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Zurich University in Switzerland invites application for vacant PhD Positions, located in the city of Zürich, is the

The war in the Middle East has prompted more ships to use the Panama Canal, a senior executive for the interoceanic waterway said Monday. Deputy administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta said that daily transits have risen sharply in recent weeks as shippers adjust to disruptions elsewhere. The month-long conflict began Feb. 28 and has seen Iran effectively blockade the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global oil and gas exports normally pass. “We had expected around 34 daily passages for this year, but in the last two weeks we’ve been having 38, 39, 40,” Espino de Marotta said. About 5 percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal. Its main users are the United States and China. The route primarily connects the east coast of the United States with Asia, South Korea and Japan. Espino de Marotta described the waterway as a safe, short option that delivers better economies of scale even with current fuel prices. She warned, however, that 40 daily transi...

If you have a trip to Costa Rica booked on JetBlue or you’re planning one it’s time to take a close look at what your total travel cost is actually going to be. A new round of fee increases just went into effect, and with volatile fuel prices showing no sign of easing, this likely isn’t the last adjustment travelers will face. JetBlue has raised the price to check a first piece of luggage for domestic, Caribbean, and Latin America flights to $39 for off-peak periods, up from $35. During peak periods which cover much of the summer and major holidays that fee jumps to $49, up from $40. For anyone flying from JFK, Fort Lauderdale, Boston, or Orlando to San José or Liberia, that means your baggage costs are heading up immediately. The timing matters too. Passengers who check bags within 24 hours of departure will be charged an additional $10 per bag on top of those rates. In other words, if you’re the type to handle logistics at the airport rather than in advance, that first checked bag ...

The first reaction from every friend or family member that I’ve taken to the beach in Guanacaste has been, “There’s nobody here!” Where I come from in the US the beaches are busy places. You’d better arrive early and claim your patch of sand before the crowd arrives. What is a straight path from your beach blanket to the waves in the morning, transforms to a zig-zaggy route around sunbathers, beach toys, and umbrellas by early afternoon. The tropical beaches of Guanacaste on the other hand, are often wonderfully abandoned. Most times of the year real estate on the beach is wide open, to be split between you and a few other folks whose silhouettes you see relaxing under a distant palm. That is, unless you want to go to the beach during Semana Santa. Semana Santa is Holy Week in Costa Rica, the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Just about every Tico in Ticolandia has some or all of the week off from work. For many, that means it’s time to go the beach. In Guanacaste, the swell begins ...

Costa Rica is rolling out the welcome mat this Easter Holy Week, with all 29 protected wildlife areas open and operating under regular schedules. The Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), and the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism ( ICT ) are encouraging both local and international travelers to take advantage of the country’s natural attractions during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. The push is as much about economics as it is about nature. Communities surrounding Costa Rica’s national parks — hotels, restaurants, tour operators, and local shops — depend heavily on Holy Week visitors, and authorities say responsible tourism is one of the most direct ways travelers can support those local economies. Minister of Environment and Energy Franz Tattenbach summed it up simply: “The national parks offer an opportunity to enjoy diverse landscapes and recreational activities in contact with nature.” From the cloud forests o...

Nicaragua is marking Holy Week with a mix of religious devotion, family travel and local customs that give Semana Santa in the country a character all its own. As churches hold Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter observances, tourism officials have also rolled out a nationwide holiday agenda that includes more than 60 recreational, cultural, religious and beach events. For many Nicaraguans, the season is split between faith and vacation. Beach destinations and tourism centers draw heavy traffic during the holiday period, with San Juan del Sur, Granada, León, Ometepe and other popular spots expected to see strong demand. Government-linked tourism coverage has projected national hotel occupancy between 60% and 70%, with some destinations reaching 80% to 100% during the week. One of Nicaragua’s most distinctive Semana Santa traditions actually comes just before Holy Week begins. In Monimbó, Masaya, hundreds gather at the Magdalena church for the Saint Lazarus celebration, where resident...

