thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Administration drops secrecy posture on small business aid

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration has abruptly dropped its insistence on secrecy for a $ 600 billion-plus coronavirus aid program for small businesses .
The administration announced Friday it will publicly disclose the names of recipients of the taxpayer-funded loans , the amounts they received in ranges , as well as demographic data on the businesses .
The unexpected move came after Democratic lawmakers , government watchdogs , ethics advocates and news organizations called for the administration to make the information public .
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin refused to do so at a Senate hearing last week , saying the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ proprietary information.
” The Small Business Administration , which manages the loan program , has only provided general information , such as the total amounts of loans awarded in a given time period .
Mnuchin said in a statement Friday that the new position resulted from a bipartisan agreement with leaders of the Senate Small Business Committee .
The new approach “ will strike the appropriate balance of providing public transparency , while protecting the payroll and personal income information of small businesses , sole proprietors and independent contractors , ” Mnuchin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on loans of less than $ 150,000 will only be disclosed in totals by industry , business type and demographic category .
Nearly 75 % of the total loan amounts approved are over $ 150,000 and will be subject to full disclosure , according to the Treasury Department and the SBA .
In addition , business owners ’ personally identifiable information , such as a home address associated with the loan , will be withheld .
Critics had denounced the refusal to open the information to the public as an attempt to dodge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is spent .
They said it raised questions about how the money was being distributed and who was benefiting .
President Donald Trump has moved to curb oversight of federal relief programs since Congress enacted the multitrillion-dollar coronavirus rescue law in late March .
Government watchdogs overseeing the law raised the alarm this week over a Treasury Department legal opinion concluding that the law ’ s disclosure requirements don ’ t extend to several programs including the small-business relief .
“ The Treasury Department finally gave in to public pressure ... because their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PPP loans was untenable , “ Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Friday .
“ This reversal is a good start and will help us determine if taxpayer money went where Congress intended — to the truly small ” businesses .
Businesses struggled to obtain loans in the early weeks of the program in April , and several hundred publicly traded companies received loans despite their likely ability to get funding from private financial sources .
Publicly shamed , a number of big corporations said they would return their loans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 3,200 employees and an annual budget shy of $ 1 billion — is shouldering the massive relief effort for U.S. small businesses and their employees left reeling by the economic punch of the pandemic .
A signature piece of the sweeping rescue law , and touted by Trump , the unprecedented lending program is intended to help small employers stay afloat and preserve jobs in a cratering economy losing tens of millions of them .
As of Friday , the SBA says it has processed 4.6 million loans worth about $ 512 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if businesses use the money to keep employees on payroll or rehire workers who have been laid off .
For the larger loans , the SBA will disclose the business names , addresses , zip codes , business types , demographic data , number of jobs supported , and loan amount ranges : from $ 150,000 to $ 350,000 , $ 350,000 to $ 1 million , $ 1 million to $ 2 million , $ 2 million to $ 5 million and $ 5 million to $ 10 million .
The demographic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SBA found recently that the agency failed to provide guidance to lenders about prioritizing rural , minority and women business borrowers , so they may not have received loans as intended by the legislation .
Sen. Marco Rubio , the Florida Republican who heads the Senate Small Business Committee , said Friday that Americans “ deserve to know how effective the PPP was in protecting our nation ’ s small businesses and the tens of millions of Americans they employ.
“ He said the new agreement with the Treasury Department strikes a balance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legitimate concerns of many small-business owners regarding disclosure of information .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Juneteenth takes on new meaning amid push for racial justice

DETROIT - Protesters marched over the Brooklyn Bridge , chanted “ We want justice now !
” near St. Louis ’ Gateway Arch , prayed in Atlanta and paused for a moment of silence at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington , as Americans marked Juneteenth with new urgency Friday amid a nationwide push for racial justice .
The holiday , which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans , is usually celebrated with parades and festivals but became a day of protest this year in the wake of demonstrations set off by George Floyd ’ s killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In addition to traditional cookouts and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation — the Civil War-era order that declared all enslaved people free in Confederate territory — Americans of all backgrounds were marching , holding sit-ins or taking part in car caravan protests .
Thousands of people gathered at a religious rally in Atlanta .
Hundreds marched from St. Louis ’ Old Courthouse , where the Dred Scott case partially played out , a pivotal one that denied citizenship to African Americans but galvanized the anti-slavery movement .
Protesters and revelers held signs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a marching band in Chicago and registered people to vote in Detroit .
“ Now we have the attention of the world , and we are not going to let this slide , ” Charity Dean , director of Detroit ’ s office of Civil Rights , Inclusion and Opportunity , said at an event that drew hundreds and called for an end to police brutality and racial inequality .
Events marking Juneteenth were planned in every major American city Friday , although some were being held virtually because of the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Chicago and New York , participants packed together , though many wore masks .
At others , masks were scarce .
In Nashville , Tennessee , about two dozen Black men , most wearing suits , stood arm in arm in front of the city ’ s criminal courts .
Behind them was a statue of Adolpho Birch , the first African American to serve as chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court .
“ If you were uncomfortable standing out here in a suit , imagine how you would feel with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Phillip McGee , one of the demonstrators , referring to Floyd , a Black man who died after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes .
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22 , 1862 , and it became effective the following Jan. 1 .
But it wasn ’ t enforced in many places until after the Civil War ended in April 1865 .
Word didn ’ t reach the last enslaved Black people until June 19 , when Union soldiers brought the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Most states and the District of Columbia recognize Juneteenth — a blend of the words June and 19th — as a state holiday or day of recognition , like Flag Day .
But with protests over Floyd ’ s killing and a pandemic that ’ s disproportionately harmed Black communities , more Americans — especially white people — are becoming familiar with the holiday and commemorating it .
“ I feel hopeful and really , really proud to see the community of whites and Blacks joining together and for white people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is , ” said Elaine Loving , who marched with her two daughters , grandchildren and hundreds of others in Portland , Oregon ’ s historically Black neighbourhood , where she ’ s lived since 1959 .
Some places that didn ’ t already mark Juneteenth as a paid holiday moved in recent days to do so , including New York state .
In Tennessee , Republican Gov .
Bill Lee signed a proclamation Friday to recognize Juneteenth Day .
It came the week after Republican lawmakers voted to keep a day commemorating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and early Ku Klux Klan leader , but remove the governor ’ s responsibility to sign the annual proclamation for it .
The growing recognition of Juneteenth comes as protests have yielded results , including policing reforms in several places .
Also gaining momentum were longstanding demands to remove symbols and names associated with slavery and oppression .
Hundreds gathered in an Atlanta suburb Thursday night to watch a crane remove a Confederate monument that had stood in the town square since 1908 .
In Portland , Oregon , protesters who took to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday tore down a statue of George Washington that was erected in the 1920s .
In addition to big marches , smaller events were held .
In Louisiana , community and environmental groups won a court fight to hold a Juneteenth ceremony at a site archaeologists have described as a probable cemetery for enslaved African Americans .
Philadelphia residents staged impromptu celebrations after a parade and festival were cancelled because of the pandemic , and St. Petersburg , Florida , unveiled of a blocklong mural that says “ Black Lives Matter.
“ “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t have to tell us that .
We ’ re trying to tell the world that , “ said Plum Howlett , a tattoo artist who painted part of the mural .
President Donald Trump issued a message for Juneteenth , which he said was “ both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation ’ s unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness.
” Trump had originally planned a rally Friday in Tulsa , Oklahoma , but changed the date to Saturday amid an uproar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such significance .
The city also is where white mobs attacked a prosperous black business district nearly a century ago , leaving as many as 300 people dead .
In New Orleans , where demonstrators were greeted with bowls of red beans and rice , speaker Malik Bartholomew offered a reminder .
“ We celebrate Juneteenth in honour of the celebration of freedom , but guess what ?
We also have to celebrate the fight , “ Bartholomew said .
Mattise reported from Nashville , Tennessee and Smith from Providence , Rhode Island @ @ @ @ @ @ @ St. Louis , Phil Marcelo in Boston , Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg , Florida , Ron Harris in Atlanta , Janet McConnaughey and Stacey Plaisance in New Orleans and Gillian Flaccus in Portland , Oregon , contributed to this report .

