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President Laura Fernández has widened a controversial order requiring polygraph tests for officials involved in her government’s new security strategy, declaring Friday that judicial branch personnel who attend her weekly “Fuerza Élite” meetings must also submit to lie-detector exams. Speaking to reporters after a closed-door session with representatives of the Legislative Assembly and the Supreme Court of Justice, Fernández was asked whether the requirement she imposed on police commanders earlier in the week would apply to members of the other branches of government. “Polygraph for everyone. I already took it myself without any problem, and so did the vice presidents,” she said, framing the tests as a way to build “an environment of mutual trust” among the institutions joining the talks. The expansion follows the order Fernández issued Monday at the first meeting of “Fuerza Élite” (Elite Force), a weekly working session sh...

Costa Rica will see unstable weather from today through June 3, with warm mornings followed by afternoon and early-evening rain across much of pur country. The National Meteorological Institute ( IMN ) expects Tropical Wave No. 5 and the Intertropical Convergence Zone near Costa Rica to keep moisture and instability over the country during the forecast period. The pattern is typical of the rainy season’s early stretch: mornings with fewer clouds and higher temperatures, followed by growing cloud cover, downpours and thunderstorms later in the day. The Central Valley and the Pacific regions are expected to see the most frequent rainfall, especially during the afternoon and the first hours of the night. San José, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago could see clearer starts to the day before conditions turn cloudy, with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing later. The Pacific coast should also prepare for repeated afternoon rain. The Central and South Pacific are likely to see...

A customs official at Costa Rica’s Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste, has been suspended for four months while prosecutors investigate an alleged extortion scheme targeting a foreign tourist. The Criminal Court for Finance and Public Service ordered the precautionary measure Wednesday, according to a statement released Thursday by the Office of the Prosecutor for Integrity, Transparency, and Anti-Corruption (FAPTA). Investigators say the case dates to May 26, when the official — identified by the last name Chavarría — allegedly told a foreign traveler he owed a $200 tax before he could collect his luggage. Prosecutors contend the bags were in fact exempt from duties, as they did not exceed the limit set under Costa Rican customs regulations. Evidence gathered by FAPTA indicates the tourist paid the amount after being led to believe the charge was mandatory. Authorities further allege that the official told the traveler to hand over the cash di...

Costa Rica’s Pacific coast will once again play host to one of the region’s premier road cycling events, as the UCI CRC 506 Gran Fondo returns for its fourth edition on Sunday, June 7, drawing national and international riders to the Jacó–Quepos corridor. The competition will follow the Jacó–Quepos–Jacó route, a course organizers say combines scenic coastal views with a serious athletic challenge. The event forms part of the Union Cycliste Internationale calendar and carries the endorsement of the Costa Rican Cycling Federation, racing under the UCI Gran Fondo World Series banner and its “Cycling for All” program aimed at amateur riders worldwide. The 2026 edition offers two official distances: the Gran Fondo at 141.4 kilometers and the Medio Fondo at 69.8 kilometers. The Gran Fondo departs at 6:00 a.m. from the Centro Cívico por la Paz in Garabito, neutralized for the first two kilometers along Route 34, while the Medio Fondo starts at 7:30 a.m. from t...

British travel magazine Wanderlust placed El Salvador on its Green Travel List f or the first time in the 2026 edition. The publication singled out Parque Nacional El Imposible for its conservation work and community-led eco-tourism projects. The list recognizes 101 destinations, initiatives and places to stay that demonstrate travel can support ecosystems and local communities. Wanderlust described El Imposible as a forest home to endangered species including black-crested eagles, wild boar and puma. The park has faced decades of pressure from deforestation, illegal hunting and rural development. Eco-tourism now provides jobs for local guides who lead hiking, birdwatching and photography tours while steering people away from logging and hunting. Officials noted the coordinated work of the ministries of environment, tourism and foreign affairs together with local communities to protect natural heritage. The ministry called the park a vital habitat and pointed to visitor number...

Guanacaste is heading into another period of water uncertainty as Costa Rica’s long-promised PAACUME water project remains far behind schedule, four years after the country signed a $425 million loan agreement to finance the work. The project, officially known as the Water Supply Project for the Middle Basin of the Tempisque River and Coastal Communities, was designed to move water from the Arenal reservoir system toward some of the driest and fastest-growing areas of the Chorotega region. But the project has reached only 20.8% completion, according to figures from Senara reported this week. The delay comes as Costa Rica prepares for a possible El Niño-driven dry spell. NOAA said that El Niño is likely to emerge between May and July 2026, with an 82% probability, and continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter. For Guanacaste, where drought and pressure on aquifers have long shaped public policy, the timing is especially sensitive. PAACUME is meant to take water from...