thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Lebanon contracts NY-based company to do forensic audit

BEIRUT - Lebanon ’ s government agreed Tuesday to hire a New York-based company to conduct a forensic audit of the country ’ s central bank accounts to determine how massive amounts of money were spent in the nation plagued by corruption .
President Michel Aoun ’ s office said the government chose Alvarez & Marsal for the forensic audit .
Two other companies , KPMG and Oliver Wyman , will be contracted to do traditional accounting audits of central bank accounts .
Lebanon ’ s economic crisis , rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement , deepened after nationwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ October .
Banks have imposed informal capital controls , limiting the withdrawal of dollars , and the cash-strapped government defaulted on its sovereign debt in March for the first time .
The coronavirus lockdown that lasted three months threw tens of thousands of people into poverty and unemployment .
The move to name Alvarez & Marsal came after weeks of delays after other companies were not accepted because of alleged links to Israel , with whom Lebanon is at war .
The government had asked Lebanon ’ s General Security Directorate to look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marsal was among those cleared .
The government had been calling for a forensic audit into the central bank ’ s accounts since March following the country ’ s first ever default on paying back its massive debt .
“ This is a cornerstone on which reform can be built on , ” Prime Minister Hassan Diab was quoted as saying during a Cabinet meeting .
“ This will be a historic decision for Lebanon and will mark a radical change to reveal overspending and theft.
” The announcement comes as talks between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have failed to make progress since they started in mid-May .
Two leading members of the Lebanese government team in talks with the IMF resigned in recent weeks over politicians ’ attempts to downplay losses at the central bank .
Aoun has been a strong supporter of a forensic audit but Lebanese media have reported that other politicians were opposed to such a move that could reveal parties that have been benefiting from corruption .
The IMF said in April that Lebanon ’ s economy is expected to shrink 12 % in 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordered some of the assets of central bank Gov .
Riad Salameh be frozen .
The decision , which is symbolic , came after a lawsuit filed by five lawyers who belong to an activist group known as “ the people want to fix the regime.
” The lawyers accused Salameh , who has held the post since 1993 , of negligence and inciting people to withdraw their money from bank accounts and selling state bonds .
Since October , Lebanon ’ s currency has lost more than 80 % of its value @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crash .
Protests outside the central bank are not uncommon in Beirut ’ s commercial district of Hamra .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Armed man seizes bus, holds 10 people hostage in Ukraine

LUTSK , Ukraine - An armed man seized a long-distance bus and took people in it hostage in northwestern Ukraine on Tuesday launching an hours-long standoff with police , Ukrainian authorities said .
About 10 people are currently being held hostage , Ukraine ’ s Security Service said in a Facebook statement .
Police earlier had put the number at 20 .
It was unclear how many people had been on board to start with , and whether any escaped .
Police sealed off the centre of Lutsk , a city 400 kilometres ( 250 miles ) west of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and carrying explosives , police said .
They said he threw a hand grenade that failed to explode at officers and shot at them at least twice during the still-ongoing siege .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said negotiations with the man are currently underway .
“ We ’ re doing everything to free the hostages , ” Zelenskiy told reporters .
The man called the police himself at 9:25 a.m. ( 0625 GMT ) after taking control of the bus and introduced himself as Maksim Plokhoy , Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reportedly belonging to him , Plokhoy apparently admitted to taking people on the bus hostage , said that “ the state has always been and always is the first terrorist “ and demanded that top Ukrainian officials release statements on their social media pages calling themselves terrorists .
According to Gerashchenko , police have identified the man as Maksim Krivosh , a 44-year-old Ukrainian born in Russia .
Krivosh had allegedly been convicted twice on a wide range of charges — robbery , fraud , illegal arms handling — and spent a total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media reported that gunshots were regularly heard at the scene .
It wasn ’ t immediately clear whether anyone has been injured .
According to reports , Krivosh tried to reach out to journalists through hostages and their phones , demanding that they spread the word about his demands and get more reporters to arrive to the scene .
Zelenskiy said earlier on Tuesday he is personally monitoring the situation .
This story has been corrected to reflect the accurate time conversion — the assailant called the police at 9:25 a.m. ( 0625 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the this story said he called the police at 9:25 a.m. ( 0725 GMT ) .

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thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Florida Democrats running to boost Biden from the bottom up

TALLAHASSEE , Fla. - Before the coronavirus pandemic sickened Florida ’ s economy , and before the Black Lives Matter movement widened her eyes to racial injustice , Kelly Johnson had little interest in politics except to occasionally cast a ballot .
In 2018 , she voted for the Republican in the Florida governor ’ s race , and four years ago she supported Donald Trump .
Now , the unemployed , white single mother of eight is running for office — as a Democrat — in a bid to oust a state legislator who ’ s one of Florida @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knows it ’ s a long shot , but she hopes even a loss will serve a purpose for Democrats : boosting turnout in the race to evict Trump from the White House .
“ There ’ s a greater good happening , “ she said .
” And I ’ m glad to be part of that.
” Johnson ’ s campaign is part of a major change in strategy for Florida Democrats .
Long accustomed to being on the losing side of razor-close races , state Democrats are mounting challenges in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but to lose by less .
And they ’ re convinced that competing in traditionally Republican areas will help former Vice-President Joe Biden eke out a victory against Trump in a key battleground state .
The party is fielding its largest slate of legislative candidates in decades , with Democratic candidates vying in all but one of the 141 statehouse seats up for election in November .
( One Democrat is challenging her exclusion from the ballot after being disqualified because of a technical issue . )
“ We need to start thinking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are on the ground and connecting with the community , ” said Janelle Christensen , a state party activist in charge of candidate recruitment .
By most accounts , Florida is a must-win state for Trump .
While his newly adopted home state has tilted Republican in recent years , the COVID-19 outbreak is threatening to reshape the political landscape .
Democrats hope to seize the opportunity to retake the state , and its 29 electoral votes , ever mindful of their prior disappointments .
For years , Florida Democrats largely have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavily Democratic urban precincts in South Florida — in Miami-Dade , Broward and Palm Beach counties .
While they ’ ve scrapped with Republicans for independent voters in central Florida , they ’ ve mostly ceded huge swaths of Florida long dominated by the GOP .
That concession has had consequences .
While a quarter of Florida ’ s 13.9 million voters have no party affiliation , registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 275,000 .
But Republicans control both chambers of the Florida statehouse .
A Democrat hasn ’ t occupied the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and both the state ’ s U.S. senators are Republicans .
Four years ago , Trump prevailed over Democrat Hillary Clinton by a little more than 1 percentage point — not even the closest of recent heartbreak races for Democrats .
In 2018 , Republican Rick Scott ousted incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson by just 10,000 votes out of nearly 8.2 million cast .
“ These margins are microscopic for such a large state as Florida , “ said Dr. Fergie Reid Jr. , a Democratic activist whose voter registration campaign is often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from red to blue .
This past spring , Reid set his sights on replicating that success in Florida and began reaching out to Democratic groups across the state to help field candidates in every legislative race .
By the filing deadline , 29 House seats and seven Senate seats that were previously uncontested had contenders in place .
“ Florida is ripe for the taking .
All we have to do is take it , ” said Reid .
Conventional wisdom says it ’ s the candidate at the top of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But Florida Democrats are hoping that enthusiasm rises from the bottom up and compounds quickly .
“ If only for the fact that if that person ’ s friends and family might equal 50 people and you add that up across the state , that ’ s enough to turn more than one election , ” said Kevin Cate , a Democratic consultant who worked for the only Democrat currently in statewide office , Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried .
“ They are fielding candidates just to say that they have candidates in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to win races , and we think that Trump will win Florida , “ said Florida Republican Party Chair Joe Gruters , who ’ s running for reelection to his state Senate seat .
“ They ’ re going to have a great time coming together on election night and crying on each other ’ s shoulders , “ he said .
But Democrats are pressing on .
On the stump and on social media , the Democrats running in red districts are campaigning on traditional party themes — protecting the environment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and promoting racial equity .
But they are also appealing to Trump voters who have soured on the president and his close ally Republican Gov .
Ron DeSantis for their handling of the pandemic .
“ At first there were some good things about Trump .
A lot of things made sense early in his presidency , “ said Johnson , who became a community activist after losing her job because of the outbreak and struggling to get benefits from the state ’ s broken unemployment system .
“ But there was this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America are created equal -- and I didn ’ t like that .
Now with the pandemic , things have just totally fallen apart.
” In Florida ’ s conservative Panhandle , another Democrat says Trump prompted her to run — making her the first Democrat to compete in Senate District 1 in two decades .
“ You can ’ t be on the sidelines and complain to your friends on Facebook , “ said Karen Butler , a 20-year Air Force veteran running in a region with a strong military presence .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate Angela Hoover says she ’ s clear-eyed about her chances .
“ I don ’ t care what anybody says .
I did the research .
I know the demographics , I know the issues .
And I know the odds , “ said Hoover , the first Democrat to run for House District 3 since 2010 .
“ We don ’ t just campaign for ourselves , ” she said .
“ We ’ re also campaigning for the party and everybody up the ticket .
When we talk about Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put ourselves out there .
We ’ re all campaigning for each other .
”

Bobby Caina Calvan - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Tropical Storm Douglas grows, far out in Pacific Ocean

