Lillian Perlmutter
Cuba Is Making Its Own Smartphone—With China’s Help
“I think people will be willing to try it out, but news is going to travel fast if it sucks.” Currently in production, the new phone will carry no foreign apps and could increase surveillance on the island.
Rare ‘Volcanic Weed’ Grown by Rastafarians Destroyed by Erupting Volcano
Some 75 percent of illegal weed plots, which have been grown by Rastafarians in the super-soil of the volcano on St. Vincent for sixty years, were ruined by the eruption.
Rising Boxing Star Accused of Killing Pregnant Woman, Faces Death Penalty
A Puerto Rican governor once said “Boxing nights are domestic violence nights.” The charges against Félix Verdejo have put a spotlight on the most toxic element of “the cult of boxing.”
Jamaica Could Finally Decriminalize Abortion
After a report on the consequences of unsafe, black-market abortions was released, the conservative Caribbean nation’s parliament is considering a rethink of the current law on abortion.
UN Peacekeeper Ordered to Pay Child Support for Baby He Abandoned
A Haitian court ordered a former UN peacekeeper to pay child support for a baby he fathered in 2011, one of the hundreds of children left behind in destitute conditions.
Hundreds Escape After A Massive Prison Riot in Haiti, Including a Notorious Gang Leader
The crime boss was killed a few days later by police following the prison break that some suspect was orchestrated, and during which 25 people died.
Jamaica Is Trampling All Over LGTBQ Rights, Says International Court
But activists believe a recent ruling could be the beginning of the end of living in fear for gay and transgender Jamaicans.
Haiti Descends Into Chaos Amid Mounting Fears of Dictatorship
Police are upping their use of violence against civilians, and targeting journalists and protesters reacting to the news that President Jovenel Moïse plans to stay in power another year.
Haitians Don't Know if They Just Witnessed an Attempted Coup or a Kidnapping
The opposition says President Jovenel Moïse is framing a kidnapping as a government takeover coup.
Cubans Brace For Even Tougher Times as U.S. Returns Island to Terrorism Sponsor List
Shortages are already chronic given existing sanctions and the covid pandemic, but life for Cubans is about to get even harder.
Kidnapping by Government-Backed Gangs Is Surging in Haiti
Demanding a ransom can seem an easy money in a country where 60 percent of people live below the poverty line.
Deadly Violence Against Women in Puerto Rico Is Surging During Lockdown
A kidnapping case continues to grip the island, where 49 women have been murdered so far this year and 20 have gone missing.