A Cuban traveler Panama City, Mar 12 (EFE).- The Panamanian government finished Saturday the transport to Mexico of 1,301 Cubans who had been stranded while waiting to find a way to continue their journey to the United States, an official told EFE. Almost 300 Cubans left Saturday on a commercial flight from Tocumen International Airport in the capital, thus wrapping up an operation describe...

The existing structure has stood for more than a century but now poses a danger, according to officials. (Photo: Screen capture / TVN Panama) Construction of the $15 million border bridge over the Sixaola River linking Panama and Costa Rica is expected to start in June, the Panamanian Economy and Finance Ministry announced late last week. Bidding for the project is scheduled to take place i...

Panama Canal Panama City, Mar 1 (EFE).- GUPC, the consortium building the new Panama Canal locks, said that in the next two months it would conduct more than 2,000 trials in the Pacific and Caribbean sectors of the expanded waterway, focusing on gates, valves, electric power and control systems. Some systems are already being operated from the control towers and the buildings where machines...

The majestic Antigua. Source: Fernando Reyes Palencia - Wikimedia Commons BALTIMORE, MD (PRWEB) FEBRUARY 26, 2016 - Thousands of retirees (and younger folks, too) are benefiting from a higher quality of life and a lower cost of living in places overseas where even a little goes a long, long way—whether it be filling a tank of gas, getting the week’s groceries, paying for health insurance, or mak...

U.S. DOJ Press Release - SAN DIEGO - Over four years after the disappearance and death of Yvonne Baldelli, Brian Karl Brimager pleaded guilty in federal court today to her murder, admitting that he fatally stabbed Baldelli in the back with a knife, dismembered her body with a machete and disposed of her remains in a remote jungle on the Panamanian island where they lived as a couple for two months...

David, Panama, Feb 21 (EFE).- More than 100 Cuban migrants from among the 1,300 stranded in Panama on Sunday received immigration permits that early next week will allow them to travel legally to Mexico, where they will be able to continue their land journey to the United States. The deputy commissioner of the Panamanian Immigration Service, David Rios Duran, told EFE that 145 people are being ...

Panama Canal Panama City, Feb 13 (EFE).- The Panama Canal Authority, or ACP, said a successful test was conducted on a section of the new third set of locks where cracks were discovered last year. The test by the GUPC consortium responsible for the new locks, led by Spanish construction group Sacyr Vallehermoso, consisted of gradually raising the water behind Gate No. 6 of the Cocoli locks ...

Source; FEDEFUTBOL Press Release by the International Sports Press Association - MIAMI, February 3, 2016 - The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) today announced that Costa Rica will host the CONCACAF Futsal Championship 2016, to be played May 8-15 in San Jose. In confirming the site of the Championship, CONCACAF also announced the official dr...

Source: Maxam By Maria M. Mur Panama City, Feb 4 (EFE).- The 3,500 blasts that Spain-based multinational Maxam has detonated as part of the Panama Canal's expansion have been one of the biggest technological challenges for the firm, a leader in staged explosions in mining and public works projects. "It has been a very important technological challenge for us," Maxam international relatio...

Enoc and Dr. Rosemary SylvesterBradley of ChocoPrisma. Photo: Bryan Fabio Herrera By Carol Blair Vaughn This interview was conducted on January 29th, 2016, at Bazookas Restaurant in Perez Zeledon, after a meeting of a club for English speakers (CCRC), at which Enoc Jimenez was the guest speaker.  The Ngobe Indigenous straddle the Costa Rica – Panama border, and trace their lineage back to a...

East Africa Drought of 2011. Wikimedia Commons By Maria M. Mur Los Santos, Panama, Jan 28 (EFE).- A stretch of the Mensabe River near the village of Peñablanca was a popular swimming spot for Panamanian families just one year ago, but a devastating drought has changed the situation dramatically and transformed that waterway into a rocky path to nowhere. Like the Guarare and the Perales, ...

Panama Canal Panama City, Jan 25 (EFE).- The Panama Canal is operating normally and was not affected by the sinking of a Venezuelan-flagged cargo ship that collided with another vessel at the Caribbean entrance to the interoceanic waterway, administrators said Monday. "The sinking of this vessel is not affecting the operations or traffic in the aquatic waterway," said the Panama Canal Autho...

Panama Canal Panama City, Jan 9 (EFE).- The consortium responsible for the main Panama Canal expansion project is the subject of a criminal complaint in the Central American country for allegedly inflating its cost overrun claims. National Bar Association Vice President Juan Carlos Arauz filed the complaint, to which EFE gained access, on Thursday with Panama's Attorney General's Office. ...