MEXICO CITY - Newly formed Tropical Storm Douglas was strenghtening over the open Pacific Ocean on Tuesday and forecasters projected @ @ @ @ @ by Wednesday .
Douglas , which reached tropical storm force the day before , was @ @ @ @ @ 1,750 kilometres ) southwest of the southern tip of Mexico ’ s Baja California Peninsula @ @ @ @ @ sustained winds of 60 mph ( 95 kph ) .
The U.S. National Hurricane Center @ @ @ @ @ reach hurricane force on Wednesday , though it was likely to start declining again later @ @ @ @ @ was headed to the west-southwest at 14 mph ( 22 kph ) , and was @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday afternoon .
There were no immediate hazards to land .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Yom Kippur synagogue attacker goes on trial in Germany

MAGDEBURG , Germany - A German man went on trial Tuesday for a Yom Kippur attack on a synagogue that is considered one of the worst anti-Semitic assaults in the country ’ s post-war history .
The trial comes at a time when anti-Semitic crimes have reached their highest level since Germany started tracking such crimes in 2001 , amid an overall increase in right-wing extremist criminality .
Stephan Balliet , 28 , is alleged to have posted an anti-Semitic screed before carrying out the Oct. 9 attack in the eastern German city of Halle .
He broadcast the shooting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The attacker tried but failed repeatedly to force his way into the synagogue as 52 worshippers were inside .
Prosecutors allege he then shot and killed a 40-year-old woman in the street outside and a 20-year-old man at a nearby kebab shop as an “ appropriate target ” with immigrant roots .
Balliet is charged with 13 crimes including murder and attempted murder , along with bodily harm , incitement and other charges .
Forty-three victims and relatives have joined the trial as co-plaintiffs , as allowed under German law .
The start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delayed for two hours due to the intense interest from dozens of national and international reporters and others who lined up for hours in front of the court building to get through security .
The suspect , clad in all black , with a blue face mask and shaved head , was taken to the court room by special forces with bullet-proof vests and covered faces .
Balliet was handcuffed and his feet were shackled , the German news agency dpa reported .
Igor Matviyets , a member of Halle ’ s Jewish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of others outside the court building , said he worried the assault would be considered a crime against Jews only and not as an attack on the entire society .
“ That is something I ’ m trying to fight against , ” Matviyets told The Associated Press .
“ Because everyone could become a target of far-right crime , of far-right terrorists.
” During his attack , Balliet was armed with eight firearms , several explosive devices , a helmet and a protective vest , according to the indictment .
Prosecutors have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Following the attack , the suspect fled the city , wounding another two people in a small town near Halle where he abandoned his car and stole a taxi .
Balliet was arrested about 1 1/2 hours after the attack as he got out of the taxi , which had been in an accident .
The head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany , Joseph Schuster , called the attack “ one of the worst anti-Semitic incidents of the last years in Germany.
” “ The suffering of the people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inconceivable , ” Schuster said in a statement .
“ It was a miracle that they could evade this massacre.
” As the suspect tried to break into the synagogue , terrified worshippers inside were able to watch him through a surveillance camera .
Schuster demanded that the court looks into all aspects of the attack , and continues to investigate whether the suspect had any support from others .
He lauded the German government for making the fight against far-right crimes one of its top priorities in recent months and said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Germany had taken a hard hit after the attack , it was now “ almost back at the level before the attack , though additional security measures have partially led to restrictions in community life , ” dpa reported .
German authorities vowed to step up measures against far-right extremism following the killing of a regional politician by a suspected neo-Nazi , the attack on the Halle synagogue and the fatal shooting of nine people of immigrant background in Hanau over the past year .
A lawyer for the co-plaintiffs , Juri @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about trying to find out how somebody could develop so much hatred “ for people that he doesn ’ t know at all .
”

Kirsten Grieshaber And Volkmar Kienoel - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Report: UK officials ‘avoided’ looking into Russian meddling

LONDON - A long-awaited report on Russian influence in British politics criticized the British government for neglecting to investigate whether Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum , describing its utter lack of curiosity about the threats to democracy as being a major failure at the heart of power .
The parliamentary report ’ s authors accused the British government of “ actively avoiding ” looking into evidence of the Russian threat to the EU referendum .
The authors found this particularly unforgivable given the evidence that emerged of Russian interference in the U.S. elections and in the Scottish independence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been no assessment of Russian interference in the EU referendum and this goes back to nobody wanting to touch the issue with a 10-foot pole , ’ ’ committee member Stewart Hosie said , demanding that such a study be done and the public informed .
While the report from the parliament ’ s Intelligence and Security Committee said it would be “ difficult — if not impossible — to prove ” allegations that Russia sought to influence the referendum , it was clear that the government “ was slow to recognize the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concluded that the goal of a resurgent Russia in influencing the vote would be to amplify existing divisions , and thus possibly destabilize Western political systems .
In a 20-page response , officials denied the government had “ badly underestimated ” the Russian threat and rejected the call for an assessment of alleged Russian meddling during the Brexit referendum .
“ We have seen no evidence of successful interference in the EU Referendum , ” the statement said .
The report says Russia sees Britain as one of its top intelligence targets in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.K. is the “ new normal , ” and successive governments have welcomed Russian oligarchs with open arms .
Russians with “ very close links ” to President Vladimir Putin were “ well integrated into the U.K. business , political and social scene — in ‘ Londongrad ’ in particular , “ it said .
Speaking before the report was released , Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Russia “ never interfered in electoral processes , ’ ’ not in the United States , not in Britain , not in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t do that ourselves and we don ’ t tolerate when other countries try to interfere with our political affairs , ” Peskov said .
The report ’ s authors said they were subjected to an unprecedented delay in making the document public , with officials holding off its release for more than six months .
Critics have claimed that was meant to shield Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party from embarrassment .
The committee did not offer a theory as to why the government delayed the report , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explanations for delaying the report were not true .
The report was originally submitted to Johnson on Oct. 17 .
The government initially said it couldn ’ t be published until it was reviewed for national security issues , which postponed its release until after the Dec. 12 general election .
Further holdups were caused by delays in appointing new members to the Intelligence and Security Committee .
Finally , Johnson named five Conservative lawmakers to the nine-person panel in hopes his handpicked candidate would be chosen as chairman and block the report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Conservative was chosen to head the committee with backing from opposition parties .
The opposition Labour Party has accused the government of failing to publish the report because it would lead to further questions about links between Russia and the pro-Brexit campaign in the 2016 referendum on European Union membership , which Johnson helped lead .
Another parliamentary panel — the Digital , Culture , Media and Sport Committee — previously published the results of its own inquiry into disinformation and “ fake news , ” which called on election regulators and law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businessman with links to Russia donated 8.4 million pounds ( $ 10.6 million ) to the Brexit campaign .
The National Crime Agency said in September that it found no evidence of criminal offences related to the donation .
The intelligence committee report covered the full range of the Russian threat to the U.K. , including election interference , espionage and targeted assassinations such as the attempt to kill former spy Sergei Skripal in the English city of Salisbury two years ago .
The report urged British authorities to beef up their defences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediate action ” was for new legislation to give tools to the British intelligence community faced with a “ very capable ” adversary and to battle espionage , illegal financial dealings of Russian elite in Britain and their “ enablers.
” It called for better co-ordination with Britain ’ s Western allies , and said Britain should be ready to lead international action and should work to develop new rules on “ offensive cyber ” operations .
It faulted unspecified social media companies for “ failing to play their part ” and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ ensure that they take covert hostile state use of their platforms seriously ” and “ name and shame ” those that fail to act .
The report ’ s release comes only days after Britain , the United States and Canada accused hackers linked to Russian intelligence agencies of trying to steal information from researchers working on a potential coronavirus vaccine .

Danica Kirka, Sylvia Hui And Jamey Keaten - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Fox’s Chris Wallace gets praise for his interview with Trump

