Wyclef Jean Fights Tears at Yele Haiti Press Conference

As people continue to question Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti foundation, the former Fugees member told reporters that while he made mistakes he didn't take any money.

"Yele's books are open and transparent, and we have been a clean bill of heath by an external auditor every year since we started," Jean said in a press conference on Monday. "On the books, it looks as though there was benefit, but there was not. It was done with the intent to do anything other than efficient."

As Spinner previously reported, the Smoking Gun published reports last week questioning the charity's finances. According to the site, Jean and his partner were paid for various administrative and production expenses. While Yele Haiti has so far raised over $2 million since the 7.0 earthquake that hit the country last week, Jean's fundraising efforts may be threatened because of the allegations.

"The Haitian on the ground of course are going to suffering, frustrated, violent," Jean said while fighting back tears. "I tell them I do not cry for myself that I cry for them."

However, the heated debate isn't stopping Jean from moving forward with his plans to help. He has called for an "exodus" from the capital city and asked for assistance in constructing massive tent communities to serve as a refuge for earthquake victims. "We need to migrate at least two million people in different parts outside of Port-au-Prince," he said. "And I give you my word. If I tell them to go, they will go. But they need somewhere to go to." Check out the video of the press conference below.

Source:spinner.com/

MTV to show Haiti benefit concert in UK

George Clooney's star-studded benefit show for the victims of the Haiti earthquake will be shown on MTV in the UK, the network has announced.

Featuring performances from Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys, the two-hour telethon will be screened live from 0100 GMT on Saturday, 23 January.

It will then be repeated at 0900 GMT on Saturday morning.

Funds raised will go to Oxfam America, Red Cross, Unicef, Partners in Health and the Yele Haiti Foundation.

Performances are also due from Bono, Sting and Christina Aguilera.

Speaking ahead of the Golden Globes on Sunday, Clooney said more than 40 stars had already signed up to take part.

He added the aim of the event was to "to show the people of Haiti that the whole world is paying attention".

The actor will host the event with former Fugees star Wyclef Jean, who was born in Haiti.

In the US, the telethon is being screened without commercials on 11 channels, including the main broadcasters NBC, ABC and CBS

Source:bbc.co.uk

DFA: 28 more Pinoys safe, accounted for in Haiti

MANILA, Philippines – Twenty-eight more Filipinos are were found in safe condition following last week’s powerful earthquake that struck Haiti, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

As this developed, Philippine Ambassador to Cuba, Macarthur Corsino and Vice Consul Jason Anasarias arrived in Haiti and are now coordinating with authorities to assist affected members of the Filipino community.

According to Corsino, many Filipinos would like to be repatriated to Manila. The ambassador was tasked to present a plan of action for the repatriation of Filipinos willing to return to Manila, as well as oversee the relief operations there.

Upon their arrival in Haiti, Corsino and Anasarias immediately established a task force which would assess the condition of Filipinos, ensure that food, water, shelter and medical supplies are available to them.

The Filipinos are grouped together in 4 “evacuation centers” — in Laplian, Delmas 31, Delmas 41/56, and Petionville. They have food and water supply, said the DFA.

The task force is set to visit other Filipino community groups in Haiti in the coming days to ascertain their condition.

Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos is reportedly in talks with Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito Roque on the possibility of securing a chartered plane to fly the Filipinos home.

The DFA earlier said that 165 out of approximately 290 Filipino community members in Haiti were found to be safe and in good condition. The number does not include the 172 members of the Philippine Peacekeeping Contingent.

4 still trapped

As of latest, there are 2 Filipino peacekeepers trapped in the collapsed headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and 2 Filipinas inside the Caribbean Supermarket.

Aside from the 4, the Philippine Peacekeeping Contingent and Filipino community leaders are not aware of other Filipinos still trapped or otherwise injured, the DFA added.

On Tuesday, the body of Filipino Navy Petty Officer Pearlie Panangui was recovered from the collapsed Christopher Hotel, bringing the total number of confirmed Filipino fatalities to 2.

Earlier, the DFA said that the body of Jerome Yap, a UN staff member, was recovered Monday.

Filipino community leader Tony Duran provided the task force the list of the 28 Filipinos.