Panama Canal Panama City, Jan 2 (EFE).- President Juan Carlos Varela said Saturday that the inauguration of a newly expanded Panama Canal would take place in May in the presence of several heads of state and government, while also calling on the consortium responsible for the third-locks project to stop waging a media battle with his government. "Sometime in May 2016, our country will once ...

Panama Canal Panama City, Dec 23 (EFE).- The inauguration of the Panama Canal expansion will be delayed for six months if the ACP, the public entity administering the interocean waterway, does not make more flexible its bureaucratic and payment procedures, Giuseppe Quarta, the director of GUPC, the consortium that is handling the project, said Wednesday. "We ... (can) deliver the project" b...

BICSA in Panama. Wikimedia Commons PANAMA CITY, Dec. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. ("Bladex" or the "Bank") (NYSE: BLX) announced today the closing of a US$50 million, 3-Year Senior Unsecured Term Loan Facility for Banco Internacional de Costa Rica S.A. ("BICSA"). BICSA is a bank established in Panama and owned by Banco de Costa Rica and Banco Nac...

Panama Canal Panama City, Dec 18 (EFE).- The inauguration of an expanded Panama Canal, previously scheduled for April, will be postponed due to cracks detected in the new set of locks that are the centerpiece of the $5.25 billion overhaul, the interoceanic waterway's chief administrator said Friday. Panama Canal Authority, or ACP, head Jorge Quijano said the agency was still planning for th...

Panama Canal Panama Canal, Nov 17 (EFE).- Experts attending a three-day International Trademark Association meeting that kicked off here Tuesday will discuss ways to combat the transit of counterfeit goods through the Panama Canal. The Leadership Meeting is "an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges of combating counterfeiting and to advocate for measures to halt the transshipm...

Source: MSP A 49-year old male tourist attempted to leave Costa Rica with a belly full of cocaine, but his skittish and queasy disposition caused him to vomit 64 packets filled with cocaine, right in front of officers from the Drug Control Police (Spanish initials: PCD) at the airport. According to a press release from the Ministry of Public Security (Spanish initials: MSP), the incident oc...

Wikimedia Commons ITV Press Release - Seven years ago, Stephen Fry travelled through all fifty states of the USA in a black cab. But he’s always been fascinated by events south of the border, so now, in this brand new four-part series, he embarks on an adventure into America’s backyard. Travelling through Mexico and the entire Central American isthmus, to the Panamanian border with South Am...

ANAHEIM, CALIF., Aug. 21, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Discover a different pace of life ripe for exploring and relaxing in Panama, or be fascinated by Costa Rica's nearly half-million wildlife species making their home in one of the world's most biodiverse countries on a hassle-free vacation with Trafalgar. A brag-worthy trip is now even more affordable with savings of up to $350 per couple* on air-i...

Panama City, Aug 8 (EFE).- The Panama Canal said it will lower the maximum allowable draft of ships passing through the inter-oceanic waterway starting Sept. 8 due to an El Niño-triggered drought. The measure will affect 18.5 percent of the ships that travel through the canal, according to the Panama Canal Authority, or ACP, which said it will not significantly affect "the efficiency and capaci...

PANAMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq:SBUX), together with Premium Restaurants of America (PRA), its long-term strategic licensing partner in Central America, today opened its first store in Panama, making it Starbucks 15th market in Latin America and 67th worldwide. Located in Panama City’s Street Mall shopping center, the new store proudly features Starbucks Reserve™ Pan...

Wikimedia Commons MIAMI, Aug. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Norwegian Cruise Line today announced exciting and exotic new itineraries for the brand's Fall/Winter 2016/2017 deployment, bringing the world to guests who want to explore new sights while experiencing the freedom and flexibility that only Norwegian Cruise Line can offer. Norwegian offers guests new destinations and new ports to choose fro...

Source. Go Fund Me A man from British Columbia was shot and killed during a home invasion gone wrong in Boquete, a community near the border with Costa Rica. According to Jon Azpiri, a journalist for Canadian online publication Global News, Mr. Potrebenko was 53 years old when he lost his life as he protected his wife and mother-in-law when three masked men broke into his home a week ago. A...

Story by Lt.j.g. Victoria Einbinder, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command & U.S. Fourth Fleet MAYPORT, Fla. - More than 75 military personnel, including 54 members of partner-nation navies, assembled July 27 on Naval Station Mayport for PANAMAX 2015, an exercise aimed at developing strong working relationships between multinational forces to ensure the defense of the Panama Canal. The exer...

