Costa Rica’s plan to redirect tourism investment toward the Caribbean coast and the Southern Zone is now formally in the hands of Marcos Borges, the newly installed executive president of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). But the timelines emerging from the two master plans he inherits make clear that any visible change for travelers, …
Read more “Costa Rica’s Caribbean and Southern Tourism Push Faces Years of Delays”
Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) is warning drivers in San José after a sharp rise in vehicle break-ins, with 534 complaints filed in the capital during the first months of 2026. The figure means a vehicle is being broken into roughly every four hours and 57 minutes in San José, based on the average …
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The suspension of Randall Zúñiga, director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency, could be extended for three more months after Judicial Inspection asked the Supreme Court to keep him away from the post while disciplinary proceedings continue. Corte Plena is expected to review the request on Monday, May 18, unless an extraordinary session is called …
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A security alert tied to an Interpol warning temporarily restricted access to parts of Juan Santamaría International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, prompting a police response at Costa Rica’s main international gateway in Alajuela. The alert centered on a suspicious vehicle located in the airport parking area. According to reports from judicial and airport authorities, Interpol …
Read more “Costa Rica Airport Security Scare Ends After Vehicle Inspection”
Nicaragua’s co-president Rosario Murillo would not survive in power after the death of her husband, Daniel Ortega, former guerrilla commander Mónica Baltodano said in an interview while in exile in Costa Rica. Baltodano, 71, fought, like Ortega, in the Sandinista National Liberation Front guerrilla movement, the leftist FSLN, which in 1979 overthrew the four-decade dictatorship …
Read more “Nicaragua Exile Warns Rosario Murillo May Not Survive Politically Without Ortega”
Former Partido Nueva República legislator and three-time presidential candidate Fabricio Alvarado appeared Tuesday morning at Costa Rica’s Prosecutor General’s Office in San José for a formal indagatoria, or preliminary questioning, tied to three criminal complaints alleging sexual abuse. Alvarado, an evangelical pastor, singer and former lawmaker, entered the Fiscalía General at 7:30 a.m. and left …
Read more “Costa Rica Prosecutors Question Fabricio Alvarado in Alleged Sexual Abuse Case”
Guatemalan authorities are reporting a sharp increase in virtual kidnapping extortion schemes that deceive victims with fabricated threats against family members and demand immediate bank transfers. The Ministry of Public Prosecution’s specialized unit against kidnappings logged 183 complaints through May 5 this year, an average of 10 cases per week. That compares with 157 complaints …
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Costa Rican footwear and accessories chain Best Brands has opened a new store at the Santa Ana Trade Center, marking its 35th sales point in the country and reinforcing its expansion strategy in the western part of San Jose. The project required an investment of approximately $450,000 and spans 670 square meters on a single …
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A significant earthquake shook Costa Rica’s Central Pacific region this morning, startling residents and visitors in Jacó, Garabito and parts of the Central Valley. The tremor struck at 10:22 a.m. The National Seismological Network reported a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 and placed the epicenter about 11 kilometers south of Jacó, in the canton of Garabito, …
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Some fish stories are about the fish. This one is about a friendship. To understand what happened on Saturday, May 9th, off the coast of Quepos, Costa Rica, you first need to know about Ward Michaels. Ward is one of my very best friends in life, a man of extraordinary character, honesty, and an almost …
Read more “A Record Snook, a Costa Rica Fishing Story, and a Friendship Behind It”