Month: May 2025

Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves filed a criminal complaint against two Teletica journalists, Álvaro Sánchez Córdoba and Christian Montero Ulate, for publishing his personal phone number on their personal Facebook accounts. The Presidential Office labeled the act “condemnable and illegal,” sparking a heated controversy that led to the journalists’ dismissal from Teletica Canal 7. The …

Read more “Chaves’ Complaint Sparks Debate on Press Freedom in Costa Rica Media Clash”

Costa Rican police conducted a groundbreaking operation, seizing five capybaras—a non-native species—in the country’s first recorded case of capybara trafficking. The seizure occurred during a vehicle checkpoint on Route 34, Costanera Sur, in Orotina, Alajuela, along the Pacific coast. The incident began when a vehicle attempted to evade a police roadblock in the Mollejones sector. …

Read more “Costa Rica Seizes Capybaras in Historic Wildlife Trafficking”

The Panamanian subsidiary of U.S. banana giant Chiquita Brands announced a mass dismissal of workers on Thursday, nearly a month after a strike that has cost the company an estimated US $75 million. In a statement, Chiquita Panamá said it had “regrettably” fired all of its daily workers for “unjustified abandonment of duties.” Daily workers …

Read more “Chiquita Panama Fires Thousands Amid Illegal Banana Strike”

I was too young to drive when my family moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, but even as a passenger, I remember the comments. It went something like this: “You know when you hit the PA state line because the quality of the road immediately falls off a cliff.” As I aged into driving, I …

Read more “Driving in Costa Rica: An Expat’s Journey Through Potholes and Patience”

Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, known for his powerful black-and-white images of the Amazon and global conflicts, died on Friday at the age of 81, his family and the French Academy of Fine Arts announced. The institution, based in Paris and of which he had been a member since 2016, described him as a “great witness …

Read more “Brazilian Photographer Sebastião Salgado Dies at 81”

In Costa Rica’s Caribbean lowlands, the Madre de Dios and Santa Marta lagoons in Barra del Pacuare, spanning Matina and Siquirres in Limón, are facing a devastating fish kill. Since we first reported about this, locals have reported hundreds of dead fish—snook, mojarra, tilapia, and more—washing up daily, likely due to chemical runoff from nearby …

Read more “Costa Rica’s Massive Fish Kills Also Kills Tourism”

Starting on December 20, Delta Airlines will connect Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) with Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) in Liberia. This new weekly flight, operating every Saturday, marks the first direct route between Detroit and Costa Rica, opening up Guanacaste’s beaches to those coming from this part of the United States. Delta will use …

Read more “Fly Direct from Detroit to Liberia, Costa Rica with Delta’s New Route”

Cybercrime is hitting Costa Ricans hard, with scams and fraud becoming a daily reality for many. An average of 38 people fall victim to electronic scams every day, a number that’s climbing fast. Between 2020 and 2024, banking cyber fraud cases skyrocketed by 668%, and experts warn 2025 could set a new record. If trends …

Read more “Cybercrime Surges in Costa Rica as Banking Fraud Hits Record”

I have now spent roughly half my life in Costa Rica. In terms of physical and mental health, I will never regret my decision to leave everything behind and relocate here permanently. I feel great for my age (for those who are counting, I like to say that I reached the finish line—you know, when …

Read more “Costa Rica Expat Life:Spanish Fluency and Aging Brains”

The government of U.S. President Donald Trump “unjustly” expelled 200 migrants to Costa Rica—including children—after holding them “in abusive detention conditions,” the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) charged on Thursday. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has made the fight against irregular migration a top priority and has vowed to deport a …

Read more “HRW: Trump Deports 200 Migrants to Costa Rica After Abuse”