thetorontostar--2020-05-25--New York marks ‘especially poignant’ Memorial Day amid virus

New Yorkers marked Memorial Day with car convoys and small ceremonies instead of big parades as the coronavirus reshaped the solemn holiday , blending tributes to virus victims and frontline workers with the traditional remembrance of the nation ’ s war dead .
In a year that marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II , veterans wore masks and saluted while standing at social-distancing intervals at observances shrunk by virus precautions .
At the Intrepid Sea , Air & Space Museum in Manhattan — the former aircraft carrier USS Intrepid — Gov .
Andrew Cuomo honoured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Memorial Day he called “ especially poignant and powerful.
” “ We know something about loss , and we ’ re living it again , ” the Democratic governor said .
In Rochester , officials looked ahead to the construction of the city ’ s War on Terror Memorial .
In Long Island ’ s Nassau County , a small group of veterans in masks saluted flag-bedecked vehicles at a car parade and wreath-laying that was closed to the public but streamed online .
In Brooklyn , about 30 to 40 cars , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along the route usually covered by marchers at the United Military Veterans of Kings County parade .
They finished by circling a Veterans Affairs hospital , many honking their horns , and laying a wreath near monuments at the hospital ’ s fence .
“ We weren ’ t sure if we were going to be able to do anything , ” said parade chairman Raymond Aalbue .
But he said he didn ’ t want the parade “ to die on my watch.
” He said this year ’ s Memorial Day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frontlines of the COVID-19 virus fight .
“ All day long we ’ re thinking about these health care workers and first responders and essential workers who are putting their lives on the line , daily , and have been doing that for a couple of months now to keep us safe , ” said Allbue .
“ We owe them a very deep debt of gratitude for all they ’ ve done all these months.
” Mayor Bill de Blasio , a Democrat , joined a wreath-laying at the Brooklyn War Memorial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of Memorial Day , but our appreciation for the heroes who gave their lives for our country has never been stronger.
” More celebratory Memorial Day traditions also were altered by rules meant to keep the virus in check .
Police kept a watchful eye over lighter-than-usual crowds at Jones Beach on Long Island .
A group of teenagers was ordered to leave because they weren ’ t wearing masks and keeping the required distance from one another .
Brianna Paredes said she was “ just trying to have a nice day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upended their senior year in high school .
“ I understand .
I work and I wear my mask and my gloves , ” the Levittown resident said .
But outside at the beach ?
“ I ’ m over it by now .
I feel like a lot of people are .
I think that it ’ s kind of annoying , ” she said while being escorted off the beach .
While the virus crisis has eased in New York , COVID-19 is still killing roughly 100 people a day statewide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to figures released Monday .
As the holiday approached , Cuomo loosened coronavirus-related restrictions last week to allow small public gatherings — initially just for Memorial Day observances and religious services .
He extended the eased rules Friday to all gatherings after the New York Civil Liberties Union sued , saying that if it was safe to gather to honour veterans and practice religion , the Constitution requires the same right be extended to other gatherings .
The rules now allow get-togethers of as many as 10 people , provided that participants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ metres ) away from one another or cover their faces when unable to maintain that distance .
At a news briefing after a ceremony at the Intrepid , Cuomo remembered veterans killed in combat and , more recently , by the coronavirus .
He also emphasized “ our heroes of today ” — health care , emergency and other essential workers “ who showed up and did their duty , lost their lives , to keep others of us safe.
” “ In many ways , that is a microcosm of what we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Memorial Day , ” he said , announcing that the state would make sure that public workers on the frontlines who died of COVID-19 got death benefits through state and local pension plans .
His office didn ’ t immediately provide further details .
While many Memorial Day ceremonies this year reflected the World War II anniversary , officials in Rochester held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a memorial that commemorates Americans killed in more recent conflicts .
The city ’ s forthcoming War on Terror Memorial will honour local members of the military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1990s .
Construction is due to start next year .
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello , a Democrat , called the planned memorial an enduring reminder “ of what it takes to be the land of the free , ” WROC-TV reported .
In Queens , the group behind the Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade arranged for one person to lay a wreath , another to do a flag ceremony and a third to play “ Taps “ while some others watched .
It was a far cry from the crowds that usually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ felt the need to do something , “ executive director Vincent Mimoni said .
On Staten Island , another convoy of cars , led by motorcycles , took off in a procession after a wreath-laying ceremony at Hero Park .

Jennifer Peltz And Michael R. Sisak - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-25--New York to provide death benefits for front-line workers who die from COVID-19

ALBANY , N.Y.—Families of front-line workers killed by coronavirus will be entitled to government-backed death benefits , Gov .
Andrew Cuomo announced Monday .
The governor , holding his daily briefing aboard the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum in honour of Memorial Day , said public health workers , police , firefighters , transit workers and medics deserve more than just a thank you for their work during the pandemic .
“ We will continue to show respect to our front-line heroes not just with words , but with action , ” Cuomo said .
“ I want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Cuomo said .
“ The least we can do , what we must do for their families , we should make sure their families get death benefits.
” Money for the benefits will be provided by local or state pension funds , the governor said .
Antibody testing , which can potentially show whether someone has been exposed to the virus , has revealed a lower rate of infection for many front-line workers in New York City .
However , hundreds of health and transit workers , cops , firefighters and EMS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the city became the epicentre of the pandemic .
Coronavirus has killed at least 123 MTA employees , Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman Pat Foye announced at a board meeting last Wednesday .
Cuomo also called on the federal government to step up and provide hazard pay to front-line workers .
“ I am calling on the federal government to provide dedicated funding for hazard pay for front-line workers , ” he said .
“ They have earned it by showing up and risking their health and lives for all of us.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the state , the governor said .
Another 96 New Yorkers died from the virus on Sunday , a slight dip from the 109 killed a day earlier .
Ahead of the briefing , Cuomo held a moment of silence and laid a wreath for service members lost and veterans being honoured on Memorial Day .
The governor warned that those taking advantage of the holiday weekend should take basic steps to help prevent the spread of the virus such as maintaining social distancing and wearing a mask .
“ You can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ Be smart .
You know , I talk about the masks , and I will talk about the masks until I ’ m blue in the face because they work.
” Over the weekend , Cuomo announced that campgrounds and RV parks would be allowed to open as the summer gets underway and many regions of upstate are looking forward to entering the second phase of the state ’ s reopening plan .
A majority of the state , the city excluded , is now in “ phase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manufacturing businesses are allowed to operate .
On Friday , Cuomo said the Mid-Hudson and Long Island regions are on track to start the four-phased reopening process “ this week .
”

