MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – Government declares agricultural emergency: Uruguay’s government has been forced to put the National Emergency System into operation. President Tabaré Vazquez announced an emergency plan to tackle a drought that is causing serious damage to the country’s farmers. The drought is among the worst for decades and has already led to the outbreak of fires in some places. The first fire-related fatality was recorded on 10 January.

[Últimas Noticias, AP]

SANTIAGO, Chile – Prosecutor detects corruption ring in Santiago law court: At a press conference on 13 January, Nancy Gonzalez, a public prosecutor, announced that she is investigating a new case of corruption. She hopes to identify a ring of court officials and lawyers involved in the forgery of Santiago Appeal Court rulings that allowed criminals to go free in exchange for money. Similar investigations have been launched since 1 April last year, when a forged court order was found to have been used in a failed attempt to free Janio Gonzalez, a drug dealer.

[El Mercurio, Diario Crítico, Diario del Día]

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay – Dengue outbreak in Paraguay: Paraguay’s head of Public Health Surveillance, Ivan Allende, confirmed on 12 January that the country is in a “risk situation” following the detection of several cases of dengue fever. Two of the confirmed cases have been found to be Serotype 3, the most aggressive strain of dengue. Although Allende maintained that it is still too early to talk of an epidemic, the suspected cases found in the cities of Asunción, Central, Pedro Juan Caballero, Ciudad del Este, Encarnación, and Horqueta are being examined to prevent the most distressing symptoms and loss of life.

[Última Hora, La Nación]

LA PAZ, Bolivia – Bolivia breaks diplomatic relations with Israel: Bolivia’s President Evo Morales announced on 14 January that his country had broken diplomatic relations with Israel to protest Israel’s attacks in the Gaza strip. On the previous day, a visiting Iranian delegation led by the Cooperation Minister, Mohammad Abbasi, asked Morales to support an international resolution to find a solution to the situation in Gaza. President Hugo Chavez, one of Morales’s main allies in the region, expelled Israel’s ambassador to Venezuela on 6 January.

[Reuters, La Razón]