org news

Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology in Luxemburg invites application for vacant PhD Scholarships. SD-25271 – PHD IN

Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology in Luxemburg invites application for vacant PhD and Postdocs and Academic Positions.

Uber drivers in Costa Rica who allege they were wrongfully disconnected from the platform are considering legal action against the company after a landmark court ruling determined there was an employment relationship between a driver and Uber, requiring the company to pay compensation, August 2025. One former driver, who worked with Uber from 2015 to 2022, said he was abruptly blocked from the app without explanation. “I got up to log in and they blocked me. They don’t give any information through the app. I went to Eco Bambú (Uber’s office) and they told me they couldn’t give me any details about why they had blocked me,” he said. He had logged in four to five hours daily to supplement his income, and after being disconnected, began working with apps like Didi and InDriver. His later attempt to be reinstated was denied. “I want to go back to the office again, and if not, I have nothing to lose by doing the same thing (suing),” he added. Another former Uber driver, who worked from ...

The University of Lausanne in Switzerland invites application for vacant PhD, Postdoctoral and Academic Positions, The University of

Chiquita Brands, one of the world’s largest banana producers, will return to Panama and rehire thousands of employees after shutting down operations three months ago due to a prolonged strike. The announcement was made Friday by the Panamanian government following a high-level meeting in Brazil between President José Raúl Mulino and Chiquita executives. The company closed its Changuinola plant in the Caribbean province of Bocas del Toro at the end of May, leaving more than 6,000 workers unemployed. The shutdown came amid a strike over pension reforms that paralyzed the region for weeks and triggered food shortages after road blockades. “We have reached a positive agreement for Bocas del Toro and the thousands of workers who were left without jobs,” said Mulino in a video statement released by the presidency. Under the new agreement, Chiquita will relaunch operations in two phases, hiring about 3,000 workers initially and an additional 2,000 in a second stage. The company expects to...

A court in Costa Rica has ruled that Uber must treat one of its drivers as an employee, not an independent contractor. The decision means the company has to pay out for vacations, a year-end bonus, and severance. This came from the Appeals Tribunal in San José, which backed up an earlier court finding. The case started when a driver, who had been working through the Uber app from October 2019 until February 2023, got cut off from the platform without warning. He took Uber to court, saying it was like getting fired without cause. His lawyer, Rafael Rodríguez, pointed out that Uber controls things like giving orders, making decisions, and handing out punishments to drivers. That setup shows a boss-employee link, he argued. In the first round, a labor court agreed with the driver in April 2024. Now, the appeals court said the same thing, calling it a hidden employment relationship. They looked at how Uber sets the rules one-sidedly and expects drivers to meet certain goals. The court sa...

President Nicolás Maduro said Thursday that “there is no way” the United States will invade Venezuela and urged his citizens to enlist in the military forces, amid Washington’s announcements of mobilizing troops to the Caribbean. The United States announced the deployment of five warships and around 4,000 personnel to the southern Caribbean, near Venezuela’s territorial waters, for anti-narcotics maneuvers. The missile destroyer USS Lake Erie was spotted at the Pacific port entrance to the Panama Canal. The operation also coincides with Washington increasing its reward for Maduro’s capture to $50 million and designating as terrorist a supposed cartel led by the Venezuelan president. “After 20 continuous days of announcements, threats, psychological warfare, after 20 days of siege against the Venezuelan nation, today we are stronger than yesterday, today we are more prepared to defend peace, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” Maduro said at a military event. “Neither sanctions...

A surge in public insecurity and the sharp appreciation of the Costa Rican colón—up more than 20% since 2022—have become the leading threats to Costa Rica’s business tourism sector, according to a new survey by the Center for Tourism Studies ( CET ). The survey, conducted among businesses and organizations connected to the tourism industry, found that 50% of respondents identified public insecurity as the top concern, while just over 30% cited currency appreciation as the most serious issue. Other concerns, including infrastructure deterioration, market informality, lack of public-private coordination, and the impact of short-term rentals, each garnered less than 10% of responses. When asked what actions should be prioritized to support the sector’s recovery, half of the respondents said improving safety in tourist destinations was the most urgent need. Nearly 20% emphasized the importance of revamping Costa Rica’s international positioning strategy, and the third most common respon...

Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, who served as Costa Rica’s president from 1998 to 2002, returned to court on today, to face charges in the so-called “ Reinsurance Case ” involving allegations of corruption linked to contracts signed by the National Insurance Institute (INS) in 2001. The case centers on alleged payments totaling approximately $2.1 million made by UK-based reinsurance companies—PWS, Guy Carpenter, and Willis Re—to government officials purportedly to secure INS contracts. Alongside Rodríguez, six other defendants stand accused of peculado, or the misappropriation of public funds, in this high-profile case now entering its 24th year. The investigation began over two decades ago but has faced numerous procedural delays, appeals, and judicial challenges. While a dismissal in favor of Rodríguez was granted in 2014, that decision was later overturned on appeal, and the case was referred to trial starting in 2023, with proceedings now underway in the Tribunal Penal de Hacienda y de l...

Costa Rican police pulled off a big win against drug traffickers this Sunday, seizing over a ton of cocaine hidden in a tourism minibus and arresting two men in the Osa region. The operation unfolded in the Piedras Blancas area near Palmar Norte, where officers from the Public Force intercepted the vehicle after it ignored a checkpoint stop. Inside the white minibus, authorities found 1,299 packages of what they believe is cocaine, each weighing about one kilogram. They also confiscated an AR-15 rifle fitted with a laser sight and a magazine loaded with 5.56-caliber rounds, plus some cash: 89,000 Costa Rican colones and 21 U.S. dollars. The two suspects, identified as Porras—the driver—and Castro, his passenger, now face charges. Security Minister Mario Zamora shared details calling it part of wider efforts to crack down on narcotics in the south via land, sea, and air patrols. “This key hit shows our head-on battle against drug trafficking,” Zamora said. “We’ll keep boosting police ...

Dresden University of Technology invites application for vacant Research Positions, a public research university, the largest institute of

Leibniz Institute in Germany invites application for vacant PhD, Postdoc and Academic Positions, – Hans-Knöll-Institute (HKI), Germany. Postdoc

A Salvadoran man at the center of a heated US immigration battle could end up in Costa Rica if he accepts a guilty plea, according to court documents filed by his lawyers. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who US officials wrongly sent to a harsh prison in El Salvador earlier this year, now faces deportation to Uganda after turning down the deal. This case highlights the Trump administration’s aggressive stance on migration and raises questions about Costa Rica’s role in accepting deportees from the US. Abrego Garcia, 30, lives in Maryland with his family. He denies charges of human smuggling and ties to the MS-13 gang, which the government uses to justify their actions. Officials deported him to El Salvador in March, ignoring a court order that blocked such a move. He spent months in a maximum-security prison there before the US Supreme Court stepped in and ordered his return in June. Back in the US, authorities arrested him right away on the smuggling charges. A federal judge in Tennessee rele...

Gang members rioted this Friday in two prisons in Guatemala and took several guards and civilian employees hostage, a week after uprisings in which a guard was killed, the government reported. Last Saturday, police regained control of several prisons in the country after gang members had been rioting for several days, causing the death of a guard. Authorities attribute the riots to the recent transfer of leaders from the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs to a maximum-security prison. “The Ministry (of the Interior) is already handling the kidnapping of these people by these detained groups, and we trust it will resolve the situation as it has in previous cases,” President Bernardo Arévalo told reporters. Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez explained that the incidents are occurring in the Fraijanes prison, in a town near the capital, and in Boquerón, 65 km east of Guatemala City. “The kidnappings that occurred today (Friday) are desperate attempts by gang members seeking to draw...

