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According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Panama City is the world’s third cheapest major city. Over the past decade, however, Panama has enjoyed the fastest growing economy in Latin America, bringing new luxury hotels, restaurants and services.

For the indecisive gourmand, Manolo Caracol serves a fantastic nine-course tasting menu for $36 per person. Blueberry ice cream with sugarcane honey (pictured) is a typical dessert.

In the old town of Casco Viejo, the Canal House has just three suites (from $320 per night) set around a large wooden staircase. The high-end guesthouse is owned by two sisters and loved for its quirky charm and homemade cooking.

Latin America’s first Waldorf Astoria hotel opened in March 2013. Book early and rooms start from $159, with that swanky pool included.

It’s not just about heavy shipping. The Panama Canal is one of the world’s true man-made marvels, and beautiful, too. Numerous land, water and aerial tours are available from Panama City.

Casa del Horno is a pretty boutique hotel on a colorful cobbled street in Casco Viejo. Surrounded by churches and plazas, it’s one of many colonial buildings to be renovated in recent years, making Casco Viejo feel a bit like Cartagena in neighboring Colombia.

The year-old Tantalo Hotel has brought a new sense of style to the capital. Each of its 12 rooms was designed by a different Panamanian artist. Designs range from gentle and flowery to seductive, with red and black walls and silver ceiling studs.

New everything seems to be sprouting up across the capital. Healthy competition is keeping standards high and Panama City now has a plethora of top-quality, luxury experiences for cut prices. Affluence is bringing sights like these yachts to Puerto Amador, a Panama City suburb.

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(CNN) — When the Economist Intelligence Unit released its most recent Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, the spotlight, as ever, fell on the world’s most expensive cities.

Tokyo came in on top of the pile of places that drain the color from your wallet, while Osaka and Sydney were second and third.

World’s most expensive cities

But what about the other end of the spectrum — how about a holiday where you can live it up without hemorrhaging cash?

The world’s cheapest city is Tehran, Iran, followed by Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Both have rich heritages, but Iran and Saudi Arabia are better known for generating controversial headlines than attracting tourists.

In third place, however, Panama City popped up. The Central American country is best known for hats and a canal — now we’ve got a reason to make sure our passport is up to date!

Over the past decade, Panama has enjoyed the fastest growing economy in Latin America.

As a result, new hotels and restaurants have sprouted across the capital. Healthy competition is keeping standards high, and Panama City has a plethora of top-quality, luxury experiences for cut prices.

Logistics

Before stepping foot outside the airport, you’ve started saving. All tourists arriving at Tocumen International Airport are given travel insurance for 30 days. It is granted by the Panamanian Tourism Authority; the government has provided the service since it signed an $8 million deal with Assicurazioni Generali.

Next up: cash. The Panamanian balboa is linked with the dollar and the two currencies are interchangeable, so there’s no paying a commission for changing currency.

As for airport transfers, a standard taxi to the city center costs $25. You could arrive in style with a Panama Luxury Limousine for $88.50. The same service would cost $145 in Rio de Janeiro, or $427 in Tokyo.

More cents can be saved (and you can do your bit for the environment) by avoiding bottled water. Tap water in Panama City is safe to drink, not a given in the region.

Hotels

Waldorf Astoria Panama

Latin America’s first Waldorf Astoria hotel opened in March 2013.

Book early and rooms start from $159.

Located on Calle Uruguay, aka “restaurant row,” the 248 rooms have metallic, glass and crystal decor designed by Miami-based Ba-Haus/KNF.

A stay here certainly doesn’t feel like skimping. The outdoor swimming pool is covered in gold tiles, there’s a swanky spa and each guest is given a personal concierge.

Overseen by head chef Kalych Padro Alvarado, four restaurants include a sushi bar and a French brasserie.

Waldorf Astoria Panama, 47th and Uruguay Streets; rooms from $159; +507 294 8000

Casa del Horno

Founded in 1501, Panama was a Spanish colony for three centuries. Known as Casco Viejo, the historic part of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Casa del Horno (Oven House) sits on a colorful cobbled street in Casco Viejo. Surrounded by churches and plazas, it’s one of many colonial buildings to be renovated in recent years, making Casco Viejo feel like Cartagena in neighboring Colombia.

Built in the 1850s, the eight-room hotel was originally a bakery. Stone walls remain, alongside art deco wooden furniture and all the modern fixtures, including LCD TVs and iPod docks.

The hotel’s cafe and restaurant are reached via the pavement, avoiding the clinical feel that can befall hotel restaurants.

Casa del Horno, Avenue B and Eighth Street; +507 212 0052; rooms from $250 for two-person suite

Tantalo Hotel

The year-old Tantalo Hotel has 12 rooms, each designed by a different Panamanian artist. Designs range from gentle and flowery to seductive, with red-and-black walls and silver ceilingstuds.

Downstairs, a “living wall” is made from 900 lush plants. The restaurant dishes up Panama-style tapas, such as octopus with lemongrass and ginger. Cocktails, wine and several dishes to share will cost around $30 a head.

Each month, paintings in the communal areas change.

“The idea is for the fourth floor to be like an art gallery that you can wander around with a drink,” says assistant manager Catalina Bermudez.

The big, buzzing rooftop bar has panoramic views and hosts events including a monthly Cuban music evening.

Tantalo, Avenue B and Eighth Street; +507 262 4030; rooms from $120

Canal House

Canal House is a creaky 19th-century mansion in Casco Viejo, and checking in feels like staying with a stately aunt. With just three suites set around a large wooden staircase, this high-end guesthouse is owned by two sisters and loved for its quirky charm and homemade cooking. It was called “the finest accommodation that exists in Panama,” by Panama 980 magazine.

Canal House, Calle 5a Este; +507 228-1907; rooms from $195, suites from $320

Dining and nightlife

Restaurante Angel (Via Argentina No. 6868, El Cangrejo; +507 263 6411) is the city’s special occasion Spanish restaurant. You’ll get impeccably prepared seafood, beef, lamb and rabbit in an elegant setting with crisp service for around $20-25 per person, not including drinks.

There’s big food and big atmosphere for reasonable prices at Las Bovedas (Plaza Francia; +507 228 8058), a French restaurant set in the arched vaults of a 300-year-old fort in Casco Viejo. Fresh seafood, steaks, snails (it’s a signature dish) and great service are the hallmarks at this dressy classic.

Panamanian food is a mix of European, Asian and African tastes. The best way to experience the fusion is at Maito (Calle 50, Coco del Mar; +507 391 4657). It’s not often you order plantain hash with fried ceviche and come out smiling. Then there’s the ropa vieja main of shredded beef with a goat cheese sauce. Panamanian chef Mario Castrellón trained in Barcelona and returned to his hometown with a mission to start a “new gastronomy” inspired by the canal — the idea being that the waterway literally brings these different influences to the city.

For the indecisive gourmand, Manolo Caracol (Avenida Central and Calle 3, +507 228 4640) serves a set nine-course tasting menu for $36 per person. Busy and smart, yet relaxed, the open kitchen churns out seafood, meat and vegetable dishes made with local ingredients, the majority of which come straight from chef Caracol’s farm. Highlights include seafood bisque, corn tortilla with chorizo, and coconut fish curry with yuca tortillas.

Not exactly luxury but tasty and cheap all the same, Mercado del Marisco seafood market (Avenida Balboa and Calle Eloy Alfaro) is a great place to wander. When Anthony Bourdain came to Panama, this was his first stop. Here you’ll find rows of al fresco stalls selling ceviche for $1.25 a cup. There’s also an upstairs restaurant with a larger menu with hearty fish stews and filleted sea bass.

