President Carlos Alvarado, the Minister of Justice, Marcia González and the Minister of Science, Technology and Telecommunications, Luis Adrián Salazar, signed Law 9597, a change to Article 49 of the General Law of Telecommunications (Law 8642) that will block the cell phone signal in penitentiary centers in the country. This action hopes to help in matters of security by effectively battling f...

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) runs several reports every year that provide an authoritative source of information in the state of education in the 35 countries members of the OECD and a number of partner countries; one of those reports ranks the “most educated” countries. The OECD defined a country's adult education level as “the percentage of people between t...

Famous American singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul”, passed away this Thursday morning at her home in Detroit at the age of 76. Franklin, who is regarded as one of the greatest singers of all time, lost a long battle to pancreatic cancer; the artist had announced her retirement from the stages last year, her last live show was in November 7, 2017 when she performed at the C...

The National Seismology Network (RSN) reported an eruption of the Turrialba Volcano this August 15 at 7 a.m., the volcano still maintained a passive emission of ash over four hours after the eruption. The activity was mild with a column of ash that reached close to 300 meters above the active crater; the ash was being dispersed to the Northeast. Turrialba Volcano had increased its activity...

A US tourist identified as Ion Chiaburu drowned today in the area known as Roca Verde in Dominical, Osa, Puntarenas. The man, 77 years-of-age, was a native of Ohio, and apparently entered the country last Saturday along with his son; he was enjoying the day swimming at the beach when he was dragged by a rip current. A helicopter from the hotel they were staying, Punta Gabriela, was able to l...

Costa Rican physicist, mechanical engineer and former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang Díaz stated during the I International Hydrogen Forum that took place in Costa Rica this Monday that he wants the country to give hydrogen technologies an opportunity as a tool to transform the transportation sector in one with less contamination. “We don’t want Costa Rica to close the doors to this technology. ...

800 people between the ages of 18 and 35 will increase their English language skills to have better job opportunities. They live across 15 communities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), such as Puntarenas, San Carlos, and San Ramón. Another 200 beneficiaries from the GAM, specifically from Santa Ana and La Unión will also be part of the program. All the beneficiaries are living in pov...

Costa Rica will have for the first time, a Wedding Expo directed to the LGBTI population in 2019. The event is organized by Villamil Productions and will take place at the Pedregal Events Center in San Antonio de Belen, Heredia in February, the specific dates have not yet been released but it will extend for three days. Villamil has made available one hundred stands for companies to offer di...

The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (CIDH) acknowledged the decision of the Constitutional Chamber of the Costa Rican Supreme Court which  declared unconstitutional the article of the Family Code that explicitly prohibits same sex marriage, and the Commission urges the State to advance immediately in the effective implementation of this sentence. The Supreme Court of Costa Rica ordere...

The Drug Control Police (PCD) of the Ministry of Public Security, seized a total of 133 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a pineapple cargo. The authorities got an anonymous call to their confidential line (1176) in reference to possible drug transportation case, the agents arrived at the Moin Port in Limon to confirm the report. The drugs were found in a container which was supposedly carrying...

Students of Rutgers University of New Jersey, USA, are in Costa Rica working on the project “Geoscience Research at the Cordillera Talamanca” (GREAT), in conjunction with technical and geoscientists of the National Seismology Network (RSN) and the University of Costa Rica's National Laboratory of Structural Materials and Models (Lanamme) and using the research facilities of Costa Rican Electricity...

Costa Rica joined the Organization of American States (OAS) Working Group on Nicaragua, "whose mandate is to contribute to the search for peaceful and sustainable solutions to the evolving situation in Nicaragua, including through consultations with the Government of Nicaragua." The Working Group for Nicaragua is composed of a representative of each regional group and other Member States and mu...

Benito Martinez, better known by his stage name “Bad Bunny”, the Puerto Rican Latin trap and reggaeton singer that has gained famed in the past couple of years, will offer a concert in Costa Rica, November 25. The singer of “Chambea” and “Soy Peor” is scheduled to present his show in El Tajo in the Parque de Diversiones (Costa Rica’s amusement park), production company Primo Entertainment is in...

Gustavo Him, Panama’s Minister of Tourism recently announced the Panamanian’s government interest in boosting the tourism sector through a $20 million international promotion fund, and is seeking an alliance with Costa Rica to create a multi-destination tourism zone that will be more attractive to tourists, specially those that travel long distances. "Panama has had a lack of vision due to diff...

