President Pacheco Makes His Annual Report
In in speech to the Legislative Assembly yesterday, President Dr. Abel Pacheco de la Espriella, said that Costa Rica will face a "crucial year" during his last year of administration. As is custom, the President gave his annual report to members of the Legislature, in according with the country's constitution.

Protest March Agaisnt the TLC Was Peaceful
As promised by union leaders, the protest march against the Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) - free trade agreement with the United States - was peaceful and uneventful.

ICE Convicted For Poor Cellular Service
The Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep) - the regulator of public prices and services - ruled against the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) and ordered it to pay ¢2.937 colones to one of it's customers for providing poor cellular services when it turned on the new GSM network in 2003.

Son Brutally Murders Mother in Their Hotel Room
Room 26 of the Orquídeas Inn was the scene of a bloody attack on 65 year old American, Darling Gora, by her 34 year old son, who killed his mother when she refused to give him money to buy "drugs.

Lightning Knocks Out Power for More than One Hour in San José
A great part of San José was without electrical power yesterday afternoon between 2pm and 3:15pm due to a lightning strike that hit the transmission line La Caja-Colima.


LATIN AMERICA

Millions of Latin Americans rally to mark Labour Day
Millions of Latin Americans took to the streets on Sunday to mark Labour Day and demand higher pay, more jobs and better work conditions, while Cuba called for a lift of US blockade and sanctions against it.

Bianca Jagger For President of Nicaragua
Sir Mick Jagger's ex-wife BIANCA is determined to run for president in her native Nicaragua, making her even more of an irritation for US President  George W. Bush who famously described her as "a pain in the butt".

U.S. warns Nicaragua aid may be in danger
The U.S. government has warned that aid and investment in Nicaragua could be threatened by a proposed property law that is part of a political struggle between this nation's president and Congress.

Honduran president unharmed in plane mishap
Honduran President Ricardo Maduro was unhurt after a small plane carrying him and two others made a forced landing in the Caribbean sea near a Honduran beach on Sunday, a presidential spokesman said.

SPECIAL REPORTS

/INT'L LABOUR DAY-CHILE:
Tackling the Challenge of AIDS
Chile's Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT) trade union federation has launched a campaign aimed at the prevention of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, based on the philosophy that the labour movement should also take on emerging challenges, such as awareness-raising and education on health issues.