Haiti President Names Third Prime Minister Nominee

Haitian officials say President Michel Martelly has selected a recent top aide to former U.S. President Bill Clinton as his third nominee for prime minister.

They say Mr. Martelly chose Garry Conille for the post. Conille served as an aide to Mr. Clinton in his work as U.N. special envoy for Haiti.

President Martelly took office more than three months ago.  But Haiti's parliament refused to confirm his first two nominees for prime minister. 

The delay in filling the post has stalled earthquake reconstruction efforts. 

The earthquake in January 2010 killed more than 200,000 people.  Hundreds of thousands of people are still living in tent camps.

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10:10 AM | 0 comments

State Police Officer Arrested in Deadly Mexico Casino Fire

Mexican authorities have arrested a state police officer in connection with last week's casino arson fire in Monterrey that killed 52 people.

The Associated Press reports a surveillance video shows the officer in a vehicle outside the upscale Casino Royale.  Few other details were immediately released.

Authorities arrested five other suspects, believed to be members of the Zetas drug cartel, on Monday.

Investigators have not given a motive for the killings, but they are exploring whether drugs or an extortion plot are behind the attack.

Last week, gunmen carrying a flammable liquid burst into the casino and began setting fires as workers and patrons ran for cover.

The attack was one of the worst on civilians in Mexico in recent years.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in drug related violence in Mexico since President Felip Calderon launched a national crack down on drug cartels in 2006

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10:25 AM | 0 comments

S&P Downgrades Venezuela's Credit Rating

The rating agency Standard & Poor's has downgraded Venezuela's credit rating, citing the country's political risk as a key weakness.

S&P lowered the country's sovereign currency rating once notch Friday from BB¯ to B+ with a stable outlook.

In a statement, S&P said "changing and arbitrary laws, price and exchange controls, and other distorting and unpredictable economic measures have undermined private-sector investment and hurt productivity," and have weakened Venezuela's economy.

The agency also said uncertainty about the health of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has added to the country's economic risks.

Chavez has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy in Cuba to treat a cancerous tumor.  In June, Cuban doctors performed surgery on him to remove a tumor.  The 57-year-old president has vowed to recover and insists he will seek another six-year term in 2012.

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9:26 AM | 0 comments