International
Haitian criminal leader among FBI’s Most Wanted
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.
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.
International
Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
President Donald Trump issued an executive order this Monday for the immediate construction of two new warships that will bear his name. These vessels will be the pioneers of what he described as the “Golden Fleet,” a future generation of “Trump-class” battleships that he claimed would be “100 times more powerful” than those currently in service.
The announcement took place at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The President indicated that following the initial two ships, the administration aims to commission up to 25 additional vessels. He is scheduled to meet with Florida-based contractors next week to expedite production, criticizing existing defense firms for failing to deliver results efficiently.
This naval expansion is a cornerstone of Trump’s goal to revitalized the American shipbuilding industry and address the strategic gap between the U.S. and competitors like China.
The move comes amid heightened geopolitical tension. Just last week, Trump ordered the seizure of all sanctioned tankers involved with Venezuela’s “ghost fleet” to cripple the country’s crude oil industry. Since December 10, the U.S. military—deployed in the Caribbean under the guise of counter-narcotics operations—has already detained two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil transport.
International
U.S. Judge Blocks ICE from Re-detaining Salvadoran Erroneously Deported Under Trump Administration
A U.S. federal judge ruled this Monday, December 22, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is prohibited from re-detaining Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García, who was erroneously deported to El Salvador earlier this year during the administration of President Donald Trump.
During a hearing in Maryland, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Ábrego García must remain free on bail through the Christmas holidays, concluding that his initial detention lacked a legal basis. The ruling follows a request from his legal team for a temporary restraining order to prevent ICE from carrying out a new arrest.
Earlier this month, on December 11, Judge Xinis ordered his release from a Pennsylvania migrant detention center after determining that the government had detained him without a formal deportation order. In 2019, an immigration judge had already ruled that Ábrego could not be returned to El Salvador because his life was in danger.
Despite that protection, Ábrego García was deported in March 2025 following a raid by the Trump administration. Officials argued at the time that he was a gang member, and he was sent directly to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) in El Salvador. In June, he was returned to the United States to face a new trial for alleged human smuggling—a charge he denies.
On Monday, Judge Xinis also temporarily invalidated a new deportation order issued by an immigration judge following Ábrego’s recent release, granting him legal protection through the coming weeks. His trial is scheduled to begin in Tennessee in January 2026.
International
Fire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco
The U.S. city of San Francisco was plunged into darkness Saturday night after a power outage left about 130,000 customers without electricity, although the utility company said service was restored to most users within hours.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) said in a statement posted on X that nearly 90,000 homes had their power restored by 9:00 p.m. local time (05:00 GMT on Sunday), while the remaining 40,000 customers were expected to have service restored overnight.
Large areas of the city, a major technology hub with a population of around 800,000, were affected by the blackout, which disrupted public transportation and left traffic lights out of service during the busy weekend before Christmas, a crucial period for retail businesses.
“I know it’s been a difficult day,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video posted on social media from the city’s emergency operations center. “There has been progress, but for those still without power, we want to make sure they are safe and checking in on their neighbors,” he added.
Lurie said police officers and firefighters advised residents to stay home as much as possible. He also noted that officers and traffic inspectors were deployed to manage intersections where traffic lights were not functioning.
The mayor confirmed that the outage was caused by a fire at an electrical substation. Parts of the city were also covered in fog, further complicating conditions during the incident.
As a result of the blackout, many businesses were forced to close despite it being the weekend before Christmas. The sudden drop in shopper traffic ahead of the holiday is “devastating” for retailers, the manager of home goods store Black & Gold told the San Francisco Chronicle.
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