Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 18 octobre 2017

Immigrants in U.S. seeking safe haven worry Trump may send them back

Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of Salvadorans, Haitians and others now sheltered in the United States from danger in their home countries might have to leave under a crackdown the Trump administration is weighing on a program that critics slam as “back-door” immigration.

People close to the administration said the White House is considering anti-immigration activists’ appeals for pull-back on the 27-year old U.S. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, which protects more than 300,000 people in the country.

“There’s no question people inside the administration want to reform the excesses,” said Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, a group that seeks to reduce immigration into the United States.

“We have definitely expressed our opinions to the administration. This time there actually are people willing to listen,” Beck said in a telephone interview.

Officials at the State Department and Department of Homeland Security would not comment on administration plans for TPS.

The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump campaigned last year on a promise to deport large numbers of immigrants, a racially-tinged political theme that won him passionate support among some U.S. voters.

Since he took office in January, Trump has moved to ban U.S. entry by people from select Muslim countries. He also announced the end next March of an Obama-era program giving temporary legal status to “Dreamers” brought illegally into the United States as children, unless Congress revives it.

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Now immigration advocacy groups fear Trump will curtail TPS by refusing to renew the protected status of some of the nine countries covered: El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Last month, Sudan was slated for TPS termination, effective November 2018. Immigration groups were heartened somewhat that South Sudan’s status was renewed in September through mid-2019.

Advocacy groups said they are also concerned Trump might seek legislative changes making it harder to designate TPS countries.

Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which also seeks to reduce overall immigration, said the administration is assessing each country’s status. “In the past it was routine renewal,” he said.

FAIR would be “open” to TPS continuing, Mehlman said, but only with assurances that participation is temporary and “not a 20-year stay.”

Several immigration advocacy groups said officials within the administration have told them significant changes to TPS were being debated among agencies and the White House.

In July, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security fired a warning shot when it renewed Haiti’s designation for only six months instead of the typical 18 months. “During this six-month extension, beneficiaries are encouraged to prepare for their return to Haiti in the event Haiti’s designation is not extended again,” the department warned.

TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT?

Critics have complained the program allows participants to repeatedly extend their stays in 6-18 month increments in case of a natural disaster, civil strife or other emergencies in their homelands.

Haiti, for example, has had TPS designation for seven years; El Salvador for 16 years. “It’s not TPS, it is PPS, Permanent Protected Status,” Beck said. “The chance of someone having to leave is closer to the chance of being struck by lightning.”

Michelle Brane, director of migrant rights at the Women’s Refugee Commission in New York, acknowledged TPS needs repair, but warned that if Trump forced thousands of Salvadorans to go home, they would be easy targets of gang violence after years of living in the United States and raising families.

Many of them “have kids who are U.S. citizens, but it could push the families underground” if parents lose their work permits and face deportation, she said.

Paul Altidor, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, said in a telephone interview that his government is asking the Trump administration for an 18-month extension, citing an ongoing cholera outbreak and destruction from recent hurricanes.

“These people have been strung along,” said Matt Adams, legal director for the Seattle-based Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, disputing the critics who say TPS was not meant to provide protection for a decade or more.

He said TPS participants have had their hopes raised and then dashed as repeated attempts in Congress to update the TPS program have sputtered, while past administrations have carved out programs for some groups of immigrants by granting them permanent legal status.

Adams said that in the event of a crackdown, some people, such as those married to U.S. citizens, will have other legal ways to stay.

But he said many of his clients, including entire families, will have their lives “thrown into chaos.”

Reporting By Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Makini Brice, Yeganeh Torbati and Jeff Mason; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and David Gregorio

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

No.

The Republic of Haiti has launched an international contest to rebuild its ruined National Palace in Port-au-Prince

Open to locals and international teams led by a Haiti-based practice, the competition seeks proposals to rebuild the former official residence of the president of Haiti, which was reduced to ruins by a major earthquake seven years ago.

The winning team will reconstruct the 1920 structure and submit proposals to rehabilitate its former functions, deliver new administrative spaces, upgrade the site layout and regenerate the wider Champ-de-Mars district.

Announcing the contest, Haitian president Jovenel Moïse said: ‘The new National Palace must make the link between history, culture and the future of the nation. The realisation of a work of this magnitude requires dialogue and communication with citizens to hear their opinions and develop their sense of ownership of all stages of reconstruction.

‘We must learn all the lessons of the 12 January earthquake and [be] vigilant in order to take into account all construction safety standards. The architecture of the palace has made many generations dream [and I want] to reconstruct the exterior facades of the palace in the same way. But inside, there is a need for new accommodations to meet the needs of the organs and services of the presidency of the republic while respecting the construction of a public building.’