The two sailboats transporting humanitarian aid to Cuba arrived in Havana yesterday after a long journey from Mexico during which they disappeared and were later relocated in a search mission. The nine-member crew, which included U.S., French, and German citizens, as well as a four-year-old child, appeared to be in good health and good spirits. They smiled and gave thumbs up as they docked in the capital under clear skies. The vessels, missing since Thursday, were carrying the latest shipments from the Nuestra América convoy, an international humanitarian initiative that has delivered aid to support Cuba as a U.S. oil blockade worsens the island’s energy and economic crisis. We deeply regret having made people worry about us. We were never in any real danger, Adnaan Stumo, a 33-year-old American and coordinator of the sailboat convoy, told the press. It was not a very difficult trip. It was just a tortuous one, Stumo said. Of the child, he added, he is a strong young sailor. We were...

A Salvadoran human rights organization says at least 500 people have died in state custody since President Nayib Bukele launched his anti-gang offensive four years ago, with the vast majority having no ties to criminal groups. Socorro Jurídico Humanitario released the findings Friday as the state of emergency that underpins the crackdown reached its fourth anniversary. The group, which works with families of detainees, based its tally on testimonies, medical records and other unofficial sources. It said 94 percent of those who died were not gang members. The state of emergency began March 27, 2022, after a spike in gang killings. Congress has renewed it 48 times, suspending constitutional protections that allow warrantless arrests. Authorities have detained more than 91,300 people during that period, according to government figures. The organization described the deaths as the result of widespread and systematic acts against civilians held by the state. Nearly one-third stemmed fro...

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo placed the first stone Friday for a new maximum-security prison in the eastern department of Izabal that will hold more than 2,000 high-risk inmates, most of them gang members. The ceremony marked the official start of work on the Centro de Cumplimiento de Condena de Máxima Seguridad “El Triunfo” in Morales, about 290 kilometers northeast of Guatemala City. The facility will rise on a former farm seized from a drug trafficker who was extradited and convicted in the United States. Authorities described the project as a key step to regain control of the prison system, where gangs have long directed street crime from behind bars. Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda and Defense Minister Henry Sáenz joined Arévalo at the site, where army engineers have already moved in heavy machinery. The prison forms part of a broader government push against organized crime following coordinated attacks by the Barrio 18 gang in mid-January. Those assaults killed...

There is a law that came into effect October 2019 which aims to oversee tourist rental services such as: homes, apartments, villas, chalets, bungalows, single rooms and any other similar services and to protect the tourists that utilize these types of services. It also seeks to regulate the platforms that provide these services as intermediaries between the owner and occupant. This law refers to nontraditional rentals, as separate from traditional hotels and motels. The law wants to protect these specific consumers in three principal areas: a) Accuracy of information between what is promised and what is delivered b) Providing for minimum safety, health and hygiene requirements under law c) Protecting the consumer´s privacy and data Those that would rent these types of temporary nontraditional services, whether they are corporations or individuals, must register with the Institute of Tourism, register with the tax authorities, issue the digital invoice, pay the appropriate taxes, ...

Golf legend Tiger Woods was arrested this afternoon on charges of driving under the influence of substances following a single-vehicle rollover crash in Martin County, authorities confirmed. The 50-year-old 15-time major champion was not injured in the incident. According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Woods was behind the wheel of a Land Rover that struck a pickup truck before overturning near 281 Beach Road on Jupiter Island shortly after 1 p.m. Sheriff John Budensiek told reporters that Woods displayed clear signs of impairment at the scene. Field sobriety tests were conducted, and while Woods passed a breathalyzer test for alcohol, he refused to provide a urine sample when requested by investigators. “He was cooperative, but he was not trying to incriminate himself,” Budensiek said. Woods has been charged with DUI (driving under the influence of substances), property damage, and refusal to submit to a lawful test following a crash. He was transported to the Martin County...

Doctors at Cuba’s main pediatric cardiac hospital are facing heartbreaking dilemmas as a U.S.-imposed fuel blockade puts even more pressure on the island’s fragile health system: which children receive life-saving treatment first, and which must wait longer. During a visit by journalists to Havana’s William Soler pediatric cardiac center, mothers wearing medical masks stayed beside their children, seated or lying in dim hospital rooms where the only light came from the sun through the windows. Cuban hospitals have struggled for years with shortages and aging equipment, but the situation has worsened since U.S. President Donald Trump imposed what amounts to a de facto oil blockade on the island in January. Herminia Palenzuela, a 79-year-old cardiologist, said the hospital, the only one of its kind in the country, must now make “very difficult” decisions. Children with less severe cases are placed “at the end of the list, simply waiting” for resources, Palenzuela said. The hospital tre...

