Source: Green Lava The burgeoning sector of video game development in Costa Rica is picking up speed and attracting international attention. Thanks to an initiative by PROCOMER, which is a government agency in charge of marketing trade and exports, six video game development firms from Costa Rica will exhibit their work and expertise at one of the most important business expos in this field. T...

Source: Fuerza Publica Fuerza Publica officers assigned to the National Border Police of Costa Rica spent an entire night walking across beaches, rivers and the thick jungle of Burica, near the southern border with Panama, to rescue an indigenous child of the Ngöbe Bugle (or guaymí) ethnicity. The child was suffering from an acute and dangerous infection due to a wound that he had sustained da...

Source: Flickr Sand Sign, a multi-national artistic project featuring Andres Amador, is launching a social initiative for Valentine's Day 2015. For one month, the campaign will be collecting messages with love declarations to draw them on some of the world's most beautiful beaches so that a World Record can be established. As expected, Costa Rica is one of the countries participating in this r...

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today observes World Radio Day, a special celebration of one of the most significant inventions in the field of broadcasting and communications. Per the UNESCO:   From news and public debate to music and entertainment, radio continues to inform, captivate and inspire us in a way that no other medium can. Radio i...

Screenshot from Archive.org From late 2006 until late 2012, a high-class call girl named Kattia captivated the minds of readers in Costa Rica with titillating prose and highly erotic writing style. Kattia's experiences as a highly paid prostitute who was eager to please her clients in Costa Rica appeared in the defunct magazine SoHo, published by the Grupo Nacion media empire. Kattia was on...

An alleged fraudster from the United States has reportedly spent the last nine months in the prestigious CIMA Hospital near San Jose, where he is supposed to be in the custody of officers from Fuerza Pública, the national police force of Costa Rica. The suspect was remanded to a correctional center by a criminal court back in May of 2014. Cyrus Anoushirvan Sepher, a 51-year old male with Irania...

The students, faculty, and staff of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego have prepared a petition to President Luis Guillermo Solís asking that the Jairo Mora loved to teach children about nature. Wikimedia Commons mishandling of evidence during the trial of Jairo Mora Sandoval's alleged killers be investigated and also that protection for enviro...

Amanda Hellman A few days ago, The Costa Rica Star reported on an incident whereby a photojournalist on assignment for Diario Extra was viciously attacked by a tour operator in the Sarapiqui River. Reporter Alfonso Gatjens was investigating the tragic death of Amanda Hellman, a woman from the United States who lost her life during a kayaking tour of the river, which had been subject to incleme...

Playa Brasilito A woman vacationing in Playa Brasilito, one of Costa Rica's Gold Coast beaches located in the province of Guanacaste, lost her life in the surf this weekend. According to a report published by daily tabloid Diario Extra, the woman was an Italian tourist named Patricia Taburiny, who was 64 years of age. Unlike other, recent reports of tourist drownings in Costa Rica, heavy surf ...

Wikimedia Commons A survey recently commissioned across Central America and Mexico by Saba, a brand of health and personal care products, indicates that 90 percent of women in Costa Rica are very mindful of their nether regions. This much can be ascertained by the following statistics gleaned from the survey study: 90 percent of women in Costa Rica (Ticas) between the ages of 14 and 65 eit...

Wikimedia Commons A smoky and hazy issue seems to be unfolding between the Ministry of Public Health (Spanish initials: MSP) and the Chamber of Hotels in Costa Rica. Chamber members are fuming because they consider that the MSP is misinterpreting the Anti-Tobacco Control Law #9028, which has been a source of discontent with regard to its interpretation, implementation and enforcement over the ...

Twin ultrasound. Source: Wikimedia Commons Earlier this year, a couple from Tabarcia, a semi-rural and suburban community in the province of San Jose, arrived in the San Juan de Dios Metropolitan Hospital with high hopes of experiencing the delivery of twin baby girls. This expectation was based on five ultrasound imaging procedures, which showed Ms. Leidy Ureña was pregnant with two girls. Ms...

In late 2014, when crude oil prices were plunging in the commodities exchanges around the world, consumers were delighted to finally find relief at the pump. In Guatemala, for example, gasoline and diesel prices in December dropped by 23 percent on a year-over-year basis. In Costa Rica, however, the reduction did not even reach 10 percent, and the country still features the most expensive fossil f...

