Connect with us

International

Haitian criminal leader among FBI’s Most Wanted

Haitian criminal leader among FBI's Most Wanted
Photo: @nikthehat

November 16 |

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported on Wednesday the inclusion of Haitian gang leader Vitel’Homme Innocent in its list of the ten most wanted fugitives for his alleged responsibility in the kidnapping and murder of U.S. missionaries in Haiti.

For its part, the State Department joined the announcements and said it was willing to pay up to 2 million dollars for information leading to the apprehension of Vitel’Homme Innocent, although it recognized that his capture will be a complicated task in a nation with the chaotic situation that Haiti is suffering.

Known only by his common name, Vitel’Homme Innocent has already been formally charged in the United States for the armed kidnapping of 16 Christian missionaries in 2021, as well as the murder of missionary Marie Franklin and the kidnapping of her husband, Jean, in 2022.

According to the FBI, Vitel’Homme heads the Kraze Bayre gang which works in conjunction with his similar 400 Mawozo to carry out kidnappings, extortions and murders. The Bureau believes Vitel’Homme remains in Haiti, but if caught and convicted of Franklin’s murder, he could face the death penalty in the U.S.

Advertisement
20250407_mh_renta_728x90
20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90
20231124_etesal_728x90_1
20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90
domfuturo_netview-728x90
20240604_dom_728x90
CEL
previous arrow
next arrow

Special Agent Jeffrey B. Veltri, head of the FBI’s Miami office, told a press conference that Vitel’Homme Innocent “is a threat to the island and clearly is a threat to U.S. citizens”.

The agent acknowledged that even with the support of the authorities to locate the criminal, his capture would be complicated due to the atmosphere of profound instability and chaos that reigns in the Caribbean nation, as evidenced by the assault on a hospital by a heavily armed gang that took hundreds of women, children and newborns hostage.

Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, the gangs have become more powerful than the government, as they have better weapons than the police and control under terror, crime and extortion. The leaders of the armed groups continue to operate with impunity, evading previous UN sanctions.

The UN Security Council approved in early October the deployment of a multinational force led by Kenya to combat the gangs, but Haitian authorities are now skeptical, claiming that the Africans need more training and funding.

Advertisement
20250407_mh_renta_728x90
20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90
20231124_etesal_728x90_1
20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90
domfuturo_netview-728x90
20240604_dom_728x90
CEL
previous arrow
next arrow
Continue Reading
Advertisement
20250407_mh_renta_300x250
20250301_vacunacion_vph-300x250
20231124_etesal_300x250_1
20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_300X250
MARN1

International

Cardinals seek a “unifier” as they prepare for conclave to elect new pope

Several cardinals who will participate in the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor said they are approaching the mission with “apprehension,” “responsibility,” and “hope,” while also beginning to outline the profile of the next pope: a “unifier.”

The 12-year pontificate of the first Latin American pope was marked by reforms and a simple style, which earned him strong opposition from the Church’s most conservative sectors, with his predecessor Benedict XVI as a symbol of that resistance.
“The task before us these days is greater than us, and yet it is a duty we must fulfill,” summarized French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline during a mass in Rome on Thursday evening.

A few meters away, Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich admitted to journalists that he approaches the conclave “with a certain apprehension,” but also with “great hope.”

“We feel very small. We must make decisions for the entire Church, so please pray for us,” added the Jesuit cardinal, who was a close advisor to the Argentine pontiff.
He estimated that the conclave would “probably” begin on May 5 or 6, after the nine-day mourning period at the Vatican known as the Novendiales.

Continue Reading

International

Trump and Zelensky hold “very productive” meeting in Rome during Pope’s funeral

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky held a “very productive” meeting, according to the White House, this Saturday in Rome on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral.
No specific details about their conversation were disclosed, but the White House promised to release more information later. Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, described the 15-minute discussion at St. Peter’s Basilica as “constructive.”

This was the first meeting between the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents since their heated exchange in Washington on February 28, when Trump and his Vice President JD Vance verbally confronted Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Dozens of heads of state, government leaders, and senior officials gathered in Rome on Saturday for Pope Francis’ funeral, creating opportunities for multiple diplomatic meetings.

The Ukrainian presidency stated that Trump and Zelensky “agreed to continue” their talks later Saturday in the Italian capital and shared photos of both leaders seated face-to-face, also engaging in conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The U.S. president said on Friday that a deal between Ukraine and Russia is “very close,” without providing details, following discussions between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin in Moscow about the possibility of launching “direct negotiations” between the two sides.

Continue Reading

International

A magnitude 6 earthquake shakes the province of Esmeraldas in Ecuador, bordering Colombia

A magnitude 6 earthquake was recorded this Friday in the coastal province of Esmeraldas, bordering Colombia, causing damage to several infrastructures and leaving, so far, 20 people injured.

According to the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School, the earthquake occurred at 06:44 local time (11:44 GMT) at 1.03 degrees south latitude and 79.69 degrees west longitude.

According to the source, the tremor occurred at a depth of 30 kilometers and 9.31 kilometers from Esmeraldas, capital of the homonymous province.

According to the National Secretariat of Risk Management (SNGR), the affected people had head injuries and bruises.

While the SNGR continues with the verification of affectations, it indicated that 80% of the electricity service and 80% of the telecommunications that were affected, are gradually restored.

Among the affected public buildings are the ECU 911 due to a fall of masonry; the Vargas Torres University, which has cracks; the Los Militares building where the front collapsed and the Prefecture building, among others.

The SNGR reported that the earthquake was felt with strong intensity in seven municipalities of the province of Esmeraldas and moderately in the provinces of Guayas and Manabí, while mildly in Carchi, Cotopaxi, Imbabura, Los Ríos, Pichincha, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and Tungurahua.

About twenty minutes after the earthquake in Esmeraldas, one of magnitude 4.1 was reported in the coastal province of Guayas, located in the southeast of the country, without damage or victims having been reported so far.

The President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, ordered the displacement of all his ministers to Esmeraldas, in order to coordinate actions after the magnitude 6 earthquake recorded this Friday.

“I have arranged for the immediate deployment of all ministers in the province of Esmeraldas to coordinate the installation of shelters, delivery of humanitarian aid kits and assistance in everything our people need,” Noboa wrote on his social network account X.

The province of Esmeraldas was one of the most affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake recorded on April 16, 2016, which left more than 670 dead, thousands affected, as well as millions of material losses.

This earthquake also hit the province of Manabí, located, like Esmeraldas, on the coast of the Andean country, but also affected other areas and was felt strongly, even in the Ecuadorian capital.

Ecuador is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire or Belt, which concentrates some of the most important subduction areas (sinking of tectonic plates) in the world and is the scene of strong seismic activity.

In addition to Ecuador, the Horseshoe-shaped Belt comprises a large number of countries such as Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Continue Reading

Trending

Central News