· Audit Faults IRS for Spending Rush at End of Fiscal Year

The Internal Revenue Service is under scrutiny for rushing to spend tens of millions of dollars in the weeks before the end of the fiscal year, when the agency's ability to use money expires or comes with more strings.

Government auditors worry that with the last-minute purchasing comes an increased risk of wasteful spending.

· Costa Rica Approves CAFTA Free-Trade Pact With US

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Monday welcomed Costa Rica's narrow approval of a free trade agreement with the United States, after a national debate that split the tiny Central American democracy.

Costa Rican voters backed the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, by the slim margin of 51.58 percent in favor to 48.42 percent against -- in an echo of the bitter debate in the US Congress over the agreement two years ago.

· Mexican Pres. Felipe Calderon Criticizes US Border Fence

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mexican President Felipe Calderon criticized the planned US border fence designed to stem illegal immigration, saying countries should be "building bridges, not fences" in an interview broadcast on Monday.

On ABC television's "Good Morning America," Calderon lauded President George W Bush's failed attempt to get the US Congress to approve comprehensive immigration reform, and said the way to stop illegal immigration is to build economic growth and opportunities in Mexico, not fences.