The ATM Took Ate Up My Card!
Using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) or completing an electronic transaction can still be risky business in Costa Rica.

Toll Booth Donations To Pay for Pedestrian Overpasses
Drivers leaving San José by highway are faced with a toll booth near the Airport and near Multiplaza to the west and Tres Rios to the east, where the Ministerio de Obras Pública y Transported (MOPT) charges ¢75 colones for each passenger vehicle.

Costa Rica Creates New Loophole for Landing Shark Fins
Costa Rica’s National Fisheries Institute (INCOPESCA) has created a new loophole for landing shark fins by allowing foreign vessels to completely cut off shark fins and then land the fins tied onto shark bodies, instead of attached in natural form.

NASA Researchers Studying Tropical Cyclones
As scientists and coastal residents brace for another potentially challenging hurricane season, NASA is launching the Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes (TCSP) mission. TCSP is a month-long research effort primarily intended to document "cyclogenesis," the birth of tropical storms, hurricanes and related phenomena.

American Stabbed to Death in His Apartment
The Fuerza Pública were called yesterday afternoon when 65 year old American Edward John Shoppock did answer the repeated knocks on his apartment door. The 30 year old woman called on the owner of the property to open the door when the Shoppock did not come to the door and became worried.

Did You Feel It?
Two earthquakes shook most of Costa Rica yesterday, reports the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico (Ovsicori) de la Universidad Nacional.

Costa Rica to Appeal FIFA Suspension
Costa Rica's soccer association will appeal to FIFA for a three-game ban handed down to defender Douglas Sequeira, it said on its website on Thursday.


LATIN AMERICA

Nicaraguan opposition pushes ahead with new constitution
Nicaragua's main opposition leader said Thursday that they would table a bill in Congress next month for a new constitution in a fresh bid to counter the government in months of political standoff.

Brazil backs UN resolution on Haiti
The Brazilian government said Thursday it supported the resolution of the United Nations which increased the presence of the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti and extended its mission until February.

Bolivian acting president mulls ways to ease political tension
Bolivian acting President Eduardo Rodriguez on Thursday discussed with political leaders how to settle the country's political chaos, said news from La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia.

Salaries Soar for More than 800,000 Cuban Workers
Cuban President Fidel Castro announced Thursday evening that more than 800,000 health and education workers here will receive raises in salaries as of July 1st.

Brazilian President Bent on Quashing Corruption
Investigation of corruption accusations will lay bare the truth in Brazil, stated President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, ratifying his government´s willingness to punish corrupt people.


SPECIAL REPORTS

ENVIRONMENT:
Clean Transportation Reduces Premature Deaths
A sharp reduction in transportation-related pollution in Brazil's large cities could save 50 billion dollars over the next 20 years by preventing the premature deaths of 47,000 people and sparing hundreds of thousands more from disease.