The Costa Rican government has handed a major contract to build a high-security prison to Edificadora Centroamericana Rapiparedes Sociedad Anónima, known as Edificar. The deal, worth nearly ¢17 billion or about $32 million, targets the rising threat from organized crime and drug trafficking. President Rodrigo Chaves pushed for the project as part of efforts to …
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Guatemalan officials revealed that a specialized FBI team will join the effort to track down 16 remaining fugitives from the Barrio 18 gang after their daring escape from a maximum-security prison sparked widespread alarm across the region. The breakout from Fraijanes II prison, located near the capital, involved 20 high-ranking members of Barrio 18, a …
Read more “FBI Deploys Special Unit to Aid Guatemala in Manhunt”
As we wrote about in an earlier article, authorities struck a significant blow against organized crime today, as they dismantled the South Caribbean Cartel in what officials called the largest police operation in the nation’s history. The raid targeted a transnational group responsible for trafficking cocaine and marijuana to the United States and Europe, seizing …
Read more “Costa Rica Raid Drug Cartel Linked to Anita McDonald”
Our capital draws attention in a new Lonely Planet guide that points visitors toward its key districts. Writer Sarah Gilbert portrays the city, called “Chepe” by us locals, as a mix of art, history, and modern life. Each area brings its own character, from bustling streets to quiet parks. The guide focuses on five neighborhoods …
Read more “San José’s Best Neighborhoods For Travelers Per Lonely Planet”
Costa Rican authorities launched a massive crackdown today against the South Caribbean Cartel, marking the largest police operation in the country’s history. The Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) deployed 1,200 officers to carry out 64 simultaneous raids across several provinces, aiming to dismantle what officials describe as the nation’s most extensive criminal network. The raids …
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Foreign-born doctors and nurses are becoming increasingly numerous in the health systems of developed countries, highlighted a report published Monday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). “The shortage of health personnel, driven by population aging, greater care needs, and rising demand for medical services, is today a major challenge for all OECD …
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When you think of a fjord, you most likely picture a pristine Scandinavian coastline, frigid blue waters shadowed by steep mountainsides, dotted with the colorfully painted houses of those hardy enough to live there. But fjords are not exclusive to the northern regions. While there are thousands of polar and sub-polar fjords in both the …
Read more “Why Golfo Dulce Remains Wild in Southern Costa Rica”
Vehicle owners across Costa Rica can now access details and settle payments for the 2026 marchamo, the annual road circulation permit. The Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) opened its online system this Monday, in line with legal requirements, allowing drivers to handle the process without delay. The marchamo covers essential charges like property tax on …
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Flowers, skulls, skeletons, intimate moments, and memories: Day of the Dead in Mexico stirs emotions for those who are gone but is also a reason to celebrate. In recent days, millions have remembered deceased loved ones with traditional “ofrendas,” that is, altars with their portraits where objects they enjoyed in life are placed. On Saturday, …
Read more “Day of the Dead in Mexico has Ofrendas, Catrinas, and Tradition”
Honduras’s leading presidential candidates, with elections less than a month away, accused each other this weekend of preparing alleged electoral fraud. On Thursday, left-wing President Xiomara Castro claimed the opposition is plotting to deliver an “electoral coup” in the November 30 vote. Her allegation came after Attorney General Johel Zelaya, an ally of the government, …
Read more “Honduras Presidential Rivals Accuse Each Other of Electoral Coup Plots”