3 Arkansas officers suspended after video captures beating
Federal authorities said Monday they have started a civil rights investigation following the suspension of three Arkansas law enforcement officers after a video posted on social media showed two of them beating a man while a third officer held him on the ground, Associated Press reported.
The officers were responding to a report of a man making threats outside a convenience store Sunday in the small town of Mulberry, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock, near the border with Oklahoma, authorities said.
Arkansas State Police said the agency would investigate the use of force. State police identified the suspect as Randal Worcester, 27, of Goose Creek, South Carolina.
However, the attorney for the two deputies says Worcester attacked one of the deputies, giving him a concussion.
The video shows one officer punching the suspect with a clenched fist, while another can be seen hitting the man with his knee. The third officer holds him against the pavement.
In video recorded from a car nearby, someone yells at officers to stop hitting the man in the head. Two of the officers appear to look up and say something back to the person who yelled. The officers’ comments could not be heard clearly on the video.
“The fight was escalating with those officers, and you hear that woman on that video yelling and whoever that is, I think she could have saved his life,” said Carrie Jernigan, an attorney representing Worcester.
He was taken to a hospital, then released and booked into the Crawford County jail in Van Buren on multiple charges, including second-degree battery, resisting arrest and making terroristic threats, state police said.
Worcester was released Monday on $15,000 bond. When asked how he was feeling, he said “all right.” An attorney who escorted him from jail declined to comment on his behalf. Worcester was pushing a bicycle as he left the jail.
Worcester’s father declined to comment when contacted Monday by The Associated Press. He referred a reporter to a law firm representing the family. That firm said it was still trying to gather information and did not immediately have a comment on the video, according to Associated Press.
Two Crawford County sheriff’s deputies and one Mulberry police officer were suspended, city and county authorities said.
Worcester is white, according to jail booking information, and the three officers involved also appear to be white.
A Justice Department spokesperson said Monday that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas, the FBI’s Little Rock Field Office and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division opened a civil rights investigation into the incident.
“The FBI and the Arkansas State Police will collect all available evidence and will ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, thorough, and impartial manner,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “The federal investigation is separate and independent from the ongoing state investigation.”
Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante said before Worcester was arrested, an officer asked if he had any weapons on him, and he handed one over to the officer. Damante didn’t specify what type of weapon.
“They were about to take him into custody because of part of their investigation on the scene — that’s when he became violent,” Damante said.
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office identified the three officers as Crawford County deputies Zack King and Levi White and Mulberry police officer Thell Riddle.
“I hold all my employees accountable for their actions and will take appropriate measures in this matter,” Damante said, Associated Press reported.
In a statement released Sunday evening, Mulberry Police Chief Shannon Gregory said the community and the department take the matter “very seriously.”
Haitians launch protests, demand ouster of prime minister
Thousands of protesters in Haiti’s capital and other major cities blocked roads, shut down businesses and marched through the streets Monday to demand that Prime Minister Ariel Henry step down and to call for a better quality of life, Associated Press reported.
Associated Press journalists observed an unidentified man fatally shoot a demonstrator in Port-au-Prince and then flee in a car as the crowd temporarily scattered.
Demonstrator Lionel Jean-Pierre, who witnessed the shooting, said things in Haiti have gotten out of control.
“Families don’t know what to do,” he said as the crowd around him chanted: “If Ariel doesn’t leave, we’re going to die!”
Violence and kidnappings have surged in Port-au-Prince and nearby areas in recent months, with warring gangs killing hundreds of civilians in their fight over territory. They have grown more powerful since last year’s assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
In one of the most recent killings denounced by the prime minister and Haiti’s Office of Citizen Protection, suspected gang members killed eight people over the weekend in one community, including a mother and her two daughters who were set on fire while still alive.
“This collective crime adds to the list of victims...that has reached an alarming proportion,” the office said.
Poverty also has deepened, with inflation reaching 29% and some prices of some basic goods such as rice more than quadrupling. Gasoline also remains scarce and, if available, costs $15 a gallon.
“I need the gas to work,” 28-year-old moto-taxi driver Garry Larose said as he marched. “I have a family to feed, school to pay.”
In one protest, people wore black T-shirts, while at another they wore red T-shirts emblazoned with the words, “RISE UP.”
