International

Haiti, who had sympathized with France during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870, angered the German community residing there at a time when the bigger country was already smarting from the United States' use of the Monroe Doctrine to thwart their dealings with Venezuela.

Perhaps because of this, Haiti's allegiance to their former colonizers over Germany resulted in a systematic wearing away of the smaller country's dignity by the Europeans. As quickly as was possible, two German warships were deployed to collect debts owed to German merchants. On the command of Captain Batsch these monies were to be collected plus insurances. This move was to demonstrate their power over Haiti and ugly instances of seized Haitian ships, held until the money was paid, being returned with defiled Haitian flags strewn across the deck was a demonstration of the German control. The offending Captain Batsch even returned to gloat months later under the guise of a courtesy visit.

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The Haitian Prime Minister, Laurent Lamothe paid an official visit to the United Kingdom on Thursday, July 26, 2012. He had gone to meet with the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles in order to discuss matters of Haitian interest. The prime minister had gone to seek commitment of the United Kingdom in Haiti. This is a historic visit expected to bring dramatic changes in Haiti.

The two, Prince Charles and Prime Minister Lamothe talked on matters involving the reconstruction of a historic centre which was devastated by the 2010 earthquake. The quake which struck Port-au-Prince and the neighboring cities is said to have a magnitude of 7.0. It left the historic center into ruins and since then, it needs more funding in order to help in its reconstruction.

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The US occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1934 was US response to near-anarchy in Haiti. It was during this period that US took complete control of the nation and ran the economy, installed puppet governments and controlled every aspect of the nation including police and military. Haitians did not like this and neither did US citizens and the US troops that were deployed in Haiti. Eventually, in 1934, United States withdrew its personnel from the Republic of Haiti.

THE PAST
Haiti earned its independence in 1804 from France but the following century was a period of utter chaos and dictatorship. From 1908 to 1915, at least 7 men became President of Haiti but only to meet a gruesome end. During the same century, US was busy expanding its influence in the Caribbean and by 1914, US was actually interfered with Dominica Republic that shared Hispaniola Island with Haiti. It was in 1914 that US opened the Panama Canal that was both militarily and strategically of high strategic value.

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The designated prime minister of Haiti, Laurent Lamothe is to be attending the 6th summit of the Americas in Colombia on behalf of the president Michel. The summit is organized by the Organization of American States (OAS) and this year it is dedicated to the integration and the economic prosperity of the region. The president was scheduled to go for the summit but due to the surgery he had on his right shoulder earlier last week he canceled the trip on recommendation of his doctors. Though the president has recovered, going for the trip would jeopardize his recovery and interfere with his therapy sessions.

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On April 12, 2012, the Mexican president, Calderon, is expected to visit Haiti. On the same day the Haitian president Michel is expected back from Miami where he was undergoing a surgery on his right arm. The visit will be to discuss bi-lateral relations between the two countries.

The Mexican president, Felipe Calderón, had been invited officially by president Martelly. The president will arrive with an entourage of delegates including the First Lady of Mexico, Chancellor Patricia Espinosa, Minister of Energy and Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world. His fortune is estimated at $69 billion among other investors. Carlos Slim is expected to assist Haiti through his foundation.

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In a meeting president Michel Martelly is rumored to have admitted prime Minister-designate Laurent Lamothe had foreign nationality. Deputy Sorel Jacinthe had confirmed the rumors but when pursued on the issue he declined to comment. The meeting was first leaked by Senator Jean-Charles. It took place when the former prime minister resigned. Jean-Charles said that the meeting took place after the fall of Daniel Rouzier, Martelly's first choice of a Prime Minister in the summer of 2011.

When the president was asked about the designation of Laurent Lamothe for Prime Minister the president said that he could choose Lamothe because he held citizenship in a foreign country. Deputy Sorel Jacinthe confirmed that President Martelly indeed made this revelation. All this is happening when Laurent is about to be sworn in as prime minister for the region as he was already sworn in by the senate on Tuesday night.

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Well, if I told you that an organization whose core business is to provide aid to those in distress while relying on donor funding is thinking of investing that very money, you would probably say that am out of my mind.

Right?

How do you even explain that idea to people who gave willingly because they had a desire to alleviate the suffering of some individuals?

Is it that the organization has done everything it desired to do, so that now there is nothing else to do with the money?

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The story of the citizenship of Michel Martelly continues to occupy front page in the news. The latest I heard today is from Senator Moise Jean Charles who stated that the three senators who gave their resignation last week want to comeback to the panel. Senators Joseph Lambert, Youri Latortue and Yvon Buissereth want to return according to Moise jena Charles. The Senator from North Department said that the three Haitian senators miscalculated the outcome and thought that the investigation would have been closed with the presentation of these passports by President Michel Martelly.

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Prime Minister (PM) Lamothe is cracking down on illegal contraband smuggled on the Haitian-Dominican border. His primary objective is to replenish the government coffers that have been drained by untaxed goods by-passing inspections.

Laurent Lamothe met with officials of the Economic Forum of Private Sector Affairs at the end of June, to discuss strategies for monitoring the Haitian-Dominican border. Besides the problem of contraband, Lamothe also addressed peripheral issues that obstruct the efficiency and efficacy of government services.

The purpose of gathering together the EFPSA was to join forces and alert the public that smuggling and tax fraud, among other crimes, will not be tolerated and will incur heavy penalties, including jail time, depending on the severity of the crime.

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Kettie Jean, a Haitian-Vietnamese female actor, is part of a young generation of actors and filmmakers, who are experimenting with digital filmmaking, the technology that gave more creative freedom to filmmakers in the late 90s.

She is the lead actor in a new series airing on YouTube, "The Silent City", shot in isolated areas in New York City. A story of survival after a city has been wiped out by a catastrophic event, leaving only the remaining survivors, it is a film in the tradition of 1980s "Mad Max", a post-apocalyptic film. Kettie plays the role of mystery woman, Otsu, whom the story centers around. She is being trailed by an anonymous character, played by Eric Stafford, who discovers her footprints towards the end of episode one.

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