An American missionary couple have been killed by gang members in Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince after they were abducted while leaving a local church.
Davy and Natalie Lloyd “were attacked by gangs this evening and were both killed”, Ms Lloyd’s father, Missouri state representative Ben Baker, said in a Facebook post.
“They went to heaven together.”
A third person also was killed during the attack, which occurred on Thursday evening in the community of Lizon, Lionel Lazarre, head of a Haitian police union, told the Associated Press on Friday. The name of the third person killed wasn’t immediately available.
The Lloyds were married in 2022, according to Mr Baker’s social media, and worked for Missions in Haiti, Inc, based in Claremore, Oklahoma, which has been operated by Mr Lloyd’s parents for more than two decades, according to the group’s website.
The mission runs a school in Lizon for more than 240 students that it opened in September 2008, according to its website.
“My heart is broken in a thousand pieces,” Mr Baker wrote. “I’ve never felt this kind of pain.”
A Facebook posting on the Missions for Haiti page late on Thursday stated that the Lloyds and a group of children were “ambushed by a gang of three trucks full of guys” before being taken to a house and shot.
It was not immediately clear which gang or gangs were responsible for the shootings.
However, a gang leader called Chyen Mechan – “mean dog” in Haitian Creole – controls the area where the shooting occurred, and the leader of another gang known as General Jeff also controls territory near the neighbourhood where the couple were killed, according to AP.
Both gangs are part of a coalition known as Viv Ansanm, which means “Live Together.”
The coalition is responsible for launching large-scale attacks on key government infrastructure starting at the end of February.
Gunmen have attacked police stations, opened fire on the main international airport that remained closed for nearly three months before opening earlier this week, and stormed Haiti’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates.
Gangs also are blamed for killing or injuring more than 2,500 people across Haiti from January to March, a 50 per cent increase compared with the same period last year, according to the UN.
Kidnappings also are rampant, with previous targets including American missionaries.
The Department of State has long had a “do not travel” advisory for Haiti and urges any US citizens in the country to depart as soon as possible.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
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Hamilton’s 2017
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
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Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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