The 28 Filipinos are as follows:

1. Benitez, Maria Liza
2. Bugayong, Paul
3. Buhayo Freddie R.
4. Buhayou Nelson S.
5. Buhayo, Ramon S.
6. Carvajal, Lucera
7. Cruz, Jovito
8. Duran, Adrian
9. Duran, Camilo
10. Ferdinand, Norluiz
11. Gevana, Danny
12. Labayen, Mary Grace
13. Laqueyun, Asley
14. Lazatin, Marlene
15. Lazatin, Michael
16. Marte, Emily
17. Mendez, Benito
18. Papasin, Rickson
19. Pastor, Ditas
20. Perez, Emmanuel
21. Pierre, Maria Teresa
22. Pretilla, Roberto
23. Rodriguez, Marivic
24. Torrizo, Rosalia
25. Torrizo, Victor
26. Villagracia, Art Raymond
27. Villagracia, Bernadette
28. Villagracia, Rey

Source:abs-cbnnews.com/

Ashton under fire for not going to Haiti

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has come under fire from centre-right and Green politicians in the European Parliament for not visiting the earthquake-devastated Haiti.

The head of the centre-right group in the European Parliament, Joseph Daul, said that the fact that Mrs Ashton was not present while her US counterpart Hillary Clinton travelled to the Caribbean island over the weekend was "regrettable."

"Just about everybody was in Haiti at the moment when these people are suffering, and Europe was not present," he said. "If it would have been in our hands, we would have sent someone."

The comments were made in a press conference on Tuesday morning (19 January) following the resignation of the centre-right Bulgarian commission nominee, Rumiana Jeleva, after criticism about her suitability for the job as development commissioner.

The centre-left Ms Ashton, who is also to be a vice-president of the European Commission, went through her hearing last week. A novice in the world of diplomacy and foreign affairs, she was widely seen as having performed no better than adequately.

To date, MEPs on the right have held their fire on Ms Ashton, who has the extra backing of the 27 EU countries, which unanimously appointed her to be the union's high representative for foreign affairs. The member states' deal was a careful compromise between left and right which saw the post of President of the European Council, the EU's other main external actor, given to a centre-right politician.

Denying that party politics played a role in his criticism, Mr Daul said: "Of course, we are not going to be calling Ms Ashton into question for this reason."

His attack on Mrs Ashton was later backed up by the leader of the Greens, Daniel Cohn-Bendit.

"I am very sceptical about Lady Ashton," said the French politician. "Her performance vis-a-vis the situation in Haiti has been insufficient and I think that what Mr Daul said in his communication today was not wrong."

Mrs Ashton's job means that she is supposed to be the public face of the EU in the case of an international crisis and to oversee the bloc's response. On Monday, the EU pledged over €400 million in aid to Haiti.

Mr Cohn-Bendit went on: "[US secretary of state] Clinton found it possible to go to Haiti, and I think that the European Union has to be there on the spot. Not just in the sidelines. And if I was the high representative faced with a disaster of this scope, I'd get on the first plane and then come back and tell the Europeans what we should be doing. I think that is the basic minimum."

Keeping airspace free

Ms Ashton's spokesman told EUobserver that the foreign policy chief had deliberated going to Haiti but on the "explicit advice of the UN" decided not to so that she "would not be blocking airspace at this point in time."

The spokesperson noted that Ms Ashton, who also defended her actions before parliament on the issue on Tuesday, "has been working all weekend on Haiti."

Haiti, which suffered a huge earthquake last Tuesday which has killed up to 200,000 people and left around 1.5 million homeless, has tested the EU's new foreign policy set up.

Ms Ashton, who formally took up her duties on 1 December after a surprise nomination, has had to rush to adjust to her new job, whose duties include chairing the monthly meetings of EU foreign ministers and setting up a new EU diplomatic service.

The new president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, also involved himself with the Haiti issue on Tuesday.

The EU chief while on a visit to London proposed that countries create a "humanitarian rapid reaction force" that could be deployed in such a crisis in future. "We have to reflect about a better instrument for reaction," he said, the BBC reports.

Source:euobserver.com/

CNN's Anderson Cooper carries bloody boy away from looters in Haiti

In a story in today's edition, we explored the question of whether the medical correspondents for the television networks should be assisting the wounded in Haiti as they cover the story of the aftermath of last week's devastating earthquake.

CNN on Monday aired another example of a journalist intervening to help, showing graphic footage of anchor Anderson Cooper dragging an injured boy away from a chaotic scene of looting. As the stunned boy tried to wipe the blood from his face, Cooper put his hand on his shoulder. "It's OK, it's OK," he said, looking around frantically for someone to help.

