group. Donald Trump also signed another order to reorganize the White House National Security Council, a forum the US president uses to address issues of national security and foreign policy with advisers and cabinet members...

United Arab Emirates Donates $10M to Costa Rica for Reconstruction

By Wendy Anders The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will donate $10 million (more than ₡5.5 billion colones) for the repair and restoration of aqueducts in communities destroyed by the passage of Hurricane Otto, said the Costa Rican government. This was one of the main tangible outcomes of a recent official Costa Rican delegation, the country’s first, to the Middle East. In addition to this vi...

Costa Rica Strengthens Commercial and Diplomatic Ties in Middle East

Costa Rican president, Luis Guillermo Solís, during his visit this month to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah announced his country will establish an embassy and commercial office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In an interview with EFE during his first tour of an Arab state, he said that the opening of both initiatives has already been approved with the goal of "broadening and consolidating bila...

Iraq War Vet Held in Fatal Shooting, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Airport

Miami, Jan. 6 — The man who fatally shot five people and wounded eight others Friday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) appears to have acted alone, authorities said, stressing that it was too early to say whether the motive was terrorism. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told a press conference at the scene that the shooter offered no resistance when officers arrested ...

Human Rights Group Scorns Israeli’s Orders to Kill Palestinians

Jerusalem, Jan. 2 — Several senior Israeli officials have urged soldiers and police to "shoot-to-kill" Palestinians since a wave of attacks began in Oct. 2015, the international Human Rights Watch denounced in a report published Monday. According to the study, Israeli officials have encouraged soldiers and police to kill Palestinians suspected of attacking Israelis, even in cases where they pos...

Israeli Occupation of Palestine Condemned by World Leaders

Gaza City, Palestine, Dec 24 — The Islamist movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad welcomed on Saturday the resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council against Jewish settlements and considered it a "change" in the policy of the international community. Hamas welcomes this resolution and welcomes the positive changes in international stances supporting Palestinian rights in international...

Trump’s True Challenge: To Foster Lasting Peace in the Middle East

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff. By Britt Nelson All you need to do is take one look at Exxon Mobile Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson to know President-elect Donald Trump means ‘business’ with his pick for U.S. Secretary of State. Tillerson is no gloomy, boring career politician turned diplom...

How Many Wars Is the U.S. Fighting in the Middle East? And Why?

By Wendy Anders U.S. soldiers exiting Iraq; a large portion were affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. File photo. A senior analyst at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs in Providence, Rhode Island last week expressed outrage at the slew of bombings being carried out by the U.S. throughout the Middle East in the wake of recent attacks on Yemen. ...

UN Cultural Agency Adopts Controversial Resolution on Jerusalem

Mexico, Oct 18 — The executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved a controversial resolution on Jerusalem's holy sites yesterday that has sparked the outrage of Israel, a spokesman said. Israeli soldiers at the Temple Mount, source Facebook. The international agency's board adopted the motion by consensus (24 votes in favor), alth...

Russia: U.S. Actions a Threat to Our National Security

MOSCOW, Oct. 9 -- Tensions continue to rise between the United States and Russia as the Russian foreign minister said Sunday recent actions and statements threaten his country's national security. Russian marines take part in the landing operation during the strategic military exercises at the Khmelevka training range in the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea in 2009. More recently, in Octob...

First Nicaragua, Now Cuba: Iran Warms Up to Latin America

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (C) listens during an official meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) and then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) during an official state visit by the Nicaraguan president to Iran in 2007. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif began his first Latin American visit Monday in Havana, where he met with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodrigu...