thetorontostar--2020-04-29--Indian news media fight virus on financial, political fronts

NEW DELHI - India ’ s news publishers face a delicate balancing act as they look to offset financial losses from sinking ad sales with support from a government seeking to control the narrative on the coronavirus , sometimes by prosecuting journalists for reporting on the detrimental consequences of official pandemic policy .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi , whose combative relationship with the press has been likened to President Donald Trump ’ s , has given no press conferences since taking office in 2014 .
The pandemic has upped the pressure on media , as officials try to keep a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV and social media channels to carry live national addresses , provide policy information and question the credibility of critical news reports .
Since March 24 , India ’ s 1.3 billion people have been living under one of the world ’ s strictest stay-at-home orders , mostly kept indoors except to pick up food and other necessities .
Essential workers including hospital staff , pharmacists , grocers and journalists have been exempt .
Andrew Sam Raja Pandian , editor of a local news site in Coimbatore , a city in the southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday under India ’ s 19th-century Epidemic Diseases Act for reporting that trainee doctors were going hungry and that employees of government ration shops were stealing food .
Earlier this month , a Coimbatore city official accused Pandian of making “ false ” reports that could incite health and food distribution employees to strike , imperiling the Tamil Nadu state government ’ s COVID response , according to a police report reviewed by The Associated Press .
Pandian is charged with “ disobeying regulations during a pandemic.
” He faces up to three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incidents have grown more common , making it harder and more dangerous for journalists to engage in critical reporting , media observers say .
“ The Indian government has enacted legal frameworks that give them sweeping powers and permit criminal prosecution for anything they deem to be fake news , ” said Aliya Iftikhar , senior Asia researcher for the Committee to Protect Journalists .
The news industry in India , the world ’ s largest democracy , has flourished since its independence from Britain in 1947 , growing to 500 TV news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of feisty start-ups .
India ’ s Information and Broadcasting Ministry spokesman Saurab Singh said the government ’ s efforts to crack down on misinformation do not preclude journalists from reporting on the consequences of the lockdown .
But the financial fallout from the pandemic , coupled with pressure on publishers to censor or change published content , has been enormous .
Some of India ’ s preeminent news organizations , including The Times Group , publisher of The Times of India , one of the world ’ s most widely read English-language @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In late March , authorities in Uttar Pradesh state served Vijay Vineet , a news editor for the Hindi-language Jansandesh Times newspaper , with a notice saying they planned to charge him for allegedly spreading false news at a “ sensitive time.
” Vineet reported a story about children in India ’ s Dalit community , the lowest in India ’ s Hindu caste system , having to survive on grass grown for cattle because their parents couldn ’ t work during the lockdown .
Authorities in Varanasi , Modi ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to discredit the state government , which maintains that none of its 200 million residents are going hungry .
It ordered him to publish a correction or face legal action .
Instead , he published a followup story quoting doctors describing the nutritional deficiencies of grass .
No legal action followed .
In March , Siddharth Varadarajan was summoned to a police hearing in Uttar Pradesh after The Wire , the online news site he edits , published a report saying the state ’ s chief minister had attended a religious ceremony the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violating the ban on religious gatherings .
The summons , Varadarajan said , reflected India ’ s “ authoritarian approach ” to the news .
In late March , the federal government complained to the Supreme Court that “ fake news ” had prompted millions of daily wage workers to flee cities on foot , heading to their home villages after the lockdown was announced .
The Court just ordered journalists to include the government ’ s side of every pandemic story .
Still , all of this antagonism puts the industry in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the institution that normally supplies a large share of its revenues , said Varadarajan .
The Indian Newspaper Society estimates the industry could lose $ 2 billion over the next six months.It has asked the government to pay a 50 % premium on ads .
The News Broadcaster Association has also asked for help .
One of the news organizations forced to scale back was The Quint .
The online daily furloughed 50 % of its newsroom staff earlier this month and whittled away its coverage to just the pandemic , the economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fact-checks , 95 of 100 of which are related to the virus .
The financial pressures coupled with a censorious government threaten journalists ’ leeway to report beyond the official line , since those who criticize the government run the risk of being starved of funds , or of prosecution .
“ The government doesn ’ t like any sunshine on their deficiencies in policies and governance , “ said Varadarajan .
“ There is a pattern of intimidation and harassment by the government to ensure that only filtered stenography comes out.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this report .

Emily Schmall And Sheikh Saaliq - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-04-29--Knowledge about North Korea’s Kim is limited, but crucial

TOKYO - New rumours about Kim Jong Un pour in daily .
The North Korean leader is dead .
Or he ’ s very ill. Or maybe he ’ s just recuperating in his luxury compound , or isolating himself from the coronavirus .
As speculation about his health builds , an underlying question looms for professional spies , policymakers , academics and curious news consumers alike .
What do we really know about the man who leads North Korea ?
The answer is crucial because Kim ’ s intentions , and the as-yet-unknown state of his health , play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Northeast Asia , an uneasy collection of wary neighbours at the best of times and home to two of the three biggest economies in the world and a huge buildup of American military machinery and manpower .
Sandwiched amid goliaths , North Korea is a small , impoverished , extraordinarily proud nation that through sheer force of will — and a relentless cult of personality built around a single family — has been at the centre of a half-century security headache for its neighbours .
No matter how successful China , South Korea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from war , poverty and domestic infighting into political and economic might has been spectacular — North Korea and its single-minded pursuit of nuclear-tipped missiles meant to protect the Kim family has made itself impossible to ignore , holding the region and Washington hostage to its narrow ambitions .
There ’ s not much to go on here despite the building media coverage .
Some unconfirmed news reports say Kim is in fragile condition or even a vegetative state following heart surgery .
The South Korean government , however , maintains that Kim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there have been no signs that something big has happened in North Korea .
What ’ s uncontested is that Kim hasn ’ t appeared in public since an April 11 meeting focused on the coronavirus .
This sort of vanishing act has happened before , but what has set rumours ablaze now is that for the first time as leader he missed the most important holiday of the North Korean year , the April 15 celebration of his grandfather ’ s birth .
There have been no photographs and no videos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , only state media reports of him sending written greetings to world leaders or citizens of merit .
Those looking to understand Kim face a problem .
Much of what the outside world sees is filtered through relentless North Korean propaganda meant to build him into an infallible paragon of leadership .
Add to that vaguely sourced or misleading outside media reports and the extreme difficulty of cracking North Korea ’ s ultra-secrecy surrounding anything to do with the leader , and the picture that emerges of Kim is often more mosaic than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is seen as both demon and statesman .
He has repeatedly threatened to burn Seoul to the ground .
He has also rolled out the red carpet for a visit to Pyongyang , North Korea ’ s capital , by South Korea ’ s president and sent his own sister south for the 2018 Olympics .
In the West , portrayals of Kim often run to caricature .
His broken friendship with Dennis Rodman , the former basketball star he reportedly idolized as a schoolboy ; the rumours about his extreme love of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disposing of officials who displease him .
Then there ’ s the stunning series of summits over the last two years with the leaders of Russia , China , the United States and South Korea .
Kim was likely born in 1984 and attended boarding school for several years in Switzerland .
Early on , some observers argued that his time in the West would lead him to eventually embrace Chinese-style reforms .
That has not happened so far , though he has taken a markedly different approach to leadership than his publicity-shy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died in 2011 .
Outside governments and experts initially questioned the ability of a man then in his 20s to lead , but Kim Jong Un quickly consolidated power .
He ordered the 2013 execution of his uncle and mentor , Jang Song Thaek , who was accused of treason .
Kim is also suspected of ordering the assassination of his estranged half brother , and potential rival , at a Malaysian airport in 2017 .
Kim has shown a growing confidence on the world stage , most clearly with the high-stakes diplomacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missile tests in 2017 that had many fearing war .
The sight of a North Korean leader meeting with his South Korean and U.S. rivals was extraordinary , though it ’ s not yet clear whether the diplomacy will settle an uneasy region .
Kim entered 2020 vowing to bolster his nuclear deterrent in the face of “ gangster-like ” U.S. economic sanctions , and he supervised a series of weapons launches and military drills in March .
Much of what happens now will depend on Kim ’ s health .
North Korea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commanded world attention because of its sustained , belligerent pursuit of what it calls self-defensive measures in response to U.S. hostility — and what critics call an illegal accumulation of nuclear bombs .
There ’ s debate about whether North Korea ever intended to give up its nuclear weapons during the summits with Washington and Seoul .
But the diplomacy seems inconceivable without Kim .
That raises fears , during a potential moment of massive political instability , of a return to threats and increasingly powerful weapons tests meant to perfect the nuclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Kim family ’ s power .
Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul , South Korea , contributed to this report .
Foster Klug , AP ’ s news director for the Koreas , Japan and the South Pacific , has covered North Korea since 2005 .

