International
More than 20 dead and 15 injured in an attack by an armed gang in Haiti
More than 20 people died and at least 15 were injured in an attack by the Gran Grif armed gang in the town of Pont Sonde in Haiti, local sources reported on Thursday.
It is not ruled out that the number of victims will increase after the incursion led this morning by the Gran Grif gang, based in the town of Savien (Petite Riviere, Artibonite), and that has forced the population of the affected area to flee en masse and take refuge in the public square of the city of Saint-Marc.
The injured are receiving treatment in health centers, especially at the Saint Nicolas de Saint-Marc hospital, a town located a hundred kilometers from Port-au-Prince.
Since this morning, the armed group controls the Pont Sonde area, in the Haitian department of Artibonite.
Violence is on the rise in Haiti
Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security announced that the corresponding instructions have been given to the National Police of Haiti in order to “re-establish order and knock out all those who sow terror in the department of Artibonite.”
“These crimes will not go unpunished. The perpetrators and their accomplices will be persecuted to the last trench,” according to a statement from that ministry, which reiterates its determination to take “all the necessary measures to restore peace to the country and so that the population can freely dedicate themselves to their activities.”
This attack comes a few days after the sanctions announced by the United States and the UN against the leader of the Great Griffin, known as Luckson Elan.
Haiti suffers from extreme violence from armed gangs, which has led thousands of people to leave their homes to escape insecurity.
More than 700,000 internal refugees
According to the latest report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 700,000 people – more than half of them children – are currently internally displaced in Haiti.
The latest figures show a 22% increase in the number of internally displaced people since June, with a consequent worsening of the humanitarian situation.
In the last seven months, gang violence has forced more than 110,000 people to leave their homes, especially in Gressier, west of the capital.
The majority of the displaced in Haiti, about 75%, are currently refugees in the country’s provinces, and the Greater South region alone welcomes 45% of all these people.
In a recent report, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) indicated that at least 1,379 people were victims of armed gang violence in Haiti, between deaths and injuries, during the second quarter of 2024, bringing the number of victims to almost 3,900 in the first half of the year.
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International3 days agoICE reverses course and moves forward with New Jersey migrant detention facility project
-
International13 hours agoU.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
-
International4 days agoJudge rules Trump’s IRS lawsuit was a “bad faith” attempt to manipulate the judicial process
-
International3 days agoMarco Rubio launches U.S. campaign to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court
-
International3 days agoFrance Holds Largest Bastille Day Military Parade as Europe Highlights Strategic Defense
-
International3 days agoPresident Noboa Declares New Security Strategy as Ecuador Faces Record Violence Levels
-
International4 days agoVenezuela Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 4,490 as Rescue Efforts Continue
-
International3 days agoForeign Medical Teams Race to Prevent Health Crisis in Venezuela Earthquake Camps
-
International2 days agoLatin Music Stars Unite in Miami to Raise Aid for Victims of Venezuela’s Devastating Earthquake
-
International2 days agoTrump Administration Seeks Global Action Against “Resurgent” Left-Wing Terrorism
-
International13 hours agoU.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
-
International13 hours agoEl Salvador Sends Eighth Humanitarian Flight to Earthquake-Hit Venezuela
-
Central America13 hours agoNicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute