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☆ Haitians in the U.S. feel pressure to sponsor friends, family back home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Many people unfortunately are not in a position to sponsor family members or friends back home, but they are receiving calls nonstop." She said her clients have described being expected to sponsor entire extended families and in some cases face threats. "I would say it's also a program that will place undue stress on families and cause family divisions." "People will say 'I have more than one cousin I would like to sponsor, I'm only able to sponsor one of them,'" Jozef said. She is also opposed to the expulsions of Haitians and other migrants arriving at the southwest border, many who are seeking U.S. asylum.

☆ Venezuela former chief justice indicted in U.S. for money laundering
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CARACAS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Venezuela's former chief justice Maikel Moreno has been indicted on money laundering charges related to bribe payments he allegedly received in exchange for influencing court decisions, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Southern District of Florida said. "During his tenure on the Supreme Court, Moreno received bribes in exchange for influencing actions in criminal cases, including dismissing criminal charges and arrest warrants or ordering home confinement for charged defendants," according to the statement. Moreno was replaced as chief justice in 2022, but retains a position as a judge on the court. Moreno is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of concealment of money laundering, and two counts of engaging in transactions in criminally derived property, according to the statement. Reporting by Brian Ellsworth in Caracas; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Haitian police officers on Thursday blocked streets and forced their way into the country's main airport to protest the recent killing of officers by armed gangs expanding their grip on the Caribbean nation. "PM is still at the Airport, unable to leave for now," said the source, who asked not to be identified. Haiti's National Police and the Prime Minister's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Roads around Port-au-Prince and in several cities to the north were blocked by protesters. The proposal was originally made three months ago but no country has offered to lead such a force.

☆ Usain Bolt seeks missing $12.7 mln from Jamaica investment firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Kate Chappell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KINGSTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Olympic champion Usain Bolt is seeking to recover more than $12.7 million that disappeared from his account with a Jamaican investment firm and is willing to take the case to court if necessary, Bolt's attorney said. "We will be going to court with the matter" if the company does not return the funds, Gordon said. The Jamaica Constabulary Force said on Monday that its fraud and financial investigation teams were probing "alleged fraudulent activities at (SSL) which are said to have affected the accounts of Mr. Usain Bolt among other individuals." Bolt's account was intended to serve as a pension for the eight-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter and for his parents, Gordon said. Reporting by Kate Chappell in Kingston and Brian Ellsworth in Caracas Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. judge orders Norwegian Cruise Line to pay $110 mln for use of Cuba port
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MIAMI, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH.N) must pay $110 million in damages for use of a port that Cuba's government confiscated in 1960, according to a ruling by a U.S. judge released on Friday. The decision by U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom in Miami follows her March ruling that the use of the Havana Cruise Port Terminal constituted trafficking in confiscated property owned by the plaintiff, Delaware-registered Havana Docks Corp."Judgment is entered in favor of Plaintiff Havana Docks Corporation and against Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Ltd," reads the decision. "Plaintiff is awarded $109,848,747.87 in damages," it says, adding that Norwegian should also pay an additional $3 million in legal fees and costs. Norwegian Cruise Line did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Havana Docks had also sued cruise lines Carnival (CCL.N), Royal Caribbean (RCL.N) and MSC under the Helms-Burton Act, which allows U.S. nationals to sue over use of property seized in Cuba during the Cold War era.

Dec 16 (Reuters) - The Bahamas should not be blamed for the collapse of bankrupt cryptocurrency platform FTX, the country's foreign minister said on Friday, following repeated accusations by FTX management of alleged misconduct by the Caribbean nation's authorities. In a withering voice recording distributed over WhatsApp on Friday morning, Bahamas Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell, said "this blame game directed at The Bahamas" is undermining efforts to recover assets that were lost as a result of fraud. "We in The Bahamas can ask the question: How did the mastermind of FTX get on the front page of Forbes magazine, a U.S. magazine? On Thursday, his lawyers filed a new bail application, this time before the Supreme Court, according to a source. Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington and Brian Ellsworth in Miami Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/3] The prison where Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, is being held after his arrest is seen in Nassau, Bahamas December 14, 2022. REUTERS/Maria Alejandra Cardona/File PhotoDec 13 (Reuters) - Prisoners faced rodents and a lack of toilets in the Bahamas detention center where Sam Bankman-Fried will be held, according to a 2021 U.S. State Department report, though local authorities says conditions have since improved. The 30-year-old Bankman-Fried arrived at a Bahamas court on Tuesday for his first in-person public appearance since the spectacular collapse of cryptocurrency exchange he founded. Cleare said on Tuesday that prison conditions have greatly improved thanks to a renovation program that has built new cells. The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the videos.

