Russia is courting Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua "to gain access to air bases and ports for resupply of Russian naval assets and strategic bombers operating in the Western Hemisphere."
Roberta Jacobson, the United States' top diplomat for Latin America, will return on March 15 to the Cuban capital for a third round of negotiations, the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
Juan Santamaría International Airport reopened around 11:30 a.m. Friday after a nearly 18-hour closure. Authorities warned that the reopening could be temporary, depending on future activity at Turrialba Volcano.
Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova was defense minister during the 1980-1992 war pitting a U.S.-backed government against leftist rebels, which left some 75,000 dead and another 7,000 missing.
Finca San Pablo General Manager Geraldo Mora said the banana farm shrunk its carbon footprint mainly by reducing its use of nitrogen-based fertilizers in favor of natural ones; reducing electricity consumption in its packing facility; and improving efficiency in transporting its product to the port in Limón.
UPDATED at 7 p.m.: Juan Santamaría International Airport will remain closed until at least 8 a.m. Friday. Airport spokeswoman Silvia Chávez said that reopening was conditional on overnight activity at Turrialba Volcano.