NEW YORK - As veteran journalists who now teach the craft to college students , Tom Bettag and Frank Sesno both said they will use Chris Wallace ’ s interview with President Donald Trump to show how it ’ s done well .
“ This was an ‘ A-plus ’ accountability interview , ” said Sesno , a former CNN Washington bureau chief who spoke to five presidents as a journalist and now teaches a class in the “ art of the interview ” at George Washington University .
Wallace ’ s interview on “ Fox News Sunday ” made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus to the presidential campaign , and his direct challenges to Trump were still being talked about a day later .
To some , its impact was exaggerated simply because Trump had so rarely put himself in that position during his first term as president .
When the president said that presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden wants to defund police departments , Wallace replied , “ No , sir , he does not.
” That led to a back-and-forth over whether Biden wanted to “ abolish ” police forces , with the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McEnany , standing nearby .
Because the interview was taped in advance , Wallace was able to add a voiceover that the White House could not provide evidence of the president ’ s claim , “ because there is none.
” Wallace also came armed with statistics to challenge Trump arguments about the mortality rate and testing for COVID-19 .
Asked to respond to clips of him making too-rosy predictions about the spread of the virus , a flustered Trump responded : “ I ’ ll be right eventually.
” “ No one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said University of Maryland ’ s Bettag , the longtime producer of ABC ’ s “ Nightline ” when Wallace would occasionally sub for Ted Koppel as host .
“ He goes over and over on questions .
He consults with as many people as he can .
Most of all , he studies what his subject is likely to answer .
He did a great interview because he worked his butt off getting ready.
” Sesno compared it to a lawyer preparing for every eventuality when cross-examining a witness .
At one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked , “ Why on Earth would your administration be involved in a campaign to discredit Dr. ( Anthony ) Fauci ?
” Wallace then showed him a copy of an anti-Fauci cartoon shared on social media by a White House aide .
Wallace also kept many of his questions direct , less easy to slip away from : “ Is the Confederate flag offensive ?
” “ Would you consider a national mandate that people need to wear masks ?
” “ Why wouldn ’ t you ... send more money so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He asked Trump , “ Is Joe Biden senile ?
” and the president answered , “ I wouldn ’ t say that.
” But later in the interview he described the Democrat as “ mentally shot.
” “ The way he asked the questions made for an interview that was very revealing , ” said Jane Hall , a journalism professor at American University .
“ You can confront people without being confrontational.
” Hall , a Fox News analyst when she covered the media for the Los Angeles Times , took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the university in February .
Some initially wondered what they would get out of it , believing that many Fox personalities are friendly to Trump and few of his appearances on the network are particularly challenging .
Wallace is old-school , however , a former White House correspondent , and a “ Meet the Press ” moderator while at NBC News .
He ’ s been at Fox since 2003 .
“ He ’ s very good at this .
He ’ s been doing this for a long time .
And he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Sesno said .
Wallace is the son of legendary “ 60 Minutes ” correspondent Mike Wallace .
Meghan McCain said Monday on “ The View ” that “ it was the first time I ’ ve really seen President Trump squirm.
” He ’ s not often in that position .
Trump has been interviewed 19 times as president by Fox ’ s Sean Hannity and 17 times on “ Fox & Friends , ” said CBS News reporter Mark Knoller , who keeps count of the president ’ s media appearances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overall — compared to 20 on NBC , CBS and ABC combined and none on CNN .
Wallace may have done well , but tough questioning and fact-checking aren ’ t a reason to throw him a parade , author Steven Beschloss tweeted .
It ’ s what every journalist should be doing , he said .
CNN ’ s fact-checker , Daniel Dale , said on Twitter that Wallace missed opportunities to correct Trump more .
Some Republicans said it was time for Biden to get the same treatment .
Former House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ big win ” for Trump because “ he proved he could take the heat.
” One White House staff member , who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal thinking , said that Trump appeared to be caught off guard by the questioning and it did little to improve his standing with the public .
Even if the president doesn ’ t appear on “ Fox News Sunday ” again , there ’ s a strong chance Trump hasn ’ t seen the last of Wallace .
He was one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his performance Sunday can ’ t hurt his chances of being selected again .
Associated Press writer Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Astronauts squeeze in last spacewalk before SpaceX departure

CAPE CANAVERAL , Fla. - Astronauts squeezed in one last spacewalk Tuesday before turning their attention to the all-important end to SpaceX ’ s first crew flight .
NASA ’ s Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy floated out of the International Space Station on their fourth and final spacewalk in under a month .
Instead of swapping batteries , they had to route cables , hook up a tool storage chest and perform other maintenance .
It was the 10th spacewalk in each of their careers , tying the U.S. record set by previous space station residents .
In less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hurley , who monitored the spacewalk from inside , will depart the orbiting complex in the same SpaceX Dragon crew capsule in which they arrived at the end of May .
SpaceX is aiming for a splashdown off the Florida coast in August — the first splashdown for astronauts in 45 years .
Weather permitting , the Dragon capsule will parachute into the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida Panhandle .
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said once Tuesday ’ s spacewalk is finished , the astronauts are “ going to be focused like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the SpaceX test flight has gone exceedingly well so far .
“ And I ’ m knocking on wood because it is not over until Bob and Doug are home , “ he said at a Space Foundation panel discussion Monday The first-stage booster used to launch Behnken and Hurley on May 30 blasted off for a second time Monday from Cape Canaveral .
It landed on a floating platform in the Atlantic after hoisting a satellite for South Korea ’ s military , to be used again for another flight .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Iraq’s new premier visits Iran, his first visit abroad

TEHRAN , Iran - Iraq ’ s new prime minister was in Iran on Tuesday , his first official visit abroad since taking office more than two months ago , Iranian media reported .
State television showed footage of Mustafa al-Kadhimi landing at Tehran ’ s Mehrabad airport .
The TV said al-Khadhimi would meet top Iranian leaders , including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani .
The official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency later released a photo of Rouhani and al-Kadhimi at a welcome ceremony in Tehran , showing both wearing protective face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
“ We hope to have constructive talks for deepening relations ” between the two nations , said Iran ’ s government spokesman Ali Rabiei .
The visit came after Iranian foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Baghdad over the weekend , Zarif ’ s first visit to Iraq since a U.S. airstrike in January killed a top Iranian general , Qassim Soleimani , outside Baghdad ’ s international airport .
The strike catapulted Iraq to the brink of a U.S.-Iran proxy war that could have destabilized the Middle East .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the site where Soleimani was killed , saying “ Iran-Iraq relations will not be shaken ” despite the general ’ s death .
Soleimani led Iran ’ s expeditionary Quds Force and was the architect of its regional military activities .
A former intelligence chief backed by Washington , al-Kadhimi took office in May after he had played a significant part for years in the war against the Islamic State group , which was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 .
The Iraqi prime minister had planned a visit to Saudi Arabia on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but postponed it following news that Saudi King Salman was admitted to a hospital in the capital , Riyadh .
Iran sees Iraq as a possible route to bypass U.S. sanctions that President Donald Trump re-imposed on Tehran in 2018 , after pulling America out of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers .
Last year , Iran ’ s exports to Iraq amounted to nearly $ 9 billion , the official IRNA news agency reported Tuesday .
It said the two nations will discuss increasing that amount to $ 20 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , religious tourism between Iraq and Iran has stopped .
Before the pandemic , some 5 million tourists — bringing in nearly $ 5 billion a year — visited Shiite holy sites in the two countries .
Under former dictator Saddam Hussein , Iraq waged an eight-year war in the 1980s against Iran , a conflict that left nearly 1 million killed on both sides .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Dutch ‘Dr. Superstrict’ Rutte influential in EU virus deal

THE HAGUE , Netherlands - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte didn ’ t win many friends with his tough negotiating over the course of a marathon four-day European Union summit in Brussels .
That didn ’ t bother the three-term leader who is a veteran of plenty of past EU negotiations .
“ We are not here because we are going to be visitors at each other ’ s birthday party later , ” he told reporters during a brief lull in the grueling series of meetings .
“ We are here because we do business for our own country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two-day summit to hammer out an unprecedented 1.8 trillion-euro ( $ 2.1 trillion ) budget and coronavirus recovery fund stretched into a third and then a fourth day , the normally affable , smiling Rutte became the grim face of the “ frugals ” a group of five northern nations demanding fiscal responsibility and reforms even as the 27-nation bloc came to the rescue of member states hardest hit by the pandemic .
It ’ s hardly a new position for Rutte , 53 , whose country is an EU founding member @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from its single market but has long been critical of administrative overreach and inefficiency from Brussels .
A Dutch referendum in 2005 rejected a proposed EU constitution .
The Dutch also have long linked EU money to reforms in member states , arguing that countries in southern Europe need to overhaul their labour markets and pension systems in return for financial help .
Even so , it was a tough four days for Rutte , who has in the past been touted as a possible president of the EU ’ s executive commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
No , ” and Dr. Superstrict .
Hard-line Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wondered out loud why Rutte hated his nation .
He compared Rutte ’ s negotiating stance to the rule of Hungary ’ s former communist leaders .
Rutte insisted after the summit that the relationships between leaders remain strong .
“ You can have big differences of opinion , maybe through fatigue somebody will smack their fist on a table or hit the roof , but the personal relationships are so good , they stay good , ” Rutte @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end , Rutte — and his fellow EU leaders — hammered out compromises and everybody headed , bleary-eyed , back home claiming a measure of success .
EU superpowers France and Germany had wanted the 750-billion-euro coronavirus fund to be made up of 250 billion euros in grants and 500 billion euros in loans .
Rutte and his frugal allies initially balked at any grants before eventually agreeing to 390 billion in grants with guarantees on reforms in southern nations like Italy and Spain .
Adriaan Schout , Senior Research Fellow at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s influence was clear in the final deal “ This is this is most definitely a compromise in which we can see his fingerprints all over the place , ” Schout said .
He called the compromise , “ a defendable deal that will go to ( Dutch ) parliament and I guess there will be a majority.
” Euro-skeptic populists in the Netherlands were quick to criticize , possibly with an eye on Dutch national elections that are due by March next year .
Geert Wilders , whose Party for Freedom is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal “ Crazy .
Billions thrown away that we should have spent in our own country.
” Another reason for Rutte attracting so much criticism during the summit could be that he was not able to shelter behind the even more skeptical British , who are no longer part of the EU since Brexit .
But Schout believes the absence of Boris Johnson in Brussels did not affect the Dutch leader .
“ Rutte would have always played this role , even with the Brits , “ Schout said .
” He ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ European co-operation .
... That will ask a price .
He ’ s willing to pay the price .
”


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Minnesota lawmakers ban neck restraints after Floyd’s death

