El Periódico of Guatemala City observed that many countries in the region are considering the decriminalization of marijuana.  In Argentina currently it is not a crime to have drugs for personal use.  

Jornal do Brasil of Rio de Janeiro noted with indignation that the Spanish newspaper El País published a piece that identified what it called the Brazilian “knack” for finding the way out of a “no-win situation,” with an “air of intelligence” plus some “ancestral creativity.”

Inside Costa Rica of San José reported that Reporters Without Borders has called for an investigation into spying on the San José-based Diario Extra newspaper, which revealed at a news conference Monday that the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) and the office of the public prosecutor have been monitoring the private and professional phone calls of

Inside Costa Rica of San José reported that work to enlarge the Panama Canal will be completed in 2015 no matter what, according to Panamanian Finance Minister Frank De Lima, despite the continuing feud over cost overruns with contractor GUPC.  The Panama Canal authority “has strongly affirmed that the canal would be complete in 2015,

MercoPress of Montevideo reported that fourteen police officers from Uruguay are currently attending courses at the Criminology Institute at Cambridge University, as part of their training for the country’s Citizens’ Security program, implemented with the support from the Inter American Development bank. 

El Espectador of Bogotá reported that Rafael Correa wants Latin America to defend human rights without “guardians.” 

MercoPress of Montevideo noted that Spain stepped in to try and resolve a cost dispute over the expansion of Panama’s canal, which has triggered a sell-off in the shares of Sacyr SA, the Spanish builder leading the project.  

El Universal of Mexico City reported that on the eve of his participation in the the G -77 plus China Summit, the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, called on the world leaders to build a “new world”

Marcelo Ninio wrote in Folha de São Paulo that football can have an impact on diplomacy. 

MercoPress of Montevideo reported that fifteen “innovation vouchers” were awarded to Chilean SMEs (small and medium enterprises) which will now begin working with project teams from the Universidad Católica, the Universidad de Desarrollo, and the Universidad de Santiago to improve their companies’ products and services.