UN Appeals for Patience as Haitians Await Election Results
The United Nations is urging the Haitian people to show patience and restraint as they await the results of Sunday's presidential runoff election, in which former first lady Mirlande Manigat faced off against popular singer Michel Martelly.
The U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti issued a statement Monday saying the future of the Caribbean nation is at stake. Officials said despite some logistical and administrative problems and isolated acts of violence, the second round concluded in considerably better condition than the initial round last November.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also has reaffirmed the U.N.'s commitment to helping Haiti build a prosperous future. Additionally, the European Union praised the way in which the election was conducted.
Opinion polls indicated Martelly was favored to win. The official results are expected at the end of the month.
Martelly was initially excluded from the runoff until international observers reviewed the first round results and recommended he advance to the second round instead of the ruling party candidate, Jude Celestin. The observers cited fraud and irregularities in the first round of balloting.
Sunday's election took place two days after former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide returned to Haiti from South Africa, where he had been living in exile. Mr. Aristide, who was driven from office by armed rebels in 2004, returned to the Caribbean nation despite U.S. concerns that his presence could destabilize the vote.
Mr. Aristide expressed a desire to go back to Haiti after former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier made a surprise return in January.
The person who wins the election will succeed outgoing President Rene Preval.
Haiti is the Western Hemisphere's poorest country and has been struggling to rebuild following a devastating earthquake in January of last year. The country also has been dealing with a cholera epidemic that broke out in October, leaving thousands dead.
Mr. Ban recently said there are signs the epidemic is finally coming under control.
Extradition treaty compromised Jamaica's sovereignty, says PM
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding has charged that the extradition treaty between Jamaica and the United States is tilted heavily in favour of the superpower, and has effectively compromised the island's sovereignty.
On Friday, Golding told the commission of enquiry looking into the circumstances surrounding the extradition of alleged drug kingpin Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, that the imbalance must be hammered out with urgency.
The Jamaica Gleaner reported that Golding said, "There needs to be some rebalancing of the extradition arrangements between Jamaica and the United States. There is inequity for Jamaica... because Jamaicans are not treated in the same was as United States citizens are treated in that country."
The prime minister noted that this inequity was raised in Washington in 1995 by none other than then minister of national security and justice, attorney K.D, Knight, who is now representing the opposition People's National Party (PNP) at the enquiry hearings.
He said Knight's attempt to renegotiate the extradition arrangements was then met with stubborn resistance from the US.
The prime minister said his administration is determined to pursue discussions with the US, but is awaiting the completion of the commission of enquiry.
CARICOM energy ministers meet this week to discuss oil prices
Amidst the current volatility of oil prices on the world market, ministers responsible for energy in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will gather in Georgetown, Guyana, this week to scrutinise an overview of the energy situation and trends in CARICOM.
The Kaieteur News reported that the ministers will also look at national and regional responses to global developments and will consider, endorse and provide direction to those responses.
Further, they will review a report on a regional energy sector assessment commissioned by the CARICOM Secretariat with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in 2010, That assessment was conducted to help make clear the energy situation in CARICOM and to inform strategic responses.
The 35th Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic (COTED) will also consider the draft CARICOM energy policy, which was developed by a task force comprising representatives from Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
The policy is intended to address issues such as security of energy supplies, energy pricing policy and the impact on relative competitiveness in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, and purchasing and transportation arrangements.
Bahamas election to be held 'on time' says PM
Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham would not confirm whether the general election will be called this year as has been speculated in some circles, however, he said that it "would be called on time."
"Those who are speculating, that's what they are doing, speculating," the prime minister stressed last week.
"When the [time comes] you'll know. I'll tell you. The one thing you know is that I won't be late in calling it. It would not be that my minister of immigration would be in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, swearing in new citizens -- Haitians -- and they go next door to register to vote and the prime minister in Nassau is announcing that election has been called -- meaning that what you did is ineffective because the register closes the day before election has been announced,” Ingraham said.
