Haitian Times News Roundup – Dec. 12

Haiti

HIV/ AIDS Rates Steadies in Haiti

With 11 million inhabitants, Haiti is the most populous Caribbean nation, but also has the highest prevalence of HIV. According to data collected at 172 screening sites, more than one million people, of whom 11% are pregnant women, have been tested for HIV. Overall, 1.9% of people tested were found to be positive. The HIV seropositivity level ranges from 1.2% in the Northwest to 2.6% in Artibonite, Radio Metropole reports. Continue reading

Haiti: Tribute to Emile St Lot

On the occasion of the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10th, the government honored former Senator Émile St-Lot, born in Port-au-Prince on 11 September 1904 – died August 17, 1976 in New York. St-Lot acted as protractor for the Third Committee, which drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948. President of Senate Joseph Lambert hailed St-Lot’s fight for the integration of French into the official languages of the United Nations and the recognition of Israel’s independence. A plaque of honor and a painting were given, as a token of symbolic recognition, to the Saint-Lot family during the commemoration, Alterpresse reports Continue reading

Haiti : Prime Minister Proposes Governance Pacts

To get out of the current crisis, Jean-Henry Céant proposed to form a number of pacts. Among others : Political pact, social pact, economic pact, justice pact; a pact on the fight against corruption, a pact on a citizen incentive campaign to pay tax fees, a pact on the PetroCaribe trial, pact on laws to be revised or created on 2019, Le Nouvelliste reports Continue reading

Haiti: Construction of the Peripheral Infrastructures at the Hospital Providence of Gonaïves

National Directorate of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA), has recently completed construction of a potable water system for the Hospital Providence of Gonaives. This project was funded by the French Development Agency , with a budget of more than 132 million gourdes. It consists of brand new equipment, 8 water kiosks and more, Le National Reports.

American Airlines To Reduce Direct Flights To Haiti Next Week

After providing over 40 years of service to Haitian passengers, American Airlines (AA) is reducing its direct flights to Haiti’s capital.

Beginning Dec. 19, passengers will no longer be able to travel on American Airlines from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport or Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport to Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, according to Laura Masvidal, of Global Communications of Latin America and the Caribbean. Continue reading

US Warns Americans to Avoid Holiday Travel to Haiti

WASHINGTON / PORT-AU-PRINCE — The U.S. Department of State is authorizing “the voluntary departure of U.S. direct-hire government personnel and their family members” posted to the U.S. embassy in Haiti, a spokesperson for Western Hemisphere affairs told VOA. Continue reading

Haiti Protests

UN debates presence in Haiti as unrest continues

As Haiti’s national police struggled to regain control of Port-au-Prince last month after days of government paralysis following a violent anti-government protest, guards at a security checkpoint noticed a suspicious-looking White Nissan Patrol. Continue reading

Immigration & Migration

Tijuana’s Haitian Immigrants Seen As A Model For Other Newcomers

Julio Viaje, 30, had lunch last week in a Haitian restaurant in Tijuana and watched a European soccer game with friends while waiting for his bartending shift to start.

One of more than 3,000 Haitian migrants living in Tijuana, Viaje works at an upscale restaurant in the city called Los Arcos. When he arrived at the Mexican border two years ago, he worked in construction and slept in a migrant shelter. Today, he rents an apartment. Continue reading