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thetorontostar--2020-04-29--Navajo Nation continues weekend lockdown due to coronavirus

WINDOW ROCK , Ariz. - Residents on the Navajo Nation will be under another lockdown this weekend as the tribe seeks to keep the coronavirus from spreading even further into communities .
The lockdown is the fourth the tribe has implemented .
It comes around the first of the month when tribal members often travel to towns bordering the reservation to shop for food and other supplies .
Tribal officials say they are working with businesses on the reservation to create safeguards for Navajo elders , such as extending shopping hours exclusively for them and others who are at high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who doesn ’ t need to leave their homes for food , medicine or in the case of an emergency is being told to stay home .
“ We don ’ t want to see any more lives lost , and we don ’ t want to see our Diné people sick , “ Vice-President Myron Lizer said .
” It ’ s sad and it ’ s devastating for many families.
” The weekend lockdown starts Friday at 8 p.m. MDT and ends Monday at 5 a.m. MDT .
As of Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported 1,873 positive cases of COVID-19 and 60 deaths .
The 27,000 square-mile ( 70,000 square-kilometre ) reservation stretches into Arizona , New Mexico and Utah .
McKinley County in New Mexico and Apache and Navajo counties in Arizona each have more than 430 cases reported from the Navajo reservation .
Tribal President Jonathan Nez said Wednesday that an alternative care site in Shiprock , New Mexico , that will take in people who need to isolate from their families is complete .
Others are in the works in Chinle , Arizona , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , New Mexico .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia , and death .
The vast majority of people recover .


thetorontostar--2020-04-29--Coalition pushes for pot tax break amid coronavirus crisis

LOS ANGELES - A coalition of marijuana companies , churches and advocacy groups is asking California Gov .
Gavin Newsom for a temporary cut in the state ’ s hefty pot taxes .
The group that includes the California State Conference of the NAACP , Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches and the industry group Southern California Coalition warned in a letter to the governor that the coronavirus crisis and a crashing economy will take an especially heavy toll on businesses run by minorities who were disproportionately targeted during the decades-long drug war .
“ If action is not taken now many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be pushed into the gray , or worse , back into the illicit market , ” said the letter , dated April 23 .
“ At a time where unemployment is at a record high , the legal industry is seeing its customers flock to lower priced cannabis products in the illegal market regardless of quality or safety , ” the group said .
“ As COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact communities of colour , our social equity businesses and our customers will be impacted even more , ” the group warned .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 .
But the state ’ s legal marijuana industry has long blamed tax rates that can approach 50 % in some areas for driving business into the illicit market .
According to some estimates , consumers are spending roughly $ 3 in the state ’ s underground pot economy for every $ 1 in the legal one .
Because cannabis remains illegal at the federal level , most banks don ’ t want to do business with pot companies , and they aren ’ t included in the federal coronavirus rescue package @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups that signed the letter included Americans for Safe Access , Black Women ’ s Cannabis Council , the California Minority Alliance and the National Diversity and Inclusion Cannabis Alliance .


thetorontostar--2020-04-29--Trump says he won’t extend social distancing guidelines

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Wednesday the federal government will not be extending its coronavirus social distancing guidelines once they expire Thursday , and his son-in-law and adviser , Jared Kushner , predicted that by July the country will be “ really rocking again.
” Meanwhile , Trump said he plans to resume official travel with a trip to Arizona next week .
And he said he ’ s hoping to hold mass campaign rallies in the coming months with thousands of supporters , even though medical experts have said there is little hope of having a vaccine by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the latest grim numbers — the U.S. death toll has now surpassed American lives lost in the Vietnam War — Trump delivered his daily upbeat update and Kushner described the administration ’ s much-criticized response to the pandemic as “ a great success story.
” Trump also talked up the good news the day provided : hopeful results for a possible COVID-19 treatment .
But the government announced dismal new economic numbers as the pandemic took hold and shut down much of the country .
The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year — a precursor to far grimmer reports that are expected this summer from the severe recession triggered by the pandemic .
The White House has been trying to pivot to a new stage of the crisis , focused on efforts to reopen the nation ’ s economy state-by-state amid concerns that lifting restrictions too quickly and without sufficient testing and contact tracing will spur a resurgence .
“ We ’ re heartened that the worst of the pain and suffering is going to be behind us , “ Trump said as he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Hilton and Toyota .
Trump laid out a vision of a return to pre-coronavirus normalcy — “ with or without ” a vaccine — with packed restaurants and filled stadiums .
That vision flies in the face of sober assessments from doctors who say the country will need to embrace a “ new normal “ that includes extended social distancing and mask-wearing .
“ I don ’ t want people to get used to this , ” Trump told reporters .
“ I see the new normal being what it was three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump announced that he plans to resume out-of-state travel after spending more than a month mostly cooped up in the White House .
He said he ’ s planning a trip to Arizona next week , followed by a possible trip to Ohio , even as much of the country remains under effective lockdown with all but essential travel banned .
“ We ’ re going to start to move around and hopefully in the not-too-distant future , we ’ ll have some massive rallies and people will be sitting next to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adding that having people spaced out in accordance with social distancing guidelines “ wouldn ’ t look too good.
” He didn ’ t say exactly when he envisioned such rallies returning , but said the timing would depend , in part , on the states , since some have had far fewer cases than others .
The federal government and most states have urged residents to avoid mass gatherings and to remain at least six feet apart .
The announcement came after Trump said he will not be extending the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Spread ” guidelines when they expire Thursday .
“ They ’ ll be fading out because now the governors are doing it , ” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as he met with John Bel Edwards , the Democratic governor of Louisiana .
Those guidelines — which were originally supposed to last 15 days and were then extended an additional 30 — encouraged Americans to work from home and avoid restaurants , group gatherings and discretionary travel and advised older Americans and those with serious underlying health conditions to isolate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guidelines have been incorporated into the new guidance issued by the White House earlier this month that lays out how states can gradually ease restrictions and begin to reopen as the rate of new cases slows .
Edwards , who recently extended Louisiana ’ s stay-at-home order through May 15 , is currently under fire from Republican lawmakers in his state .
While he was in Washington , some GOP legislators were trying to rally support to take the extraordinary step of trying to override the governor ’ s emergency decision-making .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s done after New Orleans became one of the nation ’ s coronavirus hot spots .
“ I just wanted to congratulate you , ” Trump said .
At the same time , Trump ’ s campaign released a digital ad praising elements of the federal response .
It is set to reach residents of 17 battleground states featuring Democratic governors whose approval ratings have skyrocketed during the crisis .
The White House on Wednesday was also pointing to the prospect of an experimental drug , Remdesivir , which proved effective against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious diseases expert , said the drug reduced the time it takes patients to recover by 31 % — 11 days on average versus 15 days for those just given usual care .
“ It ’ s highly significant , “ said the usually cautious doctor .
“ What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus.
” The White House and Trump in particular have been eager to give the country positive news as they work to move past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even as the country ’ s death tally continues to rise .
The U.S. has now recorded more than 58,000 deaths from the virus , surpassing the total number of Americans who were killed in the Vietnam War .
More than 1 million people have now tested positive .
Trump said that number has risen so high because of an increase in testing .
The country has dramatically improved its testing after a slow and rocky start , but many health experts say the country still must do more — as many as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safely reopen .
Otherwise , they warn , cases will skyrocket as Americans return to work .
“ The only thing worse than an unnecessarily slow recovery is a reversed recovery , ” Joshua Bolten , the president of the Business Roundtable , an association of prominent CEOs , said during the White House event .
Meanwhile , Kushner , who has been helping lead response efforts , said in an interview with “ Fox and Friends ” that he believes May will be “ a transition month “ and that , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country should be back to normal .
And the hope is that ... by July the country is really rocking again.
“ “ I think that we ’ ve achieved all the different milestones that are needed , ” he claimed .
“ So the federal government rose to the challenge , and this is a great success story.
” Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Zeke Miller contributed to this report .

Kevin Freking And Jill Colvin - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-04-29--Police: Callers bombard office in support of defiant pastor

CENTRAL , La .
- A Louisiana police department has been bombarded by callers looking to voice their support of a pastor who was accused of attempting to hit someone with his church bus while violating a ban on mass gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic , police said Wednesday .
In a Facebook post , police in the Baton Rouge suburb of Central apologized to residents who couldn ’ t get through to the agency .
Officials said a huge amount of calls supporting Life Tabernacle Church Pastor Tony Spell have tied up the phone lines .
Central Police Chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Magi Spell , shared the department ’ s phone number on social media and encouraged people to inundate the line with calls .
Corcoran said the phone number is the department ’ s only line and residents need it to request assistance .
He told residents to keep calling if they need help or , in the event of an emergency , to call 911 .
Spell was arrested April 21 and charged with assault after he admitted to driving his church bus toward a man protesting Spell ’ s decision to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health orders during the coronavirus pandemic .
Spell was placed on house arrest and on Sunday violated both orders by again holding a church service .
District Attorney Hillar Moore III said his office didn ’ t plan to pursue the matter .


thetorontostar--2020-04-29--McConnell open to state aid in next virus relief package