Source: Wikimedia Commons WireService.ca Press Release (07/23/2015) Toronto, ON - From Mexico's Copper Canyon to Costa Rica's Monteverde Cloud Forest and the Panama Canal, Central America and Mexico offer guests unforgettable experiences with exotic wildlife, fascinating landscapes and interactions with exuberant local people. Trafalgar's Insider Experiences will help travellers uncover the cu...

Windstar Cruises Seattle, WA (PRWEB) July 16, 2015 -- Windstar Cruises is offering travelers an opportunity to book brand new, all-inclusive cruise packages on select itineraries, valid on bookings made now through September 18, 2015. With this limited time offer, guests will enjoy a stress-free and effortless holiday in paradise for a great value. Voyages that include the All Inclusive packag...

Wikimedia Commons Panama, 03-JULY-2013 (WireService.co)– 2Bet Bob is pleased to announce that their headquarters have been moved to the country of Panama, due to unexpected red tape in Costa Rica. This move will not affect the excellent customer service which is a feature of the betting site. The pay per head feature allows the company to provide 24-hour betting every day. 2Bet Bob uses the PP...

Jackson, Miss. (June 23, 2015) – Representatives from Mississippi Development Authority will lead a delegation of Mississippi companies on a business development mission to Central America Sept.19-25, 2015. The trip is designed to connect Mississippi businesses that want to expand trade and create new business relationships with qualified buyers in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. With the ...

WASHINGTON & NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global well-being improvement leader Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ: HWAY) and world-leading management consulting firm Gallup have released their comprehensive analysis of well-being around the world, the Gallup-Healthways State of Global Well-Being: 2014 Country Well-Being Rankings Report. According to the report, Panama was the nation with the highe...

Crossing into Nicaragua from Costa Rica at the border The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a $100 million loan to the Costa Rican government to finance its Border Integration Program. The goal of the program is to increase the country's competitiveness in foreign trade by modernizing its infrastructure and equipment, establishing processes and tools for effective controls ...

Wikimedia Commons Panama City, Jun 18 (EFE).- Foreign direct investment (FDI) totaled $1.7 billion in Panama in the first quarter, up 32.2 percent from the same period in 2014, the National Institute of Statistics and Census, or INEC, reported. Foreign capital flowed mainly into hotels, banks, real estate, electricity generation, commerce and manufacturing, the INEC said. Some 65 percent...

WASHINGTON (April 7, 2015)—National Geographic invites photographers from around the world to enter the 2015 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. The grand-prize winner will receive an eight-day National Geographic Photo Expedition to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal for two. The contest, which is open now, ends Tuesday, June 30, at 12 p.m. EDT. Eligible contestants can visit natgeo.com/t...

Panama City, Jun 8 (EFE).- Emergency management services in Panama found two French tourists alive on Sunday in the western jungle of Bocas del Toro after they were given up for lost the day before, an official said. A spokesperson for the Sinaproc emergency management agency told reporters that the Frenchmen Elliot Nakache and Herve Dupied, who were on a hiking expedition, were found Monday mo...

Wikimedia Commons SEATTLE, June 1, 2015 /CNW/ -- Six Holland America Line ships will sail 11 full transits of the Panama Canal and one ship will offer 14 itineraries that feature both the southern Caribbean and partial transits during fall 2015 through spring 2016. With cruises ranging from 10 to 22 days, Holland America Line provides guests more in-depth ways to experience the Panama Canal...

Source: UNHCR Costa Rica, May 26, International Organization for Migration - To help vulnerable migrants at the Paso Canoas border crossing between Panama and Costa Rica, IOM and the authorities of both countries have opened two specialized information hubs that will provide migrants with reliable information about their rights and services available to them. “These assistance hubs will add...

FARC guerrilla unit marching in 1998. Wikimedia Commons By Marti Quintana Mexico City, May 19 (EFE).- The relationship between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrilla group and Mexico's drug cartels is rooted in shared interests in arms and drug trafficking, but not in the insurgents providing military training to the organized crime groups, experts told Efe. "Wher...

Aedes aegypti mosquito, known dengue carrier. By Fabio Agrana Panama City, May 9 (EFE).- Panama's Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health, or ICGES, found in a recent study that genetically modified mosquitoes can be used to combat dengue with a high degree of effectiveness, scientists involved in the project said. The director of the ICGES study, Lorenzo Caceres, told Efe that in a period ...

Source: UNHCR SABALITO, Costa Rica, May 7 (UNHCR) – Elida Andrade has lived in the green hills around the small southern Costa Rican town of Sabalito for her whole life, but until recently the 18-year-old mother never really belonged anywhere. Her parents, members of the indigenous Ngöbe Bugle people, were born across the nearby border in Chiriqui, Panama, and moved to the coffee-growing Sa...