He was referring to the allegations in the run-up to the 2007 general election that the Progressive Liberal Party granted some Haitians Bahamian citizenship just in time for the election -- a claim that the PLP has denied.
Ingraham added that he would also cut the boundaries if necessary in enough time so that affected persons can acclimate themselves before the election is called.
"We will not be late,” he said. “The constitution calls for a review of boundaries every five years."
During the last election some voters were disenfranchised because of confusion surrounding late boundary cuts.
"That can't and won't happen on our watch," Ingraham said.
He said the government will seek to ensure equity in the number of voters in all boundaries in New Providence. As for the Family Islands, he said the Boundaries Commission will take into account the populations of the islands and the need for representation.
Some observers have also said the slow rate of registration could mean that the governing party is not getting as much support as it did during the run-up to the last election. However, Ingraham brushed those suggestions aside.
So far, fewer than 30,000 Bahamians have registered, according to Parliamentary Commissioner Errol Bethel.
Bethel told The Guardian last week that about 300 people registered every day since registration started.
Ingraham said he is not very concerned about the pace of registration.
"I'm satisfied that when the time is right we will have adequate numbers on the register,” he said.
Ingraham pointed out that The Bahamas is the only country in the region that requires people to register to vote every five years.
"People like to know that there is some deadline in which they are coming up against to spur them into what they could do without any pressure. At some point I will announce the day in which I will bring the current register to a close,” he said.
"When we announce the new register, there will be a major difference. So any suggestion to the contrary is not taking into account what the reality has been in the last 20 to 25 years,” he added.
Coalition Fires More Missiles at Libyan Targets, Expands No-Fly Zone
A top U.S. military official said the multinational coalition enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya has fired 12 Tomahawk missiles and flew nearly 80 sorties on Monday.
The U.S. commander in Africa, General Carter Ham, told reporters Monday that the Tomahawk missiles targeted Libyan command and control stations, a Scud missile facility and air defense sites.
Ham said some forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi are moving away from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. "And through a variety of reports, we know that regime ground forces that were in the vicinity of Benghazi now possess little will or capability to resume offensive operations."
Speaking by video conference from his headquarters in Germany, Ham said his forces are not in contact and are not coordinating their actions with rebels in Libya who are seeking to topple Gadhafi.
"Our mandate - again, our mission - is to protect civilians from attack by the regime ground forces. Our mission is not to support any opposition forces."
Asked about an air strike on Gadhafi’s compound in Tripoli, Ham said the target was a command and control facility and not the Libyan leader. "I don't know much about the location of the Libyan leader, nor have we expended any military effort in that regard."
Ham said he expects the number of airstrikes on Libyan targets to go down as Gadhafi’s military assets are destroyed and his troops stop attacking civilians.
He also said the current mission could end in a stalemate, with Gadhafi remaining in power in Tripoli. "I could see accomplishing the military mission, which has been assigned to me, and the current leader would remain the current leader. Is that ideal? I don't think anyone would say that that is ideal."
General Ham said the coalition is gradually expanding the no-fly zone to Tripoli and will extend it about 1,000 kilometers along the Libyan coastline.
Israeli Air Strikes Wound 17 in Gaza
Witnesses and militant groups say Israel carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip late Monday, wounding at least 17 people after militants fired mortar shells and rockets into the Jewish state two days earlier.
Medical officials from the Islamist group Hamas said four militants, seven children and two women were among the wounded.
The Reuters news agency reported that the Israeli military confirmed one of Monday's air raids, saying several militants affiliated with Hamas were targeted in northern Gaza, as well as a tunnel used to smuggle weapons.
Israel killed two Palestinians in Gaza during a separate border confrontation on Saturday.
Before Monday's attack, a spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas said the group would preserve an unofficial truce with Israel, but only if Israeli forces halted strikes on Gaza. The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades also claimed responsibility for Saturday's barrage of mortar attacks on Israel.
Venezuela Deports Colombian Drug Suspect Sought by US
Venezuela has deported a Colombian wanted by the United States for drug trafficking.