I love my truck more than you love your vehicle. I’m not a car guy. I never have been. I always owned used vehicles from my teens to my early twenties. I didn’t give my car much thought. It was my way of getting to work and not much else. When my wife and I were living together in Pittsburgh, PA, I gave up my car completely and used the bus. When we decided to leave Pittsburgh and move to the tropical beach, I thought Costa Rica was going to teach me something deep and meaningful about life and how to live it. And it did. However, the methodology was nothing like I had expected. Costa Rica was going to teach me to appreciate the things I have and one of the ways it was going to do it was through cars. I’ve documented my Costa Rican vehicular experience before but I’ll quickly share the highlights. I’ve been the owner of three old, unreasonably expensive SUVs whose problems included three exploding windows, one exploding battery, constant AC deaths, a brake failure while descending a...

A puma survived a vehicle collision in La Fortuna de San Carlos and returned to the wild after officials provided veterinary care. The incident took place on March 9 in the Las Perlas de Los Ángeles sector. The Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area received the report of the collision between a vehicle and a large feline. Officials went to the scene with a veterinarian. They gave the animal an initial assessment and then transported it to a clinic. Staff there ran X-rays and an ultrasound to check for fractures or other injuries. Veterinarians monitored the puma and delivered care to address any trauma from the impact. Examinations the next day confirmed the animal showed no serious health problems. Authorities released the puma on March 12 in a mountainous area that matches its natural habitat. The rescue involved coordinated work from the Public Security Forces, SINAC-MINAE, private veterinarians and environmental organizations. The Ministry of Environment and Energy urges drivers ...

Yard House opened its first restaurant outside the United States in Costa Rica. The U.S. chain selected the country for its international expansion and set up shop at the Avenida Escazú shopping center. AR Holdings released a statement Wednesday about the new site. The company handles operations in Costa Rica. The restaurant covers about 902 square meters and sits in one of the Greater Metropolitan Area’s main dining hubs. “AR Holdings is proud that Costa Rica has been chosen as the first international market for Yard House’s expansion. This opening confirms our partners’ confidence in our operational capabilities and in the potential of the Costa Rican consumer. Once again, we reaffirm our commitment to offering an experience that respects the essence of the brand while connecting with the lifestyle and preferences of the local market,” said Miguel Ramírez, VP of Operations at AR Holdings, the company that will operate Yard House in Costa Rica. The menu features more than 60 of the...

Travel demand to Costa Rica is rising right now in a way that reflects more than seasonal patterns. It also shows how travelers are reacting to uncertainty. Concerns about the Transportation Security Administration, expectations of higher fuel costs, and smarter timing strategies are pushing many people to book trips earlier than usual, with Costa Rica standing out as a major beneficiary. One of the biggest factors is the sense that air travel in the United States could become more difficult in the near term. Reports of staffing shortages, longer security lines, and operational problems at TSA checkpoints have created concern that flying may soon involve more delays and less predictability. Even if conditions do not worsen much, that perception alone is enough to shape behavior. Many travelers are deciding to lock in trips now rather than risk complications later. That book now before it gets worse mindset is helping drive demand, especially for destinations that are easy to reach and...

The public agency that operates the waterway plans to build a 4,600-hectare reservoir on the Indio River, west of the existing route, to store water and protect canal operations from future droughts. Officials said Tuesday that roughly 50 families, or about 200 people, will move first as preparatory work advances in the priority zone for the dam. The full project will displace around 500 families, or some 2,000 people, who live in modest conditions and depend on subsistence agriculture across communities in the river basin. Construction of the main works is scheduled to begin in early 2028 and finish in 2031. The total investment stands at $1.6 billion. Karina Vergara, the socio-environmental manager for the Indio River project, said the initial group will relocate from the town of El Limón de Chagres in Colón province on the Caribbean coast, where preliminary dam site activity will occur. The authority will first purchase land for new homes and complete land-use planning before an...