2017/53

USAID Awards $4 Million to World Food Program

for Food Security in Haiti

U.S. Embassy Haiti Chargé d’Affaires Robin Diallo Visits WFP Food Warehouse

Port-au-Prince, October 13, 2017- Haiti ranks third globally among countries most affected by extreme weather events. This year alone, less than a year after the devastating Hurricane Matthew, the country was affected by two major hurricanes—Irma and Maria—that brushed past Haiti’s northern coast, causing flooding. A well-prepared and immediate response is needed in order to prevent food shortages and hunger which can often follow a large-scale disaster.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded $4 million to the World Food Program (WFP) in Haiti, to help distribute food more quickly in the aftermath of a disaster. The support helps WFP cut out what can be a lengthy contracting process with stand-by procurement agreements with regional food suppliers who can rapidly stock WFP warehouses with enough commodities to feed as many as 150,000 people for one month.

U.S. Embassy Haiti Chargé d’Affaires Robin Diallo thanked the Government of Haiti and WFP for continued collaboration with the U.S. government as she toured the WFP food warehouse in Port-au-Prince on October 13, 2017.

“We rely on the strength of our partnerships with the Government of Haiti and with organizations like the World Food Program—especially as we share common goals of achieving fast and efficient emergency response and increased social protection for Haitians during times of natural disaster and other crises,” Diallo said. “The USAID Haiti Mission’s Food for Peace (FFP) office has worked diligently on this significant award to WFP to help increase food security via better preparedness to reduce the time it can take to get food to those in need following a disaster,” she said.

Diallo’s visit to the warehouse served to officially announce continued United States support just a few days before World Food Day on October 16. Others accompanying Diallo on her visit to the WFP food warehouse included USAID Mission Director, Jene Thomas, Deputy Mission Director Alexious Butler, Food for Peace Acting Office Chief, Lawrence Oroma, and FFP Deputy Office Chief Sebastian Milardo. World Food Program Haiti Country Director, Ronald Tran Ba Huy, hosted the USAID visit.

STATE SENATOR DAPHNE CAMPBELL ANNOUNCES $500,000.00 APPROPRIATION FOR MIAMI GARDENS MUSEUM

October 19, Miami Gardens FL - This year, the Miami Gardens based African Museum of Arts and Culture (AMAC) has been awarded a state allocation for the sum of $500,000.00 (five hundred thousand dollars).

The awards presentation scheduled for Thursday October 19, 2017 will be held at 2:00 PM on the campus of Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens.

Marking the second year of appropriation to the organization from a request originated by Senator Campbell, the allocation is considered a milestone towards achieving the mission of creating a center that is designed to be a magnet for culture, tourism and economic activity in the area.

The 2017-2018 appropriation request was sponsored in the house by State Rep. Cynthia Stafford and supported by Senator Oscar Braynon, II. The original land for the museum was donated by the Miami Dade Board of County Commissioners upon the request of District 1 Commissioner Barbara Jordan.

The African Museum of Arts and Culture is a planned, state of the art multipurpose facility for the educational, cultural, economic, and social enrichment of the citizens of the city of Miami Gardens, Florida, and residents of Miami Dade County and its visitors. The facility will house and exhibit art and cultural artifacts, including programming, production and presentations of art, music, dance and related disciplines.

Haiti looks to Benin for guidance on voodoo crimes

Delphine BOUSQUET

,

AFP•October 9, 2017

Cotonou (AFP) - Three senators from Haiti pause in reflection in front of a statue of their country's independence hero Toussaint Louverture in Allada, southern Benin, where he had his roots.

The West African and Caribbean countries, separated by thousands of kilometres (miles) and ocean, share the same history but also the same religion -- voodoo.

Jean Renel Senatus, Jean-Marie Junior Salomon and Ronald Lareche came to Benin late last month on a research trip as part of Haiti's reforms of its 19th-century penal code.

Part of the process is taking advice from countries where their ancestors lived before they were shipped abroad as slaves.

Historically and culturally, "Haiti and Benin are two sides of the same coin," Senatus, a lawyer and president of Haiti's Senate justice commission, told AFP.

"We want to adapt these texts to modern-day life and we're here to see how Benin handles irrational phenomena in law," he said after placing flowers on Louverture's statue.

Benin -- giant Nigeria's tiny western neighbour -- is one of the cradles of voodoo, where it is an official religion and has millions of followers.

The cult of the invisible and natural spirits travelled across the Atlantic Ocean from the 18th century, as millions of West Africans were transported to the New World as slaves.

- 'Zombification' -

The very word "voodoo" typically conjures up a raft of cliches, not least dolls covered in pins.

But certain phenomena are a concern for politicians and has prompted them to wonder: how should a country legislate for crimes linked to the religion?

With zombification, for example, Haitian voodoo priests are said to administer a powder to the victim giving the appearance of clinical death.

The supposed deceased -- exhumed with the help of an undertaker -- can then be exploited in its weakened, semi-conscious state.

Salomon, the vice-president of Haiti's Senate, said zombification "is the fact of being declared dead and openly buried and then 'brought back to life'.

"What's different is that the person 'brought back' then works like a slave."

In working class areas and remote communities in Haiti where there is no confidence in local justice, zombification is a way of settling scores with enemies.

In Benin, the same method exists but for a very different purpose.

