PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haiti’s President Michel Martelly is defending his record since taking office of the impoverished Caribbean nation two years ago.The former pop star points to his introduction of a tuition-free school project and social protection programs. Martelly also says his government has brought tourists back to the one-time tropical getaway. Martelly was an [...]
Haiti Crowds Defy Ban, Laud Reappearance of Ex-President Aristide
May 9, 2013 | Posted by
Thousands of supporters of Haiti’s former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide have defied a ban on protests to follow his convoy through the streets. Aristide was attending a courthouse in Port-au-Prince to answer questions about the murder of a well-known journalist in 2000. It was his first appearance in public since his return from exile in 2011. [...]
Trade More Important Than Aid to Haiti
May 8, 2013 | Posted by
Three years after a devastating earthquake, Haiti still has a long way to go to get back on its feet economically. But the country is making progress. Much of the rubble has been cleared away. Confidence in the Haitian government is climbing, from an 11 percent approval rating in 2010 to 32 percent last year, [...]
Rep. Barbara Lee Pushes Bill to Assess Haiti’s Post-Earthquake Aid
April 30, 2013 | Posted by
U.S. Representative Barbara Lee introduced H.R. 1749, on Thursday, the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act, which would require a comprehensive report updating Congress on the progress of the post-earthquake humanitarian, reconstruction, and development efforts in Haiti. “The Haitian people have continued to demonstrate resiliency, strength, and bravery despite the tragic events that have occurred. It [...]
Displaced Haitians Living in Tent Cities Face New Eviction
April 24, 2013 | Posted by
More than three years after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, tens of thousands of people there are facing a new crisis. Amnesty International says the already displaced residents are being forced from the capital’s tent cities. The Rights Group says the evictions are a violation of human rights and that the government is doing little [...]
Haiti’s PM Pursues Defamation Case in US Court
April 22, 2013 | Posted by
Haiti’s prime minister is pursuing his defamation case against a Haitian-American journalist. Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and South Florida businessman Patrice Baker originally sued Leo Joseph in September over his reporting in the New York-based Haiti-Observateur. A federal judge in Miami initially sided with them, but she reversed course earlier this month and ordered them to [...]
US Judge Backtracks in Haiti Prime Minister’s Defamation Case
April 11, 2013 | Posted by
A federal judge in Miami is backtracking a ruling that barred a Haitian-American journalist from writing about Haiti’s prime minister. Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and a South Florida businessman, Patrice Baker, had sued Leo Joseph of Haiti-Observateur for defamation in September over his reporting of the sale of a telecommunications company acquired by Haiti’s government. [...]
Haiti’s Best Western Luxury Hotel Opens Next Week
March 30, 2013 | Posted by
The first U.S. brand — and Haiti’s second luxury hotel to open in three months — will welcome its first guests Thursday. Designed for the business traveler, the Best Western Premier, a 106-room seven-story hotel in tony Petionville is finally making its debut. A soft-opening is planned for April 4, but guests will get their [...]
Departing UN Official Blasts Haiti’s Rights Record
March 29, 2013 | Posted by
The former United Nations human rights monitor in Haiti is taking a swipe at the Caribbean nation’s legal system as he leaves his post. In an open letter that was sent to the Haitian press and obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, Michel Forst criticized the government for the continuation of arbitrary and illegal [...]
UN Pressures Haiti to Hold Long Delayed Elections
March 21, 2013 | Posted by
Haiti is under pressure from the United Nations to hold its long delayed elections as specified in a U.N. Security Council hearing Wednesday. The country was expected to hold legislative elections more than a year ago, but has failed to create an electoral commission despite a new agreement signed in December. Nigel Fisher, the recently [...]
