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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.

☆ Nanny sharing, co-parenting, and the YMCA are helping parents meet their childcare needs as costs rise and shortages persist
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

They're turning to a variety of options to get by, including nanny sharing and co-parenting. Unable to find or afford childcare, many parents are exploring all their options on the table. While she told Insider this is meeting most of their childcare needs for now, it's costing them $1,000 to $1,500 per month. Some families have tried "nanny sharing" — when two or more families hire one nanny to watch their children at one of their homes and split the expense. "It seems that it eases the cost a bit," said Wilson-Demarco, who says she knows some families that have nanny shared.

☆ 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.

☆ They say it takes a village to raise children. But millennial mothers are taking to TikTok to say 'there is no village' as their childcare struggles persist.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

People say "it takes a village to raise" children. But many millennial parents are raising children without anything resembling a village to help them. "Stop telling us 'it takes a village to raise a child,'" one TikToker wrote in a video caption. New ways to find your villageWhile some politicians are advocating for legislation that could help make childcare more accessible and affordable, this doesn't help parents today. In the meantime, there are a few potential childcare solutions for families without a traditional village to help them out.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond is closing dozens of stores in 2023 — see the full list
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Bed Bath & Beyond released an updated list of store closures set to take place by March. San Leandro: 15555 East 14th St., Suite 24015555 East 14th St., Suite 240 Burbank: 201 East Magnolia Blvd. ArterialKansas:Lawrence: 3106 S. Iowa St., Suite 2153106 S. Iowa St., Suite 215 Manhattan: 425 3rd PlaceKentucky:Elizabethtown: 1998 N. Dixie Ave.1998 N. Dixie Ave. New Hartford: 4805 Commercial Drive4805 Commercial Drive Kingston: 1187 Ulster Ave.1187 Ulster Ave. Plattsburgh: 73 Centre Drive, Suite 10073 Centre Drive, Suite 100 Farmingdale: 251 Airport Plaza Blvd. Wisconsin:Mequon: 11110 N. Port Washington RoadPuerto Rico:Bayamon: Plaza Del Sol, 725 West Main Ave.Do you work for Bed Bath & Beyond?

☆ 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.

Several Latinos whose lives and work left a profound imprint on American institutions — from arts and entertainment to legal and civil rights — passed away in 2022. Cavazos began his education in a two-room schoolhouse on the King Ranch in Texas, where his father was a foreman. President Reagan named Cavazos Secretary of Education in 1988, making him the first Hispanic ever to serve in the U.S. Together, “Luis” and Maria” showed young audiences that Latinos were people who worked, fell in love and were part of their community. Her goals were to give Latinos a presence in the dance world, and to instill pride in Hispanic culture.

☆ Republicans went after BlackRock and sustainable investing in 2022. Meet 12 officials crusading against 'woke capitalism.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

A group of vocal conservative officials are criticizing aspects of ESG investing. Players in the ESG ecosystem, like S&P Global and BlackRock, the world's largest money manager and an influential proponent of ESG investing, are often the subject of their critiques. Instead, officials often paint large financial firms' ESG strategies as functions of left-leaning agendas. Here are key GOP players who are taking aim at ESG investing. Abbott, who is seeking reelection in November, was early to denouncing ESG investing.

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.

☆ Pentagon debuts its new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The B-21 Raider is the first new American bomber aircraft in more than 30 years. Both the Air Force and Northrop also point to the Raider's relatively quick development: The bomber went from contract award to debut in seven years. And we will build the bomber force in numbers suited to the strategic environment ahead," Austin said. The B-21 Raider, which takes its name from the 1942 Doolittle Raid over Tokyo, will be slightly smaller than the B-2 to increase its range, Warden said. Northrop Grumman has also incorporated maintenance lessons learned from the B-2, Warden said.

☆ Meet 12 Republican officials crusading against BlackRock and ESG investing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

☆ 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 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.

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