Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

Are Haiti’s gangs cooking up a coup?

​A demonstrator holds up a Haitian flag during a protest against Prime Minister Ariel Henry's government and insecurity, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti March 1, 2024.

A demonstrator holds up a Haitian flag during a protest against Prime Minister Ariel Henry's government and insecurity, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti March 1, 2024.

REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol
Where in the world is Haiti’s prime minister? Nobody knew for a few days. Ariel Henry left the crisis-wracked Caribbean island nation in late February on a trip to Guyana and then Kenya, where he signed an agreement for a Kenyan-led police force to come to Haiti.

Since then … it had been mostly crickets from Henry, even as Haiti burned. Then, late Tuesday, Henry left New Jersey to fly home, but his plane was reportedly denied entry to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, so he landed instead in Puerto Rico.

Over the weekend, Haiti's powerful gangs busted thousands of criminals out of prison, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency. Undeterred, the gangs have also attacked the main airport of Port-au-Prince, the capital, where various criminal organizations already control some 80% of the city.

One man claims credit for the surge in violence, Jimmy Chérizier, the fearsome ex-cop-turned-gang leader known as “Barbecue.” He has called for Henry’s resignation and threatened to make it impossible for the PM to return to the country.

Henry, as a reminder, took over after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and has postponed elections citing security concerns, even at the cost of his legitimacy in the eyes of the public. But now, stuck outside the country entirely as gangs run riot within it, he risks losing control of the country altogether.

More For You

​U.S. President Donald Trump walks as he arrives back at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 15, 2026.

U.S. President Donald Trump walks as he arrives back at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 15, 2026.

REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz
Trump demands global help to reopen the Strait of HormuzTwo weeks into his war against Iran, the US president is now calling on other countries to send forces to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. At the moment, Iran is allowing only a handful of (mostly China-bound) tankers to pass through without threat of mines, drones, or missile attacks. [...]
​Mexicans participate in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record, where organisers aim to break the mark for the world's largest football (soccer) lesson as part of efforts to promote the country ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, at Zocalo square in Mexico City, Mexico, March 15, 2026.

Mexicans participate in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record, where organisers aim to break the mark for the world's largest football (soccer) lesson as part of efforts to promote the country ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, at Zocalo square in Mexico City, Mexico, March 15, 2026.

REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha
9,500: The number of people in Mexico City who participated in a soccer training session on Sunday, smashing a Guinness World Record as part of a campaign ahead of the World Cup in June. The event surpassed the previous record set in Seattle last year, when 1,038 people had a kickabout.2,000: The distance between Iran and Bangladesh, where [...]
​Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with journalists to comment on new U.S. sanctions targeting two major Russia's oil producers, as well as other international issues, in Moscow, Russia, October 23, 2025.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with journalists to comment on new U.S. sanctions targeting two major Russia's oil producers, as well as other international issues, in Moscow, Russia, October 23, 2025.

Sputnik/Alexander Shcherbak/Pool via REUTERS
Trump relaxes Russian oil sanctionsThe US has paused Russian oil sanctions in a bid to stabilize energy markets rocked by the war with Iran. Administration officials stress that it’s a “tailored” measure, applying only to oil already loaded onto tankers, but it’s still a gift to Russia, which has already been clocking an extra $150 million daily [...]
A foreign tanker carrying Iraqi fuel oil damaged following unidentified attacks that targeted two foreign tankers, according to Iraqi port officials, near Basra, Iraq, on March 12, 2026.​

A foreign tanker carrying Iraqi fuel oil damaged after catching fire in Iraq's territorial waters, following unidentified attacks that targeted two foreign tankers, according to Iraqi port officials, near Basra, Iraq, on March 12, 2026.

REUTERS/Mohammed Aty
Iran’s focus: closing the StraitThe Islamic Republic will continue its efforts to block the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement this morning attributed to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The statement highlights Tehran’s strategy: identify easier targets (the Strait is narrow) that have maximum impact. Speaking of which, Iraq suspended [...]