WASHINGTON - Shifting tone , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday he is “ open ” to considering additional funds for state and local governments in the next coronavirus relief bill as the chamber returns to session during the pandemic .
The Republican leader faced a storm of criticism from the nation ’ s governors after panning Democrats ’ proposal for more than $ 500 billion to help cash-strapped local governments cover the sudden extra costs of police , fire and other front-line workers in the crisis .
Last week , he suggested states should be allowed to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willing to consider new funds , McConnell insisted the next package must also include federal liability protections from what he warned will be an “ avalanche ” of lawsuits against businesses that reopen during the pandemic .
“ There ’ s no question all governors , regardless of party , would like to have more money , I ’ m open to discussing that , ” McConnell said on Fox News Radio .
Congressional leaders staked out priorities Wednesday for the next round of aid even as key senators joined their House colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of reopening the U.S. Capitol .
Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-Calif. , urged McConnell to reconsider , saying there is “ no way ” to bring 100 senators plus staff to the Capitol complex without “ increased risk.
” Feinstein said , “ This is the wrong example for the country.
” The Washington , D.C. , region remains a virus hot spot , health officials say .
Feinstein noted the number of Capitol staff and police officers testing positive for the virus .
Stay-home orders are in place through mid-May for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hollen of Maryland , a state home to many federal workers , said by asking people to return to the Capitol “ without effective safeguards in place , Mitch McConnell is endangering the lives of the staff who work there.
“ The House cancelled its scheduled return after lawmakers revolted and the Capitol physician warned of the health risks for the 430 lawmakers and their staff .
McConnell said Wednesday the Senate will not “ sit on the sidelines.
” McConnell ’ s office would not say if he consulted with the Capitol @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operations .
As Congress reaches for the next package , McConnell said his liability proposal must be included .
He said he ’ s trying to prevent a “ second pandemic — which is going to be lawsuits against doctors , nurses , hospitals and brave business people opening up.
” Democrats are also refining their approach to ward off GOP attacks that federal aid to the states would be a bailout for governors suffering from past budgeting decisions .
Chief among McConnell ’ s critics was New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders to adopt the spirit of the thousands of doctors and nurses who descended on New York to help in the crisis .
“ You can ’ t stop the politics , even in this moment ?
” Cuomo , a Democrat , said during a press briefing .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the federal aid could come in separate installments for state , local and municipal governments as reimbursement of costs of handling the health crisis as the economy shuts down .
Pelosi said House lawmakers are fielding calls from local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This is an overwhelming issue for them , “ she said .
Pelosi also named six Democratic lawmakers to join House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn on a new bipartisan committee that will track the nearly $ 3 trillion in coronavirus aid .
The new panel will add another layer of oversight as President Donald Trump ’ s administration carries out the largest economic rescue in U.S. history .
It was not clear Wednesday whether Republicans will join the panel .
GOP lawmakers unanimously opposed its creation .
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impeachment 2.0.
” House and Senate leaders are straining to respond to the pandemic crisis as they face the reality that Congress may not be able to fully resume for some time .
Senators are returning on Monday to an agenda of confirming Trump ’ s nominees for judicial and executive branch positions .
Among them is Rep. John Ratcliffe , R-Texas , who is Trump ’ s choice to be the new director of the Office of National Intelligence .
The Senate Intelligence Committee is preparing to consider the nomination , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation and granted anonymity .
Feinstein said in a letter to leadership that coronavirus-related measures should be passed swiftly .
“ Votes on routine nominees , however , is not essential and comes with significant risk , ” she wrote .
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate instead should focus on congressional oversight of the federal coronavirus response .
Democrats proposed a new effort Wednesday to federalize the nation ’ s medical supply chain .
Schumer said resources will be needed as the country ramps up testing and contract tracing in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , frustrated at-home lawmakers long for what ’ s being lost as a co-equal branch of government and have started holding virtual committee briefings as a way to tackle issues and speak to constituents .
A bipartisan House task force is also considering a proposal for proxy voting , which would be a first in the House ’ s 200-plus-year history .
Senate Republicans are planning to hold their regular Tuesday lunch , in what will perhaps be one of the largest gatherings in the area .
The last time Republicans senators met @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after fellow Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky tested positive for the coronavirus .
Associated Press writers Matthew Daly and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-04-29--Shipping tycoon defends Venezuela gas delivery amid shortage

CARACAS , Venezuela - A controversial shipping magnate supplying gasoline to his native Venezuela said he will do whatever it takes to prevent worsening fuel shortages from igniting a social explosion that he warns could be worse than anything caused by the coronavirus pandemic in the South American country .
Wilmer Ruperti gave his first interview in years after The Associated Press reported earlier this month that his company , Maroil Trading Inc. , was buying gasoline that most companies are refusing to sell to the bankrupt , heavily sanctioned socialist country .
He said the first 300,000 barrels arrived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the way .
He rejected criticism that he is throwing a lifeline to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and said the Trump administration is aware of what he described as “ humanitarian work.
” He said his goal is to ease the suffering of regular Venezuelans caught in the middle of a 16-month standoff between Maduro and the head of congress , Juan Guaidó , who is recognized by the U.S. and some 60 nations as interim president .
“ This isn ’ t about my business , ” Ruperti told AP at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s about helping the Venezuelan people , who are suffering the consequences of a number of political actions.
“ Ruperti ’ s gas shipments — barely enough to meet demand for a few days — won ’ t resolve Venezuela ’ s supply problems any time soon .
The oil-dependent economy has been paralyzed for weeks , with sporadic unrest and clashes with security forces charged with protecting gas stations from irate motorists forced to wait for hours to fill up .
But Ruperti says he was undeterred and would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A former oil tanker captain , he has come to the rescue of Venezuela ’ s socialist government before .
In 2002 , he chartered a fleet of Russian tankers to import gasoline amid a months ’ long strike at state-run oil giant PDVSA , a move that endeared him to the late President Hugo Chávez .
“ Maduro is Venezuela ’ s president , there can be no doubt about that , “ he said when asked about whether Maduro would benefit from his actions .
” But this goes beyond the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day you ’ re helping the Venezuelan people , common folk who go to work everyday and rely on transport to get to their jobs , a doctor or for the distribution of food.
” Among those agitating for relief is Carlos Pedroza , who on Wednesday had made it to the front of the line after a nearly 24-hour wait to fill up his van at a gas station in Caracas .
Documents on his dashboard prove he works for a pest control company , giving him the right to fill up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Maduro , he said he doesn ’ t care who resolves the country ’ s fuel shortages .
“ We just want to work , ” he said .
Ruperti , 60 , declined to disclose from where he was purchasing the oil .
But he said funds had partly come from PDVSA and that to avoid U.S. sanctions Maroil , which is registered in Panama with an affiliate in Europe , opened a bank account in Russia .
AP previously reported the accounts were in Moscow-based Derzhava Bank .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Citibank or Bank of America , but now that ’ s not happening , ” he said from what he called his “ situation room ” dotted with large monitors displaying news , market figures and shipping traffic around the globe .
A giant portrait of 19th century independence hero Simon Bolivar hung behind a large desk in an adjacent office .
He said his lawyers notified the U.S. Treasury Department last month about his plans and received no objections .
A Treasury statement said it receives many inquiries and disclosures each week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ licensing portal , among other channels .
But those submitting such requests should not conclude their activity is permissible or otherwise not sanctionable without receiving formal confirmation , it said .
“ I am 100 % sure that I am doing this legally and that I am complying with the rules and obligations , ” said Ruperti , who considers himself an admirer of the U.S. and has family living there .
In Ruperti ’ s telling , he ’ s a byproduct of what in a more prosperous era was the Venezuelan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who migrated to Venezuela from Italy in the 1950s , he was the recipient of government-provided scholarships to study abroad .
But unlike many wealthier Venezuelans , he stuck with Chavez ’ s Bolivarian revolution and saw his business as a prized PDVSA contractor boom .
Ruperti showed his gratitude by giving the leftist leader two pistols used by Bolivar , which reportedly cost him $ 1.6 million .
Later , however , he was sued by a unit of the Russian shipping company for allegedly paying millions in bribes More recently , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cilia Flores ’ two nephews in a politically charged U.S. narcotics trial as well as that of American Joshua Holt , who was held for two years in a Caracas jail on what were seen as trumped-up weapons charges .
He said he is heartened by Maduro ’ s recently-announced shakeup of PDVSA , where production collapsed 65 % in the last 28 months of the previous management .
He said the oil giant , which will be run by a cousin of Chávez with support from an oil minister considered a U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ core business of producing , refining and distributing oil products — not pursuing political objectives .
“ We have to get to work , ” said Ruperti .
“ We have to try and marginalize the politicians and work every day a minimum 12 hours to sort out the situation.
” Associated Press writer Scott Smith reported this story in Caracas and AP writer Joshua Goodman reported from Miami .