Mike Householder, Jonathan Mattise And Michelle R. Smith - The Associated Press

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thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Police accountability bills stall in Minnesota Legislature

MINNEAPOLIS - A special session of the Minnesota Legislature appeared to be in a stalemate Friday with both parties deeply divided on how far lawmakers should go toward remaking policing in the state where George Floyd was killed .
The Democratic-controlled House early Friday passed an extensive package of police accountability measures wrapped into one bill .
It includes elements of five more modest policing bills that the Republican-controlled Senate passed earlier in the week but would make bigger changes than what Senate Republicans have said they ’ ll accept .
As lawmakers huddled behind closed doors , or met @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , around 400 demonstrators held a Juneteenth rally outside the Capitol , where they chanted Floyd ’ s name and called for lawmakers to pass the House bill .
GOP Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka , of East Gull Lake , repeatedly has said that Friday was his deadline for adjournment , and that lawmakers should focus on proposals both parties can support .
But Democratic leaders from both chambers urged him at a news conference to allow more time so that both sides could seek compromises on policing and other thorny issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference set for Friday afternoon .
“ We have to do something on police accountability and reform , “ Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman , of Brooklyn Park , told reporters .
” The tragic murder of George Floyd on May 25th changed the entire legislative agenda .
There is no way for us to look away from this injustice , and to not do the work that thousands of Minnesotans and millions of people around the world are demanding that governments take up.
” Democratic Gov .
Tim Walz said Friday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public affairs program that he remained hopeful a compromise can be reached and that negotiations were continuing .
“ We have gone through some of the most tumultuous times in Minnesota ’ s history , ” Walz said , citing the killing of Floyd and the state ’ s reopening from the coronavirus shutdown .
“ And I think there ’ s a desire of folks here to seize that moment and make those systemic changes.
” On Thursday , Walz challenged lawmakers to put the House bill on his desk in time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has long commemorated the emancipation of enslaved Blacks but turned this year into one of protest against police brutality and racism following the killing of Floyd , an African American who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes .
“ Today as people across the state and nation recognize and observe Juneteenth , Senate Republicans are sending a loud message by choosing to pack up and leave before we ’ ve finished the work that Minnesotans are expecting us to do , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Woodbury , told reporters .
” Black , Indigenous and people of colour have spent years fighting for justice .
We can spend a little more than a week doing the same.
” Walz , who has called for making Juneteenth a state holiday , spoke Friday with musician Pharrell Williams , who tweeted that he ’ s asking every governor to make it a paid holiday for state employees , and that he spoke with a number of governors Friday .
“ Thank you for fighting for this issue .
# @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history , and it should be recognized and remembered by our entire state each year , ” Walz wrote as he retweeted Williams ’ thanks .
The two parties also remained divided on the main unfinished business of the 2020 regular session , a public construction borrowing package known as a bonding bill , which could potentially include money for rebuilding neighbourhoods in Minneapolis and St. Paul where businesses were damaged and destroyed in the unrest that followed Floyd ’ s killing .
Other unresolved issues included a potential tax break that could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to allocate federal coronavirus relief money to local governments from the $ 2.1 billion the state received under the CARES Act .
If there is no agreement on the big issues , lawmakers are likely to get another chance in mid-July .
Assuming Walz intends to issue another 30-day extension of the emergency powers he ’ s been using to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic , he ’ s legally required to call another special session for July 12 to let lawmakers object .
That ’ s why he called this special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP attempt last week to remove the governor ’ s emergency authority .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Black culture leaders call to end racial injustice in letter

LOS ANGELES - John Legend , Gabrielle Union and Ava DuVernay are some of the many black cultural leaders who have signed a letter to fight against racism , promote equal pay and ask industries to disassociate from police .
The letter was released Friday by a new organization called the Black Artists for Freedom , which describes itself as a collective of black workers in the culture industries .
The letter was published to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday that long commemorated the emancipation of enslaved African Americans .
The organization said the letter was inspired by the recent protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ They are working in the spirit of the Black Radical Tradition to reclaim our freedoms , ” the letter said .
“ Their courage and imagination have inspired us to build on their necessary demands including chiefly , the abolition of police and the complete dismantling of the racist prison-industrial system.
” The letter included signatures from black workers in film , television , music , publishing , theatre , journalism and education .
It had a list of prominent names such as Sterling K. Brown , Lupita Nyong ’ o , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jenkins , Lee Daniels and Tessa Thompson .
“ No more stereotypes , ” the letter read .
“ No more tokenism .
No more superficial diversity .
No longer will we watch Black culture be contorted into a vehicle for self-congratulation , complacency , guilt relief , experiential tourism , fetishism , appropriation and theft .
”


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--More U.S. workers getting Juneteenth off as awareness grows

NEW YORK - A unprecedented number of U.S. companies are giving employees off for Juneteenth on Friday , raising hopes that the day commemorating the end of slavery could someday become a true national celebration .
The momentum could hinge , however , on whether the country ’ s largest employer - the federal government - joins the trend .
The date - June 19th - is not a federal holiday , and many non-black Americans have only recently become of aware of the day .
More than 460 companies , including Nike , Twitter and Lyft , have committed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offering a paid day off , according to HellaCreative , a group of black creative professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area that launched an initiative to galvanize corporate support for making the day an official holiday .
It ’ s a potential sea change , spreading awareness of the date beyond African Americans who have long celebrated it with cookouts , parades and community festivals .
“ We ’ ve explained our lives away as black people .
We ’ ve had to explain and define black history , ” said Miles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our hope is that we ’ ve said it enough times that folks outside of ourselves see that they are equally part of this picture.
“ Juneteenth commemorates the day when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free 155 year ago in Galveston , Texas , where Union soldiers brought them the news two years after the Emancipation Proclamation .
This year , in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd , Juneteenth is expected to be a day of racial justice protests , a key driver behind companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prominent corporations giving employees time off include Target , J.C. Penney , Best Buy , the NFL and J.P. Morgan Chase .
“ As a black person , I have been ‘ sat down ’ by older relatives and told the stories of disenfranchisement , discrimination , and the multiple exclusions they faced , ” said Phillip Thompson , a team leader at stock images provider Shutterstock , which declared Juneteenth a permanent company holiday .
“ After 155 years , it is truly an emotional moment to know that society is beginning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
Smaller businesses are following suit , particularly those whose employees have engaged in the Black Lives Matter movement , which has reverberated worldwide after Floyd ’ s death and inspired multiracial protests .
Lori Rosen , owner of a small public relations firm in New York City , had never heard of Juneteenth until recently .
But she decided to give her 16 employees the day off when she saw big tech companies doing it , and after New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo declared it a holiday for state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spending the day volunteering for the Juneteenth Freedom Phonebank , an initiative encouraging Census participation .
“ I thought to myself , ‘ How did I not know about this all these years ?
’ ” said Rosen , 64 , who is white .
“ I started wondering , is this another example of how a national holiday is formed ?
” The question is whether the fervour of the moment will last and where it will ultimately lead .
While the list has grown quickly , only a small minority of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not all have committed to do so beyond this year .
“ Right now , everyone is feeling really strongly about this but is this something they think they are going to maintain longer term ?
” said Carolina Valencia , a director in research firm Gartner ’ s human resource practice .
“ Is this going to temporarily raise awareness or is the awareness going to last ?
It ’ s hard to know.
” Declaring the date a federal holiday would add considerable momentum , and there is growing support for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Texas Republican , introduced legislation Thursday to make Juneteenth a federal holiday .
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee , a Texas Democrat , introduced a similar bill in the House .
Texas was the first state to make it a holiday in 1980 .
All but three states - Hawaii , South Dakota and North Dakota - now recognize the day in some way .
Most private companies take their cues from the federal government when drawing up their holiday calendars , but they are under no legal obligation to offer any particular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can take a long time for a holiday to become widely observed even after federal or state designations .
According to a 2017 survey by the Society of Human Resources Management , just 39 % of private employers offer the day off on Martin Luther King Jr. Day , which Congress designated as federal holiday in 1983 after 15 years of lobbying .
In contrast , 93 % of employers close on Independence day , with similar rates for Labor Day , Christmas Day and Thanksgiving .
It ’ s a notable shift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declaring Juneteenth a holiday before the federal government does , said Heide Gardner , chief diversity and inclusion officer at advertising and marketing firm Interpublic Group .
She said the trend is reflective of an era of growing employee activism pushing companies to take stands on social issues .
“ It ’ s an interesting moment where companies are taking initiative where government or traditions might have fallen short , ” said Gardner , whose company has also declared Juneteenth a paid holiday .
“ We don ’ t have to wait for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corrected to show that Lori Rosen is 64 , not 67 .
The spelling of Thompson ’ s first name has also been corrected .
It ’ s Phillip , not Philip .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Man convicted of terror ties faces charges in Mumbai attacks

LOS ANGELES - A Chicago businessman who spent more than 10 years in prison for aiding terrorist groups has been arrested in Los Angeles to face murder charges in India for attacks in Mumbai in 2008 that killed more than 160 people , U.S. prosecutors said Friday .
Tahawwur Rana , a Pakistani-born Canadian , was convicted of a terrorist charge connected to the group behind the Mumbai killings sometimes called India ’ s 9-11 , though U.S. prosecutors failed to prove he directly supported the three-day rampage .
Rana , 59 , was serving a 14-year sentence when he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles federal prison last week because of poor health and a bout of coronavirus , but he never got out before being arrested to face extradition to India , prosecutors said .
He has been charged with murder and murder conspiracy in India , according to court documents .
A request for comment to Rana ’ s public defender was not immediately returned .
Rana was convicted in Chicago in 2011 of providing material support to the Pakistani terror group , Lashkar-e-Taiba , which planned the India attack , and for supporting a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that printed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005 .
The cartoons angered many Muslims because pictures of the prophet are prohibited in Islam .
Jurors cleared Rana of a more serious charge of providing support for the attacks in Mumbai , India ’ s largest city , that killed 166 , injured nearly 240 and caused $ 1.5 billion in damage .
Rana ’ s lawyer said he had been duped by his high school buddy , David Coleman Headley , an admitted terrorist who plotted the Mumbai attacks .
The defence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief witness who testified to avoid the death penalty , a habitual liar and manipulator .
Rana was accused of allowing Headley to open a branch of his Chicago-based immigration law business in Mumbai as a cover story and travel as a representative of the company in Denmark .
Prosecutors said Rana knew Headley had trained as a terrorist .
Headley shared information of the scouting missions he conducted in Mumbai and of the Taj Mahal Palace hotel , where gunmen later slaughtered dozens of people .
Headley , who was born in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American mother , said his hatred of India dated to his childhood when his school in Pakistan was bombed by Indian military planes during a war between the countries in 1971 .
Months after the Mumbai attacks , Headley , who did not take part in the attacks , told Rana he was “ even with the Indians now , ” according to a court document .
Rana said they deserved it .
Headley , who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder , was sentenced to 35 years in prison .
As part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t be extradited to India .
Only one of the 10 Mumbai terrorists survived the attack and went to trial .
He was convicted , sentenced to death in India and hanged .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Japan’s economy reopening cautiously, balancing health risks

