By Kevin Pina

Demonstrators demand restitution and reparations as French president Sarkozy arrives by helicopter.

Port au Prince, Haiti – HIP — Thousands of supporters of ousted president Jean-Bertrand Aristide took to the streets on Wednesday as French president Nicolas Sarkozy toured the earthquake ravaged capital of Port au Prince. Holding pictures of the ousted president aloft they chanted for France to pay more then 21 billion dollars in restitution and reparations and to return Aristide as Sarkozy’s helicopter landed near Haiti’s quake damaged national palace.

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s press conference in Haiti (Feb 17th 2010)
Conférences de Presse du Président Français Nicolas Sarkozy en Haïti (17 Fév 2010)

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France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy, right, walks past the honor guard with Haiti’s President Rene Preval upon Sarkozy’s arrival at the Haiti International Airport in Port-au-Prince, 17 Feb 2010

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, where he is expected to announce a substantial aid package to help the former French colony rebuild.

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Source: France24 (English)

By Jocelyn Vena

George Clooney, Wyclef Jean and Hollywood’s biggest names help raise money for earthquake relief.

On Friday (January 22) at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT), MTV’s “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief” will air across a number of networks, including MTV. Hollywood A-listers will join forces with some of music’s biggest names to raise funds for Haiti after the devastating earthquake hit the nation last Tuesday.

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It is five days since a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, spreading fear and misery across an already fragile nation.

After a relatively slow start, US forces appear to be taking the lead in organising international aid efforts on the ground.

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By Deborah Pasmantier (AFP)

A French citizen pleads with a soldier as she waits to find out if she can board a French air force plane

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Anger built Saturday at Haiti’s US-controlled main airport, where aid flights were still being turned away and poor coordination continued to hamper the relief effort four days on.

“Let’s take over the runway,” shouted one voice. “We need to send a message to (US President Barack) Obama,” cried another.

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By Elaine Ganley
The Associated Press

LA VERRIERE, France — The man she married is French, her four children were born in France and she speaks French with only a trace of her native Arabic tongue. Faiza Silmi contends her clothes – a head-to-toe robe and filmy tissue covering her face – are the reason France has denied her citizenship in her adopted land.

The 32-year-old Moroccan may soon be facing an even fiercer blow. A top French lawmaker submitted a draft law this week that would ban such Islamic dress anywhere in public, a measure that would set a European precedent and trap thousands of women between their religious convictions and the law of the land.

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By Emma Vandore

PARIS-France moved to help disaster-hit Haiti on Friday by urging creditors to speed efforts to cancel the impoverished Caribbean nation’s debt in order to free funds that otherwise would be used on repayments.

Though the Paris Club of creditor nations agreed in July to clear Haiti’s remaining $215 million debt to club members, the process can still take years to finalize.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said she asked members of the informal club to speed up the process. The next meeting is Wednesday.

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The large Haitian community in France suffers an anxious wait after the quake. Jim Bittermann reports.

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