MERCOSUR DOES NOT RECOGNISE HONDURAS ELECTIONS
Mercosur has decided not to recognise the results of the general elections in Honduras and the newly-elected president, Porfirio Lobo.
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez said he was concerned that some Latin American countries are recognising what Mercosur believes is an illegitimate government. Mercosur has demanded the reinstatement of deposed President Manuel Zelaya.
In the meantime, President-elect Porfirio Lobo has started a diplomatic offensive to have his government recognised. He will travel to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic accompanied by other presidential candidates where he expects to get a sympathetic hearing from governments inclined to recognise his election.
El Pais (Spanish)
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/paises/Mercosur/reconocen/comicios/Honduras/elpepuintlat/20091208elpepuint_15/Tes
La Tribuna (Honduras, Spanish)
http://www.latribuna.hn/web2.0/?p=73494
REDUCED SENTENCES FOR CUBAN “SPIES”
Two Cuban citizens who were accused and found guilty of spying for the Castro regime in the United States have had their sentences slightly reduced by a judge in Florida.
The two Cubans, Ramon Labanino and Fernando Gonzalez are part of a group of five men who were sentenced to long jail terms, after they were found guilty of passing information about the Cuban exile diaspora to the then government of Fidel Castro.
They will still have to serve 30 and 18 years respectively of their sentence in an American jail.
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8402942.stm
CLIMATE CHANGE
PERU TAKES FOREST PROTECTION PLAN TO COPENHAGEN
Peru will take a radical proposal of climate change mitigation via the conservation of forests that will help to reduce emissions caused by deforestations. Scientists believe that deforestation has caused 20% of CO2 emissions.
Environment Minister Antonio Brack said that Peru’s proposal is a radical departure from more timid plans which he believes do not go far enough. Brack wants to have a radical reduction in the current levels of deforestation, in order to achieve a decrease in emissions of 40%. He said that the first results of this proposal will be evident by the year 2050.
Peruvian Ministry of the Environment.
http://www.minam.gob.pe/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=533:ministro-brack-llevara-propuesta-peruana-de-conservacion-de-bosques-a-copenhague&catid=1:noticias&Itemid=21
BRAZIL: BIOFUELS ARE GOOD
Brazil has defended the controversial use of biofuels as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. The Brazilian delegation to the Copenhagen Summit intends to argue that biofuels have reduced emissions of greenhouse gasses by 800 million tons.
They also argue that biofuels also help fight poverty because it provides income to small producers. Critics, however, argue that increases in the production of biofuels have caused even more deforestation. They also argue that the quantity of agricultural produce has gone down, causing an increase in food prices.
The Brazilian Government argues that food security needs to be improved to make sure that the production of biofuels does not affect the supply of foodstuff.
Inter Press Service
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49597
CLIMATE CHANGE WILL HAVE ECONOMIC IMPACT IN MEXICO
The economic impact of climate change in the Mexican economy will be serious if something is not done to stop it.
This is the conclusion of a report published by the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. The report argues that “the estimates for Mexico as a whole show that the negative economic consequences in the long term outweigh any gains in the short term.”
In general, the document found that the economic costs of climate change by 2100 will be at least three times greater than the costs of mitigating our emissions by 50%.”
The report insists that “immediate and decisive action is indispensable to reduce the worst impacts of climate change”.
Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources
http://www.semarnat.gob.mx/queessemarnat/politica_ambiental/cambioclimatico/Pages/eocnomiadelcc.aspx