TOKYO - The roller coasters are back running in Tokyo but with requests to not scream .
Restaurants are offering more take-out and outdoor seating .
Major retailer Uniqlo ’ s new “ cool and dry ” mask , three for 990 yen ( $ 9 ) , sold out Friday shortly after it was put on the shelves .
Japan ’ s economy is opening cautiously , with social-distancing restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic .
The delicate “ new normal ” balancing act playing out around the world is precarious but imperative for Japan , whose long stagnant economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small businesses to avoid sliding deeper into recession .
Yoshimasa Maruyama , chief market economist at SMBC Nikko Securities , said although Japan ’ s coronavirus restrictions were never as strict as the lockdowns in the U.S. , Europe and some other parts of Asia , the damage was still considerable .
Japan ’ s economy was already hurting from a tax increase last year .
Then auto exports to the U.S. and Europe plunged when the coronavirus hit .
Consumer spending is unlikely to recover quickly .
“ Americans may feel happy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lifted .
But the Japanese mind set tends to become even more cautious about spending because of uncertainties about the future , ” Maruyama said .
A return to pre-pandemic levels of economic activity is not expected for Japan until 2023 , a year after a likely recovery in the U.S. , he said .
Although shuttered businesses are opening again , fewer seats are allowed at theatres , events and hostess and host bars .
Masked clerks peer from behind plastic curtains at stores where temperatures are checked and hands disinfected at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to empty stands .
Masks , worn by many Japanese already anyway due to a near national allergy to cedar pollen , are the dress code everywhere .
Japan ’ s exports and imports have plunged .
The world ’ s third largest economy has contracted for two straight quarters and is already officially in recession .
The Tokyo Olympics , the big symbol of hope for the economy , has been postponed until next year , costing billions of dollars to the capital , although the exact amount has not been disclosed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yen ( $ 2 trillion ) in stimulus , including help for local businesses and cash handouts of 100,000 yen ( $ 930 ) per adult to coax consumers into spending .
With about 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths , Japan has been spared the massive fatalities that have swept Italy , Spain , the U.S. , Brazil and Russia .
But critics fear the government ’ s push to relax precautions is about choosing the economy over health concerns .
That includes reviving moribund tourism .
The government is considering reopening travel to and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limited and comparable to Japan ’ s , such as Australia , New Zealand , Vietnam and Thailand .
The 1,700 visitors to Japan in May was a decrease of 99.9 % from the year before , according to the Japan National Tourism Organization , and the lowest figure since the government began keeping track in 1964 .
In recent years Japan has attracted about 30 million visitors from abroad , mostly from South Korea and China .
Travel within Japan was temporarily curtailed under a government “ emergency ” to curb the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encouraged .
The government is giving out discount coupons to use at tourist spots .
Jazz clubs and other entertainment places were already struggling and the pandemic will likely lead many people to turn to recordings and other , safer ways to enjoy music instead , said American saxophonist Marshall McDonald .
“ The music business , which was on life support , will never be back .
Japan is risking lives opening music places now , ” said McDonald , who played for years with the Count Basie Orchestra and lives half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after being stuck at home many Japanese have been hankering to get outside and have some fun .
That includes law student Yota Nakano , who shrugged off the don ’ t scream request at Yomiuri Land , a Tokyo amusement park that recently reopened .
“ Even though I couldn ’ t scream , I enjoyed it from the bottom of my heart , ” he said .
AP video journalists Emily Wang and Haruka Nuga contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--AP Interview: Martin Lee sees end of the Hong Kong he knows

HONG KONG - The man nicknamed Hong Kong ’ s “ Father of Democracy ” said that Beijing is trying to take control of the semi-autonomous city with an impending national security law , but that violent protest is not the answer .
“ This is clearly a pretext for Beijing to assert comprehensive control over Hong Kong , as they said they would six years ago , ” longtime activist and former lawmaker Martin Lee said in an interview on Friday .
The national security law , which could be approved in Beijing this weekend , is aimed at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign interference that Beijing says fueled the monthslong anti-government protests in Hong Kong .
The law would be enacted by the central government , bypassing the city ’ s legislature .
“ The end of Hong Kong as we know it , as an international city , as a free port and with all our freedoms protected by our independent court — this could well disappear , ” Lee said .
He said he hoped that Beijing will keep to its promise and abide by the so-called “ one country , two systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people will rule Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy.
” A former British colony , Hong Kong was assured that it would be allowed to maintain its freedoms , many not found on the mainland , when it was handed over to China in 1997 .
Last year ’ s protests were sparked by opposition to a proposed extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to be sent for trial on the mainland , something many saw as a violation of that commitment .
The 82-year-old Lee was arrested for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other pro-democracy figures .
They were charged with participating in and organizing several of last year ’ s protests .
“ It ’ s selective prosecution , ” he said , calling the charges politically motivated .
“ But if they want to charge 15 of us over this series of demonstrations , then so be it.
” He said they had a strong defence and expressed confidence they would be acquitted .
Lee urged Hong Kongers to protest peacefully against the national security law , even after it is enacted .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hong Kong has seen since the handover to China .
“ I hope there ’ s no violence in these public demonstrations because you can not win .
Once you use weapons , how can you defeat the Hong Kong policemen , who are so well-armed ?
” he asked .
The controversial national security law has drawn sharp rebuke from the pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong , with activists like Lee and others saying that it erodes the “ one country , two systems ” framework .
The Standing Committee of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the law during a three-day meeting that ends Saturday .
It is not clear if it will approve the law at this session .
Yue Zhongming , a spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee , said Tuesday that the committee planned to speed up the formulation of the law .
Lee was part of the committee that helped draft the Basic Law , Hong Kong ’ s constitution , although he later resigned in protest over Beijing ’ s bloody crackdown on the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kong ’ s first pro-democracy party , and has been a champion of democracy and human rights for the past four decades .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Georgia senators say hate crimes law should protect police

ATLANTA - Republicans in Georgia ’ s state Senate have added police as a protected class to proposed hate crimes legislation deemed essential by state leaders , complicating chances of its passage by lobbing a political grenade into the belly of the bill with little time left in the legislative session .
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday night approved a hate crimes bill passed by the state House over a year ago but added “ first responders ” as a protected class alongside race , colour , religion , national origin , sexual orientation , gender or disability .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ support our law enforcement personnel that puts their life on the line for us , just as we do these other classes , categories , groups , of individuals , ” said Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert of Athens , who introduced the change .
Democrats on the panel spoke against the move , which comes after Atlanta ’ s interim police chief said members of the force feel abandoned amid protests demanding massive changes to policing .
“ If we want to talk about further protections for law enforcement , we would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Sen. Elena Parent , a Democrat from Atlanta .
“ But to put them in the same legislation as immutable characteristics misses the moment and is a slap in the face.
” Sen. Brian Strickland , a Republican from McDonough , said he initially supported passing the House bill with no changes , but said “ I don ’ t know how we can take out first responders , ” before voting in favour of the bill with first responders included .
Urgency to pass the legislation has grown after a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursued and killed in February near Brunswick .
A white father and son are charged in his death .
The pressure from business groups and others grew even further after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests over racial injustice and inequality .
“ The time to act is now , ” a group of organizations including the Georgia Chamber of Commerce , Metro Atlanta Chamber , Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP said in a statement Thursday .
But Friday ’ s manoeuvring by the Senate throws a major wrench @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rep. Chuck Efstration , a Republican from Dacula that sponsored the House version , would not commit to voting against the bill if it came back to the House with first responder protections , but said “ bad faith on behalf of the Senate to fail to engage in a meaningful dialogue is notable , ” accusing the chamber ’ s Republican leadership of trying to sabotage the bill .
“ It ’ s incredibly important that this legislation be passed this year , and poison-pill amendments which are brought only for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat opposition in order to ensure failure of the legislation is unacceptable , “ Efstration said .
Rep. Calvin Smyre , a Democrat from Columbus and the longest serving member of the House , said “ This is certainly something that we can not live with and that we can not support.
” The change comes after Republican Lt. Gov .
Geoff Duncan , who presides over the Senate , proposed a version that would have included most of the House categories , but also age , ancestry , creed , culture , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces veteran status , having been involved in civil rights activities or having exercised rights protected by the U.S. Constitution ’ s First Amendment .
That bill rolled onto the runway Thursday but promptly went back into the hangar and has not reappeared .
The state has remained one of four without such a law , as many conservatives have been cool to the idea .
Cole Muzio is the executive director of the conservative group Family Policy Alliance of Georgia .
He told the committee Thursday , before first responders had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t save lives .
“ What it does do , is it does create thought crimes , “ Muzio said .
” And it does encourage us not to look at how we ’ re the same , not to look at how we ’ re all made in the image of God , but to look at how we ’ re the other.
” Sen. Harold Jones II , an Augusta Democrat who is one of three Democrats on the Senate Committee , said it was especially symbolic that Republicans took the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , especially on Juneteenth , is just a spit in the face of what this bill is about and I think it ’ s cynical , ” Jones said .
“ I think it ’ s done for political purposes .
It cheapens it.
” Jones said he did not believe the language could be removed in negotiations between the House and Senate .
“ It ’ s not coming out in conference , ” he said .
Jones , like several other opponents of the change , noted that Georgia lawmakers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against police officers in another law .
“ We already have enough protection now for police officers , ” Jones said .

