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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 13 OcTOber 2022

U.S. to pull visas of Haitian officials, send assistance

By DÁNICA COTO Minister Ariel Henry and a
Associated Press prominent group that has
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) pushed to lead a two-year
— The U.S. government will transitional government
pull visas belonging to cur- and rejected Henry’s peti-
rent and former Haitian tion for foreign troops.
government officials in- Nichols was accompanied
volved with criminal orga- by the military deputy com-
nizations as well as provide mander of of the Defense
security and humanitarian Department’s Southern
assistance to Haiti, senior Command, White House
U.S. officials said Wednes- senior advisors and other
day. officials. The trip comes just
The officials spoke to re- days after Henry requested
porters by telephone on the immediate deploy-
condition of anonymity as ment of foreign troops to
a U.S. delegation was arriv- help with security. Gangs
ing in the Caribbean coun- have blockaded a major
try that has been paralyzed fuel depot and protests
by gangs and antigovern- against Henry have added
ment protests and is facing to the problems.
severe shortages of water, “The delegation will assess
fuel and other basic sup- Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at his private how the U.S. government
plies. Meanwhile, Secretary residence in Port-au-Prince, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. can continue to provide
of State Antony Blinken said Associated Press various forms of assistance
in a statement Wednesday the government is work- ployed, adding only that “efforts to provide humani- and promote account-
that the U.S. will increase ing with Mexico on a U.N. supplies such as bleach, tarian assistance and to re- ability for those responsible
“security assistance” to resolution proposing spe- water jugs and oral rehy- spond the outbreak.” for criminal acts,” the U.S.
Haiti’s National Police “to cific sanctions and addi- dration salts will be distrib- Etienne warned on State Department said.
strengthen their capacity tional measures to address uted amid the cholera Wednesday that cases are Since last year, the U.S.
to counter gangs and re- the many challenges Haiti outbreak. As of Sunday, likely significantly higher has provided Haiti with
establish a stable security faces. authorities in Haiti had re- than what’s being reported more than $170 million in
environment.” The officials declined to ported 18 deaths and more because they are concen- humanitarian assistance
The U.S. officials who say how the upcoming aid than 260 suspected cases trated in areas affected by and another $90 million to
briefed reporters declined would be distributed, al- of cholera in Port-au-Prince escalating street violence strengthen Haiti’s National
to name which Haitian of- though they noted that the and surrounding areas. and gang activity. Police. But the depart-
ficials would see their vi- U.S. Coast Guard will de- “Cholera has arrived amid U.S. Assistant Secretary for ment remains understaffed
sas revoked or how many ploy a major cutter at the serious ongoing social and Western Hemisphere Af- and has limited resources
would be affected, adding request of local officials. political unrest,” said Dr. fairs Brian Nichols flew to to fight gangs that have
only that the measure also They also declined to say Carissa Etienne, director of Haiti Wednesday and was grown more powerful since
applies to their immediate when, how and what kind the Pan American Health scheduled to meet with President Jovenel Moïse
family members. of security and humanitar- Organization, adding that politicians and civil society was assassinated in July
The U.S. officials also said ian assistance will be de- the situation complicates leaders, including Prime 2021.q

Iodine pills in short supply after Finland updates guideline

HELSINKI (AP) — Many Finn- out of iodine tablets as However, Petteri Tiippana,
ish pharmacies ran out of io- citizens rushed to purchase director general of the Ra-
dine tablets Wednesday, a the medicine. Drug whole- diation and Nuclear Safety
day after the Nordic coun- sale also said their were Authority of Finland, told
try’s health ministry recom- stockpiles emptied out. the Finnish newspaper Ilta-
mended that households The ministry said the iodine Sanomat there was a link
buy a single dose in a case tablet recommendation is between the update and
of a radiation emergency limited to those aged 3-40 the situation in Ukraine.
amid increasing fears of a because of the potential “Yes, the war in Ukraine has
nuclear event due to Rus- risks that radiation exposure influenced the updating of
sia’s war in Ukraine. poses to that age group. the instructions,” Tiippana
“An accident at a nuclear The ministry didn’t mention told the newspaper. “Peo-
power plant could release Russia’s war in Ukraine and ple must have up-to-date
radioactive iodine into the didn’t disclose where such instructions should such a
environment, which could nuclear accidents could need arise.”
build up in the thyroid potentially take place. It In a case of a radiation
gland,” the Finnish Ministry only said it had revised emergency, sheltering in-
of Social Affairs and Health guidelines on the use of io- doors is the main way for
said Tuesday. dine tablets to match the people to protect them-
A view of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, in Enerhodar, Pharmacies in many loca- latest iodine recommen- selves from hazardous ra-
Zaporizhzhia region, in territory under Russian military control, tions in Finland reported dations set by the World diation, the Finnish health
southeastern Ukraine, on May 1, 2022. Wednesday they had run Health Organization.
Associated Press ministry stressed.q