Category: Blog

Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, said on Friday that the crisis with the United States is over, after Donald Trump threatened in 2025 to take back the interoceanic canal because it was supposedly controlled by China. Since taking office a year ago, Trump launched a diplomatic pressure campaign against Panama, arguing that Beijing controls the …

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With the new year underway, Costa Rica’s political scene shifts back into high gear. The mandatory holiday truce on campaigning, enforced from December 16 through January 1, has now concluded. This clears the path for candidates to launch full-scale efforts leading up to the general elections on February 1. The truce, outlined in Article 136 …

Read more “Political Campaigns Ramp Up in Costa Rica as Holiday Ban Ends”

As the new year begins here in Costa Rica, traffic authorities report that over 256,700 vehicles across the country lack the 2026 Marchamo sticker, leaving their owners at risk of hefty fines and other penalties. The Marchamo, Costa Rica’s annual vehicle circulation right, must be paid by December 31 each year to allow legal driving …

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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 …

Read more “Panama Reports Rising Criminal Pressure as Cocaine Flow Surges”

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 …

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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 …

Read more “Surfing Activism Takes Hold Across Latin America”

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”