thetorontostar--2020-05-29--The Latest: US agency calls back drone it sent to Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS - The Latest on the death of George Floyd , a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer knelt on his neck ( all times local ) : U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says it dispatched a drone to Minneapolis following three nights of violent protests there but ended up sending it back to its base because the unmanned aerial vehicle wasn ’ t needed .
The agency , which typically patrols the nation ’ s border and ports of entry , said the drone was going to provide live video to assist law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests that have left dozens of stores burned and looted .
A CBP statement issued Friday says the drone would have provided “ situational awareness ” to local law enforcement .
It said it routinely conducts such operations if needed to help other agencies or during natural disasters .
The drone returned to its base in Grand Forks , North Dakota , after “ the requesting agency determined that the aircraft was no longer needed for operational awareness.
” CBP did not identify the agency that requested the assistance .
President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Floyd ’ s family on Friday and “ expressed my sorrow.
” Trump spoke about his conversation with members of the Floyd family during a White House meeting with businesses executives .
He says of the encounter with police captured on video that “ it was just a horrible thing to witness and to watch .
It certainly looked like there was no excuse for it.
” Trump says the family grieved during the call and that “ I could see very much that they loved their brother.
” Trump was also asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looting starts , the shooting starts.
” He says he had heard that phrase for a long time , but didn ’ t know where it originated .
He says the phrase is “ very accurate in the sense that , when you do have looting like you had last night , people often get shot and they die .
And that ’ s not good and we don ’ t want that to happen.
” Trump also spoke about the looters , saying they did a great disservice to their state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ we can never let that happen again.
” The president also says of the city and its mayor “ I don ’ t think they were very well prepared .
But we brought in the National Guard .
They will be very prepared tonight.
” Police in Memphis , Tennessee , are investigating whether an officer broke any rules after a video surfaced of a woman being knocked to the ground during a protest related to the death of George Floyd .
The handcuffed black man pleaded for air as a white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That officer was arrested and charged Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter .
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said on social media Friday that he ’ s asked Police Director Michael Rallings to investigate “ an event that occurred Wednesday night with one of our officers and a female protester.
” A video has been shared on television and social media that appears to show an officer shoving a woman to the ground .
It ’ s not clear whether she was injured .
NBA veteran Stephen Jackson says he ’ ll use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get a conviction ” for the four Minneapolis police officers who were fired after George Floyd ’ s death .
Jackson , like Floyd , is from Houston and they were friends .
The handcuffed black man died after pleading for air as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck .
That officer , Derek Chauvin , was arrested Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter .
The charges were announced shortly after Jackson spoke at a news conference organized by activists at Minneapolis City Hall .
Actor Jamie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were among those in attendance .
Jackson is 42 .
He played for eight NBA teams from 2000-2013 and won a championship in 2003 with the San Antonio Spurs .
He and Floyd called each other “ twin ” because of their resemblance .
Both were star high school athletes in the Houston area in the 1990s .
Floyd had moved to Minneapolis two years ago for a fresh start .
A white Minneapolis police officer who is charged with murder for kneeling on George Floyd ’ s neck as he pleaded for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was worried that the handcuffed black man should be rolled onto his side .
Derek Chauvin , 44 , was charged Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter .
The criminal complaint also says that an autopsy revealed nothing to support strangulation .
It says the medical examiner concluded that the combined effects of being restrained , potential intoxicants in Floyd ’ s system , and his underlying health issues likely contributed to his death .
The complaint says Floyd was struggling with officers who tried to put him in a squad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the ground face down .
The complaint says one officer held Floyd ’ s back and another held his legs , while Chauvin put his knee on Floyd ’ s head and neck area .
When one officer said he was getting worried and asked if Floyd should be rolled onto his side , Chauvin said no .
In all , Chauvin had his knee on Floyd ’ s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds .
The complaint says that includes nearly three minutes after Floyd stopped moving and talking .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when reached by The Associated Press .
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has declared a nighttime curfew running from 8 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday and again from 8 p.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Sunday .
His order comes after sometimes violent protests over the death of George Floyd .
The handcuffed black man pleaded for air as a white police officer knelt on his neck .
Frey ’ s order said nobody may venture out in public during those times , except for emergency responders , or people seeking medical care , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Violators can be fined up to $ 1,000 and jailed up to 90 days .
U.S. Attorney General William Barr says he ’ s “ confident justice will be served ” after the restraint death of a black man in Minneapolis police custody .
Barr said in a statement Friday that the videos of George Floyd ’ s death were “ harrowing to watch and deeply disturbing.
” The Justice Department and FBI are conducting an investigation to determine whether federal civil rights laws were broken .
Barr ’ s comments come as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on video kneeling on Floyd ’ s neck was arrested .
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Derek Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter .
Barr says a decision whether to pursue federal charges “ must be , and will be , based on the law and facts ” and that the process is “ proceeding quickly.
” He said federal officials were working with local law enforcement to ensure relevant evidence is collected as quickly as possible .
An uncle of a black man who died in police custody in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrations , but that violent protests are “ absolutely outlandish.
” Selwyn Jones ’ nephew George Floyd died Monday after a white officer knelt on his neck as Floyd pleaded for air .
Floyd ’ s death has set off days of protests in the Minneapolis area and communities across the U.S. “ I think that is absolutely outlandish for them to destroy their own city , their own home , to make a point , ” Jones told the Rapid City Journal in South Dakota .
“ I don ’ t think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make is the point that we ’ re trying to make.
” Jones is planning to attend a walk in memory of Floyd on Saturday in Rapid City .
He said people who have reacted with violent protest and looting are “ taking advantage of a bad situation to express anger.
” Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says he has spoken with the family of George Floyd and is calling for justice .
Biden ’ s comments came as a Minnesota prosecutor announced charges against a police officer seen kneeling on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Attorney Mike Freeman says Derek Chauvin is charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the restraint death of Floyd .
In a brief online appearance Friday , the former vice-president blamed systemic racism , which he called “ an open wound ” on American society , for Floyd ’ s death .
He says it ’ s time for deep and lasting police reform .
Biden also took an indirect swipe at President Donald Trump without naming him , saying it was , “ No time for incendiary tweets .
No time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charged a police officer with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the restraint death of George Floyd .
Floyd is the handcuffed black man whose cries of “ I can ’ t breathe ” in a widely seen cellphone video set off days of violent protest in Minneapolis and around the country .
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Friday that he may yet bring more charges against the officer , Derek Chauvin .
The white officer knelt on Floyd ’ s neck for at least eight minutes in the video .
Floyd can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and three other officers ignored bystanders ’ shouts to get off him .
Floyd was pronounced dead at a Minneapolis hospital in an incident that began when police responded to a report of a man passing a counterfeit bill in a grocery store on Memorial Day .
The charges came after Minneapolis has been rocked by three days of protests , including looting , scores of fires and the burning of a police precinct station on Thursday even after the governor called out the National Guard .
Russia ’ s Foreign Ministry is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The ministry says in a lengthy statement that the death underlines frequent violence by police in the United States .
Floyd pleaded for air as a white police officer knelt on the handcuffed black man ’ s neck .
The officer , Derek Chauvin , was arrested Friday .
The statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry says , “ This incident is far from the first in a series of manifestations of lawlessness and unjustified violence by the ‘ law enforcement officers ’ in the United States.
“ The ministry called on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and effective measures to rectify the situation , return to the conscientious fulfilment of international obligations , and bring national legislation in line with the basic UN principles on the use of force and firearms by law enforcement agencies.
“ Minnesota authorities say the police officer who knelt on George Floyd has been arrested .
Chauvin is the white officer who was seen on video kneeling on the neck of Floyd , a handcuffed black man .
The arrest comes after three days of protests , which escalated in violence as demonstrators torched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by officers .
Minnesota Gov .
Tim Walz on Friday acknowledged the “ abject failure ” of the response to this week ’ s violent protests .
Walz said the state would take over the response and that it ’ s time to show respect and dignity to those who are suffering .
Minnesota Gov .
Tim Walz is acknowledging the “ abject failure ” of the response to this week ’ s protests over the death of George Floyd .
During a news conference on Friday , Walz said the state would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s time to show respect and dignity to those who are suffering .
He also called for swift justice for officers involved in Floyd ’ s death .
The handcuffed black man pleaded for air as a white officer knelt on his neck .
Walz ’ s comments came after protesters torched a police station that officers abandoned during a third night of violence .
Livestream video showed protesters entering the building , where intentionally set fires activated smoke alarms and sprinklers .
Attorneys for the families of George Floyd , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an independent investigation of the actions leading to Floyd ’ s death .
They also want national reforms in response to the three deaths .
Attorney Benjamin Crump said during a news conference Friday that he ’ s asked to take custody of Floyd ’ s body for an independent autopsy .
He and attorney Lee Merritt said they want murder charges brought against the four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd ’ s arrest .
And they want the Minnesota attorney general to take over the investigation .
Crump says the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minnesota have all had to dispel narratives from law enforcement that their loved ones “ brought this upon themselves.
” They cited an initial report in Floyd ’ s case that said he threatened police and died of a medical condition .
Videos show an officer kneeling on the back of Floyd ’ s neck as the handcuffed black man pleads for air .
The attorneys said they ’ ll seek national legislation seeking better training and to lower the burden to charge officers for excessive force .
A now-fired police officer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ custody both worked as security guards at a popular Latin nightclub as recently as the end of last year .
But the club ’ s former owner says it ’ s not clear whether they knew each other .
Officer Derek Chauvin worked at the El Nuevo Rodeo club as off-duty security for nearly two decades .
Maya Santamaria told The Associated Press that George Floyd had worked there only more recently for about a dozen events that featured African American music .
Santamaria says she doesn ’ t believe the two knew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the officer was seen on cellphone video kneeling on Floyd ’ s neck .
Santamaria says that if the officer had recognized Floyd , “ He might have given him a little more mercy.
” Santamaria sold the venue within the past two months .
She says Chauvin got along well with the regular Latino customers , but didn ’ t like to work the African American nights .
When he did , and there was a fight , he would spray people with mace and call for police backup .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon show up , something she felt was unjustified “ overkill .