New Casco Viejo coffeehouse Bajareque sells the world’s most expensive coffee, Geisha, for a reasonable $6.50 a cup. Panama is the world’s only producer of this rare coffee, which typically retails for $172.50 per kilo. Fitting for its name, Geisha coffee mainly sells in Japan and costs $50 a cup at Tokyo coffee shops like Horiguchi Coffee.

The primary nightlife spots are Calle Uruguay and Casco Viejo, both of which are lined with places to sample Panama’s four national beers, Panama, Balboa, Suarana and Atlas, for a couple of dollars.

In Casco Viejo, Habana Panama (Calle Eloy Alfaro y Calle 12 Este; +507 212 0152), isn’t just the hottest dance spot in the city, it’s an atmospheric salsa hall that recalls the elegance of old Cuba and Ricky Ricardo style. Live bands typically don’t hit the stage until midnight. For a typical $10 cover you’ll find fewer better shows (or more fun) anywhere.

Then there’s Barlovento (Calle 10 A; +507 6613 4345), a tropical-style rooftop bar where the beautifuls hang. With views over Casco Viejo (rather than the Panama City skyline over at Tántalo) and a DJ playing a mix of electronic music and Latin beats, the place is pumping on the weekends. Again there’s a $10 cover charge (if you’re male that is; women enter free) but you’d easily pay a $25 cover for the same deal in Mexico City.

Attractions

Panama Viejo

The oldest section of the city, Panama Viejo was burned to the ground in the late 17th century by British pirate (or privateer, depending who you ask) Sir Henry Morgan.

The crumbling remains of towers, forts and houses run along the coast waiting to be explored. The visitors center has a model showing the city before Morgan showed up.

Panama Viejo; +507 226 8915; $3 for museum, $4 for ruins, $6 for both; open Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal took 250,000 people more than 10 years to build (not counting the original failed French-led effort), transports 40 boats each day (taking eight to 10 hours per transit) and costs an average of $85,000 per vessel.

Luckily, tours are a little less, and a partial transit with Canal Bay Tours costs $135 per person, including breakfast, lunch and transfer though two sets of locks.

The Panama Canal celebrates its centenary in 2014, and to mark the occasion it’s undergoing a $5.25 billion modernization and expansion.

Progress is best viewed from above. Air Charter Panama arranges one-hour helicopter tours covering the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the canal from $749 for three passengers in a Robinson R44.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/17/travel/panama-city-luxury/index.html?eref=edition

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In March this year, the town of Meiktila in central Myanmar was engulfed in deadly sectarian violence that destroyed whole blocks of housing, shops and mosques.

Thidar Hla (right) pictured at home in Meiktila with her two daughters: Hnin Ei Phyu (far left) and Moe Ei Phyu. They are one of thousands of families was forced to flee during clashes between Muslims and Buddhists.

The remains of one of Meiktila’s mosques after it was attacked and destroyed in the March violence.

They family’s modest home survived the unrest, while thousands of other homes were burned to the ground.

Many other families have not been as lucky, with large parts of Meiktila razed to the ground.

Myanmar’s government has said it will replace all of the houses destroyed during the rioting.

As a result, Muslims like Hnin Ei Phyu can only pray at home.

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Meiktila, Myanmar (CNN) — Nineteen-year-old Hnin Ei Phyu is on her knees at home, whispering her prayers. It’s a small sign of normality in a community where things have been anything but normal in recent months.

This young Muslim woman can’t go inside her family’s mosque because it was shut down after being vandalized. And for more than a month, she had to say her prayers from inside a shelter at a nearby sports stadium in Meiktila, a city in central Myanmar.

Fearing for their lives, Hnin Ei Phyu’s family fled their home on March 20 during the first of three days of rioting that tore apart this city of 100,000 people.

A wave of sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims resulted in the deaths of at least 43 people and displaced thousands more, according to the Myanmar government.

Ethnic violence threatening Myanmar?

Why Buddhists, Muslims clash in Myanmar

Myanmar’s minorities fight for survival

Obama on Myanmar’s ‘flickers of progress’

During the clashes, reportedly set off by a dispute between a Muslim gold shop owner and two Buddhist sellers, rioters set fire to houses, schools and mosques, while people were also beaten, doused with gasoline and set on fire.

Many Muslims complain that the police stood by and did nothing during the violence. The rioting was only stopped after President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency and called in the military. By then thousands had fled their homes in terror.

READ: Despite reforms violence continues

Meiktila’s Muslims were heavily outnumbered and suffered the bulk of the casualties. Few remained in their homes because they were either destroyed by rampaging mobs or it simply wasn’t safe for them to stay there.

It wasn’t until earlier this month that Muslims whose houses were not destroyed were able to leave the shelters and return home.

“Tears came out of my eyes when I got back home,” said Hnin Ei Phyu’s mother, Thidar Hla. “I’m extremely happy to be back home.” But the 43-year old said that when she walks down the streets of this predominantly Buddhist city, it’s clear things are not the way they were before the riots. “We (Muslims and Buddhists) don’t interact with each other the way we used too,” she said. “People are keeping a mental distance between each other.”

Thidar Hla and her extended family share a collection of rickety houses along a side street in a modest neighborhood of Meiktila. A security post manned by police and soldiers has been set up just a short walk away.

Similar arrangements are in place in other parts of the city where Muslims live — a sign of the times since March. “There are soldiers and security guards on each end of the street,” Thidar Hla said, before adding that she hopes they can keep her family safe.

But in areas that bore the brunt of the rioting, little has been rebuilt more than two months on. The blackened frames of burned down homes are all that stand in some places.

Metal sheets that once served as roofs now lie in pieces on the ashen ground. The government says it will replace all of the approximately 1,600 homes that were destroyed — an easier task than repairing the trust between Muslims and Buddhists.

READ: Myanmar accused of ‘ethnic cleansing’

“Right now we don’t trust them and they don’t trust us,” said U Aung Khin, a 50-year-old Buddhist man. Aung Khin is married with five kids between the ages of five and 24. He says he has numerous Muslim friends, but things have been strained since the riots.

“After this we don’t really have to talk. It isn’t necessary for us to talk with each other at all,” he said. “I’m afraid to trust them right now.” He said he used to buy meat from a Muslim butcher but won’t now because he’s afraid his food might be poisoned.

Meanwhile, Thidar Hla’s family says they’re playing it safe by buying their food from other Muslims. She has also instructed her daughter to stay close to home. She’s a student at a local university that has not reopened since the riots.

Hnin Ei Phyu says she has several Buddhist friends at school and is hoping her relationships with them go back to normal. But she hasn’t contacted them since the violence and they haven’t been in touch with her.

Though Myanmar is about 90% Buddhist, Muslims have generally coexisted peacefully with the Buddhist majority — their children go to school together and their parents often work together. But as with Meiktila, ethnic fault lines have been exposed in some areas as the country emerges from decades of military repression.

READ: What’s behind ethnic violence?

Last year, at least 110 people were killed in attacks on Muslims in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State. The Muslim Rohingya people are a stateless Muslim minority living in Rakhine — thought to number between 800,000 and one million — who claim they were persecuted by Myanmar’s military during its decades of authoritarian rule.

Myanmar does not recognize them as citizens or as one of the 135 recognized ethnic groups living in the country. Much of this is rooted in their heritage in East Bengal, now called Bangladesh.

Though many Rohingya have only known life in Myanmar, they are viewed by the Buddhist majority as intruders from across the border.

Across the country, a budding movement known as “969″ has been spreading anti-Muslim sentiment by encouraging Buddhists to avoid Muslim-run businesses. “969″ stickers are increasingly found in businesses and taxis in Yangon, the country’s largest and most ethnically diverse city.

Police recently stepped up patrols in Yangon following the Meiktila clashes, though serious fighting has yet to spread there. However, in several communities within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of Yangon, Buddhist mobs reportedly vandalized mosques as well as Muslim businesses and houses.

The wave of religious unrest has prompted the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) urge Burmese authorities to allow a delegation to visit Myanmar to discuss the issue — a request the authorities in Naypyidaw have so far rebuffed.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/world/asia/myanmar-religious-violence/index.html?eref=edition

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Lockheed Martin’s HULC exoskeleton is designed to allow soldiers to carry superhuman loads.

Cyberdyne’s HAL-5 suit could take rescue workers into dangerous zones in the future. For now, it is allowing hundreds of Japanese patients suffering from muscle weakness to get around.

Kobalabs’ Muscle Suit aims to provide a smart solution for health workers needing to carry people and heavy loads.

The Argo ReWalk aims to give people suffering from paralysis the power to walk again. It has already propelled Claire Lomas (pictured) to the finish of the London Marathon.

Ekso Bionics is also developing exoskeletons for rehabilitation. Here, Architect Robert Woo takes his first steps since a construction accident paralyzed him from the waist down.

Nasa’s X-1 suit could be vital for astronauts venturing into deep space.

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(CNN) — If you’ve been dreaming of strapping on your own “Iron Man” armor, you might have to wait a while longer. But revolutionary “bionic exoskeletons,” like the metal suit worn by comic book hero Tony Stark, might be closer than you think — just don’t expect to fly away in one.

Exoskeleton developers working in rehabilitation are leading the way, creating wearable robotic suits that allow people with lower-body paralysis to walk upright again.

Other developers are hoping to enhance users’ existing strengths, with the DARPA Warrior Web project aiming to produce an undetectable under-suit exoskeleton for the U.S. Military.

Bionics expert Thomas Sugar says that medical and military exoskeletons are going to become a much more common sight — and that exoskeletons for the average person are not far behind.

“In the next five years we’re going to see more and more exoskeletons out there in practice,” says Sugar, associate professor at the Department of Engineering, Arizona State University.

In addition to personal systems being pioneered in Japan that aim to “give aging people a spring back in their step,” Sugar says devices for the active individual or “weekend hiker” are on the horizon: “If you live near where I do and want to go out and hike the Grand Canyon, exoskeleton devices 10-15 years from now could assist you to do that.”

Interactive: Explore the bionic body

But there are hurdles that need to be overcome. Finding batteries powerful enough to fuel an exoskeleton’s motorized joints remains a key stumbling block, explains Sugar. But he says that the real acid test for exoskeletons of the future is whether the device can interpret the user’s intent effectively into action.

“If you look at some of the devices out there, they’re actually quite hard to walk in,” says Sugar. “You’ve got to make sure they really enhance people’s abilities.”

Here are some of the most advanced exoskeletons aiming to supercharge our lives in the near future.

Lockhead Martin HULC

Defense technology developer Lockheed Martin leads the efforts to develop a exoskeleton fit for the battlefield with its Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC).

Exoskeleton helps paralyzed walk

Thoughts move bionic arm

The world’s most advanced bionic leg

Amputee rock climber heals with bionics

The system aims to divert up to 200 lbs in weight through powered titanium legs while allowing the user to move freely.

Lockheed claims that a fully laden soldier will retain the ability to march at 3mph and even break into 10mph sprint “bursts” while wearing the battery-powered HULC.

The system is designed to reduce the stress on the leg and back muscles — a common cause of injury among soldiers — and comes with a Lift Assist Device attachment that allows a soldier to safely lift heavy loads with the strength of two or more men.

Read this: Are bionic superhumans on the horizon?

Cyberdyne HAL-5

HAL made news at the time of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in 2011, when Japanese firm Cyberdyne ventured its robot suits as the disaster-fighting protection of the future.

While a radiation-resistant model is yet to see action, HAL-5 Type-B has become the first personal exoskeleton robot to receive a global safety certificate.

Cyberdyne says that so far, 330 of the full-body exoskeletons have been leased to hospitals across Japan, where they assist patients with muscle weakness or disabilities due to stroke and spinal cord injuries.

The company boasts that it is the world’s first “cyborg-type robot” as the system interprets faint electrical signals in the skin around damaged muscles and moves the motorized joints in response.

Muscle Suit by Kobalab

Scientists from Tokyo University are gambling that they can beat the competition to launch a superstrong exoskeleton by shunning complex computer systems.

Kobayashi Labs’ Muscle Suit replaces electronic actuator motors with a system of inflatable pneumatic “artificial muscles” to help nurses or care workers carry elderly or ill patients.

Volunteers have been invited to try on the suit, which currently allows users to support 50kg with ease, carrying it with fixed arms, like a walking forklift truck.

Argo ReWalk

Argo’s ReWalk has already propelled former chiropractor Claire Lomas into the record books. Five years after a horseriding accident left Lomas paralyzed from the chest down, she became the first person to complete a marathon in a bionic exoskeleton at the London Marathon in May 2012, while using the ReWalk.

Already on the market for $65,000, the ReWalk enables people with spinal cord injuries to walk again and can now claim 220 trained users around the world.

Competitor Ekso Bionics has seen similar success — claiming to have powered one million steps with its 50lb wearable robot — and will launch a personal version in 2014.

Read: Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk

Nasa X-1

What if an exoskeleton inhibited a person’s movement as well and helped it? It doesn’t seem like such a useful idea on Earth — but up in the resistance-free environment of space, Nasa astronauts could benefit from a little hindrance.

The 25kg X-1 has been designed to allow astronauts to exercise without the Earth’s gravitational pull and could be critical for future missions into deep space, NASA says.

The device could improve the health of crew aboard the International Space Station — and potentially during future long-duration missions to far away asteroids or Mars.

The legs have the added benefit of assisting movement, with four motorized joints, if used here on Earth — but there are currently no details on when the legs might see a wider release.

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The Topaz is a fast-attack craft used by the Seychelles coast guard in the fight against piracy.

It is armed with 30-millimeter guns and 25 sailors, but the country has only four such vessels.

Fishing is big business in the Seychelles, but the country’s industry has come under severe threat in recent years as a result of the Somali pirates.

The problem has forced local authorities to change the way they manage the country’s fishing waters. They’ve introduced a newly defined zone which restricts the movements of local fishermen.

Fishing products account for about 90% of the Seychelles’ merchandise exports by value. The sector supplies international markets with an array of items, including canned tuna.

According to a recent report by the World Bank, piracy costs the global economy an estimated $18 billion a year.

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Marketplace Africa is a weekly show covering business trends and focusing on the continent’s key industries and corporations.

Seychelles (CNN) — The pristine waters of the Seychelles, a glittering necklace of coralline and granitic islands scattered on the Indian Ocean, have long beguiled jet-setters and eco-conscious visitors from around the world, turning the idyllic archipelago into a popular travel destination.

But as well as boosting the tiny nation’s tourism revenues, the high seas off the east coast of Africa have also helped create another strategic industry: fishing.

A major economic pillar, fishing is the second biggest contributor to the Seychelles’ finances after tourism. Over the last two decades, the sector’s products have accounted for more than 90% of the country’s merchandise exports by value, supplying international markets with items such as canned tuna, also known as the Seychelles’ “blue gold.”

But in recent years, the fishing industry has come under severe threat as a result of the ongoing risk posed by Somali pirates roaming the waters off the Horn of Africa.