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thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Afghan gov’t to free 900 prisoners; Taliban may extend truce

KABUL - The Afghan government announced it would free 900 prisoners on Tuesday , its single largest prisoner release since the U.S. and the Taliban signed a peace deal earlier this year that spells out an exchange of detainees between the warring sides .
The announcement came as a three-day cease-fire with the insurgents draws to an end .
The Taliban had called for the truce during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan .
There are expectations that the prisoner release could lead to new reductions in violence , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an extension of the cease-fire .
A senior Taliban figure confirmed this to The Associated Press .
“ If these developments , like the announcement of prisoner release continues , it is possible to move forward with decisions like extending the brief cease-fire and to move in a positive direction with some minor issues , “ the Taliban official said .
The prisoners were being released from Bagram prison , where the U.S. still maintains a major military base , north of Kabul , as well as from the infamous Pul-e-Charkhi prison on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By late afternoon , the AP witnessed scores of men pouring out of the Bagram compound — presumably the released prisoners .
It was not immediately possible to verify their numbers or whether they were all Taliban members .
The prisoner release is part of the U.S. deal with the Taliban , signed on Feb. 29 to allow for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan , bringing to an end the country ’ s protracted war and America ’ s longest military involvement .
When the deal was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s best chance for peace after decades of war but political feuding in Kabul and delays in prisoner exchanges have slowed the deal ’ s progress toward intra-Afghan negotiations , considered the second and most critical phase of the accord .
Under the deal , Kabul is to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners while the insurgents are to free 1,000 captives they hold , mostly government officials and Afghan forces , before intra-Afghan negotiations can begin .
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had welcomed the Taliban cease-fire announcement during the Muslim holiday .
Javid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kabul , urged the Taliban to extend the cease-fire and said the government would release 900 prisoners on Tuesday .
That would bring to 2,000 the number of Taliban prisoners released so far under the U.S.-Taliban deal .
The Taliban say they have released 240 of captives they held .
However , the Taliban have yet to confirm whether those released so far by the government were among the 5,000 names the insurgents had given U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad , the architect of the Feb. 29 deal .
A second Taliban official told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were n fact on the Taliban list of demands , including the uncle of Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada .
Key in deciding which names would appear on the list was Mullah Nooruddin Turabi , a senior figure who had recently recovered from COVID-19 , the illness caused by the coronavirus .
Turabi was the much feared vice and virtue minister during the Taliban rule , known for beating men who were found listening to music or not attending the mosque .
He once slapped a Taliban commander who spoke with a woman journalist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters .
Many Afghans have expressed frustration at the slow and often stalled peace process ; many have known only conflict in their homeland for the past several decades .
“ If both sides stop this war and sit at the negotiating table ... maybe my youngest children will experience a good life , which we never experienced , ” said Sayed Agha , a truck driver from eastern Logar province who was wounded in April , caught in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Afghan soldiers .
“ I have spent my whole life in war , ” said Agha , 45 .

Kathy Gannon And Tameem Akhgar - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Asia Today: Philippines trying to ease quarantine congestion