thetorontostar--2020-05-29--Mexico nabs gang chief allegedly behind US journalist attack

MEXICO CITY - Authorities in northern Mexico said Friday they arrested a gang leader allegedly involved in as many as 50 killings and an attack on a U.S. journalist .
Prosecutors in Chihuahua state identified the suspect only by his given names , Omar Alfredo , alias “ El Fredy , ” in keeping with privacy laws .
The office alleged the suspect ordered a gun attack on bodyguards protecting the state governor in February and the shooting of a National Geographic journalist in the border city of Ciudad Juarez in October .
Prosecutors said the journalist went to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ El Fredy , ” but the suspect was tipped off about it and staged the attack to sow fear .
The journalist was shot in the leg and survived .
A purported drug dealer died at the attack site , while another died in a hospital .
Ciudad Juarez is just across the border from El Paso , Texas .
The suspect has been jailed pending trial on homicide charges .
The office described “ El Fredy ” as a leader of hitmen for the La Empresa gang , which sprang up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drug cartel broke down .
The Juarez Cartel used to have gangs like Los Aztecas , La Linea and La Empresa as subsidiaries or allies , but they are now independent .

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thetorontostar--2020-05-29--OSHA cites nursing home for delayed coronavirus reporting

SAVANNAH , Ga. - The federal agency that oversees workplace safety said Friday that it had issued its first citation in the U.S. related to the coronavirus outbreak : against a Georgia nursing home that delayed reporting the hospitalization of six infected workers .
The Occupation Safety and Health Administration announced the citation the day after Democrats at a congressional subcommittee hearing in Washington accused the agency of being largely invisible during the pandemic and failing to protect workers at meatpacking plants and health care facilities with high infection rates .
The citation , dated May 18 , states that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nursing home in Winder , Georgia , failed to report to OSHA within 24 hours the work-related hospitalizations of six employees .
OSHA said the workers were hospitalized around April 19 , but the agency wasn ’ t notified until May 5 .
“ During these historic times , OSHA will continue working to protect workers , including those in high-risk industries , ” Kurt A. Petermeyer , OSHA ’ s regional administrator in Atlanta , said in a statement .
The citation does not mention the coronavirus .
An OSHA spokeswoman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six of the workers were infected with COVID-19 .
OSHA proposed a $ 6,500 fine for the nursing home for a single violation that the agency concluded was “ other than serious , ” according to the citation .
According to the Georgia Department of Community Health , which tracks coronavirus cases in the state ’ s long-term care facilities , 88 residents and 27 workers at the Winder nursing home have tested positive for COVID-19 , and 14 residents have died from the virus .
The virus has killed more than 950 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the nursing home ’ s administrator , said Friday that she had not yet received the OSHA citation .
She declined to comment further .
Sweeney said OSHA has received more than 4,500 coronavirus-related complaints but this is the first citation the agency has issued in response .
She said the agency investigates every complaint .
___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Russ Bynum And Matthew Daly - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-29--DA: Bad time to drop charge of ex-cop in black man’s death

COLUMBUS , Miss .
- A local Mississippi prosecutor said Friday that the state attorney general had bad timing in dropping a manslaughter charge this week against a white former police officer in the 2015 killing of a black man , given protests erupting across the U.S. over similar killings .
District Attorney Scott Colom said Attorney General Lynn Fitch did not consult him before her office announced Thursday that it was dropping the charge against Canyon Boykin , who pleaded not guilty in 2016 after being indicted in the death of Ricky Ball .
The killing sparked protests in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of 23,000 in northeast Mississippi .
Republican Fitch , in her first year as attorney general , said in a brief statement Thursday that her office reviewed the case and determined Boykin acted in self-defence .
Colom , who ’ s a Democrat , said Friday that he would have recommended the attorney general not dismiss the charge now , since Boykin is out of jail on bond , the Commercial Dispatch reported .
Colom cited riots in Minnesota over the death of an African American man who died after a white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minutes , along with public outrage over the deaths of several other African Americans killed by white law enforcement officers or citizens in the U.S. Boykin was working for Columbus Police Department when Ball , 26 , was shot to death after a traffic stop .
Ball was a passenger and ran from the vehicle after it was stopped , Boykin said .
The officer said he fired his weapon while chasing Ball because Ball appeared to point a gun at him .
A handgun was found near Ball ’ s body .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had cause to shoot .
Colom transferred the case to the attorney general ’ s office in 2016 .
The attorney general at the time , Democrat Jim Hood , presented the case to a grand jury that indicted Boykin on a manslaughter charge in 2016 .
Fitch was elected attorney general in November , when Hood ran unsuccessfully for governor .
Colom said Friday that he ’ s not critical of Fitch ’ s decision to dismiss the case , but “ people deserve more than a two-paragraph press release.
” Colom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal reason why the evidence should not be released now that the case has been dismissed .
“ People don ’ t even know what the reason is that you dismissed the case , ” he said .
“ They don ’ t get a chance to examine the evidence for themselves , they don ’ t get a chance to make their own decision about whether this was an independent judgment , whether it was based on the facts of the law.
” Boykin ’ s attorney , Jim Waide , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in self-defence .
“ It ’ s a tragedy when for anyone to die , “ Waide said .
” Canyon was doing what he was sent to do and had to defend himself.
” Columbus fired Boykin as he was trying to resign after the shooting , saying he had broken department policy by not turning on his body camera , by inviting his then-fiancee to ride along without permission and by making derogatory social media posts about African Americans , women and disabled people .
Boykin sued the city , claiming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by firing him over social media posts , and violated his due process rights by subjecting him to a biased hearing and knuckling under to “ uninformed public pressure.
” The suit was settled in 2017 for an undisclosed amount .

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thetorontostar--2020-05-29--Washington DC begins reopening in fits and starts

WASHINGTON - As the nation ’ s capital took the first tiny steps toward reopening Friday , the continued threat of coronavirus was ever present .
Showing IDs was not enough at the Dacha Beer Garden in Washington ’ s Shaw neighbourhood .
Would-be customers had to answer a series of questions about any possible exposure to the COVID-19 and whether they themselves had shown any symptoms .
“ Please keep your mask on when you ’ re not dining and drinking , ” hostess Amy Symonds told the patrons , laying out a series of rules and taking down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were seated at socially-distanced tables .
“ It ’ s good to have some level of normalcy again , ” said Jeff Gullo , who was one of the first in line to get in .
Fifteen minutes after opening , nearly two dozen people were seated at the popular all outdoor facility .
But the gradual reopening of the District of Columbia as a three-month stay-at-home order was lifted came in fits and starts , with not everyone ready for even a limited return to pre-pandemic normality .
Barbers and hair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months of self-maintenance .
Nonessential businesses , shuttered since late March , started offering curbside pickup .
And restaurants that have been operating solely on takeout began limited outdoor seating .
From the outside , the Randolph Cree hair salon in Washington DC ’ s Eastern Market commercial area looked like it was still closed .
But inside the door and up the stairs , a visitor found a mini hive of activity , with a cashier behind a plastic shield and three masked hairdressers each tending to a masked client .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually open , the phone is ringing constantly , ” said Michael , a salon employee who declined to give his last name .
“ Everybody ’ s in a really great mood so far .
A good haircut can really affect how you feel about yourself.
” A few doors down , Christine Arnold wasn ’ t sure that the partial reopening would really help that much .
Her Paris Bleu boutique for imported French accessories had survived the lockdown with some slack from the landlords and a handful of Mother ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m just hoping to stay in business , ” she said .
“ A lot of places simply aren ’ t coming back .
It really depends on how understanding the landlords have been.
” Washington remains an area of concern in the pandemic .
There were 263.2 new cases per 100,000 people in the District of Columbia over the past two weeks , which ranks first in the country for new cases per capita .
All told , more than 8.500 people in the District have tested positive for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have died .
All across the capital — and the four neighbouring Virginia counties that are reopening on the same schedule — business owners and their customers are still considering their next steps .
Earlier Friday , only one of the dozen outdoor tables at the Busboys and Poets branch in Washington ’ s Brookland neighbourhood was occupied in late morning , while eight different groups waited for their takeout .
Andy Shallal , who owns seven branches of the restaurant chain , had been ready to reopen for weeks .
But some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ ll be honest .
I don ’ t know why ( barbers ) are in phase one , ” said Ryan Mitchell , part owner of the St. Martin ’ s hair salon in Washington ’ s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood .
“ Everyone wants to think this is over .
I don ’ t see any reason to think that.
” In Northern Virginia , meanwhile , restaurants are busy setting up tents in parking lots and considering other options , like converting parking lanes to sidewalks and sidewalks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a block-by-block decision , ” said Mary-Claire Burick , president of the Rosslyn Business Improvement District .
She said there ’ s a mix of excitement and trepidation as the area reopens .
“ This is new for everyone , ” Burick said .
Other restaurants are in absolutely no hurry to rush back into an uncertain landscape .
James Waterhouse runs Garden District , an outdoor beer garden in the heart of a lively stretch of bars and clubs .
Theoretically , he ’ s perfectly positioned to thrive in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t open Friday and won ’ t predict when he ’ ll be ready .
“ I ’ m not comfortable with all the logistics of how it ’ s going to work , ” he said .
“ I ’ m going to be asking a lot of my staff and I need to know I can protect them.
” Still , Waterhouse knows most of his regular clientele is eager to return , but some staff members have talked about staying away over safety concerns .
He also seems genuinely bummed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will change the overall vibe of his place .
“ You won ’ t be able to just sit at a picnic table with a group of strangers , ” he said .
“ We ’ ll have to serve beer in plastic cups .
It ’ s going to be an environmental disaster.
” Customers are going to have to make their own set of decisions about their comfort level .
In the Chevy Chase section of Washington , Liz Chambers and Michele High chatted on the otherwise empty patio of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the official start of phase one .
The restaurant was offering takeout service but also had set up tables and chairs on the patio .
High , a Washington resident , and Chambers , from Centreville , Virginia , said they probably wouldn ’ t meet there if a lot of other people were around , even if they were six feet away .
Asked if she thought the city was moving too quickly toward ending the shutdown , High said , “ I can ’ t imagine the pressures that are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14th Street downtown on Thursday , Gretchen Moyer , a patent lawyer , wondered how nervous the mood would be as people emerge back into public .
“ I think there will be a enough people out this first weekend to make it seem like a real party , ” Moyer said .
“ But what happens when somebody at the next table sneezes ?
Actually , what happens when someone at the restaurant gets infected , because that ’ s going to happen.
” At St. Martin ’ s hair salon , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 15 reopening date .
His lingering safety concerns are balanced by an endearing loyalty from clients desperate for an appointment .
“ There ’ s something about the psychology of haircuts .
People view it as a big part of a return to normality , “ he said .
But first there are internal safety modifications to deal with , amid obstacles that include unexpected shortages of suddenly precious resources .
“ From here to Baltimore , nobody has Plexiglas , ” he said .
“ It was toilet paper , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Plexiglas.
” Associated Press writers Alan Suderman and Carole Feldman contributed to this report .

