Latest news with #humanitarian
CBS News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Haitian Americans desperate to return home amid violence and travel restrictions
Haitian Americans stranded in the U.S. say they are growing desperate as ongoing violence and the shutdown of commercial flights into Port-au-Prince keep them from returning to their home country. Despite a Level 4 travel advisory and mounting dangers, many say their lives and work are in Haiti and they're willing to risk everything to go back. It's been several months since any commercial airline has landed in Haiti's capital, leaving families separated and humanitarian efforts stalled. The situation became more dire after a Spirit Airlines plane was shot at while attempting to land in Port-au-Prince last November. "As soon as the airport is open, I will go back" Pastor Jean Rigaud and his wife, Melande, have been stuck in Miami since February of last year, waiting for a safe way back to Haiti, where they run a church, school, and orphanage. "As soon as the airport is open, I will go back because they are waiting for me so I'm more effective in Haiti," said Jean. His wife, Melande, says she shares that urgency - even though she knows the risks. "This is hard to say. I may go; they may kill me too, but this is my country." The Rigauds say, despite the chaos and bloodshed, Haiti is where they are needed most. Their orphanage houses 50 children, and their school serves hundreds more. "Life in Haiti is very hard, very tough. There is no life. The children cannot go to school. They're not safe. There is no hospital. They destroy everything," said Melande. Asked why she still wants to return, she simply replied, "This is my country!" Jean added, "I dedicate my life to stay in Haiti to minister to the good people in Haiti and to help mostly children." "It's very dangerous to get to Port-au-Prince" Though the airport in Cap-Haïtien remains open, only one airline currently flies in and out - and it's on the opposite end of the country. Reaching Port-au-Prince by road is treacherous, especially with widespread gang activity. Sylvain Exantus, who lives in Tabaire near Port-au-Prince, says gangs burned down his home. Now stuck in Miami, he too longs to return but says it's impossible. "By normal roads, it's very dangerous to get to Port-au-Prince," he said. Fear for the future amid TPS concerns Many Haitian Americans are now speaking out in desperation, hoping for stability in Haiti and concerned about their immigration status in the U.S. The Trump administration's plan to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians has added urgency to their situation. Despite the violence and uncertainty, those like the Rigauds and Exantus say their heart is still in Haiti - and they will return as soon as they can.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- General
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, May 30th: On Gaza and Israel, sharing the footpaths, pay and PHD students
Sir, – I hope the profoundly moving and politically inspiring opinion piece by Oliver Sears is taken up by news media outlets around the word and goes viral on social media, including in Israel. ( 'Seeing Israel use hunger as a weapon of war is monstrous to me as someone with a Holocaust legacy,' May 28th). Argued incisively by Sears, isn't this what all decent people should want?: food and medicines in sufficient quantities to be be brought into Gaza immediately; Israelis to depose their own government; Hamas to release the remaining hostages, disarm, and leave Gaza; Iran and Qatar to stop funding terrorist proxies; and, finally, the liberation of Palestinians and Israelis (Iranians too) from the grip of 'malignant regimes.' Sears also shows us how this can be done: mass protests, a general strike, galvanisation of the opposition in Israel; pressure piled on Israel by its allies; international pressure on Iran and Qatar. As well as doing what we can in Ireland to end the carnage in Gaza and to support a just, political settlement between Palestinians and Israelis, we must also repair 'the wreckage' that has been done to Jewish community relations in this country – and have a zero-tolerance to all forms of anti-semitism. READ MORE As a 'son of a Holocaust survivor,' and the founder of Holocaust Awareness Ireland, Sears has a moral authority to speak; he deserves to be listened to – widely. – Yours, etc, CHRIS FITZPATRICK, Terenure, Dublin 6. Sir, – It is good to see Oliver Sears acknowledge that Israel's actions against the Palestinian people are horrifying, inhumane and depressingly reminiscent of the horrors inflicted by the Nazis upon the Jewish people. It is however hard to fathom