One of the major concerns surrounding the passing of the Tobacco Control Law (law number 9028), which is now in effect and being implemented, is that it could leave the door open to unprincipled individuals who could take advantage of the new taxation regime applied to cigarette sales. Those opposed to the law argued that it would create a black market and possibly lead to organized crime. Whil...

Fuerza Publica is committed to the safety and protection of all domestic and wildlife species in Costa Rica, not just humans. For the second time in less than five days, Fuerza Publica officers used old-fashioned police work to rescue animals from the clutches of less-than-scrupulous humans. Five days after officers walking the beat in the capital city of San Jose apprehended a man concealing t...

Banco Nacional and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MICIT) will hold a press conference to mark the official announcement of the National Robotic Olympics on Monday, April 23rd at the stately and upscale Club La Union in the heart of Downtown San Jose. The Robotic Olympics this year will be coordinated by National Instruments, University of Costa Rica, the Technological Institute of Cost...

Now that the Fiscal Reform Plan is dead in the water due to a high court ruling, President Laura Chinchilla took to the airwaves last night and delivered a speech that outlined a new initiative to collect resources needed to shore up the deficit, which has prompted the government into borrowing 45 percent of the cash needed to meet its obligations. The President began her address with a rem...

After 6 consecutive wins and 9 matches without losing, the three-time First Division Champions Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA) looked like they had it all worked out in terms of advancing to the quarter finals round of the summer football tournament. They were looking for a victory, but a tied score would have been to their advantage. They had the home pitch advantage at the Scotiabank-Ale...

The new Computer Security Incident Response Team of Costa Rica (CSIRT-CR) was formally inaugurated last Friday with an announcement in La Gaceta, the official government publication. On that same day, members of CSIRT-CR responded to an attack on the information systems of the National Assembly. According to a report by digital newspaper El Pais, the Executive Director of the National Assembly ...

The feud between screenwriter Joe Eszterhas and actor and director Mel Gibson continues, and this time Mr. Eszterhas has made public an audio recording that his son Nick, who is a teenager, surreptitiously captured in his iPod at Mr. Gibson's Hacienda Dorada in Playa Barrigona, Guanacaste last December. The audio file and transcript were published by entertainment news site The Wrap. It is ...

In the 21st century, basic computer and Internet skills have become intrinsic tools of literacy. In San Rafael de Heredia, a group of 25 students learn those important skills at a community center twice a week. The ages of the students ranges from 13 to 80, and the instructor is a young man performing community service as part of his university degree requirements. This computer skills cour...

The Ministry of the Treasury employees who leaked data about unreported property values and unpaid taxes that lead to the resignation of three prominent public officials have been charged with unauthorized use of privileged information systems. Moments after the official announcement of the accusations against the twelve employees, whose names and positions are being withheld, Ticos took to social...

On May 1st, just as millions of workers around the world will take the day off to protest against labor injustices and demand better working conditions, the elected legislators at Costa Rica's National Assembly will see more money on their paychecks thanks to substantial salary increases. Three legislators who were vehemently opposed to the increases decided to reject their own raises, but ...

Residential customers of the National Power and Light Company (CNFL in Spanish) can expect to pay approximately 4.7 percent more on their electricity bills in May. According to an official press release by the Public Services Regulatory Agency (Spanish acronym: ARESEP), the CNFL had requested an increase of 9 percent for residential service and 7.76 percent for street lighting and other pub...

A Supreme Court ratification of a ruling by a court of appeals places the burden of liability on the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MOPT) in relation to a 2005 accident that took the life of Manuel Angel Morales Piedra in Perez Zeledon. MOPT must now pay the surviving family members about $135,000. Manuel Angel Morales was trying to cross the southbound lanes of the Inter-American...

The first day of the World Junior Surfing Championship in Playa Venao got off to a good start with solid heats by the best junior surfers in the world, but when Day 2 came around, the competition level went up a few notches. As Pavones native Noe Mar McGonagle paddled out for his heat, those who are familiar with his aggressive style of surfing knew that they would be in for a treat.  Noe M...

The National Seismologic Network (RSN) and the Observatory of Volcanic and Seismic Activity in Costa Rica (OVSICORI) have released reports on recent eruptions and other volcanic activity at the Poas and Rincon de la Vieja colossi over the last few days. The reports indicate that the activity in both volcanoes has been phreatic, meaning that it is related to underground water eruptions, not ...