President Carlos Alvarado presented today the Alliance for Bilingualism (ABi) as a national strategy to significantly increase the coverage of the English teaching in Costa Rica. This alliance will work as the action frame that will link together the plans of several public institutions such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecomm...

A Nicaraguan man of last names Castillo Chavez was arrested today by Officers of the Operational Support Group (GAO) of the Ministry of Public Security in Costa Rica, as suspect raping a German tourist in Tortuguero, Pococí, Limón. “On Sunday, August 12, the tourist took a tour and after the same the man invited her to go out on a boat ride in the area of San Francisco, that’s when the act took...

Walter Espinoza, Director of the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ), offered a press conference this Monday morning with regards to the progress made in the case of the murder of a Spanish tourist last August 4th in Tortuguero, Pococí, Limón. On August 5th, OIJ arrested a man of Nicaraguan nationality who is in the country illegally as the main suspect in this murder; the man identified as A...

The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) announced this Sunday evening the temporary closure of Route 32 which connects San Jose to Limon due to a mudslide in kilometer 30. According to the information shared, the road is completely closed and for now they do not have an estimated time on when it will reopen, “we will inform tomorrow of the hour it will reopen, once the road is cl...

The Life in Color Festival will be back in Cost Rica this September 22, 2018 and this year for the first time at Parque Viva, La Guacima, Alajuela. The Life in Color Festival is an electronic music event that takes place in different countries around the world, in this occasion headliners are Steve Aoki, American electro house musician and DJ who is ranked as number 9 in the “Top 100 DJ’s” list...

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) declared yellow alert for the county of Limon and green alert for the rest of the territory except for the North Pacific, this since the country is under the influence of a low-pressure system and a new tropical wave. Tropical wave number 26 will bring strong rainfall and instability in most of the territory. The North and South Caribbean as well as Ca...

Sylvania, opened the doors of Sylvania LAB, a 350m2 high-tech space that represents an investment of US $ 1 million, created for products’ development of high specification for different industries. "Sylvania LAB will support the Research and Development department, where Costa Rican engineers design luminaires that are exported to South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico; as we...

A couple formed by a Colombian native of last name Caicedo and a Costa Rican woman of last name Centeno were arrested this Saturday in La Uruca as suspects of theft affecting two Canadian tourists. This couple had been arrested back in February 8, 2018 in Heredia, as suspects of participating in at least 20 thefts that took place between June 2017 and February 2018 and where tourists were the m...

Costa Rica had a good day at the finals of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association NACAC Track & Field Championship celebrated in Toronto, Canada. Athlete Roberto Sawyers earned the gold medal in the hammer throw competition with a mark of72.94 meters, his personal best this year, the best in the event, and also earning a direct pass to the 2019 World Champio...

The bridge over Drake River is being built through an alliance between the Rural Development Institute (INDER) and the OSA Municipality, and will allow the access to the Osa Peninsula, area that is home to 2.5% of the worlds’ biodiversity. “Osa Peninsula, with over 50% of Costa Rica’s biodiversity and its point of entry Drake Bay, is one of the most beautiful places in our country, visited by t...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain updated its website with several safety recommendations for citizens traveling to Costa Rica, this after the murder of a Spanish tourist August 4th in Tortuguero, Pococí, Limón. “It is recommended to travel with precaution. Since there have been some violent attacks against women tourists, it is recommended to take self-protection measures and avoid tran...

Costa Rican athlete Andrea Vargas classified this Friday to the 100-meter hurdles final of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association NACAC Track & Field Championship that is being celebrated in Toronto, Canada. Vargas finished second in the semifinal competition stopping the clock at 12:94, only behind USA’s Kendra Harrison who finished at 12:66. Harrison is the ...

In the past three months the Ministry of Public Security, Border Police and Migration Police have rejected over one thousand Nicaraguan nationals that have attempted to enter Costa Rica illegally, while they have detected at least 20 cases of people smuggling. “The Government of Costa Rica is working persistently in coordinated actions to guarantee national security in reason of the crisis in ...