BANGKOK - As about 24,000 Filipinos who lost their jobs abroad are being transported by land , sea or air to their provincial homes , the president warned local officials not to refuse them entry out of coronavirus fears .
The workers returned to the country in recent months as jobs dried up worldwide due to the pandemic .
They were quarantined for two weeks in hospitals , hotels and makeshift isolation centres in metropolitan Manila in a chaotic situation that delayed their trip home and sparked a myriad of complaints .
Some had to wait for weeks for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released has tested negative .
President Rodrigo Duterte said in televised remarks Monday night that some provincial officials have refused entry to returning workers from abroad and warned them of possible lawsuits .
Authorities have been trying to reduce congestion in the quarantine facilities in the capital because about 300,000 more displaced Filipino workers are slated to come home soon .
“ I ’ m ordering you to accept them , open the gates of your territories , ” Duterte said .
“ Do not impede it .
Do not obstruct the movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of getting sued criminally.
” The thousands of workers began boarding buses , ships and planes back to their provinces on Monday .
The Philippines is a leading source of global labour .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — INDIAN CASES SURGE AGAIN : For a seventh consecutive day India reported a record single-day jump in new virus cases .
The health ministry counted a total of 145,380 cases , a one-day gain of 6,535 , and said 4,167 people had died .
Most of the cases are concentrated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maharashtra , home to financial hub Mumbai , and Gujarat , Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’ s home state .
An uptick of cases has also been reported in some of India ’ s poorest eastern states as migrant workers returning to native villages from cities have begun arriving home on special trains .
India has been easing its lockdown , with domestic flights resuming Monday at a fraction of normal .
— THAILAND EXTENDS STATE OF EMERGENCY : Thailand ’ s Cabinet has agreed to extend until the end of June a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to combat the spread of the virus .
The extension was approved amid mounting criticism that its real purpose is to curb political activity .
Political and human rights activists have been warning that the broad powers authorized under the emergency decree , such as limitations on speech and gatherings , could be used to silence critics of the government .
Thailand has seen single-digit increases in the number of new virus cases for several weeks , and has been gradually easing restrictions on gatherings and travel .
Thailand has confirmed a total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
— 19 NEW CASES IN SOUTH KOREA : South Korea is continuing to trace new virus infections and preparing for more students to return to school .
Most of the 19 new cases reported Tuesday were from the Seoul area , where officials are tracing transmissions linked to nightclubs and other entertainment venues .
The new infections caused concern as the phased reopening of schools began last week .
Around 2.4 million students are to return to school on Wednesday .
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo urged school officials to double-check their preventive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks on public transit and in taxis .
People have generally worn masks in public settings and no major disruptions were reported .
After initial shortages , South Korea ’ s mask supply has now stabilized and people can buy three masks per week .
— CODES SPARK CONCERN : South Korean rights groups have criticized government plans to require some businesses to register their customers with smartphone QR codes as part of new anti-virus measures .
They say the country ’ s technology-driven approach to COVID-19 has reached a point where an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legitimate concern .
South Korea ’ s Health Ministry has said “ high-risk ” businesses such as bars , nightclubs , gyms , karaoke rooms and concert halls will be required to use QR codes from June to register customers so they can be found more easily when transmissions occur .
In a statement Tuesday , groups including privacy watchdog Jinbo Net said such a move would be excessive .
— VACCINE TRIAL BEGINS : U.S. biotechnology company Novavax began injecting a coronavirus vaccine candidate into people in Australia with hopes of releasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first phase of the vaccine trial involves 131 volunteers and will test the safety of the vaccine while looking for signs of its effectiveness .
About a dozen experimental vaccines are in early stages of testing or poised to start .
It ’ s not clear that any will prove safe and effective .
Novovax expects the results of the Australian trial to be known in July and it ’ s making more doses in anticipation the vaccine will work .
— SRI LANKA VOWS ARRESTS : Police in Sri Lanka warned they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing as a curfew was eased in the capital .
Sri Lanka imposed a 24-hour curfew on March 20 which was eased in much of the country two weeks ago and in the last districts including Colombo on Tuesday .
A curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. remains in place .
Police said officers with video phones were deployed to observe and arrest social distancing violators , who could face up to six months in prison .
Health authorities say COVID-19 never reached community-level transmission in Sri Lanka , which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SEVEN CASES IN CHINA : China reported seven new virus cases , all tied to Chinese returning from abroad .
Just 81 patients remain hospitalized in the country with COVID-19 , and another 408 are in isolation and being monitored for being either suspected cases or having tested positive for the virus without showing any symptoms .
China has recorded 4,634 deaths from the disease among 82,992 cases .
With the decline in numbers , students have gradually returned to class and some international schools in Beijing are preparing to reopen on June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is meeting this week , with social distancing and other anti-virus measures being used .
— INDONESIA DEPLOYS SECURITY FORCES : Indonesia will deploy 340,000 security personnel to enforce health protocols as the world ’ s fourth most populous nation prepares to reopen its economy .
Military chief Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said soldiers and police will be stationed in 1,800 locations such as markets , public transportation , malls and tourist spots .
Large-scale social restrictions are expected to end in Jakarta on June 4 .
Tjahjanto said the security personnel will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing .
President Joko Widodo on Tuesday inspected preparations for reopening the subway in Jakarta and a shopping mall in its satellite city of Bekasi .
Indonesia has reported 23,165 COVID-19 cases with 1,418 deaths , the most fatalities in Southeast Asia .


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Israeli court rules alleged pedophile is fit to stand trial

JERUSALEM - An Israeli court on Tuesday ruled that a former teacher wanted on pedophilia charges in Australia is fit @ @ @ @ @ .
The ruling in the Jerusalem district court capped a years-long legal battle in the @ @ @ @ @ a former educator who is accused of sexually abusing former students .
“ Celebration , @ @ @ @ @ an advocate for the victims , wrote on Facebook in a liveblog from the courtroom @ @ @ @ @ body.
” The Associated Press does not usually identify alleged victims of sexual abuse , @ @ @ @ @ sisters have spoken publicly about their allegations against Leifer .
Leifer has been fighting extradition @ @ @ @ @ , and the legal wrangle to bring her before an Australian court has caused a @ @ @ @ @ .
Leifer ’ s lawyers had challenged a finding by a psychiatric panel that she @ @ @ @ @ .
Her accusers expect Tuesday ’ s decision to clear the way for a quick @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Lebanon’s migrant workers’ plight worsens as crises multiply

