Cancun talks start with a call to the gods

With United Nations climate negotiators facing an uphill battle to advance their goal of reducing emissions linked to global warming, it's no surprise that the woman steering the talks appealed to a Mayan goddess Monday.

Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, invoked the ancient jaguar goddess Ixchel in her opening statement to delegates gathered in Cancun, Mexico, noting that Ixchel was not only goddess of the moon, but also "the goddess of reason, creativity and weaving. May she inspire you -- because today, you are gathered in Cancun to weave together the elements of a solid response to climate change, using both reason and creativity as your tools."...

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Mexico Extradites Former State Governor To Face Drug Charges In US

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has extradited a former state governor to the United States to face charges of helping a cartel smuggling cocaine through the resort of Cancun en route to the U.S. market.

Mario Villanueva, who was governor of the Caribbean state of Quintana Roo from 1993 to 1999, was turned over to U.S. authorities Saturday at the international airport in Toluca, a city near the Mexican capital, the federal Attorney General's Office said in a statement.

Villanueva is the first former governor to be extradited to the U.S. on drug charges.

He is charged in New York federal court with aiding the Juarez cartel smuggle hundreds of tons of Colombian cocaine to the United States via Cancun. U.S. prosecutors have said Villanueva received $500,000 for each of several shipments he aided.

Villanueva is the 326th criminal suspect Mexico has extradited to the U.S. under the government of President Felipe Calderon, which has stepped up the extradition process as the two countries intensify cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking...

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