UNITED NATIONS,, United States (AFP) – The United Nations will give “material” aid to cholera victims in Haiti and their families, the secretary general’s spokesman said Friday, citing the international body’s “moral responsibility.” UN chief Ban Ki-moon, in a statement by a spokesman, also noted that a decision Thursday by a US federal appeals court “upheld the immunity of the organization from legal proceedings” brought against it over the cholera crisis. US courts have consistently found […]
Latin America
Nicaragua struggles to control fire at sole oil refinery
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP) – Nicaraguan firefighters on Friday were trying to bring under control a huge fire at their country’s only oil refinery that has been burning for two days, creating health fears over noxious smoke. The blaze started Wednesday when one of four big fuel tanks exploded at the Puma Energy facility in the Pacific port of Puerto Sandino, some 70 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the capital Managua. A second tank ignited on Thursday […]
Haiti cholera victims welcome UN recognizing role in outbreak
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) – by Amelie BARON The United Nations’ belated acknowledgement it played a role in a cholera epidemic in Haiti that has killed nearly 10,000 people was hailed by victims’ advocates Thursday as vindication of their efforts to hold the world body accountable. The epidemic broke out in 2010 in the vicinity of a base housing UN peacekeepers, in an impoverished Caribbean country that previously had been considered cholera-free. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s […]
Mexico moves jailed drug lord to house arrest
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) by Jennifer GONZALEZ COVARRUBIAS Mexican authorities transferred aging drug lord Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo to house arrest Thursday after serving 31 years in prison for the killing of a US undercover agent. Eduardo Guerrero, head of Mexico’s penitentiary system, said Fonseca Carrillo was moved to a house near Mexico City before dawn to finish the last nine years of his 40-year sentence following a judge’s order. “We tried for more than a year […]
Haitian lawmakers delay decision on extending interim president’s mandate
Haitian legislators on Tuesday (June 21) delayed a vote on whether to extend the mandate of interim President Jocelerme Privert. Dozens of demonstrators supporting the interim government of interim President Jocelerme Privert protested outside a heavily guarded National Assembly. Some reports indicated that some legislators could not reach the building because of the protesters. Other reports said legislators simply did not show up. The Caribbean nation held a first-round vote in October, but a second-round […]
