Two U.S. Virgin Islands Beaches Named Among Caribbean's Top 10 in 2025 TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice Awards
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands, March 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) proudly celebrates the recognition of two of its pristine beaches, Trunk Bay in St. John and Magen's Bay in St. Thomas, as a top 10 best beaches in the Caribbean in TripAdvisor's 2025 Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Awards. This prestigious recognition highlights the USVI's commitment to preserving its natural beauty and offering an unforgettable experience to travelers seeking sun, sand, and serenity.
The beaches, lauded for their crystal-clear waters, soft sands, and inviting atmosphere, have long been favorites among visitors and locals alike. Their inclusion in the 2025 rankings reaffirms the USVI's status as a top-tier destination for beach lovers worldwide.
'This honor is a testament to the beauty and appeal of our islands,' said Joseph Boschulte, Commissioner of Tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands. 'Our beaches offer not only relaxation but also a gateway to explore the vibrant culture, rich history, and warm hospitality of the USVI.'
For more information on visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands and experiencing these award-winning beaches, please visit www.visitusvi.com.
About the U.S. Virgin Islands
About 40 miles east of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands comprise a United States territory located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. The three islands are St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas, where the capital of Charlotte Amalie is located. Perfect for leisure or business travel, the U.S. Virgin Islands features breathtaking, world-renowned beaches, an international marine industry, European architecture, and a burgeoning restaurant industry. No passports are required from U.S. citizens traveling from the U.S. mainland or Puerto Rico. Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are equivalent to entering the United States from any international country. Upon departure, a passport is required for non-U.S. citizens. For more information about the United States Virgin Islands, go to www.VisitUSVI.com, follow us @VisitUSVI on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Pinterest, and @USVITourism on TikTok, X and LinkedIn.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tuniu Announces Unaudited First Quarter 2025 Financial Results
NANJING, China, June 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tuniu Corporation (NASDAQ: TOUR) ("Tuniu" or the "Company"), a leading online leisure travel company in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025. "We are pleased to kick off the year with steady growth momentum," said Mr. Donald Dunde Yu, Tuniu's founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "In the first quarter, revenues from our core packaged tour products business increased by 19.3% year-over-year. We continued to leverage our core advantages in product development and supply chain to enhance both quality and cost-effectiveness. In addition, we continued to optimize both online and offline sales channels to ensure that our high-quality products and services reach more customers. Looking ahead, we remain committed to innovation through combining technology with industry insights to deliver more convenient, efficient, and transparent travel solutions for our customers." First Quarter 2025 Results Net revenues were RMB117.5 million (US$16.2 million[1]) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 8.9% from the corresponding period in 2024. Revenues from packaged tours were RMB99.0 million (US$13.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 19.3% from the corresponding period in 2024. The increase was primarily due to the growth of organized tours. Other revenues were RMB18.5 million (US$2.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year decrease of 25.8% from the corresponding period in 2024. The decrease was primarily due to the decrease in the commission fees received from other travel-related products. [1] The conversion of Renminbi ("RMB") into United States dollars ("US$") is based on the exchange rate of US$1.00=RMB 7.2567 on March 31, 2025 as set forth in H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and available at Cost of revenues was RMB48.2 million (US$6.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 85.9% from the corresponding period in 2024. As a percentage of net revenues, cost of revenues was 41.0% in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 24.0% in the corresponding period in 2024. Gross profit was RMB69.3 million (US$9.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year decrease of 15.5% from the corresponding period in 2024. Operating expenses were RMB80.1 million (US$11.0 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 14.9% from the corresponding period in 2024. Research and product development expenses were RMB14.5 million (US$2.0 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 11.5%. The increase was primarily due to the increase in research and product development personnel related expenses. Research and product development expenses as a percentage of net revenues were 12.4% in the first quarter of 2025. Sales and marketing expenses were RMB43.2 million (US$6.0 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 17.3%. The increase was primarily due to the increase in sales and marketing personnel related expenses and promotion expenses. Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of net revenues were 36.8% in the first quarter of 2025. General and administrative expenses were RMB22.8 million (US$3.1 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 11.1%. The increase was primarily due to the impairment of property and equipment, net recorded in the first quarter of 2025. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenues were 19.4% in the first quarter of 2025. Loss from operations was RMB10.8 million (US$1.5 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to an income from operations of RMB12.3 million in the first quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP[2] loss from operations, which excluded share-based compensation expenses, amortization of acquired intangible assets and impairment of property and equipment, net, was RMB5.3 million (US$0.7 million) in the first quarter of 2025. [2] The section below entitled "About Non-GAAP Financial Measures" provides information about the use of Non-GAAP financial measures in this press release, and the table captioned "Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release reconciles Non-GAAP financial information with the Company's financial results under GAAP. Net loss was RMB5.4 million (US$0.7 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to a net income of RMB21.9 million in the first quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP net income, which excluded share-based compensation expenses, amortization of acquired intangible assets and impairment of property and equipment, net, was RMB0.1 million (US$16.4 thousand) in the first quarter of 2025. Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders of Tuniu Corporation was RMB4.7 million (US$0.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to a net income attributable to ordinary shareholders of Tuniu Corporation of RMB13.9 million in the first quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders of Tuniu Corporation, which excluded share-based compensation expenses, amortization of acquired intangible assets and impairment of property and equipment, net, was RMB0.8 million (US$0.1 million) in the first quarter of 2025. As of March 31, 2025, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term investments and long-term deposits of RMB1.2 billion (US$167.2 million). Business Outlook For the second quarter of 2025, Tuniu expects to generate RMB131.0 million to RMB136.8 million of net revenues, which represents a 12% to 17% increase year-over-year compared with net revenues in the corresponding period in 2024. This forecast reflects Tuniu's current and preliminary view on the industry and its operations, which is subject to change. Share Repurchase Update In March 2024, the Company's Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program under which the Company may repurchase up to US$ 10 million worth of its ordinary shares or American depositary shares ("ADSs") representing ordinary shares. As of May 31, 2025, the Company had repurchased an aggregate of approximately 9.5 million ADSs for approximately US$9.0 million from the open market under the share repurchase program. Conference Call Information Tuniu's management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 am U.S. Eastern Time, on June 12, 2025, (8:00 pm, Beijing/Hong Kong Time, on June 12, 2025) to discuss the first quarter 2025 financial results. To participate in the conference call, please dial the following numbers: United States 1-888-346-8982 Hong Kong 852-301-84992 Mainland China 4001-201203 International 1-412-902-4272 Conference ID: Tuniu 1Q 2025 Earnings Conference Call A telephone replay will be available one hour after the end of the conference call through June 19, 2025. The dial-in details are as follows: United States 1-877-344-7529 International 1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 4581400 Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Company's investor relations website at About Tuniu Tuniu (Nasdaq: TOUR) is a leading online leisure travel company in China that offers integrated travel service with a large selection of packaged tours, including organized and self-guided tours, as well as travel-related services for leisure travelers through its website and mobile platform. Tuniu provides one-stop leisure travel solutions and a compelling customer experience through its online platform and offline service network, including a dedicated team of professional customer service representatives, 24/7 call centers, extensive networks of offline retail stores and self-operated local tour operators. For more information, please visit Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Tuniu may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Tuniu's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but are not limited to the following: Tuniu's goals and strategies; the growth of the online leisure travel market in China; the demand for Tuniu's products and services; its relationships with customers and travel suppliers; Tuniu's ability to offer competitive travel products and services; Tuniu's future business development, results of operations and financial condition; competition in the online travel industry in China; government policies and regulations relating to Tuniu's structure, business and industry; the impact of health epidemics on Tuniu's business operations, the travel industry and the economy of China and elsewhere generally; and the general economic and business condition in China and elsewhere. