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If you are heading to Guanacaste this month, pack insect repellent and treat mosquito bites as a real risk rather than a minor annoyance. The U.S. Embassy in San José has told American travelers to take active precautions against chikungunya after health officials confirmed the mosquito-borne virus is now spreading within the local mosquito population along part of the province’s coast. The warning, issued on July 13, centers on Playa Langosta and the wider Santa Cruz area — the same beach community near Tamarindo where Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health declared an outbreak on July 1 . Of 45 suspected cases investigated at that point, four were laboratory-confirmed and 17 were classified as probable, and those infected included both Costa Ricans and foreign visitors. What has changed since then is the scale. The Health Ministry’s most recent count puts the national total at 21 chikungunya cases for 2026, up from the 16 reported when the embassy first published ...

Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly has approved a reform that frees the state fuel company to work with energy sources other than oil for the first time, though drivers should not expect any immediate change in what they pay at the pump. Lawmakers gave final approval on July 16, to the Law to Promote the Energy Transition in the Fuel Sector, passing it in second debate with 54 votes in favor, none against and three legislators absent. The bill had cleared its first debate two days earlier, capping an effort that had stalled repeatedly in the Assembly over more than a decade. It now goes to the executive branch for the president’s signature and publication before it can take effect. The reform rewrites the 1981 law governing the Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo, or Recope , which until now was limited by statute to refining, transporting and selling petroleum and its derivatives. Under the new framework, Recope keeps every one of those responsibilities but gains a...

A strong El Niño has taken hold over Costa Rica and will keep much of the country drier and hotter than normal through the rest of 2026, according to the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional ( IMN ), which expects the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation to persist into early 2027. The institute’s early-warning system for the phenomenon has moved from watch to advisory, the threshold at which forecasters treat the event as essentially certain rather than probable, and officials have compared its likely strength to the 2014–2015 episode. The effect falls unevenly across the country: the Pacific slope and the Central Valley face significant rainfall deficits and rising temperatures, while the Caribbean is expected to stay near or above its normal rainfall. The institute’s projections have grown more severe over the course of the year. In April, IMN director Werner Stolz estimated a nationwide rainfall deficit of between 10 and 30 percent. By mid-year, Karina Her...

Panama’s National Assembly is considering a bill that would require social media influencers and content creators to clearly identify when their posts are paid advertising rather than independent recommendations. Deputy Walkiria Chandler D’Orcy, a member of the Vamos coalition, presented the proposal to the Assembly plenary on July 13, 2026. The measure aims to stop what she described as hidden advertising that takes advantage of the trust followers place in creators. “What the user does not know is that many times behind that recommendation there is advertising, there is a contract, there is a payment, there is some product that has been given to that influencer or a commission for each sale… it seems to be an opinion, it is really advertising that was not identified as such,” Chandler said during the presentation. She linked the bill to Panama’s existing consumer protection rules under Law 45 of 2007. That law already requires advertising to be presented clearly so consumers...

Smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires has added an unexpected health and weather concern to Sunday’s World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, although improving forecasts suggest the match should go ahead without major disruption.The haze spread across the northeastern United States during the week, pushing air quality into unhealthy ranges in parts of New York and New Jersey. More than 80,000 spectators are expected at MetLife Stadium, known during the tournament as New York New Jersey Stadium, for the 3 p.m. kickoff on July 19.The open-air venue has no roof or enclosed climate-controlled environment to protect players and fans from smoke, heat or direct sunlight. Conditions around the stadium remained unsettled Saturday. Heavy thunderstorms, damaging winds and flash flooding moved through the area, forcing Spain to cancel its final outdoor training session. Argentina’s practice was delayed by about 45 minutes before the defending champions were able to take the field...

A senior San José municipal official who helped develop controversial new rules for bars, restaurants and live entertainment has resigned, days after the city government withdrew the proposal for further review. Jéssica Martínez stepped down Friday as manager of Municipal Management and Urban Development. The Municipality of San José said she resigned voluntarily for personal reasons after working for the institution for approximately a year and a half. Mayor Diego Miranda denied that her departure was connected to the public backlash over the proposed Public Entertainment Regulations. He also said he had not requested her resignation. Martínez had been one of the leading municipal officials defending the proposal, which sought to regulate live music, DJs, karaoke, dancing and other entertainment offered by businesses across the capital. The draft regulations drew strong objections from restaurant and bar owners, musicians, DJs, event producers and cultural organizations. Cri...