Slight Recovery For President Pacheco
More Costa Rican adults are satisfied with Abel Pacheco, according to the Barómetro Iberoamericano de Gobernabilidad released by CIMA and API Sigma Dos. 52 per cent of respondents approve of the president’s performance, a six per cent increase in a year.

Costa Rica Scores Two More High Tech Operations
Costa Rica's efforts to gain traction as an outsourcing destination increased with announcement by Intel and Trax Holdings that they will establish new operations in Costa Rica..

Legislators With New Regulations on Alcohol Consumption
Come Monday, the country's legislators will have their consumption of alcoholic beverages at public functions regulated. The regulation comes into effect on Monday following today's publication in the official newspaper La Gaceta.

Childrens "Passport" Now A Reality
According to official statistics, though most of the missing children appear within hours of going missing, there are three reports daily of missing children.

More United Flights to Liberia
The Daniel Oduber International Airport, in the northwestern city of Liberia, will be the destination of another two weekly non-stop flights from Chicago starting next December, United Airlines announced.

Tico Appointed to the U.S. National Academy of Science
Over three decades of dedication to research, teaching, and opening spaces for Costa Ricans to practice state-of-the-art science, have earned Tico molecular biologist Pedro Leon a well-deserved appointment to the United States National Academy of Science.


LATIN AMERICA

Uruguay reaffirms commitment to Stockholm Convention
Uruguay President Tabare Vazquez said Friday that his government will abide by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Portugal backs Brazil aspiration to UN Security Council
Portuguese Foreign Minister Diogo Freitas do Amaral said here Friday that Lisbon supports the entry of Brazil into the United Nations Security Council.

Fidel Castro Optimistic over Regional Integration
Cuban President Fidel Castro highlighted the spirit and results of the Cuban-Venezuelan agreements signed last week as part of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA, in Spanish).

Venezuela, an Axis of Participative Democracy, Says US Expert
US researcher James Early has called Venezuela an axis of participative democracy, with very strong implications for the whole continent.

Colombian Prosecutor's Office to Examine Delivery of Soldiers to US
The Colombian Prosecutor's Office announced Friday it would examine the delivery process of two US soldiers to officials of the US Embassy in Bogota, after they were caught trafficking in illegal arms.


SPECIAL REPORTS

LABOUR-U.S.:
Hispanics See Job Gains but Suffer Wage Setbacks
Hispanic workers saw their employment rate rise in 2004 but the growth took place in low-skill, low-income jobs that dragged down their average wages, making them the only U.S. ethnic group to suffer a two-year decline in wages, says a new report citing official data.