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and Tuniu does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law. About Non-GAAP Financial Measures To supplement the Company's unaudited consolidated financial results presented in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), the Company has provided non-GAAP information related to income/(loss) from operations, net income/(loss), net income/(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders of Tuniu Corporation, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, amortization of acquired intangible assets and impairment of property and equipment, net. The presentation of this non-GAAP financial measure is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We believe that the non-GAAP financial measures used in this press release are useful for understanding and assessing underlying business performance and operating trends, and management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing our financial performance and when planning and forecasting future periods. This non-GAAP financial measure is not defined under U.S. GAAP and is not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measure has limitations as an analytical tool. Further, this non-GAAP measure may differ from the non-GAAP information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore its comparability may be limited. The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measure to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measure, all of which should be considered when evaluating performance. Tuniu encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release. (Financial Tables Follow) Tuniu Corporation Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (All amounts in thousands, except per share information) December 31, 2024 March 31, 2025 March 31, 2025 RMB RMB US$ ASSETSCurrent assetsCash and cash equivalents 465,004489,89667,509 Restricted cash 26,06110,6481,467 Short-term investments 432,823554,19976,371 Accounts receivable, net 43,31337,1555,120 Amounts due from related parties 7521,311181 Prepayments and other current assets 235,443192,29026,498 Total current assets 1,203,3961,285,499177,146 Non-current assetsLong-term investments 534,041349,29048,133 Property and equipment, net 32,84928,8473,975 Intangible assets, net 22,21021,3812,946 Land use right, net 88,46787,95212,120 Operating lease right-of-use assets, net 9,2668,6791,196 Other non-current assets 19,20819,0862,630 Total non-current assets 706,041515,23571,000 Total assets 1,909,4371,800,734248,146 LIABILITIES, REDEEMABLE NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS AND EQUITYCurrent liabilitiesShort-term borrowings 36365 Accounts and notes payable 290,112305,41642,087 Amounts due to related parties 3,1214,592633 Salary and welfare payable 23,14816,9712,339 Taxes payable 5,0602,559353 Advances from customers 247,151159,38521,964 Operating lease liabilities, current 2,9943,070423 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 322,034339,80746,824 Total current liabilities 893,656831,836114,628 Non-current liabilitiesOperating lease liabilities, non-current 1,6801,574217 Deferred tax liabilities 5,1514,964684 Total non-current liabilities 6,8316,538901 Total liabilities 900,487838,374115,529 EquityOrdinary shares 24924934 Less: Treasury stock (329,668)(342,050)(47,136) Additional paid-in capital 9,146,9289,118,3631,256,544 Accumulated other comprehensive income 313,460312,59943,077 Accumulated deficit (8,050,378)(8,055,076)(1,110,018) Total Tuniu Corporation shareholders' equity 1,080,5911,034,085142,501 Noncontrolling interests (71,641)(71,725)(9,884) Total equity 1,008,950962,360132,617 Total liabilities and equity 1,909,4371,800,734248,146 Tuniu Corporation Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income/(Loss) (All amounts in thousands, except per share information) Quarter Ended Quarter Ended Quarter Ended Quarter Ended March 31, 2024 December 31, 2024 March 31, 2025 March 31, 2025 RMB RMB RMB US$ RevenuesPackaged tours 82,95175,44098,96913,638 Others 25,00727,29218,5472,556 Net revenues 107,958102,732117,51616,194 Cost of revenues (25,913)(32,935)(48,169)(6,638) Gross profit 82,04569,79769,3479,556 Operating expensesResearch and product development (13,024)(13,325)(14,528)(2,002) Sales and marketing (36,824)(42,697)(43,188)(5,951) General and administrative (20,479)(26,841)(22,755)(3,136) Other operating income 58236932645 Total operating expenses (69,745)(82,494)(80,145)(11,044) Income/(loss) from operations 12,300(12,697)(10,798)(1,488) Other income/(expenses)Interest and investment income/(loss), net 10,041(5,609)7,8291,079 Interest expense (613)(612)(551)(76) Foreign exchange losses, net (568)(6,102)(1,521)(210) Other income/(loss), net 1,27949(364)(50) Income/(loss) before income tax expense 22,439(24,971)(5,405)(745) Income tax benefit/(expense) 64(283)(52)(7) Equity in (loss)/income of affiliates (604)18810514 Net income/(loss) 21,899(25,066)(5,352)(738) Net