Haiti

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Hurricane Melissa Leaves 67 Dead, $50B in Damage

Jamaica faces widespread destruction as power outages linger

(Newser) - The death toll from Hurricane Melissa has climbed to 67 as the storm leaves a trail of devastation across the Caribbean. Jamaican officials on Monday confirmed at least 32 fatalities in the country, with another eight unconfirmed deaths under investigation, per Fox Weather . Earlier reports put the toll at 34...

Hurricane Kills at Least 20 in One Haitian Town

'It was terrible,' Cuban says after destructive night

(Newser) - More than 30 deaths have been reported as Hurricane Melissa works its way Wednesday across Cuba and toward the Bahamas, a day after making landfall in Jamaica as one of the region's strongest storms on record. Officials in Haiti said at least 25 people were killed as waters rose...

Melissa Nears Jamaica as Category 5
Melissa Nears Jamaica
as Category 5
Oct 27, 2025 6:01 AM CDT

Melissa Nears Jamaica as Category 5

Hurricane to pass over island Tuesday before expected landfall in Cuba

(Newser) - Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength Monday as it neared Jamaica with up to 30 inches of rain and a life-threatening storm surge, per the AP . Melissa is forecast to make landfall on the island Tuesday and cross Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday. Melissa was centered about 130...

US Puts an End to Haiti's Trade Lifeline

Textile imports to the US are no longer duty-free

(Newser) - Haiti is teetering on the brink—and things just got worse. The US on Wednesday let a key trade program expire, one that allowed duty-free imports to the US of Haitian-made textiles. The end of the HOPE/HELP initiative, in place since 2006, effectively pulls the rug from under Haiti'...

An 'Intense Dance' Is Taking Shape in Waters Off US

Tropical Storm Humberto, other disturbance in Caribbean could interact, shape storm risks for US

(Newser) - Tropical Storm Humberto is churning in the central Atlantic, but all eyes are shifting to a newer system taking shape in the northern Caribbean. That disturbance, temporarily dubbed "Invest 94L," is already bringing heavy rainfall to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Hispaniola (the island housing Haiti...

Irish Missionary Kidnapped in Attack on Haiti Orphanage
Irish Woman Kidnapped
in Haiti Is Released
UPDATED
Aug 29, 2025 2:15 PM CDT

Irish Woman Kidnapped in Haiti Is Released

Missionary Gina Heraty is among 8 hostages were freed after about a month

(Newser) - An Irish missionary and seven others who were kidnapped in Haiti nearly a month ago have been freed, reports the BBC . The family of the longtime missionary, Gena Heraty, confirmed the news in a statement that thanked the Irish government and others instrumental in the release. No details were provided,...

One of Haiti's Most Notorious Gang Leaders Faces US Charges

Jimmy Cherizier, aka 'Barbecue,' is accused of violating US sanctions to fund gang activities

(Newser) - A notorious Haitian gang leader known as "Barbecue" is now facing criminal charges in the US. On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced its grand-jury indictment against Jimmy Cherizier, accusing the 48-year-old and American Bazile Richardson (aka Leo Danger), also 48, of cajoling money out of members of the Haitian...

Gangs Burn Down Famous Haitian Hotel

The Grand Hotel Oloffson was inspiration for hotel in Grahame Greene novel

(Newser) - Haiti's once-illustrious Grand Hotel Oloffson, a beloved Gothic gingerbread home that inspired books, hosted parties until dawn, and attracted visitors from Mick Jagger to Haitian presidents, was burned down by gangs over the weekend. Hundreds of Haitians and foreigners mourned the news as it spread across social media, with...

In Haiti's Gang-Run Capital, Risk of 'Total Collapse'

Criminal gangs could take full control without international help, say UN officials

(Newser) - Haiti's gangs have gained "near-total control" of the capital and authorities are unable to stop escalating violence across the impoverished Caribbean nation, senior UN officials warned Wednesday. An estimated 90% of the capital Port-au-Prince is now under control of criminal groups who are expanding attacks not only into...

Report: Haiti Has Hired Blackwater Founder

Sources say Erik Prince is part of task force deploying drones to kill gang members

(Newser) - In its battle against the gangs that have plunged the country into chaos, Haiti has turned to American security contractors—including the founder of the notorious Blackwater Worldwide. The New York Times, citing security experts and Haitian and American government sources, reports that Erik Prince is among the contractors hired...

