The telephone rang at 8:30 in the evening on May 30, 1984. The young woman in San José, Costa Rica answered. An officious voice came from the other end. “Hello, my name is Cecilia Alvear, I’m calling from NBC News in Miami. There’s been a bombing at a press conference of rebel leader Edén Pastora …
Read more “La Penca Bombing: 1984 Nicaragua Mystery Unraveled”
It happened as soon as I hung up. I was immediately grumpy. I had just completed a video call about wildlife monitoring services with some very professionally dressed people speaking Spanish very quickly. I didn’t understand everything that they asked me and stumbled through the call with my subpar Spanish while sporting a not so …
Read more “How a Costa Rican Forest Turned My Bad Day Around with Wildlife Wonders”
Salvadoran constitutional lawyer Enrique Anaya, a staunch critic of President Nayib Bukele, was arrested Saturday on charges of money laundering, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Human rights organizations see the move as part of a broader crackdown on voices critical of the government. Anaya, arrested at his home in Santa Tecla (west of San …
Read more “Salvadoran Lawyer Arrested Amid Crackdown on Bukele Critics”
Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras advanced early this Saturday to the final round of the Concacaf qualifiers for the 2026 North American World Cup, as the penultimate matchday of the second stage concluded. Nicaragua, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Curaçao also secured their spots in the next round, which will award three direct tickets to …
Read more “Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras Advance to Final Round of 2026 World Cup Qualifiers”
Costa Rica’s forests, coasts, and mountains shelter an astonishing array of wildlife, from howler monkeys to sloths and scarlet macaws. This biodiversity, which accounts for roughly 5% of the world’s species, has long been a point of national pride. But a growing threat—electrocution on power lines—is killing animals at an alarming rate, and the “Esto …
Read more “Costa Rica’s Wildlife Crisis: “Esto No Es Pura Vida” Fights Electrocution Threat”
The government of Panama and workers from the Panamanian branch of U.S. banana giant Chiquita Brands will meet next Monday in an effort to reach an agreement that could end a month of protests and road blockades, a union leader announced Friday. Since April 28, workers have blocked roads in the Caribbean province of Bocas …
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Explosive and resilient under pressure, Coco Gauff (World No. 2) was crowned champion of Roland Garros after coming from behind to defeat Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (World No. 1); 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4; this Saturday in Paris, in a rollercoaster match that lasted two hours and 38 minutes. The United States national anthem played once again …
Read more “Coco Gauff Wins 2025 Roland Garros After Thrilling Comeback Against Sabalenka”
Costa Rica remains a key route for drugs heading to North America, despite efforts to crack down on trafficking. The U.S. Department of State’s 2025 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report reveals a slight drop in drug seizures—32.1 metric tons (MT) from January to September 2024, including 20.5 MT of cocaine and 11.5 MT of marijuana, …
Read more “Costa Rica Fights Drug Trafficking as Transit Hub Despite Resource Strains”
On World Environment Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for action to tackle plastic pollution, a crisis clogging rivers, oceans, and wildlife worldwide. “By 2050, there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish,” he warned, noting that 460 million metric tons of plastic are produced yearly, half for single use, with only 9% …
Read more “Costa Rica’s Bold Plan to End Plastic Pollution by 2040”
Costa Rica ranks fifth in Latin America for incarceration, with 343 people per 100,000 behind bars, trailing only El Salvador, Cuba, Panama, and Brazil, according to the World Prison Brief. Globally, it sits 22nd out of 224 jurisdictions. The prison population has surged from 7,575 in 2000 to 19,728 by late 2023, reflecting growing social …
Read more “Costa Rica’s Soaring Incarceration Rate Fuels Debate Over New Prison”