BEIRUT - Long before the pandemic struck , they lived and worked in conditions that rights groups called exploitative — low wages , long hours , no labour law protections .
Now , some 250,000 registered migrant labourers in Lebanon — maids , garbage collectors , farm hands and construction workers — are growing more desperate as a crippling economic and financial crisis sets in , coupled with coronavirus restrictions .
Lebanon ’ s unprecedented foreign currency crisis means that many migrants have not been paid for months or that the value of salaries is down by more than half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employers dumped them on the streets or outside their embassies .
“ We are invisible , ” said Banchi Yimer , an Ethiopian former domestic worker who founded a group that campaigns for domestic workers ’ rights in Lebanon .
“ We don ’ t even exist for our governments , not just the Lebanese government.
” In just three days , she said , 20 Ethiopian domestic workers were abandoned by their sponsors and left outside the embassy .
A photo she posted shows women with as little as a backpack or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walls of the embassy — some sitting on the floor .
The pandemic delivered just the latest blow to a Lebanese economy , already devastated by a financial crisis brought on by decades of corruption and mismanagement .
In recent weeks , the Lebanese pound , pegged to the dollar for more than two decades , has lost 60 % of its value against the dollar and prices of basic goods soared .
Unemployment has risen to 35 % and an estimated 45 % of the country ’ s population is now below @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , migrant workers are among the most vulnerable .
Among them are 180,000 domestic workers , most of them women and many from Ethiopia and the Philippines .
Thousands live illegally , after escaping their employers to whom they were tied under an ill-reputed sponsorship system , known in Arabic as ‘ kafala , ’ which dates back to the 1960s .
Many are trapped , unable to go home , because they can not afford the exorbitant costs of repatriation flights or because global air travel is severely restricted .
Their plight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in other countries , including foreign labourers in oil-rich Gulf Arab states who now find themselves jobless , as COVID-19 stalks their labour camps .
In the Lebanese capital of Beirut , the financial chaos has added to their despair .
On Saturday , a Filipina domestic worker took her own life a day after arriving at a shelter run by the Philippines Embassy for workers waiting to return home after losing their jobs .
In a statement Monday , the embassy said she died after jumping from a room she was sharing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Embassy and Lebanese authorities said they were investigating the death .
Suspected suicides or escape attempts of foreign household workers have become a frequent occurrence in Lebanon , with local reports recording at least one incident a month .
Such desperate acts are often blamed on the sponsorship system , which rights groups say creates near slave-like conditions .
Some employers do not allow their helpers to go out on the street alone or have a day off .
Domestic workers are not protected by labour law and are often shackled in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resign .
“ Some of their employers abuse them mentally physically and there is no law to protect them .
Their employers ... treat them like slaves , ” said Tsigereda Brihanu , an Ethiopian activist with Egna Legna , Yimer ’ s organization .
A 2016 International Labor Organization study found that out of 1,200 employers surveyed , more than 94 % withheld their workers ’ passports .
Last week , security forces violently quelled a protest by Bangladeshi sanitation workers who were demanding an adjustment of their salaries to new market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its toll .
A few dozen foreign workers living in overcrowded apartments in Beirut have tested positive for the coronavirus .
Riot police are often deployed outside their buildings to enforce isolation .
Last week , Ethiopian workers staged a symbolic demonstration outside their embassy to demand free repatriation .
“ We don ’ t have the power to bring a plane and to take out everybody from this country .
I wish we can do that , ” Brihanu said .
“ Regular life in Lebanon is very difficult even to survive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay here.
” One Ethiopian worker said that even though her sponsor still pays her salary , she is already checking into going home because she knows the dollars will run out and prices will continue to increase .
“ Lebanon ’ s finished , ” she said , declining to give her name in order to speak freely .
The virus lockdown has exacerbated work conditions .
Some workers are not able to communicate with their own families and friends , the hours are much longer and the demands by employers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ International Labor Organization .
“ They say that we are all in the storm , but it doesn ’ t affect us all in the same way , ” she said .
Yimer , who founded Egna Legna in 2017 , is now in Canada , where the group is registered as a non-profit organization , because it is illegal for domestic workers to be activists in Lebanon , and the government has refused to register a union for them .
Egna Legna , meaning “ from us migrants to us migrants ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ language , now offers food packages for some who lost their jobs and helps others pay rent .
“ I have not worked for nearly three months , ” said Kumari , a household worker from Sri Lanka .
Kumari used to hold down work in several homes in order to send money to her 5-year-old daughter who is being raised by her mother back home .
“ Nobody has work .
I want to go home but I can ’ t until corona finishes , ” she said .


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--France to unveil rescue plan for struggling car industry

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron is set to unveil on Tuesday new measures to rescue the country ’ s car industry , which has been hammered by the virus lockdown and the resulting recession .
Macron tweeted that the government ’ s support for the national car industry , which includes brands like Peugeot-Citroen and Renault as well as parts suppliers , will increase “ massively.
“ “ This is a part of our economy , thousands of jobs , ” he said .
Macron is meeting with carmakers and unions at the Elysee presidential palace on Tuesday morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which makes equipment for electric cars , at its factory in Etaples , in northern France , from where he will detail the rescue plan .
The issue is politically sensitive , since France is proud of its auto industry , which employs 400,000 people in the country and is a big part of its manufacturing sector .
The government wants carmakers to develop innovative products in France and keep jobs in the country .
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday that carmakers must commit to bringing back manufacturing to France @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The aid is expected to include government subsidies for consumers to buy a battery-powered car as well as other incentives for people to scrap their old car and buy a lower-emissions model .
Auto sales in France fell by about 90 % in April compared with a year earlier as showrooms were shut and factories suspended production .
The country started easing restrictions since May 11 after two months of strict lockdowns .
The plan to support the industry comes at a crucial time for carmaker Renault , which came into the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maire said Monday its survival is at stake and that the government would not require Renault to keep all its French jobs and facilities in exchange for the rescue funds , in order to allow the company to adapt to the economic situation .
Renault ’ s alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi is a major global auto player but has struggled since the 2018 arrest of its longtime star CEO Carlos Ghosn .
The group reported its first losses in years in 2019 , and unions say it could announce sweeping job cuts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with staff Thursday .
The French government is its single biggest shareholder with a 15 % stake , and has been in talks over a 5 billion-euro ( $ 5.5 billion ) loan guarantee to help the company survive .
French carmakers won billions in bailout funds after the 2008 financial crisis and benefited from a government bonus plan that encouraged consumers to buy newer cars , though that didn ’ t prevent thousands of job cuts .
PSA Group , which makes Peugeot and Citroen cars , came into the current crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cost-cutting under CEO Carlos Tavares as the industry grapples with the transition to electric and driver-less vehicles .
PSA reported record profits last year , but has also seen sales plunge amid the virus lockdowns .
It is in the process of merging with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to create the world ’ s fourth-largest auto maker .
The French government owns a 12 % stake in PSA through the state investment bank .
Carmakers in other countries are also struggling .
U.S. automakers haven ’ t received direct government help yet but car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low-interest loans .
Some U.S. some politicians don ’ t want to bail out carmakers again after they got huge bailouts after the 2008 financial crisis .
Italian-American Fiat Chrysler , which has its corporate headquarters in the Netherlands and its financial base in Britain , confirmed this month a request for an Italian state-backed loan worth 6.3 billion euros ( $ 6.9 billion ) .
The move set off debate in Italy over whether such money should be made available to companies with legal headquarters overseas .
Angela Charlton in Paris and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Shunned by his party, Iowa’s Steve King fights for his seat

