For the past nine years, downtown Nicoya has been lit up during the month of December with the Festival of Light celebration. The main day of this year’s festival, Nicoya Shines 2013, will be on Saturday, December 7th. On that date, the program includes the presentation of 15 bands from Costa Rica and Panama to commemorate the 165th anniversary of the Canton of Nicoya, which was established as ...

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford What is happening in Canada? Canadian mining firm Infinito Gold is still pursuing the government of Costa Rica for $1 billion based on the people's rejection of an open-pit prospecting and extraction project. This rejection, which has been tendered thrice, is making headlines because some Canadians believe that the Calgary-based company has gone far enough and is now ...

Source: Casa Presidencial Prior to the recent meeting between President Laura Chinchilla and Pope Francis at the Vatican, geopolitical analysts speculated on whether a certain delicate subject would be mentioned. We are talking about the dubious territorial claims over the northern regions of Costa Rica by the Nicaraguan regime of President Daniel Ortega, particularly the desire to “take back”...

Source; ACG Costa Rica As marine biologists and members of the National Coast Guard Service of Costa Rica scramble to investigate the mysterious massive death of dozens of green tropical sea turtles off the Pacific coast of Guanacaste, disheartening news reports are arriving: 23 marine turtle carcasses have washed in Playa La Flor in Nicaragua, and many of them are showing inscrutable signs of...

A political impasse at the United States Congress has caused the federal government to shut down its non-essential services, but the Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica remains open for business. According to a communiqué by the Embassy, Social Security payments will continue and assistance in applying for federal benefits is still available. Social Security and Medicare cards will not be issued du...

Source: Wikimedia Commons On October 1st, the Congress of the United States of America, through political inaction and disagreement, might end up “shutting down the government.” What this means is that a number of non-essential services will not be provided until Congress agrees on a budget resolution for the next fiscal year. For Costa Rica, the U.S. government shutting down would cause a cou...

Gwadar, before the earthquake. Flickr CC In the aftermath of the terrible earthquake in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a new island has emerged off the coast of Gwadar, leaving the people of Costa Rica to ponder about two things: 1 – The geotectonic birth of our country in the Jurassic period, and 2 – How long before President Daniel Ortega claims the new island as part of Nicaragua (insert...

Source: US Navy About a month ago, the Ministry of Public Safety in Costa Rica issued a press release that indicated no more cocaine would be sent to Miami, at least for the time being. That statement, however, did not apparently extend to other major cities in the State of Florida, such as Jacksonville. Nearly a ton of cocaine seized by the United States Navy and Coast Guard from a fishing...

Drake Bay. Source: Flickr CC The treacherous underwater currents of Drake Bay claimed the life of a Canadian man who was reportedly part of a film crew working for the international cable network NatGeo in Costa Rica. The photographer has been identified as Peter Brumer. According to daily tabloid newspaper Diario Extra, the late photographer disappeared around 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The unde...

This article is a press release from the US Embassy in Costa Rica, if you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your announcements, please contact us. The Embassy of the United States in Costa Rica welcomes last night’s strong statement of support from the Government of Costa Rica regarding the Framework Agreement for the Elimination of Syria’s Chemical Weapons. Costa Rica, recognized ...

The Costa Rica Star recently reported on how Costa Rica views the conflict in Syria. Not surprisingly, former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias has a somewhat different view of U.S. President Barack Obama's acceptance of a Russian proposal to act as negotiator in the poison gas elimination in Syria. Arias gave the Spanish press an earful Friday. Arias claims it was not just Russia and China ...

The Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, Anabel Gonzalez, said the Special Economic Zone (EEZ) that China and Costa Rica are implementing in Costa Rica, could be underway “in under a year.” This was stated by Gonzalez in an interview with EFE in Beijing, after inaugurating the Forum ‘Foreign investment and Tourism Opportunities in Costa Rica’. The minister is visiting in China to promote...

Nicaragua cannot catch a break. After bringing a conflict with Colombia to the United Nations and having a tiff with Costa Rica over a border town, Panama announced on Thursday it had a bone to pick with its northern neighbor: President Ricardo Martinelli said Panama would be joining Colombia in its dispute with Nicaragua over territorial waters. Martinelli accused his Nicaraguan counterpart, D...