"It is used by those initiated in the secret ways of the temples to strengthen their power but they keep an antidote to hand," said Honorat Aguessy, a Beninese sociologist.

In Benin, "voodoo is for good"," he added.

Some people in Benin still use charms to get rid of a rival -- but the weapon stays largely hidden and for lack of evidence, the country has not legislated against occult practices.

Traditional justice, however, still plays a big role in society through the use of traditional rulers.

- Voodoo chief -

In Allada, the three senators met the traditional monarch, Kpodegbe Djigla. "He told us that he is asked to judge certain cases," said Senatus.

Traditional rulers resolve many land disputes because they know local history. Villages have a council of sages comprising elders, community leaders and a voodoo chief.

"It often deals with complaints linked to custom, for example if a widow who is not supposed to leave her house at a certain time does it anyway," said lawyer Sandrine Aholou.

In her work, Aholou sees a mix of the two legal systems: "On the one hand, the civilian justice system accepts traditional justice on the other.

"Tradition influences modern law."

Most of the time, decisions taken by the elders are respected, to the astonishment of the Haitian senators.

For Salomon, it's a question of culture. "Here, people respect tradition," he said.

"In our country, because of the influence of modern life and proximity to the United States, we've abandoned it."

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 24 octobre 2017

 Sunrise Airway becomes the first airline to offer nonstop service connecting Port-au-Prince to Orlando

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – While in the plane that will travel to Orlando four times a week, the President of Sunrise Airways, Philippe Bayard, spoke about his dream of turning the former “Pearl of the Antilles” into “The Center of the Caribbean.”

“For us, as an airline, and more importantly for the sizable Haitian community living in the Orlando area, these new flights are a tremendous development,” said Bayard, President of Sunrise Airways. “As Haiti’s hometown airline, Sunrise is especially proud to be the first to bring the convenience of nonstop service between Port-au-Prince and Orlando to the Central Florida market.”

Bayard explained that the airline started locally with a flight to Cap Haitian. Later, it expanded to the Dominican Republic, and eventually Cuba. There they serve three cities in the country: Santiago do Cuba, Camagüey and Havana.

“We introduced charter flights in Chile. But until now, we still have don’t have the authorization to operate scheduled flights. We’re working on it.”

Bayard added that his company operates charter flights towards Curaçao. “Soon, you will know about the inaugural flight which there will be between Port-au-Prince and Curaçao,” he said.

Offering products which are manufactured in Haiti, and have an acceptable quality, is also a priority for Bayard.  Among them is Rum Barbancourt.

“We are also going to serve Haitian coffee, including Rebo and Selecto,” he said.  “We want to promote all that is Haitian because that it adds value to the Haitian economy."

On the inaugural flight, on October 18, about fifty passengers sat on the plane which has a capacity of 168 seats.

For reservations and more information, visit www.sunriseairways.net, or call Tel: +(509) 2811 2222 / 1100 in Haiti, Tel: +(1) 305 433 2707 in the U.S, +(1) 849 916 6666 in the Dominican Republic and +(53) 2269 8791 in Cuba.

A new United Nations mission of armed police officers begins in Haiti, as the mandate of the previous mission ends

The United Nations Secretary-General welcomed the establishment of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), following the end of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) mandate on October 15.

“The closure of the MINUSTAH is a testament to Haiti’s progress over the past 13 years,” according to the UN.

The Secretary-General extends his gratitude to all civilian and uniformed personnel who served with MINUSTAH, as well as to troop- and police-contributing countries.

Last April, the UN Security Countil decided to end the MINUSTAH’s mission and to simultaneously replace it with MINUJUSTH. It will consists of 980 armed police officers who will be dispersed onto 7 bases throughout the country. The MINUJUSTH will assist the Haitian Government to strengthen rule-of-law institutions, further develop the capacities of the national police and advance human rights. The national police can rely on operational support from MINUJUSTH, when needed, to maintain law and order throughout the territory.

The Secretary-General is confident that the Haitian people and Government will work in close partnership with MINUJUSTH and the United Nations country team to implement together joint priorities based on resolution 2350 (2017) and reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Although Haitian Senate President Youri Latortue is requesting that this new UN force receive the parliament’s approval, this has not prevented the new mission from settling in, and the participating countries to declare their level of engagement.

Haiti and DR will soon have a joint police force for the surveillance of their joint border

This new police force will perform surveillance to insure security along the Haitian-Dominican border, and will operate with the cooperation of the government of Canada, and in conjunction with the United Nations.

"Its aim is to fight and prevent organized crime," said the Dominican Ambassador in Haiti, Alberto Despradel.

To achieve this, the national police forces of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, in association with United Nations, will work to create this new police for the border.

According to a 2016 report United Nations Office Against drug and Crime, the illicit trades of organized crime, generate more than 2 billion dollars a year while drug trafficking generates 320 billion dollars. These numbers caused the UN to express concerns and to make it necessary to create a special body directly linking the two police forces on the Island.

