Haiti

Haiti gang violence: 209 killed in Cité Soleil in 10 days

Almost half of those who died were residents without ties to the gangs which are fighting for control of the Cité Soleil neighbourhood, the UN says.

Locals say they are running out of drinking water and food as deliveries have been halted amid the shoot-outs.

One resident described his life as "a cycle of fear, stress and despair".

Haiti kidnappers release two missionaries among 17 abducted

Christian Aid Ministries said on Sunday that the two individuals were "safe, in good spirits, and being cared for".

"We cannot provide or confirm the names of those released," the ministry said, giving no further details.

The abduction of the missionaries and their family members, including children, was reported on 16 October.

They were returning from a visit to an orphanage when the bus they were travelling in was seized by gang members on a main road in the town of Ganthier, east of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Haiti kidnappers 'demand $17m' for missionaries

The gang is notorious for kidnapping groups of people for ransom.

The same gang, 400 Mazowo, abducted a group of Catholic clergy in April.

The clergy were later released but it is not clear if a ransom was paid.

Who are the victims?

All of those kidnapped are US citizens, except one who is a Canadian national.

Among those seized are five men, seven women and five children. The youngest child is reportedly only two years old.

US Christian missionaries kidnapped in Port-au-Prince - reports

At least 15 people were taken off a bus after visiting an orphanage, Haitian security sources have told news media.

Few details are known, but US officials said they were aware of the reports.

Haiti has one of the highest rates of kidnapping in the world, as powerful gangs exploit the lawless situation to make money from ransom payments.

Since the killing of President Jovenel Moïse in July, rival factions have been trying to gain control and the lack of security has intensified the daily struggle to survive of many Haitians.

US Haiti envoy quits over 'inhumane' deportations

The decision to return migrants fleeing an earthquake and political instability was "inhumane", senior diplomat Daniel Foote said in a damning letter.

Last weekend, the US started deportation flights from a Texas border town, where about 13,000 migrants had gathered under a bridge.

They have been waiting in a makeshift camp in temperatures of 37C.

Local officials have struggled to provide them with food and adequate sanitation.

Since Sunday, the US has returned to Haiti 1401 migrants from the Texas camp on the border with Mexico.

Rescuers search for survivors as Haiti earthquake death toll climbs to 1,297

Rescuers are picking through rubble in a desperate search for any survivors.

Homes, churches and schools were among buildings flattened in the quake. Some hospitals were left overwhelmed and in need of supplies.

An unknown number of people are missing and about 5,700 have been injured, officials say.

The disaster compounds problems facing the impoverished nation, which is already reeling from a political crisis following the assassination of its president last month.

Unrest mars funeral of assassinated Haitian leader

The US and other delegations left early after shooting rang out as the event got under way.

Protesters blamed some of those at the service for the leader's death.

Authorities accuse foreign mercenaries of the killing but questions about the attack remain.

The president's widow Martine, who was injured in the attack and treated in hospital in the US, was at the funeral with three of her children.

"Cry for justice. We don't want revenge, we want justice," she said, according to Reuters news agency.

Bus hits Haiti crowd of musicians, kills 38

The bus, which was traveling from Cap Haitien to the capital Port-au-Prince, initially hit two people in a town outside Gonaives in the north of the country, killing one, said Joseph Faustin, civil protection head in the Artibonite department.

The bus driver then fled and crashed into three "rara" parades in Mapou, about 5km away.

Rara parades, which usually take place around Easter, are groupings of musicians playing traditional instruments who are often joined by passers-by.

Hurricane Matthew: Haiti risks 'real famine', says interim president

Jocelerme Privert said famine could take hold within three to four months if the situation was not managed properly.

It comes as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a "massive response" to help the country.

The category-four storm is believed to have killed as many as 900 Haitians.

It has also wiped towns and villages off the map, destroying tens of thousands of homes, crops and food reserves.

Mr Privert said the loss was "amazing", saying food, water and medicine was immediately needed.

Hurricane Matthew: Category Four storm pounds Haiti

Hurricane Matthew, a Category Four storm, swept over the west of Haiti and is now heading towards eastern Cuba.

Southern Haiti has effectively been cut off after the bridge linking it to the capital, Port-au-Prince, collapsed.

The deputy mayor of the southern coastal town of Les Cayes described the scene there as "catastrophic".

Marie Claudette Regis Delerme said the city of 70,000 people was flooded and many houses had lost roofs. She herself had to flee a meeting when a gust ripped off the building's roof.