income/(loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests 7,988(859)(654)(90) Net income/(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders of Tuniu Corporation 13,911(24,207)(4,698)(648) Net income/(loss) 21,899(25,066)(5,352)(738) Other comprehensive income/(loss):Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil tax 2,0348,568(861)(119) Comprehensive income/(loss) 23,933(16,498)(6,213)(857) Net income/(loss) per ordinary share attributable to ordinary shareholders - basic and diluted 0.04(0.07)(0.01)(0.001) Net income/(loss) per ADS - basic and diluted* 0.12(0.21)(0.03)(0.004) Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing basic income/(loss) per share 371,516,251354,106,851348,847,377348,847,377 Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing diluted income/(loss) per share 373,365,967354,106,851348,847,377348,847,377 Share-based compensation expenses included are as follows:Cost of revenues 6566659 Research and product development 6566659 Sales and marketing 3132314 General and administrative 4,8301,2531,230169 Total 4,9911,4171,391191 *Each ADS represents three of the Company's ordinary shares. Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results (All amounts in thousands, except per share information) Quarter Ended March 31, 2025 GAAP Result Share-based Amortization of acquired Impairment Non-GAAP Compensation intangible assets of property and equipment, net Result Loss from operations (10,798)1,3917643,316(5,327) Net (loss)/income (5,352)1,3917643,316119 Net (loss)/income attributable to ordinary shareholders (4,698)1,3917643,316773 Quarter Ended December 31, 2024 GAAP Result Share-based Amortization of acquired Impairment Non-GAAP Compensation intangible assets of property and equipment, net Result (Loss)/income from operations (12,697)1,41776415,6415,125 Net loss (25,066)1,41776415,641(7,244) Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders (24,207)1,41776415,641(6,385) Quarter Ended March 31, 2024 GAAP Result Share-based Amortization of acquired Impairment Non-GAAP Compensation intangible assets of property and equipment, net Result Income from operations 12,3004,991828-18,119 Net income 21,8994,991828-27,718 Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders 13,9114,991828-19,730 View original content: SOURCE Tuniu Corporation
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Separated from kids in Cuba and Haiti by Trump travel ban, parents plead for help
As Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits come to terms with what a new U.S. travel ban means for their families' hopes to reunite, many have flocked to social media in anguish — including children — seeking help. 'President Trump, I ask you to please reconsider family reunification for residents,' said a 10-year-old in a Hello Kitty T-shirt in a video she recorded in Havana. The video was published by her mother, Lia Llanes, a U.S. permanent resident living in Miami, in one of the several Facebook groups where Cubans are discussing the new prohibitions. 'I am a child who, like many others, is waiting for an interview to reunite with our parents so we can grow up in this beautiful country and become a citizen,' the child says in the video. 'With great pride, I ask you again, please reconsider. And I ask God to enlighten you. Thank you.' The child had been taking English lessons, preparing for a new life in the United States, which she thought was just days away, Llanes told the Herald. The petition to bring her daughter to the U.S. had just been approved in late May, and the family was just waiting for the visa interview at the U.S. embassy in Havana, the final step in a lengthy process to legally emigrate to the United States. Then President Donald Trump announced last week a travel ban suspending the issuing of immigrant visas to Cuban relatives of U.S. permanent residents, upending the plans of many families to reunite. 'It's very heartbreaking to know that your claim is approved and this happens,' said Llanes, who runs a small business and obtained a green card after being paroled at the U.S. border in 2022. She said her daughter spent two days 'without talking to anyone' after learning the bad news. 'It's hard to explain,' she said. 'It's strange because you have your daughter there, and you're here, and one minute, you have good news, and then the next, everything changes.' Trump's new ban restricts travel for most citizens of Cuba, Venezuela and five other countries while also placing Haiti and 11 other nations on a full ban. It's a distressing blow to families who had already been waiting years to reunite in the United States. Standing in a room full of boxes with the beds she hoped her children would sleep on when they join her in the United States, Clara Yoa, a U.S. permanent resident, could barely contain her tears as she recounted how she felt after learning about the travel ban. 'I no longer have a life,' she said in a video she published on Facebook. Yoa came to the United States in 2019 from Cuba, and has her own small cleaning company in Tampa, she told the Herald. Like Llanes' daughter, her children, now 16, 17, and 19, were also waiting for the visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. But their arrival had become an urgent matter because her own mother, who has been caring for Yoa's three children in Granma, a province in eastern Cuba, has metastatic cancer. Adding to her desperation is that a Cuban doctor told her that due to the stress caused by their separation, her eldest now has a heart condition. 