Jeff Amy And Ben Nadler - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Barber offers hope in Peruvian barrios devastated by virus

LIMA , Peru - Once a week , barber Josué Yacahuanca makes his way up the dusty hills of Peru ’ s capital , heading into its poorest neighbourhoods carrying a treasured golden briefcase that holds his life ’ s passion — five clipper blades , 20 combs , four scissors and a bottle with alcohol .
Yacahuanca seeks out clients devastated by a coronavirus lockdown that has gone on for nearly 100 days in an attempt to stem the wave of new infections .
He does it for free .
“ I want them to look in the mirror @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Yacahuanca , who though just 21 years old is a veteran barber , having started cutting hair at age 13 .
With ease , he moves between clients who want a clean , classic cut to those who ask for modern styles .
Most recently he set up shop at the “ December 24 ?
neighbourhood , where almost everybody has lost their jobs because of the pandemic , forcing many to work as street vendors .
Yacahuanca had a rocky start in life himself .
Abandoned by his mother , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gloria Alvarez .
Despite obstacles , he discovered a business savvy at a young age .
He hustled at odd jobs , selling sweets , cleaning houses , working in outdoor markets and at a bus station .
“ My life was hard , ” he said , working under a shade tree with a bird ’ s eye view of the neighbourhood populated by single mothers and their children who wear torn cloths and lack running water at home .
“ I look at them and I see myself , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Latin America ’ s hardest hit by recession brought on by the virus outbreak .
Its gross domestic product has already shrunk 12 % this year , a rate outpacing the United States , Brazil , Mexico and Argentina , according to the World Bank .
Every day , the toll mounts in Peru , where officials reported Thursday a total of 7,400 deaths and more than 244,000 people falling ill. Like thousands of businesses across Peru , Yacahuanca ’ s barbershop — called D Barrio Shop — closed its doors March 16 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he watched his personal finances be pulverized .
But he brushed it off , deciding to help others with the skills he has .
Greeting each client , Yacahuanca drapes them with a white cape emblazoned with a giant portrait of his favourite salsa singer , Héctor Lavoe , bringing it memories of the music he always had playing in his shop .
“ I ’ m a fan of his music , “ Yacahuanca said .
“ He sings about the realities of life — sadness and joy.
” Peru has roughly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few others are offering their services to those most in need at no charge .
Setting out on foot or hailing a motorcycle taxi once a week , he ventures into neighbourhoods in need , including some where hunger has started to take hold among some residents .
On each trip , he follows a routine , setting out an old wooden chair as his makeshift barber chair and offering up his services .
Most people ask twice when they don ’ t believe the cut is free .
“ I tell them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” It ’ s from my heart .
”


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Brazil tops 1 million cases as coronavirus spreads inland

SAO PAULO - Brazil ’ s government confirmed on Friday that the country has risen above 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases , second only to the United States .
The country ’ s health ministry said that the total now stood at 1,032,913 , up more than 50,000 from Thursday .
The ministry said the sharp increase was due to corrections of previous days ’ underreported numbers .
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro still downplays the risks of the virus after nearly 50,000 deaths from COVID-19 in three months , saying the impact of social isolation measures on the economy could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Specialists believe the actual number of cases in Brazil could be up to seven times higher than the official statistic .
Johns Hopkins University says Brazil is performing an average of 14 tests per 100,000 people each day , and health experts say that number is up to 20 times less than needed to track the virus .
Official data show a downward trend of the virus in Brazil ’ s north , including the hard-hit region of the Amazon , a plateau in cases and deaths in the countries ’ biggest cities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rising curve in the south .
In the Brazilian countryside , which is much less prepared to handle a crisis , the pandemic is clearly growing .
Many smaller cities have weaker health care systems and basic sanitation that ’ s insufficient to prevent contagion .
“ There is a lot of regional inequality in our public health system and a shortage of professionals in the interior , ” said Miguel Lago , executive director of Brazil ’ s Institute for Health Policy Studies , which advises public health officials .
“ That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people going long distances to get attention .
When they leave the hospital , the virus can go with them.
” The cattle-producing state of Mato Grosso was barely touched by the virus when it hit the nation ’ s biggest cities in March .
Sitting far from the coast , between the Bolivian border and Brazil ’ s capital of Brasilia , its 3.3 million residents led a mostly normal life until May .
But now its people live under lockdown and meat producers have dozens of infected workers .
In Tangará @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in Mato Grosso , the mayor decided Friday to forbid the sale of alcoholic drinks for two weeks as an incentive for people to stay home .
Fábio Junqueira said the measure was needed after a spike in COVID-19 cases that filled 80 % of the city ’ s 54 intensive care beds .
The city has had nearly 300 cases of the disease , plus three fatalities .
In Rondonópolis , only 300 miles away from Tangará da Serra and home to a thriving economy , health authorities closed the local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there .
The city of 144,000 inhabitants counted 21 deaths from the virus and more than 600 cases .
The mayor has also decided to limit sales of alcoholic beverages .
Even regions once considered examples of successful efforts against the virus are now struggling .
Porto Alegre , home to about 1.4 million people , had success in slowing the virus ’ spread over the last three months .
But now its mayor is considering increasing social isolation measures after ICU occupancy in the city jumped to 80 % this month .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools to come back , ” Mayor Nelson Marchezan Jr. told The Associated Press .
“ Now the trend is to impose more restrictions.
” Outside Sao Paulo city , five regions of the state ’ s countryside will have to close shops starting Monday due to a rise in coronavirus cases .
Gov .
João Doria announced the decision Friday .
Dr. Mike Ryan , the World Health Organization ’ s executive director , said at a news conference that Brazil needs to increase its efforts to stop the spread of infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ severe in Brazil .
I believe health workers are working extremely hard and under pressure to be able to deal with the number of cases that they see on a daily basis , ” Ryan said .
“ Certainly the rise is not as exponential as it was previously , so there are some signs that the situation is stabilizing .
But we ’ ve seen this before in other epidemics in other countries.
” Margareth Dalcolmo , a clinical researcher and professor of respiratory medicine at the state-funded Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in major cities and the virus travelling by road into Brazil ’ s heartland will keep the pressure on the country ’ s health system .
“ The risk in the interior now is very big , ” she said .
” Our health system just can ’ t solve the most serious cases of COVID in many places of the countryside .
”

Mauricio Savarese - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--COVID-19 is ravaging America’s vulnerable Latino communities

