At least 21 people have died and 17 others are missing in a suspected boat capsizing off Haiti's northern coast, authorities said on April 9. The group was among 50 believed to be aboard a boat that was headed north to the nearby Turks & Caicos Islands, said Jean Henri Petit, an official with Haiti's Civil Protection Department. He said survivors told police the boat encountered bad weather and tried to return to Haiti when it hit something.

The United Nations says that one of its international peacekeepers in Haiti has been killed in an attack. A statement from the U.N. Security Council says the slain peacekeeper was from Chile. It did not identify him or provide specifics on the incident other than to say it was a April 13 attack on a vehicle of the U.N. stabilization mission.

JetBlue will launch twice-a-week, non-stop flights from Boston to Port-au-Prince on June 17, 2015 through September 5. JetBlue Flight 1147 will depart Boston at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays and arrive in Port-au-Prince at 2:15 p.m. Flight 1148 will depart Port-au-Prince at 3:15pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays and arrive in Boston at 7:40 p.m. The new Haiti service will complement JetBlue's existing daily flights from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and twice daily service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).

Photo by Priscilla HarmelDanielle Legros Georges, a resident of Dorchester, will begin a four year-term as the city of Boston’s official Poet Laureate in January. Georges, a native of Haiti who teaches Creative Arts at Lesley University, is a published poet and translator. She moved to the United States at age 6 with her parents, who settled in Mattapan. “Mattapan had a small Haitian population when he first arrived, but it has since expanded dramatically,” said Georges, who has lived near Edward Everett Square for the last 11 years. “Poetry is an art form to be celebrated. It helps us tell our stories and express ourselves,” said Mayor Walsh in a statement on Wednesday. “I look forward to the work Danielle will do to share her passion and talent for poetry throughout the Boston community.” Georges has written on a variety of topics, some of it focused on her experience as a member of the Haitian diaspora. She wrote “A Poem for the Poorest Country in the Western Hemisphere” in the aftermath of the catastrophic January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. “I was listening to news and so often I would heard about Haiti always referred to as the poorest country in the western hemisphere. I found it troublesome , so I wanted to add to the voices as a person in the diaspora and a person who cares about Haiti.”

Medicines for Humanity (MFH), headquartered in Rockland, MA, recently honored The Daughters of Charity – Haiti with its 2014 Humanitarian of the Year Award. Ceremonies were held at the The Harvard Club in Boston.