As the infrastructure of Costa Rica advances, with new four-lane highways and a series of bypasses around San José that avoid the narrow, congested streets of the city, one relic hangs on—the one-lane bridge. There are about 6,500 bridges in Costa Rica, and it sometimes seems as if at least half fit only one car at a time, especially in rural or less populated areas. They pop up anywhere there is a stream, river, or chasm to be crossed. Many are approached down a long hill or around a sharp curve. The Ceda el paso (yield) sign is on one side only, though it is always a good idea to enter the bridge slowly even on the side with the right of way. A road I drive regularly is the well-traveled 35-kilometer highway between San Isidro de El General and Playa Dominical . It is a winding mountain road that presents numerous challenges to drivers unfamiliar with its narrow curves and steep drops—it descends 1,200 meters (almost 4,000 feet) in elevation in about 16 km (10 miles). Adding to th...

Those who frequently use the South Coast Highway, near the Tárcoles river, will have to be more patient.  Repair works have started on the Tárcoles bridge , and will take up to a year to conclude, according to government authorities. The first phase of the rehabilitation work on this structure began this week, and for subsequent phases, workers will need to be present on the river. “We are going to intervene in what are, strictly speaking, the bridge’s bastions and piers, which is basically the structure that supports the bridge. It is a risky undertaking because we are going to carry out large excavations of around 14 meters in depth, where what we want to do is reinforce precisely those structures,” explained Pablo Camacho, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure at the MOPT. Camacho added that the reinforcement work on the bridge is “urgent and cannot be postponed” and that the first phase of the work will continue until November, causing traffic to be restricted to one lane in the...

Boston University in United States invites application for vacant Postdoc, Research and Academic Positions, a private research university

Cornell University in United States invites application for vacant Postdoctoral and Academic Positions, a private and statutory Ivy

Panama’s President, José Raúl Mulino, will meet in Brazil with U.S. banana company Chiquita Brands in search of an agreement for the company to resume operations in the country, after shutting down and laying off its entire workforce due to a strike, a minister reported on Monday. Chiquita, which employed more than 6,000 people in Panama in the town of Changuinola, in the Caribbean province of Bocas del Toro, dismissed the workers after protests that semi-paralyzed the region. A union announced Monday that it will file lawsuits against the company over the dismissals. Minister of Trade and Industry Julio Moltó said the government expects to reach an agreement following the meeting Mulino will hold with the company in Brazil during a tour beginning August 28. Talks with the company “are moving forward positively (…), I hope we can finalize a good agreement with Chiquita and that the president can close it in Brazil so that the company returns to the country,” Moltó said. The ministe...

The US Treasury Department moved against a Costa Rican drug trafficking ring today sanctioning four individuals and two entities tied to cocaine smuggling and money laundering. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeted former security vice minister Celso Gamboa Sánchez, along with Edwin López Vega (known as Pecho de Rata), Alejandro Arias Monge (Diablo), and Alejandro James Wilson (Turesky). They also hit Gamboa’s law firm, Bufete Celso Gamboa & Asociados, and his soccer team, Limón Black Star FC. Authorities say these people ran operations that funneled cocaine from Colombia through Costa Rica’s ports to the US and Europe, often mixed with fentanyl. “Drug traffickers poison communities and fuel violence by pushing illicit drugs across borders,” said Brian E. Nelson, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. The sanctions block all US-based assets of those named and ban Americans from dealing with them. Gamboa, once a high-ranking official, used his go...

Air Canada has backtracked on plans to restart flights after its flight attendants chose to continue striking, leaving travelers — including those heading to Costa Rica — facing more cancellations and uncertainty. The airline had announced Sunday morning that operations would gradually resume, including routes to San José and Liberia. But by afternoon, the company suspended that plan after the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the flight attendants, said members would stay off the job until the government forced Air Canada back to negotiations. The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) had ordered Air Canada to resume flights and for all cabin crew to return to work by 6 p.m. GMT on August 17. Labor Minister Patty Hajdu also invoked a legal measure requiring the dispute to move to independent arbitration, arguing that a prolonged strike would increase financial pressure on Canadians. Air Canada initially complied, stating flights would resume by Monda...

