The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, began this Monday an official two-day visit to Costa Rica in which he will address with his Costa Rican colleague, Rodrigo Chaves, issues of security, trade and cooperation.
Bukele’s agenda for this Monday includes a bilateral meeting with Chaves and an extended one with representatives of both cabinets in which both countries will sign agreements and talk about trade, security and cooperation issues, according to official sources.
The Salvadoran president will also receive the Juan Mora Fernández National Order decoration in the Grand Cross Golden Plate degree, the highest distinction that Costa Rica grants to distinguished heads of state or government.
“El Salvador was one of the most violent and unsafe places in the world (…) with Dantesque murder rates and now El Salvador is one of the safest countries in the world, even more than Switzerland, I never imagined getting to see that,” said President Chaves last Wednesday when he announced Bukele’s visit.
The president assured that the order is granted to Bukele for “his contributions in public security and for having turned that society into a safe society” and also because “a large number of the people of Costa Rica admire the achievements of that country.”
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At the end of the day this Monday, they will participate in a state dinner.
Bukele’s agenda in Costa Rica
For Tuesday, the agenda released by the Government of Costa Rica indicates that both presidents will make a “working visit” to the La Reforma Penitentiary Center, one of the main prisons in Costa Rica, and then give a press conference.
“We are not going to take him to the most beautiful place in Costa Rica or to a volcano, or to the National Museum, we are going to go to La Reforma on a work visit, we are going to see what that represents, how it smells, what it smells, what it feels like and there we are going to sit down to work,” Chaves said.
This visit has generated criticism from several opposition political parties in Costa Rica that refused to receive Bukele in the Plenary of Congress for the allegations about violations of human rights, institutionality and the Constitution during his mandate.
The Supreme Court also refused to receive Bukele, according to President Chaves, who ruled out bilateral meetings or with groups of deputies or magistrates.
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Chaves criticized that there are opposition deputies who did not want Bukele to visit Congress because the initiatives he has implemented in El Salvador against crime and violence contradict the “hugs to those who shoot,” a phrase that the Costa Rican ruler has used to criticize deputies and the country’s laws, which he considers “soft” against crime.
MLS Awaits Blockbuster Debuts as Griezmann and Lewandowski Join the Spotlight
While Major League Soccer awaits Lionel Messi’s return, the league will experience a major spotlight moment on Wednesday with the highly anticipated debuts of two new global stars: Robert Lewandowski and Antoine Griezmann.
French forward Antoine Griezmann, 35, could make his first official appearance for Orlando City when the team visits the San Jose Earthquakes, one of the surprise performers of the current MLS season.
The attacker recently ended his long spell with Atlético Madrid and has already made an early impression with his new club, scoring one of the goals in Orlando’s 6-0 friendly victory over Tampa Bay Rowdies of the United States’ second division.
Orlando is counting on its new star to help turn around a difficult season that began with the dismissal of Colombian coach Oscar Pareja after the team lost its first three matches.
Under Argentine manager Martín Perelman, Orlando City currently sits 13th in the Eastern Conference with 14 points from 15 games, outside the playoff qualification positions.
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The team entered the break for the North American World Cup after suffering a heavy 6-2 defeat against FC Cincinnati on May 23.
Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski was originally expected to make his Chicago Fire debut last Thursday when MLS resumed play after the international break.
The Polish striker, who will turn 38 in August, was scheduled to step onto the Soldier Field pitch against the Vancouver Whitecaps, coached by Thomas Müller, his former teammate at Bayern Munich.
However, the match was postponed due to poor air quality in Chicago caused by smoke from wildfires in southern Canada.
Lewandowski has continued preparing for his first professional experience outside European football.
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“One thing I can say about Robert is that he has an incredible work ethic,” Chicago Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter said on Tuesday.
“He joined us after dealing with jet lag throughout last week, and he was still demanding from his teammates during training. He does extra work afterward. You can see why he has scored more goals than anyone else in Europe over the last 15 years, because he is an absolute professional,” added the former United States national team coach.
The arrival of Griezmann and Lewandowski adds even more star power to an MLS season already boosted by international figures, as clubs continue attracting some of the biggest names in world football.
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
Panama launches anti-drone measures as prison security crisis deepens
Panama will restrict airspace around its prisons to prevent drones from delivering drugs and weapons to inmates, President José Raúl Mulino announced Thursday as his administration moves to address a growing prison security crisis.
The measure is part of a broader strategy that includes the construction of a new penitentiary designed to isolate gang leaders, according to the president.
“We are implementing an airspace blocking system so that drones can no longer fly over the prisons,” Mulino told reporters during a visit to the province of Bocas del Toro.
The system was tested last week with the aim of preventing drones from nearby areas from being used to transport or drop drugs inside correctional facilities, the president added.
Panama’s prison system has faced increasing pressure following the escape of nearly 200 inmates from La Joyita prison, located near Panama City, on January 1. Most of the prisoners have since been recaptured.
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The security situation gained further attention after the escape and the June 17 killing of a 10-year-old girl in the capital, who was caught in a hit attack targeting her stepfather.
Following the La Joyita prison break, Mulino said the country’s penitentiary system had “collapsed” and announced last week, during his annual government report, plans to build a facility aimed at separating high-ranking gang members from the general prison population.
“The system collapsed, not only because of organization but because of corruption. All the drugs and weapons that enter prisons pass through a door, and there is someone — whether a prison guard or a member of the national police — who allows them to enter,” Mulino said Thursday.
Panama recorded a homicide rate of 14.2 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025. However, the Caribbean province of Colón registered a rate three times higher than the national average.
Meanwhile, the country’s prisons currently hold around 24,000 inmates, despite having capacity for only 14,700, according to official figures.
