FOG BLOG BREAKING NEWS LOG: HAITIAN PRESIDENT, JOVENEL MOISE, ASSASSINATED!

Haiti declares state of emergency following presidential assassination.....Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was shot dead by gunmen with heavy-calibre weapons in his private residence overnight on Wednesday, sparking an international outcry and prompting the interim leader to declare a state of emergency amid fears that the impoverished Caribbean nation could descend into chaos.

The assassination, which drew condemnation from Ottawa, Washington and neighbouring Latin American countries, followed a spate of gang violence in Port-au-Prince in recent months fuelled by a growing humanitarian crisis and political unrest. The disorder has turned many districts of the capital into no-go zones.

After chairing a cabinet meeting, interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said in televised remarks that the government had declared a two-week state of emergency as it launched a manhunt for the killers.

Authorities in the country, where the majority of people speak French or Haitian Creole, said the gunmen spoke English and Spanish, and appeared to include foreigners.

"My compatriots, remain calm because the situation is under control," Joseph said in his address, backed by a row of sombre-faced officials. "This blow has wounded this country, this nation, but it will not go unpunished."