https://www.voanews.com/z/616 americas https://www.voanews.com/Content/responsive/VOA/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.voanews.com/z/616 en 2026 - VOA 60 Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:15:06 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA The Vatican issued an update Saturday on the health of Pope Francis, who remains in Rome’s Gemelli hospital under the care of doctors, saying that while his prognosis remains "complex," the pope is no longer in "imminent danger" of death. On Friday, the Vatican’s Holy See Press Office announced that since Francis’ condition is now considered stable, barring any major developments, updates on his health will be less frequent. The 88-year-old pontiff has spent four weeks in the hospital and is receiving treatment for double pneumonia. Medical bulletins from the pope’s doctors, which had been almost a daily occurrence since his admission to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, will be issued only when there is new information, the press office said Friday. The office emphasized that Francis’ recovery is progressing, but that it will require time to make sure the improvements continue. This also means the Holy See's daily morning update about how the pope spent the night will no longer be issued, which leaves only the evening news briefing for journalists. The Vatican said that this is a "a positive sign" for the Catholic faithful, meaning that no news is essentially good news. Francis is continuing his prescribed medical treatments, which included motor physiotherapy Friday. He alternates between noninvasive mechanical ventilation at night and high-flow oxygenation with nasal cannulas during the day, according to the Vatican. Francis had part of a lung removed as a young man after a pulmonary infection and has in recent years battled recurring bouts of bronchitis. On Thursday, the press office said Francis celebrated the 12th anniversary of his papal election surrounded by health care staff. Part of the pope’s hospital stay comes during the Christian season of Lent. It is the annual 40-day period of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. Lent began on March 5. https://www.voanews.com/a/vatican-francis-stable-out-of-imminent-danger-of-death/8011730.html https://www.voanews.com/a/vatican-francis-stable-out-of-imminent-danger-of-death/8011730.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 14:09:19 -0400 EuropeAmericaswebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) Cuba’s power grid failed Friday night, leaving millions of the island nation’s 10 million residents in the dark. The outage, which began around 8 p.m. Eastern time, affected most of western Cuba, including the capital of Havana. Cuba has struggled with blackouts in recent months, including a nationwide one in December. Friday’s power failure was the fourth widespread one in five months. Government officials blame U.S. economic sanctions for the ongoing crisis, while others point to aging infrastructure, fuel shortages and the island’s susceptibility to hurricanes. Vicente de la O Levy, Cuba's minister of energy and mines, said on X Friday night that the country was making progress in restoring electricity. He gave no reason for the power grid’s crash apart from saying it started at the Diezmero substation, which then caused the National Electric System to fail. Power was still out early Saturday morning; officials gave no estimation of when it would be restored. CNN showed footage from Havana showing the city in darkness and pedestrians walking with flashlights. In October, a dayslong power outage forced some in Havana to resort to cooking over improvised stoves in the street. The situation also spurred protests, a rarity in the communist nation. Protesters blocked streets with heaps of trash before security forces dispersed them. At the time, O Levy dismissed the protests as "isolated and minimal incidents." https://www.voanews.com/a/widespread-power-outage-in-cuba-leaves-millions-in-dark-/8011557.html https://www.voanews.com/a/widespread-power-outage-in-cuba-leaves-millions-in-dark-/8011557.html Sat, 15 Mar 2025 04:15:11 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) This week, BlackRock, one of the largest U.S. asset management firms, signed an agreement with CK Hutchison Holdings to acquire 90% of Panama Ports Company, which operates the crucial Balboa and Cristobal ports. The acquisition comes amid U.S. concerns that the Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison could create a strategic foothold for China in the Panama Canal. The deal also addresses some of the U.S.’s strategic anxieties for now, yet the implications extend beyond the Canal’s waters. The agreement holds critical weight in the broader context of U.S.-China competition across the Americas. Click here for the full story in Mandarin https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-mandarin-blackrock-makes-major-move-in-panama/8010120.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-mandarin-blackrock-makes-major-move-in-panama/8010120.html Fri, 14 Mar 2025 14:55:50 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Lin Yang) Haitian armed gangs set fire overnight to Radio Television Caraibes building in downtown Port-au-Prince, not far from the National Palace. RTVC had moved its daily operations to the suburb of Petionville because of a spike in gang violence. However, its downtown office contained equipment and a series of television and radio studios.  Click here for the full story in Creole. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-haiti-gangs-set-fire-to-rtvc-media-office-in-port-au-prince-/8010394.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-haiti-gangs-set-fire-to-rtvc-media-office-in-port-au-prince-/8010394.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 22:49:39 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Wilner Bossou) China’s Foreign Ministry says China is committed to Panama Canal neutrality and has never interfered in its operation. VOA’s Leonid Martynyuk explains why this is misleading. https://www.voanews.com/a/china-misleads-on-involvement-in-panama-canal/8010384.html https://www.voanews.com/a/china-misleads-on-involvement-in-panama-canal/8010384.