Officials say 53-year-old Gloria Rojas Valencia was handed over Monday to U.S. authorities. She is accused of being a member of Mexico's violent Zetas drug cartel.
More than 34,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug war since President Felipe Calderon took office in late 2006 and began cracking down on the cartels. The cartels are locked in a violent battle for control of trafficking routes into the United States.
Separately, Venezuelan authorities say four other Colombians were deported to their home country on drug trafficking charges.
15 People Killed in Pakistan Violence
Pakistani authorities say 15 people were killed in violence across the country Monday.
In the Datta Khel area of the North Waziristan tribal region, Taliban militants shot and killed four men after accusing them of spying. Local authorities said they found the four bullet-riddled bodies with notes attached saying the men were killed for acting as U.S. spies.
In southwestern Baluchistan province, gunmen on motorcycles attacked a camp for road construction workers near the southwestern port city of Gwadar, killing 11 and wounding two others.
Authorities say the victims worked for the military-run Frontier Works Organization, which undertakes civil engineering projects across the country.
The attackers managed to flee and no one claimed responsibility for the attack.
Also on Monday, officials said more than 16 people had been killed in attacks in the southern port city of Karachi since Saturday. Authorities say those killed included activists with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement or MQM, a partner in Sindh province's ruling coalition.
The MQM, which largely represents the Urdu-speaking community, and the rival Awami National Party, representing ethnic Pashtuns, are blaming each other for the latest political violence.
Workers Evacuated as Smoke Rises From Japanese Nuclear Plant
Japanese workers were forced Monday to evacuate from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant after dark smoke rose from one of the facility's six reactors.
Officials said that there had been no immediate increase in radiation levels and the cause of the smoke was under investigation.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, says abnormally high levels of radioactive substances have been found in the Pacific Ocean along Japan's northeastern coast. But they are not considered a threat to human health.
With the number of dead or missing from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami reaching beyond 21,000, the hope of finding any more survivors is declining. Some 350,000 have been left homeless.
The World Bank estimates that the economic cost of the disaster at $235 billion, the equivalent of four percent of Japan's annual economic output.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency , Yukiya Amano, told reporters in Vienna on Monday that while the situation at the Fukushima plant is serious, he remains confident the crisis will be “effectively overcome.”
The Japanese government has suspended all raw milk shipments from Fukushima and spinach from all four prefectures surrounding the plant after unacceptably high radioactive levels were found in the products. But government officials added that the levels did not pose an immediate health risk.
The U.S. government Monday made potassium iodide available to U.S. personnel and dependents in several prefectures, including Tokyo, as a precautionary measure. Potassium iodide protects the thyroid gland against radiation.
Libya Releases 4 New York Times Journalists
Libya's government has released four New York Times journalists, six days after they were captured by pro-government forces while covering a rebel uprising in the country's east.
Libyan authorities handed the journalists to Turkish diplomats in the capital, Tripoli, on Monday. Turkey says it helped to secure the release of the four and expects them to leave Libya within hours.
The released journalists include New York Times Beirut bureau chief Anthony Shadid, photographers Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario, and videographer Stephen Farrell.
The newspaper says the four were detained last Tuesday while covering the conflict between government and rebel forces in the eastern town of Ajdabiya. It says they had crossed from Egypt into the rebel-controlled eastern region of Libya without visas, like many other Western journalists.
Several foreign journalists have been detained or gone missing in Libya since February 15, when the uprising against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi began.
Among the missing are two journalists with the French news agency, AFP, and a photographer accompanying them.
AFP said Sunday its reporter Dave Clark and photographer Roberto Schmidt were last in contact on Friday night, when they sent an email saying they planned to travel to an area 35 kilometers outside the eastern city of Tobruk.
AFP said the two journalists were accompanied by Joe Raedle, a photographer for the Getty Images agency. It said the three planned to meet opponents of Gadhafi and speak with refugees fleeing the fighting.
On Sunday, Qatar-based television network Al Jazeera said Libyan authorities arrested four of its journalists who had been working in western Libya. The network said "regional parties" are helping to secure their release.