Walter Espinoza, chief of the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ), confirmed today that OIJ has been investigating the disappearance of a US Expat since September 25. William Sean Creighton owner of an online sportsbook that operates in San Pedro, better known as “Tony”, was last seen the evening of September 24 when he left his work and reportedly went to drop off a co-worker in the area of C...

On Sunday, October 14 the Nicaraguan Police repressed protesters  in a violent manner, a situation that concluded with the arrest of 38 people, among them a Costa Rican and an American. In response to the situation, the Costa Rican government called on an immediate cease of the repression and arbitrary detentions against those participating in protests. “Costa Rica backs the concerns express...

Costa Rican Judiciary Police (OIJ) were able to confirm the identity of a body they found half-buried in Siquirres, Limón back on October 1. The remains correspond to Thomas J. Cook, a U.S. expat that had been reported missing in Jaco. Cook, who had settled in Herradura, Costa Rica back on July 20 this year was last seen and heard from on August 23 when he withdrew funds from an ATM in Jaco be...

The Municipal Band Café Tarrazú (Tarrazu Coffee) of Zona de los Santos represented Costa Rica this Sunday, October 14 in the Hispanic Day Parade in New York City. The band is made up of 120 members, most of them from the communities of León Cortés, Dota and Tarrazú, areas known for the high quality of their coffee. The group walked the Fifth Avenue of NYC for two hours playing traditional Costa...

For the fourth time, Costa Rica is the Latin American epicenter of technological convergence for life sciences. Ten international speakers will be analyzing the future of the technological manufacturing industry in the face of automation, artificial intelligence, new materials and virtualization. Organized by CINDE, the Costa Rican agency for promoting and attracting foreign direct investment t...

The 5th edition of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week will fill Guanacaste with color and glamour on December 28 which will take place once again at Hacienda Pinilla Beach & Golf Resort. As is usually the case, the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week – Guanacaste (MBFWG) focuses on summer outfits and trends, inspired in the wonderful nature of Costa Rica. The activity is sponsored by Mastercard and prod...

Students at the Costa Rican Technological Institute (TEC) now have an interactive space for learning, the Learning Commons Library, unique in Costa Rica and Central America. A Learning Commons is defined as “an interactive space for learning that brings together investigation, games and collaborative work in order to promote the use of technology and digital resources available. It is designe...

Image credit: Wikipedi Scientists from the Clodomiro Picado Institute of the University of Costa Rica (ICP-UCR) created an antidote capable of neutralizing the venom of the black mamba snake, (Dendroaspis polylepis), an extremely venomous snake of the family Elapidae, and native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The antivenom is currently on its experimental stage, and consists in a “panel of ...

Microsoft is the first company that has confirmed it will be relocating its Costa Rica facilities to the “technological city” in San Jose, project that is being promoted by the Municipality of San Jose. Microsoft will be unifying its sales, operations and customer service business units and will install in a 21-floor tower that is being built in La Sabana, where the Universal store used to be....

Tuesday October 16 the 22 judges that form the “Corte Plena” (full court) of Costa Rica’s Judicial Branch, will have to establish their final position in regard to the proposed fiscal plan, which has already been approved in first debate by the Legislative Assembly but was sent to several institutions for consultation before it's as established by law. A report created by the Judicial Direction...

The number of Nicaraguans requesting asylum and migrating to Costa Rica shows a considerable decrease since September. June and July this year registered the highest numbers of refugee requests, however, according to Raquel Vargas, director of the General Directorate of Migration, the number of requests received in September was only of a 50% in comparison to the month of August, “During the mo...

The story had a tragic and sad end, the body of 30-year-old Massachusetts native Josh Byrne was found this Saturday several hours into a search. Byrne and his wife Bianca arrived in Costa Rica earlier this week on their honeymoon trip after just celebrating their marriage last weekend on a farm in New Hampshire. The couple chose the area of Dominicalito in the South Pacific to celebrate their m...

According to information offered today by the Costa Rican government, 98.5% of the workers still on strike are employees of the Ministry of Public Education, “The labor unions’ strike against the fiscal plan has diluted in the majority of public institutions that joined the movement in the beginning, back on September 10, and currently the protests are limited to workers of the Ministry of Educati...

30-year-old Josh Byrne and his wife Bianca traveled to Costa Rica earlier this week to celebrate their honeymoon after getting married last weekend on a farm in New Hampshire. As they were traveling over a bridge a flash flood dragged the car they were driving into the river. Bianca was able to make it out alive, but so far, there are no signs of Byrne. The couple was vacationing in the area of...

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) raised the alert in the Cental and South Pacific from green to yellow after 130 reports of floods in these areas caused by intense rainfall of tropical wave #40 that affected the country this Thursday, the red alert remains for the districts of Cobano, Paquera, Lepanto, El Roble, and the Center of Puntarenas that were considerably affected last week. The...

This was a hot topic for discussion at the Break Free from Plastic Initiative held Tuesday in Manila, where it was revealed that Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Nestle are among the companies that contribute the most to ocean-pollution via single-use plastics. Back in August 2017, Costa Rica announced its goal of completely eradicating single-use plastic by 2021, thereby becoming the first country in the wo...

The labor strike affecting the state refinery (Recope) came to and end yesterday after an agreement was reached between representatives of the labor union and the authorities of Recope. The operations went back to complete normality this Thursday, October 11 at 6 a.m. Employees of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) also resumed their work after one month of striking. The Administ...

The price of the US dollar in Costa Rica has been fluctuating for the past few weeks and today if has reached the highest price of the year at 600 colones per dollar at some private and public banks. Some banks still have the price slightly under the 600 colones, BAC San Jose for example sells it at ₡599.00, Banco de Costa Rica and others such as Scotiabank has it at ₡602.00. The new preside...

The Ministry of Public Security of Costa Rica intercepted two motorboats the evening of this Tuesday and early hours of Wednesday in waters of the Caribbean loaded with marijuana. The Coast Guard Service of Barra del Colorado was in charge of the operation along with agents of the Drug Control Police. The boats were located at open sea, when the Coast Guard Patrol signaled them to stop they sp...

Police authorities of the Ministry of Public Security seized a total 428 kilograms of cocaine and arrested three suspects that traveled aboard the vessel. The vessel was intercepted in waters of the Pacific, southeast of Cabo Blanco in the Nicoya Peninsula. The ship had Ecuadorian license, according to the National Coastguard Service. Upon inspection, the Drug Control Police found the packet...

This Tuesday, Judge Francisco Quesada ruled that labor strike sustained for over a month by members of the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), illegal, considering that the movement was not carried out in a peaceful manner. The labor unions will have three days to appeal once they have been legally notified and after the appeal is presented the labor court will have another five days to dictat...

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) recommended prevention as two new tropical waves will be arriving to the country this week. According to the National Meteorology Institute, tropical wave number 40 will hit this Thursday while the effects of number 41 will be felt during the weekend, affecting mainly the Central and South Pacific as well as the Central Valley, this type of phenomenon is ...

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...

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...

An all-women drug gang was busted for drug trafficking in Golfito, on the Southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, near Panama. These alleged drug damas were operating near the Sports Park of Pueblo Civil de Golfito, in Puntarenas Province. They were apprehended by agents of the Drug Patrol Police (Policia Control de Drogas, PCD), on October 5, 2018. The leader of the group was identified by the l...

Contrary to popular belief, alimony and/or child support payments are not "written in stone" once a judgment has been rendered. Costa Rican law foresees the possibility of the need for change when the financial possibilities of either the obligor or beneficiary necessitates a need for an increase or reduction of those benefits. This can be accomplished when the interested party files for a proceed...

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...