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 20:32:44 -0400 PolygraphAmericasChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Leonid Martynyuk) washington — A Guatemalan judge ordered prominent journalist Jose Ruben Zamora back to prison this week in a move that the leader of his legal team called “inhumane.” Zamora on Monday returned to Mariscal Zavala prison in Guatemala City on the orders of Judge Erick Garcia, whose decision came after another court revoked house arrest from the elPeriodico founder. The publisher is awaiting another trial in a money-laundering case that press freedom groups say is politically motivated. “We’re very troubled by what’s happening in Jose Ruben Zamora’s case, because what we’re seeing here is a total breakdown of rule of law in Guatemala,” Caoilfhionn Gallagher, who is leading Zamora’s international legal team, told VOA. “He obviously shouldn’t have spent a single day in prison. This latest revocation of his house arrest terms is legally problematic, grossly unfair and inhumane,” Gallagher added. Zamora, 67, attended the hearing on Monday. Near the end of his appearance, he called the ruling “arbitrary.” During the hearing, the judge said he and his staff had been threatened by unnamed individuals, but he did not elaborate. “They left him cornered with no way out,” Zamora said in court. Zamora founded elPeriodico in 1996. The newspaper was known for its investigations into corruption across multiple governments in Guatemala. But in 2022, authorities arrested Zamora and later froze the newspaper’s assets. The publication was forced to shutter in 2023. A court later sentenced Zamora to six years in prison on money-laundering charges. An appeals court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial for 2025. Zamora’s legal team has rejected all the accusations. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has also determined that Zamora’s detention is arbitrary and called for his release. The publisher spent more than 800 days in prison before a court in October granted him house arrest while he awaited his new trial. Another court in November revoked Zamora’s house arrest, but his lawyers were able to postpone the order for a few months. Artur Romeu, director of the Latin America bureau of Reporters Without Borders, called the decision to reimprison Zamora a “blatant case of judicial weaponization.” In response to a request for comment, Guatemala’s Washington embassy directed VOA to comments made earlier this week by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo about Zamora. “This is an absolutely baseless case that exposes the worst of the crisis in our judicial system and highlights the criminalization strategies being implemented by the Public Ministry,” Arevalo said Monday. The Public Ministry is Guatemala’s Justice Ministry. It is led by Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porras, who was sanctioned by the European Union in 2024 for “undermining democracy,” including by targeting journalists and trying to prevent Arevalo from assuming office. During Zamora’s previous time in prison, the publisher was subjected to conditions that Gallagher characterized as “inhumane and degrading” and “a violation of international standards.” Zamora’s health was better while under house arrest, Gallagher said, but now his legal team is concerned about the environment he returned to. “Being returned to those conditions is horrifying and unacceptable,” Gallagher said. Nine press freedom and rights groups this week called for Zamora’s immediate release. “We urge Guatemalan authorities to guarantee his right to a fair and impartial trial, free from undue interference and pressure,” they said in a joint statement. Zamora’s case underscores a global trend in which politically motivated legal proceedings and trials against journalists are drawn out over a long time, according to Gallagher. Gallagher’s other clients include jailed pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong; Nobel laureate Maria Ressa from the Philippines; and the family of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in Malta in 2017. “What we’re seeing in Jose Ruben Zamora’s case in Guatemala, or Jimmy Lai’s case in Hong Kong, are these very prolonged proceedings which actually keep the person in prison and try to hold the international response at bay for as long as possible,” Gallagher said. “That’s a real problem.” https://www.voanews.com/a/publisher-zamora-reimprisoned-in-guatemala-in-move-his-lawyers-call-inhumane-/8010046.html https://www.voanews.com/a/publisher-zamora-reimprisoned-in-guatemala-in-move-his-lawyers-call-inhumane-/8010046.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 19:03:04 -0400 Press FreedomAmericaswebdesk@voanews.com (Liam Scott) CHARLEVOIX, QUEBEC — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations gathered Thursday in Charlevoix, Quebec, as host country Canada outlined its top agenda, focusing on achieving a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine” and strengthening security and defense partnerships as the G7 marks 50 years. During the opening remarks, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said, “Peace and stability is on the top of our agenda, and I look forward to discussing how we can continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russia's illegal aggression.” Joly also emphasized the importance of addressing maritime security challenges, citing threats such as “growing the use of growing shadow fleets, dark vessels” and “sabotage of critical undersea infrastructure.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he hopes a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine could take place within days if the Kremlin agrees. He also plans to urge G7 foreign ministers to focus on ending the Russia-Ukraine war. The G7 talks in Quebec follow U.S.-Ukraine talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine said it is ready to accept a U.S. proposal for "an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire." "Ukraine is committed to moving quickly toward peace, and we are prepared to do our part in creating all of the conditions for a reliable, durable, and decent peace," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote Wednesday in a post on social media platform X. He added that "Ukraine was ready for an air and sea ceasefire," and "welcomed" the U.S. proposal to extend it to land. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia supports the U.S. ceasefire proposal in principle, but key details still need to be worked out. “Ceasefire, they can't be coming with conditions, because all these conditions just blur the picture. Either you want to end this war, or you don't want to end this war, so we need to be very firm,” said European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas during an interview with CNN International. “What we need to keep in mind is that Russia has invested, like over 9% of its GDP on the military, so they would want to use it,” Kallas said, adding the European nations “are massively increasing” their “defense investments.” The G7 talks bring together ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.  Rubio has underscored the need for monitors if a ceasefire is implemented. He told reporters on Wednesday that “one of the things we'll have to determine is who do both sides trust to be on the ground to sort of monitor some of the small arms fire and exchanges that could happen.” Beyond Ukraine, G7 foreign ministers also discussed China’s role in global security, Indo-Pacific stability, and maritime security behind closed doors. Rubio is expected to have a pull-aside meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Thursday. https://www.voanews.com/a/ukraine-peace-global-security-top-g7-agenda-as-diplomats-convene-in-canada-/8010030.html https://www.voanews.com/a/ukraine-peace-global-security-top-g7-agenda-as-diplomats-convene-in-canada-/8010030.