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Costa Rica to Hold Sixth National Ocean Cleanup This Saturday

Costa Rica will hold its sixth National Ocean Cleanup this Saturday, June 6, bringing volunteers together at dozens of beaches, rivers and community sites across the country. The cleanup is being organized by Fundación Operation Rich Coast in collaboration with the Costa Rican Tourism Institute as part of activities linked to the June 8 oceans observance and the 30th anniversary of Costa Rica’s Bandera Azul Ecológica program. This year’s campaign has 51 confirmed participation points in the Greater Metropolitan Area, Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limón. Organizers are calling on communities, schools, businesses, local groups and residents to take part in a coordinated effort to remove waste from coastal areas, waterways and public spaces before it reaches the sea. Puntarenas will have the largest number of cleanup points, with 33 locations confirmed. Sites include Jacó, Manuel Antonio, Playa Uvita, Playa Pavones, Playa Zancudo, Playa Montezuma, Playa Matapalo in Quepos and severa...
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Costa Rica Expands Coral Gardening to Help Restore Pacific Reefs

Costa Rica is expanding the use of coral gardening as part of a growing effort to restore damaged marine ecosystems along the country’s coast.The technique works like an underwater nursery. Small coral fragments are collected, placed on submerged structures, allowed to grow in controlled conditions, and later attached to degraded reef areas. The process gives corals a better chance of survival and allows them to grow much faster than they would on the seafloor.The current wave of coral gardening in Costa Rica began with a pilot project in Golfo Dulce in 2013. Thirteen years later, the method has helped cultivate thousands of corals along the Pacific coast, with one of the clearest examples now underway at Isla Tortuga in the Gulf of Nicoya. “We place the coral fragments in a nursery, like a hatchery, which is why we collaborate with agronomists. This gives them time to grow in a more controlled environment. If these fragments remain on the seafloor, they die,” marine biologist...
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Costa Rica Camera Traps Capture Rare Predator Hunts and Pregnant Jaguars

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Sometimes I record something interesting and I think ‘I should share this with the good people who read the Tico Times,’ but whatever it is I want to share isn’t quite enough for an entire article. It could be because I’ve already written about that particular creature or a video is neat but doesn’t really need a full page of text to accompany it. I’ve decided the best way to share this sort of information with you is to smoosh a couple of unrelated tidbits into one article and label it Latest News. Let’s dive in. Predators in Action Each camera trap monitors just a few square meters of Costa Rica’s wilderness. I’m continuously shocked at the variety of species and animal behaviors these tiny windows into the wild provide. One type of behavior that proves particularly elusive is predation. What are the chances that a predator will pursue its prey directly in front of one of my cameras? Well, recently, I’ve had a stretch of amazing luck and recorded three different predator...
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Costa Rica’s OIJ Warns of Surge in Virtual Kidnapping Scams

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Police ( OIJ ) is warning of a steep rise in “virtual kidnapping” extortion, with complaints jumping more than sevenfold over the past year — a pattern that authorities say increasingly targets people who run businesses or advertise services. Reports of the scam climbed from eight cases between January and May 2025 to 58 over the same months this year, a roughly 625% increase, the OIJ confirmed. Pablo Calvo, acting head of the agency’s Criminal Investigations Department, said most victims are people with a business or entrepreneurial venture — the profile criminals appear to be hunting. In a virtual kidnapping , no one is actually abducted. The OIJ describes a relatively new scheme in which suspects contact a target under the pretext of hiring them for a job — construction, transport, sales or professional services — and arrange to meet in an isolated location. Once the person arrives, callers convince them they are be...
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PhD Scholarships (17) at Utrecht University, Netherlands

Last Updated on June 2, 2026 by admin Explore PhD Scholarships at Utrecht University Netherlands and pursue your academic dreams with excellent funding opportunities. Updated PhD Positions are available here Jobs PhD candidate in biofabrication, optogenetics and synthetic biology technologies Are you interested in developing the latest biotechnology and biofabrication technologies? Join our research team!PhDFaculty of Veterinary MedicineDepartment: Department Clinical SciencesApplication deadline: 23 June 2026 Job details: PhD candidate in biofabrication, optogenetics and synthetic biology technologies PhD position to model the climate of Antarctica until 2300 Discover how the climate of the Antarctic ice sheet is set to evolve up to the year 2300, using advanced regional climate and firn models.PhDFaculty of ScienceDepartment: Department of PhysicsApplication deadline: 22 June 2026 Job details: PhD position to model the climate of Antarctica unti...
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Panama Joins 10 Worst Countries for Workers Rights in ITUC Report

The International Trade Union Confederation placed the three Latin American nations in that group in its Global Rights Index released Monday. The list also includes Belarus, Egypt, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria, Tunisia and Türkiye. All three countries fall into category 5, the lowest rating in the annual survey of labor standards across 169 nations. Workers and unions in Panama lack guarantees regarding their basic rights and face constant oppression from employers and the state, the confederation said. The report marks Panama’s entry into the bottom group. It reflects a broader deterioration across the region. Argentina joined the list this year after falling to category 5, the second consecutive year of decline in its rating. Conditions for workers and unions have become increasingly repressive and hostile under the government of President Javier Milei, the study said. Authorities have instituted an anti-blockade protocol to maintain public order in the event of roadblocks, au...
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Paul McCartney Turned a Rainy Costa Rica Day Off Into a New Song

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Costa Rica’s rain has been immortalized in one of Paul McCartney’s newest songs. The legendary British musician revealed that “First Star of the Night,” featured on his latest album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane , was written during a stay in the country marked by heavy tropical rain. As McCartney recounted in recent interviews, he was enjoying a day off in Costa Rica when his plans to relax by the pool were interrupted by a downpour that lasted for hours. Rather than getting frustrated, he picked up his guitar and began writing. “It rained like tropical rain, so I had my guitar,” McCartney said, describing how the weather pushed him toward the song instead of the sun. The connection to Costa Rica made it into the finished track, which opens with McCartney remarking on the rain falling outside before the melody takes over. From there, the song evolves into an optimistic reflection on hope and on finding light amid gray days. McCartney and his...
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