DES MOINES , Iowa - Rep. Steve King is fighting for his political life — but not because he ’ s compared immigrants crossing the border illegally to cattle .
His Republican opponents in next week ’ s primary aren ’ t raking him over the coals for making light of rape and incest .
His chief rival ’ s ads don ’ t mention the time he wondered when the term “ white supremacist ” became offensive .
Instead , the nine-term congressman known for his nativist politics is fighting to prove he can still deliver for Iowa ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders stripped him of his committee assignments , in a rare punishment , King has been dogged by questions over whether he ’ s lost all effectiveness .
Some longtime supporters are turning away , not because of his incendiary remarks but because they think he can no longer do the job .
“ We all want to feel that we ’ re being represented in Washington , D.C. , that we have a voice , ” said Iowa state Sen. Annette Sweeney , a former King supporter .
Establishment Republicans in Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ King ’ s policy views and have long tolerated his provocative remarks , have largely abandoned the congressman , throwing their weight behind Randy Feenstra , a conservative state senator .
That sets up the June 2 primary , a five-way fight in a GOP-heavy district , as a test of whether the establishment can effectively police the party and distance itself from racist and far-right voices who critics say have been amplified in recent years .
But Republican activists in King ’ s district , a sprawling swath of corn , soybeans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t been quick to accept the influence from outsiders .
“ He ’ s not what he ’ s portrayed to be by certain media outlets , ” said Barb Clayton , a leading GOP activist in the district .
Clayton says she “ respects ” King and believes his comments about white supremacy were taken out of context .
Still , she ’ s backing one of his four opponents , though she won ’ t say whom , because she ’ s worried King ’ s diminished influence would cost him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being able to hold the seat .
It makes it more difficult to do that when he ’ s lost his committees , “ she said .
Sweeney , who has endorsed Feenstra , offered only glancing criticism of King .
“ His comments at times were just off the cuff , “ she said .
“ Sometimes some of them might have been him trying to be funny or cute , though some weren ’ t .
In fact , some were repulsive.
” Still , Sweeney hosted two fundraisers at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he faced what was expected to be a competitive challenge from former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack , a Democrat .
King won decisively .
By then , King had a reputation for controversial statements about race , immigration and religion .
In 2006 , King proposed electrifying the U.S.-Mexico border fencing to curb illegal border crossings , saying , “ We do that with livestock all the time.
” In 2013 , he said for every one well-intended “ Dreamer , ” immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ve got calves the size of cantaloupes ” from hauling drugs across the desert .
In recent years , King received scrutiny for his overtures to foreign , right-wing extremists .
The outreach prompted the House campaign committee to pull its financial backing in 2018 .
King was stripped of his membership on the House judiciary and agriculture committees the following January after he was quoted in the New York Times seeming to defend white nationalism .
The punishment sidelined King from defending President Donald Trump during the impeachment hearings , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It also silenced him on agriculture policy , a blow in a district that ranks second nationally in agricultural production , according to federal statistics .
But it hasn ’ t muted King .
He ’ s continued to defend his hard-right abortion stance with provocative comments .
Asked in August about his opposition to abortion in cases of rape and incest , he wondered whether there would be “ any population of the world left ” if not for births stemming from rape and incest .
Feenstra has called the comments “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them the focus of his critique of King .
Instead , the 51-year-old former candy company executive promotes his work in the statehouse on big issues such as tax cut legislation and attacks King for a lack of sway on farming and agribusiness issues .
“ Steve King , the congressman who couldn ’ t , ” the narrator says in Feenstra ’ s television ads .
“ Steve King couldn ’ t protect our farmers and couldn ’ t protect President Trump from impeachment.
” It ’ s a tack Iowa Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it doesn ’ t shame Iowans who have long defended King .
“ You move away from the argument that he ’ s an embarrassment and into an argument of effectiveness — when you get into that zone , people say this matters , “ said Iowa Republican strategist John Stineman , who ’ s unaffiliated with any campaign in the race .
King argues that establishment Republicans have targeted him for being such an effective defender of conservative causes .
“ It ’ s no single thing , “ King said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ argument that this is part of a pattern with me they are uncomfortable with.
” But Feenstra ’ s focus on King ’ s diminished role also appears to have hit a nerve .
In recent candidate forums , King started telling voters he has struck a deal with House leaders to resume his committee posts if he wins reelection .
King told The Associated Press that Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he would vouch for him when King appeals to his GOP colleagues for reinstatement .
“ Congressman King ’ s comments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never said that , ” McCarthy told reporters last week .
“ He ’ ll have the opportunity to make his case , talking to the members of the Steering Committee .
I think he ’ ll get the same answer that he got before.
” If King pulls out a primary win , McCarthy could have another headache on his hands .
Some fear mainstream Republicans might leave the ballot empty rather than vote for King , allowing Democrat J.D .
Scholten , who lost by 2 percentage points in 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee , the GOP ’ s congressional campaign arm , declined Friday to say whether it would support King in November or opt for a second time to withhold support .
Associated Press writer Alan Fram in Washington contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Airbus experts probe plane crash that killed 97 in Pakistan

KARACHI , Pakistan - Pakistan announced Tuesday that Airbus experts have opened a probe into last week ’ s plane crash that killed 97 people when an Airbus A320 went down in a crowded neighbourhood near the airport in the port city of Karachi .
Initial reports have said the Pakistan International Airlines jet crashed after an apparent engine failure .
Pakistani aviation authorities said Tuesday they have shared their initial findings with the visiting 11-member team from the European plane maker .
The Airbus experts and engineers are also to visit the crash site , according to Abdul Hafeez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are providing all possible assistance to the technical experts of Airbus , ” he said .
Only two people on board survived the crash , including Zafar Masood , a bank executive .
Flight PK-8303 took off from the eastern city of Lahore and crashed on Friday while trying to land at the Karachi airport , Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Abdul Sattar Kokhar said .
On the ground , 18 homes were damaged but no one was killed , mainly because the local residents were gathered at nearby mosques at the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the ground were injured .
So far , Pakistan has handed over 41 bodies to their families , Hafeez said , adding that DNA tests were underway to identify the remains of the other victims .
The plane made failed attempts to land at the Karachi airport before the crash .
Authorities found the plane ’ s black box and have been guarding the crash site to facilitate the probe .
The plane last received a government check last November .
PIA ’ s chief engineer signed a separate certificate on April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conducted .
Airbus has said the two-engine plane had logged 47,100 flight hours and 25,860 flights as of last Friday .
The crash took place days after Pakistan resumed domestic flights ahead of Eid al-Fitr holiday , which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan .
Many of the passengers aboard the flight were families returning home for the holiday .
Pakistan has been in a countrywide lockdown since mid-March because of the virus , and when flights resumed last week , every other seat was left vacant to promote social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases of the virus , including 1,197 deaths .


