Gasoline Prices To Drop!
The Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos (ARESEP) - regulating body on public prices and services - yesterday approved a decrease - yes, a decrease - in the price of gasoline.

Costa Rica Reaps Harvest of Non-Military Policy
Costa Rican Ambassador to Seoul Pedro Hernandez said his country is ready to attract Korean businessmen who are eager to make inroads into markets in Latin America and the United States.

Raids on Retailers by Tax Police For Non Payment on Duty on Imported Merchandise
La Policía de Control fiscal del Ministerio de Hacienda -  the tax police - began an investigation some six months back following charges that the personal importation of perfumes and other cosmetic items, like creams and deodorants, were actually commercial importations with destination to various businesses in San José with the import taxes paid.

Hurricane Season Almost Here
The most devastating hurricane to affect Central America in the last decade was Mitch, when in October of 1998,  in Honduras, 3 million people were affected, 243.000 homes destroyed and damage surpassed us$10 billion dollars.

Nature Air Announces Daily Flights to La Fortuna de San Carlos
Travelling to La Fortuna de San Carlos has now been made easier thanks to the Nature Air, who have begun regular daily flights to and from the area from San José's Tobías Bolaños airport.


LATIN AMERICA

Over 1.2 Millon Cubans Marched for Justice
Over 1.2 million Cubans marched along Havana´s sea drive in demand of justice for more than 40 years of US-sponsored terrorism and the arrest of notorious terrorists Luis Posada Carriles and Orlando Bosch.

Venezuela extradites FARC member to Colombia
The Venezuelan government extradited to Colombia a rebel who had been involved in a kidnapping there, the local press reported Tuesday.

Venezuela to buy Russian assault-rifles
Venezuela signed an agreement with Russia on Tuesday to purchase 100,000 Russian-made Kalashnikov AK-103 assault-rifles, Defense Minister Jorge Garcia Carneiro said.

US detains suspected Cuban bomber
US immigration authorities detained on Tuesday a Cuban exile accused of bombing a Cuban airliner in 1976 and sought by the Cuban government, US media reported.

Chinese top advisor delivers speech at Colombian Congress
Visiting Chinese top national advisor Jia Qinglin on Tuesday delivered a speech at the Colombian Congress on the Taiwan question, China-Latin American relations and other issues.


SPECIAL REPORTS

CHILE:
Guaranteeing that Public Documents Are Indeed Public
Civil society groups are pushing for a broader, more effective law guaranteeing public access to official documents in Chile, a country that performs well in surveys on corruption, but fared poorly in a recent study on transparency, due to what activists describe as a ”culture of secrecy”.