Source: BlackBerry On June 1st, Canadian tech giant BlackBerry launched a beta period of video calling through its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) platform in Costa Rica and across 26 countries in Latin America. According to an official blog post published by BlackBerry, video calling is almost ready for primetime; it was launched as a beta feature for Android and iOS, as part of the latest vers...

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...

Source: Green Lava Microsoft Xbox Media Release - On January 1st, 2013, a three-man team started a project named Project Phoenix. Little did they know, this project would be one of the longest journeys for the Costa Rican development team, Green Lava Studios. For our team, those 3 years, 5 months and 7 days were totally worth it, as our dream of bringing a video game on a major video game con...

Source: Cogsi, DeviantArt One of the many positive aspects of life in the Guanacaste region is the abundance of sporting and recreational activities available to residents and their guests. Here are some recommendations suggested by the real estate professionals of RE/MAX Ocean Surf & Sun, located in Tamarindo Beach. Soccer The national sport of Costa Rica is closely followed and...

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...

Pixabay Commons USAA Media Release - At 12 years old, USAA member Marielos Vega was caring for her father and brothers on a coffee plantation in her native Costa Rica, doing all the household chores before walking to school every morning. At 14, she dropped out to become a housekeeper, and a few years later, immigrated to the U.S. to work as a child care provider.   “I did not know ...

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...

Pixabay Commons UPeace and Veritas University Press Release -  San Jose, Costa Rica. The University for Peace worked alongside the Ombudsperson's Office of Costa Rica at the launch of the Second National Photography Contest, in Commemoration of the World Day of Peace, a day that is celebrated the 21st of September of every year. This event took place at the Roberto Sasso Sasso Auditorium wh...

Earlier this week, technology giant Google announced some exciting new features that improve the way users can control their accounts in Costa Rica and anywhere else in the world. The new features come exactly one year after the introduction of My Account, a powerful dashboard that allow users to control their apps and services such as Gmail, Google Play, Drive, Docs, Hangouts, Google Plus, And...

(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...

Blue Zone Retreat Costa Rica Tambor, Costa Rica -- (ReleaseWire) -- 05/31/2016 --Encouraging harmony, well-being, and a centered experience for their guests, Blue Zones Rejuvenation Retreat makes summer plans. Situated in the heart of Costa Rica, the wellness center promises seclusion in paradise. How so? Blue Zones treats the whole body via healing diets and detox programs, massage therapy in...

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...

Los Altos del Monte ATENAS, COSTA RICA (PRWEB) MAY 18, 2016 - Located in the lushly verdant Costa Rican mountains, on the outskirts of the picturesque town of Atenas, The Retreat at Altos del Monte (theretreatcostarica.com) has completely refreshed their spa menu. The renewed list of options is a return to the property’s tropical nature, using fresh, organic and local ingredients, which creates ...

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...

  "All homeowners are investors at heart" is an expression often heard in certain real estate circles, and in Costa Rica this is something that extends to the process of legal immigration. In general, foreigners and their immediate family (spouse, parents and children) can apply for residency if the applicant has investments worth USD $200,000 in Costa Rica. The types of investment shou...

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...

(Courtesy/WhatsApp) The most popular mobile messaging app in Costa Rica is now available for the desktop and with full end-to-end encryption. Use of WhatsApp in Costa Rica is estimated to grow by 228 new users each week, and the total number of active users is approaching that of Facebook, which happens to be the owner of WhatsApp. In the last two days, WhatsApp has made a couple of importa...

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...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Bogota, May 8 (EFE).- Actress Sofia Vergara on the weekend stirred up the northern Colombian city of Cartagena, returning to her homeland to shoot a beer commercial with white beaches in the background under the watchful and thrilled eyes of journalists and fans. "Toti," as her friends call her, arrived in Cartagena on a private jet to take on her role as the...

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; EFE file photo How do you use the Internet? Do you browse the Web to get a quick answer or to complete a certain task without leaving comments or opinions about your experience? Are you concerned about revealing your identity online? If you answer the questions above in an affirmative manner, you may be a digital visitor. If you, on the other hand, live out your life openly on the I...

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...

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...

Wikimedia Commons Jonathan Zaun, editor of Newswire.net, recently published an article about how the international poker circuit has been transformed in recent years, and he mentioned Jaco Beach as one of the best tropical destinations for "poker refugees." As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, poker refugees are those players from the United States who were affected by the Black F...

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...