• Thousands follow ex-Haiti president Aristide after court appearance

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    Supporters of Haiti's former President Jean Bertrand Aristide stand around Aristide's car as he leaves the courthouse in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, May 8, 2013. The two-time president showed up at the courthouse to testify before a judge investigating the 2000 slaying of Jean Dominique, one of the Caribbean country's most prominent journalists.

    By Trenton Daniel, Associated Press

    PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide made a rare public appearance Wednesday and thousands of supporters shadowed the ex-leader's motorcade following a court hearing.

    The two-time president showed up at a courthouse in downtown Port-au-Prince with a delegation of longtime allies to testify before a judge investigating the slaying of one of the Caribbean country's most prominent journalists. The hearing was closed to the public.

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    A supporter of Haiti's former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide holds up an image of Aristide and yells "Aristide is king!"

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    A police officer uses his baton to beat back supporters of Haiti's former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide who gathered outside the courthouse where Aristide arrived earlier in the day.

    Aristide waved to a small group of onlookers outside the court before his session with an investigative magistrate to answer questions about the April 2000 killing of radio journalist Jean Dominique. Former President Rene Preval answered questions in the case early this year. Both men were friends of Dominique.

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    Flanked by body guards, former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, center, greets supporters as leaves the courthouse in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

    Aristide left the courthouse through a back exit three hours later. In an apparent ploy to prevent journalists from following the former president, news media were told to assemble in a nearby room for a news conference with Aristide, which was never held.
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  • Haitian amputee dancing again, three years after earthquake

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    Professional dancer Georges Exantus sleeps as his prosthetic limb lays on the floor in his bedroom in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he'd never dance again. He was lucky just to be alive. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti's capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. Exantus says he has learned to ignore the long stares and quiet whispers, products of a longstanding stigma in Haiti for people with disabilities. Before the quake, few resources existed to accommodate Haiti's disabled, and many regard people with disabilities as misfits.

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    Exantus lifts weights in his bedroom in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    Exantus bathes as he prepares for a concert in Port-au-Prince.

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    Exantus walks out of his home to his wedding ceremony in Port-au-Prince.

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    Exantus puts a ring on the finger of his bride Sherly Henrisme Exantus at their wedding in Port-au-Prince.

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    Professional dancer Georges Exantus, right, performs with Modeline Gene Arhan during a show in Port-au-Prince.

    See a series of stories from Haiti about amputees getting new prosthetic limbs after the earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010. 

  • Three years later, Haiti honors earthquake victims

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    A man sweeps an exposed tiled area of the earthquake-damaged Santa Ana Catholic church, where he now lives, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 12. Haitians recalled on Saturday the tens of thousands of people who lost their lives in the devastating earthquake three years ago. Most of the rubble created by the quake has since been carted away, but more than 350,000 people still live in displacement camps.

    Former President Bill Clinton was in Haiti Saturday to honor the third anniversary of the massive and devastating quake that killed more than 250,000 people.

    Orlando Barría / EPA

    Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, left, Haiti's President Michel Martelly, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and Haitian first lady Sophia Martelly attend a ceremony in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to commerate the third anniversary of 2010 earthquake.

    Rebuilding looks promising, particularly in the bustling city of Port-au-Prince, but unemployment hovers at 70 percent and 350,000 people displaced by the quake remain homeless, living in a sprawling tent city. Cholera, too, has had devastating effects.

    Clinton, the United Nations special envoy for Haiti, joined the country’s president Michel Martelly for a quiet ceremony at a mass burial site on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. The Clinton Foundation reports spending $28 million in Haiti.

    "I'm encouraged by the work that's being done on the airports, some of the road construction that's been built, but we still need a lot more infrastructure work," Clinton told Reuters.

    Rebuilding looks like 80 schools built by the Jamaica-based cellphone company, Digicel. It looks like a modern teaching hospital built by Partners in Health, a global nonprofit, and like an airport expansion to accommodate international flights.

    But how money is being spent has triggered controversy. Canada’s international cooperation minister made controversial remarks about freezing its $1 billion annual contribution to Haiti. Officials backtracked although said they are reviewing how the aid is spent, according to Canada’s CBC.ca. 

    Martelly says that progress is slow because relief money has gone to aid groups.

    “We’re not lobbying for Haiti to get all of the money, but we are lobbying for Haiti to get enough money where our institutions are not weakened,” he said.

    --NBC’s Mark Potter and Isolde Raftery and Reuters’ Susana Ferreira contributed reporting.

