Jairo Zelaya - Pixabay Commons The Cervantes Institute will celebrate, today Saturday, the Spanish Language Day, or "E-Day", in all its 22 centers across 17 countries worldwide. The event acknowledges the powerful presence of the world's second most spoken language_ with 472 million speakers_ after Chinese Mandarin. Now in its 8th edition, it will include activities for all ages in its cent...

Source: Facebook Fabiane Niclotti, who was crowned Miss Brazil 2004, was found dead inside her apartment in Gramado, a city in Rio Grande do Sul state, but there were no signs of violence, police said Wednesday. The 31-year-old model's brother called police because she was not answering her telephone. Police found Niclotti's body on Tuesday night and there were no signs of forced entry o...

Source: Paddy Power Leave it to the good people of Scotland to stage hilarious protests during Donald Trump's visit in the wake of Brexit. Paddy Power, a bookmaker (similar to a sportsbook in Costa Rica) based in Ireland, came up with a clever way to welcome the presumptive Republican candidate to succeed President Barack Obama in the United States. Here's how the Irish sports betting giant...

Wikimedia Commons Although Costa Rica has a fully developed and mature electronic dance music (EDM) scene that sees international artists perform regularly, the reception given to DJ Sasha Grey at Club Vertigo was quite enthusiastic for a very late Monday night. According to a news report filed by entertainment reporter Ariel Chaves Gonzalez of daily tabloid Diario Extra, Ms. Grey took the ...

Radiohead performing in Portugal. Wikimedia Commons Istanbul, Jun 18 (EFE).- Istanbul police used tear gas Saturday to break up a demonstration protesting the attack last Thursday against fans who went to a party thrown by the Radiohead band, which was celebrating the publication of its new disc, "A Moon Shaped Pool." About 100 fans gathered Saturday around 6:00 p.m. at a square in Istanbul...

Bull shark. Wikimedia Commons MIAMI, June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The most 'fintastic' time of the year is back and making a huge splash! LA SEMANA DEL TIBURÓN (#semanadeltiburon) returns in its 28th anniversary and will keep viewers on the edge of their seat with all-new jaw-dropping and compelling stories about everyone's favorite marine predator. Featuring new research from Mexico, Florida...

Taza Agua COSTA RICA (PRWEB) JUNE 15, 2016 - Taza Agua, the world’s first to market bottled water company designed specifically for America’s $18 billion dollar annual coffee market, has confirmed today that it has been officially endorsed by an international multi-award winning certified coffee judge, Kattia Barrantes Zuñiga. The stamp of approval from the world recognized coffee expert is a m...

Source: Zoo Ave (New York, NY) Animal Planet Presents will premiere TOUCAN NATION, the story of Grecia, the toucan in Costa Rica whose unconscionable abuse sparked international outrage and inspired a national animal welfare campaign, on August 2 at 10 PM ET /PT. Seeking to right a wrong and improve the life of this helpless bird after half of his beak was torn from his face, animal rescuers a...

Natural Sins chips NEW YORK, June 10, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Costa Rican food companies are showcasing the country's diverse selection of organic snacks, premium roasted coffee, chocolate, and specialty food products when they attend the 2016 Fancy Food Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in NYC on June 26-28. In addition, Essential Costa Rica is inviting the media to sample pro...

Costa Rica is a nation often associated with yoga retreatsas well as with the decriminalized use of marijuana (as long as it is discreet). To this effect, it should not be surprising to learn that yoga and cannabis are also two popular search terms among viewers of Internet pornography in Costa Rica. According to PornHub, a very popular destination for online porn viewers from Costa Rica and fr...

Bull shark. Wikimedia Commons (Los Angeles, Calif.) – The most fintastic time of the year is back and making a huge splash! SHARK WEEK, television’s longest-running and most anticipated summer event, airs Sunday, June 26 at 8:00 PM ET/PT and continues through Sunday, July 3.  This year, SHARK WEEK celebrates its 28th anniversary and will keep viewers on the edge of their seat with all-new jaw-...

Wikimedia Commons Morelia, Mexico, Jun 4 (EFE).- Legislators of the southwestern Mexican state of Michoacan have awarded a medal to the traditional music group "Jimenez Brothers and their Harp" which plays "narcocorridos" (narcotics + the traditional Mexican ballads known as "corridos") that glorify drug traffickers. At a solemn session held Friday night at the Legislative Palace of Morelia...

(Prince pictured in a publicity photo / MSA) Los Angeles, Jun 2 (EFE).- U.S. musician Prince died of an opioid overdose, according to the results of the autopsy performed on April 22. The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office, located in Ramsey, Minnesota, said the artist died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, adding in its report that the drug was self-administered. The artist had be...

