Photos

Here is a picture of Senator Steven Benoit who is currently considering a run for President of Haiti

Senator Steven Benoit: No Decision Yet on Running for President

Several political parties in Haiti are urging Senator Benoit to run for the 2016 presidency. A popular candidate in 2010 for the senate, he won more votes than Martelly.

Benoit wants to run, but needs to decide what political party he will represent. However, he fears the political positions he has taken will not endear him to voters this time. He is also critical of the international community's funding and organizing of elections.

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Here is a picture of Journalist Daly Valet as he joined Platfom Pitit Desalin to consolidate Dessaliniene ideology

Platfom Pitit Desalin to Create Dessaliniene Ideology

Daly Valet, a journalist, wants to try something unprecedented by creating an ideology for Platfom Pitit Desalin. He is meeting with ex-senators Gabriel Fortune and Turneb Delpe, ex-First Lady Mirlande Manigat, and attorneys Michel Andre and Samuel Madistin for discussions.

In Haiti political ideologies don't exist. Political parties build their structures around social networking and friends instead. This year 165 political parties will be involved in the 2015 in general and presidential elections.

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School students in Haiti in uniform.

School Uniform Change Requirement Creates Conflict

Haiti's Council of Ministers made a decision to sign a presidential order requiring elementary and middle-school students to wear the same uniform during the 2015-2016 year.

Importers and traders say they did not get enough notice to supply everyone with the same uniform. They are asking ". . . to open as soon as possible a dialogue . . . to postpone . . . this decision to . . . 2015-2017.

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Here is a picture that has been seeing in many social media recently. The Certificate of Loss of Nationality of the US for Sophia Martelly.

To tell you the truth. I have never seen Certificate of Loss of Nationality before. According to the news, First Lady Sophia Martelly who was born in New York City has decided to reject the nationality of the United to adopt the Haitian nationality

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The Leaders attending CARICOM

During the occasion, the U.S President did underline the principal agenda of the summit as, maintenance of human right, combatting transnational crime, the effects of climate change and the production of clean, less expensive energy sources. He also announced a new fund ($20 million) to mobilize private investment in the clean energy sectors in the Caribbean and Central American region. These projects will be supported by the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and USAID. The U.S. with supports from community partners, will jointly supervise the progress of the projects so that necessary productive steps can be taken when required. OPIC will finance a 20 Mega Watt solar energy project in Jamaica, in addition to the existing 36 Mega Watt facility in Malvern, St. Elizabeth Parish. The joint working groups will educate and look for opportunities on clean energy generation, transportation and diversification. To improve the tourism in the region, the Department of Energy, with its Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and OPIC will undertake a program to make the tourist hotels energy efficient.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), established in 1973, is an organization of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies, formed with the objective to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy.

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Here is a picture of US President Barack Obama meeting Haitian President Michel Martell in Jamaica for the CARICOM summit

On April 9, 2015, the U.S President Obama had a one-day stopover in Kingston, Jamaica, to meet the Carribean leaders at a U.S- CARICOM summit and have discussions on issues under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. The essence of the summit was described by him as "we are bound by friendship and shared values, and by family. And we have a great stake in each other's success." He has also reaffirmed United States' commitment to the CARICOM partners for the advancement of economic development, security, and good governance.

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Here is a picture of Haitian Basket ball player Skal Labissiere

Skal Labissiere is a Haitian basketball player (height: 6 ft 11 inch or 2.11 meters, weight: 215 lbs or 98 kg) who was born in Haiti on February 18, 1996. On the day of the devastating earthquake, Skal had just returned home from a basketball practice, when he headed to the bathroom to wash up, the earth began to shake. His family home collapsed with Labissiere, his brother and mother inside. Although, they managed to survive, but were trapped inside the debris for several hours. A few months later, Labissiere moved to the U.S and joined the ' Reach Your Dream organization' run by Gerald Hamilton. It is a nonprofit organization that identifies and relocates talented kids to America from disadvantaged countries. With their help, Skal was given an opportunity to play at Evangelical Christian High School (Cordova, Tenn.). During his first 18 months in America, his list of accomplishments was staggering. He learned English, won a state championship, and established himself as one of the nation's top basketball prospects in the Class of 2015. Rivals.com has ranked him as the fourth-best prep prospect in the class of 2015.

In his childhood, Skal was an avid soccer player, but soon, when he was only 11, he realized that his height is more suitable for basketball game. He started learning the skills jump hook and jump shot from his coaches. Some of the NBA scouts consider him as the second-best prospect on the World team behind Simmons. He has size, length, soft touch, and the ability to run the floor-- still a work in progress. Labissiere has not been back to Haiti since he came to the U.S but has plans to come back as an NBA player to help and inspire kids at home, not just with doing basketball camps, but to help them in general and spiritually, because he feels an urge to give back what the country has given to him.

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President Michel Martelly found himself in a complicated situation as many in the political environment is looking on whether or not he will issue a Decree of Discharge for his friend former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe

President Martelly cannot wait longer. He must decide and act before the deadline for registering nomination arrives. So far there is a long list of former Senators, Deputies and others who have managed public funds, and have been qualified to contest. There is a mandate in the Haitian election law that restricts Lamothe from contesting for the moment and that goes as----" to be elected as a President, a candidate must have been discharged of responsibilities if previously handling public funds." The Superior Court of Audits and Administrative Disputes (CSCCA) has noticed many anomalies in the files of former prime ministers Jean-Max Bellerive and Laurent Lamothe. Thus, Martelly has to make the decision whether to issue decrees so that his friend, former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe get "discharge" and can run for the Presidency. But the task is now many times harder than before.

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As the time for candidates who are interested in participating in the next election in Haiti is getting close, the name of the candidates have been coming out. We learned that Simon Dieuseul Desras is interested in becoming candidate for President in Haiti election 2015

The former President of the National Assembly (2012--15) and the former Senator Simon Dieuseul Desras, has announced himself as the most suitable candidate for the next Presidential election. His term as a Senator expired on January 12, 2015 but he was reinstated to his post by a court decision (Feb 6, 2015) which said his mandate was for 6 years instead of 4 years, so he would be in the Senate until 2017. However, his victory was a slightly hollow one, as the power of the senate was dissolved on January 12, 2015. Dieuseul Desra was an ally of Michel Martelly in the last presidential elections. He has said that he may seek the nomination of the Verite Political Party of former President Rene Preval, but that is yet to be finalized, because he is not sure which political banner he will ultimately carry.

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Here is a picture of Mirlande Liberus Pavert for whom an arrest warrant was issued

On Friday, March 27, an arrest warrant has been issued to the former Senator Mirlande Liberus Pavert, a present resident of Florida, in connection with the murder charge of Jean Dominique, the director of Radio Haiti Inter. The arrest warrant includes the names of more 8 co-conspirators, but her name was mentioned as the mastermind of the plot that took shape on April 3, 2000. The accused were all close associates of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In a statement, the key witness of this heinous crime, Oriel Jean (the former security chief of President Aristide), has said that the President had told former Senator Pavert, in his presence, to silence Jean Dominique so that he cannot spoil his plans to return to power in the year 2000. It has also been learnt that the assailants were paid US$60,000 to do the dirty work. Ms. Pavert made no comment on her involvement but has mentioned that appointed lawyers in Haiti and the U.S, would decide her right course of actions.

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