ST. PAUL , Minn. - The Minnesota Legislature passed a package of police accountability measures early Tuesday that includes a ban on neck restraints like the one that was used on George Floyd before his death in Minneapolis .
The sweeping package was said to be one of the most substantial changes to the state ’ s criminal justice system in years and also bans chokeholds and so-called warrior-style training in which officers are instructed to view all encounters as inherently dangerous .
Passage of the measures comes after nearly two months of negotiations that followed Floyd ’ s death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrained face down in the street while handcuffed and with three officers holding him down , including a white officer who had a knee to Floyd ’ s neck for nearly 8 minutes .
The House approved the measure 102 to 29 just before midnight Monday .
The Senate passed it 60 to 7 and sent the bill to Gov .
Tim Walz a couple of hours later .
The legislation also improves data collection around deadly force encounters and creates a new state unit to investigate those cases .
It increases funding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arbitration panel to handle police misconduct cases and establishes incentives for officers to live in the communities they police , the Star Tribune reported .
The Democratic governor had to call the special session to give lawmakers a chance to rescind the emergency powers he ’ s been using to respond to the coronavirus pandemic .
House Democrats blocked a GOP effort to void those powers .
The session also gave legislators another chance to pass the policing measures and a bonding bill , which they were unable to agree on during last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bonding bill fell to the wayside as legislators worked to pass police reform as time expired on the session .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Fear of China driving Hong Kong extradition concerns

HONG KONG - With Britain the latest country to scrap its extradition treaty with Hong Kong , the focus in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory has returned to the concerns about China ’ s legal system that set off months of anti-government protests last year .
Those sometimes violent demonstrations — themselves sparked by an extradition bill — were used as justification by Beijing to impose a sweeping national security law on June 30 that has been cited by Britain , the United States , Australia and Canada in suspending their extradition agreements with Hong Kong .
The moves underscore a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. and other like-minded democracies over human rights and other issues .
Just three years ago , Australia ’ s conservative government was making a high-profile push for an extradition treaty with China , an effort that ran afoul of parliamentary opposition .
Now , not only has Australia suspended extradition with Hong Kong , it is warning its citizens of the risk of arbitrary detention in China .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in London on Tuesday to discuss China-related issues with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong .
China ’ s ambassador to Britain , Liu Xiaoming , called the step a gross interference in his country ’ s internal affairs .
The key issue , paralleling one in the Hong Kong protests , is the possibility that suspects returned to the city could be handed over to Chinese law enforcement and disappear into the mainland ’ s opaque and frequently abusive legal system .
China says the new security law is needed to combat terrorism and separatism and prevent Hong Kong from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power .
“ Extradition , at the bottom of it , is a political act .
It ’ s a political act whether or not you surrender a person , ” said Philip Dykes , chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association .
“ Extradition treaties with Hong Kong were always on the basis that whatever happens , a person will not be removed to the mainland.
” It was a separate piece of extradition legislation that led to last year ’ s protests , one that would have permitted the extradition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While the Hong Kong legal system ’ s fairness and transparency has helped establish the city as a centre for business and finance , China ’ s Communist Party-dominated courts are accused of handing down convictions based on political considerations and frequently using coerced confessions .
The biggest political crisis in the former British colony since its 1997 handover to Chinese sovereignty was triggered by a murder case .
A young Hong Kong man , Chan Tong-kai , allegedly killed his girlfriend while on vacation in Taiwan and fled back home .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Taiwan for trial because of the lack of an extradition treaty .
The government cited Chan ’ s case as an example of the loophole the proposed extradition legislation would close , allowing Hong Kong to transfer fugitives to any jurisdiction with which it did not have an extradition treaty , including Taiwan and mainland China .
The proposal triggered a massive backlash from Hong Kong residents , who feared that suspects could be sent to the mainland for trial .
Though the government withdrew the bill during the protests , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-police agenda and grew increasingly violent .
The detention of several Hong Kong booksellers in late 2015 had already focused concern about Beijing ’ s undermining of the legal autonomy the territory was promised when it was handed back to Chinese rule .
The booksellers vanished before resurfacing in police custody in mainland China .
Among them , Swedish citizen Gui Minhai was abducted from his vacation home in Thailand and later appeared twice in videotaped confessions , the second time after being taken off a train by police in eastern China in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two Swedish diplomats .
Another of the booksellers , Lam Wing-kee , later fled to Taiwan .
The prospect of falling afoul of the new law and disappearing into the maw of the Chinese legal system has prompted others to leave as well .
Among them are a former employee of the British Consulate in Hong Kong , Simon Cheng , who has been granted political asylum in Britain , and Nathan Law , a leading member of Hong Kong ’ s opposition movement who posted on Facebook that he had left Hong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has pledged to retaliate for Britain ’ s decision to cancel its extradition treaty with Hong Kong , as well as to ban the sale of military-grade equipment to the territory .
“ China urges the British side to abandon the illusion of continuing colonial influence in Hong Kong ... so as to avoid further damage to China-Britain relations , ” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Tuesday .
China ’ s dissatisfaction is based on issues of national pride as well as more practical concerns .
Under President Xi Jinping , China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corrupt officials and others who have fled abroad with their ill-gotten gains .
While that effort has scored some successes , it has also been frustrated by the lack of extradition treaties with key countries .
Cancelling extradition to Hong Kong represents a further vote of no-confidence in China ’ s legal system , one already registered by the refusal of the U.S. , Britain and other nations to sign extradition agreements with Beijing .
Australia abandoned plans to do so in 2017 .
Parliament ’ s endorsement of the treaty was to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Keqiang ’ s visit to Australia in March of that year , a high point in a volatile diplomatic relationship .
Since then , ties have deteriorated to a historical low .
McGuirk reported from Canberra , Australia .
Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London and Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report .

Zen Soo And Rod McGuirk - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Jordan PM hints at support for one Israeli-Palestinian state

JERUSALEM - Jordan ’ s prime minister says the kingdom would look “ positively ” on the creation of a binational state that guarantees equal rights to Israelis and Palestinians if Israel ’ s proposed annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank closes the door on a two-state solution .
The international community and the Palestinian leadership remain committed to a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict .
Israel rejects the idea of a binational state , fearing an eventual Palestinian majority would endanger its existence as a Jewish and democratic state .
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a third of the West Bank in line with President Donald Trump ’ s Mideast plan would make it virtually impossible to establish a viable Palestinian state .
Critics say that would force Israel to choose between being an apartheid state or granting equal rights to all .
“ You close the door to the two-state solution , I could very well look at this positively , if we ’ re clearly opening the door to a one-state democratic solution , ” Jordan ’ s Prime Minister Omar Razzaz told the UK ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday .
“ But nobody in Israel is talking about that , and so we can not just sugar-coat what they ’ re doing .
Who ’ s talking about the one-state solution in Israel ?
They ’ re talking about apartheid in every single sense , “ he added .
“ I challenge anybody from Israel to say yes , let ’ s end the two-state solution , it ’ s not viable , ” he said .
“ But let ’ s work together on a one-state democratic solution .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at very favourably .
But closing one and wishful thinking about the other is just self-deception.
” Jordan , a close Western ally and one of just two Arab states to have made peace with Israel , is strongly opposed to annexation .
Along with most Arab and Western countries , it supports Palestinian demands for a state in the West Bank , Gaza , and east Jerusalem , territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war .
Earlier this month , a prominent Jewish American commentator came out in favour of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Jewish establishment and Washington foreign policy circles .
Peter Beinart , a journalism professor at City University of New York and contributor to The Atlantic , argued that the two-state solution was no longer possible and endorsed the idea of a single democratic state between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River with equal rights for Jews and Palestinians .
Support for a democratic , binational state is still largely confined to a small group of intellectuals on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict .
No major party or faction in Israel or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two-state solution is still widely seen as the only way of resolving the conflict , the two sides remain deeply divided about the core issues and have not held substantive talks in more than a decade .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Sudan’s ousted ruler back in court for trial over 1989 coup

CAIRO - Sudan ’ s ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir was back in court on Tuesday , this time facing charges of plotting the 1989 Islamist-backed coup that removed an elected government and brought him to power .
Dozens of people , mostly al-Bashir supporters , gathered outside the courthouse in the capital , Khartoum , amid tight security as the former president was brought from jail and the proceedings got underway .
Al-Bashir appeared in court wearing a traditional white robe and turban .
Shortly after the proceedings opened , the trial was adjourned till Aug. 11 so that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said attorney Mohammed al-Hassan who is on al-Bashir ’ s defence team .
The military overthrew al-Bashir in April 2019 amid massive public protests against his rule .
Months after the overthrow , the army generals and a pro-democracy movement behind the protests set up a transitional government .
The 76-year-old al-Bashir has been jailed in Khartoum since his ouster , facing several separate trials related to his rule and the uprising that helped oust him .
He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and genocide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2000s .
Sudan ’ s transitional authorities announced in February that they have agreed to hand over al-Bashir to the ICC to face justice , as part of a deal with rebels to surrender all those wanted in connection with the Darfur conflict .
But since that announcement , there has been no follow-up action on his extradition .
In one of he cases he faces in Khartoum , al-Bashir was convicted last December of money laundering and corruption and sentenced to two years in a minimum security lockup .
In Tuesday ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plotting the 1989 coup that ousted the elected government of Prime Minister al-Sadiq al-Mahdi , according to the state-run SUNA news agency .
Al-Bashir is on trial along with over two dozen top officials in his government , including former vice-president , Ali Ossman Taha , and former defence minister , Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein , who is also wanted by the ICC over the Darfur conflict .
Al-Hassan , the lawyer , said coups “ happen historically , from time to time , ” referencing the many upheavals since Sudan gained independence in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no case ” for something that is part of Sudan ’ s history , he said .
During his three-decade rule , al-Bashir kept an iron grip on power and brutally suppressed any opposition , while monopolizing the economy through allied businessmen .
After years of war , he was forced to allow the secession of South Sudan , a huge blow to the north ’ s economy .
He became an international pariah over the bloodletting in Darfur and the United States targeted his government repeatedly with sanctions and airstrikes for @ @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Breached levees trap thousands as flooding in China worsens

