United Press International: Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica is the new U.N. climate protection chief. Appointed Monday by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Figueres is to succeed Yvo de Boer as the head of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change when the Dutchman steps down July 1. Figueres, 53, knows the climate circus well: She has been a negotiator for her country since 1995, has helped draft climate protection strategies all over Latin America, and has represented Latin America and the …