The leader of Panama’s main union, Saúl Méndez, accused of fraud and money laundering, left for exile in Bolivia this Saturday. He had taken refuge in the Bolivian embassy two months ago after denouncing political persecution, the organization reported. His departure comes two days after the Panamanian government filed a lawsuit in a labor court …
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Quick! Think of a purple bird! It’s a little difficult, right? I searched my brain and came up with a purple martin. A small bird in the swallow family. But that’s not a satisfying answer because it’s only kind of purple. It’s one of those shiny blackish birds that appear blue or purple if the …
Read more “A Closer Look at the Elusive Purple Gallinule in Costa Rica”
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele received the 10 Americans exchanged on Friday between Washington and Caracas for 252 Venezuelans who had spent four months in a megaprison in El Salvador, according to a video shared by the president on social media platform X. The Americans, whose identities have not been officially revealed, were brought to San …
Read more “El Salvador at Center of Controversial U.S.-Venezuela Detainee Exchange”
Another money laundering case has shaken Costa Rica. Following a series of raids that dismantled a laundering network operating through legal and illegal lottery sales, the Social Protection Board (Junta de Protección Social, JPS) confirmed that one of its officials is under investigation. The JPS also warned about connections between clandestine lotteries and organized crime. …
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The film The Laundromat, starring Meryl Streep, damaged Panama’s reputation by drawing inspiration from a real-life story: the global scandal that erupted a decade ago over offshore companies based in this Central American country used to launder money and evade taxes. Shaking off the stigma of the “Panama Papers” is no easy task, acknowledges the …
Read more “Panama Removed from EU High-Risk List, but Tax Haven Status Remains”
The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ), through its Specialized Section Against Environmental Crimes, carried out an operation at a store in Vázquez de Coronado, San José, where several wild animal species allegedly offered for sale were discovered. During the raid, agents recovered two specimens of the Mexican salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum), a critically endangered amphibian according to …
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Starbucks continues to strengthen its presence in Costa Rica with the opening of its second store in the province of Guanacaste, specifically in Tamarindo. This is the second of three planned openings in the Guanacaste region. On June 10, the brand opened its first store in the Solarium business park in Liberia. This expansion plan …
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The original Pan-American Highway heading south from San José once took a dramatic and daunting route. It passed through the old capital of Cartago and climbed the mountains before topping out at over 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) on the Cerro de la Muerte. From there, it plunged down toward San Isidro de El General and …
Read more “Dominical to Quepos: The Costa Rican Road That Took 30 Years to Finish”
Salvadorans deserve “something better” than living between “gangs or dictatorship,” said Noah Bullock, director of the influential NGO Cristosal, in an interview. On Thursday, the organization closed its office in El Salvador, denouncing “repression” from the government of Nayib Bukele. The team in the country went into exile amid an escalation of “persecution,” following the …
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Costa Rica is home to around 220 species of non-marine mammals. Roughly half of those species, 117 is the current number, are the type of mammal that many folks are worried will fly into their hair – bats. 117 is a lot of different kinds of bats and probably more than you would have guessed, …
Read more “Meet the Bats of Costa Rica from Tent Makers to Fish Hunters”