    Slideshow: Earthquake devastates Haiti in 2010

    Uppa / Zuma Press

    Images of the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010.

    Launch slideshow

     

  • Haitian workers stuck at Dominican Republic border

    Ricardo Rojas / Reuters

    Haitian residents, who have been living and working undocumented in the Dominican Republic wait, for the third day, for Dominican immigration officials to allow them back into the Dominican Republic at the border at Haiti's town of Ouanaminthe on Jan 9, 2013. About 1,000 undocumented Haitians, who returned to their home country for the year end holidays, were prevented from entering back into the Dominican Republic after the Dominican Army increased border control.

    Ricardo Rojas / Reuters

    Haitian residents wait at the border of the Dominican Republic.

    Ricardo Rojas / Reuters

    A Haitian boy passes, with help from his father, around the locked gate on a bridge that separates Haiti from the Dominican Republic, to attend school in the Dominican Republic.

     

  • Hurricane Sandy blows through the Caribbean

    Ramon Espinosa / AP

    A driver maneuvers his classic American car along a wet road as a wave crashes against the Malecon in Havana, Cuba, on Oct. 25. Hurricane Sandy blasted across eastern Cuba on Thursday as a potent Category 2 storm and headed for the Bahamas after causing at least two deaths in the Caribbean.

    Thony Belizaire / AFP - Getty Images

    A UN Peacekeeper stands watch near a bridge washed away by heavy rains from Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 25 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

    Gilbert Bellamy / Reuters

    Residents of Kingston try to cross the Hope River after a bridge was washed out by Hurricane Sandy, on Oct. 25.

    By NBC News and news services

    HAVANA — Hurricane Sandy grew into a major potential threat to the Northeast on Thursday after hammering Cuba's second-largest city and taking aim at the Bahamas.

    Strengthening rapidly after tearing into Jamaica and crossing the warm Caribbean Sea, Sandy hit southeastern Cuba early on Thursday with 105-mph winds that cut power, damaged homes and blew over trees across the city of Santiago de Cuba.

    Read the full story.

    Thony Belizaire / AFP - Getty Images

    The Red Cross distributes supplies to people in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy Oct. 25 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    A woman cries out in front of her flooded house caused by heavy rains from Hurricane Sandy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Oct. 25.

    Miguel Rubiera / Cuban Government National Information Agency via Reuters

    A resident salvages a refrigerator from his damaged house, with the help of other men, after Hurricane Sandy hit Santiago de Cuba on Oct. 25. Sandy hit southeastern Cuba early on Thursday with 105-mph winds that cut power and blew over trees across the city of Santiago de Cuba. Reports from the city of 500,000 people, about 470 miles southeast of Havana spoke of significant damage, with many homes damaged or destroyed.

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    Children sit on a cot inside their flooded home caused by heavy rains from Hurricane Sandy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Oct. 25.

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    Slideshow: Sandy barrels through the Caribbean

    Joe Raedle / Getty Images

    After strong winds and heavy rain washed out bridges and damaged homes in multiple countries, the hurricane looks toward the northeastern U.S.

    Launch slideshow

    TODAY's Al Roker tracks Hurricane Sandy after it makes landfall in Southern Cuba with heavy rain and wind gusts up to 105mph. As it moves up north through the Bahamas and eastern Cuba, tropical storm watches have been issued in the Florida Keys.

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  • Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    A flag is lowered as Haiti's earthquake-damaged palace is demolished at last

    Band members pose for a picture in front of the rubble of Haiti's earthquake-damaged National Palace after taking down a flag that stood on the lawn in front of the building in Port-au-Prince on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012.

    The J/P HRO non-profit aid group founded by Hollywood star Sean Penn is demolishing the palace, which was destroyed in Haiti's powerful 2010 earthquake. The wreckage of the palace came to symbolize the scale of devastation brought by the disaster. Read more about the razing of the palace in The New York Times.

    Slideshow: Amid devastation, Haiti family nurtures hope

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  • Orlando Barria / EPA

    Tropical Storm Isaac hits Dominican Republic coast

    A wave hits the coast during the passing of Tropical Storm Isaac in Enriquillo, Dominican Republic, Aug. 24, 2012. Isaac hit with heavy rains in the south of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, where rainfall accumulations between 100 and 200 millimeters are expected, with the risk of floods and landslides.

  • Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    Kicking-off Haiti's Carnival of Flowers

    Two women pose for pictures during the Carnaval des Fleurs, or Carnival of Flowers, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on July 29. The carnival, a three-day festival, marks new beginnings and the revitalization of Haiti with a Sunday parade, concerts and street dancing. Some critics have questioned the wisdom of spending about $1.6 million on the event. The government countered saying the celebration boosts morale and provides jobs.

