Latin American elites see journalism as “subversive,” says Guatemalan journalist

Renowned Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora considered a “prisoner of conscience” by international organizations, said Friday that Latin America’s political and economic elites view journalism as a “subversive exercise” and impose severe punishments on those who practice it. Speaking virtually from Guatemala City, where he is under house arrest after spending nearly three years in …

El Salvador Tourism Hits All-Time High in 2025

El Salvador recorded a historic 4.1 million international visitors in 2025, the highest annual figure the country has ever seen. Ministry of Tourism data released in January show the total topped the previous year’s 3.9 million by about 5 percent and beat official targets. Recent updates from Minister Morena Valdez indicate arrivals in the first …

Night Closures Set as Costa Rica Begins Demolishing Toll Booths

Costa Rica will begin demolishing the old toll booths on the General Cañas Highway next Monday, April 27, with overnight closures expected to affect drivers heading from San José toward Alajuela and Juan Santamaría International Airport. The work will run from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for an estimated five days. During that window, the …

Nicaragua Memory Museum Opens in San José to Preserve Stories of 2018 Repression

A new Museum of Memory has opened in San José, Costa Rica, giving Nicaraguan exiles and victims’ families a public space to document the repression that followed the 2018 protests against Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. The museum, titled Lo que no debemos olvidar — What Should Not Be Forgotten — was created by the …

Cuba Releases Three Panamanian Women Detained Over Subversive Signs

Cuban authorities have ordered the release of three Panamanian women detained since late February on accusations of spreading subversive propaganda against the Cuban government, Panama’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. The women — Evelyn Castro, Cinthia del Carmen Camarena and Abigail Sthefany Gudiño — will be allowed to leave Cuban territory, the ministry said in a …

Panama Canal Fees Hit $4 Million as Hormuz Tensions Reroute Trade

Shipping companies have paid as much as $4 million in last-minute auction fees to send vessels through the Panama Canal, the Panama Canal Authority confirmed this week, as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Iran conflict forces global trade to shift routes. The surge comes on top of standard transit fees …

Costa Rica Receives Third Group of Deportees from the United States

Costa Rica received a third group of people deported from the United States yesterday afternoon, as the country continues carrying out a new migration cooperation agreement signed with Washington in late March. The latest flight brought 28 people to Juan Santamaría International Airport: 25 foreign nationals and three Costa Ricans. The arrivals were confirmed by …

Brazil’s Joao Fonseca Moves Into Madrid Third Round After Cilic Withdrawal

Brazil’s Joao Fonseca moved into the third round of the Madrid Masters 1000 on Friday without playing a point, after Croatia’s Marin Cilic withdrew from their second-round match because of food poisoning. The result sends the 19-year-old Brazilian deeper into one of the biggest clay-court tournaments of the season and keeps alive another strong run …

OIJ Warns of Surge in WhatsApp Dollar Scams in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency is warning the public about a rise in scams involving the fake sale of U.S. dollars through hacked WhatsApp accounts. The OIJ’s Specialized Unit Against Scams and Registry Fraud in San José has received 62 reports this year tied to this type of fraud. Investigators say the scam has caused …

Argentine Thiago Tirante Upsets Tommy Paul to Reach Third Round in Madrid

Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante defeated 15th-seeded American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-4 on Friday to advance to the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open. Tirante, ranked 75th, needed one hour and 43 minutes to secure the straight-sets victory at the Caja Mágica. The win marks his best result so far at the Masters 1000 clay-court …