org news

The Norwegian Nobel Committee handed the 2025 Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Friday, sparking sharp words from the White House. Officials there accused the committee of favoring politics over real progress in global conflicts. Machado, a 58-year-old politician from Caracas, heads the Vente Venezuela party. She has led efforts to push for fair elections and human rights in her country, facing down the government of Nicolás Maduro. The committee highlighted her role in building a non-violent movement that unites people against authoritarian rule. Her work has drawn attention across Latin America, where struggles for democracy often echo regional challenges. In Washington, the response came fast. White House communications director Steven Cheung shared that the decision showed the Nobel group “puts politics over peace.” He pointed to President Donald Trump’s recent work on international deals, including a fresh agreement between Israel and Hamas in G...

Costa Rica held Honduras to a scoreless draw in their World Cup qualifier last night, picking up a point that keeps their qualification hopes intact but ramps up the pressure for the games ahead. The game at Francisco Morazán Stadium in San Pedro Sula saw both sides struggle to create real threats. Honduras controlled the ball for most of the match, holding 72 percent possession, but managed just one shot on target from 11 attempts. Costa Rica, with only 28 percent of the ball, fired off five shots and also hit one on goal. The teams traded yellow cards—three for Costa Rica and two for Honduras—with the action staying physical but never breaking open. Costa Rica showed more intent in the second half, pushing forward and claiming the field’s better chances. Álvaro Zamora came closest when he rattled the crossbar with a sharp effort, leaving the home crowd quiet for a moment. Francisco Calvo drove plays from the left side, while the back line anchored by Kendall Waston, Alexis Gamboa,...

Authorities in Costa Rica have detained four people linked to the robbery and suspected killing of Daniel Francisco Vargas Salas, a 71-year-old man who held dual U.S. and Costa Rican citizenship. Locals knew him as “Gringo Tico” for his long life in the country. The arrests come after weeks of investigation into his disappearance last month, which has gripped communities in Alajuela and Heredia. Police from the Judicial Investigation Agency ( OIJ ) carried out the arrests on Wednesday in Barva de Heredia. The suspects include a man named García Gutiérrez, his daughter García Castro, her boyfriend Isaza Calderón, and another woman. Investigators describe the group as a family operation focused on home break-ins. Two of the detainees tried to escape to Nicaragua but came back to Costa Rica, where officers nabbed them right away. The case started when Vargas went missing from his home on Las Lomas Street in Carrizal de Alajuela. Neighbors last saw him on September 12. They grew concern...

Costa Rica has put forward Rebeca Grynspan as its candidate for United Nations secretary-general, a move that highlights the nation’s push for stronger Latin American representation in global leadership. President Rodrigo Chaves made the announcement today, positioning the former vice president and current head of the UN’s trade and development agency as a frontrunner in the 2026 election. Grynspan, 69, brings a deep background in economics and international affairs to the table. She leads the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development ( UNCTAD ), where she has tackled issues like climate change impacts on trade, conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and the recent U.S. tariff hikes under President Donald Trump that threaten global commerce. Her role at UNCTAD started in 2021, making her the first woman to hold that position. Before that, Grynspan served as Costa Rica’s vice president from 1994 to 1998 under President José María Figueres. She held key government posts, including de...

Shareholders of Costa Rica’s Florida Ice and Farm Company, known as FIFCO, gave the green light on October 7 to sell most of their food, beverage, and retail operations to Heineken. The Dutch brewer will pay $3.25 billion for the deal, which covers 78% of FIFCO’s assets. The vote took place during an extraordinary general meeting with 81.68% of shareholders present. They approved the sale with 98.94% in favor, while 0.10% rejected it and 0.96% abstained. Only verified shareholders joined the session, where the board had already recommended the move. FIFCO first announced the agreement on September 22. It hands over shares in Distribuidora La Florida and other subsidiaries to Heineken or a chosen affiliate. Operations span Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama, plus stakes in breweries across Central America, Mexico, and the United States. The sale touches several markets: beer production and sales, food items like sauces and processed goods, flavored alcoholic drinks...

Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) rolled out a redesigned physical identity card today. The update focuses on better protection against fraud while keeping the card practical for everyday use. The new card keeps its 10-year validity and standard size of 85.60 millimeters by 53.98 millimeters, matching international norms. It drops some older details, like parents’ names and the holder’s electoral address, to cut down on unnecessary personal information. One key change replaces the old barcode with Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) technology. This allows machines to scan and verify identities quickly across systems. The card also adds a smaller secondary photo next to the main one, following rules from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for travel documents. Security gets a boost with features like raised text, interrupted lines, and elements that show up under ultraviolet light. Microtext—tiny letters, numbers, or images—appears only when magnified, making f...

Fabricio Alvarado, a sitting congressman and presidential hopeful for the New Republic Party, now contends with a formal complaint accusing him of sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl back in 2006. The claims surfaced in recent reports, pulling the evangelical leader into a legal storm just as his campaign gains traction in polls. The accuser, who is now 32, detailed the incidents in a complaint lodged with the Public Prosecutor’s Office on February 18, 2025. She later added more information on August 7. According to her account, Alvarado, then 32 and working as a television journalist while singing in evangelical churches, led the worship group at her family’s church. He built a rapport with the pastor and joined the family for regular Sunday lunches, where the pastor’s six children, including the girl, were present. She claims the abuse happened at least 10 times that year, often taking advantage of moments alone during these family gatherings or church activities. The complaint hig...