All Things Panama

President-elect Laura Fernández named outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves as minister of the Presidency and minister of Finance on Tuesday, giving her predecessor one of the most powerful roles in the new Costa Rican government just three days before she takes office. The announcement came during Fernández’s cabinet presentation at the Teatro Popular Melico Salazar in …

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Geothermal energy supplies about 21 percent of El Salvador’s net electricity, placing the country among the world’s leaders in its use of this renewable source. The state-owned utility LaGeo now plans to add more capacity after the World Bank approved a $150 million loan in March 2025. The six-year project will fund drilling and construction …

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Drivers heading between Costa Rica’s Central Valley and the Central Pacific should prepare for delays this week as the Tárcoles bridge on Route 34 returns to single-lane operation for final rehabilitation work. The bridge, widely known as the Crocodile Bridge because of the large crocodiles often seen below in the Tárcoles River, is one of …

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Canada has updated its travel advice page for Costa Rica, keeping our country under a nationwide recommendation to “exercise a high degree of caution” because of crime. The Canadian government’s advisory was updated yesterday, and lists Costa Rica under the caution category rather than a do-not-travel warning. The notice applies to the country as a …

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Political attention in Costa Rica turns today to the Teatro Popular Melico Salazar, where President-elect Laura Fernández is scheduled to present the cabinet that will launch her 2026–2030 administration. The announcement is set for 11 a.m. in downtown San José, just three days before Fernández takes office this Friday, May 8. Her team is expected …

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Costa Rica and the United States have expanded their Joint Patrol Agreement to include the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, adding marine resource protection to a bilateral maritime-security framework long used against drug trafficking. The protocol, signed April 30 in San José, amends the existing agreement and broadens cooperation beyond illicit maritime trafficking. …

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Outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves used his final address to Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly today to call for a deep restructuring of the Costa Rican state, telling incoming lawmakers that the country’s institutions must be transformed if the next government is to move forward. Speaking before a new Congress controlled by his political movement, Chaves said …

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Costa Rican researchers are turning to fungi as a possible answer to one of our country’s most urgent environmental problems: what to do with the growing amount of organic waste sent to landfills. The Laboratory for Research in Experimental Sciences, known as LICE, at the National Distance Education University, UNED, is developing a project that …

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Costa Rica’s international reserves have climbed to one of the highest levels in our country’s history, nearing $21 billion and giving the Central Bank a large financial cushion at a time when the strong colón continues to shape the economy. The Central Bank’s daily reserve table shows net international reserves at $20.9079 billion on April …

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Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino accused the U.S. Embassy of threatening to revoke visas of officials and business figures with ties to Chinese companies. Mulino made the comments during his weekly news conference on October 16, 2025. He described the alleged threats as inconsistent with the friendly relations he seeks with the United States. “They’re …

Read more “Panama–US tensions escalate over Chinese investment, visa threats”