GUADALUPE , Ariz. - A Hispanic immigrant working at a fast-food restaurant in North Carolina is rushed to the hospital after she contracts COVID-19 .
A sickened Honduran woman in Baltimore with no health insurance or immigration status avoids the doctor for two weeks and finally takes a cab to the hospital and ends up on oxygen .
As the coronavirus spreads deeper across America , it ’ s ravaging Latino communities from the suburbs of the nation ’ s capital to the farm fields of Florida to the sprawling suburbs of Phoenix and countless areas in between .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including jobs that expose them to others , tight living conditions , lack of health insurance , mistrust of the medical system and a greater incidence of preexisting health conditions like diabetes .
And many Latinos don ’ t have the luxury of sheltering at home .
“ People simply can not afford to stop working , ” said Mauricio Calvo , executive director of the Latino Memphis advocacy group in Tennessee .
In many areas , Latinos comprise a dramatically higher percentage of the positive COVID-19 tests compared with other racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of positive tests in the county that is home to Chattanooga , Tennessee , are Latinos , even though they make up just 6 % of the population .
With many infected families living in the same home with no other place to go , Chattanooga officials are looking at providing alternative sites at hotels or other locations where people can safely isolate .
Latinos account for 45 % of coronavirus cases in North Carolina , where they make up only 10 % of the population , according to the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the Latino and Native American town of Guadalupe , Arizona , residents are testing positive at more than four times the rate of the entire county .
The ZIP code with the most COVID-19 cases in Maryland borders the nation ’ s capital and is majority Hispanic .
Honduran native Arely Martinez , who now lives in Baltimore , delayed medical help for two weeks after getting a fever and headache , struggling to breathe and losing her sense of smell .
Lack of insurance , her immigration status and misinformation about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she finally went to the hospital and tested positive for COVID-19 .
“ I had no medical guidance , and apart from that , I was afraid because of the comments from people that when you go to the hospital , they would end up killing you , ” said Martinez , who spent two days in the hospital fretting about her three children while her husband left them alone to seek work .
Her husband tested negative for the virus , but her sister , who was fetching their groceries , became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Truthfully , they were the saddest moments of my life , ” she said .
“ There was not a moment or an instant that I stopped asking God to give me a chance to live to see my children , to hug them , to take care of them.
” A growing body of evidence is forming around the virus ’ toll on Latinos as researchers develop a more advanced data analysis about COVID-19 and race .
This disparity among Latinos is similar to a national trend in African American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found black Americans make up 26 % of the deaths in nearly 40 states that kept detailed death data , even though they comprise only 13 % of the population .
Researchers are also pointing out another noteworthy trend emerging in Latino cases .
Because Latinos are much younger on average than U.S. whites , and the virus kills older people at higher rates , researchers are using “ age-adjusted ” data to provide a more accurate picture of the disproportionate toll .
A Brookings Institution study this week examined federal data to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African Americans is 3.6 times that for whites .
The age-adjusted death rate for Latinos is 2.5 times higher than white Americans .
A Harvard paper used similar metrics to determine “ years of potential life lost , ” finding that Latinos lost 48,204 years , compared with 45,777 for African Americans and 33,446 for non-Hispanic whites .
In North Carolina , Honduran native Lidia Reyes and her husband went without pay for three weeks after she lost her job at Subway during the pandemic .
They sought help from loved ones and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rent and keep food on the table for their son and daughter .
The 42-year-old Durham resident went back to work at the fast-food chain and got sick ; she believes she was infected the day she neglected to wear a mask and gloves at work .
“ The kids were really upset , ” said Reyes , who is in the country illegally .
“ They wanted to always come in my room to be with me .
We were all desperate in different ways , and I was definitely getting depressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she ’ s survived to tell her story , two fears remain : The forthcoming medical bills and the lack of seriousness she believes some in her community have toward the virus .
Latinos initially were reluctant to get tested for the virus , prompting authorities to bring testing sites into their communities , including grocery stores .
In the Arizona town named for Mexico ’ s patron saint , Our Lady of Guadalupe , hundreds of people who live with family members in tiny adobe homes lined up in the scorching sun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ main plaza .
Eleven per cent of the people tested positive for COVID-19 .
“ We have families that don ’ t have running water , we have families that don ’ t have electricity , ” Guadalupe Mayor Valerie Molina said .
“ We have a lot of community members who don ’ t venture out beyond Guadalupe and so we thought the best way to get them to test would be to bring testing to them.
” Molina issued a mandate Friday for face coverings in public areas of the hard-hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing is especially important for Latinos because they have been returning to work in large numbers and lack paid sick leave .
“ People continue going to work before they get really sick and tested , ” said Pilar Rocha-Goldberg , executive director of El Centro Hispano , a North Carolina advocacy group .
Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi , a family physician in Durham and director of health equity at Duke University , said more is needed to help Latinos get tested closer to where they live .
And authorities are trying to come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-isolate if they get sick or suspect they are infected and are awaiting test results .
Chattanooga officials are exploring direct financial assistance to families and have a section of the county ’ s COVID-19 task force assigned to the Latino disparity issue .
“ I think that this pandemic has really highlighted issues that have always plagued our community and we ’ ve been fighting to overcome , ” said Dr. Michelle LaRue , senior manager for health and social services at CASA , an organization helping Latinos in Maryland .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ language access issues , health insurance and health care issues.
” Both Martinez and Reyes said they wish they hadn ’ t waited to see a doctor .
“ People are dying in our community , “ Reyes said .
“ I want people to understand and take the situation seriously.
” Six weeks after leaving the hospital , Martinez remains weak and has trouble sleeping .
“ I shouldn ’ t have taken the risk because I also frightened my children , ” she said .
“ I couldn ’ t breathe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I had no one to take care of me.
” Garcia Cano reported from Baltimore and Anderson reported from Durham , North Carolina .
Meghan Hoyer in Washington , Adrian Sainz in Memphis , Tennessee , and David Collins in Hartford , Connecticut , also contributed to this report .

Regina Garcia Cano, Anita Snow And Bryan Anderson - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Mueller report redactions on Roger Stone are revealed

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department released information Friday about U.S. President Donald Trump ’ s friend and former campaign adviser Roger Stone that it had previously redacted from the report by the special counsel , Robert Mueller , on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election .
The newly disclosed material dealt largely with efforts by the Trump campaign to discover what material WikiLeaks had obtained that could be damaging to Hillary Clinton ’ s campaign .
Stone was at the forefront of the campaign ’ s effort to contact WikiLeaks , the chosen repository of the Russian government for a trove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that its operatives stole in an attempt to boost Trump ’ s election chances .
When the Mueller report was released last year , the Justice Department withheld information about Stone ’ s efforts to serve as an intermediary with WikiLeaks , in order , it said , to protect a continuing criminal case against him on charges of lying to investigators and witness tampering .
But a lawsuit filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center , a watchdog group , and BuzzFeed News journalist Jason Leopold challenged those and other redactions as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The department ’ s decision to release more of the text of the report came after the federal judge overseeing that case , Judge Reggie Walton of the District of Columbia , expressed suspicion about whether the redactions were justified and ordered government lawyers to provide him with the full report so he could review the redactions himself .
House Democrats have been separately seeking to review grand jury materials cited in the report .
The Supreme Court in May blocked the release of that material while it considers whether arguments in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FOIA lawsuit argued that there was no reason to withhold information about Stone , especially after he was convicted of all counts in November and sentenced to 40 months in prison in February .
An appointee of former president George W. Bush , Walton has sympathized to some degree with the plaintiffs .
He wrote in his March opinion that Attorney General William Barr ’ s overall handling of the Mueller report made him question the department ’ s motivations for redactions .
Barr had put forward a “ distorted ” and “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ findings in a fashion that downplayed the special counsel ’ s more damaging findings and shaped the public narrative in the president ’ s favour , Walton wrote .
“ These circumstances generally , and Attorney General Barr ’ s lack of candour specifically , call into question Attorney General Barr ’ s credibility , ” he wrote — and in turn , cast doubt on the department ’ s statements to him that the redactions were lawful .
He said he would privately review the full text because “ adherence to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American public informed of what its government is up to demands nothing less.
” During Stone ’ s trial , prosecutors said that he obstructed a congressional inquiry into whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 election in order to protect the president .
“ He knew that if the truth came out about what he was doing in 2016 , it would look terrible , ” one prosecutor said of Stone .
The evidence showed he lied under oath , withheld reams of documents and threatened an associate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigators .
A jury convicted Stone on all counts , and prosecutors recommended that he be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison .
The defence team argued that the entire premise of the prosecution ’ s case was false because Stone never had any evidence that would have hurt Trump .
He merely tried to discover what information WikiLeaks had obtained that Trump could use against Hillary Clinton before the election , they argued , and neither he nor anyone else tied to the campaign ever conspired with the Russians who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After Trump attacked the prosecutors ’ recommendation for a stiff prison term on Twitter , Barr intervened and the department asked for a more lenient sentence — an extraordinary reversal that stunned legal experts and department veterans .
Four career prosecutors withdrew from the case in protest , and one quit the department entirely .
Stone , who is scheduled to report to the Bureau of Prisons by the end of June to start serving his sentence , has expressed hopes that the president will pardon him .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Multiple Juneteenth celebrations happening in Seattle

SEATTLE - Thousands of people marched Friday in Seattle ’ s Central District in one of several events around the city and region to celebrate Juneteenth , which is celebrated as the end of slavery in the United States .
People walked past significant African-American landmarks in the city Friday afternoon as part of the Juneteenth Freedom March , organized by the King County Equity Now Coalition .
DeCharlene Williams brought Juneteenth to Seattle from Texas about 37 years ago , her daughter Rita Green said at the event .
Williams died in 2018 , and since then , Green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from succumbing to gentrification in the Central District , The Seattle Times reported .
Andre Taylor , founder of Not This Time , a group that helped change state law in 2018 to hold police more accountable in deadly shootings , organized an event in Seattle ’ s Judkins Park that included relatives of people killed by police in recent years .
“ My son had dreams and goals , he loved rapping part-time , but was a full-time forklift driver , “ Stephanie Butts said about 19-year-old Damarius Butts , who Seattle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police have said he stole doughnuts , beer and other items from a 7-Eleven store and then brandished a weapon at a clerk .
Police soon after chased him on foot into a building , where Officer Elizabeth Kennedy said he pulled a gun and she felt something hit her ballistic vest before she started firing at him .
Butts said that in the years since her son ’ s death , she has learned that police audio doesn ’ t match what police have said happened .
“ Police somehow think it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ punishment for it , “ Butts told the crowd .
” No officer has been charged here in 30 years ?
That is crazy as hell to me .
I ’ m proud of the changes that have been made so far , and I pray more change is coming.
” Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal were scheduled to speak later in the day .
The Northwest African American Museum in Seattle joined with five Black museums throughout the United States to create a virtual Juneteenth celebration .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These times are like none other .
We know Juneteenth this year will be like none other , ” LaNesha DeBardelaben , the museum ’ s executive director , told the newspaper .
Juneteenth commemorates June 19 , 1865 , when the Union army brought word of the Emancipation Proclamation to enslaved people in Texas .
The celebrations come amid weeks of protests against police brutality and racial injustice that began in the wake of George Floyd ’ s death by a Minneapolis police officer who held his knee on Floyd ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also marched Friday near the Port of Seattle as part of an eight-hour work stoppage co-ordinated by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union at more than two dozen West Coast ports to honour Juneteenth .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Minnesota activists hold Juneteenth rally for reparations