Ambassador Despradel explained that the joint force will be deployed on in a large territory in the North of the border up to the mouth of the Masacre river. Cap-Haïtien will be included in this surveillance zone.

"We are working on the process of training this special body between the UN police, the Haitian national police force and the Dominican police to strengthen the mechanisms of cooperation and collaboration to prevent and to repress criminality under all its forms," added the Dominican ambassador.

Haiti police use tear gas to stop tax protest

AFP / October 18th, 2017

Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Haitian police on Tuesday used tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters marching on the capital Port-au-Prince, as anger mounts over tax hikes seen as unfairly targeting the poor.

It was the latest in a series of demonstrations that began over a month ago against the 2017-18 budget passed by the administration of President Jovenel Moise.

The march was disrupted by police halfway along its route, angering protesters.

Some threw stones, with police responding by firing tear gas and water cannons.

Later, a small group of fleeing protesters tried to set fire to a gas station but failed, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

Opposition senator Antonio Cheramy accused authorities of being heavy-handed, adding: "The more violent they are, the more people will become energized."

"Instead of responding to the demands of the people, Jovenel gives orders to crush demonstrations," added protester Pierre Richard.

Moise was sworn into office in February, vowing to boost the economy of the poorest country in the Americas, and lure back Haitians living abroad.

The country is also struggling to emerge from a major cholera outbreak, and still suffering the effects of the January 2010 earthquake, with tens of thousands of people camping in tents without proper sanitation seven years on.

CORNEL CHRONICLE

New lecture series addresses connections between language, inequality

By 

Spencer DeRoos

  | 

October 17, 2017

Christine W. Low

Michel DeGraff in Matènwa, La Gonave, Haiti, working with students as part of a Kreyòl-based STEM initiative.

An Oct. 20 lecture will kick off a new series on language and inequality co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Inequality and the linguistics and sociology departments.

Michel DeGraff, professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will present a talk, “Language, Education and (In)equality in Haiti: Struggling Through Centuries of Coloniality,” which will focus on linguistic inequality and the exclusion of “local languages” in education. These exclusions, he said, reflect power struggles within and across colonial and postcolonial societies. DeGraff argues that linguistic equality is a prerequisite to economic and political equality. The lecture, intended for a general audience, will be held at 3:30 p.m., Oct. 20 in G08 Uris Hall.

“Professor DeGraff’s work has revolutionized our understanding of Creole languages,” said Abby Cohn, Cornell professor of linguistics. “[DeGraff’s work] has identified persistent biases in the analysis and characterization of such languages by linguists, and [he] has made major contributions in the fields of Kreyòl medium and STEM education in Haiti.”

DeGraff is the director of the MIT-Haiti Initiative, a project aimed at helping Haitians learn in their native language of Haitian Creole (“Kreyòl”). The initiative reflects DeGraff’s belief that teaching Haitian children in French hinders their learning. The project seeks to improve quality and access to education by facilitating instruction in Haitian Creole, through faculty development and the creation of Haitian Creole curricula. DeGraff was granted $1 million by the National Science Foundation in 2012 to introduce online Creole language materials in the teaching of STEM in Haiti. He is also a founding member of the Haitian Creole Academy. His research focus is on the areas of syntax, morphology and language change.

This new series is intended for those who want to understand how the social dimensions of language contribute to issues of inequality. A speaker will come to campus each semester to address timely issues of how bias and inequality can be expressed and perpetuated through language. The series grew out of a conversation started during Stanford University professor John Rickford’s university lectureship last fall (he will return to campus in 2018 as an A.D. White professor-at-large). 

“This series is all the more important and timely in light of the issues we need to address as a community about both subtle bias expressed through language, not to mention more egregious verbal acts of racism and bias,” Cohn said.

DeGraff will also deliver a lecture, “Walls vs. Bridges Around Creole Languages and Their Speakers,” part of the linguistics colloquium series, Oct. 19 at 4:30 p.m., 106 Morrill Hall.

Spencer DeRoos is a communications assistant for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 31 octobre 2017

 Health authorities concerned about diphtheria in Haiti

Jamaica Observer

Tuesday, October 24, 2017 1 comment

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — At least three people have died as the health authorities here worry about the return of diphtheria to Haiti due to lack of vaccination of children.

During the first seven months of this year, 72 probable cases of diphtheria have been reported with 74 per cent of the cases being children under 10 years old.

Health officials have said 22 cases were confirmed in the laboratory, three of whom have since died.

They said immunisation status is unknown for 54.5 per cent of confirmed cases; 18 per cent were vaccinated and 27 per cent were not vaccinated. The confirmed cases come from four departments: Artibonite, centre, west and southeast.

Diphtheria is an infectious disease due to three bacterial species capable of producing diphtheria toxin. The bacterium is transmitted by air, specifically via aerosols emitted during a cough or sneezing during direct contact with a patient or asymptomatic carrier.

The incubation period is usually 2 to 5 days. The most characteristic symptom of this disease is the presence of whitish “false membranes” in the tonsils (diphtheria) or in the wound (cutaneous diphtheria). Diphtheria angina is the usual form of the disease.