Cooper then set down the small camera he had been carrying and scooped the boy up in his arms, carrying him over to a crate away from the violence.

-- Matea Gold

Source:atimesblogs.latimes.com/

Looting Continues in Haiti as Residents Leave Capital in Search of Food

U.S. troops patrolled the streets of Port-au-Prince on Monday in an attempt to drive away looters who were breaking into shops and buildings to grab whatever they could find. Some people have begun fleeing the capital for the countryside in search of food and better shelter.

At times on Monday, Haitian police fired shots into the air to disperse large roving bands of scavenging looters as they swarmed across the capital.

Nearly a week has passed since Haiti was rocked by last Tuesday's massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake, in which 200,000 people are believed to have been killed. Delays in the delivery of supplies to hundreds of thousands desperate for aid is stoking unrest.

Transportation bottlenecks, bureaucratic confusion, fear of attacks on aid convoys and the collapse of local authority is also making it difficult for help to reach quake victims.

On Monday, hundreds of people lined up outside the American and Canadian embassies in hopes of getting a visa to leave the country.

Others struggled to board buses and leave the capital.

Livena Livel, a 22-year-old mother was heading out of town to her father's home - a four-hour drive from Port-au-Prince.

Livel says that she and her one-year-old daughter, along with six other relatives, have scraped together their last money to pay for the trip.

The $8 one-way ticket, amounts to about three days income for most Haitians.

The U.S. military sent more troops to Haiti on Monday to help with security and the distribution of food and water.

General Ken Keen, who is commanding U.S. military relief operations in Haiti, says logistical obstacles to aid delivery are being overcome.

"Every day, we increase our capabilities to reach out [to Haitians in need]," he said.

U.S. helicopters are at work in Haiti, ferrying food and water to distribution points in and around the devastated capital, where three-million people struggle to survive.

General Keen says U.S. troops are working to assume more responsibility for aid distribution, which will allow U.N. peacekeepers in Haiti to focus on security concerns.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked the Security Council to boost the U.N. stabilization mission in Haiti by 3,500 troops and police officers, who would join 9,000 security personnel already there.

Alain Le Roy, the U.N.'s peacekeeping chief - Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations - says that it is important that aid convoys reach those in need quickly.

"Of course there are incidents here and there, sporadic incidents here and there, mostly due to frustration for not getting food and water quickly enough," he said. "And, it's very important that the humanitarian convoys can reach very rapidly the people otherwise we will have security problems."

World leaders have promised massive amounts of assistance to rebuild the capital and international aid pledges for Haiti continue to grow.

The European Union offered more than $500 million in assistance and hundreds of millions more have been pledged by the United States and other nations.

Last week's earthquake damaged Port-au-Prince's airport and seaport. U.S. military officials say a rescue and salvage vessel arrived Monday that will be used to send down divers to assess what may be blocking channels in the port as well as possible places to unload cargo.

Source:voanews.com/

Sandra Bullock Donates $1 Million to Haiti Relief

Golden Globe winner Sandra Bullock has turned anything but a Blind Side to the situation in Haiti – and has donated $1 million in relief aid to the victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake, which is now estimated to have killed 200,000 people and left 1.5 million people homeless.

Bullock's contribution matches those by George Clooney and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, reports Variety. The trade paper also notes that Gisele Bündchen has pledged $1.5 million to Haiti, while Madonna says she has given $250,000.



The gifts come as the star roster for Friday's multi-network Hope for Haiti telethon, organized and to be co-hosted by Clooney and Wyclef Jean, continues to expand. Among those set to perform now include Christina Aguilera, Bono, Alicia Keys, Sting and Justin Timberlake. Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts have already been announced as answering the phones during the telethon.



The special will air live from Los Angeles and New York at 8 p.m. ET on MTV, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, BET, The CW and HBO, among other networks. Donations will benefit Haiti relief efforts by the Red Cross, UNICEF, the Yele Haiti Foundation, Oxfam America and Partners in Health and be divided evenly among the groups.



On Monday, a tearful Jean defended his foundation against allegations that he profited from donations to the Yele.

