Monday, A Day For Protests
Come Monday May 16, the workers of the Frente Interno de Trabajadores (FIT) del Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), el Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados y la Asociación de Profesores de Segunda Enseñanza (APSE) will go on strike in support of the call made by the Comisión Nacional de Enlace (CNE) who is opposing the Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) - free trade agreement with the United States.

President Pacheco Rejects US Pressure
Costa Rican president, Abel Pacheco, who is in Washington along with the other president of Central America and the Dominican Republic, with a meeting with U.S. president George W. Bush today, rejected that he is being pressured by the U.S. to send the Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) - free trade agreement with the United States - to the Legislative Assembly.

Central America Lobbies Congress on Trade
The presidents of the five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic walked the halls of the United States Congress on Wednesday, lobbyists in support of a free trade agreement with the United States.

Free Trade Agreement on Slippery Slope
President Bush will pursue his top trade initiative today as he welcomes six Latin American leaders to the White House, but the trade agreement Bush seeks faces serious trouble in Congress and could be defeated by his fellow Republicans.

More than 5.000 Kilos of Cocaine Cross Costa Rica, Police Estimate
In the past two week, police have been successfull in intercepting eight shipments of illegal drugs at various locations around the country. Authorities admit that this is a small dent in the amount of drugs that passes through Costa Rica by land.

GE Unit to Acquire 49.9% BAC
General Electric's GE Consumer Finance unit said on Thursday it would acquire 49.9% of BAC International Bank Inc., a privately held retail bank and credit card issuer based in Panama, allowing it to expand in Central America.

Saprissa Wins Championship Cup
Costa Rica's Saprissa soccer team fell to Mexico's Pumas 2-1 on Wednesday night, but still captured the CONCACAF Champions' Cup on the strength of a 3-2 goals aggregate.


LATIN AMERICA

South American-Arab Summit adopts declaration
South American and Arab leaders have pledged unity after a landmark meeting in Brazil. Dozens of leaders agreed that free trade must be harnessed to benefit the world's poor, and urged Israel to abandon occupied territories. The inaugural meeting aims to focus two far-flung regions for a single voice on political and economic issues.

Castro calls for anti-US demonstration
Cuban leader Fidel Castro has called for a demonstration next Tuesday to protest against what he described as the support of the United States to an individual involved in terrorist acts against the island.

Jia Qinglin holds talks with Mexican senate president
China's top national advisor Jia Qinglin held talks with Mexican Senate President Diego Fernandez here Wednesday.

Mexico blasts new US Immigration legislation
The new immigration and identification rules in the United States, known as "Real ID," could not solve the problems of illegal immigration, said a Mexican official on Wednesday.


SPECIAL REPORTS

PERU:
Protecting Machu Picchu from Too Many Tourists
The Peruvian government has a new conservation plan in the works for its most important archaeological attraction: the Inca city of Machu Picchu, under threat from the excessive flow of tourists through its ruins. But local tourism operators oppose any effort to reduce the number of visits to the site.