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 17:46:06 -0400 UkraineUSAEast AsiaEuropeAmericaswebdesk@voanews.com (Nike Ching) Armed gangs attacked the Carrefour Feuilles neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, on Tuesday. According to VOA Creole's reporter on the ground, the attack lasted four hours, during which gangs set fire to homes and pillaged their contents. One eyewitness told VOA at least one person was shot. Many residents fled the area. Click here for the full story in Creole. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-armed-gangs-attack-neighborhood-in-haiti-/8008756.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-armed-gangs-attack-neighborhood-in-haiti-/8008756.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 02:05:20 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Wilner Bossou) BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Argentine retirees and fans of several soccer teams clashed with police Wednesday during a protest in front of Congress in the capital, Buenos Aires, against the economic policies implemented by the government of President Javier Milei. What started as a peaceful demonstration escalated into violent clashes as police deployed water cannons, tear gas and pellets against stone-throwing protesters. For weeks, Buenos Aires retirees have held weekly protests demanding higher pensions, citing a precarious standard of living. While previous demonstrations involved minor incidents, including tear gas use against the elderly, Wednesday's protest was unprecedented in scale. The government of far-right Milei, who has championed a policy of public spending cuts since coming to power a year and a half ago, had warned of restrictions on entry to stadiums for those who cause disorder. Police deployed shotguns and water hoses before the scheduled 5 p.m. protest. Clashes erupted when a large group of Boca Juniors soccer fans, waving flags and chanting in support of the retirees, arrived. Police formed a cordon to block their advance toward Congress. At the rear, a group of retirees were pushed back by high-pressure water cannons fired by two tanks at the perimeter closest to the Legislative Assembly. In an unprecedented show of unity, fans from Boca Juniors, River Plate and other Argentine soccer clubs joined pensioners who gather outside Congress every Wednesday to protest the government's austerity measures. Surrounded by police, protesters chanted, "Don't touch the elderly." A man draped in the Argentine flag held a sign that read "Help me fight. You'll be the next elderly person." A resolution published Wednesday by Argentina's Ministry of Security bans anyone who engages in violent behavior, disrupts security, traffic, or public order from entering soccer stadiums. This means that fans involved in Wednesday's riots will be barred from attending their team's games for a period set by the authorities. https://www.voanews.com/a/argentines-protesting-austerity-measures-clash-with-police/8009041.html https://www.voanews.com/a/argentines-protesting-austerity-measures-clash-with-police/8009041.html Wed, 12 Mar 2025 21:26:34 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) PENTAGON — The United States has cleared out the last migrants being held at its naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, sending them back to the U.S. mainland as they await deportation. Two U.S. defense officials told VOA on Wednesday that 40 detainees, including 23 “high-threat illegal aliens” incarcerated at the base’s detention center, were flown to Louisiana on Tuesday. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operation, said the detainees were flown aboard a nonmilitary aircraft at the direction of officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Neither ICE nor its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, have responded to requests for comment. Last week, in response to a request for updates on the detainees being held at Guantanamo, an ICE spokesperson declined comment “due to pending litigation.” ICE and DHS, which has been spearheading the U.S. deportation efforts under President Donald Trump, have repeatedly declined to respond to questions about the identities of the detainees, their countries of origin or the crimes with which they are charged. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on social media that many of the “high-threat illegal aliens” sent to Guantanamo are members of the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua and have confessed to or been charged with murder, attempted murder, assault, weapons trafficking and drug crimes. The Trump administration announced plans to use the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay to hold migrants slated for deportation in late January. At the time, Noem told reporters that the facilities would be used to house “the worst of the worst.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, also speaking in late January, called the detention center at Guantanamo Bay “the prefect place” to hold criminals slated for removal, but also said the base’s migrant operations center, first built in the 1990s, would also be opened for nonviolent migrants awaiting deportation. The first detainees began arriving at Guantanamo Bay in February aboard U.S. military cargo jets, some staying for days or weeks before being deported. At times, the base held nearly 200 detainees between its prison and migrant facilities. Last month, ICE at one point deported 177 detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Honduras, from which they were to be taken to Venezuela for repatriation, before bringing in more detainees. Immigration rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have filed multiple lawsuits against the U.S. government over its use of Guantanamo Bay. One suit, filed earlier this month, seeks to stop U.S. officials from transferring migrants to the base, alleging the moves violate U.S. law. An earlier lawsuit filed in February alleged the U.S. government had prevented family members and lawyers from contacting the detainees. DHS has dismissed the allegations in the lawsuits. “The American Civil Liberties Union appears far more interested in promoting open borders and disrupting public safety missions than in protecting the civil liberties of Americans — they should consider changing their name,” a DHS spokesperson told VOA in a statement earlier this month. “In the meantime, we will continue working with DOJ (Department of Justice) to fend off these baseless legal challenges.” https://www.voanews.com/a/us-clears-out-remaining-migrants-from-guantanamo-bay/8008349.html https://www.voanews.com/a/us-clears-out-remaining-migrants-from-guantanamo-bay/8008349.html Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:13:51 -0400 ImmigrationUSAAmericaswebdesk@voanews.com (Jeff Seldin) U.S. trade wars with Canada and the European Union intensified on Wednesday, with President Donald Trump and the United States’ normally allied countries imposing new levies on each other. The United States enacted 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports on 35 