Category: Blog

The reelection of a magistrate accused of favoring criminals to Guatemala’s highest court once again delayed hopes of dismantling an alleged judicial network where political, economic, and criminal interests converge. Roberto Molina Barreto was chosen as part of a process to renew the members of the country’s highest judicial bodies, including the Constitutional Court, whose …

Read more “Guatemala Court Vote Deals Blow to Arévalo’s Push for Judicial Reform”

US President Donald Trump, currently waging a war with Iran, hosts a dozen right-wing leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean on Saturday to discuss issues facing the region, from organized crime to illegal immigration. Trump greeted leaders at the “Shield of the Americas” summit in the southern US state of Florida, aiming to boost …

Read more “Trump Brings Latin American Conservative Leaders to Florida Summit”

A fungus detected for the first time in Costa Rica and Central America now puts strawberry crops at risk of losses up to 40 percent, researchers at the National University warned. The pathogen, Neopestalotiopsis rosae, causes crown rot and progressive wilt that can kill plants outright. Experts found it in strawberry plantations across Alajuela, Cartago …

Read more “New Fungus Threatens Costa Rica Strawberry Crops”

A Canadian couple from Nanaimo shared details of an armed home invasion that cut their vacation in Costa Rica short. Louise Fleming and Drew Hammond stayed at a friend’s house in Tárcoles, north of Jacó, when four masked men entered the property on the evening of February 21. Fleming stood on the balcony. A figure …

Read more “Home Invasion Forces Canadian Visitors to Leave Costa Rica”

Venezuelan inflation soared to 475 percent in 2025, the highest in the world, driven by a tightening of US sanctions in the lead up to the ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro. Full-year inflation far exceeded the International Monetary Fund’s forecast of 269.9 percent, figures released by the central bank showed Friday. Accumulated inflation for the …

Read more “Venezuela Reports 475% Inflation as Reforms Begin”

President Rodrigo Chaves and President-elect Laura Fernández say the U.S. dollar will stay at low levels against the colón. Both leaders point to steady inflows from foreign investment and tourism revenue as the reasons the local currency holds firm. Chaves said people should adapt to the situation. He stated that dollar availability no longer counts …

Read more “Chaves and Fernández Predict Dollar Will Stay Low in Costa Rica”

Mexico announced Friday it will station nearly 100,000 police, soldiers and private security guards across its three World Cup host cities to protect fans and players this summer. President Claudia Sheinbaum unveiled the details at a military base in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara, one of the venues hit by recent cartel violence. The plan …

Read more “Mexico Announces Plan for 100,000 Security Personnel at World Cup”

This past month I learned a new word: Therian. The first time I heard it used was by our outgoing president, Rodrigo Chaves, who made the sardonic suggestion that a rival political party, the left wing Frente Amplio, was made up of therians. For those as out of the loop on the latest weird trends …

Read more “When Therians Arrive in Costa Rica”

Motorcycles continue to take the heaviest toll on Costa Rica’s roads. In January and February this year, 63 people died while riding motorcycles. Those deaths made up 56 percent of the 113 total road fatalities during the first two months of 2026. Police figures show January ended with 59 deaths on the roads, 32 of …

Read more “Motorcycles Account for the Majority of Road Deaths in Costa Rica”

The last contingent of Cuban doctors still in Honduras departed this Thursday after the agreement under which they had operated in the country for the past two years was not renewed, AFP journalists confirmed. The cooperation program, which at one point included 170 members between doctors and technicians, expired amid pressure from U.S. President Donald …

Read more “Last Cuban doctors leave Honduras amid Trump pressure”