You too can be a responsible water consumer when you travel – re-use your towels at your hotel more than a day, ask that your bed linens not be changed daily, take a shower instead of a bath, wear water-resistant sunblock – these are some of the ways you can help protect the world’s clean water sources. Water conservation is the focus of this year’s United Nations World Tourism Day on September...

My identity is somewhere in that stack.The Costa Rica Star has recently published information about receiving your permanent residency in Costa Rica to avoid border runs, wasting time, and money. Over the weekend, I took a trip up to Nicaragua to get a new stamp in my passport. Costa Rica issues ninety-day tourist visas so if you are an expat trying to carve out a life here and you don't have...

File photo of CELAC with the late President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela With just 124,609 of her citizens residing abroad, Costa Rica has the lowest rate of emigration in Central America and one of the lowest of Latin America and the Caribbean. This is in sharp contrast to the overall Latin American immigration phenomenon around the world, which counts with 25 million people and makes up 13 perce...

Free Syrian Army forces fighting in urban terrain. Source: Flickr CC. Recent communications by Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterate the country's allegiance to, and respect of, International Law and Human Rights with regard to the conflict in Syria. The diplomatic mission of  Costa Rica to the United Nations expressed the Central American nation's repudiation of the use of che...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Source: Wikimedia Commons Costa Rica and Syria are separated by more than 7,500 miles (as the crow flies). There are more than just oceans and continents separating the two nations; there is a broad sociopolitical chasm between the two nations. Syria does not keep a diplomatic mission in Costa Rica and viceversa. Still, Costa Rica has come forward with her opi...

Managua September 4- President Daniel Ortega warned Costa Rica that Nicaragua may ask the International Court of Justice to restore to Managua a province he said it lost to “occupation” in 1824. Ortega was referring to Guanacaste province, which is about 20 percent of neighboring Costa Rica’s territory and a popular tourism hub. “Costa Rica did not win that territory in an international ...

U.S. President Barack Obama and former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias have much in common. Both are winners of the Nobel Peace Prize and, as such have been critical of war as foreign policy and as a solution for problems. So why is Arias taking Obama to task without mincing words? Arias reacted on Facebook Thursday to President Obama’s speech promising armed retaliation against the Syrian re...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Before Pope John Paul II was elevated to sainthood, someone had to be the bad guy in Costa Rica and oppose his canonization. That contentious responsibility was accepted by Dr. Mariano Ramirez, a 79-year old oncologist and gynecologist who became the devil's advocate against John Paul the Great and his entry into the Holy Canon. According to daily tabloid La Teja, ...

Source: U.S. Embassy Author's Note:  This article is condensed from two official press releases issued by the United States Embassy in San Jose. Communications between the National Coast Guard Service of Costa Rica and United States vessels or aircraft involved in search and rescue (SAR) or law enforcement (LE) operations is now possible thanks to the recent donation of five Harris military...

Costa Rica wants to attract more Chinese tourists and investors and so it is planning to open consulates in Shanghai and Hong Kong, the Central American nation’s envoy to Beijing said Tuesday. The opening of the two consulates, which will augment Costa Rica’s only existing diplomatic mission in China, is a “project for 2014” that still must be approved by the foreign ministry, said Ambassador M...

While they protest, we have to keep the Consulate closed: Foreign Minister Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister, Enrique Castillo, said late Sunday that the planned move for the Costa Rican Consulate in Managua was prevented due to “xenophobia fueled by President Daniel Ortega against Costa Rica”. Due to the protests outside the Consulate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was forced to shut down sin...

The view from abaft: USS Rentz. Source: Wikimedia Commons. The saga of the Capitan Erson -a fishing vessel (FV) registered in Costa Rica- and a United States Navy frigate continues to unravel as contradictory news reports emerge. The latest report is credited to the United States Embassy in Costa Rica, and it negates a previous Twitter update on the situation. A quick recap of the situation...

Candidate Solis Editorial Note: This is a communication by a politician who is a candidate in the upcoming elections in Costa Rica to succeed President Laura Chinchilla. Being informed about political intention is an important part of the democratic process that Costa Rica holds dear; however, this content shall not be construed as an endorsement by the Costa Rica Star. Position by Luis Guiller...