countries, including Canada and the 27-nation EU, and ending previous exemptions that also had been in place for imports from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Japan, Mexico and South Korea. “In my judgment, these modifications are necessary to address the significantly increasing share of imports of steel articles and derivative steel articles from these sources, which threaten to impair U.S. national security,” Trump said in a proclamation announcing the tariffs. Canada immediately imposed new tariffs on $20.7 billion worth of U.S. exports to its northern neighbor, while the EU announced retaliatory trade action with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products. The new EU measures will apply to about $28 billion worth of U.S. goods and not just steel and aluminum products, but also textiles, home appliances and agricultural goods. Motorcycles, bourbon, peanut butter and jeans also will be hit, as they were during Trump's first term that ran from 2017 to 2021. The EU duties aim for political pressure points in the U.S. while minimizing additional damage to Europe. EU officials have said that its tariffs, which are paid by importing companies and the cost of which is then mostly passed on to consumers, are aimed at products from states dominated by Republicans like Trump, such as beef and poultry from Kansas and Nebraska, wood products from Alabama and Georgia, and liquor from Kentucky and Tennessee. Yet the EU tariffs will also hit Democratic-dominated states such as Illinois, the top U.S. producer of soybeans, which is also on the list. Spirits producers have become collateral damage in the steel and aluminum dispute. The EU move "is deeply disappointing and will severely undercut the successful efforts to rebuild U.S. spirits exports in EU countries," said Chris Swonger, head of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. The EU is a major destination for U.S. whiskey, with exports surging 60% in the past three years after an earlier set of tariffs was suspended. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement that the bloc "will always remain open to negotiation." "As the U.S. are applying tariffs worth $28 billion, we are responding with countermeasures worth 26 billion euros," she said. "We firmly believe that in a world fraught with geopolitical and economic uncertainties, it is not in our common interest to burden our economies with tariffs," von der Leyen said. Trump has said that his tariffs would push foreign manufacturers to end their overseas operations and move them to the U.S. to help create U.S. factory jobs. In a meeting at the White House, Trump told Micheal Martin, the Irish prime minister, “We're going to be doing reciprocal tariffs” against the EU. “So, whatever they charge us, we're charging them. Nobody can complain about that.” But von der Leyen rebuffed the U.S. leader, saying, "Jobs are at stake. Prices will go up in Europe and in the United States." "We deeply regret this measure,” she said. “Tariffs are taxes. They are bad for business, and even worse for consumers. These tariffs are disrupting supply chains. They bring uncertainty for the economy," she said. The American Chamber of Commerce to the EU said the U.S. tariffs and EU countermeasures "will only harm jobs, prosperity and security on both sides of the Atlantic. ... The two sides must de-escalate and find a negotiated outcome urgently." Canadian Finance Minister Dominic Leblanc said Ottawa’s new tariffs that take effect Thursday will hit such products as computers and sports equipment and were in response to Trump's new 25% duty on Canadian aluminum and steel, which Leblanc said was "unjustified and unreasonable." Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the U.S. action “entirely unjustified” but ruled out imposing retaliatory tariffs. “Tariffs and escalating trade tensions are a form of economic self-harm and a recipe for slower growth and higher inflation. They are paid by the consumers. This is why Australia will not be imposing reciprocal tariffs on the United States,” Albanese said. Canada was spared an even higher set of tariffs after Trump backed down from his threat on Tuesday to push duties on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50%. Trump ignited an economic war last week with Canada, normally a staunch ally and the second biggest U.S. trading partner after Mexico, by first imposing and then delaying for a month a 25% tariff on all products exported to the United States. Trump said he is pressuring Canada to further curb the flow of migrants and illicit drugs, especially the deadly opioid fentanyl, into the United States. Trump hit Mexico with the same levy but also delayed it until early April after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ramped up controls at its northern border with the U.S. Mexico will not immediately retaliate against steel and aluminum tariffs, Sheinbaum said at a news conference on Wednesday. She said Mexico will wait until next month to see if it needs to strike back. "We're going to wait until April 2 and then decide whether or not to impose reciprocal tariffs, in the case of aluminum and steel," said Sheinbaum, who has vowed to seek a negotiated solution with Trump. Doug Ford, Ontario’s provincial leader, imposed a 25% levy on electricity sold to 1.5 million American customers, drawing Trump’s ire and the threat to double the 25% steel and aluminum tariffs. But U.S. and Canadian officials spoke Tuesday and agreed to backtrack, with Ontario canceling the electricity levy and the Trump administration dropping the steel and aluminum tariffs back to 25%. Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau retaliated to Trump’s targeting of Canadian goods last week by announcing increased tariffs on U.S. exports. Mark Carney, who is set to become prime minister in the coming days, said Tuesday that the government’s response will maximize impact on the United States and minimize impact on Canada. “My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect and make credible, reliable commitments to free and fair trade,” Carney said in a statement. Trump has further stoked tensions with Canada by repeatedly suggesting it become the 51st U.S. state. “This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear,” Trump said Tuesday on his Truth Social platform. “Canadians’ taxes will be very substantially reduced, they will be more secure, militarily and otherwise, than ever before, there would no longer be a Northern Border problem, and the greatest and most powerful nation in the World will be bigger, better and stronger than ever — and Canada will be a big part of that.” Trump’s trade wars with Canada and Mexico, which he also hit last week with a new 25% levy on exports before delaying it, have sent jitters through Wall Street. Stock indexes have plunged for days, wiping out vast market gains for wealthy Americans, along with much more modest profits for everyday investors. In trading Wednesday, the benchmark Dow Jones average of 30 key stocks dropped a fraction of a point, but two other indexes advanced, the broader S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq. Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. https://www.voanews.com/a/us-enacts-tariffs-on-all-steel-aluminum-imports/8007751.html https://www.voanews.com/a/us-enacts-tariffs-on-all-steel-aluminum-imports/8007751.html Wed, 12 Mar 2025 01:28:50 -0400 USAEuropeAmericaswebdesk@voanews.com (Ken Bredemeier, Chris Hannas) Medecins Sans Frontiere says cholera is on the rise in Haiti. The nongovernmental health organization, also known as Doctors Without Borders, says 150 Haitians were treated for cholera between Feb. 15 and March 6. The Cite Soleil neighborhood reported 19 infections. MSF expressed concern about the trend as Haitians have less access to clean water at a time when gang violence victims are living on the streets in unsanitary conditions.   Click here for the full story in Creole. https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-msf-reports-150-new-cholera-cases-in-haiti-/8007305.html https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-creole-msf-reports-150-new-cholera-cases-in-haiti-/8007305.html Tue, 11 Mar 2025 17:20:28 -0400 AmericasScience & Healthwebdesk@voanews.com (Wilner Bossou) U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war with Canada on Tuesday, doubling the 25% U.S. tariff on its northern neighbor’s steel and aluminum exports to 50% after Canada’s Ontario provincial leader said he is adding a 25% levy on electricity sold to 1.5 million American customers. In an all-caps post on his Truth Social media platform, Trump called Canada “one of the highest tariffing nations anywhere in the world.” The president said the doubled U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs would take effect Wednesday morning. In addition, Trump demanded that Ottawa “must immediately drop their Anti-American Farmer Tariff of 250% to 390% on various U.S. dairy products, which has long been considered outrageous.” Trump ignited the economic war last week with Canada, normally a staunch ally and the U.S.’s second-biggest trading partner after Mexico, by first imposing and then delaying for a month a 25% tariff on all products exported to the United States. Trump said he is pressuring Canada to further curb the flow of migrants and illicit drugs, especially the deadly opioid fentanyl, into the United States. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump was boosting the steel and aluminum tariffs because “Canada has been ripping off the United States of America and hard-working Americans for decades." Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau retaliated by announcing increased tariffs on U.S. exports. Then, Doug Ford, Ontario’s provincial leader, said that effective Monday, he was charging 25% more for electricity Ontario sends to residential and business customers in three northern U.S. states that border Canada: Michigan, Minnesota and New York. “I will not hesitate to increase this charge. If the United States escalates, I will not hesitate to shut the electricity off completely,” Ford said at a news conference in Toronto. He added, “Believe me when I say I do not want to do this. I feel terrible for the American people, who didn’t start this trade war. It’s one person who is responsible. It’s President Trump.” With the added Canadian duty, U.S. residential bills in the three states would increase by about $69 a month, Ford said. Leavitt called Ford’s comments “egregious and insulting.” In his social media posting, Trump responded that he will “shortly be declaring a National Emergency on Electricity within the threatened area. This will allow the U.S to quickly do what has to be done to alleviate this abusive threat from Canada.” “If other egregious, long time Tariffs are not likewise dropped by Canada, I will substantially increase, on April 2nd, the Tariffs on Cars coming into the U.S. which will, essentially, permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada,” Trump declared. “Those cars can easily be made in the USA!” Trump also renewed his designs on making Canada the 51st U.S. state. “This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear,” he contended. “Canadians’ taxes will be very substantially reduced, they will be more secure, militarily and otherwise, than ever before, there would no longer be a Northern Border problem, and the greatest and most powerful nation in the World will be bigger, better and stronger than ever — And Canada will be a big part of that.” He suggested that the Canadian national anthem, “O Canada,” could still be sung, “but now representing a GREAT and POWERFUL STATE within the greatest Nation that the World has ever seen!” Trump’s tariff-trade wars with Canada and Mexico, which he also hit last week with a new 25% levy on exports before likewise delaying it, have sent jitters through Wall Street. Stock indexes have plunged for days, wiping out vast market gains for wealthy Americans along with much more modest profits for everyday investors. After sharp losses in the three major U.S. stock indexes on Monday, the markets lost more ground in trading on Tuesday but not anywhere near as much. The bellwether Dow Jones average of 30 key stocks was off a bit more than a percentage point after falling by 2 percentage points on Monday. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-escalates-trade-war-doubles-tariffs-on-canada-steel-aluminum/8006924.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-escalates-trade-war-doubles-tariffs-on-canada-steel-aluminum/8006924.html Tue, 11 Mar 2025 12:53:42 -0400 USAAmericaswebdesk@voanews.com (Ken Bredemeier) TORONTO — Canada’s next prime minister met with outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday and vowed a quick transition.  Mark Carney said he had a long meeting with Trudeau in which they discussed U.S.-Canada relations, national security issues and the timing of the handover in power.  “That transition will be seamless and it will be quick,” said Carney, adding there would be an announcement soon.  Carney, a two-time central bank chief, will become prime minister after the governing Liberal Party elected him its leader Sunday in a landslide vote with 85.9% support.  Carney, 59, replaces Trudeau who announced his resignation in January but remains prime minister until his successor is sworn in.  Carney is widely expected to trigger an election in the coming days or weeks amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff and annexation threats. Or the opposition parties in Parliament could force one with a no-confidence vote later this month.  Carney navigated crises when he was the head of the Bank of Canada from 2008, and then in 2013 when he became the first non-citizen to run the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694. His appointment won bipartisan praise in the U.K. after Canada recovered from the 2008 financial crisis faster than many other countries. He helped manage the worst impacts of Brexit in the U.K.  The opposition Conservatives had hoped to make the election about Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged.  