Americas press review
In the spotlight: Gang warfare threatens the future of children in Haiti
Faced with gang warfare, people are forced to leave their homes.
Here in Port-au-Prince, April 28, 2022. © REUTERS / Ralph Tedy Erol
Text by: Marie Normand Follow
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“
Gang war, kidnapping: the total
”.
This is the headline of the
National
this Friday, May 6.
Shootings between rival gangs in Port-au-Prince have claimed dozens of lives over the past two weeks and forced thousands to flee their homes, according to Haiti's Civil Protection Authority and the Bureau of coordination of UN humanitarian affairs.
The newspaper regrets that “
the calls for help from the inhabitants have so far remained unanswered.
The state authorities are visibly allowing the situation to deteriorate
”.
"
In 10 days, 10 children were killed, including 6 in a single day
," says Unicef quoted by the
Alterpress
site .
“
Nearly
1,700 schools are currently closed in the metropolitan area
”, “
500,000 children have lost access to education
”.
For Unicef, the very future of Haitian children is threatened by these gangs.
The organization says it has "
received credible information that children at risk of dropping out of school are being recruited by gangs and paid weekly
".
Karine Jean-Pierre multiplies the "first times"
Another topic in the Haitian press this Friday: the appointment of Karine Jean-Pierre, new spokesperson for the White House.
At 43, she will take office in just one week.
She “
multiplies the first times
”, writes
Le Nouvelliste
and “
embodies the realization of the American dream
”.
Karine Jean-Pierre was born in Martinique.
"
Raised in New York by Haitian parents who had to flee poverty and the dictatorship of Jean-Claude Duvalier
", she "
blew the glass ceiling
".
On a personal level, Karine Jean-Pierre shares her life with a journalist from the CNN channel with whom she has a child.
"I'm everything Donald Trump hates
," she said in her autobiography.
“
Woman, black, gay and mom.
And my parents are from Haiti
”.
Le Nouvelliste
notes that his appointment comes "
at a time when the White House is making several other staff moves in anticipation of a possible Republican takeover on Capitol Hill during the midterm elections
" in November.
Joe Biden (again) in Ohio
The US president is going to Hamilton, Ohio, this Friday, where he will visit a metallurgical plant, the
Cincinnati Enquirer
tells us .
He will lobby Congress to pass a bill to boost manufacturing.
This is already the president's second trip to the Cincinnati area, and his fifth to Ohio.
A state in which Joe Biden lost by 8 points in 2020, the newspaper recalls, and where JD Vance, a Republican who has just rallied to Donald Trump, has just won the primaries for the senatorial.
Colombia: “Otoniel” pleads not guilty
He was extradited to the United States on Wednesday.
“Otoniel,” the Colombian drug lord, pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
He is accused in particular of international conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine to the United States.
"Otoniel" has requested a jury trial, the next hearing is set for June 2.
At the same time, his criminal group, the Gulf Clan, launched a reprisal operation, an "
armed strike
" in Colombia. 32 cars and trucks were burned in some twenty municipalities: this is on the front page of
El Tiempo
.
According to the conservative newspaper, it is Chiquito Malo, one of the lieutenants of "Otoniel", who would be at work.
He would have "
ordered structures under his command to block roads, put pressure on businesses not to open their doors and ordered the population to stay at home
”.
Schools were closed as a precaution, as was the road between Medellín and the Atlantic coast.
Four departments in the northwest are affected, including the department of Antioquia.
Semana
explains that the local authorities have offered a reward of 10 million pesos, the equivalent of 2,300 euros, for any information on the members of the cartel.
The Minister of the Interior promises to respond to these attempts at intimidation with the full capacity of the security forces.
As for President Ivan Duque, he once again congratulated the police for the capture and extradition of "Otoniel", in an exclusive interview with
Semana
.
"
We have shown"
, he says,
"that once again the law is above the criminals
".
The run does not end in Alabama
We end with this case that has been keeping the United States in suspense for a week now.
An inmate is on the loose.
Just like a prison official who would have helped him pack up.
Vicky White and Casey White, who share the same name but have no family connection, are both nowhere to be found.
He is described as extremely dangerous - he was serving a 75-year prison sentence for kidnapping, burglary and attempted murder - she was considered a model employee.
US Marshals have released photos of Casey and Vicky White,
Alabama.com
says , and even simulations of what Vicky might look like if she dyed her hair.
Since the start of the run, Internet users have thrown themselves headlong into the investigation.
In particular to find the famous rust-colored 2007 Ford Edge in which they fled.
Result: the dealer who sold the vehicle to Vicky White was wrongly accused of wrongdoing by Facebook users.
He suffered the wrath of "
internet detectives
", regret the federal authorities.
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