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.
Nepal, UK sign agreement on health partnership
Nepal and the UK signed a health partnership agreement on Monday. Following the deal, Nepal can now send the Nepali nurses to work in the UK. Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Ek Narayan Aryal and British Ambassador to Nepal, Nicola Pollitt signed the agreement amidst a program held at the Ministry today. The nurses going to the UK for employment need not have to pay any fees. They can work there for five years.
CEC Thapaliya seeks media support to ensure huge voters turnout
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya has said the media should play a vital role to enhance public trust in the electoral system and ensure a huge turnout in the voting process.
During an interaction held with the media persons on Sunday, CEC Thapaliya called for continued debates and news dissemination adding that periodic election enlivens democracy. Journalists covering election issues were invited for the interaction on the backdrop of upcoming federal and provincial assembly polls. Stating that unwanted and forceful acts to win the polls were inappropriate for free, fair, and fearless elections, Thapaliya added the EC was learning lessons from the recently held local level polls in the name list of voters, invalid votes, the format of the ballot paper and other poll-related ideas. On the occasion, he announced to form a mechanism to disseminate news in an integrated approach. All the commissioners of the EC and secretary were present in the event where the journalists suggested that the EC should ensure the information dissemination system further systematic, effective and prompt.