Mayfair Games Mayfair Games, a renowned publisher of board and roleplaying games in the United States and United Kingdom, recently released a new educational title that prominently features Costa Rica and her biodiversity. The game, which is titled "Costa Rica: Reveal the Rainforest," is described by the publisher as follows:   Welcome to Costa Rica! This land is renowned for its r...

Source: City of Key West Miami, May 27 (EFE).- Investigations by authorities in Key West at the southern tip of Florida have succeeded in locating the owner of a car similar to the one used by the Flintstone family in the famous animated television series. The vehicle was about to be towed away because it was parked on a street where no parking was allowed "The owner has been located! Th...

Wikimedia Commons Miami, May 28 (EFE).- Artists as diverse as Juan Gabriel, Enrique Bunbury, Andres Calamaro, Juanes, Los Lobos and Los Enanitos Verdes are coming together to record a disc that will go on the market in July as a Latin American tribute to the Creedence Clearwater Revival band. "Quiero Creedence" (I Love Creedence) is the title of the upcoming album with new versions of 14 CC...

Source: Wikipedia Commons Madrid, May 27 (EFE).- U.S. filmmaker John Landis, known for directing "An American Werewolf in London" and the music video for the Michael Jackson song "Thriller," told EFE in an interview Friday that most of the films being made in Hollywood today are "crap." Landis said he was involved in three projects at the moment, although he declined to provide details, and...

IsmaelCala.com MIAMI, May 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the success of the inspirational trips organized by Ismael Cala, particularly the most recent one in India, others are now being created. The new destinations and projects retain the objective of the participants' personal growth. Ismael Calá is a renowned journalist and news host of his eponymous show on the CNN Español network. ...

Source: Half Moon Bay Trading ATLANTIC BEACH, FLORIDA • HEREDIA, COSTA RICA - “QUASI-THAI”… as in “Comparatively, outwardly, relatively... Thai!” As we manufacture in tropical Costa Rica, utilizing fresh, tropical ingredients sourced within similar latitudinally lush growing environments, we played on this comparison, and that the “Sí” of “SíRacha” is obviously also “Yes” in Spanish. *And t...

Wikimedia Commons Barranquilla, Colombia, May 21 (EFE).- Colombian songstress Shakira said Saturday in her native city of Barranquilla that she has no plans to marry Barcelona soccer star Gerard Pique and dismissed recent rumors that she is expecting her third child. "For now there is no plan for a wedding, nor am I pregnant," the artist told a press conference that brought to an end her fo...

Wikimedia Commons Electronic dance music artist Marina Ann Hantzis, better known as Sasha Grey, will perform in Costa Rica as part of her ongoing world tour, which has already stopped in Argentina, Chile and Peru. Ms. Hantzis has been involved in EDM since 2011, which was the year when she announced her retirement from the pornographic film industry. As Sasha Grey, she first gained notoriet...

Wikimedia Commons Los Angeles, May 19 (EFE).- Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe will star as detectives of dubious morals in "The Nice Guys," a film that confirms the former's comic touch and allows the latter to return to a genre where he has not done much yet in his career. Gosling, 35, said in a recent interview with reporters in Los Angeles before the U.S. screening of the film on Friday t...

Wikimedia Commons Los Angeles, May 16 (EFE).- Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, who seemed to have gone missing, has been found safe and sound, the online edition of The Hollywood Reporter said Monday. Police in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette told the online magazine that the artist has been located and that she was unharmed. Still unknown is exactly where she was found. A scant few hours...

Massachusetts General Hospital. Wikimedia Commons Washington, May 16 (EFE).- Surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston announced Monday the first successful penis transplant in the United States, performed on a patient who lost that organ because of a tumor. The operation was just the second of its kind in the world, following a similar one in South Africa in 2014. On this occ...

Van Gogh - Starry Night. Google Cultural Institute Medellin, Colombia, May 13 (EFE).- The inauguration in this northwestern Colombian city of the multisensory exhibition "Van Gogh Alive: The Experience" will serve to immerse art lovers in the Dutch post-Impressionist painter's visionary "madness." Installed at the Plaza Mayor until June 28, when it will be taken to Bogota, the exhibition co...

Wikimedia Commons (PRESS RELEASE) -- The live final of The Americas Cup of Poker (ACP) will be held at Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City from June 23-27, 2016, PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. brand, has revealed. This year, the Grand Final will coincide with the big soccer event taking place in New Jersey. Teams representing countries from North and South America will each be composed of five p...

Photos by Bryan Fabio Herrera "If there's no chocolate in heaven, I'm not going." -- Jane Seabrook There have been dire predictions recently from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), and others, that the world is running out of chocolate. Said the Washington Post, “We are in the midst of what may be the longest streak of consecutive chocolate deficits in more than 50 years.” Experts...