It is characterised by pharyngitis, fever, swelling of the neck and headache. In some cases, the toxin can lead to paralysis of the central nervous system or the diaphragm and throat, resulting in death by asphyxiation.

Haitian Immigrants March for TPS Extension

Time is running out for Haitians living in the United States under temporary protected status. TPS is set to expire in January, unless the Trump Administration acts by next month.

Rain or shine, Haitian Immigrants said they want to stay in South Florida during a march Saturday.

“We are here in front of the immigration offices to ask the Trump Administration to renew temporary protected status for 18 months for citizens of Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador,” said Marleine Bastien, the executive director of Haitian Women of Miami.

With each chant, Haitian Women of Miami, community leaders and supporters pushed forward, urging the Department of Homeland Security to renew TPS, focusing on Haitian immigrants living in the United States.

“I got a baby, four-years-old, she’s American born. Can I go back to my country with a baby when you have no hospital, nothing?” said Marcia Jean Philippe, a TPS recipient from Haiti.

Marica is one of many Haitian TPS recipients who have been living the U.S. for years, since the devastating earthquake in 2010. After major hurricanes like Matthew, many fear the Caribbean nation is not in any condition to accept deportees.

“My country is not ready to take me back with my kids,” said Philippe.

TIDE OF PLASTIC RUBBISH DISCOVERED FLOATING OFF IDYLLIC CARIBBEAN ISLAND COASTLINE

Shocking images have captured a Caribbean island’s clear blue seas being choked by a tide of plastic rubbish.

Taken off the Honduran island of Roatan, the pictures show plastic cutlery, bags, bottles and wrapping floating among seaweed.

One picture, taken from below the waterline, shows the sun being blocked out by the sheer weight of the pollution dumped into the ocean. Blue Planet Society, a pressure group which campaigns to save the world’s oceans, had suggested the plastic may have originated from the Montagua River in Guatemala.

Recent footage captured a torrent of waste being carried out to sea from its mouth.

Caroline Power, who lives on Roatan, which is just 12 miles long and three miles wide, shared the images on social media to raise awareness of the problem.

She said it should make people think carefully about their plastic use.

“Think about your daily lives," she wrote in a Facebook post. "How did you take your food to go last time you ate out? How was your last street food served? Chances are it was Styrofoam and served with a plastic fork and then put in a plastic bag."

World Bank Approves US$35 Million for Clean Energy and Improved Electricity Access in Haiti

WASHINGTON, October 26, 2017— The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved two grants totaling US$35 million to improve access to electricity for more than two million Haitians, and to scale-up investments in renewable energy in underserved rural and urban areas.

 
“Haiti has significant untapped sources of renewable energy”, said Anabela Abreu, World Bank’s Country Director for Haiti. “The country is taking an important step in creating the enabling environment for private investors and in boosting access to electricity. The World Bank Group will continue to support the country in providing sustainable renewable energy to increase access for families, businesses and community services in underserved areas, diversify its energy mix, and reduce electricity cost”.

Renewable energy sources such as solar, hydropower, wind and biomass, and off grid electrification have great potential. Over five million people could be reached through solar photovoltaic (PV). Yet, only one in three Haitians has access to electricity and access is very limited in rural areas.

More specifically, the two projects, “Renewable Energy For All” and “Haiti Modern Energy Services for All,” will help:

• Improve the environment for private investment in clean energy;
• Expand access for rural households through leveraged investments in micro and mini-grids, and village level systems;
• Strengthen the capacity of local institutions and develop awareness of local communities on how to use renewable energy;
• Finance private operators, NGOs and Community Organizations to provide solar lanterns, and individual and home-based solar systems.

Both projects will be implemented by the energy cell of the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications (MTPTC in French). The Renewable Energy for All project is financed by a US$ 19.62 million grant from the Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program (SREP); and the Modern Energy Services for All project is financed by a US$ 15.65 million grant from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF). Both grants are from the Climate Investment Fund (CIF) and are part of the World Bank’s accelerated effort to provide clean energy and resilient infrastructure.

Contacts: In Washington: Christelle Chapoy, (202) 361 4255, Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.

The Haitian Passport is the most limited of the region

The financial firm Arton Capital consulting has just updated its ranking of passports throughout the world. Passports considered the most advantageous are the ones provided by countries which allow visiting the maximum amount of countries without needing any visa application on arrival.

In the CARICOM and Caribbean Region, Haiti ranks 150th in the world classification out of the 199 countries in the United Nations. This allows Haitian citizens to visit only 54 countries without a visa. The passport from the Dominican Republic ranks 130th in the world classification, allowing Dominican citizens to visit 62 countries without a visa. The best passport of the Region is the one from Barbados, which ranks 49th in the world classification, which allow citizens of Barbados to visit 136 countries without a visa.

For the zone of North America, the two best passports are the ones from the United States and Canada, each of which allow their citizens to visit 154 countries without visas.