how only starvation seems to cross his red line – not the forced expulsion of a population, the shooting dead of civilians (including children) at close range, the massacres of ambulance workers , journalists, doctors and the carpet bombing of heavily populated areas. – Yours, etc, MURA TIERNEY, Dublin 8. Sir, – Oliver Sears expresses the horror of Jews around the world at the continuing slaughter in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing on the West Bank. Anyone who reads the quality liberal and truth-telling Israeli daily newspaper, Haaretz, will recognise his analysis of Israel's current regime as wholly accurate. Netanyahu, in his frenzied efforts to avoid an election and almost certain imprisonment on multiple corruption charges, is maintaining his coalition by appeasing its racist-fanatical wing, thus continuing a war that long ago lost any military significance. Indifferent to the lives not only of Gazan civilians, Israeli hostages and Israeli soldiers, I fear he is also putting at risk his country's very survival as a legitimate state. What a disaster for all concerned! - Yours, etc, LOUIS MARCUS, Dublin 16. Foxed Sir, – Yesterday in the Dáil, the Bill to ban fox hunting (proposed by Ruth Coppinger People Before Profit) passed through to the next stage by 113 votes to 49. It is somewhat ironic that Sinn Féin, the party for 'Irish Unity' voted overwhelmingly with Independent Ireland and Aontú to oppose a ban on fox hunting. The practice of chasing a fox with packs of dogs was the realm of the aristocracy and rural gentry in the UK since the 16th century. It is a relic of our colonial past and one which is opposed by the majority of Irish people. Instead of 'tiocfaidh ar lá' perhaps 'tally ho' might be a more fitting call to action for Sinn Féin going forward? JOAN BURGESS, Friars Walk, Cork. What's in a (married) name? Sir, – Áine Kenny reports that 84 per cent of women changed their names on marriage with 14 per cent retaining their own names. For the married men the numbers were 92 per cent retaining and 5 per cent changing. ( 'Yet another good name lost to the Mrs Machine,' May 28th ). I can only conclude that 3 per cent of men and 2 per cent of women don't know themselves after getting married... – Yours, etc, PAUL NOLAN, Blackrock, Co Dublin. Parallel planets Sir, – The Environmental Protection Agency reports that Ireland has regressed rather than progressed in achieving its mandated climate change targets. ( 'Ireland falls further behind on emissions targets,' May 28th) . Am I alone in neither being surprised or shocked by this? We are a tiny jurisdiction in global terms. We have large infrastructural deficits, as recently outlined bluntly by Uisce Éireann. And of course, we need to construct at least 300,000 new dwellings across the next five years. Which is linked to the infrastructural deficit. Construction of reservoirs, wastewater treatment plants and new dwellings unavoidably means using materials which we need to quarry/harvest from the ground; there simply is no other way. The manufacture of vehicle electric batteries is of itself a dubious environmental process. And, in any case, the rest of the vehicle is made of materials which have been used for 125 years. What parallel planet does the environmental lobby inhabit? Doubtless, if we reverted to all fours, dwelt in caves and fished from the rivers, our carbon footprint would be invisible to even Sherlock Holmes. But, the lifestyle we actually live has evolved from millennia of adapting our environment to ensure survival and continuance as a species. Agriculture, shelter, employment, invention, fuel, medicine; all came from the human capacity to harness what was around us. And all involved inevitable emissions. And the recently enacted – yet to be commenced – Planning and Development Act 2024 restates the existing legislative ban on nuclear power. Yet, here we find ourselves again: being preached at by an environmental lobby whose only rationale when really pushed on compliance with emission targets is to respond that we will be financially penalised if we fail. The same rationale used in the television payment campaign; it's the law! Time to get real. – Yours, etc, LARRY DUNNE, Rosslare, Co Wexford. Moved to tears Sir, – Whereas I am usually rolling in the aisles laughing at Miriam Lord's 'Dáil Sketch', I was crying to-day with sorrow ( A mother who refused to take no for an answer – for 13 years, 9 months and 20 days ) at what Lucia O'Farrell has come through in her fight for justice for her son Shane. Well, Lucia, it's a bit late, but you got justice yesterday in Dáil Éireann. – Yours, etc, URSULA HOUGH-GORMLEY, Dublin 4. Defence Forces and the