Former rebel takes Colombian helm

{O/C} In the South American nation of Colombia, the country's first leftist president was inaugurated yesterday.

Gustavo Petro, a former member of the country's M-19 guerrilla group, has promised a crusade against inequality and to bring back peace.

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Petro said he was getting another bite at the cake to stamp out violence and poverty that have both stultified the country for decades.

He's expected to implement economic policies aiming to end enduring inequalities and ensure support for the nation's most susceptible.

The linchpin of a nascent group of leftist political novices, Petro won the suspenseful presidential election in June as conservatives were out of touch with worries about the country's soaring poverty and violence.

He has vowed to start peace talks with armed groups across the country, and called on the U.S. and other developed countries to rejig their anti-drug policies that stoked violent conflicts across the country.