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Atlanta is home to 2 potential contenders for Biden’s VP

ATLANTA - Neither public rivals nor personal friends , Keisha Lance Bottoms and Stacey Abrams spent years climbing parallel ladders at Atlanta City Hall and the Georgia Capitol .
They are now Georgia ’ s most influential African American women .
Bottoms , the 50-year-old Atlanta mayor , is a top surrogate for Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee .
Abrams is the 46-year-old voting rights activist who nearly became the first black female governor in American history .
Now , the pair occupy the same political intersection : Biden ’ s list of potential running mates .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the two lawyers-turned-politicians .
Abrams embraces the possibility of the vice presidency and , already having acknowledged her own presidential aspirations , openly touts how she ’ d help Biden win and govern .
Bottoms , while not sidestepping the talk , plays the more traditional role of loyal party lieutenant .
While the possibility of being up for the same job could stoke conflict , Abrams , Bottoms and their associates instead frame their national profiles as a boost for black women .
“ I see them leading in very different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and I adore them both , ” said state party chairwoman Nikema Williams .
It ’ s “ inspiring ” to watch “ two black women from the South be elevated.
” Beyond Abrams and Bottoms , Biden is believed to be considering other women of colour as his running mate , including California Sen. Kamala Harris and Rep. Val Demings of Florida .
In separate Associated Press interviews , Abrams declared Bottoms an “ extraordinary ” mayor and called herself “ proud to be an Atlanta citizen under her leadership , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ authentic leadership , ” especially on behalf of underrepresented voters .
“ I can ’ t say we ’ re close personal friends , ” Bottoms said , adding that she sees their roles as outgrowths of the civil rights history that surrounds them in Martin Luther King Jr. ’ s hometown .
“ Atlanta has always been a special place where people of colour are able to break traditional moulds and change the landscape of who we are as a country.
” Unquestionably the more widely known of the two , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ herself after her unsuccessful 2018 governor ’ s bid .
She parlayed that narrow loss into an invitation to deliver the 2019 response to President Donald Trump ’ s State of the Union address .
Throughout 2019 , she was a regular stop on Democratic contenders ’ visits to Georgia .
In recognition of Biden ’ s stature as former vice-president , Abrams visited him in Washington last year , but she didn ’ t endorse until May 12 , well after Biden emerged as the presumptive nominee .
Before that , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ticket .
“ As a young black girl growing up in Mississippi , I learned that if I didn ’ t speak up for myself , no one else would , ” Abrams said recently on NBC ’ s “ Meet the Press.
” She told the AP days before her endorsement that she ’ d “ put my resume against anyone else ’ s. ” She noted her state legislative work included international relations and highlighted her 2018 success in drawing hundreds of thousands of new voters to the polls .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s earliest endorsers .
She recalled writing in a leather-bound campaign journal , “ I feel vulnerable , ” having declared loyalties among such a crowded field .
That shouldn ’ t be confused with regret , she said , citing Biden ’ s “ experience and the goodness of who he is.
” The mayor was a precinct captain in overwhelmingly white Iowa , where Biden finished an embarrassing fourth , before going on to the Southern states that reversed his fortunes .
“ She didn ’ t run away when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnson , a Bottoms confidant .
Asked what she ’ d bring to the ticket , Bottoms , a former judge and city councillor , noted that she ’ s served in each branch of government , with her executive tenure overlapping with a massive cyberattack on city government ’ s technology infrastructure and now the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ You ’ ve got to have proven leadership that ’ s been tested in the midst of crisis , ” she said .
As Abrams remains a favourite of many progressive activists , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influential black leaders like House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn , who is close to Biden , and Biden campaign co-chairman Cedric Richmond .
The different approaches reflect how Bottoms has operated mostly within existing political machinery while Abrams has sought to build her own .
Three years ago , Abrams was the Georgia House minority leader building her 2018 campaign for governor ; Bottoms was a city councillor running for mayor .
Abrams had impressed Capitol circles but faced such skepticism as a statewide candidate that many older , white Democratic power brokers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Atlanta suburbs .
Bottoms , conversely , had the backing of outgoing Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed , himself once viewed as a potential governor .
Abrams ’ primary opponent — not an Atlanta resident — endorsed Bottoms , while Abrams stayed on the sidelines .
Bottoms , in turn , didn ’ t wade into the governor ’ s primary , but campaigned for Abrams later against Republican Brian Kemp .
“ They ’ ve just operated in different spaces , ” said Williams , the state party chairwoman .
Both politicians have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Reed ’ s help in 2017 , but she ’ s since distanced herself from her predecessor , whose administration has been the subject of a federal criminal probe .
She was among the big-city mayors to blast Trump ’ s immigration policies , and she ended the city jail ’ s contract with federal immigration enforcement .
She ’ s leading the U.S. Conference of Mayors ’ efforts on the census and housing policy .
And while Abrams calls for significant changes in U.S. social and political structures , she spent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unapologetic pragmatist cutting deals with Republican Gov .
Nathan Deal and GOP House leadership .
For her part , Bottoms says she has “ a good working relationship ” with Kemp , who defeated Abrams .
And while her style is more low-key , Bottoms makes clear that she has no problem with Abrams ’ direct approach to ambition .
“ I don ’ t think there ’ s ever anything wrong with touting and highlighting your work , ” she said .
“ What I do on my day-to-day work hopefully shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast , “ Ground Game .
”


