U.S. envoy to Haiti resigns, Taiwan applies to join CPTPP, Spain volcanic eruption continues

Yahoo Finance's Akiko Fujita breaks down today's top stories from around the world.

Video transcript

AKIKO FUJITA: In our worldview today, the US envoy to Haiti has resigned over the treatment of Haitian refugees at the border in Texas. In a letter sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Daniel Foote said he could no longer be associated with deportation efforts he described as inhumane and counterproductive. Roughly 14,000 refugees gathered at the border camp last week, but that number has been cut by more than half with those refugees deported or now detained.

Foote's resignation comes amid growing pressure on the Biden administration over the treatment of Haitian refugees. Images taken earlier this week showed a US border guard whipping an asylum seeker, causing outrage from the White House and human rights groups. Foote warned that Haiti would be unable to support the influx of migrants returning to the country, because he says it's a collapsed state.

China says it firmly opposes Taiwan's entry into one of the world's largest trade pacts. Taiwan applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, CPTPP for short. That came out on Wednesday, and that invoked a strong response from Beijing, with the foreign ministry saying Taiwan had no authority to apply because it is not an independent nation.

A spokesperson told reporters there's only one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. Taiwan's application comes just days after China applied to join the trade pact. All 11 members of the pact must approve the application first.

And the volcanic eruption on Spain's La Palma is forcing airlines to delay flights in and out of the island. The airport remains open, but pilots are now being asked to steer clear of the eruption site with plumes of smoke and ash clouding the skies. Meanwhile, the lava engulfing the Island is now threatening to destroy banana production. Farmers say roughly 15% of the island's crop could be at risk, leaving them with a huge economic hole. The eruption that began over the weekend has already destroyed more than 200 homes and forced thousands of people to evac--