At the world level the Germany passport was dethroned by the one from Singapore which became the most advantageous to the world since Paraguay suspended its requirement for Singaporeans to obtain a visa. As a result, Singaporean citizens can now visit in 159 countries without a visa, versus only 158 for German citizens.

The LANS submission deadline for the reconstruction of the national palace has been extended

Following the enthusiasm of professional Haitian and international architects to participate in the architecture competition for the reconstruction of Haiti’s National Palace, the work and reflection group for the reconstruction of the historic building advises the following:

• The deadline given for the request for proposals will be extended by (21) calendar days or until November 21st, 2017, at noon.
• Firms will have to present their financial statements, which must be audited by an accounting firm or an independent accounting consultant who is a member of OCPAH.
• The email address for correspondences and information is: Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. .ht

If necessary, contact the Unity of Housing Construction and Public Buildings (UCLBP) for the gathering of files and to obtain documents from the Ministry of Trade and the Industry (MCI) and the head of the Taxes Office.

The National College of Haitian Engineers and Architects (CNIAH) is available for professional support and for the preparation of files.

Haiti: the national time will be pushed back by 60 minutes on November 5th, 2017

BY DANIEL DARÉUS DANS NOUVELLES · IN OCTOBER 28TH, 2017

P-au-P, 26 oct.2017 [AlterPresse]---The national time will be pushed back by 60 minutes, starting at 2:00 a.m., on Sunday, November 5th, 2017, reminded the General Secretary to the presidency.

Consequently, starting on Sunday, November 5th, 2017, 2:00 a.m. will, in reality, be 1:00 a.m., specified the document.

The population should make arrangements to avoid mix-ups in daily activities.

Since 2011, under the administration of President Michel Martelly, Haiti started adjusting the national time to correspond with daylights savings time.

This change occurs twice every year – the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November.

The idea is to take advantage of a longer day, and benefit from a maximum of amount of sunshine as well as save energy. Those are the elements put forward by the Haitian authorities to justify adjusting the time.

Fats Domino, Architect of Rock 'N' Roll, Dies At 89

NPR - National Public Radio

Fats Domino, one of the architects of rock 'n' roll, died last Tuesday at his daughter's suburban New Orleans home. Domino, who was 89, died of natural causes.

In the 1940s, Antoine Domino Jr., the son of Haitian Creole parents, was working at a mattress factory in New Orleans and playing piano at night. Both his waistline and his fan base were expanding. That's when a bandleader began calling him "Fats." From there, it was a cakewalk to his first million-selling record — "The Fat Man." It was Domino's first release for Imperial Records, which signed him right off the bandstand.

Producer, songwriter, arranger and bandleader Dave Bartholomew was there. He described the scene in a 1981 interview. "Fats was rocking the joint," Bartholomew said. "And he was sweating and playing, he'd put his whole heart and soul in what he was doing, and the people was crazy about him — so that was it. We made our first record, 'The Fat Man,' and we never turned around."

Between 1950 and 1963, Domino hit the R&B charts a reported 59 times, and the pop charts a rollicking 63 times. He outsold Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly — combined. Only Elvis Presley moved more records during that stretch — and Presley cited Domino as the early master.

So how did a black man with a fourth-grade education in the Jim Crow South, the child of Haitian Creole plantation workers and the grandson of a slave, sell more than 65 million records?

Domino could "wah-wah-waaaaah" and "woo-hooo!" like nobody else in the whole wide world — and he made piano triplets ubiquitous in rock 'n' roll. "Blueberry Hill," for example, was not Domino's own song — it was first published in 1940 and had already been recorded by the likes of Glenn Miller, Gene Autry and Louis Armstrong — but Domino's version in 1956, complete with those right-hand triplets, was unforgettable.

The British Invasion sent nearly every American performer tumbling down the charts. And yet longtime confidante and family friend Haydee Ellis says that Domino wouldn't change a note.

Domino toured for many years but eventually settled into life at his compound in the Lower Ninth Ward, in New Orleans, cooking loads of hog's head cheese for his many friends.

Then came Hurricane Katrina — and everybody thought he was dead. "When Katrina came," Ellis gasps, "Oh, Lord! Fats would say he wanted to leave, but he said, 'What kind of man would I be if I left my family? They don't want to leave.' "

The family survived. Domino lived out the post-Katrina years in a suburb of New Orleans with one of his eight children. But his house still stands on Caffin Avenue, in the Lower Ninth Ward, and has been restored in recent years. It's a reminder of the greatness that the neighborhood once produced, of the golden age of New Orleans music — and of what a fat man can do.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 8 novembre 2017

 The renewal of the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for 58,000 Haitian is uncertain. They are now at risk of being evicted from the USA

This week, with less than 80 days until the end of the 6 month extension of the "Temporary Protected Status" (TPS) for Haiti, scheduled on January 28, 2018, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson informed Elaine Duke, Interim Chief at the Department of Homeland Security, that the economic and security conditions in Haiti no longer warranted that some 58,000 Haitian migrants remain on American soil.