According to a recent official press release (PDF) issued by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC), the love affair between Tico consumers and credit cards grew fonder in 2011. The number of credit cards circulating in Costa Rica increased by 2.4 percent, for a total of 1,502,389 currently in the market. The collective amount of debt owed by credit card holders in Costa Rica is ...

A group of six men armed with AK-47 assault rifles and 9mm handguns forced their way into a nursery set up to protect the large Leatherback sea turtles and stole their eggs. According to a televised news report broadcast by Repretel channel 6, the gunmen descended upon a beach encampment in Playa Moin, in the province of Limon. A group of volunteer workers, many of them foreigners, were bound a...

Hundreds of Tico headbangers were disappointed earlier today when they learned that the Rock N' Roll All Stars presentation, originally scheduled for May 3rd, was canceled due to a disagreement between the American and Costa Rican event organizers. According to Telenoticias 7, Brunca Productions delivered the sad news this morning. The concert would have taken place at the Ricardo Saprissa ...

Dozens of rescue workers have been involved in rescuing aquatic species from the Reventazon river since April 11th. On that day, ICE engineers and technicians changed the course of the river in order to accommodate their hydroelectric project, which will include a dam measuring 130 meters in height. The rescue area of operations in the river is about 820 meters and features strong currents. Bio...

The heads of state participating at the VI Summit of the Americas in Cartagena have all returned to their respective nations. Most news media outlets are reporting on the fact that no major treaties were signed, and no final declaration was issued due to lack of consensus in various topics. President Barack Obama returned to the United States to deal with a scandal involving Secret Service agen...

When it comes to online banking, security is the main concern. In Costa Rica, the online banking platform of Banco Nacional is known for its strong security measures like security certificates, virtual keyboards, password policies, and physical tokens. For account holders who want an even stronger chain of trust between their computers and bank accounts, Banco Nacional now offers Domain Name Syste...

Don Herman Davis, better known as Daddy Banton, is one of the Tico hip-hop recording artists scheduled to visit the United States in August for a series of live performances. Joining Banton will be DJ P, Masta and Toledo, all from the "Top a Top" hip-hop crew, a music collective that is responsible for most of the rap and dancehall hits in Costa Rica. The Top a Top crew will perform in the ...

Earlier this Sunday afternoon, First Division champs Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA) won an important game against Limon Football Club by 2-0. With this victory, LDA is one of the contenders in the quarter finals of the Summer Tournament. The team is currently in fourth place, behind first-place leader Perez Zeledon, Santos (Guapiles) and Deportivo Saprissa. LDA has 30 points, the same as ...

As scientists from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced the launch of the Unha-3 rocket last week, Tico graphic artist and cartoonist Arcadio Esquivel Mayorga retreated to his studio in Curridabat and penned a simple cartoon: a stylized red rocket that looked more like a firecracker than a ballistic missile, surrounded by accusatory index fingers pointing at it. The online ed...

“From an unlikely location, a place known for its peace and tranquility, for its marvelous ecosystems, and for a flowing lifestyle all here refer to as 'pura vida' or pure life emerges cutting edge technology." The message above welcomes visitors to BioTD, a tiny biotechnology firm located in Barreal de Heredia, in a nondescript industrial park. From this location, the scientists and techni...

The DaKine/International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Surfing Championship, presented by Billabong, is now underway in Playa Venao in Panama. This event has drawn more than 300 surfers from around the world, all under the age of 18. Surfers from 31 countries participated in a colorful parade yesterday in the town of Pedasi. Costa Rica has sent her best young wave riders to Panama, and...

The Costa Rica Star has recently published information about receiving your permanent residency in Costa Rica to avoid border runs, wasting time, and money. Author's Note: This article is being written in response to a dear reader named Jane, who is from the United States and is planning on moving to the town of Puerto Viejo in the Talamanca Region, province of Limon. Parts of her e-mail to the...

With an official communique issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Costa Rica joined the international community in the collective disappointment of North Korea. "Costa Rica vehemently decries the rocket launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and joins the clamor of the international community to once again take up, this time with greater urgency than before, high-level dialog ...