Johns Hopkins University in United States invites application for vacant Staff and Research Positions, America’s first research university and home

Johns Hopkins University in United States invites application for vacant Research Positions, America’s first research university and home to nine

San Diego State University in United States invites application for vacant Academic and Staff Positions, San Diego State

San Diego State University in United States invites application for vacant Academic and Staff Positions, San Diego State

Guns N Roses heads back to Costa Rica for a concert at Estadio Nacional on October 1. The show starts their fall Latin American tour after dates in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East earlier this year. Fans get a chance to see the band live for the first time since their last visit here years ago. The band announced the tour on June 6, adding 13 dates across the region. Here is the are the rest of those dates: Guns N’ Roses 2025 Latin American Tour Schedule Date Country City Venue October 1, 2025 Costa Rica San José Estadio Nacional October 4, 2025 El Salvador San Salvador Estadio Cuscatlan October 7, 2025 Colombia Bogota Viva Claro October 11, 2025 Colombia Medellin Estadio Atanasio Girardot October 14, 2025 Chile Santiago Estadio Nacional October 17, 2025 Argentina Buenos Aires Estadio Huracan October 18, 2025 Argentina Buenos Aires Estadio Huracan October 21, 2025 Brazil Florianopolis Arena Opus October 25, 2025 Brazil ...

Costa Rica’s Constitutional Chamber has struck down a resolution that increased visitor quotas at Corcovado National Park, ruling that the measure lacked scientific justification and violated environmental safeguards. In its August 8 ruling, the court ordered Paula Mena, director of the Osa Conservation Area (Acosa) of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), to revoke the resolution and issue a new one. The new policy must clearly establish the parameters and methodology used to regulate visitor flows and justify the daily entry and accommodation limits. The case was brought by Frente Amplio legislator Ariel Robles, who argued that changes to daily admission and overnight quotas were made without scientific studies to ensure the park’s fragile ecosystem would not be harmed. According to Robles, visits to the Sirena station were increased by 120 people per day, overnight capacity rose by 10, and cruise ship-exclusive quotas grew by 100, all without technical or scientific ...

North Carolina State University in United States invites application for vacant Research and Academic Positions , a public

North Carolina State University in United States invites application for vacant Postdoctoral Positions, a public research university in

Former Costa Rican security minister and Supreme Court justice Celso Gamboa got a break when a court in Goicoechea acquitted him of influence peddling. The case stemmed from claims that he stepped in back in 2016 to scrub San José’s ex-mayor Johnny Araya from a criminal probe during an election push. Prosecutors flipped at the last minute and asked for the acquittal, pointing to thin evidence that didn’t hold up. Araya and former prosecutor Berenice Smith, who faced charges alongside him, also came out clear. Even with this win, Gamboa stays locked up in Jorge Arturo Montero Prison in Alajuela. He’s held there while Costa Rican officials sort out a U.S. extradition bid that paints him as a key player in a cross-border drug ring tied to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and Colombia’s Clan del Golfo. U.S. prosecutors charge him with plotting to move cocaine through Costa Rica and onward to Central America and the States. If the extradition goes through and a U.S. jury convicts him, he could st...

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ( IACHR ) heard a petition this week to strengthen precautionary measures for Brörán indigenous leader Pablo Sibar. The request stems from a recent land invasion that put his life and safety at immediate risk. Sibar has held these protections, known as Precautionary Measure MC 321/12, since 2015. The latest incident unfolded on August 10, when two people entered Sibar’s 10-hectare farm in Térraba. They claimed backing from the Integral Development Association of Térraba and said the land belonged to them. The property serves for environmental protection and water management in the community. Sibar owns it legally and has for over 13 years. Police arrived but declined to remove the invaders. They cited a certification dated August 7 from the association, which favored the two individuals. Neither belongs to the Brörán people, and Sibar calls the document fake. He points out the association knew about his ownership long ago. Sibar spoke ou...

