If it seemed last year that every time you wanted to drive someplace, you were thwarted by another demonstration protest of this or that, State of the Nation researchers say you're right. Last year, there were 632 street demonstrations, nearly an average of two per day. The only time an administration has experienced more was during ex-President Jose Maria Figueres second year in office in 1995...

Former President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias will marry again this Saturday, Nov. 17, at a private ceremony at his home in Pavas. His bride is Suzanne Fischel who has been his girl-friend for three years. This is the second marriage for the politician and statesman. His first wife, Margarita Peñon, served as his elegant, intelligent First Lady during his first term of office in the...

Costa Rican women not only devote to household chores more than double the time men do, but also allocate more time to their professional training, according to local media. According to surveys of the National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC), the women have less leisure due to their double responsibility at work and at home, but they study more to reinforce their training. They spend...

Delays in the construction of the large hydropower projects and increases in their costs are making the future level of electricity tariffs unpredictable. Elfinancierocr.com reports that "the Association of Major Power Consumers (Acograce) and the Chamber of Industries (CIRC) believe it is time for the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) to improve and streamline their internal processes,...

Panamanian drug agents captured ex-OIJ detective Mauricio Garcia, 40, aboard his yacht Oct. 20. The yacht was anchored just off the province of Bocas del Toro in Panama waters with 633 kilos (more than 1000 lbs.) of cocaine aboard. Garcia was arrested by OIJ 18 years ago and, along with two others, was condemned to 12 years in prison for the murder of Costa Rican farmer Ciro Monge. He completed...

Of all the political parties in the country, not even the Citizen Action Party (PAC) is as split as Social Christian Unity. The big decision: Calderon or not Calderon. Last week, the party hierarchy decided on next May 19 as the critical date for the party to choose its flag bearer for the 2014 elections. For the young anti-Calderonistas, it is a battle for the soul and future of Unity. The ...

The legalization of recreational marijuana use in the states of Colorado and Washington last week will lead Latin America to increasingly question the merits of the war on drugs, said Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla. The first U.S. states to decriminalize will spur demand at a time when Central American nations and Mexico are paying a high price to halt shipments, Chinchilla said in an i...

Recently reported on The Costa Rica Star Facebook page was a video of this scuffle. What had begun as a peaceful demonstration protesting long waiting lists for medical care in front of the universal health care (Caja) headquarters on San Jose's Av. 2 Thursday morning turned ugly by nightfall. Riot police confronted demonstrators, including two Citizen Action Party (PAC) lawmakers, to try to...

A new law that prohibits hunting for sport could have a small affect on tourism in the area, according to Norma Rodriguez Garro, in charge of protected areas for MINAET in Nicoya. The proposed Reforms and Additions to the Wildlife Conservation Law was declared constitutional after review by the Sala IV on Wednesday, November 7th, opening the way for it to be put to the second and final vote by ...

Those affected are mainly young men, as young as 17 years old, who conduct manual labor and farm work. Officials at Costa Rica’s Social Security System (CCSS- Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) have reported an alarming increase in potentially fatal chronic kidney disease cases in different parts of the country. Guanacaste is the most affected region. In simple terms, chronic kidney diseas...

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).   ...

A surprise operation seeking bogus drivers licenses netted 95 drivers with falsified documents and landed two Traffic Safety Council (COSEVI) officials in jail. Four other low level COSEVI officials also were arrested. Judicial detectives from the OIJ police agency have been working on the case for weeks and agency officials do not discount further arrests. One of the first drivers caught with ...

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...

Getting a mobile crane off a collapsed bridge is not a simple matter, Ministry of Public Works (MOPT) officials found Thursday. The driver of the massive 84-ton Quiros S.A. mobile crane tried to cross a Bailey bridge on the General Cañas Highway Tuesday afternoon with disastrous results. The bridge, with a load-bearing limit of 40 tons, collapsed, causing a nightmare for commuters on the San Jo...

Usually, the appeal on even a high-profile case is a routine affair, filled with esoteric legal points. But the corruption case of defendants in the ICE-Alcatel case involving ex-President Miguel Angel Rodriguez is exceptional. A key prosecution point in that case was when Jose Antonio Lobo made a deal with the prosecution to turn state's evidence in exchange for a lighter sentence. But Rodr...

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...

This is the first in a series of recipe articles that will be published on The Costa Rica Star to compliment our news publishing content. Ingredients -1 cup long-grain white rice -2 cups low-sodium chicken broth -1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice -1 lime, juiced -2 tablespoons olive oil -1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish -2 garlic cloves, minced -1 teasp...

The outcry that has followed the enactment three days ago of Costa Rica’s highly controversial cybercrime law has forced the government into a hasty about-turn. It announced today that the legislation, which provides for up to 10 years’ imprisonment for publishing “secret political information”, would not apply to journalists. The law is not confined to national security but could also be appli...

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...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published extensively on Skateboarding in Costa Rica. Costa Rican skateboarders, and in particular those who practice in this sport on Nicoya streets, are being singled out in a new piece of legislation aimed at making roads safer across the country. The legislation, entitled “Law Number 9078,” is an 111-page document making a great number of changes to ex...