The protests come days after dozens of demonstrators staged a sit-in in front of Henry’s official residence and demanded that he resign, according to Associated Press.
On Monday, police clashed with demonstrators in some areas, firing tear gas to break up the crowd as burning tires blocked roads.
Trump sues justice department over Mar-a-Lago search
Former US President Donald Trump has asked a judge to freeze a justice department investigation of files seized from his home in an FBI search, BBC reported.
In a lawsuit, his legal team asked that an independent lawyer be appointed to oversee documents that agents removed from Mar-a-Lago in Florida this month.
Eleven sets of classified files were taken from Mr Trump's estate on 8 August, according to the FBI.
Mr Trump is being investigated for potentially mishandling documents.
On Monday, his lawyers asked that a "neutral" third-party attorney - known as a special master - be appointed to determine whether the seized files are covered by executive privilege, which allows presidents to keep certain communications under wraps. Special masters are normally appointed in criminal cases where there are concerns that some evidence may be protected under attorney-client privilege, or other protections that could make it inadmissible in court.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) said in a brief statement that prosecutors were aware of Mr Trump's lawsuit, and would respond in court. The "search warrant at Mar-a-Lago was authorised by a federal court upon the required finding of probable cause", said spokesman Anthony Coley.
The 27-page legal action was filed in West Palm Beach, Florida, before a judge that Mr Trump nominated to the bench in 2020.It says: "President Donald J Trump is the clear frontrunner in the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary and in the 2024 General Election, should he decide to run."
"Law enforcement is a shield that protects Americans," it continues. "It cannot be used as a weapon for political purposes."
The "shockingly aggressive move" on Mar-a-Lago by about two dozen FBI agents took place "with no understanding of the distress that it would cause most Americans", said Mr Trump's lawyers, according to BBC.
His legal team accused the government of leaking "ever-changing, and inaccurate, 'justifications'" for the search to favoured media outlets.
In a separate statement, Mr Trump maintained he had done nothing wrong, arguing that all of documents he took from the White House when he left office in January 2021 had already been declassified by himself.
Monday's legal action says that the former president and his team want the justice department to provide a more detailed list of what was taken during the FBI search.
The lawsuit says the justice department "simply wanted the camel's nose under the tent so they could rummage for either politically helpful documents or support efforts to thwart president Trump from running again".
The court filing argues that Mr Trump had been co-operating with agents before the FBI turned up unannounced at his home.
His lawyers say the warrant was overly broad and the search violated the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution, which protects Americans against unreasonable search and seizure.
The brief message recorded in Monday's lawsuit said that Mr Trump had heard "from people around the country about the raid".
"If there was one word to describe their mood, it is 'angry'," the message from Mr Trump continued.
"The heat is building up. The pressure if building up.
"Whatever I can do to take the heat down, to bring the pressure down, just let us know."
The judge that approved the warrant - an unprecedented criminal investigation of a former US president's home - is still determining whether to release the affidavit, the sworn evidence that was presented as a justification for the FBI search, BBC reported.
On Monday, Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart said proposed government redactions to the affidavit were so extensive as to make it "meaningless" if disclosed, though he said he still believed it should not remain completely sealed given public interest in the case.
Gold price drops by Rs 200 per tola on Monday
The price of gold has dropped by Rs 200 per tola in the domestic market on Monday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 95, 300 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 95, 500 per tola on Sunday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 94, 800 per tola. Similarly, the price of silver has decreased by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 1,165 per tola today.
