After over three decades here, experiencing a new “first” is a rarity. But yesterday afternoon, while idling at a stoplight, a young man approached my car and, without me asking or even nodding in approval, wiped my windshield clean with a squeegee. This experience, while common when driving the streets of DC or Baltimore, was …
Read more “Life at Costa Rica’s Stoplights: Street Vendors, Jugglers, and Survivors”
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz voiced sharp concerns about China’s growing hold in Central America at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday. He focused on Costa Rica’s deep ties with Beijing and pressed nominees on ways to push back against that pressure. Cruz, fresh from a late August trip to El Salvador, Panama, and …
Read more “U.S. Senator Ted Cruz Highlights China’s Influence in Costa Rica”
Costa Rica’s national team traveled to Managua expecting a strong start in the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers but left with just a point after a 1-1 draw against Nicaragua last night. La Sele took the lead early yet failed to capitalize on their advantage when the hosts went down to ten players, allowing Nicaragua to …
Read more “Costa Rica Held to 1-1 Draw by Nicaragua in Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers”
San Jose plans to start building a new security monitoring center next month with $4 million in funding from the United States. The project, delayed by nearly a year, aims to improve public safety as crime rates climb in our capital. Mayor Diego Miranda announced that work on the center begins in October after setbacks …
Read more “Costa Rica’s San José to Build Advanced $4 Million Security Hub”
The death of two imprisoned opposition figures in Nicaragua has raised alarms among exiles and human rights defenders, who attribute this new “repressive era” to an early transition of power from an ailing Daniel Ortega to his wife Rosario Murillo. Ortega, who turns 80 on November 11, has been handing over more responsibilities to Murillo, …
Read more “Murillo’s Grip on Nicaragua Tightens After Opposition Deaths”
Costa Rica’s coffee growers deal with tough times from a low exchange rate that cuts into their earnings, even as global coffee prices hit peaks not seen in decades. Producers in nearby countries cash in on the boom, but locals face falling incomes and shrinking farms. The Costa Rican Coffee Institute, known as ICAFE, reports …
Read more “Costa Rica Coffee Growers Struggle with Exchange Rate Policy Effects”
The United States has rolled out a new policy that bars visas for certain Central American citizens linked to China’s Communist Party. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement on Thursday, targeting people who help advance Beijing’s agenda in the region at the expense of local laws and stability. This move hits individuals who, …
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For love, Andry Hernández left his native Venezuela to cross the dangerous Darién jungle between Colombia and Panama in an attempt to reunite with Paul Díaz in the United States. His dream ended locked inside a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. After four months imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), where he had been …
Read more “A Venezuelan Migrant’s Ordeal in Bukele’s Maximum-Security Prison”
Nicaragua’s Chilean coach Marco Antonio Figueroa fired off sharp comments ahead of Thursday’s World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica, brushing off star goalkeeper Keylor Navas and raising doubts about the Mexican referee. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. local time in Managua’s National Stadium, where the synthetic turf has already become a flashpoint. Figueroa …
Read more “Costa Rica Outrage as Nicaragua Coach Questions Star Goalkeeper”
U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts raised concerns about Costa Rica’s growing role in drug trafficking during a recent Senate hearing. The Republican from Nebraska spoke out while questioning Melinda Hildebrand, nominee for U.S. ambassador to San José. He pointed out how our country’s long-held image as a stable democracy now faces threats from expanding international cartels …
Read more “U.S. Senator Sounds Alarm on Cartel Grip Tightening in Costa Rica”