Category: Blog

Nicaragua has convicted the historic Sandinista commander Bayardo Arce, a former economic adviser to President Daniel Ortega, on corruption charges and confiscated his assets, the Nicaraguan government said on Tuesday, without specifying the sentence. Arce, 76, was jailed in late July of last year after falling from favor in an internal purge within the circles …

Read more “Nicaragua convicts historic Sandinista commander of corruption”

Conservative candidate Laura Fernández has increased her chances of winning Costa Rica’s presidency in the first round next Sunday, according to a poll released Tuesday night. Fernández, the ruling party’s candidate and an admirer of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, leads voting intention with 44%, according to a survey by the prestigious University of Costa Rica …

Read more “Costa Rica Presidential Election Could End in First Round”

Costa Rica draws praise for its fresh foods, active habits, and solid public health network. But a shift toward heavier weights threatens that picture. Overweight and obesity now touch a major part of our population, driving up risks for long-term illnesses and adding pressure to medical resources. Data from health officials show that about 70% …

Read more “Costa Rica Faces Growing Obesity Challenge as Weight-Loss Drug Awaits Approval”

American tennis player Coco Gauff exited the Australian Open after a quick loss to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals. The third-seeded Gauff struggled from the start and could not recover, dropping the match 6-1, 6-2 in under an hour on Rod Laver Arena. Gauff, ranked third in the world, committed 28 unforced errors and …

Read more “Coco Gauff Falls in Straight Sets to Elina Svitolina in Australian Open Quarterfinals”

Travelers planning a visit to Poás Volcano National Park face ongoing disruptions after authorities extended the closure of the site’s main access route. The park, a popular day trip from the Central Valley, shut down on the 21st following severe damage to the bridge over Quebrada Tigre on Route 120 in Poasito. The Ministry of …

Read more “Poás Volcano National Park Remains Shut as Bridge Repairs Drag On”

Flight disruptions hit Guanacaste Airport hard this week as a winter storm sweeps across the United States and Canada. Officials at Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia report multiple cancellations, with inbound and outbound legs affected. The issues stem from harsh weather conditions in key departure cities like Dallas, Denver, Newark, Toronto, and Boston. …

Read more “Winter Storm Triggers Flight Cancellations at Liberia Airport in Costa Rica”

Last year I wrote an article suggesting that Costa Rica build a maximum security prison like the one in El Salvador. The idea was that it would be only for white collar criminals, and the tone was satirical, though some readers appeared to take it seriously. Maybe those readers knew something I didn’t, because the …

Read more “Can a New Supermax Prison Slow Costa Rica’s Gang Violence”

About thirty countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have been meeting in Panama since Monday to draft an emergency plan for Haiti, which is facing one of the region’s worst humanitarian crises amid gang violence. The meeting comes after the United Nations failed to raise even a quarter of the $908 million it requested …

Read more “Panama hosts talks to coordinate Haiti support after UN funding effort falters”

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of San Salvador on Sunday, calling for an end to President Nayib Bukele’s state of emergency. The measure, in place since March 2022, has drawn sharp criticism for enabling arrests without warrants and suspending key constitutional rights. The protest coincided with the anniversary of the 1992 peace accords …

Read more “El Salvador Protesters Demand End to Bukele’s State of Emergency”

With national elections set for February 1, Costa Rican citizens face a final push to secure their identity cards before heading to the polls. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) has issued reminders that a valid cédula de identidad remains the key document for casting a vote, and officials note that thousands of cards sit uncollected …

Read more “Don’t Let an Expired or Missing Costa Rican Cédula Keep You from the Polls”