ST. PAUL , Minn. - Minnesota ’ s Black Lives Matter chapter took to the state capitol on Friday to mark Juneteenth with a demand for reparations and real police reform in a continued push for racial justice following the death of George Floyd .
Juneteenth , the traditional commemoration date of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans , has taken on new resonance this year .
There have been protests around the U.S. and beyond stemming from Floyd ’ s death after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers .
Amid chants of “ Reparations now ” and “ Cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizers and several other activist groups called Floyd ’ s death a remnant of slavery ’ s legacy .
Floyd , a Black man in handcuffs , died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck for nearly 8 minutes , ignoring Floyd ’ s cries of “ I can ’ t breathe ” .
“ For 400 years , the United States government has had its knee on the neck of the black community socially , politically , economically and spiritually , ” said Trahern Crews , a leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the event .
“ Today we are here to demand full and complete reparations for the American descendants of the slaves who built this country.
” The issue of reparations resurged last Juneteenth , when a U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing to examine the legacy of slavery and a possible path toward reparations .
Several 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls expressed support for the idea .
Along with demands for reparations , the hundreds of demonstrators at the Capitol chided lawmakers for not agreeing on police reform legislation .
The Democratic-controlled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week ’ s special session that went beyond measures approved by the Republican-controlled Senate , and there was no indication the two sides would come together ahead of adjournment .
“ Right now while we ’ re standing on this lawn , their principles across the street at the Senate is to not pass any police accountability measures , ” said John Thompson , a state House candidate and friend of Philando Castile , a Black man who was killed by a St. Anthony police officer in 2016 .
In addition to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and demonstrations were planned over the weekend , including multiple cookouts throughout Minneapolis on Friday and a run on Saturday in honour of Floyd that starts and ends at 38th and Chicago , the site of his death .
Mohamed Ibrahim is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative .
Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Judge to OK $58B plan to end PG&E bankruptcy after wildfires

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge on Friday said he was approving a $ 58 billion plan by the nation ’ s largest utility to end a contentious bankruptcy saga that began after Pacific Gas & Electric ’ s outdated equipment ignited wildfires in California that killed more than 100 people , wiped out entire towns and led the company to confess to crimes driven by its greed and neglect .
The decision by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali clears the way for PG & E to pay $ 25.5 billion for losses from devastating fires in 2017 and 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the formal order confirming PG & E ’ s plan late Friday or Saturday after the company ’ s lawyers make a few minor revisions worked out during a two-hour hearing .
“ This has been a comprehensive and complex challenge for everyone , “ Montali said as he thanked everyone involved in the 17-month bankruptcy case .
Dozens of lawsuits were settled during the ordeal , with $ 13.5 billion earmarked for more than 80,000 people who lost family , homes , businesses and other property in the fires .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Robert Julian , a lawyer for the bankruptcy committee representing the interests of wildfire survivors .
“ We are going to start getting money into the hands of the victims.
” It still will likely take two to three months for the plan to become effective and PG & E has raised all the money it needs to start funding the victims ’ trust and making other promised payments .
PG & E declined to comment , but it plans to issue a statement after Montali signs the final order .
The confirmation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the company had to meet to qualify for coverage from a $ 21 billion wildfire insurance fund created by California last year .
The company still faces formidable challenges : Montali ’ s decision is allowing the company to emerge from its financial morass just as California heads into a summer expected to bring especially high wildfire risks .
The company plans to find a new CEO to replace Bill Johnson , who will step down June 30 after just 14 months on the job .
It has overhauled board of directors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently appointed .
PG & E also has committed to slicing up its sprawling territory into regional units to be more responsive to the different needs of the 16 million people who rely on it for power .
Financing the plan requires PG & E to nearly double its debt , saddling the company with a burden its critics fear will make it more difficult to raise the estimated $ 40 billion for improvements that the utility still needs to make to its electrical grid .
It ’ s still uncertain whether PG @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenges ahead , although the company insists it ’ s on a new path that will result in safer and more reliable service .
PG & E is still behind in its efforts to trim trees and other vegetation that serve as tinder for its power lines during dry , windy conditions .
“ This does not put us into a new chapter at PG & E , ” said Will Abrams , a survivor of a 2017 wildfire who had been trying to convince the judge to reject the company ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunity missed.
“ But Montali decided PG & E ’ s plan met the bankruptcy code ’ s standard of being “ feasible “ and asserted he saw no other viable alternative to pay wildfire victims who have been suffering for years .
“ Mr .
Abrams ’ desire for a better PG & E , for a better environment and a better Northern California , safe from wildfires , while aspirational and well-intended , is not something the bankruptcy code or this court can deliver , “ Montali wrote in a memo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s shortcomings have infuriated a federal judge in a separate court case .
U.S. District Judge William Alsup oversees the company ’ s probation following a felony criminal conviction over a natural gas explosion in 2010 that killed eight people in the San Francisco Bay Area .
He wants to impose more safety requirements on PG & E to reduce wildfire risks posed by its electrical grid , but the company has resisted his efforts so far , saying it is meeting the standards of California regulators .
PG & E also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in parts of its service territory later this year to reduce wildfire risks during hot , windy weather .
Planned blackouts last year affected more than 2 million people at certain times , and the utility bungled them so badly that it had to publicly apologize and give $ 86 million in customer refunds .
State regulators are still investigating PG & E ’ s mishandling of those deliberate blackouts , which left many wondering how an area that ’ s home to some of the world ’ s most influential technology companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep the power on for days at a time .
PG & E has pledged to better communicate about future outages and take steps to reduce how often they ’ re used .
This marks the second time in 16 years that PG & E has navigated a complex bankruptcy case that has raised questions about how it should operate in the future .
The last time the company emerged from bankruptcy , in 2004 , electricity rates soared and management focused even more on boosting profits instead of upgrading its power supply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ E took the extraordinary step of pleading guilty to 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter for a horrific November 2018 wildfire that wiped out the town of Paradise .
The inferno , known as the Camp Fire , erupted along a power system with parts that were nearly a century old .
Besides the deaths , PG & E also pleaded guilty to one felony count of unlawfully starting a fire .
PG & E will pay a maximum fine of $ 4 million for those crimes , a penalty that incited more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dead who shared their heartbreaking stories before the company ’ s sentencing .
The judge said that if the same crimes had been committed by an individual instead of a company , he would have been able to sentence the person to 90 years in prison .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--AMC Theaters reverses course on masks after backlash

LOS ANGELES - The nation ’ s largest movie theatre chain changed its position on mask-wearing less than a day after the company became a target on social media for saying it would defer to local governments on the issue .
AMC Theaters CEO Adam Aron said Friday that its theatres will require patrons to wear masks upon reopening , which will begin in mid-July .
Customers who don ’ t wear masks won ’ t be admitted or allowed to stay .
“ We think it is absolutely crucial that we listen to our guests , ” Aron said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response that we did not go far enough on the usage of masks.
” Rival chain Regal followed AMC ’ s lead .
Spokesman Richard Grover said Friday that moviegoers must wear masks in all its theatres as well .
AMC Theaters wasn ’ t the first to say it would defer to officials on the mask issue .
That policy was identical to what Cinemark announced earlier this month .
Cineplex Inc. , which has a 75 % box office market share in Canada , said they will leave it up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face mask inside their theatres .
Company spokeswoman Sarah Van Lange said they are taking the lead from public health authorities and provincial guidelines .
She said employees will be required to wear masks .
Most major retailers require masks for customers only where local rules mandate it .
But the AMC plan hit a nerve for many on Thursday and # boycottAMC quickly became a trending topic on Twitter .
The outrage was further flamed by one of Aron ’ s comments in an interview with the Hollywood trade Variety that implied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a political matter .
“ We did not want to be drawn into a political controversy , ” Aron said .
“ We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is not necessary.
” He also said that he thought the “ vast majority of AMC guests will be wearing masks ” and that he planned to lead by example and would be wearing a mask himself .
The interview came on the same day that California started requiring people throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indoor settings and outdoors when distancing isn ’ t possible .
While public health officials say wearing a mask is important in helping stop the spread of COVID-19 , not wearing one has become a political statement for people who say it violates their freedom or exaggerates the threat of the coronavirus .
President Donald Trump has pushed back against masks , even as the virus has killed more than 100,000 Americans this year .
Earlier Friday , Alamo Drafthouse , which operates around 40 locations in the U.S. said that it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its theatres , with a caveat for eating and drinking .
Those without masks , it said , would be given one .
AMC plans to sell masks for $ 1 .
Most indoor U.S. theatres have been closed since mid-March because of COVID-19 .
But both independent locations and major chains are readying to reopen within the next month .
AMC said it will open 450 of its U.S. locations on July 15 , with the goal of having most of its theatres in operation by July 24 for the opening of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christopher Nolan ’ s “ Tenet ” the following week .
AP Business Writer Tali Arbel contributed from New York .
Robert Gillies contributed from Toronto .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--White House announces plans for July 4th celebration