pay issue Sir, – Every commission into our Defence Forces has recommended that money is an issue for service and retention. Apart from getting the national pay increases on the tailcoat of unions there has been no independent pay increase for our soldiers, sailors or naval personnel. May I suggest two quick fixes, while other Defence Forces issues are addressed. One is to quadruple the Military Service allowance (MSA) that is paid to all personnel in lieu of overtime and the second is to also increase the Military Overseas allowance. Neither of these will have a knock-on effect on other unionised groups. Military personnel enjoy overseas service and we must not have to resort to ordering personnel to leave their families for long periods with inadequate recompense for families. It helped years ago but for a long time the amount has needed adjustment upwards. A simple ¤50 per diem extra, a lot less than overtime payments should be sufficient. Government take action now and pay these two adjustments from January this year and end this continuous national embarrassment. – Yours,etc, JOHN MURRAY. Carrigaline, Co Cork Pay and PHD students Sir, – As an ex-PhD student currently touring the west coast of Ireland (Tulane university, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA), I find the woes of the Postgraduate Workers' Organisation painfully familiar ( 'As PHD researchers this is our advice: avoid Ireland ,' May 29th). I graduated in 2019 and was involved in similar discussions back then. The root cause seemed to be the legal loophole of deeming us 'students' and paying us a figure below the federal minimum wage. The reality of a PhD is that most of the time you are actively working. Only a minuscule portion of the time are you learning in a classroom. We were bona fide employees, not students. Enter the employment model, correctly identified by your contributors. If Ireland wants the best PhD 'students,' they should offer state-of-the- art work packages. If universities are 'increasingly run like businesses,' they should pay their 'students' (aka employees) accordingly. – Yours, etc, DANNY OSEID, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Policing cyclists and motorists Sir – I am a regular cyclist as well as a regular car driver. I have a split personality: as a car driver I dislike cyclists; as a cyclist I dislike car drivers even more. Regarding cyclists, Laura O'Mara's letter (May 28th) is spot on. Some cyclists rarely stop for red lights, they ride on pavements, they travel with earphones, they don't hand signal, they don't wear helmets and they cycle too quickly. Stand on Baggot Street Bridge in Dublin any day if you need proof. As a cyclist it really annoys me that these irresponsible individuals give the cyclists who do follow the rules a bad reputation as well as creating understandable frustration among car drivers ( and pedestrians ). Regarding motorists: often times they don't pass cyclists at a safe distance. On enquiry I was told by the authorities that a law governing safe distances might not be legally enforceable – why not , when this is standard practice throughout the EU? In any event who is going to challenge such a law ? No excuse. Some motorists ( including delivery trucks ) like to park in cycle lanes. Also they find them handy at traffic lights for extra road space. Plus they hug the kerb in traffic so cyclists can't pass on the inside. It takes two to tango. Both cyclists and motorists have justifiable grievances. But we need to seriously address the issue of bike/car road safety. One effective solution is more intensive education for both cyclists and motorists. It should start in the classroom from junior school onwards and should also form part of continuous public service messaging in the media. Another solution is more rigorous enforcement of existing traffic laws, starting perhaps with a Garda presence for a day on Baggot Street Bridge. – Yours, etc, TOM ROCHE, Lower Baggot Street Dublin 2 Sir, – Whether we're talking about walkers, runners, people on bikes, people in cars, we really need to have some empathy and manners. As I see it, if you're running or travelling on a bike, you have a duty of care towards walkers and anyone moving more slowly than you are. When passing, you need to do so slowly and give lots of space. It's up to you to expect the unexpected. The same goes for drivers. Drivers are operating potentially lethal vehicles. They have an urgent duty of care towards walkers and people on bikes. Everyone makes mistakes but the mistakes of drivers have far greater consequences when it comes to the safety of others. Why can't we just have some empathy and understanding instead of this