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport is expanding traffic monitoring and enforcement ahead of Semana Santa 2026, as one of the year’s busiest travel periods approaches from March 29 to April 5. While officials have not announced a brand-new Holy Week live camera platform in recent days, MOPT has continued to push a broader road surveillance plan while preparing the usual Easter traffic operations on the country’s busiest corridors. The longer-term plan is ambitious. In January 2025, MOPT said it aimed to install 2,000 cameras on highways before May 2026 as part of a system meant to strengthen enforcement against speeding and other dangerous driving. The project has been presented as a way to give authorities more consistent oversight on high-risk routes where traffic police cannot be everywhere at once. For Holy Week, the more immediate changes are familiar ones. MOPT has already outlined traffic management measures tied to the Easter travel rush, including reversible...

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Treetopia Park has opened what is being billed as Costa Rica’s first glass suspension bridge, adding a new attraction to Monteverde’s long-established cloud forest adventure circuit. The structure, called The Glass Bridge, opened this week at the park’s Sky Walk route and is aimed at visitors looking for a more adrenaline-heavy way to experience the canopy. The new bridge stretches 42 meters and rises as high as 20 meters above the forest floor. Its walking surface is made up of 54 transparent glass panels, each 20 millimeters thick and designed to support more than 1,000 kilograms per square meter, giving visitors a direct view of the cloud forest below. The suspended structure weighs close to three tons and hangs from two main one-inch cables. The project was developed after a full renovation of an earlier structure at the site. Treetopia said the bridge was redesigned following a structural analysis intended to improve safety, performance and appearance, with stainless steel amon...

Toronto University in Canada invites application for vacant Faculty Positions, a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, the

Toronto University in Canada invites application for vacant Research and Academic Opportunities, a public research university in Toronto,

Costa Rica is weighing whether to require proof of measles vaccination from some incoming travelers as health officials respond to renewed concern over imported cases and falling immunization coverage at home. The discussion follows two confirmed measles cases now under investigation in our country and a broader regional surge in infections across the Americas. The Health Ministry said that two measles cases recently detected in Costa Rica remain stable and under follow-up. One involves a minor from Pococí and the other a 41-year-old woman from Dulce Nombre de Coronado. Authorities said both cases are being monitored as part of a broader epidemiological response. Against that backdrop, there is an active debate over whether tourists should be asked to show measles vaccination before entering the country. Experts said the idea could reduce health risks, but tourism representatives warned it could also create economic friction for one of Costa Rica’s main industries. The same report s...

Costa Rica is seeing another increase in human screwworm infections, with coastal provinces among the most affected areas as health officials warn people not to ignore cuts, sores, and other open wounds. The latest figures show 16 confirmed human cases in the opening weeks of 2026, up from 12 cases recorded by epidemiological week 6 and 7 cases by week 4, according to Health Ministry surveillance data. The strongest concentration has been in the Pacific Central region, and recent Costa Rican reporting shows Puntarenas now leads the country in confirmed human cases. Puntarenas had six confirmed cases as of March 17, followed by Heredia with three. San José, Alajuela, and Limón each had two cases, while Guanacaste had one. That puts two coastal provinces, Puntarenas and Limón, on the current map of active infections, while Guanacaste also remains affected. The rise has kept pressure on Costa Rica’s health system because screwworm is not a minor skin problem. The condition is caused b...

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British Airways will increase its Costa Rica service from three to five weekly flights starting in October 2026, giving the country a larger nonstop link to the United Kingdom during the European winter travel season. The added service will run through March 2027, and the route will also shift from London Gatwick to London Heathrow, a change that gives Costa Rica access to British Airways’ main hub and a wider network of onward connections across Europe. The airline said San José service will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. British Airways has also updated its Costa Rica booking page to note that flights to San José will depart from Heathrow beginning in October 2026 instead of Gatwick. For Costa Rica’s tourism, the shift matters as much as the extra frequencies. Moving the route to Heathrow places our country at one of Europe’s busiest and best connected airports, which could make Costa Rica easier to reach not only from London but from other parts o...