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is moving ahead with a lower-key “ Salute to America “ celebration this year on July Fourth , despite concerns from some lawmakers about the crowds the event could generate during the coronavirus pandemic .
Washington has held an Independence Day celebration for decades , featuring a parade along Constitution Avenue , a concert on the Capitol lawn with music by the National Symphony Orchestra and fireworks beginning at dusk near the Washington Monument .
Trump altered the lineup last year by adding his speech , moving the fireworks closer to the Lincoln Memorial and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to entertain the crowds .
The White House said that the president and first lady Melania Trump will host the event this year from the White House ’ s South Lawn and the Ellipse .
It said the president will deliver remarks and that the ceremony will include music , military demonstrations and flyovers .
Last year , Trump spoke near the steps of the Lincoln Memorial .
“ As President Trump has said , there will be an Independence Day celebration this year and it will have a different look than 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those attending , “ said White House spokesman Judd Deere .
“ The American people have shown tremendous courage and spirit in the fight against this global pandemic just as our forefathers did in the fight to secure our independence , and both deserve celebration on America ’ s birthday this year.
” Democratic lawmakers from the Washington region have stated their strong opposition to an event like last year ’ s .
“ Given the current COVID-19 crisis , we believe such an event would needlessly risk the health and safety of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event would come at the cost of millions of taxpayer dollars while we are facing an unprecedented economic downturn due to the pandemic , “ the lawmakers said in a May 26 letter to Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt .
One of the lawmakers who signed the letter , Rep. Don Beyer , D-Va. , said after Friday ’ s announcement from the White House that the president should be capable of celebrating Independence Day responsibly .
“ Instead he is using the military to stage yet another costly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The crowds on the National Mall are expected to be smaller , in part because one of the biggest draws of the day , the annual parade , has been cancelled .
The parade is co-hosted by the National Park Service and a website for the event said local leadership projected that COVID-19 infection levels will not be abated to the degree that it would be safe or prudent to conduct the parade .
The annual fireworks show will go on .


thetorontostar--2020-06-19--Memorial held for federal officer shot at US courthouse

PINOLE , Calif. - Family and friends mourning a federal law enforcement officer who was fatally shot while guarding a U.S. courthouse in Oakland voiced poignant pleas Friday for an end to the violence that cut short his life , saying America needs to overcome discrimination and hatred .
David Patrick Underwood , 53 , was remembered as a soft-spoken and gifted natural athlete , a lefty pitcher in high school who was valiant on the mound and graceful on the basketball court .
In life and in work , he was confident but never arrogant , friends and family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people with dignity and had a deep love for family and the uniform he proudly wore , they added .
He didn ’ t judge people by the colour of their skin , but by what was in their heart , they said .
Local and federal officials joined the two-hour ceremony in Pinole , California , a San Francisco Bay Area city , at the high school where Underwood was a star baseball player in the 1980s .
Wearing face masks , mourners packed into the school ’ s theatre , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid tribute to Underwood , whose body lay in a blue casket on a gold stand .
Underwood , who was black , was killed May 29 while guarding the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland as a large demonstration was underway nearby over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
“ We must not be embittered by this horrific injustice .
Hate , vengeance and violence solves nothing , ” said his older sister , Angela Underwood Jacobs , a recent Republican candidate who sought to fill a vacant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She added : “ We will , we must , as individuals and as a society overcome discrimination , bias , hatred and violence of any kind whether it be against African Americans or people who wear the uniform in peace , as our brother did , to protect and serve and to ensure the safety of all.
“ Chad Wolf , the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security , joined the ceremony to honour Underwood and to deliver an American flag to his family .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Patrol who presented the family with a California flag .
In a separate video tribute , Wolf condemned the “ senseless cowardly violence ” that took Underwood ’ s life .
“ Officer Underwood gave his life protecting us and we owe him and his family and colleagues a debt of gratitude we will never be able to fully repay , ” said Wolf .
Underwood died from gunshot wounds in a drive-by shooting the night of May 29 as a protest in downtown Oakland that began peacefully sank into chaos .
Underwood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as contract security officers for the Department of Homeland Security ’ s Federal Protective Service .
Federal authorities say the shooter used the protest as cover for the crime .
Authorities say that Underwood was targeted because he wore a uniform .
Last week , the FBI announced murder charges against Air Force Staff Sgt .
Steve Carrillo .
Authorities say Carrillo used the same homemade AR-15-style rifle eight days later to kill a Santa Cruz deputy in a hail of gunfire that wounded four other officers .
Carrillo faces separate state charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Santa Cruz County sheriff ’ s Sgt .
Damon Gutzwiller .
Authorities allege that Carrillo , 32 , had ties to the far-right , anti-government “ boogaloo ” movement and had hatched a plan to target federal law enforcement officials during the Oakland protest .
Colleagues described Underwood as hard-working , highly respected and conscientious .
Friends and family talked of his hearty laugh , his personal style — he was a sharp dresser — and his giving heart .
When he stopped playing baseball as an adult , he donated to local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids find joy in the sport he loved .
Underwood was the kind of guy you went to for advice , his older sister said .
“ He ’ d always say , ‘ Angie , believe in yourself .
Work hard , and ask for what you want , ’ which is exactly what our mom and dad would have said , “ Jacobs said in a tribute to her brother .
“ Now that he ’ s gone , who am I going to call now ?
” She added : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mentor a leader , a good man has wrongly been taken from us.
“

Jocelyn Gecker And Ben Margot - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-06-20--UK demonstrators hold fourth weekend of anti-racism protests

LONDON - Anti-racism demonstrators are holding a fourth weekend of protests across the U.K. , despite a ban on large gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Demonstrations were taking place Saturday in cities including London , Manchester , Edinburgh and Glasgow .
Hundreds assembled for a socially distanced Say No to Racism rally in Glasgow ’ s George Square , where earlier this week members of the far right attacked a refugee-rights gathering .
In Edinburgh , protesters including “ Trainspotting ” author Irvine Welsh called for the removal of a statue of Henry Dundas from its column in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The late 18th-century Scottish politician was responsible for delaying Britain ’ s abolition of the slave trade by 15 years until 1807 .
During that time , more than half a million enslaved Africans were trafficked across the Atlantic .
Hundreds of thousands of people have held mostly peaceful anti-racism protests across Britain since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 , urging the U.K. to confront its own history of imperialism and racial inequality .
After some protesters scuffled with police and defaced a statue of wartime Prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrators in Bristol toppled a statue of slave trader Edward Colston , counter-protesters rallied last week with the stated aim of protecting monuments .
Hundreds of far-right activists clashed June 13 with police near the Churchill statue in London , which had been boarded up for protection .
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced he is setting up a commission to look at what more can be done to eliminate racial injustice , but opponents accuse the Conservative government of opting for talk rather than action .


thetorontostar--2020-06-20--Pope hails Italy virus doctors, nurses as heroes at Vatican

ROME - Pope Francis welcomed doctors and nurses from the coronavirus-ravaged region of Lombardy to the Vatican on Saturday to thank them for their selfless work and “ heroic ” sacrifice .
Francis dedicated one of his first post-lockdown audiences to Italy ’ s front-line medical and civil protection personnel , telling the delegation that their example of professional competence and compassion would help Italy forge a new future of hope and solidarity .
The northern region of Lombardy , Italy ’ s financial and industrial capital , was the hardest-hit region in the onetime European epicenter of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Italy ’ s 232,000 official infections and half of the country ’ s 34,500 dead .
Francis noted that some of those dead were the doctors and nurses themselves , and said Italy would remember them with “ prayer and gratitude.
” More than 40 nurses and 160 doctors died during the outbreak nationwide , and nearly 30,000 health care personnel were infected .
Francis said Lombardy ’ s medics and nurses became literal “ angels ” helping the sick recover or accompanying them to their death , given their family members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital .
Speaking off the cuff , Francis praised the “ little gestures of creativity of love ” they provided : a caress or the use of their cellphone “ to bring together the old person who was about to die with his son or daughter to say goodbye , to see them for the last time ... ” “ This was so good for all of us : testimony of proximity and tenderness , ” Francis said .
In the audience were the bishops of some of the hardest-hit cities in Lombardy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s civil protection agency , which co-ordinated the emergency response and built field hospitals around the region .
They sat well-spaced apart and wore protective masks in the frescoed audience hall in the Apostolic Palace .
The pope said he hoped Italy would emerge morally and spiritually stronger from the emergency and the lesson of interconnection that it taught : that individual and collective interests are intertwined .
“ It ’ s easy to forget that we need one another , someone to take care of us and give us courage , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only the second time Francis has welcomed a group into the Vatican for an audience since the Vatican locked down in early March along with the rest of Italy to try to contain the virus .
The first was a small encounter May 20 with a group of athletes who are raising money for hospitals in two hard-hit Lombardy cities , Brescia and Bergamo .
At the end of the audience , Francis made sure that the doctors and nurses kept their distance , telling them he would come to them rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and kiss his ring , as was the Vatican ’ s pre-pandemic practice .
“ We have to be obedient to the dispositions “ of social distancing , he said .
Lombardy ’ s governor , Attilio Fontana , who headed the delegation , invited Francis to visit Lombardy so he could also bring words of hope and consolation to those who are still sick , and to the families who lost loved ones .