Ashraf Khalil And Andrew Harnik - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-29--Minneapolis protest misinformation stokes racial tensions

CHICAGO - The false social media posts started just hours after protesters first began chanting and carrying banners around the Minneapolis neighbourhood where George Floyd , an African American man , died handcuffed in police custody .
“ The cop who killed George Floyd , ” Facebook and Twitter users claimed , wrongly identifying a man pictured laughing alongside President Donald Trump at a rally as former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin .
More fake videos and photos followed as the demonstrations turned violent the next day .
Some speculated , without evidence , that Floyd ’ s death was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stir up trouble , in tweets collectively shared thousands of times .
Others said a video showed a protester driving a car through a shopping complex in Minneapolis , when in fact the footage was taken during an incident at an Illinois mall last year .
Since a video of an officer kneeling on Floyd ’ s neck first surfaced , internet troublemakers and even celebrities have posted misleading or unsubstantiated claims around his death and the ensuing protests .
The social media inaccuracies have created confusion around the unfolding news , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of America ’ s racial tapestry .
“ A good deal of this , if not all of this , is intentionally trying to stoke the racial flame that has been ablaze in the United States almost since slavery started 400-plus years ago , ” said Lanier Holt , a communications professor at Ohio State University who studied in Minneapolis .
While the falsehoods may have been unwittingly amplified by some , they have likely been planted by those preying on existing racial tensions , Holt said .
“ They put out that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the minds of people who already have these ... pre-existing biases , ” he said .
The online misinformation so far appears to have fallen along those racial divides .
The day after Floyd died , Twitter and Facebook users shared a photo of a man wearing a “ Make America White Again ” red cap , claiming it was Chauvin , who was charged Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd ’ s death .
A version of the image was actually first posted online by a pro-Trump internet trickster who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fictitious stories .
Jonathan Riches confirmed to The Associated Press through messages that he was the man in the photo .
Twitter later labeled rapper and actor Ice Cube ’ s tweet with the photo as “ manipulated media.
” After protests on Thursday night , the St. Paul Police Department denied rumours trending online that one of its police officers was responsible for breaking windows of an AutoZone store in neighbouring Minneapolis .
“ We know with precision where that officer has been and who that officer has been with , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He was at work , and not at the location.
” Meanwhile , others have posted old or out-of-context photos online and falsely suggested it showed the damage caused by Minnesota protesters .
Hundreds of thousands viewed a short video clip circulating online that purported to show a car driving through the Mall of America , the massive shopping complex that sits in a Minneapolis suburb .
“ RIP to Mall of America , ” one Twitter user wrote .
Fact checkers debunked the video , but as of Friday afternoon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say that the mall had been looted by protesters .
Facebook declined to comment Friday on misinformation on their platform around Floyd ’ s death or the protests .
Divisive misinformation around Floyd ’ s death and the resulting protests thrives online because social media users choose who they do — or don ’ t — follow and are less likely to be exposed to differing viewpoints outside of their circle of pages , family and friends .
“ We thought social media was going to be this great equalizer , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people who are just like them .
If they don ’ t actually have literal black friends , this reinforces all the stereotypes that were fed to them.
” Associated Press writers David Klepper in Rhode Island , Ali Swenson in Phoenix and Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed to this story .


thetorontostar--2020-05-29--Ex-Indiana prisons worker charged with murder in stabbings

INDIANAPOLIS - A former Indiana Department of Correction worker is charged with murder and other offences in the stabbing earlier this month of three people , two of them fatally , according to documents released Friday during a hearing .
Kristen L. Wolf , 28 , of Madison , is charged with murder in the May 11 stabbing deaths of Victoria Cook , 24 , and Dylan Dickover , 28 , and attempted murder in the wounding of Elizabeth McHugh at an Indianapolis apartment .
McHugh and two other witnesses in the apartment told detectives the attacker was a woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s description — a 300-pound woman with strawberry blond hair , according to a probable cause affidavit filed to support the criminal charges .
Prosecutors say the stabbing victims had cut ties with Wolf ’ s boyfriend shortly before the attack .
The boyfriend allegedly trained Wolf and other women to “ kill with knives and axes.
” The boyfriend hasn ’ t been charged in the stabbings .
At the crime scene , police found a black knit cap with an IDOC patch and a handwritten name tag that read “ Wolf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wolf ’ s head during the attack .
Wolf worked at the Madison Correctional Facility from February 2014 until she was fired on May 22 .
Prosecutors say a man described in court documents as Wolf ’ s boyfriend trained her and other women to “ kill with knives and axes.
” Authorities say after her arrest on May 22 , Wolf denied being in Indianapolis on the day of the attack , according to the court affidavit .
It wasn ’ t immediately known if Wolf has retained legal representation .


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--A year later, motive of Virginia mass shooting still unclear

VIRGINIA BEACH , Va. - The rampage at a Virginia Beach city government building was the latest in a string of high-profile mass shootings nationwide , between the high school killings in Parkland , Florida , and the Walmart massacre in El Paso , Texas .
As the tragedy nears its one-year anniversary Sunday , some victims ’ family members feel it has effectively been forgotten after the national spotlight moved on to other mass killings , and more recently has been all but eclipsed by the coronavirus pandemic .
That leaves less pressure on authorities to provide definitive answers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they say , with the shooter ’ s motive officially still a mystery a year after he shot dead 12 people at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center before being killed by police .
“ We were a flash in the pan , ” said Jason Nixon , whose wife , Kate , was among those killed .
“ I think that we should have had a lot more attention .
It ’ s not normal for someone to wake up and go murder 12 people.
” City engineer DeWayne Craddock , 40 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in offices where he had worked for more than nine years .
Eleven co-workers and a contractor who was getting a permit died , four others were seriously wounded and a police officer received a bullet in his tactical vest but escaped serious injury .
The shooter had submitted his resignation the same day citing “ personal reasons , ” but city police investigators and an independent security firm that conducted an investigation know little about what drove him to go on his rampage , despite conducting hundreds of interviews and poring over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ‘ why ’ may be something we will never know , ” city officials wrote in an April update on the probe .
Nixon and other family members of victims believe they have an inkling , however : What they call a toxic workplace environment and poor management by supervisors .
“ I know what led to this , ” said Nixon , who ’ s been among the most outspoken of the relatives .
“ It wasn ’ t random.
” Langer had been harassed and bullied in the building , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office culture “ that pushed that man over the edge.
” Borato also said workplace security was lax .
City officials and Hillard Heintze , a Chicago-based security firm that conducted the probe , say claims of a toxic culture were not supported by the investigation .
Virginia Beach Vice Mayor James Wood said he “ can ’ t begin to understand the grief ” of the victims ’ families , but investigators found nothing pointing to that .
“ In any organization , not every single manager and employee does everything 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time , ” Wood said .
“ But if there was a systematic issue , if there was a problem , we would know about it.
” The investigation also found no prior warning signs that might have enabled the city to prevent the shooting .
Relatives told investigators Craddock had become isolated and described him as acting paranoid .
He had gone through a divorce and was having trouble at work , saying in unwritten emails that he had been unfairly disciplined .
But the security firm could not explain how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into violence , and investigators said last month there was still “ no evidence to support what the suspect ’ s motive was.
” Police say they plan to release more information but not the full investigative file once it ’ s complete .
That has angered Nixon and others , who say they will be looking to the findings of a state commission being formed to examine the shooting .
If the Virginia Beach rampage has gotten a bit lost in the popular consciousness , it ’ s perhaps in part because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a record for mass shootings , defined as involving four deaths or more : There were 33 of them in the country in 2019 , according to a database compiled by The Associated Press , USA Today and Northeastern University .
Among the five mass shootings with over 10 dead in 2018 and 2019 , most became part of larger narratives involving national and emotional issues .
Two happened at schools in Florida and Texas , continuing a string of attacks on children , while shootings at an El Paso Walmart and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-Semitism , respectively .
Office shooting sprees , experts say , while horrifying , typically do not resonate with Americans in the same way as more indiscriminate shootings at places such as movie theatres or concerts .
“ Public interest and focus have a lot to do with whether people can see themselves as a victim , whether it could have happened to them , ” said James Alan Fox , a Northeastern University professor of criminology , law and public policy .
“ If it happens in a workplace , people think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my workplace.
’ ” The sense that the shooting has faded to the background has only been heightened by the coranavirus pandemic .
Concerns about large gatherings prompted city officials to plan a virtual ceremony Sunday instead of an in-person commemoration .
Borato said that even if the eyes of the nation are elsewhere , in Virginia Beach people remember .
“ It was just another horrible shooting situation to the rest of the country , ” Borato said .
“ So they have no interest in wondering why .
Well , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That was my sister .
”