BEIJING - Breached levees have trapped more than 10,000 people in an eastern Chinese town as flooding worsens across much of the country , local authorities said Tuesday .
High waters overcame flood defences protecting Guzhen , a town in Anhui province , on Sunday , the provincial government said on its official microblog .
Flood waters rose as high as 3 metres ( 10 feet ) , the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang Qingjun , Guzhen ’ s Communist Party secretary , as saying .
About 1,500 firefighters were rushed to carry out rescues in the province , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lives of more than 3 million people , Xinhua said .
China ’ s Meteorological Administration said more heavy rainfall along the Yellow River and Huai River is expected over the next three days .
At least 141 people have died or gone missing in flooding since the beginning of June , with more than 150,000 houses damaged and direct economic losses estimated at about $ 9 million .
On Sunday , a dam in Anhui was blasted to allow flood waters to flow downriver .
The province ’ s Wangjiaba dam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sluice gates on Monday , flooding cropland and forests to prevent more extensive damage down river .
The move forced more than 2,000 people to seek safety in the middle of the night , some loading blankets and furniture onto three-wheel motorcycles..
Built in 1953 , the Wangjiaba dam is a key defence against flooding along the Huai and has only opened its sluice gates on 15 occasions , the last time in 2007 .
Other parts of Aunhui have also been forced to take extreme measures , with the Liu ’ an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been directed into seven flood retention areas on Tuesday .
Both the Yangtze , China ’ s mightiest river , and the Yellow River to the north have become engorged following torrential rains .
The western city of Lanzhou , on the Yellow River , has already seen a second flood crest as the river speeds past it toward eastern China and the Bohai Gulf .
In the central province of Hubei , authorities in Enshi prefecture that lies to the south of the Yangtze warned residents Tuesday to prepare to evacuate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could burst anytime .
Such lakes are usually formed when rivers become blocked by earth , stones and other debris .
While rainfall has been heavier than usual this year , the level of death and destruction is below the annual average for the last few years , according to Xinhua .
China experienced its worst flooding in recent years in 1998 , when more than 2,000 people died and almost 3 million homes were destroyed , mostly along the Yangtze .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Trump, Congress square off over virus aid as crisis worsens

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump acknowledged a “ big flareup ” of COVID-19 cases , but divisions between the White House and Senate Republicans and differences with Democrats posed fresh challenges for a new federal aid package with the U.S. crisis worsening and emergency relief about to expire .
Trump convened GOP leaders at the White House on Monday as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell prepared to roll out his $ 1 trillion package in days .
But the administration criticized the legislation ’ s money for more virus testing and insisted on a full payroll tax repeal that could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to quickly shift .
“ We ’ ve made a lot of progress , ” Trump said , but added , “ Unfortunately , this is something that ’ s very tough.
” Lawmakers returned to a Capitol still off-limits to tourists , another sign of the nation ’ s difficulty containing the coronavirus .
Rather than easing , the pandemic ’ s devastating cycle is churning again , leaving Congress little choice but to engineer another costly rescue .
Businesses are shutting down again , many schools will not fully reopen and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aid will expire in days .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , said any attempt by the White House to block money for testing “ goes beyond ignorance.
” The political stakes are high for both parties before the November election , and even more so for the nation , which now has registered more coronavirus infections and a higher death count — 140,800 — than any other country .
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and acting chief of staff Mark Meadows will meet privately Tuesday with Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s end , as a $ 600 boost in jobless aid is set to expire , and said he expected a fresh $ 1 trillion jolt of business tax breaks and other aid would have a “ big impact ” on the struggling economy .
On Capitol Hill , McConnell faces not just pressure from the White House but also splits within his ranks , which have chiseled away at his majority power and left him relying on Democrats for votes .
The package from McConnell , being crafted behind closed doors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help schools reopen .
It will likely replace an expiring $ 600 weekly unemployment benefits boost with a smaller amount .
The cut in unemployment assistance is designed to ensure that jobless people do not receive a greater benefit than if they were working .
Regular state benefits vary widely , and the measure would peg the federal bonus payment to a percentage of the state benefit .
McConnell ’ s package may also send a fresh round of direct $ 1,200 cash payments to Americans below a certain income level , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sweeping five-year liability shield against coronavirus lawsuits .
But the administration was panning the proposal ’ s $ 25 billion in new funds for virus testing and tracing and insisting on the payroll tax cut , Republicans said .
At Monday ’ s White House meeting , Trump said he wants a full payroll tax repeal , said one Republican who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting .
Trump then put economist Art Laffer on speakerphone .
Laffer is part of a conservative group favouring the tax break @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partial repeal would be included in the coming bill .
Easing the payroll tax is dividing Trump ’ s party because it is used to finance Social Security and Medicare .
The tax is already being deferred for employers under the previous virus relief package .
Supporters say cutting it now for employees would put money in people ’ s pockets and stimulate the economy , but detractors warn it would do little for out-of-work Americans and add to the nation ’ s rising debt load .
McConnell is straining to keep the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 1 trillion .
GOP senators swiftly pushed back as the Republicans and the White House battled over priorities .
GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas was among several Republicans saying he ’ s “ not a fan ” of a payroll tax holiday .
Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee , the chairman of the Health committee , said , “ All roads to opening school , going back to work , opening child care lead through testing.
” Trump has insisted that the virus would “ disappear , ” but the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ match projections from the leading health professionals straining to halt the alarming U.S. caseload and death toll .
On a conference call with the nation ’ s governors Monday , Vice-President Mike Pence called the rising numbers in Sunbelt states “ serious.
” Schumer warned Monday his side will block any effort from McConnell that falls short , reviving a strategy from the last virus aid bill that forced Republicans to the negotiating table .
This time , the House has approved Pelosi ’ s sweeping $ 3 trillion effort , giving Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Democrats ’ presumed presidential nominee , stated his own priorities .
The new package should “ deliver a lifeline to those who need it most : working families and small businesses , ” he said .
Trump raised alarms on Capitol Hill when he suggested last month at a rally in Oklahoma that he wanted to slow virus testing .
Testing is seen as the best way to track the virus to contain its spread .
Another Republican familiar with the process said about half of the $ 25 billion previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigating why the administration has left so much on the table .
The proposed virus aid package would be the fifth , following the $ 2.2 trillion bill passed in March , the largest U.S. intervention of its kind .
While many Republicans hoped the virus would ease and economy rebound , it ’ s become clear more aid is needed .
The jobless rate remained at double digits , higher than in the last decade ’ s Great Recession , and a federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units approved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani , Andrew Taylor , Zeke Miller and Alexandra Jaffe in Washington and Alan Suderman in Richmond , Va. , contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Magnitude 3.7 earthquake strikes remote corner of Utah

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the magnitude 3.7 quake shook the desert at 3:44 a.m. local time .
The @ @ @ @ @ s southwest corner , about 14 miles east of Enterprise and 28 miles north of @ @ @ @ @ reported feeling it in Hurricane .
A total of 6 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or @ @ @ @ @ same area since since 1962 , the largest of which was a magnitude 4.2 temblor @ @ @ @ @ Jamie Farrell , an assistant research professor at the University of Utah Seismograph Stations .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Norway’s Adevinta buys eBay classifieds unit in $9.2B deal

LONDON - EBay Inc. is selling its classifieds business to Norway ’ s Adevinta in a deal worth $ 9.2 billion that will create the world ’ s largest online classifieds group , the companies said Tuesday .
Under the terms of the deal , the U.S. company will get $ 2.5 billion in cash and become the largest shareholder in Adevinta , with a 44 % equity stake and a third of the voting rights .
The combined company will have classified ad websites in 20 countries , covering 1 billion people and receiving about 3 billion monthly visits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Classifieds Group , Adevinta becomes the largest online classifieds company globally , with a unique portfolio of leading marketplace brands , ” Adevinta CEO Rolv Erik Ryssdal said .
EBay ’ s classified brands include Gumtree in Australia and the U.K. , Marktplaats in the Netherlands , Mobile.de in Germany , Vivanuncios in Mexico and Canada ’ s Kijii .
Adevinta ASA owns Leboncoin.fr , France ’ s biggest online classifieds site , and classified businesses in more than a dozen other countries in Europe , North Africa and Latin America .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media company Schibsted .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Cops: 14 injured after shooting outside Chicago funeral home