thetorontostar--2020-06-20--US Embassy in Kabul battling COVID-19 infections

KABUL - The U.S. State Department says COVID-19 infections have been reported at its embassy in the Afghan capital and the staff who are affected include diplomats , contractors and locally employed staff .
The State Department did not say how many were affected .
An official at the embassy in Kabul , who could not be identified because of not being authorized to talk to the media , said as many as 20 people were infected , the majority of whom are Nepalese Gurkhas , who provide embassy security .
“ The embassy is implementing all appropriate measures to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. State department said .
The infected staff are in isolation in the embassy while the remainder on the compound are being tested , said the embassy official , who also said the embassy staff have been told they can expect tighter isolation orders .
Afghanistan has 28,424 confirmed coronavirus cases .
International aid organizations monitoring the pandemic ’ s spread in the country say the numbers are much higher because of a lack of testing capabilities as well as access to testing .
They also fear the highly contagious disease has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of nearly 300,000 Afghans from Iran , the hardest hit country in the region .
Iran has recorded more than 200,000 cases and 9,392 deaths .
Few of the Afghans who returned from Iran were tested before they fanned out across the country to their homes .
Earlier this month the International Rescue Committee warned Afghanistan was on the brink of a humanitarian disaster mostly because the government does not have the capacity to even test 80 % of coronavirus cases .
Until now a handful of NATO troops have also tested positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Embassy , the State Department said a sanitization of the premises was being carried out to “ prevent further outbreak.
“ Lee reported from Washington .
Associated Press writer Kathy Gannon in Islamabad contributed to this report

Rahim Faiez And Matthew Lee - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-06-20--Iran’s currency hits lowest value ever against the dollar

TEHRAN , Iran - Iran ’ s currency has dropped to its lowest value ever at 190,000 rial for each @ @ @ @ @ against the country .
The Iranian currency has tumbled from a rate of 32,000 rials @ @ @ @ @ time of Tehran ’ s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers .
The rial unexpectedly @ @ @ @ @ ’ s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the nuclear deal and reimpose crippling trade @ @ @ @ @ .
U.S. sanctions have caused Iran ’ s oil exports , the country ’ s @ @ @ @ @ to fall sharply .
Last week , Senior Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri said that Iran ’ @ @ @ @ @ to $ 8 billion from $ 100 billion in 2011 .
Iran recently sent five @ @ @ @ @ 45.5 million worth of gasoline and similar products to Venezuela .
It was a way @ @ @ @ @ cash-starved Iran and put its own pressure on the U.S. , which under Trump has @ @ @ @ @ nations .


thetorontostar--2020-06-20--Zimbabwe’s health minister arrested in COVID-19 graft case

HARARE , Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe ’ s health minister was expected to appear in court on Saturday to face allegations of illegally awarding a multi-million-dollar contract for COVID-19 testing kits , drugs and personal protective equipment to a shadowy company .
The country ’ s anti-corruption agency arrested Obadiah Moyo on Friday as the scandal roiled the country and played out on social media , where some local journalists exposed how Moyo allegedly chose the company to sell medical supplies to the government at inflated prices that included face masks for $ 28 each .
The government cancelled the contracts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Emmerson Mnangagwa ’ s sons was forced to issue a statement denying a link to the company after pictures emerged of the Zimbabwean representative of the firm enjoying the company of the president and his wife and sons at several events .
The representative , Delish Nguwaya , and some top officials of the national drugs procurement agency are already facing criminal charges related to the scandal .
Nguwaya is accused of lying in saying the company was a drugs manufacturing company based in Switzerland , “ whereas it was merely a consulting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of drug and medical products , ” according to the charge sheet .
The scandal comes as health professionals including nurses and doctors in Zimbabwe are on strike demanding to be paid their salaries in U.S. dollars .
They argue that inflation that is now above 750 % and the erosion of the value of local currency have rendered incomes worthless .
Most traders charge for their goods in U.S. dollars in the southern African country that has long faced economic collapse .
The health professionals also have complained about lack of adequate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases rises .


thetorontostar--2020-06-20--Beijing sees drop in virus cases as Brazil passes 1 million

BEIJING - China ’ s capital recorded a further drop in coronavirus cases amid tightened containment measures , while Brazil surpassed 1 million confirmed infections , second only to the United States .
Europe , in contrast , continues to emerge warily from lockdown , with hard-hit Britain considering easing social distancing rules to make it easier for restaurants , pubs and schools to reopen .
Officials reported 22 new cases in Beijing on Saturday , along with five others elsewhere in China .
There were no new deaths and 308 people remained hospitalized for treatment .
South Korea recorded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase in about three weeks .
Most of them come from the densely populated Seoul area , where about half of the country ’ s 51 million people reside .
Many cases have been linked to exposure in nightlife outlets .
The head of the World Health Organization said Friday that the pandemic is “ accelerating ” and that more than 150,000 cases were reported the day before — the highest single-day number so far .
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva that nearly half of the newly reported cases were from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Asia and the Middle East .
Brazil ’ s Health Ministry said the total number of cases had risen by more than 50,000 from the previous day .
President Jair Bolsonaro still downplays the risks of the virus after nearly 50,000 fatalities in three months , saying the impact of social isolation on Brazil ’ s economy could be more deadly .
The new coronavirus has infected more than 8.5 million people worldwide and killed more than 454,000 , according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
The actual number is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases are asymptomatic or go untested .
South Africa and Ethiopia say they are recommending the limited use of the commonly available steroid dexamethasone for all COVID-19 patients on ventilators or supplementary oxygen .
In a British trial , the drug was shown to significantly improve survival chances for the most seriously ill. South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said “ this breakthrough is excellent news for us and we are especially fortunate that it came as we are preparing for our upcoming surge ” in cases .
South Africa has about 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African continent , or more than 87,000 .
South Africa continues to loosen lockdown measures under economic pressure , despite reporting nearly 4,000 more COVID-19 cases on Saturday .
Casinos , beauty salons and sit-down restaurant service are among the latest permitted activities as the country eases one of the world ’ s strictest lockdowns .
Britain lowered its coronavirus threat level one notch , becoming the latest country to claim it ’ s getting a national outbreak under control .
Prime Minister Boris Johnson ’ s government says it will announce next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules that say people should remain 2 metres ( 6 1/2 feet ) apart .
Business groups are lobbying for that to be cut to 1 metre ( 3 feet ) to help restart the country ’ s economy .
While many stores in Britain have reopened , pubs , hotels and restaurants won ’ t be allowed to restart until July 4 at the soonest .
Proposals to allow them to reopen safely include pubs having people order pints using phone apps rather than going to the bar .
The U.K. has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with more than 42,000 confirmed fatalities Meanwhile , Germany reported the country ’ s highest daily increase in virus cases in a month after managing to contain its outbreak better than comparable large European nations .
French authorities are keeping a close eye on signs of an accelerating spread of the coronavirus in Normandy , a region that ’ s until now been spared the worst of the outbreak that has hit Paris and the east of France particularly hard .
The emergencies chief of the World Health Organization has confirmed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak with the global community and says it appears the virus was imported to Beijing from strains circulating in Europe .
At a press briefing on Friday , Dr. Michael Ryan noted that “ strains and viruses have moved around the world ” throughout the pandemic .
Ryan said that many viruses in New York “ were of European origin ” but that doesn ’ t mean Europe necessarily was the original source .
He said analysis of the genetic sequences so far suggests that the virus spread to people in China from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly into humans .
Lawless reported from London .
Associated Press journalists from around the world contributed to this report .

Ken Moritsugu And Jill Lawless - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-06-20--French demonstrators gear up for day of protests

PARIS - Protesters are gearing up to stage a protest in Paris against racism and police violence and in memory of Lamine Dieng , a 25-year-old Franco-Senegalese who died in a police van after being arrested in 2007 .
The protesters will march from his former home , and will be joined Saturday by a separate demonstration in support of undocumented workers .
Last week , it emerged that the French government agreed to pay 145,000 euros ( $ 162,000 ) to Dieng ’ s relatives , after 13 years of legal wrangling .
Both protests have been authorized by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caution over protests in recent weeks as the country emerges from coronavirus restrictions .
Other protests on Saturday in the French capital have , however , been banned , including an anti-racism demonstration near the U.S. Embassy by the Black African Defence League , and another protest linked to recent violence involving Chechens in the French city of Dijon .
A small group of activists staged a flash protest Saturday outside the French Health Ministry in support of state medical workers , who are demanding higher pay and more hospital staff after France @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cope with the virus crisis following years of cost cuts .
The protesters sprayed red paint on the ministry building , symbolizing blood , and on a mock medal .