Rajput ends hunger strike following three-point deal with government
Niharika Rajput ended her hunger strike on Sunday night following a three-point agreement with the government. Chief District Office of Kathmandu Govinda Prasad Rijal made an agreement with Rajput to address her demands. Rajput, who had been staging a hunger strike for the past 17 days, ended her strike in the presence of Minister for Law Govinda Prasad Koirala. Rajput, a single mother, has long been staging the protest demanding justice for her and her son. She has been accusing Shivaraj Shrestha of Janakpur of raping her when she was 17-year-old. Also Read: Niharika Rajput attempts self-immolation outside President’s office
Two held with pistols from Morang
A team of the Armed Police Force (APF) arrested two persons in possession of two pistols from Morang on Sunday. The suspects have been identified as Arif Miya Alam (28) of Hadangadhi, Sunbarsi Municipality-8 and Nabin Dhimal (29) of Tarun Chok, Urlabari Municipality-6. Alam was arrested first. SP Raj Kumar Lamichhane of the Armed Police Force, Morang said that Alam was apprehended while he was heading towards Nepal from India on a motorbike (Ko 27 Pa 406) at around 5 pm. He said that Alam was nabbed with a Chinese pistol, a magazine and a round of bullet and a sixer pistol. During the interrogation, Alam said that Dhimal had ordered all the weapons from him. Later, a team of the Armed Police Force detained Dhimal from Damrabhitta, Ratuwamai Municipality-8. SP Lamichhane said that Dhimal was arrested with a motorbike (Ko 22 Pa 6707) and Rs 47, 770 in cash. DIG Kamal Giri, Chief of the Armed Police Force Province 1, said that the duo have been handed over to the Area Police Office, Rangeli for investigation.
US, S. Korea open biggest drills in years amid North threats
The United States and South Korea began their biggest combined military training in years Monday as they heighten their defense posture against the growing North Korean nuclear threat, Associated Press reported.
The drills could draw an angry response from North Korea, which has dialed up its weapons testing activity to a record pace this year while repeatedly threatening conflicts with Seoul and Washington amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises will continue through Sept. 1 in South Korea and include field exercises involving aircraft, warships, tanks and potentially tens of thousands of troops.
While Washington and Seoul describe their exercises as defensive, North Korea portrays them as invasion rehearsals and has used them to justify its nuclear weapons and missiles development.
Ulchi Freedom Shield, which started along with a four-day South Korean civil defense training program led by government employees, will reportedly include exercises simulating joint attacks, front-line reinforcements of arms and fuel, and removals of weapons of mass destruction. The allies will also train for drone attacks and other new developments in warfare shown during Russia’s war on Ukraine and practice joint military-civilian responses to attacks on seaports, airports and major industrial facilities such as semiconductor factories.
The United States and South Korea in past years had canceled some of their regular drills and downsized others to computer simulations to create space for the Trump administration’s diplomacy with North Korea and because of COVID-19 concerns, according to Associated Press.
Tensions have grown since the collapse of the second meeting between former President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in early 2019. The Americans then rejected North Korean demands for a major release of crippling U.S.-led sanctions in exchange for dismantling an aging nuclear complex, which would have amounted to a partial surrender of the North’s nuclear capabilities. Kim has since vowed to bolster his nuclear deterrent in face of “gangster-like” US pressure.
South Korea’s military has not revealed the number of South Korean and US troops participating in Ulchi Freedom Shield, but has portrayed the training as a message of strength. Seoul’s Defense Ministry said last week that Ulchi Freedom Shield “normalizes” large-scale training and field exercises between the allies to help bolster their alliance and strengthen their defense posture against the evolving North Korean threat, Associated Press.
Newcastle and Man City draw six-goal thriller
English champions Manchester City produced a brilliant fightback as they came from 3-1 down to draw at Newcastle in a pulsating match featuring six goals and an overturned red card, BBC reported.
Newcastle were two goals ahead after 54 minutes but Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva scored within four minutes of each other to preserve City's unbeaten start to their Premier League title defence.
The England goalkeeper made a number of saves before the hosts equalised with Miguel Almiron sliding in to meet Allan Saint-Maximin's cross, with the goal given after a video assistant review overruled an original offside decision.
The excellent Saint-Maximin ran at the City defence before finding Callum Wilson, who took a touch to create space and shot Newcastle into the lead, according to BBC.
The visitors had a chance to equalise but Pope pushed Haaland's effort on to the post and Kieran Trippier, sold by City in 2012 after coming through their academy, grabbed a brilliant third with a stunning 25-yard free-kick.
Haaland pulled one back, finishing from inside the six-yard box after Rodri's pass, before Silva equalised following Kevin de Bruyne's superb through ball.
Newcastle thought they had gone down to 10 men with Trippier shown a red card for a knee-high trip on De Bruyne. But referee Jarred Gillett downgraded it to a yellow after watching the incident again on a pitchside monitor - and both teams finished with a point, BBC reported.
