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A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 4 OcTOber 2022
Haiti reports cholera deaths for first time in 3 years

By EVENS SANON of such a vital resource
Associated Press would affect “all sectors of
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) society.”
— Haiti’s government on Adrien said health officials
Sunday announced that were trying to visit com-
at least eight people have munities where cholera has
died from cholera, raising been reported, but that his
concerns about a poten- agency, too, has been af-
tially fast-spreading scenar- fected by a lack of fuel as
io and reviving memories he called on people block-
of an epidemic that killed ing the gas terminal and or-
nearly 10,000 people a de- ganizing protests to “have
cade ago. a conscience.”
The cases - the first cholera “This is a real problem,” he
deaths reported in three said of how the country has
years - came in a com- virtually been paralyzed.
munity called Dekayet in “We’re hoping this will not
southern Port-au-Prince spread.”
and in the gang-controlled Adrien noted that all those
seaside slum of Cite de who died were unable to
Soleil, where thousands of reach a hospital in time.
people live in cramped, Haiti Health Minister Alex
unsanitary conditions. Larsen said people have a
“Cholera is something A boy diagnosed with cholera receives treatment at a cholera center in Anse D’Hainault, Haiti, right to protest but asked
that can spread very, very Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016. Haitians to allow potable
quickly,” warned Laure Associated Press water supplies into neigh-
Adrien, director general of borhoods that have been
Haiti’s health ministry. guaranteed safe access continues to control the neighborhoods to provide cut off by roadblocks and
Food or water contaminat- to areas where cases have entrance to a main fuel ter- potable water to those protests.
ed with the cholera bacte- been reported. minal in the capital of Port- who can afford it. It also “We ask people who can
ria can lead to severe diar- The deaths come as a lack au-Prince, leading to a lack has prompted some com- afford it to add a little chlo-
rhea and dehydration that of fuel and ongoing pro- of fuel amid soaring prices panies to temporarily shut rine to the water.”
can be deadly. tests shut down the avail- that have unleashed wide- down operations. Haiti’s last cholera epi-
The United Nations said in ability of basic services spread protests that have On Sunday, Caribbean demic sickened more than
a statement that it is work- across Haiti, including med- paralyzed the country for Bottling Company said it 850,000 people in a coun-
ing with Haiti’s government ical care and clean water, more than two weeks. could no longer produce try of more than 11 million,
to “mount an emergency which is key to helping fight The absence of fuel and or distribute potable water marking one of the world’s
response to this potential cholera and keep patients increasing number of road- because its diesel reserves worst outbreaks of the pre-
outbreak,” stressing that alive. blocks have prevented were “completely deplet- ventable disease in recent
health teams need to be Haiti’s most powerful gang water trucks from visiting ed,” adding that the lack history. q

Russian court sets Brittney Griner appeal date for Oct. 25

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV defense team presented before Russia sent troops The nine-year sentence was along with Paul Whelan, an
Associated Press written statements that she into Ukraine. At the time, close to the maximum of 10 American serving a 16-year
MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian had been prescribed can- Griner, recognized as one years, and Griner’s lawyers sentence in Russia for es-
court on Monday set Oct. nabis to treat pain. of the greatest players in argued after the convic- pionage.
25 as the date for Ameri- Her February arrest came WNBA history, was returning tion that the punishment Blinken didn’t elaborate,
can basketball star Brittney at a time of heightened to Russia, where she played was excessive. They said but The Associated Press
Griner’s appeal against her tensions between Moscow during the U.S. league’s off- in similar cases defendants and other news organiza-
nine-year prison sentence and Washington, just days season. have received an aver- tions have reported that
for drug possession. age sentence of about five Washington has offered
Griner, an eight-time all- years, with about a third of to exchange Griner and
star center with the WN- them granted parole. Whelan for Viktor Bout, a
BA’s Phoenix Mercury and Before her conviction, the Russian arms dealer who
a two-time Olympic gold U.S. State Department de- is serving a 25-year sen-
medalist, was convicted clared Griner to be “wrong- tence in the U.S. and once
Aug. 4 after police said fully detained” a charge earned the nickname the
they found vape canisters that Russia has sharply re- “merchant of death.”
containing cannabis oil in jected. The White House said it has
her luggage at Moscow’s Reflecting the growing not yet received a produc-
Sheremetyevo Airport. pressure on the Biden ad- tive response from Russia to
The Moscow region court ministration to do more the offer.
said it will hear her appeal. to bring Griner home, U.S. Russian diplomats have re-
Griner admitted that she Secretary of State Antony fused to comment on the
had the canisters in her lug- Blinken took the unusual U.S. proposal and urged
gage, but testified that she step of revealing publicly in Washington to discuss
had inadvertently packed WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner July that Washington had the matter in confiden-
is escorted from a court room after her last words, in Khimki just
them in haste and that she outside Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 4, 2022. made a “substantial pro- tial talks, avoiding public
had no criminal intent. Her Associated Press posal” to get Griner home, statements.q