But Trump’s trade war and his talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state have infuriated Canadians, who are booing the American anthem at NHL and NBA games. Some are canceling trips south of the border, and many are avoiding buying American goods when they can.  The surge in Canadian nationalism has bolstered the Liberal Party’s chances in a parliamentary election, and Liberal showings have been improving in opinion polls.  “There is tremendous energy in the Liberal caucus," Carney said. “This is a united party full of energy."  Trump has postponed 25% tariffs on many goods from Canada and Mexico for a month, amid widespread fears of a broader trade war. But he has threatened other tariffs on steel, aluminum, dairy and other products.  Carney said Sunday night that Canada will keep its initial retaliatory tariffs in place until “the Americans show us respect.” He said Canada didn't start the fight but would win.  Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the leader of Canada’s most populous province, announced that effective Monday it is charging 25% more for electricity to 1.5 million Americans in response to Trump’s trade war. Ontario provides electricity to Minnesota, New York and Michigan.  The new surcharge is in addition to the federal government’s initial $21 billion worth of retaliatory tariffs that have been applied on items like American orange juice, peanut butter, coffee, appliances, footwear, cosmetics, motorcycles and certain pulp and paper products. https://www.voanews.com/a/newly-elected-canadian-prime-minister-promises-quick-transition/8005930.html https://www.voanews.com/a/newly-elected-canadian-prime-minister-promises-quick-transition/8005930.html Mon, 10 Mar 2025 18:38:13 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) Alotenango, Guatemala — Guatemalan authorities evacuated around a thousand people on Monday after Central America's most active volcano erupted, spewing lava, ash and rocks. Residents with traumatic memories of a deadly eruption in 2018 sought refuge after the Fuego volcano exploded spectacularly 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the capital Guatemala City. "We heard the rumblings and then a strong eruption," Manuel Cobox, 46, told AFP after leaving his home with his wife and three daughters. Some 125 families, around 900 people, were moved to safety from the community of El Porvenir, said Juan Laureano, a spokesman for Guatemala's disaster coordination agency, Conred. Residents of another community in Las Lajitas were also evacuated, the official added. Buses brought evacuees carrying belongings to a town hall turned into a temporary shelter, while others stayed with friends or relatives. Around 30,000 people were potentially "at risk" and should evacuate themselves if necessary, Conred head Claudinne Ogaldes told a news conference. Guatemala lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity. In 2018, 215 people were killed and a similar number left missing when an eruption of the Fuego volcano sent rivers of lava pouring down its sides, devastating the village of San Miguel Los Lotes. On that occasion, residents "did not believe the magnitude and a tragedy struck," said Cobox, who works on a pig farm. Amanda Santos, a 58-year-old housekeeper, said that memories of that previous eruption came flooding back when she heard the firefighters' sirens. "That's why we're afraid. Many people died," she added. Another eruption in 2023 from the 3,763-meter (12,346-foot) Fuego caused the evacuation of around 1,200 people. An alert was issued by the authorities on Sunday to coordinate the response and preventive measures, Conred said. The government suspended local school activities and closed a road through the village that links the south of the country to the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Guatemala's most popular tourist destination. Authorities were monitoring pyroclastic flows — fast-moving currents of hot ash, gas and rock fragments that descend the slopes of a volcano, Conred spokesman Laureano said. The state-run Volcanology Institute recommended that air traffic take precautions due to a spreading ash cloud. It later reported that the volcano's activity had decreased in intensity but cautioned that the eruption had not yet ended.   https://www.voanews.com/a/residents-evacuated-as-guatemalan-volcano-spews-lava-rocks-/8005895.html https://www.voanews.com/a/residents-evacuated-as-guatemalan-volcano-spews-lava-rocks-/8005895.html Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:47:28 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Agence France-Presse) TORONTO — Former central banker Mark Carney will become Canada's next prime minister after a Liberal Party leadership vote in a landslide. Carney is 59. He was born in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, on March 16, 1965, and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Credentials Carney ran the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020. After helping Canada manage the worst impacts of the 2008 financial crisis, he was recruited to become the first non-Brit to run the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694. In 2020, he began serving as the United Nations' special envoy for climate action and finance. Carney is a former Goldman Sachs executive. He worked for 13 years in London, Tokyo, New York and Toronto, before being appointed deputy governor of the Bank of Canada in 2003. He has no experience in politics. Education Carney received a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard University in 1988, and master's and doctoral degrees in economics from Oxford University. Like many Canadians, he played ice hockey, serving as a backup goalie for Harvard. Citizenship Carney has Canadian, U.K. and Irish citizenship. He has moved to eventually have solely Canadian citizenship, which is not required by law but seen as politically wise. Family His wife Diana is British-born and he has four daughters. Polls His chances of remaining prime minister for more than a few weeks seem to be improving. In a mid-January poll by Nanos, the Liberals trailed the opposition Conservatives and their leader Pierre Poilievre 47% to 20%. This week the latest poll has Liberals at 34% and the Conservatives at 37%. https://www.voanews.com/a/who-is-mark-carney-the-next-prime-minister-of-canada-/8004842.html https://www.voanews.com/a/who-is-mark-carney-the-next-prime-minister-of-canada-/8004842.html Sun, 09 Mar 2025 22:04:34 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) Bahía Blanca, Argentina — Argentine authorities on Sunday raised the death toll from flash flooding in the port city of Bahia Blanca to 16 people, while divers searched for two young girls who were swept away in raging waters. The city, located in the south of Buenos Aires province and home to one of the country's largest ports, saw a year's worth of rain in a matter of hours on Friday, with numerous neighborhoods and roads quickly inundated. Mayor Federico Susbielles said in a press conference Sunday that the flooding had caused $400 million in infrastructure damage. Later, in a post on X, he said "there are 16 confirmed deaths, but there are likely to be more" as search efforts continue. Meanwhile the disappearance of the two sisters, aged 1 and 5, has shaken the nation, with authorities on Sunday confirming details of the tragedy. Provincial security minister Javier Alonso told local media that the girls were on the roof of a van with their mother when a wave of water ripped them away. Divers were continuing to search the area, where more than a meter of water remained, he told the Radio Mitre outlet. The storm left much of the surrounding coastal area without power. At one point, city officials in Bahia Blanco suspended electricity due to the huge amount of water in the streets. The government has authorized emergency reconstruction aid of $9.2 million. Bahia Blanca has suffered past weather-related disasters, including a storm in December 2023 that claimed 13 lives. It caused houses to collapse and provoked widespread infrastructure damage.   