 Map: The Seychelles. Click to expand

Map: The Seychelles. Click to expand

“It’s a big problem,” explains major Jean Attala, deputy operations officer of the Seychelles coast guard. “Anything that disrupts the tourism or fishing industry or the maritime equilibrium is a very big problem for us,” he adds.

Read this: The global cost of piracy

Protecting ‘blue gold’ from piracy

Tackling piracy in Somalia

Ransom payments creating problems

The cost of piracy

To deal with the threat of piracy, the country’s authorities had to change the way they manage their waters in recent years. As part of this increased security drive, the Seychelles coast guard has intensified its patrolling efforts, with fast-attack armed vessels monitoring a newly defined zone for fishing.

But there are just four such vessels in the Seychelles’ entire fleet. It’s a small nation in terms of landmass, but with its oceans, it is nearly twice the size of France. “This is not adequate to cover such a large area,” says Attala. “We need more assets and build up more our capacity to deal with the issue.”

Local fishermen are restricted from sailing beyond the designated area’s perimeter, several dozen miles outside the main port.

Analysts say that fishing boats are of particular importance to pirates because they can be used as floating bases from which to launch further attacks.

But while the measure seems to be working — there have been no successful attacks in nearly a year — the restrictions on the movement of Seychellois fishermen has created another problem.

“There’s no fish,” explains local fisherman Patrick Pierre. “Every boat is fishing in the same place,” he adds.

Pierre, who’s been casting his nets for 12 years now, says his job was hardest during the worst period of the piracy — in 2007 and 2008. Since then, the Seychelles has been at the forefront of the global fight against piracy but the new rules mean fewer fish and less money.

Latest African gold rush: Hotels

Joram Madnack is the general manager of the French-owned Indian Ocean Tuna, one of the world’s largest tuna canneries and the biggest employer in the Seychelles. He says fish intake has fallen nearly 25% in the last five years.

“The impact has been on the price, which for some places has gone up by 70%-80% compared to 2007 prices,” explains Madnack.

According to a recent report by the World Bank, piracy costs the global economy an estimated $18 billion a year. The increased costs come as shippers are forced to change trading routes, sending fuel bills soaring, as well as pay higher insurance premiums and security bills for guards on board.

But the threat of Somali piracy is also damaging the economies of neighboring countries, particularly in the key sectors of tourism and fishing. Since 2006, the year the World Bank report takes as the starting point of piracy, exports of fish products from piracy-hit countries have declined by 23.8%. In Seychelles, the impact has been even greater, with exports collapsing by nearly 30%.

“We now fish where we are allowed to fish,” says Peter Sinon, the country’s minister of natural resources and industry. “It has made the industry more costly in terms of going out there [and] be secure to bring in what usually was our daily supply of protein,” he adds.

Watch video: protecting “blue gold” from pirates

And although many of the pirates have now gone, the fishermen say their industry still hasn’t recovered.

For people like Pierre, the fight against piracy and the introduction of fishing zones has proven to be a double-edged sword.

The protection is still necessary, he says, acknowledging that today he is safer. Yet, he and other local fishermen miss the freedom to sail about and return with a big catch.

“Five years ago, there was a lot of fish,” says Pierre. “We could go anywhere we wanted without the fear of piracy and everything.”

Teo Kermeliotis contributed to this report.

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The Monaco Grand Prix has been held in the picturesque Principality of Monte Carlo on the French Riviera since 1929 and the race remains the jewel in Formula One’s crown.

Monaco is a magnet for celebrities like Hollywood actor Will Smith and popstar Nicole Scherzinger — who is dating Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. Smith and “Scherzy” are pictured with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone in 2012.

The tiny city will welcome 200,000 fans over the grand prix weekend with many of them watching from yachts in the harbor.

The racing drivers – like Red Bull’s 2012 winner Mark Webber shown here – speed within inches of Monte Carlo’s famous landmarks.

Monaco’s street circuit is relatively unchanged since Formula One cars began racing there in 1950. Sir Stirling Moss says his victory in Monaco in 1961, shown here, was the best race of his career.

The late triple world champion Ayrton Senna won the Monaco race a record six times and says he entered a “trance-like” state while driving through the narrow streets

But for some sun-seekers in Monaco the cars are a distraction…

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(CNN) — “The last couple of weeks I’ve been at home have been murder with the traffic,” bemoans Monte Carlo resident Jenson Button.

Like most Formula One protagonists, the McLaren man loves the thrill of racing in the Monaco Grand Prix — it’s just that he is less keen on Monte Carlo’s traffic jams in the build-up to the race.

“It’s been a nightmare,” the English driver, who recently moved back to the principality from the British island of Guernsey, told CNN.

“Putting up the grandstands takes a long time so the city does change quite a bit.

“In the winter it’s pretty quiet. You see a lot of people that you know and I train with the same people. Monte Carlo is like a quiet, peaceful village really. There’s also a new Irish pub that I like — there’s a good pint of Guinness there!”

Read: Grit and glamor – the magic of Monaco

The magic of the Monaco Grand Prix

How does Jenson Button keep fit?

Who is the greatest F1 driver ever?

Button, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton are just a handful of F1 racers who have mixed business with pleasure by calling Monaco their home. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, son of Finland’s 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg, can boast that he grew up there.

It makes sense for wealthy drivers to live in Monaco — after all, the independent state on the French Riviera has thrived on its reputation as a playground for the rich and famous since the late 1800s. Just as importantly its tax laws are favorable compared to its European neighbors.

But for one weekend in May the streets of Monte Carlo are not just for the well-heeled — they are for racing on.

The precipitous, winding roads have evolved into a thrilling street circuit ready to host this weekend’s grand prix.

The most famous race in Formula One — a fixture on the calendar since 1950 — brings a change of pace to Monaco’s Mediterranean idyll.

The metamorphosis, overseen by the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), takes two months to complete and calls on the expertise of 200 construction workers to build 1,100 tonnes of grandstands, 900 tonnes of pit garages and 21 miles of safety barriers.

Read: Legendary F1 partners to be reunited

The street circuit has one of the smallest capacities on F1′s calendar, with a total of 200,000 fans expected to watch the cars from the grandstands, hotel balconies and terraces — not forgetting the yachts moored in the harbor — over the weekend.

A crowd of 200,000 may sound small but when the pocketsize principality is less than two square kilometers — half the size of New York’s Central Park — that is quite a crowd to pack in.

“The place is a little quieter the rest of the year,” says Carol Olivié-Etiévant, deputy manager of the Hotel Hermitage, which overlooks the F1 circuit in the heart of Monte Carlo.

“During these four days people are living day and night. There are parties in the harbor, on every terrace, so as Monte Carlo is a tiny place, every place is crowded,” she told CNN.

“There are other busy weekends in Monaco such as the open tennis tournament, the boat show in September and the Red Cross Ball but for this weekend of the grand prix it is very unusual.

Size matters for Monaco’s businesses

Alain Prost calls for French GP return

World’s most expensive property

“Thousands of people come for the day to Monaco, all the hotels are full, the restaurants are packed and we have many yachts in the harbor. This is most definitely the busiest one.

“For the month of May, Monaco is completely dedicated to Formula One. We have stands in the streets, paddocks in the harbor, and the configuration of the city is different because we close the roads. Monte Carlo is a completely different place.”

Read: Pirelli admit tire testing ‘inadequacies’

The locals, known as Monegasques, are prepared to put up with a month or two of disruption because the grand prix is very good for business — and, perhaps more importantly, for Monaco’s global brand.