'I hope that the people at the top, those who sign and pass the laws, also take into account that we, permanent residents, also have our children in a prison country, and we want to have them here with us,' she said, her voice breaking in the video. 'At least they should take into account that there are children who aren't going to come here to commit terrorism or harm this country.' The ban, announced last Wednesday, suspends immigration visas for adult children of U.S. citizens and relatives of U.S. permanent residents from the 19 countries included in the executive order. Only the immediate relatives of U.S. citizens–parents, spouses, parents and minor children will be allowed to enter the United States under a directive the White House said will 'protect the United States from foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats.' Cubans, Haitians and Venezuelans with visas issued before June 8 will still be able to travel to the United States. But on Monday, some relatives of U.S. permanent residents who attended scheduled visa interviews at the U.S. embassy in Havana were issued a document in Spanish stating they were not 'eligible for an immigrant visa' under the new directive, a decision they could not appeal. The document also stated that their cases did not merit an exception, citing U.S. national security interests. The State Department did not say if applicants whose immigration visas were denied solely based on the new travel restrictions would have a chance down the line to present their case again. It also did not say if cases involving young children would fall under exceptions the Secretary of State can make on a case-by-case basis. But an agency spokesperson said, 'Urgent humanitarian medical travel may be considered a basis for such an exception. Only applicants otherwise qualified for a visa will be considered.' On Wednesday, a mother with a Miami cellphone number joined a WhatsApp chat group for Cubans with pending immigration cases, wanting to know if anyone had heard of a child being denied an immigration visa at the U.S. embassy in Havana. Her child has a scheduled interview later this week. 'I am just talking to him, and he is so innocent, so oblivious about all this, and he will be very happy tomorrow at his appointment,' she said, crying in a voice message. One of the group's most active commenters replied: 'God is great. Perhaps when they see that little boy in there, they would approve it.' A historic exodus Many families left separated by the ban were part of a historic exodus from Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela in recent years. In introducing the travel ban, Trump partly blamed the Biden administration for allowing more than a half million Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans into the United States under a humanitarian parole program that allowed nationals of the four nations to migrate to the U.S. for two years as long as they had a financial sponsor, passed background checks and arrived through an airport. But part of the reason so many people from the four countries took advantage of the program, known as CHNV, stems from legal immigration hurdles and restrictive policies introduced by Trump during his first term. Among other things, his administration suspended the Cuba Family Reunification Program and a similar one for Haitians. During those years, U.S. embassies in the three countries either suspended visa processing or scaled back appointments, preventing people from immigrating legally while their populations faced political and humanitarian crises, which contributed to the historic exodus Trump is now citing. Anguish and uncertainty Since Trump signed his proclamation last Wednesday, Cubans in the U.S. and on the island have been debating and sharing information about the new immigration restrictions on several groups on WhatsApp and Facebook. Many are praying for a 'miracle' as they share their stories and give each other hope that the ban might be temporary. The directive states that after three months of its enactment, the President will review the recommendations by the Secretary of State regarding whether to continue the restrictions on nationals of the targeted countries. A review will be conducted every six months thereafter. But the lifting of restrictions relies on the foreign governments improving 'their information-sharing and identity-management protocols and practices.' So far, the Cuban government has not signaled it is interested in improving its cooperation with the U.S. and instead attacked Secretary of State Marco Rubio. After the travel ban was announced, Cuba's foreign minister said the measure 'aims to deceive the American people, blaming and violating the rights of migrants. Anti-Cuban politicians, including the Secretary of State, are the main proponents of this measure, betraying the communities that elected them.' Trump's proclamation also notes Cuba remains on the U.S. list of countries that sponsor terrorism. The ban also comes at especially difficult time for Haitians in a country wracked by gang violence. In a statement, Haiti's U.S.