The Sarapiqui River A journalist investigating the death of a woman from the United States was physically assaulted by an entrepreneur who provides river rafting tours in Costa Rica. Such was the report published by Diario Extra, the daily tabloid which assigned Alfonso Gatjens to look into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Amanda Hellman, a woman from the U.S. who died in the ...

Playa Hermosa Guanacaste This past Monday, a retired woman from Montreal and her two-year old grandniece tragically drowned in Playa Santa Teresa, located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. According to the Toronto Sun, Andree Hamel rushed into the surf to save little Jasmine, who was born in Costa Rica; alas, both were caught in the strong undertow produced by dangerous rip current condition...

Source: Ricardo Retana - Twitter With picket signs, banners, slogans, songs, and a general feeling of indignation, a march in memory of slain environmentalist Jairo Mora took place in San Jose on Thursday, January 29th. Demonstrators were united by a common sentiment and desire to see justice prevail in Jairo's memory. Jairo Mora was 26 years old when he was killed by a group of poachers in...

RCMP crest On Wednesday, January 21st, the Office of Judicial Investigations (Spanish initials: OIJ) began looking into the disappearance of Canadian businessman Ryan Craig Piercy, who is believed to have been taken hostage by captors demanding 272 million colones as ransom payment, which is more than $500K in today's currency exchange rate. Yesterday, daily tabloid Diario Extra reported th...

Source: Wikimedia Commons In a video statement broadcast by Noticias 24 in Venezuela, one of many state-owned media outlets in the troubled South American nation, President Nicolás Maduro affirmed that a group of terrorists have traveled to Costa Rica with the intention of threatening him. Such was the report published by online news daily CRHoy.com earlier today. President Maduro is one of...

Jairo Mora Sandoval The seven men charged with the gruesome murder of environmental activist Jairo Mora Sandoval, who was killed while exercising his passion of protecting the sea turtles that massively arrive in Costa Rica during their nesting season, have been cleared of homicide. The murder occurred in late May 2013, and an organized gang of sea turtle poachers was believed to be behind the...

Source: Flickr Commons SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Jan. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Tyrexpo2015, which is poised to become among the Western Hemisphere's most important trade shows, is just 15 weeks away! The three-day event runs fromApril 29 through May 1, 2015 at the Pedregal Convention Center in San Jose, Costa Rica. Anticipation is mounting: The premiere exhibition of Tyrexpo2015 promises to be an ...

Three elderly tourists from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom have lost their lives at sea while enjoying a catamaran cruise off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Acting President Ana Helena Chacon, who is currently in office as President Luis Guillermo Solis is on an official trip to China, held a press conference during which she indicated that 106 passengers were rescued after the...

Source: Cruz Roja Costarricense James Michael Lindsay was 67 years old when he tragically passed away in Costa Rica. He was standing in line at an airline counter of the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) when he felt ill and asked for help. Red Cross rescuers on duty at SJO determined that Mr. Lindsay suffered a cardiac arrest and started basic, and later advanced, lifesaving procedu...

File Photo An armed man was shot dead by Tourism Police officers in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica after a foot pursuit in a mountainous forest. According to a report by Evelin Andino Espinoza of daily tabloid Diario Extra, Tourism Police officers assigned to Punta Uva of Manzanillo, province of Limon, were in pursuit of various armed suspects when one of them suddenly fired multiple times...

Source: Flickr CC The loveable city of San Jose will be filled with horses this Friday, and by the end of the traditional Tope (equestrian parade), there will be plenty of horse fecal matter left on the street and sidewalks of Costa Rica’s capital. As reported by Annie Innecken Zúñiga of daily tabloid Diario Extra, this year’s Tope will begin next to the train tracks on Plaza Gonzalez Viquez; ...

Overall good weather will be enjoyed by families and tourists in Costa Rica over the holidays. According to a weather forecast reported by national television network Repretel, sunny skies and moderate breeze will be predominant during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Average daytime temperatures will fluctuate between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius (71 to 72 Fahrenheit). After the sunset, however, a s...

Source: Flickr Commons Since Monday, the number of complaints by workers who have not received their mandatory holiday bonus, known as Aguinaldo, has climbed to 70. According to a report filed by Jarmon Noguera of daily newspaper La Prensa Libre, the Ministry of Labor has entered 24 judicial actions against employers who have not yet paid the 13th month of pay as dictated by law in Costa Rica....

