The Panama Canal Authority ruled out ship transit restrictions for the rest of 2026 even as El Niño conditions take hold in Panama. The authority made the announcement Friday after reviewing current reservoir levels and weather data. Officials said monitoring shows no need to cut daily crossings through Dec. 31. El Niño, a natural climate …
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The proposal would create a legal path for some rural properties accessed by agricultural easements to be used for tourism, residential, or recreational projects. A bill before Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly could expand what landowners are allowed to do with certain rural properties that do not have direct public road access. The proposal, known as …
Read more “New Costa Rica Land-Use Bill Could Reshape Tourism Zones”
Costa Rica’s Cubujuquí Interurban Biological Corridor recorded 2,366 birds from 183 species during its first bird census of 2026, confirming the area as one of the richest urban conservation corridors in the country. The monitoring took place on April 25 along 15 routes across Heredia and Alajuela. The Cubujuquí corridor spans 10 cantons and forms …
Read more “Costa Rica Bird Count Highlights Biodiversity in Wildlife Corridor”
Costa Rican President Laura Fernández has raised the stakes in a long-running trade dispute with Panama, ordering her foreign minister to pursue international action over restrictions that continue to block a range of Costa Rican agricultural exports from entering the neighboring market. The move came Friday, just one week after Fernández took office, and only …
Costa Rica’s National Stadium will trade soccer chants for bull riding, barrel racing and cowboy culture on Sunday, June 7, when the Extreme American Rodeo 2026 takes over La Sabana for what is being billed as the largest rodeo in Central America. The event will be held at the Estadio Nacional in San José and …
Read more “Central America’s Largest Rodeo Coming to Costa Rica”
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday his government will not negotiate with gang leaders and will keep a reinforced police presence on the streets in response to a recent wave of public shootings. He made the remarks after inaugurating the completed Panama North Hydraulic Ring water project in Caimitillo and Guarumal in Panamá Norte. …
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FIFA has finalized a broadcast rights agreement with China Media Group for the next four World Cup tournaments at a reported price tag of just $60 million for the 2026 event — a steep discount from the $250 million to $300 million the governing body originally demanded. The pact, announced Friday, covers the 2026 and …
Read more “FIFA Accepts Steep Discount in Deal for World Cup Coverage in China”
Costa Rica’s National Chamber of Tourism is backing a new legislative proposal that would bring back long weekends by moving five public holidays to the following Monday, a measure the sector says would boost domestic travel and help tourism businesses outside the Central Valley. The proposal, filed as expediente 25.593, was presented on May 11 …
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Costa Rica’s incoming National Assembly faces an urgent piece of legislation this week that reflects just how badly illegal gold mining has spiraled out of control: a bill that would lock up those responsible for up to ten years and cast the net wide enough to catch everyone from the miners themselves to the truck …
Read more “Costa Rica Moves to Jail Illegal Miners for a Decade as Gold Crisis Deepens”
Summer won’t go away. The afternoon clouds and cooling rains have been few. We are a third of the way through May, and Green Season has yet to step forward. From 8 in the morning until 4ish in the afternoon, the heat of the sun is best avoided. I sit on the back patio in …
Read more “How Expats Survive Costa Rica Heat Without Air Conditioning”