Author: allthingspanama.net

Panama ruled out on Wednesday that the Gulf Clan, Colombia’s largest drug-trafficking cartel, maintains a permanent presence in its border areas, though it reported growing “pressure” from Colombian criminal groups. The Gulf Clan, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, has been linked by authorities to drug smuggling toward the U.S. and Europe, as …

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Elesban Rodríguez, director of the Banda Municipal de Zarcero, stepped into the spotlight at the 137th Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, on New Year’s Day. He became the first Latino band director to ride on the Band Directors float, a key part of the event that honors music educators from around the world. Rodríguez joined …

Read more “Costa Rica’s Elesban Rodríguez Honored at Pasadena Rose Parade”

Surfers and local communities in Peru, Chile, and Ecuador have stepped up efforts to safeguard their coastlines, pushing for laws that protect key surf spots from development and environmental threats. This movement highlights a shift where wave riders lead conservation, with potential benefits for tourism economies like Costa Rica’s. In Peru, a law passed in …

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Costa Rican forward Warren Madrigal has taken a major step in his career by signing with Nashville Soccer Club in Major League Soccer. The 21-year-old, who grew up in the ranks of Deportivo Saprissa, completes a permanent transfer to the U.S. team after five years with the purple squad. Madrigal debuted for Saprissa on August …

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Drivers faced another setback this morning as landslides blocked Route 32, the key link between the Central Valley and Limón province. The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation shut down the highway between kilometers 32 and 33 after debris covered the road, halting all traffic. Officials from the ministry acted fast to organize cleanup teams, …

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U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, has chosen Costa Rica for her Christmas vacation this year. She arrived with her fiancé, Brian Glenn, a White House reporter, and later joined her children and their partners for time on the Pacific coast. Greene shared details of her trip on Instagram, posting photos and …

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On the tennis courts of San José, young Costa Rican players chase futures shaped by a surface few here know as home. At the annual Copa del Café junior tournament, held each January at the Costa Rica Country Club in Escazú, teenagers from around the world battle on hard courts that mimic the speed of …

Read more “How Clay Training Can Limit Latin American Tennis Players on Faster Surfaces”

Brazilian club Botafogo faces a significant setback as FIFA enforces a transfer ban starting today, due to an outstanding debt from the 2024 signing of Argentine midfielder Thiago Almada from Atlanta United. The sanction prevents Botafogo from registering new players for the next three transfer windows. Atlanta United pursued the claim after Botafogo failed to …

Read more “FIFA Imposes Transfer Ban on Botafogo Over Unpaid Thiago Almada Fee”

Nasry Asfura, Honduras’ president-elect and a key ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, steps into office with limited support in Congress, a setup that demands cross-party deals to push through his agenda. The National Electoral Council declared the full legislative results on December 30, showing Asfura’s National Party secured 49 seats in the 128-member Congress. …

Read more “Honduras’ President-Elect Faces Challenges With Thin Congressional Backing”

Spanish authorities seized more than two tons of cocaine hidden in a shipment of pineapples from Costa Rica at the port of Algeciras last week. The discovery highlights ongoing challenges in stemming drug flows from Latin America to Europe through legal trade routes. The seizure took place on December 11 at Algeciras, a major entry …

Read more “Cocaine Seizure in Spain Traces Back to Costa Rican Pineapples”