The Municipality of Santa Cruz demolished five structures built on Avellanas Beach, within the 50-meter public zone of the maritime-terrestrial area. In a video posted on the municipality’s social media accounts, Mayor Jorge Alfaro said the demolition complied with a court order. “In a ruling issued by the Administrative Court, the municipality was ordered to evict the entire area [the maritime-terrestrial zone of Avellanas Beach], which was practically slums. There are practically no residents here. These are houses belonging to people who usurped the maritime-terrestrial zone,” Alfaro stated. The mayor cited Resolution No. 2023005443, issued at 3:27 p.m. on November 15, 2023, which orders “the eviction of all persons and the immediate demolition, with due process guarantees, of all existing structures in the public area of the Avellanas Beach Maritime-Terrestrial Zone.” Alfaro insisted the demolition was not at his discretion or due to pressure from commercial interests in neighbo...

A Guatemalan court began on Tuesday the final hearing in the trial of seven former officials over the deaths of 41 girls in a fire at a state shelter in 2017, a tragedy that shocked the country. The girls and adolescents died at the Virgen de la Asunción Safe Home on March 8, 2017, International Women’s Day , during a protest in which they denounced mistreatment and sexual exploitation at the facility, according to the investigation. The minors set mattresses on fire in the room where they were locked after attempting to escape, but the blaze quickly spread and they could not get out because the door was locked. Judge Ingrid Cifuentes opened the hearing in which she is to hear the final statements from those accused of negligent homicide and failure to perform duties, among other charges. She could deliver a verdict on Tuesday or set another date to announce the ruling. The seven former officials remain under house arrest. “We hope this verdict will be a conviction (…) and that the ...

Our capital, San José, came under scrutiny today after the U.S. president placed it on a list of cities described as having some of the worst crime rates. The remarks were made while announcing sweeping security measures in Washington, D.C., including putting the capital’s police under federal control and deploying 800 National Guard troops to address what was described as rampant lawlessness. The new strategy was presented as a way to crack down on gangs, violent offenders, and drug activity in the capital. Local policies such as no cash bail were criticized as contributing to the situation, with claims they have made it harder to keep dangerous offenders off the streets. Washington, D.C., was compared to cities such as San José, Bogotá, Panama City, Lima, and Mexico City, with accusations of widespread crime and heavy drug trafficking in these locations. Data presented alongside the announcement showed Washington’s homicide rate at 27.5 per 100,000 residents in 2024, while San Jos...

The community of Santa Teresa de Cóbano and its surrounding communities will see enhanced security, thanks to the inauguration of the new Tourist Police Station and its modern facilities. This space will not only strengthen security in a sought-after tourist destination but also provide a concrete response to the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors. The opening ceremony was attended by the President Rodrigo Chaves; the Minister of Tourism, William Rodríguez; and the Minister of Public Security, Mario Zamora. “We are developing key projects. We’ve built a modern station, with officers ready to protect the honest people who work in tourism, and the visitors who help us generate prosperity,” said President Rodrigo Chaves. “This inauguration is a tangible example of the work carried out by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute to safeguard a highly visited destination such as Santa Teresa de Cóbano and neighboring communities. This project validates our commitment to sustainable to...

