Costa Rica plans to break ground this year on a large maximum-security prison, taking cues from El Salvador’s approach to locking down serious offenders. The project aims to tackle rising organized crime and ease packed prisons across the country. Officials named the site the Center for High Containment of Organized Crime, or CACCO. It will …
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Plastic pollution hits hard in Costa Rica, with tiny particles showing up everywhere from sandy shores to marine life. The Costa Rican Association of Chemists raised alarms this week about sky-high levels of microplastics on beaches, in coastal waters, and inside ocean creatures. Their alert draws from fresh research by the Center for Research in …
Read more “High Microplastic Levels Found on Costa Rica Beaches, Study Shows”
An investigation published by Mongabay revealed that Costa Rican authorities authorized the transit of 12.6 tons of shark fins from Nicaragua between 2023 and 2024. This resulted in the death of at least 15,000 sharks, as well as a violation of national laws and global efforts to conserve these species, as agreed upon by the …
Read more “Investigation Ties Costa Rica to Thousands of Shark Deaths in Fin Trade”
A new United Nations report released yesterday shows hate speech and discrimination on social media in Costa Rica hit a record 2.1 million messages this year. That’s up 16% from 2024 and a staggering 400% jump since 2021. The findings, from the 2025 Report on Hate Speech and Discrimination, point to serious risks for the …
Read more “UN Report Warns Costa Rica Faces Record Surge in Social Media Hate Speech”
La cancha, el césped, the pitch — call it what you want — the soccer field is the heart of many barrios and small towns in Costa Rica. I live right around the corner from our barrio’s multifunctional field. It’s part soccer pitch, part playground, part picnic spot — an open-air gathering place that is …
Read more “Costa Rica Sunday Soccer Matches Unite Barrios in Weekly Fútbol Ritual”
The fact that it was expected didn’t make it any less harsh. The newly approved indefinite presidential re-election in El Salvador pushes back the return of dozens of human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and environmentalists who went into exile to avoid prison. Four of them spoke about what they call an “escalating repression” by President …
Read more “El Salvador Indefinite Re Election Sparks Surge in Exiles”
The Municipality of Santa Cruz demolished five structures built on Avellanas Beach, within the 50-meter public zone of the maritime-terrestrial area. In a video posted on the municipality’s social media accounts, Mayor Jorge Alfaro said the demolition complied with a court order. “In a ruling issued by the Administrative Court, the municipality was ordered to …
Read more “Costa Rica Residents Protest Demolition of Homes in Avellanas”
A Guatemalan court began on Tuesday the final hearing in the trial of seven former officials over the deaths of 41 girls in a fire at a state shelter in 2017, a tragedy that shocked the country. The girls and adolescents died at the Virgen de la Asunción Safe Home on March 8, 2017, International …
Read more “Guatemala Nears Verdict in Case of 41 Girls Killed in 2017 Shelter Fire”
Costa Rica is projected to experience solid economic growth in 2025, with forecasts pointing to a moderate slowdown but still strong performance compared to many regional peers. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Costa Rica’s GDP growth is expected to be around 3.4% to 3.5% this year, supported by robust fundamentals, sound policies, and …
Read more “IMF Forecasts Costa Rica to Outpace Most Central American Economies”
Our capital, San José, came under scrutiny today after the U.S. president placed it on a list of cities described as having some of the worst crime rates. The remarks were made while announcing sweeping security measures in Washington, D.C., including putting the capital’s police under federal control and deploying 800 National Guard troops to …
Read more “Costa Rica’s Capital San José Named Among Worst Cities for Crime”