Carnival in Puntarenas
starts nine-day run Friday


The Carnaval de Puntarenas, Festival Perla de Pacifico, kicks-off Friday in the Pacific Coast community and will extend for nine days. All events will take place along the beach in Puntarenas.

The nine-day festival is free.

Carnaval is famous in Brazil and has extended its influence onto Panamá and Costa Rica. Limón also has a really big carnival celebration but in October. Carnival is a celebration held before the Catholic period of Lent. Carnival is popular in Brazil where the giant celebration has parades where women dance samba in skimpy outfits. The customary dress is very colorful, bright and covered in jewels and feathers.

The “Reina del Carnaval” will be chosen on the first day of the celebration in Puntarenas, so she can represent the festivities for the run of the parties. There is a horse parade or tope, concerts from different genres in music, fishing contests, a beach soccer tournament, and fireworks.

The parade where people will be in masks, costumes, dancing and singing will take place on the last day of the celebrations at 2 p.m. The procession starts at Parque Marino and ends at Parque Lobo heading west.


Russian and Tico diplomats
consider mutual exchanges


A Russian Federation diplomat and the Costa Rican vice-minister of foreign relations met Tuesday to discuss ideas on how to further the relationship between both countries.

Sergey Ryabkov, Russia deputy minister, and Carlos Roverssi, his Costa Rican counterpart, discussed the importance of both countries to create a cultural exchange, especially in the field of medicine. This is something that could really benefit Costa Rica, said Roverssi.

Ryabkov thanked Costa Rica for support and cooperation for his country to join the World Trade Organization.

Both men agreed to increase tourism between each country and possibly take away visa restrictions for Russians into Costa Rica, according to comments made at a press conference after the meeting.

Russia was also named the country of honor for the 2014 Festival Internacional de las Artes in Costa Rica.


Heredia home invaded


Judicial agents in Heredia reported that four men raided a house in Santo Domingo Monday. The men entered the house around 9 p.m. with ski masks and firearms. Agents say they entered through the unlocked and opened front door and gate. The inhabitants were threatened with weapons and  forced into one room while the robbers made off with three cellphones and cash, agents said.