Costa Rica’s tourism is still drawing strong demand even as the exchange-rate debate continues to weigh on the industry. Fresh data released this week showed Costa Rica received 308,873 tourists by air in February, up 14.1% from the same month a year earlier.Total international arrivals by all routes reached 331,967 in February, while the first two months of 2026 brought 602,960 visitors into the country, extending a five-month stretch of growth. North America remained the dominant source market, accounting for 69.3% of February arrivals, with the United States leading and Canada posting especially strong gains. The numbers point to steady demand at a time when Costa Rica is deep into its peak dry-season travel period, when beach towns, volcano areas and national park gateways usually see some of the year’s strongest booking patterns. Hotel data earlier in the season showed the market still operating at healthy levels, even if not as strong as the peaks seen in prior years. A survey ...

Former President Oscar Arias has warned that a security agreement with the United States violates Costa Rica’s Constitution. The National Liberation Party continues to question security agreements signed by several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, with the United States. In recent hours, both former President Óscar Arias and PLN Secretary-General Miguel Guillén have made new statements. The former president questioned the significance of the meeting and its legal validity. “Regarding the meeting of the 12 Latin American presidents with President Trump and his secretaries of state and defense, I believe that, had it been of any importance, such a meeting should have been held at the White House and not at his private club in Miami,” he wrote. “According to reports, its purpose was to form a military coalition between the United States and Latin American nations to fight criminal organizations and combat narco-terrorism. “Such an agreement is absurd for our country, wh...

San José’s historic Central Park stands ready for significant updates. The Municipality of San José presented plans to add a café under the bandstand and make other changes to bring new life to the space. The project carries a price tag of 648 million colones. Officials have it out for bids now, with offers due by March 20. Construction should start in the coming months. The municipality hired Ingeniería Jorge Lizano to draw up the detailed plans and figure the costs. Those documents sit ready for final sign-off. Designers drew on input from a public survey that drew close to 1,300 replies. People asked for extra green areas, stronger safety measures, better lights, and spots with more shade. Work scheduled for this year covers several areas. Crews will put in fresh street furniture. They will grow the green sections. Plans call for an inclusive sensory garden. The café will open in the bandstand basement. Builders will add pergolas and canopies. They will update the lighting and set...

China has asked Costa Rican authorities to hand over evidence supporting allegations that Chinese-linked actors were behind a cyberespionage attack on the Costa Rican Electricity Institute, opening a new point of tension in the already strained relationship between San José and Beijing. The request was made publicly Friday by Chinese Ambassador Wang Xiaoyao, one day after Costa Rican officials linked the January breach at ICE to the group UNC2814, which Google has described as a suspected People’s Republic of China nexus cyberespionage actor. Wang said China wanted the evidence so the claims could be verified and, if warranted, prosecuted under the law. She also said Beijing has been trying since 2024 to engage Costa Rica on cybersecurity through technical consultations, professional exchanges, and other cooperation channels, but had received no reply from the Costa Rican side. The Chinese embassy also said it had proposed using mechanisms tied to the United Nations cybercrime framewo...

Costa Rica is moving quickly toward a demographic shift that will test some of the country’s biggest public systems. What was once treated as a long-term issue is now becoming a near-term challenge for pensions, health care, employment, and caregiving as the share of older adults rises and the number of younger workers falls. Recent projections show that about 11.7% of Costa Rica’s population is now 65 or older, and that by 2050 roughly one in four residents will be in that age group. In absolute numbers, that means the population over 65 is expected to grow from about 600,000 people in 2025 to around 1.33 million by mid-century. The shift is being driven by two powerful trends at once: Costa Ricans are living longer and having fewer children. Recent official and institutional figures place life expectancy in Costa Rica at around 80 to 81 years, with projections showing it could rise above 84 by 2050. At the same time, fertility has dropped well below replacement level, with recent da...

The 32-year-old Costa Rican music editor is making history tonight as the first person from his country ever nominated for an Academy Award. There is a particular kind of quiet that exists in a film before the music swells, a silence shaped by someone who understands exactly when sound should speak and when it should step aside. Felipe Pacheco has spent his career mastering that art, and tonight, at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, he has a chance to walk away with an Oscar for it. Pacheco is the first Costa Rican ever nominated for an Academy Award, a landmark that would have seemed improbable to the teenager who left his hometown more than a decade ago with nothing but ambition and a guitar. Born and raised in Piedades de Santa Ana, Pacheco left Costa Rica at just 18, driven by a powerful dream of building a life in music. While his initial passion was the guitar, his path evolved as he discovered a profound interest in the technical and narrativ...