-backed Transitional Presidential Council said it plans to 'initiate negotiations and technical discussions' with the Trump administration in order to remove Haiti from the targeted countries. This is likely a tall order considering that more than 1.3 million Haitians remain displaced and armed gangs, now in control of most of Port-au-Prince, have made it difficult to circulate, raising questions about authorities' ability to improve vetting procedures and information sharing with the U.S. For Haiti, the ban prohibits the entry of all of its nationals unless they fall under the few exceptions contemplated in the new directive. Like many Haitians who arrived back in the U.S. on the first day of the travel ban, Eraus Alzime, 71, didn't fully understand its impact. The father of 10 was in Haiti visiting his children when he received a call urging him to get back to the U.S. To get out, he had to travel by bus and went through three gang checkpoints, he said. 'Of course you feel panicked,' Alzime said. 'The bandits make you get off so that they check your suitcases and see what you are carrying. You don't have a choice, you have to do it, if you don't you can end up dead.' Alzime, a U.S. citizen, said he applied for six of his children to emigrate to the U.S legally. The oldest is 43 years-old while the youngest is 14. His adult children won't be able to travel to the United States under the current ban. 'I filed for my kids and they've yet to give them to me,' he said. A victim of the country's incessant violence, Alizme says he has no choice but to travel to Haiti for his kids. 'I have to go see how they are doing,' he said. 'We live depressed' As the news about the travel ban sinks in, parents worry about the psychological toll the prolonged separation will have on their children, especially those who are too young to grasp immigration policy. Gleydys Sarda, 26, and her husband took the difficult decision to flee Cuba and left their 3-year-old son under the care of his grandparents in 2022. They didn't want to expose him to what they knew could be a dangerous land journey to the U.S. Southern border, she said. Now, he is 6 years-old, under the care of a grandparent and increasingly anxious to be with his parents. 'We live depressed because of the long wait; we ran out of excuses to tell him when he asks why he cannot be with us,' said Sardá, who is a U.S. permanent resident and works for Amazon at a warehouse in Coral Springs. 'Lately, he has been repeating more than ever that he wants to be here, that he is tired of waiting, and now this restriction broke our hearts. We have no other way.' Sardá's visa petition to bring him to the United States has yet to be approved. The couple tried to bring him using the special parole program created by the Biden administration, but they never heard back from U.S. immigration authorities. Sardá, who is currently pregnant, frets at the idea of traveling to Cuba to see her child, which currently seems to be her only choice to spend time with him, if only for a short time. The last time she visited in January, 'the goodbye was too hard. When we are there, the three of us are very happy, but after we leave,I feel I leave him worse,' she said. Sarda said the boy got depressed after they left, 'and so do we. I was in bed and didn´t want to go to work or leave the house.' 'Now I am also expecting my second child, and it would break my heart to go to Cuba with one child, return with one and leave the other in Cuba.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ryanair threatens ‘unruly' holidaymakers with £500 fines
Ryanair has threatened 'unruly' holidaymakers who disrupt flights with £500 fines amid rising concerns about drunken behaviour. The budget airline on Thursday said the 'major conduct clampdown' was aimed at a small minority of passengers who cause trouble at the expense of everyone else on board. It said anyone thrown off a flight would now be hit with a £500 fine as a minimum, with the carrier then pursuing them for damages. A Ryanair spokesman added: 'It is unacceptable that passengers are made to suffer unnecessary disruption because of one unruly passenger's behaviour. 'While these are isolated events which happen across all airlines, disruptive behaviour in such a confined shared space is unacceptable, and we hope that our proactive approach will act as a deterrent to eliminate this unacceptable behaviour onboard our aircraft.' The airline has been campaigning for tougher curbs on the sale of alcoholic drinks at airports in the past year, with Michael O'Leary, the chief executive, warning of a rise in disorder. Last year, a Ryanair flight was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Tenerife after several passengers became unruly, with one reportedly urinating in the aisle. In April, police also dragged a woman off a plane that had to be diverted to Bologna, Italy, following 'disruptive' behaviour, including a reported fight between passengers. Ryanair has accused European governments of failing to act 'when disruptive passengers threaten aircraft safety and force them to divert'. Mr O'Leary has called for passengers to be limited to two alcoholic drinks each at airports. On Thursday, a spokesman for the airline said: 'To help ensure that our passengers and crew travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers, we have introduced a £500 fine, which will be issued to any passengers offloaded from aircraft as a result of their misconduct.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