REUTERS/Dante Carrer/File PhotoNASSAU, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Cordoned-off roads, a sweltering courtroom and numerous delays marked Sam Bankman-Fried's first in-person public appearance since his crypto company collapsed. The Bahamas courtroom hearing, conducted over the course of six hours, saw Bankman-Fried, dressed in a suit rather than his typical t-shirt attire, seeking bail to dispute his extradition to the U.S. "I'm not waiving," Bankman-Fried said when asked if he would seek to waive his right to an extradition hearing. At the start of the proceedings, Bankman-Fried asked to change an Emsam patch, a medical strip applied to the skin that is used to treat adult depression. Bankman-Fried's defense counsel pointed out that Bankman-Fried had spent weeks in The Bahamas after his business collapsed without attempting to leave the country.

☆ Two dead and four injured in Peru protests to demand elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Two teens were killed and four people injured in Peru on Sunday during protests demanding the country hold general elections following the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo, police and local authorities said. Demonstrators, many of them Castillo supporters, have for days demanded that Peru hold elections rather than allow Boluarte to stay in power until Castillo's term ends in 2026. Baltazar Lantaron, governor of the Apurimac region, told local television station Canal N that "four injuries are reported, treated at the health center, three of them (with wounds) to the scalp, with multiple injuries". The ombudsman's office on Saturday said two police officers were held for hours by protesters in Andahuaylas, but were later released. Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima, writing by Brian Ellsworth in Miami; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

☆ Peru's president Boluarte names Cabinet following Castillo ouster
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Peru's President Dina Boluarte, who took office after her predecessor Pedro Castillo was ousted, poses along with her new Cabinet in Lima, Peru December 10, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Saturday named her Cabinet, tapping former deputy finance minister Alex Contreras as economy minister and chemical engineer Oscar Vera as energy and mines minister, following the ouster of ex-President Pedro Castillo. Boluarte took office on Wednesday after Castillo was ousted from office and arrested following his failed attempt to dissolve Congress as lawmakers were preparing to impeach him. read moreShe also named former state prosecutor Pedro Angulo as prime minister and diplomat Ana Cecilia Cervantes as foreign minister. Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima, Writing by Brian Ellsworth in Miami Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ex-U.S. lawmaker arrested for conspiring to act as agent of Venezuela
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Former U.S. lawmaker David Rivera was arrested on Monday on charges of conspiring to launder money and to illegally act as an agent of the Venezuelan government, according to a U.S. official and an indictment. Rivera and associate Esther Nuhfer sought to improve bilateral ties and prevent further U.S. economic sanctions against Venezuela, without disclosing this as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act, according to the indictment. "On November 16, 2022, Rivera was indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in the Southern District of Florida." In 2020, a PDVSA unit under opposition control sued Interamerican Consulting, stating it received $15 million from PDVSA but performed no meaningful services. Interamerican paid millions of dollars to a company managing yachts for a Venezuelan businessman, according to records that emerged from that lawsuit.

☆ Canada freezes assets of three Haitian businessmen over gang links
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The sanctions target Gilbert Bigio, chairman of Haitian industrial conglomerate GB Group, as well as prominent business leaders Reynold Deeb and Sherif Abdallah, the government said. GB Group and the office of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on a current and a former Haitian senator, accusing the two politicians of engaging in drug trafficking activities. Policymakers in the United States and Canada have this year been increasingly vocal in discussing alleged links between gangs and economic elites. Two U.S. lawmakers in September said the United States should sanction Haitian gang leaders and the "warlords" who finance them.