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--Schools nationwide brace for cuts from new financial crisis

ATLANTA - It was during the Great Recession when Catoosa County first shortened its school year , from 180 to 175 instructional days , as it began years of furloughs due to budget cuts .
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic , the next school year will be shorter still , with only 170 classroom days .
The 10,000-student system in northern Georgia will also be sending its 1,700 employees home for 10 unpaid days to help make up a projected $ 12.6 million budget gap .
“ It was a great day when we didn ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Denia Reese said .
“ It ’ s disheartening right now because I see it happening again.
” The financial crisis wrought by COVID-19 has left America ’ s more than 13,000 school systems wrestling with the likelihood of big budget cuts .
In some , it already has spoiled dreams of expanded funding and teacher pay raises .
Advocates are pushing for more federal aid to schools as researchers warn budget woes could lead to massive teacher layoffs — and less learning .
The cuts will add to the strain on districts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the 2008 recession , which led to sharp staffing declines at American public schools over a period of rising student enrolment .
With cuts expected to a budget that relies on the state for over half its funding , Reese and school board Chairman Don Dycus said the shortened year and accompanying 5.5 % reduction in teacher pay were the best of bad options .
Dycus said board members didn ’ t want to raise property taxes because of residents ’ economic troubles .
And Reese said it was important to avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full workforce when students return to help them overcome this year ’ s lost instructional time .
“ Right now we need every teacher and every paraprofessional we can afford to be ready when the kids get here because there are going to be gaps , ” Reese said .
Educators bracing for cuts include those who pushed for better wages and more school resources in a national groundswell of activism that began with a 2018 teacher walkout in West Virginia , a movement that had roots in some states in austerity measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nevada , which was among the states that saw teacher rallies , lawmakers last year approved a significant increase in education spending and 3 % raises for teachers .
Now they ’ re talking about a 4 % budget cut before the current year is over , and another cut of 6 % to 14 % in the year beginning July 1 .
That could mean giving up last year ’ s hard-won gains and then some .
The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers are advocating for additional federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Both backed the House Democrats ’ $ 3 trillion relief proposal , an effort Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump dismissed as bloated when it passed on May 15 .
AFT President Randi Weingarten said schools will need more money , not less , to protect students and teachers from COVID-19 and help students .
“ If you don ’ t have this , states are going to be doing huge budget cuts for schools , which would necessarily mean more layoffs and fewer services , ” Weingarten said .
“ At the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year when kids have more instructional needs and need more services.
” If spending drops 15 % this year , public schools could employ 319,000 fewer teachers nationwide , according to Michael Griffith , a senior fellow with the Learning Policy Institute in California who says that number accounts for federal relief already appropriated to schools .
That would mirror the experience of the Great Recession , which saw public school employment fall by almost 300,000 from 2008 through 2012 , according to a study published last year .
Pew Charitable Trusts researcher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ student still hasn ’ t reached pre-recession levels in 24 states after adjusting for inflation , according to the most recent data .
Reduced funding has consequences .
Financial pressure has led more than 550 districts nationwide to squeeze instruction into four-day weeks .
And a study last year found spending cuts during the recession were associated with lower academic achievement , especially in poorer districts .
A quarter of expected learning was wiped in out in the hardest-hit districts , compared to districts where spending fell the least .
In Arizona , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the country , lawmakers promised 20 % raises after teachers went on a five-day strike in 2018 .
State Sen. David Livingston , a Republican , said the raises are not in jeopardy but other education-related expenses like maintenance and new school construction could be on the chopping block .
Kelly Wendland Fisher , a kindergarten teacher and organizer of Arizona Educators United that led the strike , still has a whopping 25 kindergartners in her suburban north Phoenix classroom and spends nearly $ 3,000 out of her own pocket each year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ahead .
“ In Arizona , the first thing that they bring up in the Legislature when we have a budget shortfall is to cut education and balance it on the backs of our kids , ” Fisher said .
Associated Press writers Bob Christie in Phoenix and Scott Sonner in Reno , Nevada , contributed .


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--Volunteer to help with crowds at Wyoming grizzly sightings

JACKSON , Wyo .
- Near mile marker 11 on Togwotee Pass , Tiffany Huynh wanted to know what all the commotion was about .
Two grizzly bears , someone informed her , were snoozing .
A look came over her .
Fists started pumping in the air .
“ Oh , my god , ” she said , “ I ’ ve never seen a bear.
” The Los Angelino roadtripper was invited to step up to Jack and Gina Bayles ’ spotting scope , through which she peeped a heap of chocolate brown fur .
Her gaze fixed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the timber , resting between unsuccessful efforts at courting a sow known as “ 863 ” by wildlife managers and “ Felicia ” by most people at the scene .
A mid-May Saturday afternoon it was a relatively calm day of watching the grizzly boar ’ s hapless attempts at ursine romance .
Mostly the bruins stayed at a distance , slept and then slipped out of sight over a ridgeline , with the chocolate male dutifully tailing his uninterested quarry .
Still , an air of commotion and tension hung along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the couple of hours that surrounded Huynh ’ s sighting , a few dozen people lined the highway , inquiring what everyone was seeing and pinching the thoroughfare with their parked vehicles .
A pickup truck driver jammed on his horn , voicing displeasure with an RV stopped in the middle of a 65 mph highway .
A Wyoming Game and Fish Department warden lingered in the distance , using binoculars to keep eyes on a crowd of people who themselves were focused on the bears .
Among the ranks of the grizzly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sneers and snide remarks .
Starting soon , the faithful Togwotee grizzly followers will have more company , the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports .
Joining them is a new full-time Bridger-Teton National Forest volunteer who will be staffing the scene .
For years grizzly watching along the highway east of Moran has been the antithesis of the park ’ s “ bear jam ” experience , where there are crews of volunteer “ brigadiers , ” traffic cones and rangers aplenty .
On Togwotee there were no chaperones , and people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sometimes that went smoothly , but other times it ’ s proved to be an ugly affair — and the stakes are high when large carnivores , naive tourists and high-speed traffic are all part of the equation .
This past weekend , wildlife photographer Savannah Burgess said “ unfortunately ” people were venturing well off the Togwotee highway to snap face-on pics of the still actively courting grizzly duo at close range .
Such behaviour is putting the bears at risk , Burgess said , and inviting conflict .
“ I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that situation is , ” she said .
Wildlife , land and highway managers started planning to boost their presence on the pass after the summer 2019 grizzly-watching season , when the drama crescendoed .
Grizzly 863 emerged from her den that spring with two cubs , but early on one of them went missing .
The remaining defenceless cub , nicknamed Pepper , was then separated from mom for over a month but miraculously reunited in mid-July .
That cub evidently perished over the winter , because when Felicia came into view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
In the interim the involved agencies and even county attorneys convened over several long conference calls to discuss what to do .
Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region remain a federally “ threatened ” species protected by the Endangered Species Act , and the U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service technically calls the shots .
But jurisdictional boundaries can be a little fuzzy .
“ When there ’ s a roadside bear in Grand Teton National Park , the Park Service can manage that well because they ’ re the agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fish and Wildlife special agent Steve Stoinski said .
“ When we get a roadside bear outside the park , suddenly it gets a little more complicated.
” The Wyoming Department of Transportation takes the lead in managing the road and addressing hazards to travel , he said .
The Fish and Wildlife Service and Wyoming Game and Fish jointly handle the bears .
Two national forests control the surrounding land : the Bridger-Teton on the west side of the pass and the Shoshone on the east .
The agencies agreed to focus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to designated pullouts and parking areas and cracking down on violations .
“ We ’ re just trying to keep people safe and protect the bears , because they have no voice , ” Stoinski said .
“ We aren ’ t looking to try to bust people , though some people do push the envelope.
” Impeding the movement of a grizzly bear , even to take a photo , is a violation of the Endangered Species Act , he said .
Stoinski has ventured up to the pass three times this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eyes on Felicia .
As soon as next week he ’ ll have some steady assistance from a federal sister agency .
The Bridger-Teton is bringing on a full-time volunteer , an Oregonian named Dale Barker , who will wear an official uniform and drive an official vehicle , and whose duties as a bear “ ambassador ” entail no shortage of time spent on Togwotee Pass .
Blackrock District Ranger Todd Stiles is welcoming the help .
“ Sometimes 863 is out for 10 hours a day , ” Stiles said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the staff to have someone up there all day engaged in conversation.
” Although Barker is technically a volunteer he will receive a stipend and incurs some costs .
Two nongovernmental organizations are splitting that expense : the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and Friends of the Bridger-Teton .
Sarah Walker , who heads the friends group , is also trying to flex her social media muscle by getting photographers and public officials to take the # 100yardpledge on Instagram , encouraging compliance with viewing guidelines .
“ The 100 yards pledge is a good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have three words , those are the ones , ” Walker said .
“ But obviously there ’ s a lot more nuanced issues , and you can ’ t always be 100 yards away.
” Walker has also reached out to Togwotee Pass regulars , like Burgess and Jack Bayles , asking for assistance in encouraging good behaviour .
“ If Felicia is out , the same 10 of us are going to be out here doing what we can do , ” Bayles said , “ but it will sure be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have our backs.
” Bayles ’ hunch is that the Togwotee grizzly-watching affair will correct itself this year .
When Felicia has been without cubs like she is this year , she ’ s typically headed into the backcountry for the summer , out of sight of the highway .
He ’ s hoping that will again be the case .
“ I wish she ’ d just go over the hill , ” Bayles said .
“ It would suck to not see her , but I think she ’ d have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she ’ s going to have.
” But in the meantime , the habituated sow is sticking around — with the brown boar hot on her heels .
Such was the scene Saturday , when photographers trying to document the courtship were reportedly behaving badly .
“ There were six , eight , 10 people lying in the grass 50 feet from Felicia , with the male chomping and snapping his jaws in the background , ” Bayles said .
“ Game and Fish and the highway patrol made everyone leave , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s got to a point where we didn ’ t even want to be there , ” he said , “ because we didn ’ t want to be a part of that problem.
” Another factor that ’ s making the Togwotee grizzly mania abate at times is other grizzly bears .
Jackson Hole wildlife videographer Jeff Hogan was up on the pass among the masses last Thursday when a friend whispered to him that grizzly 399 and her four cubs had reemerged into view after a couple of days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , leaving the sighting a secret .
“ Two minutes later , this guy goes , ’ 399 ’ s out !
’ ” Hogan recounted .
Within minutes the crowd cleared out to chase sightings of the more famed park bear and her four cubs .
“ It was unbelievable , ” Hogan said , remaining behind to watch grizzly 863 in relative peace .


