Central America

NEW YORK - Mario Vargas Llosa, the newest winner of the Nobel Prize in literature, has never found much honor in boundaries.

MEXICO CITY - Mexico looked beyond its drug war to throw a 200th birthday bash celebrating a proud history, whimsical culture and resilience embodied in the traditional independence cry: "Viva Mexico!" Across the capital, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets despite their fears, blowing horns and dancing alongside a parade of serpent floats, marching cacti and 13-foot-tall warrior marionettes and staying late into the night at open-air concerts.

LOS ANGELES - Wendy DeSmidt-Kohloff got off to a baaaad start on "Survivor: Nicaragua." The goat rancher from Fromberg, Mont., was the first person voted off the 21st edition of the CBS reality TV competition, which divided the tribes by age.

LOS ANGELES - Spencer Pratt says his 12-hour detainment at a Costa Rica airport for arms possession has given him a chance at reconciliation with wife Heidi Montag.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Police say reality TV stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag were briefly detained at a Costa Rica airport for illegal arms possession.