All Things Panama

Between waves and postcard sunsets, foreign tourists enjoy El Tunco beach in El Salvador, once overrun by gang members. They do not hold back their praise for President Nayib Bukele, even as they acknowledge that innocent people may have been caught up in his crackdown. El Salvador is experiencing a tourism boom after bringing criminal …

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Costa Rican authorities began a large operation early this morning in northern Costa Rica and other areas to target a criminal group known as “Los Talibanes.” Officers from the Judicial Investigation Agency and the Prosecutor’s Office executed 51 raids that began at 1 a.m. Most took place in Los Chiles, with additional actions in San …

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Emma Raducanu insists she is in no rush to find a new coach as the former US Open champion looks to revert to a “more aggressive style of play”. The British tennis player has got through several coaches in a relatively short career, with Francisco Roig the latest to leave the role after the Spaniard …

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Over nearly a century, the Central Pacific Coast town Quepos has evolved from the banana-driven economy of the United Fruit Company to a popular tourist destination. Last year a quarter of all visitors to Costa Rica spent time and money in Quepos and the nearby Manuel Antonio National Park area. In recent times, Quepos has …

Read more “Quepos Reinvents Itself from a Costa Rican Banana Port to a Sportfishing Hub”

An El Salvador abortion rights group closed its legal operations after two decades of defending women jailed for pregnancy terminations, citing a hostile environment under President Nayib Bukele’s government. The Citizens’ Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion announced its dissolution today in San Salvador. The organization will shift to a regional activism model while maintaining …

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Costa Rica asked Nicaragua to increase police patrols along the San Juan River. The request targets the movement of gold-bearing sediments taken illegally from the Crucitas area in northern San Carlos. Public Security Minister Mario Zamora Cordero sent a formal letter to Foreign Minister Arnoldo André Tinoco on February 20. In it, Zamora called on …

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Economists called on the Central Bank of Costa Rica to adopt measures that reverse the sharp drop in the dollar exchange rate. The local currency keeps gaining ground, and this movement now hits businesses and households across the country. The dollar trades below 480 colones. It reached ₡474 in bank windows in recent days, the …

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Panama published the Supreme Court ruling that annuls the concession granted to a Hong Kong-based company to operate two ports at the entrances to the Panama Canal. The decision, which appeared in the official gazette, makes the January 30 ruling final and not subject to appeal. Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings, …

Read more “Panama Finalizes Supreme Court Ruling Scrapping Hutchison Ports Deal”

Costa Rica began to tighten immigration controls Sunday on flights arriving from Mexico. Officials want to stop anyone linked to drug trafficking from entering the country after Mexican forces killed Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes. El Mencho, age 59, led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. He stood as one of the most wanted men by …

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I had just successfully reviewed the first four of five camera traps in a sleepy little town tucked into a rich valley bordering the volcano Rincón de la Vieja. The last camera is the hardest to reach. It’s located in a jungle stream at the far end of a cow farm just outside of town. …

Read more “Cow Wrangling and Camera Trapping in Costa Rica”