The Labor strike that has paralyzed many public schools in Costa Rica for over four weeks was deemed illegal by the labor court. Judge Francisco Quesada ruled on the matter and declared the strike of employees of the Ministry of Education illegal under the argument that the movement was not peaceful. “When it comes to the actions of the labor unions, including those in contradiction of the m...

In the frame of the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction, the non-governmental organization, Volcanoes Without Boarders in coordination with the Irazu Volcano National Park and the Earth Sciences Section of UNESCO is organizing several free guided visits to the Irazu Volcano this Wednesday, October 10. “The educational guided visits will be carried out under the concept “Volcanologi...

TAC Airlines, a company with over 50 years offering domestic flights in Guatemala, will be ready to begin operations in Costa Rica by November 16. TAC Airlines Costa Rica will offer flights to Liberia, Tambor, Quepos, Drake, Tamarindo and Puerto Jimenez from the Tobias Bolaños Airport in Pavas, the company operates Cessna Grand Caravan aircrafts with capacity for 12 passengers and Embraer for...

It will take the Social Security Service in Costa Rica (CCSS) approximately four months to make up for the cancelled surgeries and appointments during the labor union’s strike that began back back September 10th and is still ongoing. Last Saturday, several of the labor unions involving employees of the CCSS came to an agreement with the Government and health authorities to stop the strike and r...

Maeta Kaplan, Barbara Rodgers and Marybeth Ward are the first teachers from the United States to arrive in Costa Rica to take part on the project Alliance for Bilingualism (ABi); all three of them have experience in the teaching of English in the Latin American region and will begin classes this week at the central county of Puntarenas. The Alliance for Bilingualism (ABi) as a national strategy...

The labor strike against the fiscal plan that began on September 10 seems to have died down considerably almost a month later, as most of the movements have been declared illegal by the labor courts. Today the strike of the employees of the Electricity Institute (ICE) was declared illegal, the decision of judge Yadir Jimenez was based in that ICE offers a public service, considered essential, “...

The ferry service between Puntarenas and Playa Naranjo will resume normal operations with a normal schedule this Tuesday, October 8. The service has been interrupted since last Friday due to the heavy rains that affected the Pacific this past week. Even though the service will resume the authorities warned travelers that route 21 in Cabo Blanco de Jicaral is only possible through an alternate r...

Cameras located at the Turrialba Volcano National Park caught the moment it registered an important eruption this past October 5th. During the eruption, incandescent material was expelled. The National Seismology Network reminds the public of the dangers they expose themselves to if they venture to climb the restricted area near the crater of the volcano. The Turrialba Volcano is an active v...

Photo: WSL / ANDREW NICHOLS The QS Essential Costa Rica Surf Pro came to an end this Sunday, October 7 in Jaco Beach with Costa Rican Carlos “Cali” Muñoz and German Rachel Presti as the champions. Rachel Presti faced Californian Tia Blanco in the final and took the first place with a score of 15.60 over Blanco’s 6.93. With this win the German earned the 1500 points in play and a prize of $6...

Photo: WSL / ANDREW NICHOLS - CR Surfer Jairo Perez The final day of the WSL Essential Costa Rica Surf Pro is today, Sunday, October 7, the stage is set for the Qualifying Series (QS) and the action today promises excitement and adrenaline when the eight remaining competitors in both the men and women events take the waves. This event gathers some of the best surfers in the world and has the...

Establishment Labs Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESTA), a global medical technology company that focuses on breast aesthetics and reconstruction technologies, which became, earlier this year the first Costa Rican company to trade in the Nasdaq stock market, announced earlier this week, at the Annual World Symposium on Ergonomic Implants that it has entered into definitive asset purchase agreements with...

Even though the fiscal plan was approved in first debate by the Legislative Assembly and even though other labor unions such as those of the health sector chose to put an end to their strike, the labor unions of the education sector affirmed they will maintain their protest. “This is just the first battle; we have fought strongly. We have 22 deputies that said no to the project and 35 that vote...

The Labor Unions of the Social Security Service (CCSS) negotiated and reached an agreement with the authorities of the CCSS and the Government to return to their work this Monday, October 9, after a month of striking. The negotiations involved close to ten hours of negotiations and will allow the public hospitals and health centers to resume normal operations. The strike caused the suspensio...

