Category: Americas

Haitian Ambassador: Attack Was By ‘Commandos’

Bocchit Edmond, the Haitian ambassador to the United States, said the attack was carried out by what he described as by “well trained professional commandos” and “foreign mercenaries.” He declined to comment on possible suspects or a possible motive. Haiti has asked the U.S. government for assistance with the investigation of the assassination, which is…


Trudeau Condemns Assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise, Offers Assistance

OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he strongly condemns the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse at his home. Trudeau says in a Twitter post that he denounces the “appalling assassination,” adding that Canada is ready to support the people of Haiti and offer any assistance they need. A group of gunmen killed Moïse and wounded…


Coast Guard: 13 Cubans Rescued, 7 Missing Off Key West

KEY WEST, Fla.—The U.S. Coast Guard and a good Samaritan rescued 13 people after their boat capsized off of Key West as Tropical Storm Elsa approached, the agency said. The nine men and four women were taken aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Thetis on Tuesday afternoon, some 26 miles (42 kilometers) southeast of Key West,…


Haitian President Assassinated by Gunmen at Home, State of Emergency Declared

PORT-AU-PRINCE—Haitian President Jovenel Moise was shot dead by unidentified attackers in his private residence overnight in a “barbaric act,” the government said on Wednesday, stirring fears of escalating turmoil in the impoverished Caribbean nation. The assassination drew condemnation from Washington. The disorder has turned many districts of the capital into no-go zones. Interim Prime Minister…


Official: Haiti President Jovenel Moïse Assassinated at Home

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti—Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in an attack on his private residence, according to a statement Wednesday from the country’s interim prime minister, who called the killing a “hateful, inhumane, and barbaric act.” First Lady Martine Moïse was shot in the overnight attack and hospitalized, interim Premier Claude Joseph said. Haiti was already…


Mexico Proposes Reopening Border With US City by City Depending on Vaccination Rates

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government has proposed to the United States a staggered reopening of the shared U.S.–Mexico land border city by city depending on vaccination rates, Mexico’s foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Tuesday. U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico will remain closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21, the…


Mexico: Lightning Storm Ignited Gas Leak in Gulf

MEXICO CITY—Mexico’s state-owned oil company said Monday that a bizarre chain of events, including a lightning storm and a simultaneous gas pipeline leak, set off a strange subaquatic fireball seen last week in the Gulf of Mexico. Petroleos Mexicanos said an intense storm of rain and lightning on July 2 forced the company to shut…


Lambda Variant’s ‘Unusual’ Mutations May Make It Resistant to Vaccines, Researchers Fear

Scientists are concerned that a newly labeled COVID-19 variant, first detected in Peru, may be resistant to COVID-19 vaccines due to “unusual” mutations. The Lambda variant, also known as C.37, is believed to have first emerged in Peru in August last year, but has only been recognized as a potential global threat in recent weeks,…


Lambda Variant’s ‘Unusual’ Mutations May Make It Resistant to Vaccines: Researchers

Scientists are concerned that a newly labeled COVID-19 variant, first detected in Peru, may be resistant to COVID-19 vaccines due to “unusual” mutations. The Lambda variant, also known as C.37, is believed to have first emerged in Peru in August last year, but has only been recognized as a potential global threat in recent weeks,…


Tropical Storm Elsa Now Over Florida Straits After Making Landfall in Cuba: NHC

Tropical Storm Elsa is now passing over the Florida Straits, after it swept across a mostly rural section of western Cuba with strong rain and winds earlier Monday, triggering flooding and mudslide warnings in the region. In the latest update on its website, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said conditions are beginning to deteriorate…