Joshua Goodman And Scott Smith - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-04-29--National parks balancing demands for cell service, silence

PHOENIX - Musetta Vander has been to several of the most iconic national parks and landscapes in the U.S. , capturing herself doing a yoga pose among the Joshua trees , driving on a tree-lined highway framed by Yosemite ’ s towering rock formations and sitting at the edge of a cliff overlooking a horseshoe-shaped bend in the Colorado River .
“ Sometimes it ’ s so beautiful you want to share it with the world immediately , ” said Vander of West Hollywood , California .
“ However , I feel that you miss out on the magical experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t let go of social media or whatever else is consuming your mind.
” Vander ’ s travels illustrate a long-running debate over how connected national park visitors can or should be to the internet .
Parks are grappling with the best way to expand service while preserving the serenity of the outdoors .
While those plans are a lower priority because the coronavirus has closed parks , National Park Service officials are intent on resolving the connectivity issue as states gradually start lifting restrictions .
“ We are doing our best to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” park service spokeswoman Vanessa Lacayo said .
The coronavirus shows the need for better internet service as more people work from home , said Christine Gale Reynolds , who lives in Yosemite Village within the park .
The equipment also can ’ t keep up with the summertime spike in visitors .
“ When my community expands to include a lot of tourists and travellers , it ’ s very competitive to get on the Wi-Fi , and people start getting bumped off , ” she said .
Kam Redlawsk points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She and her husband got lost visiting the federally managed Trona Pinnacles , massive rock structures in the central California desert , and couldn ’ t get cell service .
They got nervous as night fell but found a path out .
She thinks about that in national parks and now amid the pandemic .
“ Access should be an equal right , especially in times of crises , ” she said .
Federal law requires parks to consider permits for infrastructure that could expand internet , cellphone and radio service .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canyon , where park officials are mapping where to put new communications towers .
Some of the existing ones are prominent in heavily touristed areas .
Others can be spotted among the trees .
A proposal calls for adding up to five towers , none of them below the rim .
The other option would be considering new infrastructure case by case .
Officials will decide later this year .
In a wide-ranging 2016 survey , 83 % of visitors said using electronic devices was at least slightly important to their stay at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 6 million visitors a year .
The park knows people rely on cellphones and other devices for directions , reservations and more , said Elly Boerke , an environmental protection specialist at the Grand Canyon , and there ’ s “ not an expectation that shouldn ’ t occur.
” But a group of Grand Canyon river guides advocated for keeping the backcountry free of cellphone service .
“ Cellular companies only care about increasing profits and expanding coverage , ” the group ’ s board wrote .
AT & T said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan but questioned whether multiple carriers should rely on the same equipment .
Upgrading communications equipment can help in emergencies and with traffic cameras , electronic message boards and visitor tracking , said Lacayo , the park service spokeswoman .
It also helps attract younger visitors who grew up using cellphones , she said .
But the need to get a perfect shot for social media requires reminders for “ safety over selfie , ” as people sometimes venture close to cliff edges , Lacayo said by email .
Parks say outdated and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Most of their improvement plans focus on developed areas and try to camouflage towers as trees or within the landscape .
Officials at Death Valley National Park along the California-Nevada state line approved a plan last year to construct a new cell tower , but it ’ s stalled until AT & T updates the proposal to meet environmental requirements .
Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming has approved a plan for more than 60 miles ( 97 kilometres ) of underground fiber-optic line , with construction expected to begin this summer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mountain peaks also is considering a proposal for a cell tower .
Yellowstone National Park is considering a permit to install radio antennae on existing infrastructure to increase Wi-Fi speeds near guest lodges and employee housing .
“ The interior of Yellowstone has been starved for bandwidth , ” said Bret De Young , branch chief of technology , adding that the popularity of smartphones meant equipment installed in 2008 was overburdened within a year .
At Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah , officials are considering a request from Verizon to erect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a plateau near a canyon filled with spire-shaped red rock formations .
Visitor numbers have more than doubled in the past decade , and the park relies on social media to let people know about conditions like flash floods in slot canyons .
But tourists can read those updates only if they ’ re at limited locations with Wi-Fi and cellular signals , many of them outside Bryce Canyon ’ s boundaries .
Fonseca reported from Flagstaff .
Associated Press writer Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City contributed to this story .

Michelle A. Monroe And Felicia Fonseca - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-04-29--2 guards at ICE jail die after contracting coronavirus

HOUSTON - Two guards at an immigration detention centre in Louisiana have died after contracting the coronavirus , raising new questions about whether the U.S. government is adequately protecting 30,000 immigrants in custody and the staff guarding them .
Relatives of both Carl Lenard , 62 , and Stanton Johnson , 51 , said the Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe , Louisiana , had at one point prevented them from wearing masks as the virus spread through the facility .
Lenard died early Saturday , according to his family .
He tested positive for COVID-19 , the disease caused by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death is still undetermined .
His widow , Margarette Lenard , said she now has COVID-19 as well and several relatives have symptoms of the virus .
Johnson died Tuesday , according to his mother , Joyce Johnson , who also said that he had tested positive for COVID-19 .
Both families believe the men contracted the virus working at Richwood , which has 45 detainees confirmed to have COVID-19 .
There are 425 confirmed cases among detainees nationwide in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody , a figure that has steadily risen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from COVID-19 have been reported at Richwood or other ICE facilities .
ICE has about 30,000 people detained and tested just 705 detainees , according to its publicly released figures .
The agency recently said it would receive 2,000 tests a month from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ramp up testing of detainees .
LaSalle Corrections , the private prison company that operates Richwood , did not immediately respond to a question for comment about the guards .
It also did not say how many guards at its immigration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the jail guards to LaSalle .
“ As an employer , if you employ a person , you have a mandate to protect them , ” said Margarette Lenard , the widow of Carl Lenard .
She added that she also blamed the national shortages of protective equipment and the re-use of masks and other gear .
On April 21 , prison officials at Richwood told employees they would be required to work 12-hour shifts , seven days a week due to staff shortages caused by a “ high number of positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was provided to the Associated Press by an employee who was not authorized to speak publicly .
LaSalle did not respond to a question about the memo .
Another Richwood employee who also spoke on condition of anonymity said in early April that guards were being told not to wear their own masks or gloves to avoid spreading panic among detainees , as many have pleaded for their release to avoid contracting the virus and more than 20 lawsuits have been filed against ICE .
Two days after the AP asked LaSalle Corrections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the jail staff was told on April 8 they could start to wear masks and other equipment , according to the Richwood employee .
LaSalle executive Scott Sutterfield told the AP that protective equipment “ is provided as necessary and employees can bring and wear masks.
” In the meantime , detainees were being brought in from other facilities in Texas and Louisiana to Richwood , the employee said .
Some of them were suspected of having the coronavirus .
One detainee , Salomon Diego Alonzo , was hospitalized shortly after being required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where he struggled to speak , according to his attorney , Veronica Semino .
A guard standing near Alonzo told the judge during the hearing that the 26-year-old from Guatemala “ does not have the lung capacity.
” Margarette Lenard confirmed that her husband was concerned about being around detainees without the necessary protective equipment .
She eventually obtained three cloth masks for him to wear .
Carl Lenard died unexpectedly in his home about 2 a.m. Saturday , she said .
He started having a fever Monday , six days before his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him Tylenol and called a medical clinic , which had him come in Wednesday for a coronavirus test .
His fever eventually broke , though he had a small cough .
He woke at about 1 a.m. Saturday and was talking to his wife and grandchildren .
About 1:45 , according to his widow , he started praying .
Shortly afterward , he gave a single cough , then stopped breathing , she said .
Margarette Lenard , who is a nurse practitioner , tried to resuscitate him until the paramedics arrived but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother of Stanton Johnson , said he died Tuesday .
He initially started to have a fever and other symptoms last week , she said .
Both men had diabetes , their families said .
For most people , the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia and death .
On Tuesday , lawyers for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Southern Poverty Law Center called on ICE to improve conditions at Richwood .
“ The ballooning number of positive COVID-19 cases at Richwood , and the reports of poor medical care that accompany this outbreak , demand your immediate attention to the conditions in that facility , ” the lawyers said .
Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak .


thetorontostar--2020-04-29--Meatpackers welcome Trump order; others question virus risks