  • Haitian pilgrims soak up a waterfall's purifying power in Saut d' Eau

    Pilgrims bathe in a waterfall believed to have purifying powers in Saut d' Eau, Haiti, Saturday, July 14. The annual pilgrimage is made in honor of Haiti's most celebrated patron saint, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Legend has it that she appeared on a palm tree in 1847 in the Palms Grove in Saut d'Eau and was integrated into Haiti's voodoo culture as the goddess of love, Ezili Danto.

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    A pilgrim bathes in a waterfall believed to have purifying powers in Saut d' Eau, Haiti, Saturday, July 14. The annual pilgrimage is made in honor of Haiti's most celebrated patron saint, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Legend has it that she appeared on a palm tree in 1847 in the Palms Grove in Saut d'Eau and was integrated into Haiti's voodoo culture as the goddess of love, Ezili

    Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

    A pilgrim bathes next to a waterfall believed to have purifying powers in Saut d' Eau, Haiti, Saturday, July 14, 2012. The annual pilgrimage is made in honor of Haiti's most celebrated patron saint, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Legend has it that she appeared on a palm tree in 1847 in the Palms Grove in Saut d'Eau and was integrated into Haiti's voodoo culture as the goddess of love, Ezili Danto.

     

  • Haitians take advantage of Holy Week vacations with annual 'Lutte Sauvage' event

    Ramon Espinosa / AP

    Jean Phillipe, 30, left, and Venes Pierre, 30, right fight at an annual event held during Holy Week in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday April 7, 2012. The fights, called "Lutte sauvage" in French, or "Savage fight" are held during Holy Week because most people are on holiday. Anyone at the event can fight, where competitors do not wear body protection and use only their bodies to fight. The only rules are not to injure the rival's eyes, mouth or crotch area. Many of the spectators gamble on the winner.

    Ramon Espinosa / AP

    People watch a fight in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, April 7.

    Ramon Espinosa / AP

    People bet money during a fight.

    Ramon Espinosa / AP

    People sing and dance before the fight.

    Ramon Espinosa / AP

    Frankel Filesmon, 19, celebrates his victory.

     

  • Former troops of Haiti's disbanded army assemble at old base in hopes of its return

    Ramon Espinosa / AP

    Members of the dissolved Haitian army and civilian volunteers parade at the former military base Camp Lamantin, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Wednesday. Haitian authorities are ordering some army veterans and would-be soldiers to clear out of several old barracks they have taken over in recent weeks in hopes the disbanded army will be revived, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday.

    Swoan Parker / Reuters

    Former Haitian soldiers and volunteers from the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAdH) listen during a news conference in La Mantin, outside Port-au-Prince March 21, 2012. The group has continued training despite insistence from the government that they disband and vacate the training camps. The army was dissolved in 1995 after decades of human rights abuses.

    Swoan Parker / Reuters

    Former soldiers and volunteers of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAdH) train in La Mantin, outside Port-au-Prince.

    Swoan Parker / Reuters

    Former soldier of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAdH), Jean Baptiste Joseph, (R) speaks during a news conference in La Mantin, outside Port-au-Prince.

    See more images of Haiti in PhotoBlog. 

  • Haiti's less fortunate scavenge landfills for useful goods

    Spencer Platt / Getty Images

    Children and adults scavenge for recyclables and other usable items at the Trutier dump on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, on March 7 in Haiti.

    Spencer Platt / Getty Images

    Children and adults scavenge for recyclables and other usable items at the Trutier dump on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

    Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti two years ago that killed an estimated 316,000 people and left even more people homeless, the number of scavengers at the Trutier landfill outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti has grown from about 200 to an estimated 2,000.

    Much of Haiti is still in a crisis situation with tens of thousands living in tent camps in and around Port-au-Prince. A growing concern in the international community continues to be the potential flare-up between ex-members of Haiti's armed forces and the current Haitian President Michel Martelly.

    Related links:

    Spencer Platt / Getty Images

    Scavengers hunt for usable items around a garbage truck at the Trutier Landfill in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

    Spencer Platt / Getty Images

    A man holds up animal parts he found in the Trutier dump outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti on March 7.

    Spencer Platt / Getty Images

    A boy takes a drink as he scavenges for recyclables.

    Spencer Platt / Getty Images

    A lone man scavenges for recyclable and other usable items at the Trutier dump.

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