Montreal: Gunman Kills One, Wounds Two
A person died and two were injured as a result of a shooting when a masked gunman opened fire on the victory speech by Quebec”s newly elected premier, PQ’s Pauline Marois.
Authorities affirmed that the alleged attacker, 50, was arrested and the reasons that led him carry out the crime are still unknown, the BBC reported.
The Police offered no details on the event, but Marois escaped unharmed and was pulled out of the place escorted by guards when the shooting began.
“As a result of this tragedy, it is all the Quebecois who are grieving today in the face of such a senseless act of violence,” Marois said in a statement released by the party.
Ecuador Suspends 26 Foreign NGOs
At least 26 foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were suspended by the Technical Secretariat for International Cooperation (SETECI) from Ecuador, nine of which are from the United States.
An official SETECI bulletin states that 16 other NGOs should obtain their stay in this country in the coming 15 days. The reasons why their contract were recinded will be informed today.
Of all institutions that did not receive the renewal of their permission, three are from Italy and the same quantity from Spain, two from the United Kingdom, one from Argentina and a similar number from Colombia, Philippines, Singapore, Denmark, Belgium, Puerto Rico and Germany.
The SETECI states the determination that in case they do not comply with those requirements, they shall terminate their activities in the country.
The text says that all foreign NGOs that want to engage in cooperation and development projects in Ecuador are obliged to sign an Basic Operating Agreement. The Ecuadorian government had announced the review of NGOs contracts and the evaluation of operations’ relevance in the country, as in some cases the ostensible purpose of their actions had been distorted.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been one of the most questioned bodies here by the existence of controversial projects that reveal different objectives to their purposes.
Local experts agree that the U.S. government seeks to control freshwater in Latin America, as well as the potential to produce electricity and one on the ecological systems with high concentration of biodiversity in the world.
Britain’s Watchdog to Investigate Petrol Prices
The British Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on Wednesday announced it will launch an investigation into the prices of petrol and diesel to see whether a fall in oil prices is being transferred to customers.
The OFT issued a call for information on Britain’s petrol and diesel sector, saying that its review will address competition issues and worries about price coordination.
The retail road fuels sector in Britain is estimated to be worth around 32 billion pounds. Britain’s petrol prices rose by 38 percent between June 2007 and June 2012, and diesel prices by 43 percent over the same period, according to the OFT.
The body said in light of continuing public concern about pump prices, it is asking the industry, motoring groups and consumer bodies to submit pricing information.
The OFT will explore a number of claims about how the road fuels sector in Britain is functioning, including whether reductions in the price of crude oil are being reflected in falling pump prices.
“We are keenly aware of continuing widespread concern about the pump price of petrol and diesel and we have heard a number of different claims about how the market is operating,” said Claire Hart, director at OFT.
After information is gathered over the next six weeks, the plan is to publish the findings in January 2013.
Via PL