CHICAGO - Fourteen people were injured in connection with a shooting late Tuesday outside a funeral home on Chicago ’ s South Side , police officials said Tuesday .
First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter said mourners outside a funeral home were fired upon from a passing SUV .
Carter says several targets of the shooting returned fire .
The SUV later crashed and the occupants fled in several directions .
One person of interest has been taken into custody .
Carter says all the victims were adults .
The victims were taken by the Chicago Fire Department to nearby hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Langford.. Arnita Geder and Kenneth Hughes said they heard gunshots while in their home watching television , adding that they came outside to find bodies that were shot up and “ laying everywhere.
” “ We thought it was a war out here , ” Geder told the Chicago Sun-Times .
“ It ’ s ridiculous all the shooting that ’ s going on out here , it really has to stop.
” The shooting comes as the Department of Homeland Security is planning to deploy dozens of federal agents to Chicago to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the city .
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot , after threatening to sue if President Donald Trump acted without her permission , said Tuesday the city would be working with federal agents to fight crime .
Lightfoot has been skeptical of federal agents being sent to Chicago by Trump due to the controversy in Portland , Oregon , where the Trump administration sent federal officers after weeks of protests there over police brutality and racial injustice that followed the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
Lightfoot said she expects Chicago will receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies that already work with the city , including the FBI , Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives .
Oregon ’ s governor and Portland ’ s mayor have expressed anger with the presence of the federal agents , saying that the city ’ s protests had started to ease just as the federal agents started taking action .
Trump has framed such protests in the nation ’ s large cities as a failure by “ liberal Democrats ” who run them , praised the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking to send agents to other cities .
He pointed to rising gun violence in Chicago , the nation ’ s third-largest city , where more than 63 people were shot , 12 fatally , over the weekend .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Mexico probe: marines abducted 27 at border, 12 found dead

MEXICO CITY - Mexican marines allegedly abducted 27 people in the northern border city of Nuevo Laredo in early 2018 , 12 of whom were later found dead , according to an investigation by Mexico ’ s governmental human rights commission .
The rights commission said Tuesday that marines had violated the victims ’ “ right to life , ” but did not say outright they had killed them .
The commission also said marines engaged in “ illegal searches and arbitrary detentions.
” The commission issued non-binding recommendation that criminal investigations be opened and changes be made in Navy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote in its Twitter account that it “ the points recommended were accepted.
” In Nuevo Laredo , across the border from Laredo , Texas , the Navy was locked in bitter fight at the time against the Northeast cartel , an outgrowth of the old Zetas cartel .
While Mexican marines had played a central role in going after drug cartels in previous administrations , that role has been reduced under current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador .
The Navy has said cartel gunmen sometimes wear fake military uniforms and drive vehicles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that was not an adequate defence .
The commission also said it found inconsistencies , like changed identification of vehicles , in Navy reports on the incidents .
Time after time , witnesses told investigators that their relatives had been picked up while driving or walking on the streets of Nuevo Laredo in early 2018 by marines , or people wearing marine uniforms .
The abductors also barged into some homes and businesses and snatched people without search or arrest warrants , and sometimes used unmarked or police vehicles to take people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from again , the bullet-ridden bodies of 12 did turn up in subsequent weeks , mostly dumped along roads or on rural properties .
In September 2018 , the Navy said in a press statement that 230 marines and 27 officers who had been serving in the area at the time had been called back to Navy headquarters in Mexico City , in order to have them co-operate with the investigations .
The Navy said at the time that it “ would act firmly and with vigour in accordance with the law in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ naval personnel are considered probably responsible for violations of human rights , ” However , it is unclear whether any charges have been filed in the disappearances .
The commission urged civilian prosecutors and military internal affairs investigators to follow through on investigations .
The commission also demanded that all military patrols be videotaped and that military forces not use civilian vehicles .
The commission filed a similar report implicating marines in the disappearance of five people from a motel in Ciudad Camargo , Tamaulipas in October 2016 , including some U.S. citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The commission said marines tore the motel ’ s security cameras out in an apparent attempt to cover up the abductions .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--GOP splits as virus aid package could swell past $1 trillion

WASHINGTON - The price tag for the next COVID-19 aid package could quickly swell above $ 1 trillion as White House officials negotiate with Congress over money to reopen schools , prop up small businesses , boost virus testing and keep cash flowing to Americans while the virus crisis deepens in the U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday promised a new round of direct payments to earners below a certain income level , similar to the $ 1,200 checks sent in the spring .
President Donald Trump insists on a payroll tax holiday for workers .
And Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up local governments .
“ Regretfully , this is not over , ” McConnell said after a raucous private GOP lunch , urging Americans to learn to live with the new virus by wearing masks and practicing social distancing until a vaccine can be found .
Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and acting chief of staff Mark Meadows spent the day on Capitol Hill , meeting separately with McConnell , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others trying to broker a compromise between the GOP ’ s emerging $ 1 trillion proposal with the House ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The lunch session grew heated as key Republican senators complained about big spending , vowing to stall the relief bill ’ s passage .
Supporters of the package “ should be ashamed of themselves , “ Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said as he emerged .
Paul compared GOP backers of the spending to “ Bernie bros ” — referring to the young supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont .
“ This is insane .
...
There ’ s no difference now between the two parties.
” As a long line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the bill , Texas Sen. Ted Cruz asked his colleagues , “ What in the hell are we doing ?
” Cruz warned if the economy is still shut down come November , Joe Biden will win the White House , Democrats will control the Senate and “ we ’ ll be meeting in a much smaller lunch room , ” according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door session .
Sen. Rick Scott of Florida left saying it ’ s wrong to “ bail out ” cash-strapped states .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay for New York ’ s expenses , “ he said .
With the pandemic showing no signs of easing , officials acknowledge the daunting challenge of trying to contain the coronavirus and prevent further economic distress .
The U.S. has rising infections and a death toll nearing 142,000 , more than anywhere else in the world .
The health crisis is worsening just as emergency aid is about to expire .
Meadows told reporters the president wants to ensure the funding package “ meets the legitimate needs that are before the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are in disarray , and Pelosi later blamed the pandemic ’ s mounting toll on the president ’ s inaction .
“ It is the Trump virus , ” she said on CNN .
The Republicans are poised to roll out a $ 1 trillion package , what McConnell called a “ starting point ” in talks .
It ’ s a counter-offer to Pelosi ’ s $ 3 trillion House-passed plan as they race to strike a deal by the end of the month .
That ’ s when a $ 600 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including a federal rental moratorium on millions of apartment units , expires .
McConnell ’ s package would send a fresh round of direct cash payments to Americans below a certain income level , likely $ 75,000 for singles , extend small business loans under the Paycheck Protection Program and create a five-year liability shield against what he warns is a potential “ epidemic ” of coronavirus lawsuits .
It ’ s also expected to include at least $ 105 billion for education , with $ 70 billion to help K-12 schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and $ 5 billion for governors to allocate .
The Trump administration wanted school money linked to reopenings , but in McConnell ’ s package the money for K-12 would be split 50-50 between those that have in-person learning and those that do not .
Republicans want to replace the $ 600 weekly federal jobless benefit with a lower amount , to prevent the unemployed from receiving more aid than they would through a normal paycheque , Republicans said .
Over lunch , Mnuchin explained the unemployment boost could be phased down to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous income , according to a Republican granted anonymity to discuss the private meeting .
Some Republicans prefer simply eliminating the $ 600 benefit .
But the president ’ s priorities are splitting his GOP allies and giving momentum to Democrats .
Trump wants a full repeal of the 15.3 % payroll tax , which is shared among employers and employees , and funds Social Security and Medicare .
Experts say that alone would cost $ 600 billion .
At a White House meeting on Monday , GOP leaders told Trump they preferred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cut .
Easing the payroll tax is dividing Trump ’ s party because it does little to help out-of-work Americans and adds to the debt load .
The tax is already being deferred for employers under the previous virus relief package .
Supporters say cutting it now for employees would put money in people ’ s pockets and stimulate the economy .
The administration also panned McConnell ’ s proposed $ 25 billion for more virus testing , saying earlier allotments remain unspent .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Tuesday the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next round of aid , rather than adding more to the existing pot .
She said no one is holding it up .
Senate Democrats began investigating why the Trump administration has left almost half the testing money unspent .
After meeting with Mnuchin , Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Republicans must quit stalling .
They broadly dismissed the emerging GOP effort as inadequate .
The political stakes are high for both parties before the November election , and even more so for the nation , as amid the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Democrats ’ presumed presidential nominee , stated his own priorities , urging “ a lifeline to those who need it most : working families and small businesses.
” Trump ’ s renewed focus on therapeutics and a vaccine is falling flat among lawmakers who understand that any COVID-19 cures remain months , if not a year , from widespread distribution in the U.S .
The federal government is still struggling to provide basic medical supplies and personal protective equipment to health care providers .
Mnuchin vowed to stay on Capitol Hill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reach a deal by month ’ s end .
The proposed virus aid package would be the fifth , following the $ 2.2 trillion bill passed in March , the largest U.S. intervention of its kind .
The jobless rate has remained in double digits , higher than in the last decade ’ s Great Recession , and a federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units approved in the last bill is about to expire .
Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor , Darlene Superville , Alexandra Jaffe and Padmananda Rama in @ @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Alaska Bar sidesteps contentious Dershowitz keynote choice