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--Europeans criticize US move to revoke Iran sanction waivers

BERLIN - The western European parties to the landmark nuclear deal with Iran on Saturday criticized a U.S. decision to end nearly all of the last vestiges of sanctions relief provided under the 2015 pact .
The U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the deal with Iran in 2018 , leaving the others involved — France , Germany , Britain , China and Russia — struggling to keep it alive .
The deal promises Iran economic incentives in return for curbs on its nuclear program .
The deal was meant to prevent Iran from developing a bomb , even though Iran said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With the re-imposition of American sanctions , however , Iran ’ s economy has been struggling , and it has been violating the restrictions of the pact in order to try to pressure the other nations to do more to help it economically .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the stakes on Wednesday , saying he would revoke all but one of the sanctions waivers covering civil nuclear co-operation .
The waivers had allowed Russian , European and Chinese companies to continue to work on Iran ’ s civilian nuclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a joint statement , the foreign ministries of Germany , France and Britain said they “ deeply regret the U.S. decision.
” “ These projects , endorsed by U.N. Security Council resolution 2231 , serve the nonproliferation interests of all and provide the international community with assurances of the exclusively peaceful and safe nature of Iranian nuclear activities , ” they said .
“ We are consulting with our partners to assess the consequences of this decision by the United States .
”


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--Kenya: Police kill 2 children, fetus trying to catch father

NAIROBI , Kenya - Two children and their unborn sibling have been killed in a Kenyan police operation aimed at detaining their father , a human rights group said Saturday .
Police , who called the man a suspected Islamic extremist with an al-Qaida linked group , confirmed the children ’ s deaths and asserted they were used as “ human shields.
” A police report seen by The Associated Press said an elite unit went to the house of Mohamed Mapenzi in Kibundani area of coastal Kwale County in search of firearms Friday night .
The report said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspected member of al-Shabab , based in neighbouring Somalia .
Al-Shabab has been carrying out attacks inside Kenya since 2011 in retaliation for Kenya ’ s troop presence in Somalia .
The report says officers ordered the suspect to open his house but he refused .
“ As the officers were preparing to break in , the suspect suddenly opened the door and threw a grenade towards the officers , slightly injuring one of them .
This prompted the officers to open fire , fatally injuring him and two minors he was using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The suspect ’ s wife and three other children sustained injuries , the report said .
Hussein Khalid , executive director of the rights group Haki Africa , said the wife was pregnant .
She survived but the baby died in the womb , Khalid said .
He said a 3-year-old girl was shot in the head .
He spoke to the AP from the hospital after visiting the morgue where the bodies were taken .
From his initial investigation , he said , police appear to have used excessive force .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kenyan police routinely kill suspects for various reasons , including extortion , and cover it up .
More recently , police have been accused of killing at least 18 people who violated a dusk-to-dawn curfew the government has put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus .
A vetting exercise to scrutinize more than 100,000 officers that started in 2013 stopped without explanation earlier this year after a new team of commissioners took office at the National Police Service Commission , which oversees police operations .
Out of the 10,000 officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fired .


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--Asia Today: India caseload surges again; 39 sick in S. Korea

NEW DELHI - India on Saturday registered another record single-day jump of 7,964 coronavirus cases and 265 deaths , a day before the 2-month-old lockdown is set to end .
The Health Ministry put the total number of confirmed cases at 173,763 with 4,971 deaths .
The infections include 82,369 people who have recovered .
More than 70 % of the cases are concentrated in Maharashtra , Gujarat , Tamil Nadu , New Delhi , Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan states .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi , in an open letter marking the first year of his government ’ s second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ path to victory in its battle against the virus .
He said India will set “ an example in economic revival ” and asked the nation to show a “ firm resolve.
” Modi also acknowledged the “ tremendous suffering ” of millions of migrant workers who had lost their jobs during the lockdown and have been forced to make grueling and dangerous trips back to their hometowns .
The federal government is expected to issue a new set of guidelines this weekend , possibly extending the lockdown in worst-hit areas .
India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , allowing reopening of shops and manufacturing and resumption of some train links and domestic flights .
India has surpassed China both in terms of confirmed cases and deaths from the disease .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — DOZENS OF NEW CASES IN SOUTH KOREA : South Korea on Saturday reported 39 new cases of the coronavirus , most of them in the densely populated Seoul area where officials have linked scores of infections to warehouse workers .
Figures from South Korea ’ s Centers for Disease Control and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases and 269 deaths .
KCDC Director Jeong Eun-kyeong said Friday that at least 102 infections had been linked to workers at a massive warehouse operated by Coupang , a local e-commerce giant that has seen orders spike during the epidemic .
The company has been criticized for failing to implement proper preventive measures and enforce distance between employees , with the virus discovered on safety helmets , laptops , keyboards and other equipment they share .
The resurgence in infections has alarmed officials as millions of children have been returning to school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CHINA : China on Saturday reported four new confirmed cases of the coronavirus , all brought from outside the country and no new deaths .
Just 63 people remained in treatment and another 401 were under isolation and monitoring for showing signs of having the virus or of testing positive for it without showing any symptoms .
China has reported a total of 4,634 deaths among 82,999 cases since the virus was first detected in the central industrial city of Wuhan .
With virtually everyone wearing masks in public , most offices , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economic fallout from months of lockdown in most of the country has left millions unemployed and , combined with a worsening trade dispute with the U.S. and drop in global demand , it remains unclear how many jobs will return .
The central province of Hubei announced more than two dozen measures on Friday to revive the local economy , including a June shopping festival , accelerating the issuance of housing loans , funding support for travel agencies , and subsidies for vehicle purchases .
— GERMANS RETURN TO CHINA : Around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members have begun returning to China aboard charter flights as multinational companies in the world ’ s second-largest economy seek to get their operations running again .
A pair of flights from Frankfurt to the Chinese business hubs of Tianjin and Shanghai were organized by the German Chamber of Commerce in China in co-operation with Germany ’ s diplomatic missions and airline Lufthansa .
They ’ re the first repatriation flights from Europe to China for foreign nationals .
China has largely banned all foreigners from entering because of the coronavirus outbreak .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ China , employing more than 1 million people .
Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at http : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak .


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--How Donald Trump became his own ‘deep state’

