How the U.S. Government Shutdown Disrupts Flights to Costa Rica

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to reduce flights by 10 percent at 40 major airports starting tomorrow, as the ongoing government shutdown leads to staffing shortages among air traffic controllers and security personnel. This move comes amid the longest shutdown in U.S. history, now in its third week, and threatens to create …

UN Chief Warns of Moral Failure as COP30 Tackles Missed Climate Goals

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called out world leaders for missing the 1.5C climate target, labeling it a moral failure and deadly negligence during a gathering in Belém, Brazil, ahead of the COP30 summit. Leaders from dozens of countries arrived in the Amazon city this week as scientists confirmed the Paris Agreement’s safer warming limit will …

Dutch Report Highlights Costa Rica’s Drug Transit Role and Violence Spike

Dutch media has spotlighted Costa Rica’s growing role in the global cocaine trade, pointing to increased shipments to Europe and a sharp rise in local violence tied to drug gangs. The Dutch Broadcasting Foundation, or NOS, detailed how Costa Rica, long celebrated for its traquility, now serves as a key transit hub for South American …

United States seeks Homeland Security offices in Ecuador

The United States is interested in establishing offices of its Department of Homeland Security at “strategic” facilities in Ecuador, where the head of that department, Kristi Noem, arrived on Wednesday. Ecuadorians must first approve, in a referendum set for November 16, whether to allow the installation of foreign bases on their territory, something the Constitution …

How to Avoid Bad Coffee Shops While Traveling in Costa Rica

As we all probably know by now, Costa Rica produces some of the world’s best coffee, with its high-altitude farms yielding beans known for bright acidity and clean flavors. Yet travelers often stumble into shops that fall short, especially in tourist hubs like San José or beach towns where quality takes a backseat to convenience. …

American Airlines Adds Daily Chicago Flight to Costa Rica

American Airlines has started a new daily flight between Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José and Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The service began on Monday and runs through April 6, 2026, adding to the carrier’s network in Costa Rica. This route builds on American’s existing connections from San José to five other U.S. cities: …

Costa Rica Fast-Tracks $32 Million Mega-Prison Contract

The Costa Rican government has handed a major contract to build a high-security prison to Edificadora Centroamericana Rapiparedes Sociedad Anónima, known as Edificar. The deal, worth nearly ¢17 billion or about $32 million, targets the rising threat from organized crime and drug trafficking. President Rodrigo Chaves pushed for the project as part of efforts to …

FBI Deploys Special Unit to Aid Guatemala in Manhunt

Guatemalan officials revealed that a specialized FBI team will join the effort to track down 16 remaining fugitives from the Barrio 18 gang after their daring escape from a maximum-security prison sparked widespread alarm across the region. The breakout from Fraijanes II prison, located near the capital, involved 20 high-ranking members of Barrio 18, a …

Costa Rica Raid Drug Cartel Linked to Anita McDonald

As we wrote about in an earlier article, authorities struck a significant blow against organized crime today, as they dismantled the South Caribbean Cartel in what officials called the largest police operation in the nation’s history. The raid targeted a transnational group responsible for trafficking cocaine and marijuana to the United States and Europe, seizing …