The Tico Times

Several national and international press freedom groups have criticized alleged spying on Costa Rican journalists by the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ), including the Inter American Press Association and Reporters Without Borders. Claudio Paolillo, chairman of the press freedom group’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information condemned the apparent snooping and said it threw into question Costa Rica’s respect for press freedom.

The Japanese loved the idea of Caroline Kennedy in Tokyo – Camelot meets the Chrysanthemum Throne. But what if the new U.S. ambassador proves to be a handful for a nation that prizes politeness and propriety above all else?

Ecuador, where the fatty beans used to make chocolate have been grown since pre-Columbian times, is surpassing Brazil as Latin America's top cocoa producer after boosting planting and offering education programs for farmers.

You could say that the Magón National Prize for Culture is kind of like the Pulitzer of Costa Rica. It's a national honor given to an exceptional artist or intellectual, and it celebrates an entire lifetime of cultural contributions. Described by the Culture Ministry as “the highest recognition awarded by the nation of Costa Rica,” this year’s Magón Prize went to 70-year-old poet Julieta Dobles Yzaguirre.

Six days into the raucous Palmares civic festival, in the northwestern Central Valley, police already have arrested 198 people.

It's whale shark season on Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula, where every January, the enormous, omnivorous creatures gather for a plankton bloom. By the end...

Nicaraguan Central Bank President Alberto Guevara was fired Monday for reasons that haven't yet been made public, an official source said.

Even before celebrating fans honked their car horns late into the night on downtown streets here, Seattle Seahawks' players and coaches began to turn their thoughts to the highly intriguing Super Bowl matchup that's now at hand.

With last year behind us, it's time to look forward to some of our picks for the top stories to watch out for in Costa Rica this year. We're pretty sure it's going to be an exciting year.

In February, endangered leatherback sea turtles will begin nesting on Moín Beach, where conservationist Jairo Mora was killed by poachers last May. Police and government officials have no plans to protect the turtles, and environmentalists are now pushing to designate the area as a national park. But even that would be too late for this year's baby turtles.