“The grand prix is one of the things that helps distinguish Monaco from other Mediterranean destinations and gives it an additional layer of glamor which its rivals lack,” Christian Sylt of Formula One Money told CNN.

“The race keeps the principality in the public eye, which in turn attracts tourists and business conventions. The race itself directly brings around $120 million into the principality, with the bordering towns, such as Menton in France and Ventimiglia in Italy, taking a total of $12 million annually.”

Kissing the barriers

For businesses like Olivié-Etiévant’s five-star hotel, the allure of the grand prix adds extra cache for its clients all-year-round — and the race weekend enables it to raise its prices, with a four-day package starting at $10,400.

The Monaco GP — the brainchild of local Anthony Noghes and first run in 1929 — is also important to the global money-making juggernaut that is F1.

While other countries have spent millions and millions of dollars on new circuits in Abu Dhabi and Austin, Texas, for example, the Monaco race is so intrinsic to the image of F1 that race organizers the ACM have a special arrangement with the sport’s promoters.

“Monaco is the only race on the calendar that doesn’t pay a race hosting fee to the Formula One Group,” explained Sylt. “With some rival circuits paying more than $60 million, it’s a big saving.

Tech guru Lowe back in the fast lane

“Monaco’s history and glamor make it a very important part of the F1 calendar. The race is well-known around the world and is a magnet to the rich and famous. This is great publicity for F1 and also means that there are many potential sponsors and investors in attendance, making it a once-a-year opportunity for F1 and the teams.”

Mark Webber receives the winning trophy from Prince Albert II of Monaco after his superb victory from pole.

Red Bull driver Webber leads the way but behind him Romain Grosjean forces Michael Schumacher to go wide in an early clash.

Kamui Kobayashi of the Sauber team goes airborne in spectacular fashion at the Monaco Grand Prix.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone with Hollywood actor Will Smith and Lewis Hamilton’s girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.

A view of the track from the harbor area of Monte Carlo which is part of the tight street circuit for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Webber takes a post-race dip as the Red Bull team celebrate a third consecutive Monaco triumph.

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Webber seals Monaco Grand Prix triumph

Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were long-time rivals before they became teammates at McLaren.

Prost and Senna (No.1) clash at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in 1989. Prost clinched the title after the Brazilian was controversially disqualified after winning the race.

As they both battled for world titles at McLaren, Prost and Senna’srelationship came under great strain.

Stand off: Senna and Prost walk away after the early crash at Suzuka in the final race of the 1990 season which left the Brazilian as world champion.

Prost’s time with McLaren proved the most fruitful of his career as he captured three world titles.

Prost earned the nickname ‘The Professor’ for his thoughtful and studied approach to Formula One racing.

Prost competing in wet conditions at the Monaco Grand Prix which he won four times during his glittering career.

Prost and Senna formed a united team in 1988 as the latter won the championship for McLaren.

The medical team at Imola tend to the stricken Senna after his fateful crash in the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.

Prost joined a pantheon of Formula One greats at Senna’s funeral in Sao Paulo in 1994.

In the latter part of career Prost had to battle with the youthful exuberance of future seven-time champion Michael Schumacher.

Prost is a keen cyclist and is pictured here at the end of the 2009 L’Etape du Tour. The race enables 8,500 amateur cyclists to attempt a mountain stage of the Tour de France each year. The 2009 event was staged between Montelimar and Mout Ventoux, with Prost finishing 258th.

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United in rivalry: Prost and Senna

“I wouldn’t say I’m happy in the Formula 1 paddock,” Mark Webber told CNN. “It’s an environment that’s not always real. You can click your fingers for food, for whatever you want really. But for me, I always try to ensure that I treat people as I’d treat myself.

Mark Webber led the way from pole on the way to his eventual victory at the Monaco Grand Prix — his first win of the season.

Webber takes a post-race dip as the Red Bull team celebrate another Monaco GP triumph in May. It was the second time in three years that Webber had won the sport’s prestigious race.

Red Bull’s Australian driver Mark Webber celebrates after winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone — his second victory of the 2012 season. The Australian held off Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in a close battle to win the race.

Webber is very much the understudy to double world champion Sebastian Vettel, who is seemingly on his way to a third consecutive world title.

Vettel has long been nurtured by Helmut Marko, titled a motorsport consultant at Red Bull but the eyes, ears and mouth piece of team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, and a figure Webber has not always seen eye to eye with.

Two days after his second win of the season at Silverstone in the British Grand Prix, Webber penned a new deal with Red Bull Racing, extending his contract with the team to the end of the 2013 season.

Before extending his Red Bull contract, Webber had talks with Ferrari over a possible switch to the Italian team. “Ferrari approached us first,” said the Australian. “Things happen for a reason and it feels I’m staying here for the right reason. We made the decision just before Silverstone when both teams seemed pretty interested. I’m happy with that decision.”

Webber’s first love was for motorbikes, and he used to race them as a youngster, before turning to go-karts when he was a teenager.

Webber switched to karting as a 14-year-old and the move paid instant dividends as he won his state championship in New South Wales. The Australian describes the medium as “very raw.”

Webber started off in Formula One as a test driver for the former Bennetton team in 2001 and got his big break in the form of a race seat with Minardi the following season.

Webber still looks fondly upon his time as a go-kart driver and recently took to the seat again as part of the Red Bull Kart Fight event in Japan.

Webber says: “Karting is the best way for you to get a feel of how to race each other, dealing with the competition, dealing with winning, dealing with losing and you soak it up so much at a young age and learn very fast.”

The forthcoming U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas will be the first F1 race to be held in the country since 2007.

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Mark Webber: From kart to cockpit

Although money and glamor grease the wheels at the Monaco GP, it does not necessarily follow that the event is a profitable enterprise for Prince Albert II’s sovereign city-state.

“The total budget for the race is around $35 million and the state provides a subsidy of $7 million towards this,” Sylt added. “However, the cost of preparing the circuit for the grand prix means that even without paying a hosting fee the race rarely makes a profit.”

With so much as stake at this weekend’s GP — including the small matter of the 2013 drivers’ championship — it also helps that the quality of racing around the streets of Monte Carlo remains undiminished.

Read: Alonso enjoys ‘emotional’ home F1 win

Apart from modifications to improve safety, the two-mile loop through the narrow, winding streets, past the majestic Casino, through the tunnel and along the harbor brimming with boats has presented the world’s fastest racers with the same rollercoaster challenge for the last 70 years.

It is the slowest and shortest race on F1′s calendar but for many drivers it is the most thrilling. Brazil’s late triple world champion Ayrton Senna — winner of a record six Monaco grands prix — said he entered a trance-like state when racing on the limit between Monte Carlo’s narrow barriers.

“Monaco is unlike any other racetrack in Formula One,” said Button, who triumphed there in 2009 on the way to winning the world title.

“A qualifying lap around here is an exhilarating experience for a driver; you turn into corners on the limit and you kiss every barrier at the exit. It’s a great challenge.”

For the month of May, Monaco hums with the rhythm of F1, and the drivers, fans and Monegasques alike anticipate the high-octane pleasures to come at this race.

“I was born in Monaco and in my life I’ve missed one grand prix,” recalled Olivié-Etiévant. “I was very sad when I missed it.

“We are very proud. Very. This is a legendary event and is really very important. It’s an atmosphere that you feel, an incredible excitement. As a Monegasque I also enjoy it very much.”

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/sport/motorsport/monaco-grand-prix-f1-button-motorsport/index.html?eref=edition

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Unity Basic, the free 3D game engine and software development kit, can now deploy to iOS and Android platforms free of charge – if you’re an indie, at least.

Game engine giant Unity Technologies has announced that its suite of mobile game development tools will be made available completely free of charge to indie devs.