Members of the Border Police apprehended a U.S. citizen of last name Lewis who was carrying a fake DIMEX card (foreigner’s migratory identity card) in the area of Guaycará, Golfito (South Border). The DIMEX card is given to foreigners who are legally established in Costa Rica. According to the authorities, Lewis was carrying a DIMEX that had been awarded back in 2006 to the underage son of a sc...

The Minister of Tourism, Maria Amalia Revelo and the Vice-Minister of Public Security Eduardo Solano, held a press conference this Friday, August 10, to announce some of the measures that will be carried out in the topic of tourist safety and security. Yesterday, the President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, informed that during his administration $1 million USD a year from the Costa Rican Tour...

The Costa Rican Drug Control Police (PCD) of the Ministry of Public Security broke up a drug trafficking organization that was operating in the provinces of Heredia and San Jose; in total 4 people were detained, among them a woman of last name Barrantes and 43 years of age who has a criminal record for aggravated robbery, sexual abuse, theft, illegal drug commerce, among others, this woman had be...

Two Spanish tourists and three Costa Rican tourists (including a minor) suffered an armed robbery while they were enjoying a walk in one of the trails of the Rincon de la Vieja National Park this Thursday, August 9th at around 11:30 a.m. The tourists were intercepted by men carrying knifes who took all their belongings, cell phones, binoculars, cash, backpacks, among other things. The Public...

Hundreds of people, locals and foreigners participated in the “Marcha de Blanco” (Protest in White), in Santa Teresa, Cobano, Puntarenas, an event organized to pay tribute to María Trinidad Matus, the Mexican tourist that was murdered last weekend at this touristic site in Costa Rica, the manifestation also had the purpose of raising awareness to battle insecurity and stop violence against women. ...

The global company Jonson Controls will be holding a job fair this August 10 and 11 (Friday and Satuday) at their offices in Costa Rica, in the building H of Forum I first floor from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The company is looking to fill in 50 positions for its Circuito Sales Support Center in the country, and will be hiring technicians and electric engineers, mechanics, electro-mechanics, and CAD/ BI...

María Nazareth Mata Castillo, Valeria Saborío Barquero, Diego Hernández Montero, Maxwell Jornae Pita Nelson, Josué Ortega Ramírez and Antony Ramírez Montero, became the second generation of Costa Rican students in the public education system to earn scholarships to study in community colleges in the United States, this thanks to the progam “Scholarships for Specialized Technicians Dr. Ana Sittenfe...

Unemployment in Costa Rica during the second trimester of 2018 reached 8.7%; during this period women unemployment reached 1.4% according to the information published by the Employment Survey of the Census and Statistics Institute (INEC). The survey indicates that the number of people out of work reached approx 206,000 (109,000 women and 97,000 men). This number represents 8.7% of the active po...

At 11:30 p.m. this August 8th, 2018, the Constitutional Chamber in Costa Rica (Sala Constitucional or Sala IV as it is popularly known) pronounced itself on same sex marriage in the country and domestic partnership between same sex couples. Judge Fernando Castillo was in charge of explaining the decision of the Constitutional Chamber to the press: “These have been two very complex rulings, a...

In the past weeks several cases of Hepatitis A reported in four communities have raised the alert of the health authorities in Costa Rica. The cases were reported in the counties of Alajuelita, Los Yoses, Tibas and Goicoechea, all of them in San Jose. The Ministry of Public Health has stated that all cases are under control and the patients have made a satisfactory recovery so far, however, th...

The “Comprehensive Prevention Strategy for Public Security, Let’s Sow Security” decree was signed today; the initiative is declared of national and pubic interest and will start applying on September 1st in the 82 counties of Costa Rica. This plan has the support of the American Embassy in Costa Rica and Colombia’s National Police, a test trial was executed las year in 15 counties (Moravia, Tib...

Albin Díaz, the Nicaraguan man that was arrested in relation to the murder of Arantxa López, a Spanish tourist, in Tortuguero, Pococí, Limón, last Saturday, was released by the Criminal Court of Pococí to the custody of the General Directorate of Migration, due to lack of sufficient evidence. Díaz who is in the country illegally, was arrested on Sunday as the main suspect of killing Lopez. Walt...

The crisis that continues to affect Nicaragua has left 70,000 people out of jobs according to Lucy Valenti , President of Nicaragua’s National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR). After almost 4 months of violence in the streets, several hotels have been forced to closed their doors due to the decrease in the number of clients. Back in June Volaris Airlines had announced the suspension of its flights ...