Haiti declared a state of emergency Sunday after armed gangs stormed Haiti’s largest prison Saturday night, setting around 3,700 of convicts free and killing many others. Notorious former police officer turned gang kingpin Jimmy Chérizier, aka “Barbecue,” claimed responsibility for the attack, which forced police unions to call for reinforcements on social media.
The attack was part of a coordinated assault that included Haiti’s international airport and two police stations, forcing the closure of businesses and schools, and prompting the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince to temporarily halt all official travel to the country.
Countering Kenya
Chérizier’s latest strikes were meant to capture Haiti’s national police chief and government ministers – and prevent Prime Minister Ariel Henry from coming back from Nairobi. Henry inked a deal on Friday that could see a UN-backed multinational force led by 1,000 Kenyan police officers attempt to restore order in Haiti. The island has been waiting a long time for help, after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 kicked off a growing anarchy that has left 80% of the capital under gang control. Five thousand people were killed in 2023, more than twice as many as in 2022.
The Kenyan-led initiative includes support from Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua & Barbuda, Benin, and others, and Washington pledged $200 million in assistance. If it succeeds in stabilizing the country, Henry has promised to hold elections next year, Haiti’s first in nearly a decade.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended a meeting of the European Political Community in Armenia this weekend, a first by the leader of a non-European country. He was invited to discuss common interests in trade, energy, and security. In a speech that echoed his address to the World Economic Forum in Davos two months earlier, Carney called on middle powers, including Canada and European nations, to work together in the wake of disruption of the established world order — implicitly pointing to the United States. “It’s my strong personal view that the international order will be rebuilt,” he told the crowd in Yerevan, “but it will be rebuilt out of Europe.”
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government fell after losing a no-confidence vote, putting Romania’s access to EU recovery funds – worth approximately $13 billion – at risk.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government fell after losing a no-confidence vote, putting Romania’s access to EU recovery funds – worth approximately $13 billion – at risk. The country, which has the largest budget deficit in the EU, has to complete the bloc’s mandated economic reforms by August to unlock the funds. But with its country’s pro-EU government pushed out, those reforms are uncertain.
One year after announcing its European digital commitments, Microsoft shared an update on progress across the region, highlighting new investments and expanded infrastructure to support AI adoption, strengthen resilience, and protect data. As demand for AI grows, organizations across Europe are increasingly focused on digital sovereignty, seeking greater control over data, stronger security, and assurance that critical systems remain available amid geopolitical uncertainty. Microsoft’s latest update outlines progress across key areas, including cloud expansion, cybersecurity, and privacy protections, helping enable AI and cloud adoption at scale while aligning with European regulations and priorities. Read the full update here.