Haiti, where rampant gang violence has surged in recent weeks, is approaching a “point of no return” leading to “total chaos,” the UN special representative to the troubled Caribbean nation warned Monday.”As gang violence continues to spread to new areas of the country, Haitians experience growing levels of vulnerability and increasing skepticism about the ability of the state to respond to their needs,” Maria Isabel Salvador told the UN Security Council. “Haiti could face total chaos,” she said, adding that international aid was desperately needed to avoid that fate. “I urge you to remain engaged and answer the urgent needs of the country and its people.” Salvador cited cholera outbreaks and gender-based violence alongside a deteriorating security situation, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince, with authorities struggling to cope. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti faces severe political instability, while swaths of the country are under the control of rival armed gangs who carry out widespread murders, rapes and kidnappings.The armed groups have been battling for control of Port-au-Prince and clashes have intensified as the rival gangs attempt to establish new territories.A Kenyan-led force authorized by the United Nations has failed to push back the gangs. The mission has around 1,000 police officers from six countries but was intended to have 2,500.In a report seen by AFP, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that further international support was “required immediately to allow the national police to prevent the capital slipping closer to the brink.”Haiti’s ambassador to the UN, Ericq Pierre, said his country was “slowly dying.””The Republic of Haiti is slowly dying under the combined action of armed gangs, drug traffickers and arms dealers,” he said, calling on his partners to “help rid the country of the gangs that are terrorizing the population.”The report detailed the upsurge in violence, with the UN recording 2,660 homicides in the three months from December 2024 — a 41.3 percent increase over the previous quarter.Anti-gang operations resulted in 702 people killed in that time, of which 21 percent were estimated to be innocent civilians, the report said.Gender-based violence also recorded an alarming increase, with 347 incidents reported in the five months to February 2025, according to UN data.Collective rape was the most common violation, accounting for 61 percent of cases. 

Gold prices hit a fresh record on Monday while the dollar tumbled further along with Wall Street equities as President Donald Trump again slammed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.US equities had opened the session lower, but stumbled further shortly after the opening bell when Trump called Powell a “major loser” for not cutting interest rates in a social media post, underscoring questions about whether Trump will attempt to fire Powell after threatening the action last week.Worries about such a move gyrated through US markets on a day when many global markets were still closed for the Easter holiday.All three major equity indices finished down by around 2.5 percent while the US dollar retreated and Treasury bond yields moved higher. Gold prices soared to a fresh record above $3,400.There is a “narrative of weakening demand for US assets,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.Trump’s continued banter about removing or replacing Powell throws into question the independence of the US central bank in which the Fed is free from political interference as it sets monetary policy based on the imperatives of ensuring stable prices and achieving maximum employment.Investors view this tradition as foundational to American markets.Jack Ablin, chief investment officer of Cresset Capital Management, said a move to replace Powell with an appointee who would follow Trump’s demands would bring a “crisis of confidence.”Analysts also pointed to weakness in influential technology names such as Nvidia, Google parent Alphabet and Apple as another factor in the selling, along with trade tensions.Several nations have moved to cut a deal with Washington to stem the worst of the White House’s levies, with Japan the highest-profile economy, while US Vice President JD Vance arrived in India on Monday for talks.However, China warned governments on Monday not to seek an agreement that compromised Beijing’s interests.While the rest of the world has been slapped with a blanket 10 percent tariff, China faces levies of up to 145 percent on many products. Beijing has responded with duties of 125 percent on US goods.Stocks had a mixed start to the week, with Tokyo weighed by the stronger yen while Taipei, Jakarta and Bangkok were also in negative territory. Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore, Mumbai and Manila rose.Oil prices dropped on demand fears as worries about the global economy swirl.Traders are keeping tabs on the release of key April manufacturing data around the world this week, hoping for an idea about the early impact of Trump’s tariffs.”One thing that’s absolutely clear — and no longer debatable — is that the reputational hit to the US brand is real, and it’s not fading quietly into the next news cycle,” said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.”It’s sticking. Investors, allies, and even central banks are starting to bake in the idea that American policymaking, both fiscal and monetary, is now a geopolitical variable — not a given,” he added.- Key figures at 2045  GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 2.5 percent at 38,170.41 (close)New York – S&P 500: DOWN 2.4 percent at 5,158.20 (close)New York – Nasdaq: DOWN 2.6 percent at 15,870.91 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.3 percent at 34,279.92 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 3,291.43 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: Closed for a holidayEuro/dollar: UP at $1.1510 from $1.1393 on ThursdayPound/dollar: UP $1.3377 at $1.3296Dollar/yen: DOWN at 140.89 yen from 142.18 yen Euro/pound: UP at 86.03 pence from 85.70 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 2.5 percent at $63.08 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 2.5 percent at $66.16 per barrelLondon – FTSE 100: Closed for a holidayNew York – Dow: Closed for a holiday