David Frum ’ s new book , “ Trumpocalypse : Restoring American Democracy , ” analyzes how the U.S. president has undermined the country ’ s democratic traditions , and how they can be salvaged .
This section looks at the “ deep state ” cited as a supposed obstacle by Donald Trump and his allies .
It seems ungrateful for Trump to hate the FBI so much , considering all the FBI did to make him president .
Through the 2016 campaign , the FBI ’ s New York office leaked anti-Clinton tidbits to former New York City mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s formal notice to Congress on Oct. 28 , 2016 , that he was reopening the investigation into Hillary Clinton ’ s emails “ in connection with an unrelated case ” apparently validated Trump ’ s campaign claims that some huge scandal was secreted within the Clinton email server .
Hillary Clinton credited that notice as a crucial factor in her narrow defeat 11 days later .
Trump assumed law enforcement agencies and the military would support his reactionary , chauvinist politics .
It must have jolted him to discover post-election that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under investigation on counterintelligence grounds .
Pre-presidential Trump had a long , complex , and mysterious relationship with the FBI and law enforcement agencies .
Trump acted as an FBI informant in the 1980s , as the Washington Post reported during the campaign .
His usefulness to other FBI investigations may explain how a New York real estate figure who shared a lawyer with John Gotti and Tony Salerno escaped investigation himself .
From his earlier experiences with the FBI , Trump seems to have absorbed a transactional approach to law enforcement — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at their famous dinner in January 2017 .
You do me a favour , I do you a favour .
Only this time , the exchange of favours did not happen .
Trump fired Comey .
Jared Kushner reportedly assured Trump that Democrats would welcome the firing , ending Trump ’ s Russia exposure once and for all .
As so often happened , Kushner ’ s advice proved less than astute .
Trump for the first time in his long life of corrupt dealings found himself face to face with a criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of .
Trump would gradually attach the term deep state to every element of government that resisted his whim of the moment .
According to Bob Woodward ’ s reporting , President Trump ordered Secretary James Mattis to plan an operation intended to assassinate Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad — an unlawful order , since assassination is prohibited by U.S. law .
Mattis reportedly listened politely , then told his staff , “ We ’ re not going to do any of that.
” When Central American asylum seekers sought to rush the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shoot the migrants in the legs .
That unlawful command was likewise ignored .
Trump sought to blackmail Ukraine into fabricating dirt against likely presidential rival Joe Biden .
His National Security staff mutinied and thwarted him .
But it all started with Comey and the FBI , and that first encounter with cops he could not buy .
The phrase deep state originates in the byzantine world of Turkish politics .
Kemal Atatürk , the founder of the Turkish republic , bequeathed a military and security establishment committed to secularism .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ push their country in more Islamic directions would be balked — or even sometimes overthrown — by Kemal ’ s heirs in the armed forces .
Western political scientists adopted the term deep state to describe the power of the Kemalists after Kemal .
Over time , the term was extended to describe other Third World societies with overmighty military and intelligence establishments , especially Pakistan .
Steve Bannon absorbed the term somewhere and introduced it to Trump .
Trump then diffused it through the conservative media , and especially to his pal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkey and Pakistan , the term deep state described how those with secret power used clandestine means to thwart the regular government .
Bannon , Trump and Hannity used the term to mean the direct opposite : how the regular government used lawful means to thwart Trump officials who abused their power .
Consider the actions at issue in Trump ’ s impeachment trial .
Congress voted military aid to Ukraine .
Trump could have vetoed that aid .
He could have withdrawn U.S. recognition of the Zelenskiy government as the lawful government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gordon Sondland as ambassador to Ukraine and instructed him to support the business schemes of Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas as in the national interest of the United States .
He could even ( probably ) have directed his attorney general to open a criminal investigation of the Burisma gas company and any U.S. person involved with it , including Hunter Biden .
These actions might have exacted a political cost , but they were all within Trump ’ s legal authority .
Trump did not do any of them .
Instead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his office to advance one policy in Ukraine .
He then deployed secret nonlegal methods to advance a contradictory policy .
Or consider Trump ’ s Russia policy .
Trump could have pivoted U.S. foreign policy to Russia .
He could have appointed a secretary of state , secretary of defence , and national security advisers who shared his pro-Putin views .
He could have waived U.S. sanctions on Russia and accredited a U.S. ambassador to Bashar al- Assad .
He could have ended U.S. naval operations in the Black Sea and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He could have invited Vladimir Putin to Camp David for talks , given a speech to Congress or to the country arguing for an alliance with Russia .
Again , Trump did not do any of that .
He signed all the instruments and findings to continue pre-existing Russia policy .
Then he sabotaged his own policy in private , working around his own administration — treating even his note-takers and translators as spies and enemies .
Presidents hold enormous power over foreign policy .
Trump did not use those powers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ regular operations of the executive branch .
He talked on unsecured phones , relied on Fox News rather than intelligence briefings , and disparaged his own officials as “ Never Trumpers.
” Those disparaged officials did not defy Trump ’ s policy .
They complied with Trump ’ s policy , as that policy was codified in formal orders .
What they defied was the policy that Trump whispered to his cronies , the policy that Trump and his spokespeople indignantly denied they were following .
Trump disliked all formally constituted government .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Cohen testified , Trump talks in code .
He wanted underlings who would spare him the distasteful necessity to articulate his intentions out loud .
He expected them to anticipate his wishes , while preserving his deniability .
Government works by paper .
Presidents issue orders by signed decision memo , creating a record of clarity and accountability .
Trump hated paperwork .
He erupted in rage when his first White House counsel , Don McGahn , took notes at meetings .
He used insecure devices , risking surveillance by enemy spy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own government could record him .
Trump was not a victim of the deep state : a rogue government-within-a-government that sabotaged lawful authority .
It was Trump who was his own deep state , sabotaging on the sly the policy that he himself had ordered in writing .
Trump instinctively mistrusted all the law enforcement functions of government .
He assumed , however , that the military would salute and obey any order , no matter how illegal .
It must have stunned him to discover that the armed forces declined to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military leadership resisted Trump ’ s wish for a big parade down Pennsylvania Avenue .
Donald Trump had returned enthralled from a 2017 Bastille Day visit to Paris .
He had stood in a place of honour in a reviewing stand as troops , weapons and military bands passed before him .
He was seen to mouth “ So good ” to his wife , Melania .
Trump returned home from Paris determined that he must have a parade in Washington for Veterans ’ Day 2017 .
The Pentagon found reasons why it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vehicles would chew up the streets of Washington , D.C .
The symbolism was inappropriate while U.S. troops were still engaged in combat against ISIS and the Taliban .
Anyway , it would all cost too much .
Defence planners estimated that the parade Trump wanted would cost the federal government and the District of Columbia a total of $ 92 million , rather than the White House figure of $ 12 million — an estimate the Pentagon leaked to journalists , just in case .
The more fundamental cause of reluctance was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : the military has a lot of real work to do , and it did not want to impose useless extra tasks on its personnel for no better reason than to amuse an infantile president .
Yet Trump kept ordering the parade .
A compromise was reached in time for the Fourth of July 2019 .
Trump got a flypast by each of the armed services , including the Coast Guard , but no marching troops , no rolling vehicles .
We were promised an armoured division motoring along Constitution Avenue .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--Some Old Order Mennonites feel called to return to church

NEW HOLLAND , Pa. - For the first time in weeks , kids played in the church cemetery .
Nearby , a group of men in their 20s reflected on what it meant to gather again during the pandemic .
“ Human health is important , ” one of them said .
“ But ultimately , spiritual health is more important.
” Their conservative order — one that shuns technology , cars and electricity — never missed Sunday services in more than 100 years , when the deadly 1918 flu pandemic interrupted worship .
Then , a different virus intruded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two months , the Old Order Stauffer Mennonite Church followed Pennsylvania ’ s stay-at-home order and guidelines that discouraged gatherings in houses of worship .
COVID-19 forced the postponement of weddings , funerals and their bi-annual communion , a high point .
While some more modern Mennonite orders in Lancaster County held services by video , the Stauffers did not .
But now , it was “ time to get back to work , ” their bishop said .
“ And more so ... in the spiritual sense.
” It was time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he wondered how many worshippers would come , and he still felt concerns about “ offending the public and the government.
” News spread fast : first service together in weeks ; not mandatory , only for those who felt safe .
That morning , dozens arrived : men in wide brimmed straw hats , women in bonnets and dark dresses ; their children in suspenders .
Some greeted each other without face masks .
Others walked into the bathroom to apply hand sanitizer before they filled the long , creaky wooden church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ German and the dialect known as Pennsylvania Dutch .
“ It has been many weeks since we gathered here .
Are we thankful to be here again ?
” Bishop Marvin asked .
“ Aren ’ t we thankful for health to go about our life ?
” Like others in his congregation , he was welcoming , but he didn ’ t want his last name to appear on the news because of religious views on modesty .
Mennonites believe in pacifism , reserve baptism for adults and oppose military service .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ trace their origins to the Anabaptists , a radical 16th-century sect of the Reformation originating in Switzerland .
Their name comes from Menno Simons , a Dutch Roman Catholic priest who joined the Anabaptists .
Some Old Order Mennonites eschew technology , cars and dress in plain clothes like the Amish , who separated from the Mennonites in the 17th century .
There are some differences .
The Amish worship at home and men grow beards without moustaches after they marry .
“ I guess it ’ s a little like you go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ford and the other says Dodge , and they might all come out of the same assembly line , ” Bishop Marvin said .
“ But as far as the foundation , or the fundaments of the faith , it ’ s not that much different.
” The Old Order Stauffer Mennonite Church formed in 1845 .
Today , they number about 2,000 in Pennsylvania , 500 of them in Lancaster County , said Steven Nolt , senior scholar at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most technologically restrictive of any of the Old Order groups , so their means of communication has always been very much face-to-face .
They need to be together in order to communicate , ” Nolan said .
“ Being apart was probably really hard for them.
” During Sunday worship , Bishop Marvin said their time apart from each other gave parents a chance to read Scripture with their children at home .
But he acknowledged challenges .
His mother died at age 95 on April 2 , and the community couldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service .
Rules on houses of worship have varied from state to state .
Gov .
Tom Wolf ’ s stay-at-home order in Pennsylvania effectively exempted religious activity , although it strongly discouraged gatherings .
The guidance said religious leaders were “ encouraged to find alternatives to in-person gatherings and to avoid endangering their congregants.
” Other congregations adapted .
The Groffdale Conference Old Order Mennonites used landline phones as an alternative to their in-person worship , cancelled for the first time in more than a century .
“ I can remember my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Spanish flu , when the churches were closed for three months .
There were no funerals , and a lot of people died , ” said Aaron Hurst , a congregant who owns a hardware store .
The conference call worship was launched with the help of Elvin Hoover .
From his home office overlooking the Conestoga River , he receives faxes offering farm products , masks and other services .
He then announces the news in Pennsylvania Dutch through a phone line that reaches hundreds in his community .
Church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that on a Sunday , it jammed the local phone exchange .
“ The sheep were hungry !
” he said .
“ We miss church .
Oh , do we miss church.
” Modern orders like the Akron Mennonite Church used video conferencing for the first time during Sunday worship .
Co-pastor Rachel Nolan began the May 3 service by lighting a candle .
After a reading , she divided the congregation into virtual breakout rooms and asked them to reflect on the Scripture .
“ How did you hear it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she asked .
A couple shared their experience after they contracted the coronavirus .
Others prayed for a boy who was going to undergo surgery , and a woman diagnosed with cancer .
The service ended with Nolan saying : “ And so let us go with hope , transforming ourselves to transform the world , ” to which all responded : “ Trusting in the God who brings life from places of death.
” At the Stauffer Mennonite Church , the service ended when men , women and children turned around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the wooden floor .
With their eyes shut , hands cupped around their temples and foreheads pressed against the pews , they recited the Lord ’ s Prayer , together but prayerfully isolated .
Associated Press writer Marc Levy in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania , contributed to this report .
Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through the Religion News Foundation .
The AP is solely responsible for this content .