☆ Haiti still needs foreign strike force to confront gangs, official says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ralph Tedy ErolWASHINGTON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The international community should send a strike force to Haiti to confront gangs even though police have ended a blockade of a fuel terminal that caused a humanitarian crisis, Haiti's ambassador to the United States said on Monday. The U.N. Security Council in October discussed sending troops to confront gangs, but those proposals have received little attention since police took back control of the Varreux terminal in November. "If you don't have an international presence to help confront the armed gangs, the situation will become even more dire," he warned. Such a force should support the police, and troops should be provided by what he called a "coalition of the willing for Haiti," Edmond said. Barbecue on Nov 6 said workers could return to the terminal, and fuel distribution has slowly resumed since then.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Canada has sanctioned former Haitian President Michel Martelly and two former prime ministers for financing gangs, Canadian authorities said on Sunday, the latest in a series of measures targeting alleged backers of Haitian criminal groups. In September, Haitian gangs created a humanitarian crisis by blocking a fuel terminal for nearly six weeks, halting most economic activity and triggering U.N. discussion of a possible foreign strike force to open the terminal. Canada and the United States have sanctioned political leaders who allegedly finance the gangs, which according to policy makers are backed by Haitian elites. Radio-Canada journalist Louis Blouin wrote on Twitter that the sanctions targeted Martelly, as well as former Haitian Prime Ministers Laurent Lamothe and Jean Henry Ceant. Ceant served as prime minister from 2018 to 2019.

☆ At least one dead after Cuban migrant vessel capsizes off Florida coast, Coast Guard says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday said it has recovered the body of one person after a vessel carrying Cuban migrants capsized off Florida's Little Torch Key, adding it rescued nine people and was searching for five others. Survivors told rescuers a total of 19 people were originally on the homemade vessel and that four people drowned immediately after it capsized, Coast Guard spokesperson Nicole Groll said. Some migrants attempt to reach Florida on rickety vessels, though most fly to Central America or Mexico and reach the U.S. border by land. The vast majority were allowed into the United States to pursue immigration cases. Earlier this month, a senior Cuban diplomat said Cuba and the United States were making progress in talks aimed at curbing the migration crisis.

☆ Dominican Republic steps up Haitian deportations, raising tensions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - The Dominican Republic is stepping up deportations of Haitians and is creating a police unit focused on foreigners, fueling tensions between the two Caribbean nations whose relations have for decades been marred by migration disputes. "Prime Minister Ariel Henry is very concerned about the mass deportations that are taking place in the Dominican Republic," said Jean-Junior Joseph, a spokesperson for the prime minister's office, in a statement on Wednesday. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Nov. 10 called on the Dominican Republic to halt deportations of Haitians, citing violence and systematic human rights violations in their home country. Abinader in comments broadcast by Dominican media described Turk's comments as "unacceptable and irresponsible," saying that the Dominican Republic did not have resources to help more Haitians and adding that authorities would boost deportations. Jean Bonheur Delva, head of the National Migration Office, told local media on Tuesday the figure was around 50,000 in the last three months.

REUTERS/Gilbert BellamyKINGSTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday declared a state of public emergency in parts of the capital Kingston and in some central and western parishes in an attempt to control rising crime linked to gang violence. States of emergency give authorities increased powers, including the ability to search buildings and carry out arrests without warrants. "What we are seeing with gang activities in these areas is cause for grave concern," he added. Holness predicted an increase in murders over the next several weeks with the onset of the holiday season, when violent crime typically spikes. Gang violence was the reason for 71% of those murders, he said.

☆ Hurricane Nicole bears down on Florida's Atlantic coast
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A car drives by a flooded street ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Nicole, in Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S., November 9, 2022. REUTERS/Marco BelloMIAMI, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Hurricane Nicole closed in on Florida's Atlantic shoreline early on Thursday with a brew of heavy downpours, fierce winds and a treacherous surge of ocean surf that threatened coastal areas still reeling from the last major storm six weeks ago. Nicole is expected to pack less punch at landfall than Ian, which struck Florida as a major Category 4 storm. Authorities warned, however, that Nicole still posed a formidable threat, especially to structures and coastal foundations weakened by Ian. "We have had a lot of flooding within the last couple of storms," Leanne Hansard, 53, a Daytona Beach resident, said as she was boarding up windows to her family's insurance office.

☆ Hurricane Nicole barrels into Florida's Atlantic coast
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nicole was upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane as it thrashed the Bahamas on Wednesday. It was packing sustained winds of up to 75 mph (120 kph) as it made landfall along the east coast of Florida north of Miami, according to the National Hurricane Center. read moreThe hurricane center also issued storm-surge advisories for much of Florida's Atlantic coast, warning that wind-driven waves would wash over beaches and rush inland to flood low-lying areas well beyond the shore. Nicole is expected to pack less punch at landfall than Ian, which struck Florida as a major Category 4 storm. 'LAST OPPORTUNITY'[1/5] A car drives by a flooded street ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Nicole, in Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S., November 9, 2022.

