All Things Panama

The United States announced on Thursday a tightening of its visa policy for Latin America and the Caribbean that initially affects 26 people, without detailing names or nationalities. “This Administration will deny adversary powers the ability to own or control critical assets or to threaten the security and prosperity of the United States in our …

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Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health said that the country has confirmed its fourth positive case of chikungunya so far this year, based on results issued by INCIENSA. The latest case involves a 52-year-old Costa Rican woman from Heredia who recently traveled to Nicaragua. Health officials said she entered Costa Rica during the virus’s incubation period, …

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Drivers using Route 1 near Juan Santamaría International Airport are set to get some relief after President Rodrigo Chaves ordered the removal of the unused toll booth structures at Río Segundo de Alajuela and Naranjo. The tolls have not been collecting fees since last September, but the physical booths have remained in place, continuing to …

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An unusual eruption inside Poás Volcano on April 10 sent ash into the air, pushed the crater lake up by as much as three meters, and opened a new fumarole field, according to Costa Rican volcanologists tracking the event. Scientists say the episode was not the kind of explosion seen during Poás activity last year, …

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Sunwing Vacations and WestJet Vacations will suspend all flights and vacation packages to Cuba from June 20 through October 9, 2026. The Sunwing Vacations Group, which operates the three brands, announced the decision on April 15. It extends a pause already in place for parts of the summer program and now covers every Cuban destination …

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The United States Treasury Department imposed sanctions the two sons of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo along with seven gold companies and several individuals operating in the country’s gold sector. Maurice Facundo Ortega Murillo and Daniel Edmundo Ortega Murillo were designated for serving as officials in the Nicaraguan government. The sanctions …

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Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele signed reforms into law that permit life prison sentences for people convicted of serious crimes starting at age 12. The changes extend life imprisonment to minors as young as 12 who are convicted of or serve as accomplices in homicide, femicide, rape or gang membership. They also apply to adults. The …

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Spirit Airlines, the ultra-low-cost carrier that has connected Costa Rica to the United States with daily flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, is now staring down a very real possibility of total liquidation, and a decision could, according to a variety of sources, come as early as this week. For the hundreds of thousands of …

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Costa Rica’s plastic pollution is not only an environmental issue; it is a quietly mounting economic one. The country markets itself on natural beauty, clean beaches, and biodiversity. Plastic undermines all three, and the financial consequences are beginning to be quantified in ways that are difficult to ignore. The most direct economic threat lies within …

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The director general of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Thibaut Bruttin, warned of the danger posed to journalism in Latin America by several presidents following Donald Trump’s playbook, which he described as hostile toward the press. In an interview with AFP during a visit to Guatemala that began Monday, Bruttin said he regretted that the Trump …

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