SIOUX FALLS , S.D .
- Big meatpacking companies that have struggled to keep plants running during the coronavirus crisis said Wednesday that they welcomed President Donald Trump ’ s executive order requiring them to stay open , but unions , some employees and Democrats questioned whether workers could be kept safe .
Trump used the Defence Production Act to classify meat processors as critical infrastructure to prevent supermarket shelves from running out of chicken , pork and other meat .
Meatpacking plants across the country have closed as COVID-19 infections spread rapidly between workers , who often stand shoulder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who consulted with industry leaders before issuing the order , said it would relieve “ bottlenecks ” that the largest companies faced after workers fell ill and some died .
“ They are so thrilled , ” Trump said Wednesday after getting off a call with meatpacking executives .
“ They ’ re so happy .
They ’ re all gung-ho , and we solved their problems.
” The executive order was widely seen as giving processors protection from liability for workers who become sick on the job .
It came soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not doing enough to protect employees at its plant in Milan , Missouri .
A federal judge in that case ordered Smithfield to follow federal recommendations .
The United Food and Commercial Workers union said it would appeal to governors for help , asking them to enforce rules that workers be kept 6 feet apart and that employees be provided with N95 masks and access to virus testing .
“ Does it make sense to have meat in the markets if it takes the blood of the people who are dying to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tsegay , a worker at the Smithfield Foods plant in South Dakota , where more than 800 workers have confirmed cases of COVID-19 .
Two people have died , and the plant has been shut down since mid-April .
The threat of the virus has caused workers like Tsegay , a 35-year-old single mother of four children , to weigh whether to risk their health by working .
Tsegay said she ’ s not willing to do that .
“ I ’ d rather starve and wait this out than go back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have already sought changes to reduce risks by providing personal protective equipment , installing plexiglass shields between workers and reducing congestion by staggering shift start times , among other reforms .
The union said plexiglass barriers should not be used as a substitute for putting workers at a safe distance from one another .
Union officials also want to slow down meat processing , including getting rid of waivers that allow plants to operate at faster speeds .
Smithfield Foods , which is working on a plan to reopen the Sioux Falls plant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s order that it should make for easier access to protective equipment and testing for employees .
Faced with thinning workforces as workers become infected or stay home in fear , meatpacking companies have also put millions of dollars towards boosting pay and giving workers bonuses to encourage healthy workers to stay on the job .
But Jim Roth , director of the Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University , said meatpacking plants will likely continue to have problems finding enough workers operate at full capacity .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers to begin with , and then with the illnesses and the need to self-quarantine for 14 days after exposure , I ’ m not clear where the workers come from to keep the plants open , ” Roth said .
Trump ’ s order called on the Department of Agriculture to ensure that plants stay open .
The USDA said in a statement Wednesday that a team including the Department of Labor and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would review companies ’ mitigation plans “ and work in consultation with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and/or ensure continuity of operations at these critical facilities.
” Twenty meatpacking workers have died nationwide , and another 5,000 have been infected by the virus or shown symptoms of COVID-19 , according to the union , which represents roughly 80 % of beef and pork workers and 33 % of poultry workers nationwide .
Trump promised Wednesday that a report on protecting workers would be coming soon .
Federal agencies have already issued recommendations for operating plants that largely track with steps many companies say they have already taken .
Wendell Young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the union , described Trump ’ s order as an attempt to appeal to voters rather than to ensure protections .
Marshall Tanick , an employment lawyer in Minneapolis , said the order “ does not necessarily immunize “ meatpackers from lawsuits .
Legislation to give employers immunity in these situations has been proposed , but it ’ s “ very unlikely that anything like that will be enacted soon at the federal level , ” Tanick said .
He said such measures might be easier to achieve at the state level , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Without specific legislation immunizing employers , they act at their own risk .
In Worthington , Minnesota , where a JBS pork plant closed last week because of the virus , U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and Minnesota Gov .
Tim Walz said Wednesday that they hope the plant can reopen soon — but only if workers are protected .
“ No executive order is going to get those hogs processed if the people who know how to do it are sick , or do not feel like they can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Avelar , who works at the Worthington plant , said she dreads the call from management telling her to come back .
But she said her three children depend on her , and she has no other job prospects in town .
“ At the moment they tell me I ’ m going to work , I ’ m going to need the money , ” she said .
Associated Press writers Amy Forliti and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis ; David Pitt in Des Moines , Iowa ; Josh Funk in Omaha , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clare Jalonick in Washington also contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-04-29--Libya’s Hifter declares cease-fire in Tripoli fighting

CAIRO - Eastern Libyan forces laying siege to the country ’ s capital of Tripoli said Wednesday they have agreed on a humanitarian pause in fighting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan .
Ahmed al-Mosmari , a spokesman for the forces of military commander Khalifa Hifter , said at a news conference that they have stopped all military operations across Libya in response to international appeals for a humanitarian truce so authorities could focus on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic .
The recent round of fighting in war-torn Libya began last April when Hifter ’ s forces launched an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with an array of militias loosely allied with the U.N.-supported but weak government in the capital .
There was no immediate comment from the Tripoli-based administration , known as the Government of National Accord .
Violence has escalated in recent weeks , with the two warring sides accusing each other of shelling civilian neighbourhoods .
The U.N. has said the violence and worsening humanitarian crisis in Libya could amount to war crimes .
The Tripoli-based government ’ s health ministry said shelling hit a medica facility in the capital Wednesday , killing at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Hifter ’ s forces also said a Turkish dRone run by the Tripoli-allied militias targeted two ambulances in southwestern Libya .
Stephanie Williams , acting U.N. envoy in Libya , on Tuesday called for a humanitarian truce during Ramadan that could pave the way for a permanent cease-fire .
The cease-fire announcement came after Hifter , in an attempted show of strength , declared on Monday that a 2015 U.N.-brokered political deal to unite the oil-rich country was “ a thing of the past.
” Al-Mosmari , the spokesman , said Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Armed Forces would announce constitutional declaration including a “ road map ” that would lead the country to elections .
The Tripoli-based government had said it wasn ’ t surprised by Hifter ’ s announcement and urged Libyans to join “ a comprehensive dialogue and continue on the democratic path to reach a comprehensive and permanent solution based on ballot boxes.
” While the 2015 agreement has failed to bring unity or stability to the divided country , Hifter ’ s announcement threatened to further complicate U.N. efforts to broker a political settlement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Libyan have complicated efforts to fight the coronavirus outbreak .
Libya has confirmed more than 60 cases , including two deaths , most of them in the country ’ s west .
The World Health Organizations said Tuesday that fighting in the city of Tarhouna , south of Tripoli , and shelling close to the Mitiga airbase , which include the sole airport for the capital , along with severe water shortages in the capital , are “ just some of the threats that impede our work to protect innocent people from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been in turmoil since 2011 , when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi , who was later killed .
The chaos has worsened in the recent round of fighting as foreign backers increasingly intervened despite pledges to the contrary at a high-profile peace summit in Berlin earlier this year .


thetorontostar--2020-04-29--St. Louis County officer charged in death of girl hit by car

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis County police officer who struck and killed a 12-year-old girl with his patrol SUV was charged Wednesday with second-degree involuntary manslaughter .
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner said Officer Preston Marquart was charged in the death of Akeelah Jackson after “ an exhaustive and detailed investigation ” that involved the St. Louis police department .
Akeelah was hit by the county vehicle on Oct. 14 when she was crossing a street in St. Louis .
She died several weeks later .
At the time , County Police Sgt .
Benjamin Granda said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get closer to a suspicious car to make a traffic stop when he hit the girl .
The officer was not using the vehicle ’ s lights or sirens .
In December , the Ethical Society of Police , a police association of mostly black officers that fights racial discrimination , demanded that the officer be charged in the death of Akeelah , who was black .
Marquart is white .
Marquart ’ s lawyer , Joseph Hogan , said Wednesday that a St. Louis police department investigation determined no charges were warranted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported .
“ It is unfortunate that Ms. Gardner continues to make charging decisions based on scoring political points , despite the effect this decision will have not only on my client , but on the entire Jackson family , ” he said .
“ I am confident that when all the facts come to light of this tragedy that took place in 30 seconds , my client will be completely exonerated of all charges.
” Hogan did not explain why he thought his client would be exonerated .
The St. Louis County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department had found no basis for charges and accused Gardner of attempting to “ further a political agenda .
”


thetorontostar--2020-04-30--Police: Woman drove car with her 5-year-old child on hood

ROCK HILL , S.C. - A woman who allegedly recorded a video of herself driving a car while her 5-year-old @ @ @ @ @ hood of the vehicle was arrested in South Carolina .
Thrista Miquisha Johnson turned herself @ @ @ @ @ police learned about the video and issued a warrant for her arrest , news outlets @ @ @ @ @ told the Rock Hill Herald the video was taken near an apartment building in the @ @ @ @ @ .
Chavis said police don ’ t know how fast the car was moving in @ @ @ @ @ the child was not injured .
Police said they notified the state ’ s social @ @ @ @ @ ’ s custody after determining Johnson , 26 , was the mother .
The child @ @ @ @ @ yet to be released , the Rock Hill Herald reported .
Johnson was charged with @ @ @ @ @ not clear if she had a lawyer who could comment on her behalf .


thetorontostar--2020-04-30--DC police: Suspect arrested for shooting at Cuban Embassy

WASHINGTON - Someone opened fire using an assault rifle outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington early Thursday and was arrested , authorities said .
The gunfire broke out around 2 a.m. outside the embassy in northwest Washington .
Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to the scene after neighbours reported hearing gunshots , authorities said .
Officers found the suspect with an assault rifle and took the person into custody without incident , police said .
Investigators say they believe the person had been shooting toward the embassy , though details about any potential motivation remained unclear .
The suspect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was arrested on charges of possessing an unregistered firearm and ammunition , assault with intent to kill and possessing a high-capacity magazine , a U.S. Secret Service spokeswoman said .
No injuries were reported .
Photos from the scene posted to social media showed a group of police officers outside the embassy after the shooting and investigators searching through an SUV parked there .
Other images showed investigators surveying the damage in front of the ornate embassy in Washington ’ s Adams-Morgan neighbourhood , including a bullet hole in a window over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flagpole and a column flanking a statue of Cuban independence hero José Martí .
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Secret Service were investigating .


thetorontostar--2020-04-30--Alabama student names NASA’s first Mars helicopter

NORTHPORT , Ala. - An Alabama high school student named NASA ’ s first Mars helicopter that will be deployed to the red planet later this summer .
Ingenuity , the name submitted by Vaneeza Rupani , was selected for the 4 pound ( 1.8 kilograms ) solar-powered helicopter , NASA said in a statement on Wednesday .
The name coined by the junior at Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport was just one of 28,000 names submitted in NASA ’ s “ Name the Rover ” essay contest for K-12 students across the United States .
“ The ingenuity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overcome the challenges of interplanetary travel are what allow us all to experience the wonders of space exploration , ” Rupani wrote in her essay .
“ Ingenuity is what allows people to accomplish amazing things , and it allows us to expand our horizons to the edges of the universe.
” In March , the space agency selected the name Perseverance for the Mars Rover based on a Virginian student ’ s essay , but decided to come back to the submitted essays to also pick a name for the helicopter that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jim Bridenstine said Ingenuity “ encapsulates the values that our helicopter tech demo will showcase.
“ Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby also congratulated Rupani for the honour .
“ It was really cool I got to be a part of something like this , ” she told the AP .
Ingenuity has already completed testing in a NASA simulation chamber in Southern California .
Next , it will be attached to the belly of the Perseverance , which will take off for Mars in July or August .
After it arrives on the red @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a protected covering to protect it from debris until the timing is right for the aircraft to be deployed .
It will then have a 31-day flight window to prove that powered flights can be accomplished on Mars , NASA said .
This year ’ s mission is part of a program that also includes missions to the moon to prepare for a possible human exploration of Mars .
NASA plans to land the first woman and the next man on the moon in 2024 , and set up a continued human presence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in eight years so they can use it to send astronauts to Mars .
This story has been corrected .
Rupani ’ s first name is Vaneeza , not Vaneera .