https://www.voanews.com/a/argentina-flooding-death-toll-rises-to-16-two-girls-missing/8004834.html https://www.voanews.com/a/argentina-flooding-death-toll-rises-to-16-two-girls-missing/8004834.html Sun, 09 Mar 2025 21:51:27 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Agence France-Presse) Panama City — After weeks of lawsuits and human rights criticism, Panama on Saturday released dozens of migrants who were held for weeks in a remote camp after being deported from the United States, telling them they have 30 days to leave the Central American nation. It thrust many like Hayatullah Omagh, a 29-year-old who fled Afghanistan in 2022 after the Taliban took control, into a legal limbo, scrambling to find a path forward. “We are refugees. We do not have money. We cannot pay for a hotel in Panama City, we do not have relatives,” Omagh told the Associated Press in an interview. “I can’t go back to Afghanistan under any circumstances ... It is under the control of the Taliban, and they want to kill me. How can I go back?" Authorities have said deportees will have the option of extending their stay by 60 days if they need it, but after that many like Omagh don’t know what they will do. Omagh climbed off a bus in Panama City alongside 65 migrants from China, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Nepal and other nations after spending weeks detained in poor conditions by the Panamanian government, which has said it wants to work with the Trump administration “to send a signal of deterrence” to people hoping to migrate. Human rights groups and lawyers advocating for the migrants were waiting at the bus terminal, and scrambled to find the released migrants shelter and other resources. Dozens of other people remained in the camp. Among those getting off buses were migrants fleeing violence and repression in Pakistan and Iran, and 27-year-old Nikita Gaponov, who fled Russia due to repression for being part of the LGBTQ+ community and who said he was detained at the U.S. border but not allowed to make an asylum claim. “Once I get off the bus, I'll be sleeping on the ground tonight," Gaponov said. Others turned their eyes north once again, saying that even though they had already been deported, they had no other option than to continue after crossing the world to reach the U.S. The deportees, largely from Asian countries, were part of a deal stuck between the Trump administration and Panama and Costa Rica as the U.S. government attempts to speed up deportations. The administration sent hundreds of people, many families with children, to the two Central American countries as a stopover while authorities organize a way to send them back to their countries of origin. Critics described it as a way for the U.S. to export its deportation process. The agreement fueled human rights concerns when hundreds of deportees detained in a hotel in Panama City held up notes to their windows pleading for help and saying they were scared to return to their own countries. Under international refugee law, people have the right to apply for asylum when they are fleeing conflict or persecution. Those that refused to return home were later sent to a remote camp near Panama's border with Colombia, where they spent weeks in poor conditions, were stripped of their phones, unable to access legal council and were not told where they were going next. Lawyers and human rights defenders warned that Panama and Costa Rica were turning into “black holes” for deportees, and said their release was a way for Panamanian authorities to wash their hands of the deportees amid mounting human rights criticism. Upon being released Saturday night, human rights lawyers identified at least three people who required medical attention. One has been vomiting for over a week, another deportee had diabetes and hadn't had access to insulin in the camp and another person had HIV and also didn't have access to medicine in detention. Those who were released, like Omagh, said they could not return home. As an atheist and member of an ethnic minority group in Afghanistan known as the Hazara, he said returning home under the rule of the Taliban — which swept back into power after the Biden administration pulled out of the country — would mean he would be killed. He only went to the U.S. after trying for years to live in Pakistan, Iran and other countries but being denied visas. Omagh was deported after presenting himself to American authorities and asking to seek asylum in the U.S., which he was denied. “My hope was freedom. Just freedom,” he said. “They didn't give me the chance. I asked many times to speak to an asylum officer and they told me ‘No, no, no, no, no.’” Still, he said that leaving the camp was a relief. Omagh and other migrants who spoke to the AP detailed scarce food, sweltering heat with little relief and aggressive Panamanian authorities. In one case, Omagh and others said, a Chinese man went on a weeklong hunger strike. In another, a small riot broke out because guards refused to give a migrant their phone. The riot, they said, was suppressed by armed guards. Panamanian authorities denied accusations about camp conditions, but blocked journalists from accessing the camp and canceled a planned press visit last week. While international aid organizations said they would organize travel to a third country for people who didn’t want to return home, Panamanian authorities said the people released had already refused help. Omagh said he was told in the camp he could be sent to a third country if it gives people from Afghanistan visas. He said that would be incredibly difficult because few nations open their doors to people with an Afghan passport. He said he asked authorities in the camp multiple times if he could seek asylum in Panama, and said he was told that “we do not accept asylum.” “None of them wants to stay in Panama. They want to go to the U.S.,” said Carlos Ruiz-Hernandez, Panama’s deputy foreign minister, in an interview with the AP last month. That was the case for some, like one Chinese woman who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, fearing repercussions from Panamanian authorities. Upon getting off