Free Republic

Four police officers in Costa Rica appeared in court in San José this Wednesday, accused of killing a dog after running it over with their patrol cars. They could face sentences of up to three years in prison for the incident. At the courthouse entrance, several animal rights advocates were protesting as they awaited the arrival of the accused. The incident occurred on August 9th in a neighborhood in the eastern part of the Costa Rican capital when the officers, in two police vehicles, were trying to exit a blocked street and ran over a dog lying on the pavement....

In what is hopefully a significant blow to drug trafficking operations, the Costa Rican Coast Guard intercepted a semi-submersible vessel yesterday, seizing approximately two tons of cocaine. The operation, which took place 148 kilometers off our southern Pacific coast, demonstrated the unwavering commitment of our nation’s authorities in the fight against narcotics trade. Acting on intelligence provided by U.S. patrol aircraft, our Coast Guard swiftly located and intercepted the vessel. In a dramatic turn of events, the three suspects aboard – two Colombians and one Ecuadorian – attempted to sink their craft to destroy evidence. However, our skilled officers thwarted...

Vultures look so graceful soaring in circles high above. Sometimes a lone black specimen can be spotted with wings stretched flat to catch updrafts, and sometimes a cloud of 20 or more of these huge birds may be silhouetted against the sky. They don’t stop; rather, with a few wing flaps, they continue their rounds until it’s time to drop for food. They don’t look as nice sitting in a tree, a whole flock of them with shoulders hunched and black beady eyes looking you over as if checking your state of health. Even worse is the sight of a...

1. Finland - 2. Denmark - 3. Iceland - 4. Netherlands - 5. Sweden - 6. Israel - 7. Norway - 8. Costa Rica - 9. Belgium - 10. Australia [USA? - You need to submit your email address to read the article - I passed on that opportunity]

US Family Finds New Life in Costa Rican Blue Zone CNN published the story of a U.S. family that moved to Costa Rica, and it changed their lives completely. Kema Ward-Hopper and Nicholas Hopper decided to get married in the Central American nation, and years later, they made the decision to permanently relocate. Now, they live in one of Costa Rica’s blue zones, an area characterized by longevity, a slow-paced life, and a healthy lifestyle. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months before their wedding in 2016. “[I had] started treatment and everything. If you see pictures from...

(February 12, 2024). | Fireballs in skies by David de Chiriquí, #Panamá . and Fireballs flying through the skies of Puntarenas, Gulf of Nicoya, credits: Twitter X ⚠️Alerta Climagram🌎 @deZabedrosky

An abandoned airfield now houses a miserable camp with thousands of migrants who crossed from Panama to Costa Rica and were stranded lacking $30 to continue towards the United States. Paso Canoas, the main border crossing between Panama and Costa Rica, has become a crossroads for migrants: those who have money only stay a few hours in the place and those who do not have money see their “American dream” become a “nightmare.” “The 22 days I’ve been here have been hell for me because my children have been sick, we’ve been hungry because we haven’t had money, we can’t...

Late last month an eight year old boy was attacked and taken away by a large crocodile while swimming in a river with his family outside of Cuatro Millas de Matina, Limon. After nearly a month of waiting for officials to find the boy and the animal, local residents took matters into their own hands. They formed a hunting party over the weekend and set out to find the crocodile they believed was responsible for the attack. They found the crocodile and they killed it. The crocodile was over four meters in length. The crocodile was cut open and they...

Rainer Schaller -- who owns Gold's Gym, among other brands -- is missing alongside his family after their plane disappeared overnight ... with officials all but confirming they're dead. A private plane carrying Schaller, his partner Christiane Schikorsky, their children and a reported fitness trainer are listed as the five passengers who have gone unaccounted for since their aircraft vanished off the Costa Rican coast while traveling from Mexico Friday. Reports say the plane lost all communication with a control tower while it was flying near Barra del Parismina in the Caribbean Sea -- and now, the Costa Rican Coast...

Managua (AFP) – One evening as she watched some local kids play outside in her Managua neighborhood, Nicaraguan Mireya Alegria was shocked to see police, motorcycles and a white van carrying hooded men speed past. “They started firing,” she says. It was the moment she decided enough was enough. Now Alegria is one of the thousands of Nicaraguans desperately seeking to process migration documents and flee to neighboring Central American countries, as two months of anti-government dissent has triggered increasingly violent state repression. “Thousands of people come daily to do paperwork,” said Nubia Manzanares, a migration agent, adding that many...