thetorontostar--2020-04-30--Lawyers for Michael Flynn release internal FBI emails, notes

WASHINGTON - Lawyers for Michael Flynn released internal FBI emails that are raising speculation that President Donald Trump might move to pardon his first national security adviser .
The lawyers hope the emails will bolster their allegations that Flynn was entrapped when he was questioned at the White House three years ago .
The documents were made public Wednesday evening as Flynn seeks to withdraw his guilty plea to lying to the FBI and makes broad assertions of law enforcement misconduct .
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has rejected many of the defence arguments but has yet to rule on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plea .
Meanwhile , a federal prosecutor from Missouri is reviewing the Justice Department ’ s handling of the case at the direction of Attorney General William Barr .
The department said the notes were produced to the defence as part of that ongoing review .
It remains unclear what bearing the documents will have on the case or how significant the judge will determine them to be .
But Flynn has emerged as something of a cause celebre in recent months for supporters of the president , who have rallied around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the findings of a harshly critical watchdog report on the Russia investigation to try to cast doubt on the entire probe .
Prosecutors haven ’ t filed anything in response to Wednesday ’ s action by Flynn ’ s lawyers .
Trump has said he is considering pardoning Flynn and retweeted Wednesday night several news stories about the documents as well as a tweet from Flynn that features video of an American flag flapping in the wind .
“ What happened to General Michael Flynn , a war hero , should never be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States again !
” Trump added Thursday morning as his counsellor , Kellyanne Conway , was on Fox News Channel responding to the case .
Conway said it would be up to Trump to make any announcement , but called it a “ disgrace for government officials to abuse their power in this exact way .
“ I think that General Flynn has probably faced millions of dollars in legal fees , three years of reputational scorn and isolation .
He obviously had to leave his job here , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ has made very clear that he feels people around him are treated very unfairly , and in this case worse.
” The notes and emails show FBI officials debating internally how best to approach the Flynn interview , how much information to provide him with , what the purpose of interviewing him should be — and what to do if he lied .
In emails dated Jan. 23 , 2017 , the day before agents interviewed Flynn at the White House about his conversations during the presidential transition period with the Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pondered at what point in the conversation Flynn should be reminded that it is against the law to lie to the FBI — at the outset of the conversation or after he makes a suspected false statement .
Flynn ’ s former attorneys have said he was never given such a warning .
Also released was a page of handwritten FBI notes in which an official asks “ what ’ s our goal ?
Truth/admission or to get him to lie , so we can prosecute him or get him fired ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ If we get him to admit to breaking the Logan Act , give facts to DoJ and have them decide.
” That is a reference to a centuries-old , esoteric law that makes it a crime for a private citizen to conduct foreign policy with another government .
The notes also say : “ If we ’ re seen as playing games , WH will be furious .
Protect our institution by not playing games.
” The handwritten notes bear the initials “ EP , ” which is likely a reference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FBI official who authorized the decision in the summer of 2016 to open an investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia .
Flynn was among the first of the president ’ s aides to admit guilt in special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia .
He acknowledged lying to the FBI about having discussed sanctions against Russia during the presidential transition period with the then-ambassador , Sergey Kislyak .
He provided such extensive co-operation that prosecutors said he was entitled to a sentence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it turned out , that sentencing hearing was abruptly cut short after Flynn , facing a stern rebuke from Sullivan , asked to be able to continue co-operating and earn credit toward a more lenient sentence .
Since then , though , Flynn has hired new attorneys — including Sidney Powell , a conservative commentator and outspoken critic of Mueller ’ s investigation — who have taken a far more confrontational stance to the government .
The lawyers have accused prosecutors of withholding documents and evidence they said was favourable to the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two agents who interviewed Flynn was fired from the FBI for having sent derogatory text messages about Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign .


thetorontostar--2020-04-30--AP-NORC poll: Seeking virus data, people struggle with trust

WASHINGTON - When John Manley tested positive for COVID-19 , his sister urged him to get on the malaria drug that she ’ d heard Fox News hosts plugging and that President Donald Trump was heralding as a potential “ game changer ” for fighting the coronavirus .
But Manley , 58 , a civilian U.S. Army public affairs officer , was skeptical of using a drug not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating the virus and decided it was a gamble not worth taking .
“ It caused a huge rift in the family because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ said Manley , who lives in Stuttgart , Germany , and whose wife , Heidi Mathis , also tested positive for the virus after a visit to New York .
Both have since recovered , and the FDA has advised people not to take the drug outside a hospital or clinical trial .
The Manley family squabble highlights an essential question that many Americans are grappling with as they seek out the information they need to stay safe during the country ’ s worst public health crisis in a century : Whom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manley frames it : “ What is being jammed down our throats in our news ?
Who is talking about these things ?
Where do you go to actually get something you can believe ?
” Sixty-eight per cent of Americans say they highly trust the information that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing about the virus , 66 % trust their doctor or health care provider , and 52 % said the same about their state or local government , according to a recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more skeptical of the coronavirus information they ’ re getting from the media and from family and friends , with 32 % saying they have a lot of trust in information provided by each .
Only 23 % of Americans said they have a great deal or quite a bit of trust in the information that Trump provides on the coronavirus , according to the poll .
In interviews , Americans said the process of consuming , digesting and discerning the credibility of the fire hose of virus information coming from politicians , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to mention what their family , friends and colleagues are sharing on social media — has become a time-consuming and frequently unsettling process .
Gary Thomas , 71 , a retiree from Pueblo , Colorado , and longtime news junkie , has become even more regimented in his consumption .
He begins each day at the breakfast table , where he ’ ll spend a couple of solitary hours with his phone and coffee reading the latest virus news .
He ’ ll later put in several more hours watching the latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while continuing to monitor newspaper apps and social media feeds .
Contrast that with Michele Cody , 45 , a technology manager from Riverton , New Jersey .
She ’ s become so worn down by the crush of information that she ’ s put herself on a news diet — giving up her early morning newscast and relying more on a roundup of coronavirus news pushed to her inbox .
Retiree Jana Foley decided the best way to get the information she needs out of Trump ’ s briefings , and keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selective use of the mute button on her TV remote .
“ When Trump is talking , we usually turn it down because we just get really upset and aggravated , ” said Foley , 71 , of Johnston , Iowa .
“ We turn it up when the experts are speaking.
” Vance Davis , 53 , of Atlanta , finds himself frustrated with media coverage that he thinks is tinged with anti-Trump bias .
In recent weeks , he said he ’ s stopped watching CNN and is now flipping between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News Network and Al Jazeera , the Qatar-headquartered network ’ s English newscast .
Davis said that much of the media has unfairly piled on Trump , overplaying things like the president ’ s musings that injecting disinfectant could be a cure for the virus .
He said Trump could have handled the situation better by saying he misspoke instead of claiming he was being sarcastic .
Still , Davis said , he trusts the president “ quite a bit.
“ “ Sometimes , he may grandstand too much , but you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suck it up , ” he said .
Zach Stafford , 24 , an AmeriCorps educator from Belleville , Illinois , watched the crisis unfold overseas and began to worry about the personal ramifications if it made it to the U.S. : His mother , Debra Mize , 61 , has multiple sclerosis , an autoimmune disease that makes her more vulnerable if she catches the virus .
He immediately realized that trustworthy information on the virus was crucial for preserving his mother ’ s well-being .
The two have since been glued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s briefings and New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ’ s morning updates , as well as Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s news conferences .
Mize said on most mornings she ’ ll wake up around 4 a.m. , make her way to her recliner and begin scrolling through social media , news sites and Boston College historian Heather Cox Richardson ’ s daily newsletter .
By day ’ s end — typically with liberal commentator Rachel Maddow ’ s MSNBC broadcast — Mize calculates she ’ s consumed about six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found herself flustered arguing with friends on social media who are convinced that the virus — and the need for social distancing — is a hoax .
One was insistent that 5G towers , the ones that create speedy internet connections , were to blame for the pandemic .
There is no evidence of this .
“ When she started using it to justify the fact that she wasn ’ t going to listen to the stay-at-home orders ...
I just unfriended her , ” Mize said .
In rural Clay County , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manager for the county , said winning trust and persuading people to follow the state ’ s social distancing guidelines is a battle that sometimes needs to be waged one person at a time .
On a recent afternoon , Lewis was preparing to reach out to one of the county ’ s 6,200 residents who unnerved neighbours by telling them he had close contact with coronavirus-infected patients elsewhere in the state but saw no need to self-quarantine .
“ This isn ’ t New York , ” said Lewis , whose county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus .
“ But we ’ re trying to get people ’ s trust and help them understand this is a world thing.
“ Both state and local government officials are getting high marks from Americans , with 63 % of respondents approving of their handling of the crisis , according to the latest AP-NORC poll .
In comparison , only 40 % said they approved of the federal government ’ s handling of the crisis , and 28 % approved of congressional leaders ’ performance .
Fully 60 % of respondents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts enough , while 35 % said he was listening to them just the right amount .
Brian Haferkamp , a web developer from Maywood , Illinois , said he hasn ’ t put much trust in Trump ’ s rhetoric from the bully pulpit .
Instead , Haferkamp , 42 , said he ’ s been paying attention to guidance from state and local officials in Cook County , which has had more than 1,400 coronavirus-related deaths .
“ In the end , I think our local government is where it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most practical meaning , ” Haferkamp said .
Back in Germany , Manley is still spending much of his days reading and watching U.S. media coverage and tuning into White House and state officials ’ briefings .
At the top of his mind is his wife , in the midst of her illness , telling him what she wanted him to do with her remains if she didn ’ t make it .
A few weeks later , after he was diagnosed , he lay awake in the middle of the night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visceral sensation of fear is something he wishes could be properly conveyed to Americans .
He says nothing — briefings , newscasts or friends — can prepare people for that moment “ when it drives you to end-of-life conversations , and it drives you to not wanting to go to sleep because you don ’ t know if you ’ ll wake up.
“ The AP-NORC poll of 1,057 adults was conducted April 16-20 using a sample drawn from NORC ’ s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel , which is designed to be representative of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4 percentage points .

