MercoPress of Montevideo reported that the Argentine government made known that its social programs were praised by FAO and World Bank.  Argentina welcomed some of the “positive and favorable comments” by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank regarding the country’s social and economic agenda, but regretted that “certain” media

Inside Costa Rica of San José says Russia has its eyes on expanding its military presence by establishing military bases in Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba according to a statement by Russian Defense Minister, Serguei Shoigu, and Costa Rica is not thrilled by the proposal. 

Camilo Mejía Giraldo wrote in Colombia Reports of Medellín that Colombia’s Inspector General has submitted a request to meet with the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) to explain his office’s decision to remove and politically sanction the Mayor of Bogotá. 

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. 

O Globo of Rio de Janeiro noted that the former marketing director of the Bank of Brazil, Henrique Pizzolato, is part of a list that continues to grow: those who are wanted by the police and the Brazilian justice system and have fled abroad. 

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.