Luis Andres Henao And Jessie Wardarski - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--Trump WHO funding cut prompts criticism as virus spreads

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump ’ s announcement he was cutting U.S. funding for the World Health Organization prompted criticism Saturday , as spiking infection rates in India and elsewhere served as a reminder the global pandemic is far from contained .
Trump on Friday charged that the WHO didn ’ t respond adequately to the pandemic , accusing the U.N. agency of being under China ’ s “ total control.
” The WHO wouldn ’ t comment on the announcement but South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize called it an “ unfortunate ” turn of events .
“ Certainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you want all nations in the world to be particularly focused ... on one common enemy , ” he told reporters .
The U.S. is the largest source of financial support for the WHO , and its exit is expected to significantly weaken the organization .
Trump said the U.S. would be “ redirecting ” the money to “ other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs , ” without providing specifics .
In China , where the virus outbreak began , only four new confirmed cases were reported Saturday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and no new deaths .
Just 63 people remained in treatment .
After judging the situation there now safe , a chartered flight carrying 200 German managers back to their jobs landed in Tianijin , a port city just east of Beijing .
A flight carrying another 200 was due in Shanghai on Thursday .
“ I ’ m really happy that business is starting again , ” said Karin Wasowski , a Volkswagen employee , before boarding the flight in Frankfurt .
“ I ’ ve been working from a home office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something completely different to being there.
” More than 5,200 German companies operate in China , employing more than 1 million people .
“ This is an important step to reconnect China ’ s and Germany ’ s economies , ” said Jens Hildebrandt , executive director of the German Chamber of Commerce in North China , which helped organize the flights .
“ It is our common interest to contribute in helping the economy return to normalcy and pre-virus levels.
” Close to 6 million coronavirus infections have been reported worldwide , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.5 million recoveries , according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University .
The true dimensions are widely believed to be significantly greater , with experts saying many victims died without ever being tested .
As some countries have effectively lowered the rate of infections , they have been moving ahead with relaxing restrictions but are keeping a very close eye on developments .
In South Korea , credited with one of the most successful programs to fight the pandemic , there were 39 new cases reported Saturday , most of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where officials have linked the infections to warehouse workers .
Authorities have so far maintained the phased reopening of schools in the hope that the recent transmissions could be contained quickly .
India registered another record single day jump of 7,964 cases and 265 deaths , a day before it was to end its 2-month-old lockdown .
That put the country ’ s total cases at 173,763 with 4,971 deaths and 82,369 recoveries , according to the Health Ministry .
Still , Prime Minister Narendra Modi , said in an open letter that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victory ” in its battle against the virus and would “ an example in economic revival , ” while asking his countrymen to show “ firm resolve.
” Russia recorded nearly 9,000 new cases overnight , around the daily level it has been at over the past two weeks as the virus continues to spread .
The national coronavirus task force said Saturday that 4,555 Russians have died of COVID-19 , and 396,575 infections have been recorded .
The relatively low mortality rate compared with other countries has prompted skepticism domestically and abroad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peacekeepers serving in Mali had died from the virus .
There have been 137 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among peacekeepers , the majority in Mali , but these were the first deaths .
The U.S. has been worst hit by the outbreak , with more than 1.7 million cases and almost 103,000 deaths .
Cities and states are under increasing pressure to reopen , however , especially for service industries that had seen customer numbers evaporate .
The latest job-loss figures from the U.S. Labor Department brought to 41 million the running total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since shutdowns took hold in mid-March .
But there have been worrying signs that as restrictions are eased , people have not been adhering to social distancing guidelines meant to help prevent the spread of the virus .
On Friday , health officials in Missouri said that they were seeking to “ inform mass numbers of unknown people ” after a person who attended crowded pool parties over Memorial Day weekend at the state ’ s popular Lake of the Ozarks tested positive for COVID-19 .
Rising reported from Berlin .
AP reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report .

David Rising And Martin Crutsinger - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--Before Floyd death, activists saw progress on police reforms

MINNEAPOLIS - Years of dialogue about police and criminal justice reforms in Minneapolis had improved the relationship between the African American community and law enforcement , activists say — before the police killing this week of George Floyd , a handcuffed black man who died after a white officer pressed his knee into Floyd ’ s neck for several minutes as he pleaded for air .
Floyd ’ s death and footage of the officer pressing a knee into his neck for several minutes have unleashed protests and violent clashes with law enforcement — exposing simmering frustration and the fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ahead , several advocates and leaders told The Associated Press .
“ Progress and change can ebb and flow , ” said Jeremiah Ellison , who won a City Council seat after participating in past protests against police killings of African Americans in Minnesota .
The four nights of unrest this week — including the torching of a police station that officers abandoned — “ proved to me that we ’ ve regressed to the point of 2015 , ” Ellison said , referring to the year that also saw protests after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man killed by police .
Minneapolis — a city of nearly 430,000 that is 60 % white , 19 % black and 9 % Hispanic — has a long history of economic and educational disparities that have marginalized black residents for decades , despite its reputation for progressive values .
It is one of the most segregated cities in the country for its size , and schools suffer from stubborn achievement gaps .
The city appointed its first black chief of police nearly three years ago , after slow progress toward making the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a statewide task force made up of activists , people representing victims of police brutality , and law enforcement leaders released recommendations for policing reforms .
That task force was formed in the wake of several high-profile fatal shootings of black men by police in the Minneapolis area .
Those included Clark , who was killed during a struggle with two white Minneapolis officers , and Philando Castile , who was fatally shot by a Hispanic suburban police officer during a traffic stop in 2016 .
While Nekima Levy Armstrong , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Minneapolis NAACP , acknowledges that progress , she said that many old habits are still entrenched .
“ The system itself has not changed , “ Armstrong said .
” The culture within the Minneapolis Police Department has not changed.
” The city ’ s police department of more than 800 officers is still predominantly white , she said .
The department did not respond to a request for up-to-date figures , but the Star Tribune reported in 2014 that the force , including cadets in field training , was 78.9 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % Asian , 4.1 % Hispanic and 2.5 % American Indian .
Some leaders , including former Mayor R.T. Rybak and state Sen. Jeff Hayden , have blamed the city ’ s police union in recent days for fostering a culture that protects brutal officers and resists efforts at reform .
The union ’ s president , Lt. Bob Kroll , did not return a call seeking comment .
The eruption of anger in Minneapolis reflects frustration over these realities , despite some progress , said Teqen Zéa-Aida , a longtime activist in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also demanded a “ public response , ” he said , though he pushed for protests to happen online given the risks of gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic .
“ We saw his eyes ... we saw a lynching .
George Floyd is Emmett Till , 2020 , ” he said , referring to the black 14-year-old who was abducted , beaten and killed in 1955 after he was accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi , a lynching that helped spur the civil rights movement .
Bystander video and photos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground , while Officer Derek Chauvin kneels on his neck , ignoring his pleas for help .
Two other officers appear to help hold him down , and a fourth attempts to keep space around the scene .
“ My stomach hurts , my neck hurts , everything hurts ...
I can ’ t breathe , ” said Floyd , who eventually becomes motionless .
Police initially said they arrested Floyd because he matched the description of a man suspected of passing a counterfeit $ 20 bill at a grocery store and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to put Floyd in a squad car when he stiffened up and fell to the ground , saying he was claustrophobic , according to the criminal complaint detailing charges against Chauvin .
In addition to igniting the turmoil in Minneapolis , Floyd ’ s death has garnered national attention , and it drew comparisons to the case of Eric Garner , a black man who died in 2014 in New York after he was placed in a chokehold by police and also said he could not breathe .
The delay in Chauvin ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drive the protests , which turned markedly more violent than those that followed the deaths of either Clark or Castile .
Authorities arrested Chauvin and charged him Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter .
His attorney had no comment when reached by the AP .
The other three officers involved have not been charged , but the investigation is continuing .
All four were fired Tuesday shortly after the video began circulating .
Some activists and community leaders said they expected the protests to continue to push for the arrests of and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Floyd ’ s death “ just touched people in a way that they didn ’ t expect , ” said Armstrong .
“ We must get to the underlying solutions or we will be right back here in a fairly short time , ” said Keith Ellison , the state ’ s first African American attorney general , whose son is the Minneapolis city councilman .
“ We ’ ve got to literally shift policing.
” Ramsey County Undersheriff Bill Finney , who in 1992 became the first African American police chief in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job in neighbouring St. Paul , said even when the relationship between police and the black community improves , all sides must guard against complacency .
“ You have to constantly make deposits into the community bank of goodwill , ” Finney said .
“ You want to get to a place where the community stops considering you as ‘ the police ’ and starts seeing you as their police.
” Morrison and Nasir are members of the AP ’ s Race and Ethnicity team .
Follow Morrison on Twitter at https : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ //twitter.com/noreensnasir .