constant blame and finger pointing? The feeling a walker gets when a person on a bike whizzes past more or less identical to the feeling a person on a bike gets if a car comes too close or too fast. It's frightening and upsetting. It can ruin your day. The driver or the cyclist probably thinks they're just nipping past, oblivious to the distress caused. I suppose maybe people just don't understand how dangerous it feels if they don't cycle or if they don't feel vulnerable on a footpath? Maybe it's time to think about that. Some empathy and care on our roads and footpaths from all parties would go a lot further than anger and finger pointing if we're serious about improving safety. – Yours, etc, GRÁINNE FALLER, Salthill, Co Galway. Sir, – A letter writer castigates people out running on our pavements. As a regular (and I would like to think respectful) pavement runner I would like to rail against those perambulating pedestrians who stick their heads in their phones and march on, oblivious to any other path-users – running or otherwise. And then there are the cars, delivery vans, and other assorted vehicles that park on footpaths and cycle lanes with an attitude that parking anywhere is sound as long as you're not blocking the road. And don't get me started on the state of our city pavements. City running is fast becoming an extreme sport. – Yours,etc, HUGH Mc DONNELL, Dublin 9. Education or indoctrination? Sir, – I would like to disagree respectfully with Alan Haynes regarding his article: ( 'Catholic education is not about indoctrination – it is about preparing pupils to contribute to the common good ,' May 27th). I believe Catholic Education is indoctrination. According to The World Book dictionary, 'indoctrinate: to teach a doctrine, belief or principle to.' And according to Google 'indoctrinate – to teach a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically'. – Yours, etc, ANNA B McCABE, Co Longford.
National Post
4 hours ago
- General
- National Post
UN 'mafia-like' shakedown against independent aid delivery in Gaza, Israeli envoy says
As the Jewish state facilitates aid entry via the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation into the Strip, the United Nations is running a 'mafia-like' shakedown and is spreading 'panic' and making 'declarations detached from reality,' Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. Article content Article content 'This is the gravest violation of the U.N.'s own principles,' he said. 'It is the extortion of any well-meaning NGO that refuses to kiss the ring. A shakedown with U.N.-branding.' Article content Hamas knows that if it loses control over aid in Gaza, it will also lose its hold over Gazans, according to the Israeli envoy. Article content Article content Danon told the Security Council that the global body removed non-governmental organizations, which are part of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, from its central system for tracking aid delivery in the Strip. Article content 'The United Nations is using threats, intimidation and retaliation against NGOs that choose to participate in the new humanitarian mechanism,' Danon said. 'A number of major international NGOs made the decision to take part in the new aid initiative. They ignored the U.N.'s calls for a boycott. They chose to act because they truly care.' Article content The United Nations removed those organizations 'in retaliation and without any discussion or due process,' according to the Israeli mission to the United Nations. 'They were frozen out,' it said. Article content Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for António Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general, told JNS that 'there are no differences between the current list and the one from before the launch of the GHF.' (JNS sought comment from the Israeli mission to the United Nations.) Article content Article content Danon also slammed the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday and charged that its activities led up to the gunman killing two Israeli embassy staffers at point-blank range outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington the week before. Article content Article content 'The animal who pulled the trigger was just the final link in a chain of incitement that stretches across social media, across university campuses, across rallies in Times Square and, yes, across the floor of this very council,' Danon said at the monthly council meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian file. Article content The shooter isn't the only one with the blood of the victims, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, on his hands, according to Danon.