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Coronavirus cluster found in cargo ship in Australia

CANBERRA , Australia - A coronavirus cluster was detected Tuesday on a freight ship berthed in the Australian west coast port of Fremantle , raising questions about why local authorities weren ’ t alerted to the danger .
Six of 48 crew members from the Al Kuwait tested positive for the virus four days after the livestock carrier arrived from the United Arab Emirates on Friday , Western Australia state Premier Mark McGowan said .
The six infected crew were transferred to hotel quarantine in the nearby city of Perth while health officials consider what to do with the remaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The ship ’ s cargo of 56,000 sheep is being held at a feedlot near the port .
They were to be loaded within days and can not be returned to farms because of quarantine restrictions , McGowan said .
Authorities expect more crew members will get sick and the ship will need a deep cleaning before it can leave .
The Kuwait-registered ship left the United Arab Emirates on May 7 and was given permission by Australia ’ s Department of Agriculture , Water and Environment last Wednesday to berth at Fremantle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three crew members had elevated temperatures , McGowan said .
Australian Border Force gave final approval on Friday for the ship to dock on Fremantle despite the ship ’ s master reporting one crew member running a high temperature and three showing similar symptoms in the previous 15 days , the premier said .
“ At this point , the Fremantle Port Authority was not made aware of the health concerns , ” McGowan told reporters .
A port official followed usual procedure by wearing personal protection equipment and boarding on Friday to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , McGowan said .
The Port Authority did not discover the virus risk until one of its own employees raised the alarm on Sunday , McGowan said .
Western Australian Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said six port workers including the pilot had been on board by then .
McGowan said the pilot has been placed in quarantine .
He said no locals should have been allowed on the ship .
“ We ’ re very concerned and , to a degree , disappointed , but we ’ re trying to find out who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can learn lessons from this , ” McGowan said .
The government is working with the ship ’ s agent to arrange for it to leave as soon as possible , he said .
Two federal government departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment .


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Hong Kong leader says security law not a threat to freedoms

Hong Kong ’ s leader said Tuesday that national security legislation proposed by China ’ s legislature will not threaten the semi-autonomous territory ’ s civil rights , despite widespread criticism of the move as an encroachment on freedom of speech and assembly .
The city ’ s chief executive , Carrie Lam , told reporters that there was “ no need for us to worry “ over the move being considered by China ’ s ceremonial National People ’ s Congress .
“ Hong Kong has proven that we uphold and preserve those values , “ Lam said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislation for the bigger benefit of the great majority of Hong Kong people.
” Lam also said that transit service would resume at Hong Kong ’ s international airport on June 1 , but that foreigners would still be banned from entering the city as part of measures to prevent a new wave of coronavirus infections .
The move by China to pass the legislation signals the central government ’ s determination to take greater control of Hong Kong after months of pro-democracy protests last year .
Beijing has appointed new representatives in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laid down by Chinese President Xi Jinping , who is also the head of the ruling Communist Party .
Such a move has long been under consideration and was hastened by last year ’ s street protests in the former British colony , which was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 .
Beijing promised that the territory could retain its own relatively liberal civil , legal and economic systems that contrast starkly with the much more centrally controlled and authoritarian system in mainland China .
The U.S. has sharply criticized the proposed legislation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Hong Kong .
Some “ foreign politicians ” have “ expressed untrue opinions ” about the plan to impose the law on Hong Kong , Lam said , without giving details .
She repeated claims that the law would only target “ a minority , ” citing concerns about terrorism and subversion .
Protesters have returned to Hong Kong ’ s streets to oppose the legislation , with thousands turning out on Sunday as police fired tear gas and deployed a water cannon to disperse the crowds .
On Tuesday , over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mall in Hong Kong ’ s Central business district , condemning Lam and her administration .
The protests are a continuation of a monthslong pro-democracy movement that began last year and has at times descended into violence between police and demonstrators .
Hong Kong ’ s government is bound by Article 23 of the Basic Law — its mini-constitution — to enact laws to prohibit any act of treason , secession , sedition or subversion against China .
It proposed legislation to do so in 2003 , but withdrew it after hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Beijing has increasingly pushed for measures such as punishment for disrespecting the Chinese national flag or anthem — as often seen at soccer games — along with a boost to pro-China patriotic-themed education in schools .
However , opposition in Hong Kong ’ s Legislative Council makes it unlikely a national security bill could pass at the local level , prompting Beijing to utilize what some describe as dubious legal grounds to force the measures through at the national level .
The Chinese public is largely seen as backing Xi ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including criticism from the U.S. , Australia and others .
Xi has made an unswerving line on national interests a key signature of his rule since taking over leadership of the ruling party in 2012 .
Abroad , however , that policy has further bolstered concerns about China ’ s intentions to dominate markets and assert its influence in the Asia-Pacific region .
That may ultimately add to Xi ’ s difficulties in reviving economic growth and jobs at a time when global markets are partly shut due to the coronavirus pandemic and @ @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Death and denial in Brazil’s Amazon capital