Over the last few days, iPhone users who subscribe to the popular Kolbi wireless carrier in Costa Rica have noticed that they can no longer navigate the Web or use some apps and simultaneously manage a voice call. The crux of this technical issue is that 3G access seems to goes away when a connection is made to another wireless phone or to a data source.   According to technology blog i...

Source: Cruz Roja Costarricense Red Cross paramedics and emergency officials from the San Rafael Hospital in Alajuela are at odds with each other after a 67-year old male from the United States suffered a cardiac and respiratory arrest at the main international airport in Costa Rica. The discord includes allegations of refusal of care and misuse of emergency resources.   The man rep...

Tax collectors in Costa Rica are ready to start looking for owners of luxury properties who lease their homes for less than 30 days at time; however, they currently lack the legislative approval to do so. This does not mean that preliminary investigations will cease until a law is passed; in fact, revenue investigators will increase their intelligence collection in the next few months.   ...

Source: Wikimedia Commons The town of Puerto Viejo in the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica is a haven for backpackers, vacationers and expats seeking a warm climate, an ultra-relaxed atmosphere and the friendliness of the local Afro Costa Ricans and indigenous inhabitants. Alas, the infrastructures of Puerto Viejo and the city of Limon are vulnerable to natural disasters such as storm surge and t...

Source: JPS A cherished holiday tradition in Costa Rica consists of participating in the madness of the Gordo Navideño, which roughly translates into “Christmas Fat Cat Lottery.” For this holiday season, the jackpot prize of the lottery in Costa Rica paid a cool $10.5 million for whoever held an entero (whole lottery bill), which can be purchased on a fractional basis since each lotto bill hol...

A draconian situation in Costa Rica was recently reported by Jimena Soto of online news daily CRHoy.com, and it involves a denial of public health care to a foreign woman who is pregnant with the child of her husband of four years, who happens to be a Costa Rican citizen.   According to the news report, the husband of the Nicaraguan woman who was summarily denied benefits by La Caja,  C...

Source: Bing In 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge, Lebron James, Beyonce, the Kardashian clan, and Costa Rica had something very interesting in common: They topped Internet queries from United States users on search engine giant Bing, owned and operated by Microsoft. Within the category of Vacation Destinations, Costa Rica was not only the most searched term on Bing; it was also the only Central ...

Earlier this week, Intel Corporation held a formal opening ceremony of its new research, development and testing center in Costa Rica. As reported by tech journalist Marvin Barquero of daily newspaper La Nacion, this is a “mega-laboratory” that will test and validate new products designed by this major chip manufacturer.   The opening of this research and development (R&D) cente...

As the United States continues to climb out of the Great American Recession, tourists are busy planning their 2015 vacation. Latin America is emerging as a favorite region for U.S. tourists to visit, and Costa Rica is returning to the annual list compiled by online travel site Priceline.com.   According to Priceline, Costa Rica is the fifth nation on the Top Ten list of international tr...

Shortly after the historic announcement by President Barack Obama of the United States and President Raul Castro of the Council of the State of Cuba on their renewal of diplomatic relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica issued an institutional communiqué expressing satisfaction on this development. Foreign Affairs Minister Manuel A. González Sanz stated: “This is a happy momen...

Source: Wikimedia Commons In a matter of just a few hours, three elderly persons in Costa Rica were crudely abandoned in the capital city of San Jose on December 18th. A report by Lady Rojas of online news daily CRHoy.com indicates that an elderly and disoriented gentleman arrived at the Caribbean bus terminal with nothing more than a handwritten missive bearing the following sinister message:...

On November 16, 2014, Gregory David Fischer, the 40-year old boyfriend of Ann Patton Bender, was found dead in his bed in Escazu, Costa Rica. According to his brother, Brian Fischer, “He was found lying peacefully in his bed with his puppy at his side.” Authorities have ruled out foul play in his untimely death. A heart or asthma attack is the suspected cause of death, according to authorities....

A renowned ufologist and researcher of paranormal activity has determined that the ongoing eruption of the Turrialba volcano presents an ideal opportunity for sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in Costa Rica. Sixto Paz Wells is a Peruvian UFO researcher who has written dozens of books on topics that transcend the space-time continuum that most of us strive to understand. Mr. Paz wa...

At the awards ceremony of the 26th Math Olympiad in Costa Rica, 66 medals were distributed among the 132 high school students who reached the final events of this academic competition, which this year was hosted and organized by the University of Costa Rica. Of special note among the finalists was the high number of female students getting medals this year. This fact was not lost on Yokarime River...