The authorities of the National System of Conservation Areas have reported that many hikers take tours in areas that are not permitted in several of the country’s national parks. Some even charge high sums of money to locals and foreigners, taking them to areas where these activities are prohibited. For example, in June, at the Poás Volcano National Park, 71 people were detained and expelled from the facilities. “Faced with the increase of illegal entries into protected wildlife areas through clandestine or illegal trails, the National System of Conservation Areas has made a call to stop this immediately,” said Rafael...

Hackers crippled computer networks across multiple government agencies, including the Finance MinistryCosta Rica has declared a state of emergency after ransomware hackers crippled computer networks across multiple government agencies, including the Finance Ministry. The official declaration, published on a government website Wednesday, said that the attack was “unprecedented in the country” and that it interrupted the country’s tax collection and exposed citizens’ personal information. The hackers initially broke into the Finance Ministry on April 12, it said. They were able to spread to other agencies, including the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications and the National Meteorological Institute. Leon Weinstok,...

Stone spheres are found on the small island of Isla del Caño and the Diquís Delta, where over 300 stone Petrospheres have been previously identified from the Diquís culture.The Diquís culture emerged in the Valley of the Rio Grande de Térraba, where they established complex social, economic, and political systems to govern their society.During the Chiriquí Period between AD 800 – 1500, many settlements grew into large communities around the alluvial lands of the Térraba River and its main tributaries, constructing large structures using round-edged boulders, paved areas, burial sites, and circular or rectangular mounds with stone walls.The Diquís reached...

A DHL cargo jet broke in half after sliding off the runway while landing at San Jose’s international airport. The fire department says the Boeing 757 had taken off from Juan Santamaría Airport just west of the capital but decided to return after detecting a failure in the hydraulic system. Officials say that upon landing the aircraft skidded, turned and broke in two, exposing its cargo.

In a rare event in Costa Rica, a local fisherman was attacked by a crocodile, not once but twice, resulting in his death. The angler, Lidier Murillo, 43, was fishing along the Coto River, outside Golfito, when the tragedy occurred. According to a witness, Murillo was grabbed by the crocodile with is friend Alvaro Rodriguez. Murillo had waded out into the river mouth while Rodriguez was fishing from shore. According to local media reports, Murillo cried out for help when the beast grabbed him. Rodriguez was initially able to reach him but the crocodile soon began to drag them both...

New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy tested positive for COVID-19 after the family's controversial trip to Costa Rica over the Christmas holiday. "The Governor and First Lady tested themselves due to a recent known non-family contact in their home. Required procedures for reporting, case investigation, and contact tracing have been followed," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's office said in a statement Sunday.

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has been slammed for going to Costa Rica on an eight-day Christmas vacation while the state experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases. ​​ Murphy and his wife, Tammy Snyder Murphy​, left for the Central American country on Dec. 22. That day, New Jersey recorded ​​9,711 cases​, a single-day record since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

OJ Simpson is convinced Tiger King's Carole Baskin killed her husband. The former football player, who was acquitted of the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman in 1995, shared his thoughts on the latest Netflix docu-series to go viral. (Have you see all the hilarious memes!?) Just like so many others who watched the seven-part documentary, Simpson believes the Big Cats owner and animal activist killed her millionaire husband, Don Lewis, and fed his body to her tigers. “Listen I’ve had so many people on my case asking me to watch some show called, Tiger King,” he said...

Tiger King star Carole Baskin’s former husband, who went missing in 1997 and was declared legally dead in 2002, is alive and well in Costa Rica.

President Joe Biden announced his first political ambassadorships Tuesday, tapping former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to be the U.S. ambassador to Mexico. Biden also tapped Morgan Stanley Vice Chairman Tom Nides to be ambassador to Israel. For representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization, Biden selected C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, best known for landing a United Airlines flight on the Hudson River in 2009.... ...For the prestigious, ambassador-rank post of U.S. permanent representative to NATO, Biden has chosen Julianne Smith. A former deputy national security advisor to Biden when he was vice president, Smith also directed NATO policy at the Pentagon....