Announced late yesterday by chief executive David Helgason, the move sees the Unity software development kit (SDK) for Android and iOS platforms released completely free of charge. Previously, mobile support was a chargeable extra to the free Unity Basic software release. Those who have already downloaded Unity need do nothing aside from run the update tool to unlock the new features.

‘There are no strings attached, no royalties and no license fees,‘ claimed Helgason. ‘This is just an extension of Unity Free which we launched in 2009.‘ Using the tools, developers are able to write games using the Unity Engine and publish them to iOS and Android platforms as well as the usual desktop and laptop targets – and not have to worry about licensing, even if they come up with the next Angry Birds. ‘You can make as much money from your games as you like – this limitation is about large companies not using our free products, not about sharing your future revenues,‘ Helgason added.

The iOS and Android extensions to Unity Basic will be followed in the coming months by similar deployment tools for BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone 8, which will again be made freely available under the same terms. As a result, independent game developers will soon be able to publish for all four popular mobile platforms without having to pay a penny in licensing costs for the Unity engine or its toolkit.

Despite Helgason’s reassurances, however, there is a definite catch to the offer – but it’s one that should come as no surprise: designed for smaller indie devs, the offer does not extend to a company or other incorporated entity with a turnover over $100,000 in its last financial year. Anybody meeting those criteria will need to pay for a Unity Pro licence, at a cost of $1,500 for the basic software and an additional $1,500 each for the iOS and Android deployment tools.

Those who had already splashed out on the Unity Basic iOS and Android extensions in the last 30 days will be offered discounts on future purchases by way of compensation, Helgason announced, as well as the usual discount offer for upgrading to Unity Pro.

Unity Technology’s move is a clear response to growing interest in rival Epic’s Unreal Engine for cross-platform development: the Unreal Engine has long since been ported to mobile devices, while work is well under way on a browser-based version for client-agnostic gaming. With smartphone and tablet gaming spend beginning to exceed that of dedicated hand-held gaming devices like the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS, mobile is clearly to be the next battleground for engine and middleware providers.

If you fancy giving Unity a go yourself, you can download the software free of charge from the official website.

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(CNN) — A month after being released to mostly positive reviews, Samsung’s flagship phone is getting some validation from Consumer Reports. The publication has run all its tests, kicked the phone’s tires, and named the Android-powered Galaxy S4 its top rated smartphone.

The previous list-topper was the Optimus G, a solid $100 4.7-inch phone from LG that held Consumer Reports’ No. 1 spot for several months. The Optimus G is now ranked as the No. 2 smartphone, followed by the HTC One, the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Apple iPhone 5.

Consumer reports bases its ratings on a number of extensive tests and rates the devices in categories including ease of use, display and voice quality, portability and battery life. The $200 Galaxy S4′s weakest scores were in video quality and portability.

Like all the other smartphones on the list, it also had mediocre scores for voice quality, a sacrifice that seems common in the smartphone market. The publication also lamented the lack of one-button phone access.

Consumer Reports specifically called out the S4′s 5-inch, 1080p touch-screen, multitasking in split view, and a built-in IR feature as some of the handset’s standout features. The abundance of features were seen as appealing to more advanced users without complicating the phone for more entry-level users. The publication said the device’s camera was “among the best phone cameras for photo quality.”

Tilt Samsung Galaxy S4 to scroll

Tilt Samsung Galaxy S4 to scroll

The Galaxy S4 is an update to Samsung’s wildly popular S3 phone, which was one of the best selling smartphones of the past year. Samsung was the leader in the smartphone market in in the first quarter of 2013, according to research firm IDC, and it looks like its latest offering will help it hang on to that top spot for the time being.

Last week, Google announced a new version of the Galaxy S4 that will run a pure form of the company’s Android mobile operating system. That unlocked and uncluttered phone will cost $649 when it becomes available at the end of June.

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Syrian political cartoonist Ali Ferzat, shown earlier this month at the Oslo Freedom Forum, says pens have the power to topple dictators. The self-taught artist has mocked authority since he was a young boy.

Ferzat was attacked in Damascus in 2011. His hands were broken so that he wouldn’t be able to draw again, he said. The cartoonist left the country to get needed medical treatment.

The artist, who now lives outside Syria, protests the violence in April 2012. He remains optimistic about the torn nation’s future.

Initially, Ferzat’s cartoons depicted nameless people. Over time, he started drawing identifiable images of Syrian leaders to mock them directly.

Ferzat began drawing at a relatively young age. His cartoons have been published internationally. He’s convinced he will return to his country one day.

Ferzat said this image led to him being attacked in Syria in 2011. It shows Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad trying to hitchhike out of the country with Libya’s former leader, Moammar Gadhafi.

Syrian artist Ali Farzat at an exhibition of his cartoon paintings. Protesters and rebels alike have carried printouts of his work.

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Editor’s note: John D. Sutter is a columnist at CNN Opinion, covering human rights. E-mail him at CTL@CNN.com or follow him on Twitter (@jdsutter), Facebook or Google+.

Oslo, Norway (CNN) — The masked henchmen grabbed three fingers on each of the Syrian political cartoonist’s hands and pulled them back all the way — so far that they cracked.

“Break his arms so that he doesn’t ever draw again,” one said.

Ali Ferzat — the cartoonist who described the 2011 attack to me in a recent interview — soon found himself bleeding and left for dead near the Damascus airport. His assailants, who he believes were acting on behalf of the Syrian regime, dragged him alongside a moving car. His head and shoulder bounced on the pavement and then the men shoved him out of the vehicle, dumping him on the side of the road.

Ferzat wondered if he would live, let alone draw again.

It would be months before he would learn the second answer.

Before I’d heard these and the other horrifying details of this attack against one of the Arab world’s most notable artists, I asked Ferzat — an Arab-Santa-looking character with a smile that could cheer up Tilda Swinton — if he was sure his hands were broken to stop him from drawing cartoons critical of Syria’s leader, Bashar al-Assad.

His answer made me laugh.

“Obviously,” he said. “What do I look like to you, a chef?”

Syrian forces pound rebel stronghold

Al-Assad: I’ll consider talks, but …

Saving Syria’s heart

I met Ferzat in at the Oslo Freedom Forum, a gathering of dissidents and human rights activists, where he received the Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent. Being in his presence was the human-rights nerd version of a basketball fan meeting LeBron. But what impressed me most about Ferzat is that he’s maintained his wit and cheer despite the darkness that has fallen on him and on his country, which is in the grips of an intractable two-year war that’s killed an estimated 80,000 people.

He is almost naively optimistic about Syria’s future. And it’s infectious. The rest of Syria’s opposition should take note. As his story shows, the true strength of a revolution is in its ideas — in nonviolent actions such as drawing truth to power.

Dictators do have reason to be scared of cartoons.

That’s why Ferzat’s hands became some of the most feared objects in Syria.

“They came after me,” he said. “Obviously (cartooning) has power.”

The self-taught artist, who’s in his early 60s, has been using them to mock authority since he was a young boy — first imitating cartoons he admired and then creating satire of his own. He went pro in the 1970s, gaining notoriety for publishing cartoons domestically and internationally. Back then, before the current war, Ferzat never dared to depict specific people in his cartoons. He drew autocrats and dictators, but they never looked like real, identifiable people. He did it to avoid censorship or retaliation.

But that was before the war — before reports emerged, in May 2011, that a 13-year-old had been tortured and killed in Daraa, Syria. Stories like those of Hamza Ali al-Khateeb’s death, which reportedly involved his genitals being mutilated, pushed Ferzat across a threshold. He started to draw exact likeness of al-Assad in his satire. Enough was enough.

