Costa Rica Oversight Body Warns U.S. Deportation Deal Could Trigger Rights Violations

A Costa Rican oversight body is warning that the country risks repeating human rights violations if it moves ahead with a new agreement to accept migrants deported from the United States. The alert comes after President Rodrigo Chaves’ government signed a nonbinding migration deal with Washington that would allow up to 25 third-country deportees per …

Astronauts begin NASA’s historic Artemis II lunar mission

Four Artemis II mission astronauts blasted off Wednesday aboard a massive NASA rocket on a journey that will take them around the Moon, the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years. With a thunderous roar heard far beyond the launch pad, the orange-and-white rocket lifted off carrying three Americans and one Canadian from …

Costa Rica May Pay Private Doctors to Ease Appointment Backlog

Costa Rica’s public health system is again weighing a move that would have seemed unthinkable a few years ago: paying private doctors directly to help relieve pressure inside the CCSS. The latest proposal would allow some patients to receive care from private physicians when the public system cannot offer a timely appointment. The version now …

Nicaragua Rejects United States Claims of Holy Week Celebration Ban

Nicaragua denied Wednesday that it is prohibiting Holy Week celebrations, countering accusations from the United States and opposition voices that public processions have been banned. The government of spouses and co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo faces claims it is cracking down on the Catholic Church, which it accuses of backing 2018 anti-government protests. The …

The superstitions and traditions that still mark Easter Week in Costa Rica

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, remains one of the most important religious observances here in Costa Rica, especially in a country where Catholic traditions have shaped public life and family customs for generations. For many Costa Ricans, the week is still marked by processions, prayer, and church services. But alongside official religious practice, an older …

Costa Rica Takes Over Leadership of the OAS Permanent Council

Costa Rica took over the rotating chair of the Organization of American States Permanent Council today, placing Ambassador Alejandra Solano at the head of one of the body’s main political forums through June 30. The handover took place at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C., as Costa Rica assumed the three-month post under the organization’s alphabetical …

Costa Rica Included in New U.S. Greater North America Security Strategy

Costa Rica has been folded into a new U.S. strategic concept that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calls “Greater North America,” a label the Trump administration is using to describe what it sees as Washington’s immediate security perimeter. In a speech at the Americas Counter Cartel Conference in Doral, Florida, Hegseth said the map runs from …

UN Urges El Salvador to Review Life Sentences for Minors

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday urged El Salvador to review the life sentences approved for minors who commit murder, rape, or take part in “terrorism,” arguing that the measure violates children’s rights. El Salvador’s Congress, controlled by the ruling party, amended the juvenile criminal law to apply that punishment to …

The historic Artemis II mission to the Moon is ready for launch

Three men and one woman are set to leave this Wednesday on the first crewed journey to the Moon since 1972, a historic odyssey intended to push the United States into a new era of space exploration. NASA’s Artemis II mission has been years in the making, with repeated setbacks along the way. But it …