Restrictions leave US travelers high and dry
Stacey Lastoe, CNN
(CNN) — In downtown Buffalo, New York, crossing the border into Ontario, Canada, used to be as easy as driving one mile across the Peace Bridge over the Niagara River. But that's now a forbidden route.
In the coronavirus era, New York residents and out-of-state road trippers aren't allowed to cross the border for leisure travel.
US citizens have been shut out of their neighboring country to the north and a slew of nations around the world. The latest travel news affecting Americans: The European Union is considering blocking travelers from areas with severe Covid-19 outbreaks after it opens it borders on July 1.
Since the United States has more confirmed coronavirus cases than anywhere else in the world, with numbers increasing in some states each day, US travelers are unlikely to be allowed in any time soon.
As long as the US-Canada border remains closed, visiting Niagara Falls in Ontario won't be possible for US citizens.
Although potential travel bubbles are being discussed all over the world -- Fiji is the latest in talks to join one with Australia and New Zealand -- the United States has yet to form or join a bubble.
Where does this new world order leave US citizens with a penchant for travel?
Nostalgic for the pre-Covid days when a US passport promised access to much of the world? Anxious of how they'll be perceived -- and received -- by foreign countries when restrictions are eventually loosened?
The future of travel for Americans, and whether they'll be welcome again as tourists, is not clear; in many ways, it's a moot point for as long as travel to certain regions is prohibited.
Are Haitian National Police Tanks Being Used By Gangs?
Haiti’s Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe said the government is looking into allegations that police armored vehicles are being used by gangs.
The accusations were made by local human rights organizations which reported that armored vehicles were used last May by armed bandits at the time of the assassinations and fires in Pont-Rouge and Cité Soleil...
Tic Toc, the new song of Kanis is seducing audiences
Six months after signing with Sony Music France, rapper Kanis released her new song “Tic, Toc” on June 12, 2020. In just 3 days, tic toc was viewed by more than 150,000 people. The artist, who currently lives in France and is courting the country, is getting closer to her goal with the release of this song.
According to the artist, tic toc is all it takes to give pep to your life when it is absorbed by laziness and apathy. 'If you want the money, Evo get down.
In the video shot in Miami, we see Kanis putting herself in the shoes of several characters. At first she is an ordinary girl, sitting on her couch, zapping the televisions, then a famous mannequin posing in front of the cameras and the artist who appears on the screen.
Since settling in France, Kanis dreams of conquering France and Tic toc is only the beginning of a long adventure.
Kanis, her real name Niska Garoute was born in Miami on September 27, 1993 to a Haitian mother. She grew up in Petion-Ville, Haiti, where she also began her studies before continuing them in the United States, her father’s bad business, Pascal Garoute , obliged. There, specifically in New York, she earned her degree in graphic arts and marketing.
She made her musical debut as a composer at the age of 13 and then as a rapper at the age of 17. She has collaborated with many artists including Izolan, J-Perry, Danola and many of her songs have been a huge success. These include Veve lokal, Riddim Affair and “Dan Bang”.
She changed her stage name to become Kanis on December 1, 2018. A decision she made after she learned that a French rapper had the same name as her, she explained to her fans.
Toto Constant Faces Life Imprisonment in Haiti
Emmanuel Constant, the former head of the death squad, FRAPH, sentenced in 2000 in absentia to a term of hard labor for life, will have to face Haitian justice after leaving the country in 1994. Upon his arrival, the accused was apprehended by agents of the judicial police then kept in police custody.
For its part, the United States Department of Homeland Security issued a note to the effect that it sent Emmanuel Constant back to Haiti. “We are awaiting justice for the victims of the Raboteau massacre and other crimes for which Constant must be held accountable...”.
Ten Years Later, Haiti still struggles to recover from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake of 2010
Although it’s been 10 years, Haitians aren’t still ready to talk about the event because it nerve-wrecked them. The natural disaster left 1.5 million people homeless, claimed 316,000 lives, and injured over 1.5 million. The earthquake had such an extensive outcome because the country wasn’t prepared for this type of natural disaster. During the last 10 years, Haitian authorities have tried to come up with a plan that grows their chances to face a natural disaster. But the quake monitors don’t supervise the earthquake equipment overnight because the building that houses them isn’t earthquake resistant and the authorities don’t afford to pay them for night shifts.
If the ground starts shaking one day, all they can do is run out of the building through its only door. So, it’s understandable why Haiti’s residents are afraid another natural disaster would be worse than the one from 2010. And even for the seismologists it’s scary to watch for earthquakes in a building that wouldn’t stand one, they need to work no matter the conditions because their team is the only one that can offer information.
Before 2010, there were no experts in Haiti to know what to do if a seism larger than 4 magnitude hits. So, they had to consult the global US Geological Survey when the natural disaster emerged. In 2011, the country set up the first network that receives satellite information from seismic stations located around the state and seismometers that deliver them real-time data. This helps them predict a quake occurrence and help the nation get ready for one.
But it doesn’t mean people find it less scary.