Haiti Pledges to 'Annihilate' Gang After Massacre in Slum

Leader blamed witchcraft for his son's illness, human rights group says

(Newser) - About 180 people were slaughtered by a gang in a Port-au-Prince slum over the weekend, mostly residents over 60, and Haiti's government has promised retribution. A human rights group reports that a gang leader ordered the killings in Cite Soleil on the suspicion that witchcraft had made his child...

FAA Bans US Airlines From Flying to Haiti

30-day ban issued after bullets hit Spirit Airlines, JetBlue planes

(Newser) - The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it will prohibit US airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot a Spirit Airlines plane . Bullets hit the Spirit plane when it was about to land Monday in the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, injuring a flight attendant and forcing...

Passenger Describes Bullets Hitting Plane Above Haiti

A Spirit Airlines jet was hit, and then one from JetBlue

(Newser) - It turns out that two passenger planes were struck by gunfire over Haiti on Monday—first, a Spirit Airlines jet , and then a second from JetBlue. Not surprisingly, both airlines have canceled flights to and from the country for the time being, reports Reuters . American Airlines has done the same....

Gunfire Hits Airliner Over Haiti, Injuring Crew Member
Gunfire Hits Airliner Over Haiti
Nov 11, 2024 4:42 PM CST

Gunfire Hits Airliner Over Haiti

Flights are canceled, and the State Department issues an alert to Americans

(Newser) - Gunfire struck an airliner over Haiti's capital on Monday, injuring a flight attendant and prompting airlines to cancel flights to the country. Spirit Airlines said its flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Port-au-Prince was diverted to the Dominican Republic, where an inspection found damage to the plane consistent with...

More Turmoil Hits Haiti
More Turmoil Hits Haiti
Nov 11, 2024 1:00 AM CST

More Turmoil Hits Haiti

Transition council fires, replaces prime minister

(Newser) - A transitionary council created to reestablish democratic order in Haiti signed a decree Sunday firing interim Prime Minister Garry Conille and replacing him with Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, a businessman who was previously considered for the job, the AP reports. The decree, set to be published on Monday, was provided to...

Haitian Gang Opens Fire in Town at 3am, Killing 70

Prime minister decries 'odious crime'

(Newser) - At least 70 people, three of them infants, were killed in a small town in Haiti when gang members with automatic rifles opened fire on residents, United Nations officials said Friday. At least 50 others were reported to be seriously injured. The gang set dozens of houses and vehicles on...

Those Springfield Rumors Reach the UN

In speech to General Assembly, Haitian official thanks residents helping his nation's migrants

(Newser) - A strange moment in American politics emerged at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, courtesy of a top Haitian official. Edgard Leblanc Fils, the president of Haiti's transitional council, spoke to world leaders about gang violence in his country and bemoaned the large number of citizens fleeing the violence....

UN Assesses Total Displaced by Gang Crisis

Refugees from Haiti's capital are overwhelming other provinces

(Newser) - Surging violence in Haiti from clashes with armed gangs since March has displaced nearly 580,000 people, according to a new report from the UN migration agency, a figure that underscores the magnitude of the Caribbean nation's crisis. Haiti has long faced unrest, but at the end of February,...

Finally, Haiti Has a New Prime Minister

He 'has an arduous task ahead of him,' facing rampant gang violence, deep poverty, inflation

(Newser) - UN development specialist Garry Conille was named Haiti's new prime minister Tuesday evening, nearly a month after a coalition within a fractured transitional council sought to choose someone else for the position, the AP reports. The long-awaited move comes as gangs continue to terrorize the capital of Port-au-Prince, opening...

Daughter of Missouri Lawmaker Killed in Haiti

Ben Baker's daughter Natalie Lloyd and husband Davy ambushed by gangs in Port-au-Prince

(Newser) - The UN estimates 2,500 people have been hurt or killed during the first quarter of this year amid the ongoing gang violence in Haiti, and now, a Missouri state lawmaker has received tragic news of his own out of the island nation, per KOAM . "My heart is broken...

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