Nicole, newly classified as a hurricane, was packing sustained winds of up 75 miles per hour (120 km per hour) as it made landfall on Grand Bahama Island, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported. Grand Bahama, Bimini and the Berry Islands in the northwest corner of the island nation remained under a hurricane warning. As the storm closed in earlier in the day, some Bahamas residents fled their homes amid fierce winds and flooding. Storm surge caused widespread devastation to Florida's Gulf Coast when the last major storm, Hurricane Ian, crashed ashore there on Sept. 28, causing an estimated $60 billion in damage and claiming more than 140 lives. Several counties along the Florida coast issued mandatory orders and voluntary evacuation advisories for homes near the shore and on barrier islands.

☆ Storm Nicole churns toward Bahamas en route to Florida and hurricane status
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Beachgoers are shown as tropical storm Nicole approaches the state in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S., November 8, 2022. A hurricane warning was posted for Grand Bahama Island, Bimini, the Berry Islands and the Abacos in the northwestern corner of the West Indies archipelago nation, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. A 240-mile expanse of Florida's Atlantic shoreline from Boca Raton north to around Flagler Beach was likewise placed under a hurricane warning. "It's going to take more than a Category 1 hurricane or so to really move stuff and have them flying around." Forecasters said Nicole would likely sweep across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia on Thursday.

☆ U.S. charges Haitian gang leaders for 2021 missionary kidnapping
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MIAMI, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The United States has unsealed charges against a group of Haitian gang leaders, including three men involved in last year's kidnapping of U.S. missionaries, the Department of Justice said on Monday. Joseph Wilson, known as Lanmo Sanjou, and Jermaine Stephenson, aka Gaspiyay, of the 400 Mawozo gang that took responsibility for the October 2021 kidnapping, were charged with hostage taking and conspiracy to commit hostage taking. Vitel'homme Innocent, leader of a Kraze Barye gang, worked with 400 Mawozo on the kidnapping, the DOJ said. The DOJ also unsealed charges against four other Haitian gang members for separate kidnappings involving U.S. citizens, who it did not identify. Earlier this year, Haiti's police said that 400 Mawozo leader Germine Joly, aka 'Yonyon,' was extradited to the United States following a request by the U.S. authorities.

☆ Haiti gang leader says fuel distribution can resume as blockade ends
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Haitian gang leader Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier said on Sunday that fuel trucks can approach the Varreux terminal without fear for their safety, days after police broke up a blockade that had halted fuel distribution for nearly two months. "Once again, the drivers and employees of the Varreux terminal can come down without fear," Cherizier said in a video circulating online. Haiti's police on Friday said they had retaken control of the terminal after confronting the gangs in the area. The fuel shortages halted most economic activity and forced hospitals and businesses to scale back operations sharply or shut their doors, just as the country suffered an outbreak of cholera. Reporting by Harold Isaac in Port-au-Prince and Brian Ellsworth in Caracas; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Haitians hope for fuel supplies after police break up gang blockade at terminal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Haitians on Saturday hoped for a quick return of fuel supplies after police broke up a gang blockade that for two months had left the economy without gasoline or diesel and triggered a humanitarian crisis. Haiti's National Police said in a statement late on Friday that it took back control of the Varreux fuel terminal, where the G9 gang coalition had dug trenches and set up barricades to prevent fuel distribution. "We don't know exactly when fuel deliveries will begin," said one source with knowledge of the situation. The gasoline and diesel shortages had halted almost all economic activity, including in transportation and hospitals, and forced many local business owners to shut operations. Reporting by Brian Ellsworth in Sao Paulo and Harold Isaac in Port-au-PrinceOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/File PhotoNov 4 (Reuters) - The United States and Canada on Friday imposed sanctions on two Haitian politicians, including the president of the country's Senate, as Washington accused them of abusing their positions to traffic drugs and collaborate with gang networks in the country. The sanctions target Haitian Senate President Joseph Lambert and Youri Latortue, who served as president of the chamber from 2017-2018, the U.S. Treasury Department and Canada's foreign ministry said in separate statements. The sanctions essentially freeze any assets Lambert and Latortue may hold in the United States or Canada and generally bar Americans from dealing with them. Lambert, Latortue and Prime Minister Ariel Henry's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Canada and the United States did not identify which Haitian gangs it believed were tied to the officials.

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