The capital and the surrounding areas are overpopulated, and the authorities didn’t put together policies that establish construction standards. In this scenario, another earthquake would have more disastrous consequences than the one from 2010 because now there are more people living in danger-prone areas.
Haitians experienced many challenges, even before the earthquake destroyed their lives. They had weak political governance, limited access to necessary resources and poor infrastructure. After the disaster, other problems added to the existing ones and made it one of the least developed countries that offer residents social, political, and environmental insecurity. Earthquakes aren’t the only natural events that threaten Haitians; hurricanes also hit the coast annually and leave families without a home.
Haiti residents are worried that the country isn’t ready for an event similar to the one from 2010. Every year, hurricanes and tropical storms hit them, so there is small room for progress. The country is on four major fault lines and sits on two tectonic plates. Because the plates move regularly, the possibility for another earthquake to emerge is high. Since 2010, progress was made with the creation of the seismic surveillance network, tsunami evacuation routes, and active-fault and hazard maps. Specialists had also evaluated the various types of soil the country features and identified the most at-risk areas. But Haiti still doesn’t have a national disaster risk management plan or a strategy to reduce seismic vulnerabilities. The authorities don’t teach children in school how to protect themselves from a seismic event especially from a high magnitude one.
So do people have any reason to worry that another earthquake would be more destructive than the one from 2010? Data shows that they have.
Florida bans bar alcohol consumption as coronavirus spikes
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida banned alcohol consumption at its bars Friday after its daily confirmed coronavirus cases neared 9,000, a new record that is almost double the previous mark set just two days ago.
The Florida agency that governs bars announced the ban on Twitter just minutes after the Department of Health reported 8,942 new confirmed cases, topping the previous record of 5,500 set Wednesday.
State officials have attributed much of the new outbreak to young adults flocking to bars after they reopened in most of the state about a month ago, with many of them ignoring social distancing restrictions aimed at lowering the virus's spread.
More than 24,000 new cases have been reported since Saturday, more than a fifth of the 111,724 cases confirmed since March 1. The department had not updated its death total, which still stood at 3,327.
The seven-day average for positive tests dropped slightly to 13.4%, down 1 percentage point from Thursday but still triple the rate of 3.8% of June 1.
Florida's record-setting week for newly confirmed coronavirus cases got even worse with almost 9,000 reported Friday, nearly double the just-set mark and five times more than where the state record stood two weeks ago.
More than 24,000 cases have been reported since Saturday, more than a fifth of the 111,724 cases confirmed since March 1. The department had not updated its death total, which still stood at 3,327.
The seven-day average for positive tests dropped slightly to 13.4%, down 1 percentage point from Thursday but still triple the rate of 3.8% of June 1. The seven-day average for hospitalizations is also creeping up, hitting 172 on Thursday, about 70% higher than it was June 1.
Massive Saharan Dust is scheduled to reach the U.S. this week
The densest plume of dust developed off Western Africa and has traveled nearly 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.
According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the plume of dusty air reached the United States last Thursday morning, bringing dust particles to the deep Southern United States.
Frank Marks, director of the Hurricane Resarch Divsion at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanagraphic and Meteorological Laboratory, says that these plumes are frequent in the summer, especially in June and July, and take about 10-12 days to cross the Atlantic.
"The one we had was probably the most intense on record so far, and they've been keeping records of these dust outbreaks probably about 70 years," Marks said of the current dust plume.
This dust is expected to stretch from Florida to the Gulf Coast to as far west as Texas, before turning back eastward.
This is not likely to cause major deterioration in the air quality for the U.S. at large, since the dust is elevated and concentrations are continually and gradually dissipating. Additionally, water vapor present in the South will wash away dust particles.
According to Sonoma Tech Meteorologist Jeff Beamish, Baton Rouge's air quality reached unhealthy levels for sensitive groups late last week.
International channels will broadcast Maestro’s recent show.
The last virtual concert of the Maestro group has attracted many people, including international television channels.
During the confinement, many Haitian groups and artists turned to online concerts to perform and keep in touch with their audience. The Maestro group led by T- Ansyto is on its third such concert.
The last show done by this musical formation was on June 12. With a concert called "Soirée Entre Nous", broadcast on the Facebook page of Loop Haiti. Maestro and his guest artists -Badi Kamall, Danola, Pierre Jean and Dj Tony Mix - won many hearts, including the hearts of those in charge of television channels such as Trace Global and Guyana La 1er.
Indeed, Trace Global, the company that manages Trace TV and Guyana La 1er, owned by France Télévisions, recently signed a contract with the musical group Maestro to have the authorization to broadcast the concert "Soirée Entre Nous" on their platforms.
T- Ansyto, the group’s leading figure, says he feels proud of this achievement. It’s a success for us to get to touch other horizons with our music and show", expressed the son of Ansyto Mercier.
If recently, some Haitian groups have recorded records with their virtual show in terms of audience, Maestro, can boast of being the only group whose show is solicited by media on the international scale at the moment.