Aamer Madhani And Hannah Fingerhut - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-04-30--SEALs tried to locate US citizen taken by Afghan militants

WASHINGTON - In the days following the capture of an American contractor in Afghanistan earlier this year , Navy commandos raided a village and detained suspected members of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network while the U.S. intelligence community tried to track the cellphones of the man and his captors , The Associated Press has learned .
While the circumstances surrounding the abduction remain unclear , the previously unreported operation described by multiple American officials over the past month shed new light on early efforts to locate Mark R. Frerichs , a contractor from Illinois whose disappearance has been shrouded in mystery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of minimal public discussion by the U.S. government .
The new details emerge as violence and political infighting in Kabul threaten to scuttle a Taliban peace deal with the U.S. Last month , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced frustrations after a failed attempt to mediate a power struggle between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and political rival Dr. Abdullah Abdullah .
The Trump administration said it would cut $ 1 billion in aid to Afghanistan .
Washington has urged Kabul to release Taliban prisoners , which is part of the peace agreement , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spreading the coronavirus .
But there are no public indications that Frerichs , a Navy veteran , has been part of negotiations between the U.S. and Taliban leadership or that his release is part of any peace deal .
“ The Taliban kidnapped my brother in January .
In February , the U.S. signed a peace deal with the Taliban .
My brother wasn ’ t part of the deal .
Now we are arranging for the Taliban and Afghan government to exchange thousands of prisoners , ” Charlene Cakora , one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement provided to the AP .
“ Why can ’ t we make an American hostage be one of them ?
” Frerichs ’ father , Art , said in a statement that though he has faith in President Donald Trump and Pompeo , “ I just need them to tell their people negotiating with the Taliban that America won ’ t lift a finger until my son comes home .
He ’ s a veteran .
This is America .
We don ’ t leave people behind.
” The Pentagon and U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the SEALs ’ raid .
The rescue effort is being co-ordinated through the FBI-led , multiagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell , which said in a statement that it was working with its partners to ensure “ that Mark Frerichs and all Americans held hostage abroad are returned home.
” It encouraged anyone with information about the case to come forward .
The State Department said it was aware of an American who ’ d been abducted in Afghanistan .
“ The welfare , safety and security of Americans is the Trump Administration ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ The United States will continue to push for the safe return of this and all other U.S citizens through all relevant channels.
” A former U.S. national security official who is advising the Frerichs family called on Washington peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad to resolve the situation , saying “ he needs to understand from the top that getting an American hostage home is also part of his job .
He is aware of Mark ’ s presence , but it does not appear yet that he understands that he needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official insisted on anonymity to speak candidly since the official sometimes works with the Trump administration .
U.S. officials believe Frerichs , 57 , of Lombard , Illinois , was held for at least some time in Khost , an eastern province along the border with Pakistan and its so-called tribal regions , a mountainous area that has historically been a haven for Taliban and al-Qaeda militants .
The former national security official said that Frerichs has been in Afghanistan for about a decade working on commercial projects and was not a U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours is crucial , ” a senior U.S. government official briefed on the case told the AP on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly .
“ If they ’ re not recovered in the first few days , it becomes harder every minute after.
” Though no formal demands are known to have been made , U.S. intelligence officials believe Frerichs was captured by members of the Haqqani network , a militant group aligned with the Taliban in Afghanistan .
The Haqqanis have strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region in Pakistan , south of Afghanistan ’ s Khost province .
The Obama administration designated the Haqqani network as a foreign terrorist organization in 2012 for its ties with the Taliban and the group ’ s attacks on U.S. military and civilian personnel .
Though the Haqqanis are known to carry out assassinations and kidnappings for ransom , Taliban leadership has not acknowledged Frerichs ’ capture .
“ I have not received any information about him , ” said a Taliban source who asked not to be named .
“ There has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every side to get information.
” In November , the Afghan government released three prominent members of the Haqqani network in exchange for an American citizen and an Australian professor abducted in 2016 .
Pompeo characterized the prisoner swap as a “ goodwill gesture.
” Rep. Michael Waltz , a Florida Republican and Army veteran who led the teams that searched for Bowe Bergdahl after the Army soldier abandoned his post in 2009 and wound up captured by the Taliban , said the Taliban frequently hides American hostages until they can move them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said peace deal negotiations should have stopped as soon as the U.S. government learned that Frerichs was missing .
“ I have real concerns about suggestions that the Taliban are serious about peace , that the Taliban are upholding their end of the deal when — as we speak today — they are holding a former Navy veteran and American citizen hostage that they took , again , during the peace negotiations , ” Waltz said in an interview .
The search area for Frerichs began in Khost and extended south to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior U.S. government official and a second official at the Defence Department .
Members of the elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group , more familiarly known as SEAL Team Six , who were involved in the Frerichs effort had spent late January working to recover the bodies of two American service members who died when their aircraft crash-landed in Ghazni in central Afghanistan , according to the two U.S. officials .
The bitter winter weather that limited overhead surveillance of the airplane wreckage by U.S. military drones also worked against officials during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Feb. 3 .
Periods of poor-to-nonexistent visibility ultimately delayed a planned intelligence-gathering operation on a known Taliban location , said the senior U.S. government official , who has direct knowledge of the raid .
Once the weather cleared , the SEALs loaded onto helicopters and flew to the undisclosed location .
The senior official declined to disclose the exact location of the province for operational security reasons .
The senior U.S. government official and the Defence Department source with knowledge of the raid , who also requested anonymity , said the SEAL platoon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that once at the compound , they detained several alleged Haqqani militants and uncovered a weapons cache .
It ’ s not known if the weapons cache was destroyed at the scene or given to Afghan security forces .
The suspected Haqqani members were questioned about Frerichs ’ whereabouts and ultimately turned over to the Afghan government , according to the senior U.S. government official .
On Feb. 4 , American intelligence officials received a report that Frerichs had possibly been moved to Quetta , Pakistan , a historical haven for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But the information was deemed not credible enough to warrant a special operations mission , according to the senior U.S. government official .
The report also conflicted with signals intelligence U.S. officials had at the time .
Signals intelligence is information gathered from the electronic signals that are broadcast from devices like portable radios and cellphones .
The information can be used to track the movements of individuals or eavesdrop on conversations , known in the spy business as low-level voice intercepts .
U.S. intelligence officials continued to receive location pings from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the trail went cold on Feb. 5 , according to the senior U.S. government and Defence Department officials .
While the senior U.S. government official would not say where exactly the last location ping for Frerichs came from , the official said it was near where he was captured .
The AP was not able to determine how the U.S. intelligence community knew to target these specific cellphones to monitor .
“ Operationally , the reason why time is critical in a kidnapping is because you can close the distance quicker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said the senior U.S. government official .
“ This is not the case right now .
He could be two houses down from where he was taken and we would not know.
” LaPorta reported from Delray Beach , Florida .
Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington , Kathy Gannon in Islamabad and Allen G. Breed in Raleigh , North Carolina , contributed to this report .