Both in the Great Tempisque Wetland and at the river mouth, populations of crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus), far from diminishing, have tripled in recent years. For Laura Porras, researcher from Instituto Internacional de Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre de la Universidad Nacional (ICOMVIS-UNA), (International Academic Institute for Conservation and Wildlife Management National University)...

There are few better destinations in the world for wildlife spotting than Costa Rica. The government is renowned for its progressive environmental policies and has made great efforts to protect the country’s rainforests and marine habitats.As a result, there is a network of 26 national parks and a selection of privately-owned reserves where the landscape has been preserved in its natural state. On...

The State of the Nation researchers have come up with a startling figure from a recent poll, especially significant this time of the year: One in five Costa Rican workers do not receive a Christmas bonus (aguinaldo) and one-third lack such guarantees as sick pay, paid vacations, and workplace accident insurance. This is shocking for a nation whose laws appear to outsiders to benefit its work...

Firms in Costa Rica exporting abroad employ 554,690 persons, according to the PROCOMER foreign trade promotion agency. The agency adds that 53% of the employees are in agricultural exports and that the total number of jobs includes tourism sector employees. In all, some 2,485 companies rely on exports for income. The figures come from a survey conducted by the National Institute of Statistics a...

The auditing arm of the Environment Ministry says commercial fishermen have received $112 million in subsidized fuel for their boats in seven years -- and have used it for fishing in protected areas and other illegal activities. The auditors called for elimination of the subsidy, although their boss, Environment Minister Rene Castro, was not prepared to go that far. But he harshly criticized IN...

This country continued to have bridge troubles, this time when a giant crane caused one of four Bailey bridges on the heavily traveled General Canas Highway to collapse under its weight. The load bearing capacity of a Bailey bridge is 40 tons but the huge crane that tried, unsuccessfully, to cross weighed in at 84 tons. It was registered as belonging to the Quiros S.A. company. The collapsed...

With US President Barack Obama staying in office via an electoral landslide, in Costa Rica the questions become less vague or theoretical, and more focused on the internal effects. Following are 4 points of reaction in Costa Rica as the president starts his second term. Most Ticos like Obama -- after getting through the initial name game (Obama vs. Osama), most Costa Ricans were pleased to see Oba...

The Superintendency of Telecommunications has revised its decision to make the return frequencies conditional for cable companies merging with the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad. The purchase of the cable company Cable Vision by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) had been conditional by the Superintendency of Telecommunications (SUTEL) on the waiver of airwaves segment...

The new Minister of Public Works has acknowledged decades of delays in maintaining the country’s bridges, and has announced a tender for repairs and maintenance. Minister Castro enlisted the help of the National Laboratory of Materials and Structural Models of the University of Costa Rica (LANAMME), to ensure the technical validity of the tender to be convened for the repair of bridges on roa...

The Minister of Health of Costa Rica, Dr Daisy Corrales aims to strengthen the AIDS response among key populations at higher risk in her country, which is where the epidemic remains concentrated. During a meeting with UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé on 6 November at the UNAIDS Headquarters in Geneva, Dr Corrales highlighted the focus of her Ministry in developing HIV communications and edu...

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Costa Rica is negotiating a $400 million loan from the World Bank to pay back a debt with the country's social security institute, President Laura Chinchilla said on Tuesday. Chinchilla made the announcement at a meeting with World Bank officials to sign a smaller loan of $200 million to support four public universities. "Education and health have become top financing and d...

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...

A Central Bank study published in the national newspaper La Nacion gives good news for taxpayers here. The Social Security health system (Caja) has led other agencies in improving financial conditions. The Caja, last year teetering on the brink of disaster until it was bailed out by a special government grant, has apparently stabilized its finances this year through a combination of cutting bur...

For the fifth year in a row, the U.S. Embassy and Costa Rica’s D.A.R.E. Foundation are joining together to pay tribute to DEA Special Agent Enrique Kiki Camarena who was murdered by Mexican drug traffickers in 1985. Over a week, known as Red Ribbon Week, students from different primary and high schools will receive special training in the prevention of drug use and abuse, participate in cultu...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published extensively on Monsanto in Costa Rica. While United States citizens will be lining up at the polls to vote on Tuesday, November 6th, Costa Ricans will be handing in the first batch of public signatures against Monsanto’s genetically modified corn seeds. Signatures will be handed over at 12:30 p.m. to the State Phytosanitary Service, which is ...

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...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published about uncontrolled land development and zoning in San Jose. Few people, other than La Nacion reporters, remember that back in late 2003, a plan was set afoot, with great gravity and fanfare, to bring order to the chaos that is the Greater Metropolitan Area. Studies, of course, didn't get started until nearly a year later. Well, reported La Nacion...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published extensively on video game culture in Costa Rica. Although you may be crazy about video games, are you crazy enough to think like an ant? That is the theme of a new video challenge from the Costa Rica-based Sabor Studios, the same crazies who brought you Pota-Toss that puts a preminum on throwing potatoes for survival. The new game, sold in App...

Around 3,000 striking workers from Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) achieved the goal of their protest, to lift the purchasing restrains that Superintendencia de Telecomunicación (Sutel) imposed. To go ahead with the acquisition of Cable Vision company, Sutel had asked ICE to return several radio-electronic frequencies but today it recanted. Jorge Arguedes, president of Asociaci...