Haiti

Haiti to ban public support for LGBTIQ rights, criminalise same-sex marriage

Haiti鈥檚 Senate has passed a bill that makes same sex marriage a crime and bans public displays of support for LGBTI rights. The bill 鈥 which would affect Haitian nationals and foreigners 鈥 will now go to the Chamber of Deputies, although a date for a vote has not been set.

Haitian law already defines marriage as being between a man and woman. But this bill seeks to expressly criminalise same sex marriage, with 鈥減arties, co-parties, and accomplices鈥 to a same-sex marriage聽 鈥 meaning even those who simply attend 鈥 facing potential jail terms of up to three years and an $8000 fine.

Haiti: Workers take to streets to demand minimum wage rise

Hundreds of Haiti's factory workers protested in Port-au-Prince on July 10 against the government鈥檚 proposed paltry rise in the minimum wage.

Currently paid US$4.75 a day, workers mainly from factories outsourced to foreign companies are demanding wages rise to US$12.75 dollars for eight hours of work.

However, the government has said the minimum wage should only rise by 55 cents.

Haiti: 鈥楾his is an electoral coup鈥, says activist amid daily protests

In a very lacklustre ceremony, with almost no international presence save a delegation of US diplomats, Jovenel Mo茂se was appointed president of Haiti this month. But no media outlet reported that, at the same time, Haitian streets were boiling with protests in rejection of Mo茂se and his administration.聽

Letter from the US: The hypocrisy of blaming 'Russia'

When Donald Trump is sworn in as president on January 20, he will take over the running of the US intelligence agencies 鈥 the CIA, FBI, NSA etc 鈥 that have brought charges to discredit the outcome of his election.

The Electoral College has rubberstamped Trump鈥檚 election and Congress has ratified it. The storm over allegations of Russian聽interference in last year鈥檚 elections will pass as The Leader takes charge and cleans house in these agencies.

But there are some things that should be noted about this brouhaha.

The empathy inequality: Pray for the rich and forget Haiti

There is a very sinister, hellish thing behind the tepid concern that rears its head when a country like Haiti suffers a tragedy.

As 800 people died and 90% of parts of southern Haiti were destroyed by Hurricane Matthew earlier this month, leaving whole towns flattened, and people homeless and without basic infrastructure, the trending hashtag was #PrayForFlorida.

After Matthew, Haiti risks greater US domination

The images and accounts of Haiti鈥檚 devastation following Hurricane Matthew鈥檚 passage on October 4 are gut-wrenching. The death toll is in the hundreds and continues to rise. Entire villages in the country's southwest were obliterated. The response of a Haitian government, left besieged and without resources by decades of foreign plunder, is anaemic. The victims鈥 anguished appeals for help are heart-rending. The United Nations now says 1.4 million people are in need of assistance, urgent and immediate for half of them.

Hurricane Matthew is one more climate change alarm bell

My heart breaks over Category 4 Hurricane Matthew鈥檚 slamming of Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba.

When Hurricane Sandy struck New York City where I live, our entire neighbourhood was destroyed 鈥 every single house was uninhabitable.

Venezuela, ALBA send aid to Haiti

Venezuela confirmed shipments of humanitarian aid to the island nation of Haiti on October 5 after category four Hurricane Matthew made its way through Haiti. On October 8, the death toll fro the hurricane, which caused widespread devastation, was put at more than 800.

President Nicolas Maduro made the announcement of aid on his weekly television program In Contact with Maduro on the evening of October 4.

Slogan on T-shirts reads, "We will not obey".

Haiti: Protests blocks electoral fraud, movement calls for solidarity

Sixty-eight grassroots groups in Haiti have issued an urgent call for solidarity with their struggle for free and fair elections, dignity and justice. The statement was written right before the postponement of the planned presidential 鈥渞un-off鈥 elections on January 24.

Antony Loewenstein doco aims to expose 'aid and development' profiteering

Independent journalist and author Antony Loewenstein has made a name for himself writing about war crimes, human rights abuses and corporate profiteering. For the first time, he is seeking to speak truth to power through the medium of film 鈥 with his first documentary Disaster Capitalism now in production. You can see a teaser at . You can visit http://antonyloewenstein.com for more details on his articles and books.
A Haitian supporter of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Haiti: Ten years after coup, democracy still under siege

It has been 10 years since the February 29, 2004, coup d鈥檈tat that ousted the democratically-elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide in Haiti.

New Dub City

New Dub City make worldly music

Tap Tap New Dub City Raspect Records November 18, 2013 www.newdubcity.com Melbourne dub-rap-reggae collective New Dub City have just released their politically punchy and sonically spotless second album, Tap Tap. Frontman, producer and Ali MC spoke to 麻豆传媒 Weekly's Mat Ward.