DN Headlines

Mexican Lawmakers Scuffle Over Calderon Inauguration
In Mexico, the parliament was the site of a major scuffle Tuesday as rival lawmakers fought over a protest against this week’s inauguration of president-elect Felipe Calderon. Lawmakers threw chairs and exchanged punches when one group aligned with defeated presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador tried to take the podium where Calderon is due to be sworn in. Lopez Obrador’s supporters have vowed to prevent Calderon’s inauguration amid allegations he stole Mexico’s elections with massive fraud. Official results show Calderon won the election by less than one percentage point.

Calderon Criticized for Internal Secretary Appointment
Meanwhile, Calderón is coming under intense criticism for his pick to oversee internal security. On Tuesday, Calderon announced the appointment of Francisco Ramírez Acuña as Interior Secretary. Acuna is widely blamed for the detention and mistreatment of scores of protesters two years ago in Jalisco, where he served as state governor. Many analysts say the appointment could signal the Calderon government intends to deal with the Oaxaca uprising with repression. In an interview with the Financial Times, Tamara Taraciuk of Human Rights Watch said: “This appointment sends a terrible signal both to the domestic and international communities.”

Bolivian Senate Approves Land-Reform Bill
In Bolivia, Bolivia's Senate has approved a landmark measure to distribute idle or illegally-held land to the poor. The agrarian reform bill came under heavy opposition from senators tied to wealthy landowners. But the opposition splintered after weeks of protest from landless Indians who marched on the capitol La Paz. Bolivian President Evo Morales addressed them at a rally on Tuesday.

Bolivian President Evo Morales: "The productive farms will be respected, but there is land that is unproductive, there are people that illegally monopolize thousands of hectares of land. In the dictatorships sometimes political powers would take advantage of disadvantaged people. These lands, with the help of the State - will be given back to the people that have no land."

The land reform bill was already approved by Bolivia's lower house earlier this month but needed Senate approval to come into law.

Castro Too Ill for 80th Birthday Celebrations
In Cuba, President Fidel Castro released a statement Tuesday announcing he will not attend celebrations this week for his eightieth birthday. Castro says his doctors told him he is not ready for public events as continues to recover from intestinal surgery.