Southwest Airlines inaugurated this Friday, October 5th its ticket office in Costa Rica, located 250 meters west of the National Stadium, Rohrmoser Boulevard , Grandville Plaza. This is a historical event for Southwest since it’s the first and only ticket office they have in the worl. The event had the presence of the Minister of Tourism, Amalia Revelo and the U.S. Ambassador to Costa Ria, Shar...

Costa Rica surpassed the fourth consecutive year producing 98% of clean energy generation in its National Electric System (SEN). On Wednesday, October 3, the electricity generated from renewable sources: water, wind, Geothermal, biomass and solar, have represented 98.15% of the total energy produced in the country. The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) projects that for the rest of the ye...

Peninsula Papagayo, a 1,400-acre premier resort and residential community on the north Pacific coast of Costa Rica, today announces the next phase of its more than $100 million transformation led by international luxury hospitality and residential real estate investment and development firm, Gencom. As part of a singular vision to connect its remarkable 11 miles of coastline from end to end for th...

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) declared red alert for the counties of Puntarenas, Nicoya, Santa Cruz, Nandayure and Hojancha, due to the high vulnerability of the of the land and the possibility of more rain over the next 12 hours. In total 1666 people have been transferred to 19 shelters, 106 communities maintain a high level of effects, floods, fallen trees, mud slides, among others....

The Legislative Assembly in Costa Rica approved this Friday in first debate the Law to Strengthen the Public Finances, better know as Fiscal Plan, with a total of 35 votes in favor (22 against). Among the 22 members of congress that voted against the plan were the 14 representatives of the National Restoration Party, 2 of the National Liberation Party, 1 of Frente Amplio, 3 of the National Inte...

Three men, three women and a two-year-old girl, all native of Texas, United States, suffered the collateral effects of the ongoing protests in Costa Rica. The tourists were driving a van in Caldera, Puntarenas, when they got caught in the middle of a clash between the protesters that were blocking the road and the Police authorities that were forced to use tear gas to get them to move. One o...

Spirit Airlines inaugurated today the new flight connecting Orlando, Florida, US to San Jose, Costa Rica, this flight duplicates the number of seats available in this route. In the last three months of the year Spirit will handle this route with commercial planes Airbus A320 with 182 seats and A319 with 145 seats. This means that in the last trimester of the year the new flight will add an app...

Thanks to the joint efforts of police bodies of the Ministry of Public Security of Costa Rica and countries like the United States, Colombia and Panama, over a ton of cocaine was confiscated this Wednesday. The load was found by the Coast Guard service in waters of the South Pacific, 160 kilometers from the coast of the Osa Peninsula, were 46 packs of cocaine were floating attached to a radio ...

The National Emergency Commission in Costa Rica elevated form green to Yellow the alert given for the North and Central Pacific due to the strong rainfall, green alert was declared for the North Zone, Central Valley and South Pacific. “During the first hours of this evening the Central Pacific has been affected, particularly the areas of Paquita, Parrita, Isla Damas , the Center of Puntarenas, ...

Costa Rica’s Convention Center (CCCR) was elected as the site for the next World Congress of Veterinary Medicine, which is scheduled for April 27 to April 30 2019, this will be the first world congress that will be take place at the Convention Center. This event expects the participation of close to 1500 veterinarians. The event is organized by Comexp, Professional Congress Organization company...

Costa Ricans will soon be able to enjoy the Monster Jam show once again after four years since the last presentation in the country. The event was announced by production company RPMTV through a promotional video on their webpage. Even though the details of the show have not been confirmed, preliminary information refers to three dates in December at the National Stadium in La Sabana. The l...

In response to fake news circulating on social media regarding the “rationing” of fuel, the state refinery (RECOPE) clarified that the company has enough fuel supply of the main fuel products at each of their facilities to satisfy the demand. According to Recope, the distribution of products through the fuel pipeline has normalized 15 days ago and the pumping of Plus 91, Super, Diesel and aviat...

“The Chamber of Commerce of Costa Rica condemns the disrespect and attitude of the protesters towards President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, as he was leaving the National Theater. We reiterate that these actions go beyond legality and good intentions and are far from the right to strike that the working population of the public and private sector have. Above all, the President’s Char...

