Two more Germans held over Dominican Republic 'sect' shootout

 The Dominican Republic authorities have arrested two more German suspected doomsday cult members over a deadly shootout earlier this week.

Daniel Brunck and Isabella Dietrich were ordered by a judge to stay in preventative detention while a police investigation continued.

They joined Peter Brunck, Daniel's father, who had been held earlier.

Peter Demetrick, also a German citizen, was killed in the shootout in the northern town of Sosua on Wednesday.

Police later seized rifles, grenades and crossbows in the exclusive neighbourhood in the seaside town popular with German immigrants.

Haiti - Diaspora : «We need Haitian solutions to Haitian problems

Hundreds of members of the Haitian diaspora from the United States, Latin America and Europe gathered in Washington, DC, at headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS), from 18 to 20 October 2012 for the "2012 Global Haitian Diaspora Congress".

The Congress, which took place under the theme "Unity for Results In and Out of Haiti", was addressed by representatives of the government of Haiti through Daniel Supplice, Minister of the Haitians Living Abroad, the Senator Simon Desras, President of the Senate, Mrs. Michaelle Jean, and the Special Envoy of UNESCO for Haiti, representatives of diplomatic missions and several others personnalités.

Petronas rejection may hurt Canadian stocks

CALGARY/TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian markets could face a bloody opening on Monday after the government blocked the C$5.17 billion ($5.22 billion) acquisition of Progress Energy Resources Corp (PRQ.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) by Malaysian state oil company Petronas PETR.UL, raising questions about other, bigger bids and about Canada's willingness to let foreign investors in.
Canadian Industry Minister Christian Paradis said late Friday night that Petronas' bid for Progress -- one of the largest owners of exploration lands in the gas-rich Montney shale region in northeastern British Columbia -- would not provide the "net benefit" for the country required by Canada's foreign investment laws.
Investors had expected a favorable decision on the bid by the minister, especially given Petronas' pledge to help spur Canada's nascent liquefied natural gas export industry by building an LNG export facility on the country's Pacific coast.
But Paradis' veto also raises doubts over the outcome of Chinese oil group CNOOC's (0883.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) C$15.1 billion offer for oil producer Nexen (NXY.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and is expected to weigh on other Canadian firms hoping to tap the foreign investment needed to harvest their vast energy reserves and the mood among investors is somber.
"We're going to see sell-offs all around and gore on the floor for Progress and Nexen," said Chris Damas, an independent analyst with BCMI Research.
Still, the ruling Conservatives say the refusal is not an issue. Petronas and Progress have 30 days from last Friday to convince the Canadian government to reconsider the decision. Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty confirmed on Sunday that the government is willing to negotiate.
"I'm not involved in those discussions directly. The minister of industry is," Flaherty said in an interview on CTV's "Question Period". "I'm sure they'll continue to work on it. There's another period of time during which they can continue to have discussions and try to satisfy the concerns that the Department of Industry has."

Cuba’s historic decision to end travel restrictions could ease strains from economic overhaul

HAVANA — Cuba seems to be betting that its decision to allow most of its citizens to travel abroad freely will be as good for its economy as it is for its public relations.

The announcement comes as the communist island nation carries out a cautious, limited free market experiment to reform Cuba’s inefficient economy, which includes a plan to fire 1 million state workers and allow more entrepreneurship.

Cuba’s leaders seem confident that lifting exit visa requirements will not produce an embarrassing exodus. Instead, experts say, a controlled migration might ease the pain of its economic overhaul by providing an outlet for the anticipated surge in unemployed workers and an investment in human capital if Cubans return home with experience in market economies.

Foes of Panama’s plan to sell land in duty-free zone protest again in Colon, but no violence

PANAMA CITY — Hundreds of people opposed to Panama selling state-owned land in a duty-free zone on the Panama Canal have marched through the city of Colon a day after a violent protest resulted in a death and several injuries.

No violence has been reported Saturday in the Caribbean port city.

Heavily armed police are patrolling in response to a protest Friday that saw people burning tires, barricading streets and throwing things at police. Officers used tear gas and fired shots in the air to disperse the rioters.

Authorities say a 10-year-old died from a gunshot but the source of the bullet is under investigation.

Costa Rica to Reform Public Transportation to Achieve Carbon Neutrality 2021

Costa Rica’s government will prioritize the conversion of public transport to cleaner energy as part of efforts to become the first country in the world to achieve carbon neutrality by 2021.

The Minister of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications, René Castro, said today in a press conference that the main emitter of carbon dioxide is the transport sector, especially the public (buses and taxis).

He added that the conversion to clean energy sector will begin next year through a series of actions such as tax and credit facilities to transport entrepreneurs who want to change or convert their vehicles to run, for example, natural gas or electricity.

Castro said that cleaner energy sources than fossil fuels are more profitable for the user, so the government is negotiating with countries producing vehicles using those energies to obtain better prices in exchange for eliminating or reducing income taxes the country.

Arab World imports from Brazil exceed $6.6 billion: report

The Arab World’s imports from Brazil have reached over $6.6 billion between January to August, the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce said in a report.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE emerged as the top importers in the region, Arabian Business news website published information from the report on Sunday.

In Saudi Arabia, the imports reached over $1.5 billion during the period, while the UAE’s imports were valued at over $930 million, it added.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian market’s food imports from Brazil increased by 28 percent recording the largest jump to reach $1.2 billion in comparison to the same period last year.

While cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose are Brazil’s top export products to Arab countries with a combined value of nearly $2.5 billion, meat accounted for the biggest increase in Brazilian exports valued at over $554 million, up by nearly 45 percent from the same period in 2011.

“With Brazilian food companies strongly adhering to halal standards and other quality regulations being adopted in key markets across the region, we expect export volumes to continue to rise and serve as a rallying point for long-term trade and economic cooperation,” Director-General of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Michel Alaby, said.

“We will therefore continue to explore more innovative ways to cultivate a stronger alliance among Brazilian exporters and their counterparts in the MENA region,” he added.

Posted By: Shawn Huyck