Author’s Note: This is the eighth item in a series of articles that touch on the subject of sustainable practices in Costa Rica. There is a high degree of innovation and street smarts involved in sustainability; if you happen to know of a good sustainability tip, please feel free to share it with The Costa Rica Star. Massive industrialized farming is a double-edged sword. On one hand it has...

"We are not willing to be dragged into a convoy of destruction, of militarism, of exorbitant costs that distracts nations from their investment efforts into social issues." Such were the words of President Laura Chinchilla in an interview with Colombian newspaper El Tiempo on the eve of her participation in the Sixth Summit of the Americas. Our President arrived in Cartagena with an agenda t...

She is a 21-year old pharmaceutical sciences student from El Tambor of Alajuela, who at 5'8" stands taller than the average Tica. Nazareth Cascante Madrigal became our new beauty queen after she consistently scored 9.5 on the judges' scorecards at the 2012 Miss Costa Rica pageant held at Teletica's studios last night. Among the musical guests at the pageant was Debi Nova. Contestants at 59t...

There is no doubt that the love for peace and democracy that Ticos share makes Costa Rica a special place. Unfortunately, the arcane body of laws, codes, statutes, and regulations in our country sometimes contradicts the will and sentiment of the citizenry. Given our political and civic history, Costa Rica should be a shelter for press freedom and whistleblowers, but according to a recent news ...

The French Republic has removed eleven sovereign jurisdictions from its closely-watched list of offshore tax and financial havens. Within the Central American region, Costa Rica, Belize and Panama have been removed from the list, although the Finance Minister of the French Republic warned that the eleven nations will still be monitored for loopholes that may attract unscrupulous business. One C...

Australian-born actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson, whose palatial Hacienda Dorada in Nicoya was recently listed for sale, is once again making the rounds of the tabloid and celebrity gossip media. The issue this time involves a falling out between him and Hollywood screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, whose writing credits include blockbuster films like Flashdance and Basic Instinct -as well as critically...

Tickets are now on sale for the first-ever Craft Beer Festival in Costa Rica, which will take place at Avenida Escazu on Saturday, April 21st at 11:00 am. The festival will feature the best that our microbreweries have to offer, tastings, workshops, presentations, music, and a brew-off between craft beer makers based in Costa Rica. The cost of a VIP ticket is 15,000 colones. A VIP ticket gi...

SAN JOSE – Alert police officers assigned to a foot patrol around the Cathedral District in the Downtown area of the capital city noticed something strange about a man carrying three burlap sacks. After observing what seemed like movement of the contents in the bags, the Fuerza Publica members approached the man and asked to search the sacks. The bags were filled with ten iguanas: nine were ali...

From afar, they look like snowflakes accumulated on the coffee plants. Up close, you see the small white flowers and smell the strong perfume. Coffee blossoms put a smile on farmers, growers, exporters, and commodities traders. This time the blossoms are early, thanks to premature spring rains that have fallen on the fields. The early blossoms signal a good start for the harvest later this year...

La Caja, our beloved public health and welfare system, is in the sights of many individuals and organizations -and not just in Costa Rica, but also around the world. La Caja is not in the best state in terms of financial solvency, and this comes at a time when the Tico population is showing clear signs of aging and a decreased birthrate. Several international news and research organizations ha...

The National Museum, in conjunction with community associations of the Osa, Palmar and the Diquis Delta region, invite you to the VII Festival of the Stone Spheres this weekend. This is a cultural and festive event that will serve as a warm up for the future UNESCO candidacy of the magnificent National Park of the Stone Spheres of Costa Rica. The activities will start at 9:00 AM and will wrap u...

This coming June, Costa Rica will celebrate a few events dedicated to environmental protection. One is World Environment Day, which this year will be centered on Green Economies. A more important and localized event will focus on the health of our rivers, particularly in the Central Valley and the Greater San Jose Metropolitan Area (GAM in Spanish). Minister of the Environment Rene Castro spoke...

The National Football Teams of Costa Rica and Honduras did not disappoint fans last night at the National Stadium in La Sabana. The Central American classic between the two strongest teams in the region and consistent performers at the CONCACAF level ended in a tied score of one goal each. The teams were evenly matched throughout the game, but one player stood out among all. Legionnaire Tico le...