Knights Templar and Vigilante Groups Clash in Apatzingan, Michoacán: Vigilante self-defense groups drove into the town of Apatzingan, Michoacán on Saturday, bolstered by support from local police and army personnel. The town, previously a command center for the Knights Templar drug cartel, has been caught in a bloody battle since the self-defense groups launched an offensive against the cartel in early January. The Knights Templar cartel says that the self-defense groups are actually a proxy for the rival New Generation cartel from neighboring Jalisco, an accusation that the self-defense forces deny. Meanwhile, the Mexican government has granted the self-defense groups legal status by defining them as “rural defense corps.”
Venezuelan Newspapers Say They May Close Due to Currency Controls: Venezuelan newspapers say they may have to shut down due to a paper shortage caused by paper importers’ inability to obtain dollars due to strict government controls. Newspaper employees and media advocates have been staging protests outside the Venezuelan currency-exchange board, warning that the scarcity of newsprint will silence opposition voices and curtail free speech. The Venezuelan advocacy group Espacio Público said that 12 newspapers have recently closed and another 15 may follow suit. The government has declined to comment on the paper shortage. Venezuela imports most of its newsprint from Canada.
Manaus Stadium Workers Threaten Strike After Another Death: After a third construction-related death at Amazonia Arena in Manaus, Brazil on Friday, workers are threatening to go on strike. A 55 year-old man died in an accident while disassembling a crane for the stadium’s roof. Two other workers have died at the stadium in less than a year. Amazonia Arena is scheduled to host four matches for this year’s World Cup, and was expected to be inaugurated this month.
Public Awaits Decision on Keystone Pipeline: A week after the U.S. State Department released its environmental impact assessment of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline, spurring a wave a protests from environmental activists, President Obama is expected to make a decision on whether or not to approve the pipeline in the coming days. The State Department report claimed that the pipeline, which would cross through six U.S. states, would have a somewhat larger carbon footprint than other sources of oil but would not likely affect the rate at which oil from Canada’s tar sands is extracted. Obama has said that he would approve the pipeline as long as it did not “significantly exacerbate” climate change.
Nine People Die in Guatemala Massacre: Armed gunmen killed nine people in Petén, Guatemala on Saturday, killing seven adults, a 5-year-old girl, and a 3-month-old baby. Guatemalan Security Minister Mauricio López said that the shooting appeared to be related to drug trafficking in the area, but no arrests have yet been made. Petén shares a border with Mexico and organized crime has been a major problem. Meanwhile, Guatemala’s attorney general, Claudia Paz y Paz, will be forced to step down early from her four-year term in May, due to a ruling last week by Guatemala’s Constitutional Court that upheld a claim that her term began in May 2010, when her predecessor was appointed, rather than in December 2010. Paz y Paz has been recognized for her prosecution of organized crime and retired military officers accused of human rights abuses.