Nevertheless, a spokesman for the State Department declared that no decision had yet been made and refused to comment on possible internal deliberations between agencies. It should be noted that Elaine Duke has to announce a definitive decision before the end of November. U.S. law requires that this decision is announced at least 60 days before the expiration date of the TPS.

Last September, Sharon Scheidhauer, spokesperson of the services of the U.S. Office of Citizenship and Immigration, had already warned "[...] the beneficiaries are encouraged to prepare to return to Haiti in case the TPS is not extended for Haiti. This includes asking Haiti for up to date travel documents [...]"

The news is not very encouraging for our fellow countrymen living in the United States under the TPS, even if there is still some hope thanks to the multitude of political and diplomatic pressures. However, it is necessary to be seriously concerned about President Trump’s lack of empathy for the plight of immigrants, regardless of their origins...

Miami immigrant advocates urge Trump not to separate TPS families

C.M. Guerrero Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.

Activist Francisco Portillo was in his Little Havana office Saturday afternoon trying to calm anxious callers.

“We have gotten about 20 to 25 calls today. All we can tell people is that we have to wait until the government makes a formal announcement on Monday,” Portillo said. “But with this uncertainty the community is very worried. There are people with TPS who have lived here for two decades, have businesses. Many more are homeowners. They were expecting a permanent solution, an immigration reform, not this.”

Administration officials have said the return of tens of thousands of migrants could be a boon for Central American nations and Haiti, because their citizens will return with job skills, democratic values and savings.

They also note that the protection was never meant to be permanent and that ending it would be consistent with the administration’s aim of reducing immigration and complying with legal restrictions that have been loosely enforced in the past.

After so many years in the United States, many of the TPS recipients have sunk deep roots. According to America’s Voice, an immigration reform group, many of the TPS recipients in Florida are construction supervisors and home healthcare professionals, some of them currently helping with hurricane recovery efforts in Florida and Texas. They’re also, the group says, parents to nearly 275,000 U.S. citizen children.

Forcing the return of 50,000 people to Haiti would disrupt the fragile recovery there, exacerbate the food, housing, and public health crises, and potentially destabilize the new government, according to the Journal on Migration and Human Security.

Maria Rodriguez, director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, says if the special status isn’t renewed, it would encourage those with grounded lives to shift to the shadows.

TPS holders have become a political force in South Florida. Maria Rodriguez, director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, leads a group of TPS holders, Dreamers, elected officials, faith leaders, labor, and community organizations attending a rally to defend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in front of the MDC Freedom Tower in Miami, on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017.

The Washington Post contributed to this report

American woman to head new UN organization in Haiti

UNITED NATIONS (CMC) – United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres has named 53- year-old American national, Susan D Page of the United States, as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH).

MINUJUSTH replaces the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) that ended its operations in the country.

The UN mission, established in June 2004 by a UN Security Council resolution, succeeded a Multinational Interim Force after then President Bertrand Aristide departed Haiti for exile in the aftermath of an armed conflict which spread to several cities across the country.

For the last four years it was under the leadership of the Trinidad and Tobago diplomat, Sandra Honoré, who along with Mamadou Diallo of Guinea, were praised by Guterres for the contribution to the stabilization of the Caribbean country.

The UN said Page brings to her new position extensive managerial and leadership experience in diplomacy, international development and the rule of law.

She served as Deputy Special Representative for Rule of Law in MINUSTAH since January 2017, and was the first United States Ambassador to South Sudan, after which she served as the Acting United States Ambassador to the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

She held the position of senior adviser in the Office of the United States Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan and served as United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

Her United Nations experience includes positions as director of the Rule of Law Advisory Unit in the United Nations Mission in the Sudan, and senior legal adviser for the United Nations Development Programme in Sudan and in Rwanda.

PRESS RELEASE

Haiti and the United Nations stand together to achieve zero transmission of cholera 
and to improve access to water, sanitation and health care

Port-au-Prince, 3 November 2017 – On the occasion of a three-day visit to Haiti, of the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General (DSG), Ms. Amina J. Mohammed and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Haiti, Ms. Josette Sheeran, a High Level Cholera Committee meeting (HLCC) was organized at the Prime Minister Residence, co-presided by the Head of the Haitian Government, HE M. Jack Guy Lafontant and the Deputy Secretary-General.

The Haitian Government and the UN representatives jointly expressed their determination to achieve zero transmission of cholera. They further expressed their commitment to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including improving access to water, sanitation and healthcare.

The Prime Minister and the Deputy Secretary-General, announced a commitment to work in close partnership to eliminate the transmission of cholera. They noted that achieving this ambitious goal and ensuring its sustainability will require the refinement of the current government plan for the elimination of cholera, linked to actionable steps and detailed costs. While cholera transmission has dropped dramatically from over 18,000 new cases per week at the onset of the epidemic to 250 per week this year, success will require more funding to maintain the highly effective work of emergency response teams, and commitment to the fight against cholera in the medium and long-term. In recognition of the fact that one single cholera death is one too many, the participants committed to updating the National Plan for the Elimination of Cholera to take advantage of the current window of opportunity and avoid a resurgence of cases. 

