The increasing price of basic goods nearly ground to a halt in March, rounding off Costa Rica's first-quarter inflation at just 0.83 percent, less than half the 2.25 percent price rise of the first three months of 2008.

Tugging at average price tags were markdowns in transportation, clothing, food and beverages, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic.

The sluggish price increases – March's was just 0.01 percent – come after a year of record inflation of 13.9 percent.

Some economists, however, warn that prices could rise again with governments pouring in cash to juice up their economies.

“The heavy injection of liquidity carried out by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other international monetary institutions could translate into increases in price levels, generating a rise in the price of goods we send abroad,” an analysis by financial consulting firm Aldesa stated.

The firm added that “the price of goods could rise even more if the colón continues to fall against the dollar.”

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) cited Costa Rica on Thursday among nations not cooperating with international tax norms, in a report requested by the Group of 20 developed and developing countries meeting this week in London.

The 30-member OECD named Costa Rica, Malaysia, the Philippines and Uruguay on its blacklist of countries “that have not committed to internationally agreed tax standards,” the report said.

Leaders at the G20 summit threatened to sanction noncooperative jurisdictions, including tax havens, newswire Reuters reported.

Guatemala and Panama appeared on a “gray list” list of countries that have committed “but have not yet substantially implemented” the tax standards.

GUATEMALA CITY – A television reporter was killed and his cameraman wounded when two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on their vehicle in Guatemala City, officials said.

Rolando Santis, a correspondent for the news program Telecentro Trece, died at the scene of the attack Wednesday, and Antonio de León was seriously wounded and taken to a hospital for treatment.

Two other unidentified people were hit and injured by the vehicle when it went out of control.

The cameraman was shot twice, including in the neck, and is in serious condition, hospital spokesmen said.

"I am really upset and angry because Santis was my friend for many years," Interior Minister Salvador Gandara told reporters.

The minister said he assigned a large number of investigators to look into the 42-year-old journalist's killing.

Attorney General Amilcar Velásquez expressed his support for journalists and said prosecutors were trying to find those responsible for the attack.

Leaders of the journalists' guild demanded that the government find out why Santis was killed.

The motive for the attack has not been determined.

"We are afraid; we can't believe this is happening," Telecentro Trece director Juan Carlos Lange told Guatemalan media.

Many journalists went to the crime scene and demanded that police take measures to end a crime wave that is claiming the lives of an average of 17 people a day in Guatemala.

Several government and research organizations introduced a new ultraviolet ray index Thursday that is designed to keep citizens informed about daily heat and sun conditions.

The announcement of the index concludes more than two years of work, and officials hope it will help reduce the risk of skin cancer and other sun-related illnesses.

“It is very important that Costa Rica has access to this information,” said Jorge Rodríguez, an engineer at the Environment, Energy and Telecommunications Ministry. “It's important for health and the environment.”

The new index uses small radiometers to register information about the levels of ultraviolet B, one of the sun's most harmful rays. The real-time information is fed to a computer, which assigns a number to the level of UV-B in the ozone and indicates the necessary level of skin protection.

Zero through two is a minimal level, and above 10 is “very high.” The index advises maximum skin protection on days that register higher than 10. Types of protection range from wearing a hat to staying indoors.

October through December register the lowest levels of UV-B, according to research by the National Meteorological Institute. March poses the highest risk; some days register as high as 15 on top of Irazú Volcano, east of San José.

Officials said the index will be available for every region of the country and information will be updated daily. The public can find the index on the National Meteorological Institute's Web site: www.imn.ac.cr/educacion/uv/indiceuv.html.