His pen would hold no punches.

Ferzat drew al-Assad standing on the side of the road with his thumb in the air, ready to hitchhike out of Syria. A crazed Moammar Gadhafi, who was still alive at the time but later would be killed in Libya’s uprising, was driving a getaway car.

The message was clear: Syria’s leader had to go.

That was the image, he told me, that led to his attack on August 25, 2011. Ferzat’s animated demeanor — his eyebrows bounce when he talks and his hands, now unbandaged, gesture wildly — flattened as he told me the story.

That day, a white car with darkly tinted windows followed him out of the studio before dawn. He’s been working there by candlelight to avoid detection. Frightened by the car, he drove to the center of Damascus, to a square he knew to be home to government buildings and the president’s palace. The car followed and crashed into him at the square, he said, forcing him stop. Three men emerged and yanked off the doors of Ferzat’s car. They pulled him from it, beat him with crowd-control batons and then yanked plastic handcuffs around his wrists.

“They handcuffed me so tightly I felt that one of my wrists was going to break,” he said.

SANA, the Syrian state news agency, reported Ferzat “was attacked by veiled people” and that “authorities concerned are conducting an investigation.” My e-mail requesting further information, however, was not responded to. And the U.S. State Department condemned the attack, saying in a statement that the al-Assad regime was sending “a clear message that (Ferzat) should stop drawing.”

They beat him so badly that his vision failed for days in one eye, Farzat told me, and he could barely see out of the other. Confused, Ferzat asked what was happening to him.

“Don’t you ever dare to cross your bosses and to cross your leaders, because Bashar al-Assad’s shoe is on your face and on your head.” (For evidence of the severity of that insult, recall the Bush and Ahmadinejad shoe-throwing incidents).

They drove 30 minutes to a road near the Damascus airport. That’s where they threw him from the car.

“My white shirt was completely, totally, red from the blood,” he said.

He thought he surely would bleed to death there. Cars wouldn’t stop, perhaps afraid to pick up a person targeted by the regime or by police. But then the first of three miracles happened: A truck’s tire burst, forcing it to stop exactly in front of Ferzat.

“This is like something out of a freakin’ movie,” Amir Ahmad Nasr, a blogger-author friend who was translating the conversation from Arabic, said to me.

Ferzat threw himself into the bed of the pickup and begged the three men who drove it to take him back to the city. They agreed to drop him at the gates of Damascus, but wouldn’t take him further — definitely not to a hospital — for fear of being targeted themselves. Still bleeding and barely able to see because of the beatings to his head, Ferzat wandered up to a house and asked its guard for help.

Then the second miracle: The guard agreed to give him a ride to a nearby clinic, where (here’s the third) doctors recognized the cartoonist and were sympathetic to his cause.

They treated him at his house to avoid detection. But there was always the worry: his hands. Would he draw again?

“My hands became stuck like this,” he told me, tensing up his digits into a wooden, claw-like shape. “The doctors told me I needed to get treatment overseas.”

Fate, again, would intervene. Using a newspaper contact in Kuwait, Ferzat arranged to leave Syria and seek treatment in a hospital there. After six months of surgery and physical therapy, he was able to put pen to paper.

The first cartoon he created after the attack was not diluted by fear. He drew al-Assad and Russia’s Vladimir Putin walking side by side, their legs intertwined to make the shape of a Nazi swastika.

Ferzat is still living in exile. But the revolution needs him. It needs his art. He’s seen images of protesters and rebels carrying printouts of his drawings. So he contributes art from outside the country.

The outcome of the war in Syria is anything but sure. But talk to Ferzat and his optimism will rub off on you. He’s convinced he will live and draw in Syria again — that people in his country, a cradle of civilization that invented one of the world’s first alphabets, are no longer afraid and eventually will triumph over the regime that would crush their spirits and their art.

After hearing his story, I’m hard-pressed not to believe him.

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The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of John D. Sutter.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/21/opinion/sutter-syrian-cartoonist-ferzat/index.html?eref=edition

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According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Panama City is the world’s third cheapest major city. Over the past decade, however, Panama has enjoyed the fastest growing economy in Latin America, bringing new luxury hotels, restaurants and services.

For the indecisive gourmand, Manolo Caracol serves a fantastic nine-course tasting menu for $36 per person. Blueberry ice cream with sugarcane honey (pictured) is a typical dessert.

In the old town of Casco Viejo, the Canal House has just three suites (from $320 per night) set around a large wooden staircase. The high-end guesthouse is owned by two sisters and loved for its quirky charm and homemade cooking.

Latin America’s first Waldorf Astoria hotel opened in March 2013. Book early and rooms start from $159, with that swanky pool included.

It’s not just about heavy shipping. The Panama Canal is one of the world’s true man-made marvels, and beautiful, too. Numerous land, water and aerial tours are available from Panama City.

Casa del Horno is a pretty boutique hotel on a colorful cobbled street in Casco Viejo. Surrounded by churches and plazas, it’s one of many colonial buildings to be renovated in recent years, making Casco Viejo feel a bit like Cartagena in neighboring Colombia.

The year-old Tantalo Hotel has brought a new sense of style to the capital. Each of its 12 rooms was designed by a different Panamanian artist. Designs range from gentle and flowery to seductive, with red and black walls and silver ceiling studs.

New everything seems to be sprouting up across the capital. Healthy competition is keeping standards high and Panama City now has a plethora of top-quality, luxury experiences for cut prices. Affluence is bringing sights like these yachts to Puerto Amador, a Panama City suburb.

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(CNN) — When the Economist Intelligence Unit released its most recent Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, the spotlight, as ever, fell on the world’s most expensive cities.

Tokyo came in on top of the pile of places that drain the color from your wallet, while Osaka and Sydney were second and third.

World’s most expensive cities

But what about the other end of the spectrum — how about a holiday where you can live it up without hemorrhaging cash?

The world’s cheapest city is Tehran, Iran, followed by Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Both have rich heritages, but Iran and Saudi Arabia are better known for generating controversial headlines than attracting tourists.

In third place, however, Panama City popped up. The Central American country is best known for hats and a canal — now we’ve got a reason to make sure our passport is up to date!

Over the past decade, Panama has enjoyed the fastest growing economy in Latin America.

As a result, new hotels and restaurants have sprouted across the capital. Healthy competition is keeping standards high, and Panama City has a plethora of top-quality, luxury experiences for cut prices.

Logistics

Before stepping foot outside the airport, you’ve started saving. All tourists arriving at Tocumen International Airport are given travel insurance for 30 days. It is granted by the Panamanian Tourism Authority; the government has provided the service since it signed an $8 million deal with Assicurazioni Generali.

Next up: cash. The Panamanian balboa is linked with the dollar and the two currencies are interchangeable, so there’s no paying a commission for changing currency.

As for airport transfers, a standard taxi to the city center costs $25. You could arrive in style with a Panama Luxury Limousine for $88.50. The same service would cost $145 in Rio de Janeiro, or $427 in Tokyo.

More cents can be saved (and you can do your bit for the environment) by avoiding bottled water. Tap water in Panama City is safe to drink, not a given in the region.

Hotels

Waldorf Astoria Panama

Latin America’s first Waldorf Astoria hotel opened in March 2013.

Book early and rooms start from $159.

Located on Calle Uruguay, aka “restaurant row,” the 248 rooms have metallic, glass and crystal decor designed by Miami-based Ba-Haus/KNF.

A stay here certainly doesn’t feel like skimping. The outdoor swimming pool is covered in gold tiles, there’s a swanky spa and each guest is given a personal concierge.