ANCHORAGE , Alaska - Just days after the announcement that famed trial attorney Alan Dershowitz would be the keynote speaker sparked a controversy among its members , the Alaska Bar Association has cancelled this year ’ s annual conference .
The board cited several concerns for cancelling , most importantly the rising number of cases of COVID-19 in Alaska .
The cancellation also ended the controversy over Dershowitz ’ s selection , made solely by Robert Stone , an Anchorage lawyer , as part of his job as the president of the board of governors to organize the annual conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week to see if the invitation would stand after complaints were made .
“ Once the convention was cancelled , then all other issues became moot , so to speak , because the convention ’ s done , no speakers , no events , ” he said .
The consternation over Dershowitz , a retired Harvard University law professor , stemmed in part from some of the people he has represented over the years , from Jeffrey Epstein to O.J .
Simpson to Mike Tyson .
He also helped defend President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addition , Virginia Roberts Giuffre says after meeting Epstein as a teenager in Florida in 2000 , he flew her around the world and pressured her into having sex with numerous older men , including Dershowitz , which he denies .
Dershowitz told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the accusations are “ provably false ” and he “ did nothing wrong in my representation of anybody.
” But for critics like Anchorage lawyer Scott Kendall , a former chief of staff for ex-Gov .
Bill Walker , Dershowitz seems a complicated selection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates of violence against women are among the highest in the nation .
Kendall said Dershowitz has made the decision to represent certain people .
“ Those have represented opportunities to him .
I ’ m sure he was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to represent Jeffrey Epstein , ” Kendall said .
“ That ’ s his right as an attorney .
If the downside to that is , he doesn ’ t get a free trip to Alaska and get paid $ 15,000 to give a speech , then cry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sympathy for that.
” Stone said the bar association ’ s governing board will meet in September to discuss the selection process for keynote speaker going forward .
Dershowitz said he would love to come to Alaska and give the keynote in 2021 .
He also said he ’ d publicly debate Kendall .
“ By the criteria suggested by Mr. Kendall , they would have disinvited John Adams and Abraham Lincoln , ” Dershowitz said .
“ And so I hope that whatever criteria they select will be consistent with the values @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countered he “ truly wouldn ’ t have the hubris to compare myself to a founding father and , you know , arguably the greatest president in the history of the country.
” “ It ’ s our right as attorneys here who swear ourselves into the Alaska Bar to object if we think a keynote , as a place of honour , doesn ’ t reflect our values , ” Kendall said .
“ And I think that ’ s what happened , and I think the process worked in this case @ @


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--New Zealand minister fired for improper affair with staffer

WELLINGTON , New Zealand - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Wednesday she has fired her immigration minister for having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate .
Ardern said Iain Lees-Galloway had a consensual affair for about a year with a woman who was at first employed in one of the agencies he oversaw and later worked as a staff member in his office .
Ardern , who leads the liberal Labour Party , said she was wary about passing moral judgment but the minister had opened himself up to accusations of improperly using the power of his role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workplace relations and safety .
Lees-Galloway , 41 , said he accepted Ardern ’ s decision and apologized .
He said he wouldn ’ t seek reelection at the upcoming general election , which is being held in September .
“ I have acted completely inappropriately in my position and can not continue as a minister , “ Lees-Galloway said in a statement .
The development was the latest in a series of scandals from both sides of the aisle in the New Zealand parliament which have amounted to a reckoning of sorts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawmaker Andrew Falloon abruptly resigned after allegedly sending sexually explicit images to several women , including a university student .
Falloon hasn ’ t commented on the allegations , other than to say he apologized for making unspecified mistakes , and had been getting mental health counselling .
In both cases , the allegations were first sent to the leaders of the opposing political parties , suggesting there may have been an element of politics at play .
But the developments also suggested that behaviour which may have previously been accepted or kept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no longer be tolerated .
Ardern said she learned about the allegations on Tuesday afternoon and questioned Lees-Galloway about them in the evening .
She said he ’ d shown a significant lack of judgment over the course of a year .
“ His actions have ultimately led me to lose confidence in him as a minister , ” Ardern said .
Ardern said that as she understood it , the relationship had ended several months ago .
She said the parliament had long had a culture and an environment that needed improving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the blame lay with male lawmakers .
“ We all have a role to make sure that we maintain standards in this environment , ” Ardern said .
“ I ’ m not going to start casting judgments on specific genders here .
”


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Fear of China’s courts drives Hong Kong extradition concerns

HONG KONG - A year ago , an extradition bill in Hong Kong that could have sent criminal suspects to face trial in mainland China sparked the semi-autonomous territory ’ s largest protests and its biggest political crisis since its return to China in 1997 .
Now , the issue has come full circle .
After China cited the sometimes violent demonstrations as justification to impose a sweeping new security law in Hong Kong , the U.K. this week became the fourth country to suspend its extradition treaty with the former British colony , joining the United States , Australia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s withdrawn extradition bill , the concern was the possibility that people could be handed over to mainland Chinese law enforcement and disappear into its opaque and frequently abusive legal system .
“ Extradition , at the bottom of it , is a political act .
It ’ s a political act whether or not you surrender a person , ” said Philip Dykes , chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association .
“ Extradition treaties with Hong Kong were always on the basis that whatever happens , a person will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moves underscore a growing divide between authoritarian China and the U.S. and other like-minded democracies over human rights and other issues .
Just three years ago , Australia ’ s conservative government was making a high-profile push for an extradition treaty with China , an effort that ran afoul of parliamentary opposition .
Now , not only has Australia suspended extradition with Hong Kong , it is warning its citizens of the risk of arbitrary detention in China .
China says the new security law is needed to combat terrorism and separatism and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for subverting Chinese state power .
In general , cases would be tried in Hong Kong , but the law allows for mainland jurisdiction in some circumstances .
China ’ s policies toward Hong Kong were on the agenda for meetings in London on Tuesday between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab .
It was a separate piece of legislation that launched last year ’ s protests , one that would have permitted the extradition of criminal suspects from Hong Kong to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system ’ s fairness and transparency has helped establish the city as a centre for business and finance , China ’ s Communist Party-dominated courts are accused of handing down convictions based on political considerations and using coerced confessions .
What became the biggest political crisis in the semi-autonomous territory since its 1997 handover to Chinese sovereignty was triggered by a murder case .
A young Hong Kong man , Chan Tong-kai , allegedly killed his girlfriend while on vacation in Taiwan and fled back home .
Hong Kong authorities could not send @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lack of an extradition agreement .
The government cited Chan ’ s case as an example of the loophole the proposed extradition legislation would close , allowing Hong Kong to transfer fugitives to any jurisdiction with which it did not have a treaty , including Taiwan and mainland China .
The proposal triggered a massive backlash from Hong Kong residents , who feared that suspects could be sent to the mainland for trial .
Though the government withdrew the bill during the protests , the demonstrations took on a broader anti-government and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China ’ s detention of several Hong Kong booksellers in late 2015 had already focused concern on the undermining of the legal autonomy the territory was promised when the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997 .
The booksellers vanished before resurfacing in police custody in mainland China .
Among them , Swedish citizen Gui Minhai was abducted from his vacation home in Thailand and later appeared twice in videotaped confessions , the second time after being taken off a train by police in eastern China in January 2018 while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Another of the booksellers , Lam Wing-kee , later fled to Taiwan .
The prospect of falling afoul of the new law and disappearing into the Chinese legal system is prompting others to leave as well .
Nathan Law , a leading member of Hong Kong ’ s opposition movement , fled to Britain after the law was enacted .
Simon Cheng , a former employee of the British Consulate in Hong Kong who had left earlier , was granted political asylum in Britain earlier this month .
China has pledged to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cancel its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and ban the sale of military-grade equipment to the territory .
“ China urges the British side to abandon the illusion of continuing colonial influence in Hong Kong ... so as to avoid further damage to China-Britain relations , ” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Tuesday .
China ’ s dissatisfaction is based on issues of national pride as well as more practical concerns .
Under President Xi Jinping , China has pushed hard for the return of corrupt officials and others who have fled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that effort has scored some successes , it has been frustrated by the lack of extradition treaties with key countries .
Cancelling extradition to Hong Kong represents a further vote of no-confidence in China ’ s legal system , one already registered by the refusal of the U.S. , Britain and other nations to sign extradition agreements with Beijing .
Australia abandoned plans to do so in 2017 .
Parliament ’ s endorsement of the treaty was to be a highlight of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang ’ s visit to Australia in March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a volatile diplomatic relationship .
Since then , ties have deteriorated to a historical low .
McGuirk reported from Canberra , Australia .
Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London and Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Fort Hood soldier’s body found near base; 3rd death in month

