Month: January 2025

The Poás Volcano has registered an increase in its activity in recent weeks. The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI) reports increased seismicity, small eruptions, and outgassing. The Technical Advisory Committee on Volcanology of the National Emergency Commission (CNE) has recommended new operational measures regarding tourist visitation, including temporary closure of the trail …

Read more “Costa Rica Limits Access to Active Poas Volcano Due to Safety Concerns”

Marco Rubio will make his first trip as US secretary of state to Central American nations including Panama, a spokeswoman said Thursday, after President Donald Trump threatened to seize the Panama Canal and clamped down hard on migration. Rubio, the first Hispanic and first fluent Spanish speaker in the top US diplomatic position, will be …

Read more “US Secretary Rubio to Visit Panama Amid Canal Tensions”

Today we meet the striped hog-nosed skunk, a little-known species that inhabits forests throughout Costa Rica. The striped hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus semistriatus) is known as the zorro hediondo rayado in Spanish. It is one of three species of skunk that call Costa Rica home and the only one that lives throughout the entire country. The …

Read more “Costa Rica Wildlife Reveals Mysterious Striped Hog-Nosed Skunk”

Miguel Herrera’s first match in charge of Costa Rica ended in a disappointing 3-0 defeat at the hands of the USA. In team news, Herrera opted for his customary 5-3-2 formation and handed debuts to defenders Santiago van der Putten and Ryan Bolaños, midfielder Creichel Pérez, and winger Josimar Méndez. Center-back Fernán Faerrón captained the …

Read more “USA Dominates Costa Rica 3-0 in Miguel Herrera Debut Match”

Time is running out to spend your old ₡500 coins! The Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) has announced that the current golden ₡500 coin will be replaced with a new bimetallic design starting July 1, 2025. This change marks not only a shift in currency but also a celebration of a pivotal moment in …

Read more “New ₡500 Coin in Costa Rica: Design, Features, and Exchange Deadline”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported Wednesday that journalists in Guatemala continue working in a “hostile” environment due to ongoing “criminalization” cases driven by the Prosecutor’s Office and other forms of aggression, as they assessed President Bernardo Arévalo’s first year in office. While RSF acknowledged the social democratic leader’s “openness” to the press, including his signing …

Read more “Guatemalan Journalists Face Ongoing Judicial Persecution”

Ariel Robles, deputy of the Frente Amplio, denounced the Costa Rican State before the Ramsar Convention for alleged illegal actions committed in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Refuge in Talamanca. The wetland was declared internationally important in 1995, a designation given because of its biological richness and the fact that the area serves as a refuge for a …

Read more “Costa Rica’s Wildlife Refuge at Risk: International Conservation Standards Violated”

The GAM– La Gran Area Metropolitana– is the acronym for the greater metro area of San Jose. It extends as far west as Atenas and north to the volcanic mountain ranges of Cartago and Heredia provinces. Nearly two thirds of Costa Rica’s population resides within its unofficial boundaries, which make up only about 5 percent …

Read more “Life in Costa Rica: An Expat’s View of San Jose’s Metropolitan Area”

Panama has complained to the United Nations over US President Donald Trump’s “worrying” threat to seize the Panama Canal, even as it launched an audit of the Hong Kong-linked operator of two ports on the interoceanic waterway. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the government in Panama City referred to an article of …

Read more “Panama Canal Seizure Threat Sparks UN Complaint and Port Audit”

Last week marked the 60th edition of the traditional Copa del Café (Coffee Bowl). This junior tennis tournament is held at the Costa Rica Country Club, located in Escazú.  This year, Julian Garnier and Lucia Gallegos, the two representatives from Costa Rica, showcased their potential in the U-18 category.  At the event’s opening, Garnier made …

Read more “USA And Germany Take Top Honors At Costa Rica Coffee Bowl Tennis Tournament”