US expat Barry Lawson was  brutally beaten during a robbery back on April 1st, 2015, at the hotel Villa Alegre in Tamarindo Guanacaste. Barry died days later at the hospital, now, three years later the Intelligence Unit of the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) has been following fresh leads on four suspects, three men and one woman. The information was released by Channel 7 Telenoticias alon...

US Ambassador to Costa Rica, Sharon Day, celebrated her first year as head of the US Embassy in Costa Rica, Day, highlighted the natural beauties she has encountered in the country as well as the warmth with which she was received in the country.  Day has worked for more than 20 years for the U.S. Republican party at the local, state and national levels, and most recently in leadership posi...

Wednesday, October 3, after 24 days of labor unions’ strike, the tension was present in the streets. Several incidents were reported where the public police were forced to intervene to guarantee the security and free transit of the rest of the population. Early in the morning the Director of the Calderon Guardia Hospital in San Jose reported that a group of protesters had blocked the roads of a...

In Costa Rica it is not uncommon to spot the President and former Presidents walking freely and with very little security, however, the ongoing labor strike that began September 10 has forced the Direction of Intelligence and Security (DIS) to strengthen the security for the President and other political figures. This Wednesday when several members of the Government, including President Alvarad...

According to the annual report of the Costa Rican Public Sector Transparency Index (ITSP), The Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) is the most transparent public institution in the country. The ITSP evaluated a total of 254 institutions, out of which 23 managed a result of 70 points -in a scale of 1 to 100-. This is an initiative of the Costa Rica's Ombudsman's Office (Defensoria de los Hab...

Two days before the start of the Essential Costa Rica Surf Pro, the producer RPM TV defined the names of the national athletes who will have a wildcard to participate in the event.Two days before the start of the Essential Costa Rica Surf Pro, the producer RPM TV defined the names of the national athletes who will have a wildcard to participate in the event. The World Surf League (WSL), gave th...

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recognized the efforts carried out by Costa Rica for the eradication of statelessness (Statelessness is the condition of someone who is "not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law"). Costa Rica’s efforts involve the approval of regulations and procedures for the determination of the condition of a statelessn...

Heavy rains are expected in the Central Valley and the Pacific for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the National Emergency Commission declared Green Alert for these regions. The rains would be caused by low pressure system located at the southwest of the Caribbean Sea that has a 20% possibility of transforming into a tropical depression. “Analysis have determined the presence of a low-pressur...

This Monday, October 1st Planet Hollywood Beach Resort opened its doors today in Papagayo Peninsula, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, “marking the opening of the first ever all-inclusive resort by the iconic lifestyle brand”. “It’s been an amazing journey leading my all-star cast of employees to prepare for the grand opening of Planet Hollywood Beach Resort in Costa Rica,” said General Manager Jonat...

Johnny Araya, mayor of the San Jose Municipality negotiated and reached an agreement with striking workers and these will immediately return to their jobs. According to the document signed by the Mayor and representatives of the National Union of Workers (UNT) strikers will return to their work in order to reestablish the services offered by the Municipality and in exchange they will have permi...

Crocodile Bay Resort is a cozy 37 room, 4 star eco-adventure resort located in the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica; this hotel, offers a variety of rainforest expeditions and “expertly crafted eco-tours” that promise a unique and unforgettable experience for national and international tourists. "Crocodile Bay Resort is a family-owned business with strong local roots. We are passionate about protect...

The Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) informed that foreigners who lose their Costa Rican identification document no longer have to file the report with OIJ in order to get a new one issued, instead, they only need to make the request in the Migration offices. Up until recently any foreigner who lost their Costa Rican ID first had to file a report with OIJ, sign a sworn statement with a nota...

The Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica has maintained relatively calm in the past weeks with just the regular column of gases and vapor that can be seen coming from the crater and occasional small eruptions. This Monday, however, the volcano registered an important column of ash that reached close to 500 meters above the crater, 3840 meters above sea level (12,595 ft above sea level). The directio...

The Labor Court of the First Judicial Circuit of San Jose declared the employee strike promoted by five different labor unions that has affected the Social Security Services (CCSS), illegal. Resolution No.2018001589 resolved by Judge Susana Porras Cascante, states that both the international norms of the International Labor Organization and national legislation expressly prohibit strikes in cli...