The Buenos Aires Herald reported that following a video conference from Government House, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner slammed the “speculative sectors” who “want to see us flying through the air,” and urged local politicians to help in the implementation of the Precios Cuidados program.

El Tiempo of Bogotá reported that consumer prices in Venezuela continued to increase despite promises by the government that it could control their escalation. 

DominicanToday of Santo Domingo reported that the Dominican government has assured the Human Rights Council in Geneva that the Constitutional Court ruling doesn’t strip Dominican nationality from those who have it ,and reiterated that it will seek legislation which makes the offspring of undocumented immigrants eligible for naturalization, thus debunking accusations of creating “stateless” people. 

Alarm over inflation and a possible economic collapse, enflamed by disputes over government measures and their justifications, have Argentines concerned.  Given recent Argentine economic history, many people feel a sense of dread.

MercoPress of Montevideo reported that Brazil’s economy added the fewest net payroll jobs in a decade in 2013, a sign that three consecutive years of weak economic growth is weighing down the economy, according to the latest government data.  However, unemployment remains at record lows. 

So wrote Susana González in La Jornada of Mexico City.  The basket of 28 basic food products, whose prices rose 14% last year, rose 7.38% in a month, going from 880 to 946 pesos in Mexico City and its metropolitan area, according to the Federal Consumer Prices watchdog (PROFECO).   

Semana Magazine of Bogotá reported that 2013 was a good year for the economy in Colombia. 

Raúl Dellatorre Página/12 of Buenos Aires noted that the arrival of intense heat in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area has yet again caused the collapse of the electrical distribution system, and wondered

El Comercio of Lima noted that consumer confidence in Peru had reached its highest level in two years. 

MercoPress of Montevideo reported that Brazil’s Finance Minister Guido Mantega insisted that the government is keeping spending under control as he sought to calm anxiety about the deterioration of the government’s accounts.