“Regarding the technical support of the national drinking water supply and sanitation system, as mentioned by the President of the Republic in his meetings with the Deputy Secretary-General and the Secretary-General, on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the General Assembly last September, the Haitian government calls for a direct support to the national structures of public health, water and sanitation, to reinforce the State capacities "said the Prime Minister.  "The Government and the people of Haiti feel strengthened in their confidence that the UN and the international community can raise the funding needed for the full implementation of the New Approach on cholera proposed by the Secretary General and adopted by the General Assembly, which cannot wait any longer”

The participants discussed the importance for the country to encourage foreign direct investment in sectors of water, sanitation and health, and in so doing, consolidating the progress made so far in the fight against cholera in Haiti.

According to last DINEPA data, 72% of Haitian population does not have access to adequate sanitation and 42% has not yet adequate access to safe water while access to health care services is limited.  

Urging Member States and partners to provide comprehensive support, the Deputy Secretary General emphasized during the meeting that “addressing the root causes of cholera in Haiti is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Additionally, in the immediate term, we urgently require funding to ensure continued operation of the rapid response teams - failure to do so risks losing the gains achieved to date”.

Haiti-RD: Tourist operators in both countries want to establish an alliance

At the initiative of the Dominicano-Haitian Chamber of Commerce (CCDH), tourist operators and tour operators in Cap-Haïtien and Puerto-Plata met in Puerto-Plata with the aim of establishing an alliance which would promote the Northern Region of the island of Hispaniola as a tourist destination with multi-destinations.

Participating in this meeting among others were: the Organization of Management of the Destinations of the North of Haiti (OGDNH), which brings together the heads of hotels in Cap-Haïtien, the Tourism office of Puerto-Plata, the Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Companies of Tourism of the North and the Touristic Cluster of Puerta-Plata.

The heads of hotels and tour operators held separate meetings to analyze the stages to follow and to discuss the proposed multi-destinations.

Rosa Maria Garcia, president of the CCDH, declared that the proposal of multi-destination to promote the attractions of Cap-Haïtien and Puerto Plata will be able to "sow seeds allowing the realization of the development of tourism in the northern part of the island."

She called upon the businessmen in both countries "to mutually contribute to promote tourism between both countries" and noted that the heads of hotels of Puerto Plata have invited and dedicated the next international tourism fair to Haiti.

It should be reminded that in 2012 then Minister of Tourism, Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin, launched the multi-destination tourism project and signed the first agreements between Puerto-Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti during the OPERTUR show in the Dominican Republic. That same year a multi-destination tourism initiative was presented between Puerto-Plata and Cap-Haïtian.

On eve of high-level U.N. Haiti visit, Trump continues to say ‘No’ to cholera request

Earlier this fall, as the United Nations’ blue-helmet peacekeepers began theirwithdrawal from Haiti, many of their countries rushed to the beleaguered nation’s aid, turning over millions of dollars in unspent peacekeeping dollars to help eliminate a deadly cholera epidemic.

Some countries, faced with roadblocks in their parliaments, reprogrammed dollars. Others, like Norway, added an additional $465,000 to its $335,000 refund.

But the United States, which had already stated its opposition to U.N. Secretary General António Guterres’ requestover reassigning $11 million in unspent Haiti peacekeeping money, is refusing even though the Senate Appropriations Committee gave it the green light in September. The Senate provision allows the Trump administration to use the unspent peacekeeping dollars for Haiti’s cholera plan.

In June, Michele Sison, the U.S. deputy permanent representative to the United Nations — and Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Haiti — told Guterres during a public hearing that while the U.S. supports the request “in principle,” it was “not in a position to contribute in this way.” The U.S. mission noted that it had contributed more than $100 million to the outbreak since it was introduced in Haiti by peacekeepers, 10 months after the earthquake. Three months later, the mission followed up with a Sept. 11 letter to Guterres restating its formal opposition, citing U.S. law.

“If the administration is concerned about this tragedy as they profess to be, they need to contribute,” said Tim Rieser, foreign policy aide to Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Vermont Democrat and committee vice chairman who pushed the provision allowing the administration to turn over the funds. 

“The administration refuses to use the authority Sen. Leahy provided, but neither have they proposed to use other funds for this purpose,” Rieser said.

Of an unspent $40.5 million that Guterres was hoping to get reassigned, only $3.2 million from 30 nations has trickled in so far, frustrating U.N. officials. Among them is U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who is leading a high-level visit to Haiti Friday through Sunday to show U.N. commitment to the country and its faltering democracy.

“There are many, many crises in the world but you would think...you would get a better response than we have had from the international community,” Mohammed said. “This is not a large amount of money. And whatever we get makes a big difference, and we will plow it into what we’re doing.”

Haitian cholera activist Berthony Clermont demands the U.N. compensates victims of the cholera outbreak following the 2010 earthquake.