Overseen by head chef Kalych Padro Alvarado, four restaurants include a sushi bar and a French brasserie.

Waldorf Astoria Panama, 47th and Uruguay Streets; rooms from $159; +507 294 8000

Casa del Horno

Founded in 1501, Panama was a Spanish colony for three centuries. Known as Casco Viejo, the historic part of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Casa del Horno (Oven House) sits on a colorful cobbled street in Casco Viejo. Surrounded by churches and plazas, it’s one of many colonial buildings to be renovated in recent years, making Casco Viejo feel like Cartagena in neighboring Colombia.

Built in the 1850s, the eight-room hotel was originally a bakery. Stone walls remain, alongside art deco wooden furniture and all the modern fixtures, including LCD TVs and iPod docks.

The hotel’s cafe and restaurant are reached via the pavement, avoiding the clinical feel that can befall hotel restaurants.

Casa del Horno, Avenue B and Eighth Street; +507 212 0052; rooms from $250 for two-person suite

Tantalo Hotel

The year-old Tantalo Hotel has 12 rooms, each designed by a different Panamanian artist. Designs range from gentle and flowery to seductive, with red-and-black walls and silver ceiling studs.

Downstairs, a “living wall” is made from 900 lush plants. The restaurant dishes up Panama-style tapas, such as octopus with lemongrass and ginger. Cocktails, wine and several dishes to share will cost around $30 a head.

Each month, paintings in the communal areas change.

“The idea is for the fourth floor to be like an art gallery that you can wander around with a drink,” says assistant manager Catalina Bermudez.

The big, buzzing rooftop bar has panoramic views and hosts events including a monthly Cuban music evening.

Tantalo, Avenue B and Eighth Street; +507 262 4030; rooms from $120

Canal House

Canal House is a creaky 19th-century mansion in Casco Viejo, and checking in feels like staying with a stately aunt. With just three suites set around a large wooden staircase, this high-end guesthouse is owned by two sisters and loved for its quirky charm and homemade cooking. It was called “the finest accommodation that exists in Panama,” by Panama 980 magazine.

Canal House, Calle 5a Este; +507 228-1907; rooms from $195, suites from $320

Dining and nightlife

Restaurante Angel (Via Argentina No. 6868, El Cangrejo; +507 263 6411) is the city’s special occasion Spanish restaurant. You’ll get impeccably prepared seafood, beef, lamb and rabbit in an elegant setting with crisp service for around $20-25 per person, not including drinks.

There’s big food and big atmosphere for reasonable prices at Las Bovedas (Plaza Francia; +507 228 8058), a French restaurant set in the arched vaults of a 300-year-old fort in Casco Viejo. Fresh seafood, steaks, snails (it’s a signature dish) and great service are the hallmarks at this dressy classic.

Panamanian food is a mix of European, Asian and African tastes. The best way to experience the fusion is at Maito (Calle 50, Coco del Mar; +507 391 4657). It’s not often you order plantain hash with fried ceviche and come out smiling. Then there’s the ropa vieja main of shredded beef with a goat cheese sauce. Panamanian chef Mario Castrellón trained in Barcelona and returned to his hometown with a mission to start a “new gastronomy” inspired by the canal — the idea being that the waterway literally brings these different influences to the city.

For the indecisive gourmand, Manolo Caracol (Avenida Central and Calle 3, +507 228 4640) serves a set nine-course tasting menu for $36 per person. Busy and smart, yet relaxed, the open kitchen churns out seafood, meat and vegetable dishes made with local ingredients, the majority of which come straight from chef Caracol’s farm. Highlights include seafood bisque, corn tortilla with chorizo, and coconut fish curry with yuca tortillas.

Not exactly luxury but tasty and cheap all the same, Mercado del Marisco seafood market (Avenida Balboa and Calle Eloy Alfaro) is a great place to wander. When Anthony Bourdain came to Panama, this was his first stop. Here you’ll find rows of al fresco stalls selling ceviche for $1.25 a cup. There’s also an upstairs restaurant with a larger menu with hearty fish stews and filleted sea bass.

New Casco Viejo coffeehouse Bajareque sells the world’s most expensive coffee, Geisha, for a reasonable $6.50 a cup. Panama is the world’s only producer of this rare coffee, which typically retails for $172.50 per kilo. Fitting for its name, Geisha coffee mainly sells in Japan and costs $50 a cup at Tokyo coffee shops like Horiguchi Coffee.

The primary nightlife spots are Calle Uruguay and Casco Viejo, both of which are lined with places to sample Panama’s four national beers, Panama, Balboa, Suarana and Atlas, for a couple of dollars.

In Casco Viejo, Habana Panama (Calle Eloy Alfaro y Calle 12 Este; +507 212 0152), isn’t just the hottest dance spot in the city, it’s an atmospheric salsa hall that recalls the elegance of old Cuba and Ricky Ricardo style. Live bands typically don’t hit the stage until midnight. For a typical $10 cover you’ll find fewer better shows (or more fun) anywhere.

Then there’s Barlovento (Calle 10 A; +507 6613 4345), a tropical-style rooftop bar where the beautifuls hang. With views over Casco Viejo (rather than the Panama City skyline over at Tántalo) and a DJ playing a mix of electronic music and Latin beats, the place is pumping on the weekends. Again there’s a $10 cover charge (if you’re male that is; women enter free) but you’d easily pay a $25 cover for the same deal in Mexico City.

Attractions

Panama Viejo

The oldest section of the city, Panama Viejo was burned to the ground in the late 17th century by British pirate (or privateer, depending who you ask) Sir Henry Morgan.

The crumbling remains of towers, forts and houses run along the coast waiting to be explored. The visitors center has a model showing the city before Morgan showed up.

Panama Viejo; +507 226 8915; $3 for museum, $4 for ruins, $6 for both; open Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal took 250,000 people more than 10 years to build (not counting the original failed French-led effort), transports 40 boats each day (taking eight to 10 hours per transit) and costs an average of $85,000 per vessel.

Luckily, tours are a little less, and a partial transit with Canal Bay Tours costs $135 per person, including breakfast, lunch and transfer though two sets of locks.

The Panama Canal celebrates its centenary in 2014, and to mark the occasion it’s undergoing a $5.25 billion modernization and expansion.

Progress is best viewed from above. Air Charter Panama arranges one-hour helicopter tours covering the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the canal from $749 for three passengers in a Robinson R44.

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Check out the world’s most popular travel spots, according to TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice awards.
No. 1: Paris, France

No. 2: New York, New York

No. 3: London, England

No. 4: Rome, Italy

No. 5: Barcelona, Spain

No. 6: Venice, Italy

No. 7: San Francisco, California

No. 8: Florence, Italy

No. 9: Prague, Czech Republic

jpg” alt=”No. 10: Sydney, Australia” border=”0″ height=”360″ id=”articleGalleryPhoto0010″ width=”640″ /No. 10: Sydney, Australia

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(CNN) — It’s no surprise that travelers flock to Paris, New York and London.

The lasting draw of these destinations is borne out in TripAdvisor’s fifth annual Travelers’ Choice Destinations awards. The awards, announced Tuesday, are based on the popularity of destinations and take into account insights from millions of the travel review site’s users.

Check out the gallery above for the top 10 travel spots worldwide, according to TripAdvisor. Europe is a hit with TripAdvisor users, with 7 of the top 10 destinations located there.

Awards are also bestowed upon the top U.S. destinations. New York and San Francisco top that list, followed by Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Washington, Boston, Los Angeles, Honolulu and New Orleans in the the top 10.

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