RELATED: How Telethons Help: Haiti Will Be Clooney's Third





Reaching Out with Help

Others heeding the call to action include Taylor Swift and Ashley Judd, who already helped the University of Kentucky (Judd's alma mater) raise $1 million during a 4½-hour Hoops for Haiti telethon on Lexington's WKYT-TV.



U2 has also penned a song for a separate Haiti relief event being organized by Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz.



Major League Baseball also hopped on the bandwagon, pledging a $1 million starter donation. The New York Yankees came forward with $500,000, and the Toronto Blue Jay owners Rogers Communications gave $250,000 in cash and goods.



And some stars are literally giving the clothes off their backs to help the effort. Meryl Streep, Gerard Butler, Amy Poehler and Olivia Wilde are donating the outfits they wore at Sunday's Golden Globes to Artists for Peace and Justice, which will auction the outfits to the public on eBay next week.

Source:people.com/

Senegal: President Wade rethinks aid to Haiti

Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade has changed position on humanitarian assistance to Haiti, where earthquake reportedly claimed the lives of over 100,000.


Last weekend, President Wade announced his government’s offer of repatriation and land to Haitians who wants to settle in Senegal. He said his government will build housing estates for the Haitians if they ‘come in small numbers or an entire region if they come en masse’.


After intense criticism from the Senegalese people, President Wade told RNW that his offer was just ‘a proposition and not a decision’. He said he will present his proposition to the African Union (AU) and that members of the union will discuss and make final decision.


Most Senegalese people are without a plot of land and they live in abject poverty. Many described the president’s land offer to Haitians as an insult to the poor Senegalese.


President Wade is known for retracting his statements.

Source:rnw.nl/

Wyclef defends his Yele Haiti Foundation, but admits mistakes

His country facing a veritable apocalypse, Wyclef Jean took time out Monday to make an impassioned plea for help and yet another emotional defense of his charitable motives.

Days after The Smoking Gun posted financial records suggesting his Yéle Haiti Foundation may have enriched the former Fugee, Wyclef reiterated remarks from this weekend and insisted that all donations were going directly to help his homeland.



"Have I made mistakes? Yes," Jean said a press conference Monday. "Did I use Yéle money for personal gains? Absolutely not. The books are open. We have a clean bill of health from an auditor."



The 37-year-old musician and his organization have been at the forefront of relief efforts in Haiti, rallying support from politicians and Hollywood bigwigs like George Clooney.



"We went inside the belly of the beast", Jean said. "I was the one carrying the little girls to the morgue. In reality, my people are dying. I have to go back for relief. I do not cry for myself, I cry for them."



Because the destruction is so severe, Jean called for a mass exodus from the capital.



"I am asking the world to move 2 million people out of Port-au-Prince," Jean said. "If I ask them to leave they will leave. We need to keep Haiti alive."



Meanwhile, celebrities are continuing to rally relief support for Haiti, with John Travolta, Bette Midler, Usher and Josh Duhamel among the latest to pitch in.



Travolta is planning to personall fly aid into Haiti.



"I have arranged for a plane to take down some volunteer ministers and some supplies and some medics," Travolta told Entertainment Tonight. "My church has also arranged for 80 medics and 33 volunteers to go down. I hope that inspires others as well. It's needed."



Duhamel, meanwhile, is participating in a two-mile beach run in Santa Monica on Jan. 23 that will benefit earthquake victims.



"If you're like me, you've seen the pain and suffering going on in Haiti right now, and really feel the need to help, to physically help-to actually DO SOMETHING, " Duhamel tweeted Monday. "Well, I think we can!"



The run will be used as a fund-raising vehicle for the American Red Cross. Those interested can RSVP at youthrun4haiti.com.



Usher has partnered up with the United Nations Foundation to send aid, encouraging young people worldwide to join in.



"If only 1 percent of the world's youth population raised $5 each, we could raise $150 million to support the United Nation's relief efforts," he said in a statement.



Amassed donations for Usher's initiative can be sent via www.ushersnewlook.org or by texting "CERF" to 90999 to donate $5 to the cause.



Finally, Midler announced that she will collect monetary donations from fans at her Las Vegas show match the amount she receives up until her final performance of The Showgirl Must Go On at Caesars Palace on Jan. 31.



Thus far, Midler has raised $38,742.62 for Doctors Without Borders.