Aaron Morrison, Noreen Nasir And Steve Karnowski - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--In unusual move, US embassies in Africa speak up on Floyd

JOHANNESBURG - As Minneapolis burns over the police killing of George Floyd and shock and disappointment in Africa grow , some U.S. embassies on the continent have taken the unusual step of issuing critical statements , saying no one is above the law .
The statements came as the head of the African Union Commission , Moussa Faki Mahamat , condemned the “ murder ” of Floyd and said Friday the continental body rejects the “ continuing discriminatory practices against black citizens of the USA.
” Africa has not seen the kind of protests over Floyd ’ s killing that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but many Africans have expressed disgust and dismay , openly wondering when the U.S. will ever get it right .
“ WTF ?
‘ When the looting starts the shooting starts ’ ?
” tweeted political cartoonist Patrick Gathara in Kenya , which has its own troubles with police brutality .
He , like many , was aghast at the tweet by President Donald Trump , flagged by Twitter as violating rules against “ glorifying violence , ” that the president later said had been misconstrued .
Mindful of America ’ s image @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influence has grown and where many have felt a distinct lack of interest from the Trump administration in Africa , some U.S. diplomats have tried to control the damage .
The ambassador to Congo , Mike Hammer , highlighted a tweet from a local media entrepreneur who addressed him saying , “ Dear ambassador , your country is shameful .
Proud America , which went through everything from segregation to the election of Barack Obama , still hasn ’ t conquered the demons of racism .
How many black people must be killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seriously ?
” The ambassador ’ s response , in French : “ I am profoundly troubled by the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
The Justice Department is conducting a full criminal investigation as a top priority .
Security forces around the world should be held accountable .
No one is above the law.
” Similar statements were tweeted by the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Uganda , while the embassies in Tanzania and Kenya tweeted a joint statement from the Department of Justice office in Minnesota on the investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last month over racism in China , when Africans complained of being evicted and mistreated in the city of Guangzhou amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
At the time , the U.S. was quick to join in , with the embassy in Beijing issuing a critical security alert titled “ Discrimination against African-Americans in Guangzhou “ and noting actions against people thought to be African or have African contacts .
Now the Africa-facing version of the state-run China Daily newspaper is tweeting footage from Minneapolis with the hashtags # GeorgeFloydWasMurdered and # BlackLivesMatter .


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--National Guard summoned to aid cities amid police clashes

ATLANTA - Georgia ’ s governor declared a state of emergency early Saturday to activate the state National Guard as violence flared in Atlanta and cities nationwide following the death in Minnesota of George Floyd after a white officer pressed a knee into his neck while taking him into custody .
Another 500 Guard soldiers were mobilized in and around Minneapolis , where Floyd died and an officer faced charges Friday in his death .
But after another night of watching fires burn and businesses ransacked , Minnesota Gov .
Tim Walz said early Saturday that he was moving to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considering federal help .
The Guard was also on standby in the District of Columbia , where a crowd grew outside the White House and chanted curses at President Donald Trump .
Some protesters tried to push through barriers set up by the U.S. Secret Service along Pennsylvania Avenue , and threw bottles and other objects at officers wearing riot gear , who responded with pepper spray .
A person was killed in downtown Detroit just before midnight after someone in an SUV fired shots into a crowd of protesters near the Greektown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Portland , Oregon , protesters broke into police headquarters and authorities said they lit a fire inside .
In Virginia ’ s capital , a police cruiser was set on fire outside Richmond police headquarters , and a city transit spokeswoman said a bus set ablaze was “ a total loss , ” news outlets reported .
Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp tweeted that up to 500 members of the Guard would deploy immediately “ to protect people & property in Atlanta.
” He said he acted at the request of Atlanta Mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in vain for calm .
In scenes both peaceful and violent across the nation , thousands of protesters chanted “ No justice , no peace ” and “ Say his name .
George Floyd.
” They hoisted signs reading : “ He said I can ’ t breathe .
Justice for George.
” Some demonstrators smashed police cars and spray-painted the iconic logo sign at CNN headquarters in downtown Atlanta .
At least three officers were hurt and there were multiple arrests , Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos said , as protesters shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bricks , bottles and knives .
Atlanta officials said crews were unable to reach a fire at Del Frisco ’ s restaurant in the Buckhead neighbourhood several miles north because of protesters there .
“ This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King , Jr. , “ Bottoms said .
“ You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country.
” Bottoms was flanked by King ’ s daughter , Bernice King , and rappers T.I .
and Killer Mike .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ burning down our own homes .
Because if we lose Atlanta what have we got ?
” said Killer Mike , crying as he spoke .
Video posted to social media showed New York City officers using batons and shoving protesters down as they took people into custody and cleared streets .
One video showed on officer slam a woman to the ground as he walked past her in the street .
Demonstrators rocked a police van , set it ablaze , scrawled graffiti across its charred body and set it aflame again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protesters used a club to batter another police vehicle .
“ There will be a full review of what happened tonight , ” Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted , referring to the Brooklyn protest .
” We don ’ t ever want to see another night like this.
” The police department said numerous officers were injured , including one whose tooth was knocked out .
The names of black people killed by police , including Floyd and Eric Garner , who died on Staten Island in 2014 , were on signs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sickness .
We have to be out here , “ said Brianna Petrisko , among those at lower Manhattan ’ s Foley Square , where most were wearing masks amid the coronavirus pandemic .
” This is the only way we ’ re going to be heard.
” Protesters in Houston , where Floyd grew up , included 19-year-old Jimmy Ohaz from the nearby city of Richmond , Texas : “ My question is how many more , how many more ?
I just want to live in a future where we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not oppressed.
” Demonstrators on the West Coast blocked highways in Los Angeles and Oakland , California .
About 1,000 protesters in Oakland smashed windows , sprayed buildings with “ Kill Cops ” graffiti and were met with chemical spray from police , who said several officers were injured by projectiles .
One Los Angeles officer received medical treatment , police said .
An LAPD vehicle had its windows smashed , and at least one city bus was vandalized .
Police declared an unlawful assembly throughout downtown , where aerial footage from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police .
An LAPD spokesman told The Associated Press they were still tallying arrests .
“ I believe in our city .
L.A. is strong enough to stand for justice and walk in love , ” Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted , cautioning “ violence and vandalism hurts all.
” San Jose , California , police said that Santa Clara County sheriff ’ s deputies shot at a fleeing SUV that was shown on video striking protesters , the San Jose Mercury News reported .
Protesters repeatedly clashed with police in San Jose , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responded with flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets .
One officer was hospitalized with a non-life-threatening injury , officials said .
Liccardo said his city ’ s officers shared the community ’ s outrage over Floyd ’ s death .
“ It was a horrible injustice , ” he told the AP .
Portland , Oregon , police said at least one shooting was tied to the protest , although details weren ’ t immediately released .
Two people were arrested during overnight riots in which protesters set fires throughout downtown and smashed storefront @ @ @ @ @ @ @ details were immediately available .
Police , who declared the protest a riot , said they deployed gas after people threw projectiles at them .
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler tweeted a plea to protesters to remain peaceful and said that , while he had left Portland to attend to his dying mother , he was heading back .
“ Portland , this is not us , ” he wrote .
“ When you destroy our city , you are destroying our community .
When you act in violence against each other , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does this honour the legacy of George Floyd ?
”


thetorontostar--2020-05-30--Nepal’s parties show rare unity on border dispute with India

KATHMANDU , Nepal - While Nepal ’ s latest border dispute with India has strained relations between South Asian neighbours with centuries-old historical , cultural and economic ties , it also has brought the tiny Himalayan nation ’ s bickering political parties together in a rare show of unity .
The opposition Nepali Congress party has voiced support for the government in its row with India over its inauguration of a Himalayan link road built in a disputed region that lies at a strategic three-way junction with Tibet and China .
In response , the government of Prime Minister Khadga @ @ @ @ @ @ @ map of the country that showed the disputed territory within its borders , a move that was overwhelmingly supported by Nepal ’ s opposition and civil society .
” It is just not the political parties but the whole population that is backing the government on the issue , ” said Puranjan Acharya , an independent analyst .
The 80-kilometre ( 50-mile ) road , inaugurated by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh earlier this month , cuts through the Lipu Lekh Himalayan pass , which is considered one of the shortest and most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nepal fiercely contested the inauguration of the road and viewed the alleged incursions as a stark example of bullying by its much larger neighbour , triggering a fresh dispute over the strategically important territory .
Nepal , which was never under colonial rule , has long claimed the areas of Limpiyadhura , Kalapani and Lipu Lekh in accordance with the 1816 Sugauli treaty with the British Raj , although these areas have remained in control of Indian troops since India fought a war with China in 1962 .
The dispute over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wedge in relations between the two South Asian nations , leading to an exchange of strong-worded statements and remarks from both sides .
India called Nepal ’ s move a unilateral act that is not based on historical facts , and said it was contrary to the bilateral understanding to resolve the outstanding boundary issues through dialogue .
As anger grows on both sides , analysts say the two countries have no choice but to hold talks to try to resolve their differences .
“ As an independent country , Nepal has few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to sit down “ and discuss the issue with India , said Dhurba Adhikary , an independent analyst .
This is not the first time there have been differences between Nepal and India .
India imposed an economic blockade in 1989 and again stopped the exports of oil , medicines and food to Nepal in 2015 , causing severe shortages for months in Nepal , which at the time was recovering from a devastating earthquake .
India had supported an ethnic group in Nepal that was demanding more territory .
Nepal called India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affairs .

Binaj Gurubacharya - The Associated Press