Tren Urbano Almost Ready
Following many tests and announcements, the tren urbano (commuter train) is almost ready to hit the rails, this following the arrival for Spanish experts who will make a full analysis and inventory of the rail system before hand.

Jail For Those Who Resist Health Order Against Dengue
Jail is waiting for those who refuse to obey an order by the Ministerio de Salud (Health Ministry) to clean up Dengue source, this according to Salud viceminister, Francisco Cubillo Martínez, who said that there are 1.200 outstanding orders against persons and companies to rid of the breeding ground of the mosquito that carries the deadly disease.

Man Kills Wife During Conjugal Visit at Prison
José Francisco Ortiz Granados, serving a 40 year prison sentence the Cárcel de Pococí, for killing his 13 year old daughter back in 1997, decided yesterday to kill his wife as well during a conjugal visit at the prison.

Highest Pacific Tide of the Year Tomorrow
At 3:59am Tuesday morning, the Pacific coast of Costa Rica will experience the highest tide of the year, reaching 3.19 metres (10.47 feet). The normal tide level is 2.18 metres (7.12 feet).

Book Says Castro Tried to Get More Missiles
Nineteen years after the Cuban missile crisis nearly sparked a nuclear war, Fidel Castro asked the Soviet Union to redeploy atomic weapons to his island, says a new book based on reports by Moscow's KGB intelligence agency.


LATIN AMERICA

Brazilian prosecutors charge 6 with stealing $70 mln
Six men have been officially charged with stealing 70 million US dollars from Brazil's Central Bank in one of the world's biggest bank robberies, the local media reported Saturday.

Chile's amended constitution enacted
Chilean President Ricardo Lagos enacted on Saturday the country's revised constitution to replace the one written by the former military regime of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

Hugo Chavez Denounces US Plan to Invade Venezuela
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has denounced here Saturday the existence of a US governmental plan, codenamed Plan Balboa, to invade Venezuela.

Prosecutors Maneuver to Prolong Case of Cuban Five
Faced with the reversal of the Cuban Five convictions by the Atlanta Appeals Court, Miami Prosecutors are now maneuvering to prolong the legal proceedings in the case by asking for more time to prepare their response to the appellate panel´s decision.


SPECIAL REPORTS

CENTRAL AMERICA:
Anti-Poverty Programmes Abound, but Poverty Deepens
Government anti-poverty initiatives in Central America tend to pick up speed around election campaign time, then quickly lose steam.  They are almost always tainted by the blot of corruption - and with a very few exceptions, they have been completely ineffective, say researchers and local activists.