AUSTIN , Texas - U.S. Army officials on Tuesday said that the body of a Fort Hood solider was found near the Texas army base , marking the third time in a month that a Fort Hood soldier ’ s body has been discovered .
Pvt .
Mejhor Morta , 26 , was found unresponsive July 17 in the vicinity of Stillhouse Hollow Lake , according to Fort Hood officials .
Stillhouse Hollow Lake is a reservoir located in Bell County and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ’ Fort Worth District .
“ The Black Knight family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Private Mejhor Morta , ” said Lt. Col. Neil Armstrong , commander of 1st Brigade 5th Cavalry .
Regiment .
“ I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to his family , friends and loved ones.
” Morta , of Pensacola , Florida , entered the Army in September 2019 as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle mechanic .
Since May 2020 , he had been assigned to 1st Battalion , 5th Cavalry Regiment , 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team , 1st Cavalry Division , according to a statement from Fort Hood .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal , National Defence Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon .
The incident is being investigated by the Bell County Sheriff ’ s Department , who did not immediately respond to a request from the Associated Press seeking comment .
Officials have not said whether the death is considered suspicious .
On June 21 , officials had discovered skeletal remains in a field in Killeen , just over 10 miles ( 16 kilometres ) from Stillhouse Hollow Lake , which were subsequently identified as 24-year-old missing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Army officials have said they suspect foul play in his death .
Then on July 1 , U.S. Army officials found more human remains , which were later identified as 20-year-old missing Fort Hood soldier Spc .
Vanessa Guillen , near the Leon River in Bell County , about 20 miles ( 32 kilometres ) east of Fort Hood .
There is no indication that the deaths of Morales and Guillen are connected .
Members of Congress joined advocates for women Tuesday to continue the call for changes in the way the military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death of Guillen , whom investigators believe was killed and dismembered by someone stationed at the same base in Fort Hood .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Lawyer for Epstein’s ex-girlfriend seeks gag order in case

NEW YORK - A lawyer for financier Jeffrey Epstein ’ s ex-girlfriend on Tuesday asked a judge presiding over her sex crimes case to impose a gag order on lawyers and others to reduce prejudicial pretrial publicity and protect her chances of a fair trial .
The attorney , Jeffrey Pagliuca , filed a letter in Manhattan federal court citing public comments made by Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss , the head of New York ’ s FBI office and lawyers for accusers of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell after her July 2 arrest in Bradford , New Hampshire .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is necessary to prevent “ prejudicial pretrial publicity by the government , its agents , and lawyers for alleged witnesses.
“ In particular , he cited comments at a news conference by William Sweeney , head of New York ’ s FBI office , that referenced Maxwell as “ one of the villains in this investigation ” and compared her to a snake that “ slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire.
” Prosecutors declined through a spokesperson to comment on the gag order request .
The request came on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s favour came during a White House news conference when President Donald Trump was asked about her and said : “ I just wish her well , frankly.
” Trump also said of Maxwell : “ I ’ ve met her numerous times over the years , especially since I lived in Palm Beach , and I guess they lived in Palm Beach .
But I wish her well.
” Maxwell , 58 , pleaded not guilty last week to charges that she recruited three girls , one as young as 14 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abuse during massage sessions she sometimes participated in at his Manhattan mansion and in Palm Beach , Florida ; Santa Fe , New Mexico , and London .
Epstein , 66 , took his life last August at a Manhattan federal jail while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges related to the sexual abuse of girls and women in Manhattan and Florida in the early 2000s .
Maxwell was ordered held without bail until a July 2021 trial by Judge Alison J. Nathan .
On Tuesday , Nathan issued a written order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of letters and messages from non-parties that purport to be related to this case.
“ She called them “ procedurally improper or irrelevant ” to the judicial proceedings and said they would be ignored .
At a bail hearing last week , Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe argued against bail by saying Maxwell had been less than forthcoming when she was interviewed by Pretrial Services .
“ In addition to failing to describe in any way the absence of proposed cosigners of a bond , the defendant also makes no mention whatsoever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her spouse whose identity she declined to provide , “ Moe said .


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--COVID-19 outbreak reported at Texas federal medical prison

FORT WORTH , Texas - More than 500 women at a federal medical prison in Texas have tested positive for the coronavirus , in one of the largest confirmed outbreaks at a federal prison , the Bureau of Prisons said .
The number of confirmed cases at the Federal Medical Center-Carswell in Fort Worth jumped to 510 on Tuesday , just two days after the Bureau of Prisons reported that 200 women there had tested positive for COVID-19 , the illness caused by the coronavirus .
Only the federal prison in Seagoville , also located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,156 cases as of Tuesday .
“ We ’ re like a whole bunch of hamsters in a cage chasing our own tails , ” said Carswell inmate Holli Chapman .
Three weeks ago , the prison had reported only three confirmed cases of the virus among inmates .
One prisoner , Andrea Circle Bear , died in April .
On July 12 , 69-year-old Sandra Kincaid became the second woman to die there from the virus .
The third , 51-year-old Teresa Ely , died Monday .
FMC-Carswell holds female inmates with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently has 1,357 prisoners .
Since April , many inmates have told the Forth Worth Star-Telegram that they were concerned the virus could spread through the prison .
One of the inmates who has tested positive for the virus is Reality Winner , a former government contractor who is serving a five-year prison sentence after she pleaded guilty to mailing a classified report to a news organization .
Carswell ’ s administration directed questions to the Bureau of Prisons .
The agency said in a statement that it is taking precautions to stem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with any type of emergency situation , we carefully assess how to best ensure the safety of staff , inmates and the public , ” the agency said .
“ All of our facilities are implementing the BOP ’ s guidance on mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
” Last week , several women at Carswell told the newspaper that the facility did not have enough sanitizing supplies or protective equipment .
The women also noted that cells are not immediately cleaned after someone tests positive .
Inmate Sandra Shoulders said mattresses used by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in a TV room .
“ We feel basically abandoned , ” she said .
“ ( Officers ) are saying they ’ re doing all this stuff for us , that they ’ re in here with us .
But they ’ re not the ones in 24-hour quarantine , left in a 6-by-6 cell with three other people with 10 minute showers , 10 minutes to be on the phone or email to communicate with their families .
”


thetorontostar--2020-07-21--Minnesota lawmakers pass police accountability package

MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Legislature passed a broad slate of police accountability measures early Tuesday that includes a ban on neck restraints like the one that was used on George Floyd before his death in Minneapolis .
The package also bans chokeholds and so-called warrior-style training , which critics say promotes excessive force .
It imposes a duty to intercede on officers who see a colleague using excessive force .
It changes rules on the use of force to stress the sanctity of life .
It makes changes in arbitration rules affecting police unions .
Officers will get more training @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues and autism .
The measure also creates a new advisory council for the state board that licenses officers .
“ This is a really a great bill , but it is only a first step , ” Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman , of Brooklyn Park , said at a news conference .
“ It paves the way for transformational change , but it doesn ’ t bring about transformational change.
” Democratic House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler , of Golden Valley , told reporters that Minnesota will “ continue to live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as its racial inequities in health , education , income and policing continue to exist .
“ It is vitally important for the world to see us pass this legislation , “ Winkler said .
” Of course , it ’ s more important to protect the lives of people in our state .
But Minnesota , I think , has suffered a severe reputational hit in the world .
And it ’ s because we have revealed the truth of our state , which is that we are among the worst when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that can not continue.
” Passage came after nearly two months of difficult negotiations that followed Floyd ’ s death May 25 and the ensuring unrest that spread around the world over police brutality and racism .
The Black man was restrained face down in the street while handcuffed and with three officers holding him down , including a white officer who had a knee to Floyd ’ s neck for nearly eight minutes .
The Republican-controlled Senate sent the bill to Democratic Gov .
Tim Walz on a 60-to-7 vote early Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House approved the package 102-29 just before midnight .
Walz said he plans to sign it .
“ George Floyd ’ s death brought the need for meaningful police reform into sharp focus for Minnesotans across the state , ” the governor said in a statement .
“ After decades of advocacy by communities of colour and Indigenous communities , the bipartisan passage of these measures is a critical step toward justice.
“ Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka , of East Gull Lake , told WCCO Radio that the final package included @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” from both parties and was backed by law enforcement groups .
On Tuesday , members of a Minneapolis city charter commission held the second of two public hearings on a proposal to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a new agency , the Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention .
Last month the Minneapolis City Council unanimously advanced the proposal to change the city ’ s charter , or constitution .
Voters would need to approve the amendment .
As at the first hearing last week , many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s hearing favoured letting voters decide the issue in November .
Supporters said change is needed to start addressing longstanding complaints of racism and brutality against the Police Department .
But opponents called the proposal vague and lacking details .
“ I understand the impulse to do something in response to the killing of George Floyd and others , and to be seen by the public as making a change , ” said Carleton Crawford , a 27-year resident of Minneapolis .
But he said the proposal would mark a “ radical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city.
“ Walz had to call the special session , the second in as many months , to give lawmakers a chance to rescind the emergency powers he ’ s been using to respond to the coronavirus pandemic .
The House Democratic majority last week blocked a GOP effort to void those powers , just as it did in June .
Lawmakers then turned their attention to policing .
The governor will have to call another special session in mid-August if , as expected , he extends his emergency authority again .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pass one of their main unfinished pieces of business , a public construction package known as a bonding bill .
They ’ ve been unable to agree on that all year .
The House voted 75-57 in favour of the $ 1.8 billion package early Tuesday .
But bonding bills require a three-fifths majority .
That would have required at least six votes from Republicans , who withheld their support in a dispute over Walz ’ s reliance on emergency powers .
A business tax break that would have benefited farmers and businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats added to the package did not sway the House GOP .
Hortman said the outlook for passing a bonding bill next month is “ murky ” because the looming campaign season can only make passing it harder .