Source: US DEA Buenos Aires, May 6 (EFE).- An Argentine court put three accused drug dealers on trial Friday in the case of five revelers who died from consuming synthetic designer drugs during an electronic music festival last month in Buenos Aires. Judicial sources confirmed to EFE that Judge Sebastian Casanello put the three men on trial, including two foreign nationals, for suspected dr...

Traveler Under Pressure Remix NEW YORK, NY (PRWEB) MAY 03, 2016 - Music can provide hope in the darkness. Music can bring light and joy. As iconic recordings go, Queen & David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” (EMI) is one of the most brilliant songs ever recorded. Paying homage to the original, Southern California-based Traveler have updated the song for a new generation of house music lovers. The T...

Cody Dial On May 22nd, cable television network National Geographic will broadcast the premiere of Missing Dial, a documentary series on the disappearance of explorer Cody Roman Dial,  a college student from the United States who arrived in Costa Rica with adventure in his mind. Cody intended to hike across Corcovado National Park in our Southern Pacific region; he has been missing since Ju...

The National Museum of Costa Rica, in conjunction with the community development associations of the Osa, Palmar and the Diquis Delta region, invite you to the 11th Festival of the Stone Spheres from May 13th to the 15th . The Annual Festival of the Stone Spheres is a cultural and festive event that celebrated the magnificent National Park of the Stone Spheres of Costa Rica, which is a UNESCO W...

Wikimedia Commons Buenos Aires, Apr 29 (EFE).- A judge lifted a precautionary ruling that temporarily prohibited discotheque and dance festival activities in the Argentine capital on grounds that they lack the necessary controls to guarantee participants' safety, following the death of five youths two weeks ago at an electronic music fest. In a ruling to which EFE had access, Buenos Aires J...

Wikimedia Commons Havana, Apr 28 (EFE).- With a level of activity never before seen in Cuba and numerous streets blocked off, the filming of the new "Fast and Furious" movie is altering Havana's daily routine with unusual traffic jams and groups of curious onlookers attracted by the excitement. The eighth film in the series, the first major U.S. film production to be undertaken in the Carib...

Archive photo Buenos Aires, Apr 26 (EFE).- The Argentine teenager who was hospitalized April 16 after attending an electronic music festival in Buenos Aires, at which five people died, has been released, while another three whose health seems to be slowly improving remain in intensive care, medical sources said Tuesday. The 17-year-old youth, who had been admitted to Rivadavia Hospital in B...

Source:: Gisele Bundchen Costa Rica One of the most glamorous part-time residents of Costa Rica decided to honor Earth Day by planting a tree in the backyard of her beach mansion. In a recent photo uploaded to her massively followed Instagram account, former Victoria's Secret model Gisele Bundchen can be seen planting with the help of her two children. Ms. Bundchen, who retired from the run...

Flickr Commons Washington, Apr 24 (EFE).- Pop star Beyonce on Sunday made a surprise announcement of the release of her sixth studio album, entitled "Lemonade" and containing 12 songs. The 34-year-old U.S. singer made the announcement, much anticipated by her fans, after the release of a music video on HBO, of which she had already released an excerpt a week ago. The new "visual-album" w...

Photo by Jack Donnelly By Jack Donnelly Yuca is not yucca and it’s not at all yucky. Yuca is cassava in English. It is one of a number of starchy roots important to the tropical diet. It is often sold protected with a layer of paraffin, like rutabagas in the United States. Yucca is common in drier areas of the Americas and the Caribbean and is often used as an ornamental plant. The only ...

(Prince pictured in a publicity photo / MSA) (VOA) American pop icon Prince has died at the age of 57. Media reports said he was found dead early Thursday at his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Details have not been released. Born Prince Rogers Nelson, the multi-talented and influential musician is known for such songs as "1999," "Little Red Corvette," and "Purple Rain," the title track...

Los Angeles, Apr 18 (EFE; additional context by The Costa Rica Star).- J.A. Bayona, director of films like "The Impossible," has been picked to direct the sequel of the dinosaur saga "Jurassic World," the movie's producers announced Monday on Twitter. "Thrilled to announce JA Bayona is on board to direct JW2. Welcome to the team," producer Frank Marshall tweeted Monday. "Proud to collaborate...

An Electronic Dance Music (EDM) event in Costa Rica Buenos Aires, Apr 16 (EFE).- Five people between the ages of 20 and 30 died early Saturday and five others remain unconscious at three Buenos Aires hospitals after attending an electronic music festival in the Argentine capital's Costa Salguero events center, medical officials said. The five hospitalized individuals were on respirators aft...