the bus, the first thing she wanted to do was find a Coca-Cola. Then, she'd find a way back to the U.S. "I still want to continue to go to the United States and fulfill my American dream," she said. https://www.voanews.com/a/panama-releases-dozens-of-detained-deportees-from-us-into-limbo/8004560.html https://www.voanews.com/a/panama-releases-dozens-of-detained-deportees-from-us-into-limbo/8004560.html Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:46:54 -0400 AmericasUSAImmigrationwebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Ottawa, Canada — Former central banker Mark Carney won the race to become leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as prime minister, official results showed Sunday. Carney will take over at a tumultuous time in Canada, which is amid a trade war with longtime ally the United States and must hold a general election soon. Carney, 59, beat former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland who came in second place in a contest in which just over 150,000 party members voted. Trudeau announced in January that he would step down after more than nine years in power as his approval rating plummeted, forcing the ruling Liberal Party to run a quick contest to replace him. Carney, a political novice, argued that he was best placed to revive the party and to oversee trade negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is threatening additional tariffs that could cripple Canada's export-dependent economy. Carney was the front-runner, with the most endorsements from party members and the most money raised among the four Liberal candidates. Carney's win marks the first time an outsider with no real political background has become Canadian prime minister. He has said his experience as the first person to serve as the governor of two G7 central banks — Canada and England — meant he was the best candidate to deal with Trump. During the campaign, Carney said he supported dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs against the United States and a coordinated strategy to boost investment. He has repeatedly complained that Canada's growth under Trudeau was not good enough. The prospect of a fresh start for the Liberal Party under Carney, combined with Trump's tariffs and his repeated taunts to annex Canada as the 51st U.S. state, led to a remarkable revival of Liberal fortunes. https://www.voanews.com/a/canada-s-liberal-party-voting-on-pm-trudeau-successor/8004533.html https://www.voanews.com/a/canada-s-liberal-party-voting-on-pm-trudeau-successor/8004533.html Sun, 09 Mar 2025 18:14:31 -0400 Americaswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump is keeping new tariffs in place on Mexico, Canada and China to pressure them to block the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the United States, top White House economic officials said Sunday. "If fentanyl ends, I think these [tariffs] will come off,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told NBC’s “Meet the Press” show. “But if fentanyl does not end, or he's uncertain about it, he will stay this way until he is comfortable,” he said. "This is black and white. You got to save American lives." Trump last week issued a string of whip-sawing tariff decisions that plunged the three major U.S. stock market indexes and roiled relations with Canada and Mexico, which are long-time U.S. allies and its closest neighbors, as well as its two biggest trading partners. Trump at first imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican exports to the U.S., then exempted the duties on Mexican- and Canadian-made vehicles being transported into the U.S. and later by week’s end delayed the tariffs on almost all items for four weeks until April 2. But Lutnick said 25% U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will take effect Wednesday as scheduled. Canada and Mexico are both top exporters of the metals to U.S. markets, with Canada accounting for most aluminum imports. The Commerce chief also rebuffed fears that Trump's global tariffs would cause a recession in the United States. "Absolutely not," he said. "There's going to be no recession in America." But Lutnick acknowledged that the tariffs would lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers on foreign-made goods. "Some products that are made foreign might be more expensive, but American products will get cheaper, and that's the point," Lutnick said. It was not clear how U.S.-produced goods would become cheaper, except in comparison to foreign-manufactured products. Trump, in a taped interview with Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” show, dodged a question about a possible recession because of his tariff boosts, but said, “There is a period of transition because what we're doing is very big.” “There could be a little disruption,” he said about stock market losses last week. “Look, what I have to do is build a strong country. You can't really watch the stock market. If you look at China, they have a 100-year perspective. We go by quarters. And you can't go by that." Trump has at various times said his new tariffs are aimed at raising government revenue, protecting U.S. jobs and pressuring foreign manufacturers to relocate their operations to the U.S., and to curb the flow of fentanyl. Like Lutnick, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, emphasized the fentanyl issue in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” program. He said Trump’s tariffs targeting Canada and Mexico, along with doubling a previous 10% duty on Chinese exports to 20%, are aimed at cutting the tens thousands of fentanyl deaths that have occurred in recent years. “We launched a drug war, not a trade war,” he said. “We hope we’ll round up the cartels” while there is a pause in the tariffs on Mexico and Canada. “It is a big problem,” he said. “Get the drug cartels out of Canada and Mexico.” Both Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Trump in phone conversations last week they have made strides in curbing the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. Sheinbaum sent 10,000 troops to Mexico’s northern border with the U.S. to try to curb the flow of drugs and undocumented migrants while Trudeau also ramped up border enforcement. But it is unclear whether Trump will be satisfied enough with the Mexican and Canadian efforts to drop the tariff increases next month. Even with the White House effort targeting fentanyl, Hassett said Trump’s economic concerns remain as important. “He’s trying to make it so when we produce something, we produce it at home,” not in another country, Hassett said. “Bring the jobs home, bring the wealth home. If you want to increase the welfare of Americans, then produce the jobs here.” https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-to-keep-tariffs-to-pressure-mexico-canada-china-on-fentanyl-aides-say/8004380.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-to-keep-tariffs-to-pressure-mexico-canada-china-on-fentanyl-aides-say/8004380.html Sun, 09 Mar 2025 13:02:44 -0400 USAEconomyAmericasChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Ken Bredemeier)