Mexico: Drug cartels on revenge attack for killing of leader
Four relatives of a marine, who took part in the killing of a notorious drug baron, have been assassinated by armed groups related to the Gulp Cartel.
Arturo Beltrán Leyva, the self-styled Boss of Bosses, was killed during a raid on 16 December. Melquisedet Angulo Córdova, a marine who took part in the operation, died during the raid. Four of his relatives – his mother, two brothers and an aunt – were killed when a group of armed men broke into their house and shot them with semi-automatic weapons.
Beltrán Leyva was one of the most prominent drug barons in the state of Sinaloa. The government had offered a reward of £1 million for his arrest.
El País (Spanish)
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Asesinados/varios/familiares/marino/murio/operativo/capo/mexicano/Beltran/Leyva/elpepuintlat/20091222elpepuint_11/Tes
El Universal (Mexico, Spanish)
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/647535.html
Colombia: Guerrillas murder kidnapped governor
The body of the governor of Caquetá, Luis Francisco Cuéllar, who was kidnapped by Farc guerrillas 2 days ago, has been found riddled with bullet wounds; his throat had also been slit by his assailants.
Mr. Cuéllar’s remains were discovered in a remote forest near the place where he was kidnapped, hours after President Alvaro Uribe had order the security forces to rescue him and two soldiers from rebel hands.
The International Committee of the Red Cross, which is acting as an intermediary in efforts to obtain the release of people kidnapped by the Farc, has asked for more measures to guarantee its security, if it is to its work.
El Tiempo (Spanish, Colombia)
http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/politica/piden-que-secuestro-de-gobernador-de-caqueta-no-afecte-liberacion-de-dos-militares_6823447-1
El Espectador (Spanish, Colombia)
http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/judicial/articulo178755-confirman-cuerpo-hallado-de-luis-francisco-cuellar-gobernador-de-ca
Mexico: first gay wedding will not be annulled
An attempt by the ruling Party of National Action (PAN) to have the first civil partnership of a gay couple annulled has been thwarted by the legal adviser of the Government of Mexico City.
The first gay wedding in the capital took place early this week, among protests from conservative groups and the Catholic Church. PAN argues that the law that approves gay civil partnerships violates the country’s constitution. However, Leticia Bonifaz, the legal advisor to the Government of Mexico City, said the lawmakers only gave the go-ahead to the new legislation once they has made sure it did not infringe the constitution.
El Universal
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/647529.html
ECONOMY
Peruvian President changes Economy Minister
Peruvian President Alan Garcia gas sworn in the new Economy Minister, Mercedez Araoz, who is the first woman ever to take charge of such an important ministry.
Araoz has promised fiscal discipline and the promotion of foreign investments. President Garcia said that having a woman in charge of the economy will help reduce poverty and unemployment.
El Comercio (Spanish, Peru)
http://elcomercio.pe/noticia/384865/mercedes-araoz-juro-como-ministra-economia-promesa-mantener-disciplina-fiscal
CLIMATE CHANGE
The British government blames China, Bolivia and Venezuela for the failure in Copenhagen
The British government said that these countries, among others, “held to ransom” the negotiations in Copenhagen for an agreement on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Earlier in the week, the UK’s Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Milliband, had said that radical left-wing governments from Latin America had done their utmost to prevent an agreement from being reached.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and his Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales said during the summit that rich countries had prevented poor nations from contributing in the negotiations. Morales also said that the only way to achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions was by replacing the capitalist system, while Chávez threatened to leave the summit if an agreement was not signed.
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/21/copenhagen-treaty-gordon-brown
LAB in COP15 (Javier Farje)