Source: Flickr CC Monsanto, a controversial biotechnology and agro-industrial giant, may not have a future in India. Angry farmers from across 20 populous states in India converged in New Dehli earlier this month in support of a rally named “Monsanto, Quit India.” By urging their Congress to adopt measures against the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill, farmers in India are adopting a ...

Source: US NavyThank you to the US Embassy in San Jose for this update on the below news article clarifying a number of items mentioned herein. A United States Navy guided missile frigate involved in drug interdiction patrols off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica is undergoing some operational difficulties. The USS Rentz (FFG-46) recently got underway from her home port at the San Diego Naval Ba...

Angie Morelli. Source: GMO Free Vegas Residents of Las Vegas are borrowing a page from Costa Rica's ongoing fight against agro-industrial leviathan Monsanto. Earlier this year, activists in Las Vegas staged one of the largest anti-Monsanto demonstrations seen in the United States, drawing 3,000 supporters and compromising traffic on the world-famous Las Vegas strip. Sin City may seem like a...

Nature in Lidice, site of the murder. Spanish citizen Gonzalo Alonso Hernandez and Jairo Mora of Costa Rica had a lot in common: Both were deeply courageous biologists committed to environmental conservation whose dedication may have caused them to die at the hands of despicable criminals. Costa Rican online news media site El Pais, which is known for its strong defense of environmental aff...

A recent visit by The Honourable John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Costa Rica underscored the excellent status of bilateral relations and their intent to cooperate and establish meaningful dialog. Chancellor of the Republic Enrique Castillo, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica, sat down with Minister Baird and review...

AK-306 Naval Cannon As Costa Rica prepares to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the abolition of her armed forces on December 1st, her Central American neighbors are allocating more resources to their military forces. This situation is being closely monitored by the Chancellery of the Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The latest move in the Central American arms race that Costa ...

The City of Suzhou - Source: Flickr CC In the wake of the visit of the political leader of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, journalist Gustavo Arias of business weekly El Financiero, owned by Grupo Nacion, published a series of facts about the Asian economic powerhouse and her environmental record as it relates to Costa Rica. Mr. Arias did not mince any words when mentioning the ...

Good fences make good neighbors. It is easier to be friendly with your neighbor if neither of you trespasses upon the others property or privacy. For decades that hasn’t been the case between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, who at one time or another have been in a squabble over territory. The latest is a claim by Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister, Enrique Castillo, who on Monday accused Nicaragua of off...

Source: COECOCEIBA Creative Commons license. It was like a scene out of the Metal Gear: Peace Walker video game. A non-profit group that works to improve the lives of the Bribri indigenous community in Costa Rica complained to law enforcement about the presence of armed men who arrived in a helicopter that apparently flew in from Panama. These men, who identified themselves as missionaries and ...

Former President of Costa Rica Miguel Angel Rodriguez Now that Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy who was essentially forced out of office by a bunch of powerful bond traders, has been sentenced by an appellate court in Milan to serve seven years in prison, there has been a lot of speculation as to whether he will actually set foot in a correctional institution. If the Be...

A rising drug cartel from the state of Michoacan de Ocampo, located on the Southern Pacific coast of Mexico, is having a hard time establishing its operations in Costa Rica. Old-fashioned police work by members of Fuerza Publica, the Organization of Judicial Investigations (OIJ in Spanish) and the Drug Control Police (PCD in Spanish) is thwarting the nefarious work of the Caballeros Templarios (Kn...

President Morales, left, speaks with former President Lula of Brazil Naranjo, Costa Rica - President Laura Chinchilla is the latest Latin American leader to extend support to her Bolivian counterpart President Evo Morales on the matter of being forced to land in Austria on suspicions of fugitive Edward Snowden being aboard the presidential aircraft. President Morales and his Bolivian delegation ...

Although at first sight Brazil and Costa Rica seem to be sharply different nations, these two Latin American countries shared some unfortunate similarities during June 2013. In a recent opinion piece in El Pais, an online publication that often gives a voice to the current government's opposition, journalist and academic Juan Manuel Fernandez C. made four important observations about the ongoing p...

From Wikipedia Commons Edward Snowden is the 30-year old former CIA and NSA contractor who went public with damning evidence of sophisticated spying and monitoring by United States government agencies. He has been charged with a series of criminal offenses related to theft of government secrets and leaking of classified information, but his Orwellian revelations have placed him in a Kafkaesque s...