Earthquake Rattles Costa Rica and Nicaragua
A strong earthquake shook Nicaragua and Costa Rica on Friday but there were no reports of damage or injuries.

Teen Wins 1-Year Delay in Deportation
A 19-year-old who undertook a national publicity campaign to fight her deportation to Costa Rica won the right Friday to remain in the United States for an additional year.

Verizon To Lay Off 120 From Conflict With ICE
Verizon announced yesterday that it will be laying 120 employees, a direct result of the conflict that the company has with the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) over the incomplete publication of the telephone directory.

Gasoline Prices to Go Down Next Week
The Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep) - the government body that regulates public prices and services - approved a reduction of ¢5 colones in the cost of gasoline at the pumps.

Investment Attraction
Costa Rica performed very well in attracting investment, but after an initial success has worked little toward that goal, two international experts warned.

Faster Procedures at Airport
In order to prevent the long lines that formed at Juan Santamaria International Airport (San Josè) during the recent peak of the tourist season, authorities have hurried to develop a system to speed up the baggage and passport checks.


LATIN AMERICA

Nicaraguan President Accused of Electoral Offences
Evaluation of the process to remove Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolaños´ immunity revealed Friday that he could be facing court in August for electoral offences.

Venezuelan Police Officers Involved in Crime Arrested
The Venezuelan government announced Friday the arrest of 26 police officials and replacement of several chiefs, in relation to the death of three students.

Peru confident of Fujimori extradition from Japan
The Peruvian government believes that disgraced former president Alberto Fujimori will be extradited from Japan, Foreign Minister Manuel Rodriguez said Friday.

Cuba Polishes Latin American Miracle Mission
Cuba is creating all the necessary conditions to put into practice the Latin American Miracle Mission, which will annually provide over one million poor people in the region with ophthalmological care.



SPECIAL REPORTS
MEXICO:
Zapatista Comeback Seeks Leftist Allies
The Zapatista guerrillas in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas have once again taken up their dusty banner in the fight against neoliberalism, announcing that they would tour the country in search of alliances with "the true left."