James Laporta And Eric Tucker - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-04-30--South African anti-apartheid activist Denis Goldberg dies

JOHANNESBURG - South African anti-apartheid activist Denis Goldberg has died at his home near Cape Town , aged 87 .
Goldberg was a prominent member of the now-ruling African National Congress and stood trial alongside Nelson Mandela .
He spent 22 years in prison for his involvement with the ANC ’ s fight against apartheid , the racist system of oppression imposed by the white minority government .
When his fellow accused were sent to Robben Island , as a white prisoner Goldberg was separated from them and imprisoned in the capital , Pretoria .
Goldberg ’ s niece , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died peacefully Wednesday after having lung cancer and diabetes .
Goldberg had continued his activism in post-apartheid South Africa and was a critic of former president Jacob Zuma , who stepped down in 2018 and faces multiple allegations of corruption .
Goldberg was a critic of the ANC ’ s performance in government and the socio-economic conditions of the largely black poor majority in South Africa , one of the world ’ s ’ most unequal countries .
Tributes poured in Thursday for Goldberg , with many acknowledging the role he played in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commitment to ethical leadership was unflinching and even during his advanced age he formed part of the movement of veterans of the struggle calling for reassertion of moral centre of society , ” President Cyril Ramaphosa said .
“ We will hold him in our thoughts and prayers as we say farewell at a time when we are not allowed to gather in numbers to say our goodbyes.
” “ He was a member of a generation of leadership which shaped the country ’ s history in profound ways , ” said Nelson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The ANC also paid tribute to Goldberg , saying “ his was a life well-lived in the struggle for freedom in SA .
We will miss him.
“ After his release from prison in 1985 , Goldberg and his family moved to London , .
Among other work , they became involved with the Woodcraft Folk , an organization for children and young people that Goldberg felt shared his radical values .
He served as the group ’ s honorary president , noting in his autobiography that its members took his family “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for “ the sheer humility of a man who shunned fame but was one of the best orators I ’ ve ever heard when on the world stage , ” former Woodcraft Folk chair of council Jess Cawley told the AP .
“ Always with a word of encouragement and the discipline of a true comrade ready to make a huge sacrifice for the cause of his beloved country .
It was an honour to know him .
”


thetorontostar--2020-04-30--Police: 4 Amish children killed, 1 missing in buggy accident

BATH COUNTY , Ky. - Authorities in Kentucky said four children died and one is missing after a buggy carrying @ @ @ @ @ away in the current while trying to cross a low-water bridge .
Six people were @ @ @ @ @ that overturned on Wednesday in Bath County , Kentucky State Police said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ buggy was able to make it to the bank of the stream and call for @ @ @ @ @ The four siblings were found and pronounced dead by a coroner ’ s office on @ @ @ @ @ Trooper Scott Ferrell said authorities from various agencies were continuing to search Thursday for the @ @ @ @ @ Mosley and her boyfriend told WYMT-TV that they rushed to the scene on their ATV @ @ @ @ @ out on the scanner .
“ It was devastating , ” Mosley said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ and the rain was pouring down .
It was just a sombre feeling .
”


thetorontostar--2020-04-30--Poland’s president appoints acting head of Supreme Court

WARSAW , Poland - Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday appointed an acting head of the beleaguered Supreme Court following the retirement of its president , who had vehemently defended its independence .
The court under Malgorzata Gersdorf has been critical of the steps that the right-wing government is taking to put Poland ’ s judiciary under political control .
The court has also questioned the legality of new legislation the government is pushing to allow the upcoming presidential election to be held by mail .
It has the authority to question the legality of elections .
Gersdorf is retiring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Supreme Court to thank her for her role in defending the independence of Poland ’ s judiciary and bid her farewell .
A court general assembly that should have shortlisted five candidates to succeed her has been put off until social distancing rules against the coronavirus spread are lifted .
President Andrzej Duda , who has the authority to appoint the new head of the court , appointed one of the court ’ s judges , Judge Kamil Zaradkiewicz on Thursday to be the acting head .
Zaradkiewicz had previously questioned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another top court , the constitutional Tribunal .
Critics said that according to the rule , the interim job should have been given to the court ’ s oldest judge , Jozef Iwulski .


thetorontostar--2020-04-30--UK admits it could miss 100,000 daily virus tests target

LONDON - The British government has acknowledged that it may miss its self-imposed goal of conducting 100,000 tests for coronavirus a day by the end of Thursday .
But officials insist the U.K. is rapidly expanding the country ’ s testing capacity as it prepares to gradually ease a nationwide lockdown .
The government has been criticized for failing to catch most cases of COVID-19 and now says wide-scale testing will be key to controlling the virus and lifting restrictions on business and daily life that were imposed more than a month ago .
Earlier this month , the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by April 30 .
The number has been climbing steadily , but the highest daily total reached so far is 52,000 on Wednesday .
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said that “ we ’ re well on our way to ramping this up ... even if the target isn ’ t met today.
” He told the BBC that “ 100,000 is an important milestone , but frankly we need more.
” Britain ’ s Conservative government is facing growing criticism as it becomes clear the country will have one of the world ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday the U.K. ’ s official death toll from the virus leaped to more than 26,000 after several thousand deaths in nursing homes were added to the hospital total .
Only the United States and Italy have higher tolls , though not all countries use the same measures .
Chris Hopson , who heads NHS Providers , an umbrella group for U.K. hospitals , said the 100,000-a-day target was a “ red herring , ” and urged the government to set out a detailed strategy for who would get tested and when .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ what are we going to do in terms of the testing regime over the next six , eight , 10 , 12 weeks as we come out of lockdown , ” Hopson said .
He said 800,000 health care workers will need to be tested regularly to ensure they remain free of the virus .
Meanwhile , as other European countries begin to reopen businesses and schools , Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under pressure to reveal when and how the government will ease a nationwide lockdown that was imposed on March 23 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least until May 7 .
Johnson is due to speak at a news conference later and may give hints about the path ahead .
He has warned that lifting restrictions too soon risks a second , even deadlier , wave of the outbreak .
Johnson , 55 , only returned to work on Monday after recovering from a bout of COVID-19 that put him in intensive care .
On Wednesday his fiancee , Carrie Symonds , gave birth to the couple ’ s son .


thetorontostar--2020-04-30--Asia Today: Australian capital free of known virus cases

BANGKOK - The Australian Capital Territory has become the first of the country ’ s eight states and mainland territories to declare itself free of all known cases of the coronavirus .
Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman said the territory surrounding Canberra , the capital city , was free of any recorded infection on Thursday for the first time in seven weeks after the last patient recovered .
There have been 106 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canberra and three patients have died .
The capital territory has a population of only 420,000 , the second-smallest of Australia ’ s states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per population ranks in the middle of the field .
Everyone with cold or flu symptoms has been offered free COVID-19 testing in Canberra for the past week and the government said that offer will be extended for another week .
One in 49 of the territory ’ s people had been tested by Thursday .
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said a government announcement will be made Friday on the future of lockdown measures that will take into account the risk of a second wave of infections .
Lawmakers and their staff from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May 12 for the first regular sitting of Parliament since early March .
Australia has recorded 6,746 virus cases , 90 of whom have died .
Eight new cases have been reported since Wednesday .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — MALDIVES HAS FIRST DEATH : Maldives has reported its first death from the new coronavirus with 280 infections .
Health Minister Abdulla Ameen said the victim was a 83-year-old woman from the capital , Male .
The first cases of COVID-19 were reported at tourist resorts in this Indian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kept it from spilling over into the community .
However , the number of patients has spiked suddenly on the capital island and far-off islands with no traceable source of infection .
— SRI LANKA NAVY CLUSTER : Sri Lankan authorities said 257 navy sailors are infected with the coronavirus in the biggest cluster since the Indian Ocean island nation reported its first patient a month ago .
Army chief Shavendra Silva said of the 30 newest cases , 22 are sailors and seven had close contact with the infected sailors .
More @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 649 cases have been reported since April 22 , and many are sailors and their contacts .
The virus initially spread inside a naval camp and spread further when the sailors went home on leave .
The government cancelled troop leaves Sunday and is reimposing a 24-hour countrywide curfew from 8 p.m. — INDIA CREDITS LOCKDOWN : India says it has had success in curbing coronavirus infections by imposing the world ’ s largest lockdown five weeks ago .
The Home Ministry looked ahead to considerable relaxations in some areas when the lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 33,050 cases with 1,074 deaths .
On Wednesday , migrants and other people stranded by the lockdown were allowed to resume their journeys by road .
Neighbourhood shops have been allowed to reopen and manufacturing and farming allowed to resume .
— SOUTH KOREA ’ S INCREASE LOW : South Korea reported four more cases of coronavirus infection in its first daily increase below five in about two months .
The Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the country ’ s totals were now 10,765 cases with 247 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and been released from quarantine .
The four new cases were all imported .
Local media said it was the first time South Korea had no daily increase of local infections since Feb. 15 .
— CASES DECLINE IN CHINA : China reported no new deaths from coronavirus and four new cases , all brought from outside the country .
China has been testing and quarantining arrivals from abroad , who have accounted for many of its recent cases .
The National Health Commission said 619 people remain hospitalized with COVID-19 .
China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among 82,862 cases .
— MALAYSIA URGED NOT TO ROUND UP MIGRANTS : Amnesty International is urging Malaysia not use the current virus lockdown to round up foreigners living in the country illegally .
A senior minister said Wednesday that undocumented migrants found in eight areas under a full lockdown will be taken away once it is lifted , the Bernama news agency reported .
Amnesty International ’ s Malaysian chapter said sending migrants to overcrowded and filthy detention centres would increase their risk of contracting the virus .
It called the policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time of pandemic .
It expressed concern that Muslim Rohingya refugees could face deportation back to Myanmar .