Source:postzambia.com/

Hollywood helps Haiti

The entertainment industry's efforts to support Haitian earthquake relief have broadened, highlighted by Golden Globes drama actress winner Sandra Bullock donating $1 million in aid for the victims.
The roster of performers for Friday's multi-network "Hope for Haiti" telethon also continues to grow, with Christina Aguilera, Bono, Alicia Keys, Sting and Justin Timberlake signing on to perform during the broadcast.

They join event co-hosts George Clooney (who is organizing the telethon with MTV Networks), Wyclef Jean and Anderson Cooper. Clooney is expected to be in Los Angeles for the broadcast, Jean in New York, Cooper in Haiti. Clooney has said he ultimately expects approximately 40 celebrities to participate in the telethon.

ABC, CBS, the CW, Fox, NBC, CNN, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT will broadcast the two-hour fundraiser at 8 p.m. Eastern (delayed on the West Coast). MTV Networks, CNN and National Geographic will show the telethon internationally.

All proceeds will be split evenly among five relief organizations currently operating in Haiti: Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF and Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation. On Monday, Jean defended his foundation against accusations that past donations had been mismanaged.

Facebook and MySpace have also signed on to help drive viewers and donations to the telethon.

In other developments:

In addition to Bullock's donation, which matches contributions by Clooney and by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, model Gisele Bundchen, according to published reports has pledged $1.5 million to the cause. Madonna said she has donated $250,000.

Approximately 30 performers were to appear Monday on a two-hour special edition of CNN's "Larry King Live" titled "Haiti: How You Can Help." Mick Jagger, Sean Combs, Susan Sarandon, Russell Simmons, Ben Stiller, Ryan Seacrest and Alyssa Milano formed a small sampling of those expected to deliver calls to action.

Aided by Taylor Swift and alum Ashley Judd, the U. of Kentucky raised $1 million in a 4 1/2-hour "Hoops for Haiti" telethon on CBS affiliate WKYT-TV in Lexington, Ky. Major League Baseball also pledged $1 million as a starter donation, with other clubs such as the New York Yankees ($500,000) adding on. Rogers Communications, owners of the Toronto Blue Jays, donated $250,000 in funds and goods.

House" co-star Olivia Wilde told reporters at Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony that she and others (including Meryl Streep, Josh Brolin, Gerald Butler, Jenna Fischer and Amy Poehler) are auctioning off their gala outfits, with 100 % of the proceeds designated for Haiti earthquake relief via Artists for Peace and Justice. Wilde was in Haiti in December to help build a school that was subsequently destroyed in the earthquake.

Jimmy Jean-Louis ("Heroes"), who founded Hollywood Unites for Haiti in 2008, has been leading a public awareness/fundraising campaign on behalf of the Pan American Development Foundation. Louis, who was born in Haiti but has lived in Los Angeles since 1998, traveled to his native country and found that his parents had survived, but the family home had been lost.

U2 has written a song for a separate Haiti relief function that rappers Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz are organizing,

Gabriel Byrne, Terry George, and others have organized a "Rebuild Haiti" fundraiser in New York for Thursday night to benefit Concern Worldwide and the Edeyo Foundation.

Jean addressed the controversy over his Yele Haiti Foundation on Monday.

At a New York press conference, a tearful Jean told reporters that "as a young NGO (non-governmental organization) coming up, have we made mistakes before? Yes. Did I ever use Yele money for personal benefits? Absolutely not."

According to the Washington Post, Yele has raised more than one $1.5 million since the earthquake hit on Tuesday. But concerns, as first reported on The Smoking Gun website, over how the charity organization allocated funds in the past became so acute that the Grammy-winning performer felt the need to defend himself.

Smoking Gun posted that Internal Revenue Service records reveal questionable accounting practices by the group, which was incorporated 12 years ago, and that Yele Haiti first filed tax returns in 2009. That documentation purportedly covered the calendar years 2005 through 2007.

Yele Haiti's president, High Locke, told the Washington Post that the charity hopes to reduce its administrative spending.

Finally, speaking after the Golden Globes on Sunday, "Avatar" director James Cameron expressed frustration with the roadblocks to delivering aid to tragedy-stricken locales.

"I would pose the question: Why can we put a Special Ops force on the ground with such great effectiveness to go after military objectives, and (it) somehow eludes us to have a single ready-to-go force that can get in and set up a temporary structure to help out in this type of situation?" Cameron said. "That needs to be developed. Not just on a national level, on an international level. We need that. We don't have it, and we need it. It's stupid not to have it."

Source:variety.com/