President of Haiti back from Taiwan
Haiti-Libre: On Saturday afternoon (June 2nd), President Jovenel Moïse, returning to Haiti, gave at the Diplomatic Salon of Toussaint Louverture International Airport, a press briefing on the main points of his stay at Taiwan (Republic of China)
On Monday, May 28, Moses met with Haitian students in Taiwan who are pursuing studies in engineering, agronomy, science and finance, among others. Believing that they can help their country's development, these students, some of whom are already engaged in business in Taiwan, took advantage of the visit of the Head of State to express their desire to return to Haiti in order to participate in its economic expansion.
In the evening the Head of State was invited to a dinner with the Haitian delegation offered in his honor, organized around the theme of the promotion of Taiwanese investments in Haiti.
On Tuesday, the Head of State participated in the signing of a joint statement with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, which aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in many areas. The statement mentions the establishment of a high-level working group that will draft within 60 days new terms of cooperation for economic and infrastructural development in Haiti as well as potential ways to attract more Taiwanese investors.
In the evening, he spoke with the Taiwanese private sector, which has expressed interest in coming to invest in Haiti on at least two conditions: political stability and electricity.
On Wednesday, May 30, Moses traveled to Taichung (West Central Island), the second largest industrial city in the country, where he visited one of Taiwan's three largest science and technology parks. These parks that are oriented in the fields of biotechnology, robotics and artificial intelligence have already attracted several billion US dollars of investments.
In the electrical infrastructure sector, the President visited two major power plants: the first has a hydroelectric dam with a capacity of 2,600 Megawatts; the second has a large infrastructure producing wind and solar energy.
The Head of State took the opportunity to reiterate his promise of June 2017 to supply the entire country with electricity 24 hours a day (this time without delay), with prepaid meters, without a word about his meeting with the Taiwan Power Company and his project to electrify 800 MW in Haiti...
Finally, Moïse also reported on his meeting with officials of the Taiwan Ministry of Defense, the management of natural disasters and the strengthening of the army and the National Police.
World Bank Supports Road Connectivity and Transparency in Haiti
The FINANCIAL -- WASHINGTON, May 31, 2018 – More than 350,000 people in rural Haiti will benefit from improved access to all weather roads, local markets and health centers in the South, South East and Nippes departments as a result of a new US$ 75 million grant from the International Development Association approved today by the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank.
About 61 percent of the population was living further than 2km from an all-weather road in 2015 and most rural roads remain in very poor condition and barely passable. To develop the road network and achieve intercity connectivity by 2021, the government has set an ambitious target to build 4000 km of roads.
The Haiti Rural Accessibility and Resilience project will rehabilitate critical segments of the rural road network, improving road conditions and road safety in these areas. This will particularly benefit vulnerable communities, including women traders who travel extensively for the livelihoods of their families, according to The World Bank.
The second project Improving Haiti’s Public Financial Management and Statistical Information focuses on strengthening Haiti’s capacity to produce, disseminate, and use more accurate and timely budgetary and financial data. Financed by an IDA grant of US$15 million, it will help improve budget management and oversight by putting in place an Integrated Financial Information Management System, strengthening public financial management institutions such as the Court of Accounts, the Procurement Board, and the Anti-Corruption Agency, and will support citizen engagement in the use of public resources.
“The two grants approved today will make a difference for people in Haiti. Roads are windows of opportunity that transform people’s lives as well as the economy. Better budget and accounting systems are key to improve service delivery for all citizens and strengthen transparency and accountability,” said Anabela Abreu, World Bank Country Director for Haiti. “These are two important priorities for the government”.
The Haiti Rural Accessibility and Resilience project will be implemented by the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications while the Improving Haiti’s Public Financial Management and Statistical Information project will be implemented by the Ministry of Economy and Finance over a period of 5 years.
Family awarded 4 cents for man’s death by cop
(New York Post)
A Florida family was awarded just four cents after a jury found a local sheriff partially liable for the death of a 30-year-old man who was shot by a police officer while inside his garage.
The family sued officer Christopher Newman and Sheriff Ken Mascara alleging wrongful death for the 2014 shooting of Gregory Hill, according to CNN.
Hill, a father of three, was shot by Newman three times after partially opening the garage and then closing it.
Police were investigating a complaint of loud noise when they arrived at the residence.
Newman claimed Hill was brandishing a firearm at the time. The officer was not charged with a crime.
The jury decided that Newman was not liable and that Mascara was 1 percent responsible for the death. Hill, the jury decided, was 99 percent responsible for his own death.
Hill was found with a gun in his back pocket.
The jury awarded damages of $1 for funeral expenses and $1 for each off Hill’s children — ages 7, 10 and 13.
Because the jury found the chief only 1 percent responsible, the family received only 4 cents.
Cops claimed Hill was drunk at the time he was killed.
The chief released a statement that said, “Newman was placed in a very difficult situation and like so many fellow law enforcement officers must do every day, he made the best decision he could for the safety of his partner, himself and the public given the circumstances he faced.”
The family’s attorney, John Philips, decried the verdict.
“That a black child’s pain is only worth a dollar is exactly the problem with the plight of the African-American right now. This says, black lives don’t
Rafael Trujillo's grandson Ramfis wants build a wall between Haiti and the Dominican Republic
The grandson of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic who carried out the Haitian Parsley Massacre, says he will build a wall from north to south of the Haiti-Dominican border to separate the Dominican Republic from Haiti if he is elected president in 2020...
Obsessed, like his grandfather, by the presence of Haitians on the Dominican territory, Luis Ramfis Trujillo Dominguez never misses an opportunity to express his dislike for the Haitian nationals he accuses of wanting to invade his country.
This diplomat calls upon Haitian students in the Dominican Republic to return to Haiti
A diplomat at the embassy of Haiti in the Dominican Republic, Miousemine Celestin, was invited to intervene within the framework of a series of conferences for the students of Santiago and Santo Domingo. During her intervention, she called upon the latter to return to Haiti at the end of their academic cycle to participate in the reconstruction of their country.
These conferences took place under the theme "The young people and the entrepreneurial spirit" and were realized by the organization " N ap Sove Ayiti (NAPSA) ". Other speakers including investor Johnson Napoleon, spoke about this as well.
Napoleon underlined that Haitians in Dominican Republic do not need that to ask for charity or to work in agricultural fields. He said it to draw the attention of his listeners – the numerous fellow countrymen studying in Dominican universities, reported the Dominican newspaper “Diario Libre.”
He used himself as example and spoke about the numerous difficulties which he had to overcome when he migrated to the United States.
The students had a word to say at the end of this address. "She (Miousemine Celestin) really encouraged us to study and to return to Haiti to help to rebuild the country at the end of our study," said Eugène Marc Henry.
The Dominican Government Lowers the Price of Gas
The Ministry of Industry and the Trade in Dominican Republic announced a reduction of the price of fuel between 1 to 4 pesos.
The Dominican newspaper Diario Libre shared the information by posting showing the various prices which are being applied starting this June.
"The gallon of high quality gasoline will see a reduction in DR $4.00 and will be sold at DR $245.30. Regular gasoline will go down DR $3.00 and will cost DR $231.20 per gallon," indicated the Dominican website.
Ordinary diesel fuel will be sold to DR $189.50 per gallon a DR $2.00. Whereas the optimum diesel will sell for DR $203.60 RD which will be a DR $3.00 reduction.
In Haiti, under pressure of the IMF (International Monetary Fund), the government announced that gas prices could increase very soon. The announcement was not received neither by the political circle nor by the general population.
Several sectors threatened to protest if these fuel rate increases are actually implemented.