New York Times
6 hours ago
- General
- New York Times
What to Know About Aid Getting to Gaza
A controversial new aid center in Gaza began its work on Tuesday, with chaos and confusion marring the first days of operation. The group running it was conceived by Israelis and the plan was backed by Israel, but the United Nations and many other humanitarian organizations are boycotting it, criticizing its lack of independence. The criticism is another sign of Israel's growing isolation. Britain, France, and Canada issued a rare public reprimand of Israel on May 20, demanding that it cease its widening military offensive in Gaza. That laid bare growing rifts between Israel and its traditional Western allies, and prompted a furious Israeli response. Much of the criticism has focused on Israel's decision to block aid to Gaza for more than two months beginning in March, exacerbating already dire conditions in the enclave. Jonathan Whittall, a senior U.N. humanitarian official, said nearly 50 people had been injured in the chaotic fray on Tuesday. He called the Israeli attempt to take control of humanitarian aid distribution for Palestinians in Gaza part of 'an assault on their human dignity.' On Thursday, the group running the new aid operation said warning shots and smoke bombs were fired to disperse crowds at a distribution hub it had just opened in central Gaza. Is any aid getting into Gaza? The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the new group running aid distribution, said on Thursday that about 17,200 food boxes had been distributed in the enclave so far, with each one feeding '5.5 people for 3.5 days,' totaling more than 1.8 million meals. The flow of aid is expected to increase daily, it added. But the United Nations said the supplies constitute a mere trickle of assistance in face of the needs of a population of about two million people at risk of famine. Where tent camps are filling up again in Gaza Following fresh evacuation orders, people have fled once again to Mawasi, a small strip of land where Israel has repeatedly instructed Palestinians to go during the war. Feb. 15 Detail May 17 500 ft. Where tent camps are filling up again in Gaza Following fresh evacuation orders, people have fled again to Mawasi, a small strip of land where Israel has repeatedly instructed Palestinians to go during the war. Feb. 15 Detail May 17 500 ft. Source: Satellite images by Planet Labs By Samuel Granados Israeli military ground activity in Gaza in the past week A B Gaza City Mediterranean Sea GAZA STRIP C Khan Younis ISRAEL F D E Rafah EGYPT Near Gaza City A B Graded area Recently cleared areas Cleared areas New vehicle tracks Near Khan Younis C D Cleared areas Cleared areas New vehicle tracks Near Rafah E F Cleared areas Cleared areas Israeli military ground activity in Gaza in the past week Near Gaza City A B A Graded area B Gaza City Cleared areas Recently cleared areas New vehicle tracks GAZA STRIP C Near Khan Younis Khan Younis C D D E Cleared areas F Cleared areas Rafah New vehicle tracks Near Rafah E F Cleared areas Cleared areas Source: Satellite images taken on May 25 by Planet Labs By Samuel Granados Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Sky News
6 hours ago
- General
- Sky News
UK will 'seek to do more if it can' for Gaza's injured children, foreign secretary David Lammy says
Why you can trust Sky News The foreign secretary has said the UK will do more to help injured children in Gaza if it can, following Sky News' reporting on their plight. David Lammy was on a whistlestop tour of the Arctic when we asked him about our story on a charity calling for the UK to offer children in Gaza life-saving treatment. He said: "The scale of the medical catastrophe for children and the population of Gaza is horrendous, and that's why we increased our aid. "What will end this suffering is a ceasefire but if there is more that we can do to end the suffering, of course, we will seek to do that." We read the foreign secretary the words of Doctor Victoria Rose, a British plastic surgeon working in Gaza. Dr Rose had said: "Every time I come in, I say it's bad, but this is on a completely different scale. It's carnage… we really are on our knees now." 3:18 Mr Lammy was speaking as reports broke that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration. Hamas said on Thursday night that it was still discussing the deal, while an official warned that the Israeli response to the proposal failed to meet the group's demands. The foreign secretary said he hopes "we're about to see a breakthrough that is not just a ceasefire for a few days, but is a sustained ceasefire that brings an end to some of the horrors that we are seeing out of Gaza and sees the return of the hostages". He was also sharply critical of the worsening situation in Gaza. "The scenes of children dying, the horrors of people not being able to get aid are unacceptable, it's horrendous," he said. But Mr Lammy stopped short of saying Israel was guilty of a genocide - saying that was a decision for judges in international tribunals. "We have always been clear that this is a decision for the international courts," he said. "I have to stand by our law, and I determined that there was a clear risk of a breach of international humanitarian law." The British government this month suspended trade talks