University of Cambridge in United Kingdom invites application for vacant PhD, Research and Academic Positions, a collegiate public

Panama has signed a $2.486 billion loan agreement with Japan to fund the construction of Metro Line 3. Officials finalized the deal on August 9 through an exchange of notes between the two governments. The Japan International Cooperation Agency handles the financing, which comes with favorable conditions: a 14-year repayment period, a six-year grace period, and low interest rates. The project aims to connect Panama City with the western suburbs in Panama Oeste. It includes a 25-kilometer monorail line with 14 stations and a 5-kilometer tunnel under the Panama Canal. Once complete, expected around 2028, it will ease traffic for over 250,000 daily commuters, cut down on pollution, and support better urban flow. Panama Metro oversees the build, and this loan builds on earlier funding tranches from Japan, including a $1.036 billion portion agreed in February. Japan and Panama have built ties over more than a century, with this deal adding to their history of joint efforts in infrastruct...

The United States warned its citizens on Saturday about the risk of investing in Nicaragua following the recent approval of a border security law that the U.S. government and Nicaraguan opposition in exile denounce as a “massive confiscation” of property. Nicaragua’s National Assembly, controlled by co-presidents and spouses Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, approved on Tuesday a law that turns into “state property” the 15 kilometers “inward” from its borders with Honduras and Costa Rica, as a “national security” measure to combat “organized crime and international drug trafficking.” Although the Nicaraguan government stated in official media that the law “does not affect” residents in the border strip, Nicaraguan opposition members in exile warned that it amounts to a confiscation plan. “The Murillo-Ortega regime’s massive confiscation of lands within the 15 kilometers adjacent to Nicaragua’s borders devastates dozens of communities and puts the lives and livelihoods of thousands ...

The Santa Cruz Environmental Prosecutor’s Office has seized files on the Bahía Papagayo concession from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and the Municipality of Carrillo, according to the newspaper La Nación. The seizure is part of an ex officio criminal investigation into alleged illegal logging in forested areas within the Papagayo Tourist Pole. Prosecutors opened the case after an on-site inspection to assess possible environmental damage to protected land, following multiple complaints from environmental groups and activists on social media. Alejandro Rojas, attorney for Bahía Papagayo, called the complaint “unfounded,” saying it stems from an anonymous tip and that the case has been pending for about seven months. He stressed that this is not a new criminal proceeding. Environmental Concerns Groups such as Salvemos Playa Panamá and online influencers have warned that the $925 million real estate development in Playa Panamá could destroy over 42 h...

Actress Megan Fox and musician Machine Gun Kelly, whose real name is Colson Baker, recently headed to Costa Rica for a family vacation with their three-month-old daughter, Saga Blade Fox-Baker. The trip comes eight months after their breakup, and sources say it signals steps toward mending their bond, though they avoid calling it official. A source close to the couple shared, “Things feel back to normal between them, but they skip labels on their relationship. They stay close and aim to sort out issues for a full reconciliation. This getaway marks real progress.” Photos show the family arriving at Liberia Airport in Guanacaste on July 19 via a commercial flight. Costa Rica’s migration office confirmed their entry that day. The couple appeared relaxed, carrying their baby girl as they navigated the airport. The birth of Saga changed their dynamic. Fox, known for her roles in films like Transformers, takes a careful approach to letting Kelly back into her life fully. Megan stands fir...

Qatar University in Qatar invites application for vacant Research and Faculty Positions, a public research university located on

Bahía Santa Elena is one of the best-preserved marine areas in the Costa Rica, renowned for its biological richness, scenic beauty, and ecological importance. This area is part of the Bahía Santa Elena Marine Management Area, a conservation space that protects key marine ecosystems such as rocky reefs, mangroves, and feeding grounds for various marine species, including sharks and rays. On this occasion, Santa Elena Bay, located in Costa Rica’s North Pacific within the Guanacaste Conservation Area (ACG), was the starting point for a new scientific expedition led by European researchers Dr. Jonathan Goldenberg and Dr. Bastiaan Star from the University of Oslo (Norway), in collaboration with Dr. Mario Espinoza from the Center for Research in Marine Sciences and Limnology (CIMAR) at the University of Costa Rica (UCR). The ACG continues to establish itself as a living laboratory for science, serving as the setting for high-impact research that seeks to answer key questions about the hea...