MANAUS , Brazil - As the white van approached Perfect Love Street , one by one chatting neighbours fell silent , covered their mouths and noses and scattered .
Men in full body suits carried an empty coffin into the small , blue house where Edgar Silva had spent two feverish days gasping for air before drawing his last breath on May 12 .
“ It wasn ’ t COVID , ” Silva ’ s daughter , Eliete das Graças insisted to the funerary workers .
She swore her 83-year-old father had died of Alzheimer ’ s disease , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals .
But Silva , like the vast majority of those dying at home , was never tested for the new coronavirus .
The doctor who signed his death certificate never saw his body before determining the cause : “ cardiorespiratory arrest.
” His death was not counted as one of Brazil ’ s victims of the pandemic .
This story was produced with the support of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting .
Manaus is one of the hardest hit cities in Brazil , which officially has lost more than 23,000 lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absence of evidence proving otherwise , relatives like das Graças are quick to deny the possibility that COVID-19 claimed their loved ones , meaning that the toll is likely a vast undercount .
As ambulances zip though Manaus with sirens blaring and backhoes dig rows of new graves , the muggy air in this city by the majestic Amazon River feels thicker than usual with such pervasive denial .
Manaus has seen nearly triple the usual number of dead in April and May .
Doctors and psychologists say denial at the grassroots stems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of education , insufficient testing and conflicting messages from the country ’ s leaders .
Chief among skeptics is President Jair Bolsonaro , who has repeatedly called COVID-19 a “ little flu , ” and argued that concern over the virus is overblown .
Asked by a reporter about the surging number of deaths on April 20 , Bolsonaro responded , “ I ’ m not a gravedigger , OK ?
” He has resisted U.S. and European-style lockdowns to contain the virus ’ spread , saying such measures aren ’ t worth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first Health Minister for supporting quarantines , accepted the resignation of a second one after less than a month on the job , and said that the interim minister , an army general with no background in health or medicine , will remain in charge of the pandemic response “ for a long time.
” In a cabinet meeting last month , a visibly enraged Bolsonaro insulted governors and mayors enforcing stay-at-home measures .
The president ’ s political followers are receptive to his dismissal of the virus , as determined as he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On a recent Saturday in Manaus , locals flocked to the bustling riverside market to buy fresh fish , unaware of the need for social distancing , or uninterested .
As swamped intensive-care units struggled to accommodate new patients airlifted from the Amazon , the faithful returned to some of the city ’ s evangelical churches .
Coffins arriving by riverboat did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of young people at clandestine dance parties .
And in the streets , masks frequently covered chins and foreheads rather than mouths and noses .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mild or moderate symptoms .
But for some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause severe illness such as pneumonia and lead to death .
The new sickness made its way to Manaus in March , in the middle of the rainy season .
At least that ’ s when health officials first became aware of it in the capital of Amazonas state , which is at once remote and international .
One precarious road connects the city to the rest of Brazil , and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But tropical fauna and flora normally draw tourist cruises up the Amazon , and business people fly in from around the world , to visit its free trade zone .
Just last October , Manaus sent a delegation to China looking for investors .
The city ’ s first virus fatality was reported on March 25 and deaths have surged since then .
But due to a lack of testing , just 5 % of the more than 4,300 burials performed in April and May were confirmed cases of COVID-19 , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swelling number of coffins , the public Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery razed an area of tropical forest to dig dozens of trenches in the rust-colored soil for burials .
These mass graves sparked anger toward city officials among families of the deceased .
Why did their loved ones ’ bodies have to be buried in such a way , they asked , if there was no evidence the deaths were caused by COVID-19 ?
Das Graças was among those who had hoped that her father could have a proper sendoff .
But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white-suited men informed her that his coffin would be sealed , a precaution taken now regardless of cause of death .
He would be sent to the public cemetery ’ s refrigerated container to await burial .
“ A person can ’ t even die with dignity , ” das Graças , 49 , said through tears .
“ He ’ s going to spend the night in the freezer when we could be doing his wake at home !
” Home wakes are no longer permitted .
But workers from SOS Funeral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services to those who can ’ t afford them , have found homes packed with relatives touching the bodies of loved ones , hugging each other and wiping away tears with ungloved hands—a potentially contagious farewell .
Overwhelmed emergency services have encountered similar reluctance to acknowledge viral risk .
Ambulance doctor Sandokan Costa said patients often omit the mention of COVID-19 symptoms , putting him and his colleagues at greater risk .
“ What has most struck me is people ’ s belief that the pandemic isn ’ t real.
” Costa fell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but has worked non-stop since recovering and is astonished to see his fellow citizens on the streets acting as though nothing is going on .
There is a stigma attached to the new disease , he said .
“ Coronavirus has become something pejorative.
” Health care officials attribute much of that to Bolsonaro ’ s handling of the pandemic .
Rather than take precautions , Bolsonaro has supported the use of chloroquine , the predecessor of an anti-malaria drug that U.S. President Donald Trump has advocated for treatment of coronavirus and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bolsonaro ordered the Army ’ s Chemical and Pharmaceutical Laboratory to boost its chloroquine production despite a lack of clinical proof that it is effective .
A large study recently published in the Lancet medical journal suggests that the malaria drugs not only do not help but are also tied to a greater risk of death in coronavirus patients .
In Manaus , scientists stopped part of a study of chloroquine after heart rhythm problems developed in a quarter of people given the higher of two doses being tested .
Visiting the hard-hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s second health minister , Nelson Teich , who donned a body suit to tour several hospitals .
But he resigned days later after disagreeing with the president ’ s demand that the ministry recommend chloroquine be prescribed to patients with mild coronavirus symptoms .
Amazonas Gov .
Wilson Lima , a Bolsonaro ally , downplayed the virus at first .
“ There ’ s huge hysteria and panic , ” Lima said March 16 , three days after the first virus case in Manaus was confirmed in a woman who had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he declared a state of emergency , but his first measures were limited—cancellation of events organized by the state , suspension of classes and prison visits .
For the rest , he recommended avoiding crowds and good hand washing .
It was only on March 23 , when his state had 32 cases including local transmissions that he ordered the suspension of non-essential services .
But the restrictions were never imposed on the city ’ s industrial zone .
A month later , hospitals in Manaus were overwhelmed with thousands of cases and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor announced plans to progressively reopen commerce , but backed down as the death toll continued to climb .
This month , he told the Associated Press in an interview that the unusual surge in deaths can only be explained by the outbreak .
“ There ’ s no doubt that the majority ( have died ) because of COVID-19 , ” Gov .
Lima said as he sat in a vast but empty meeting room in the state government headquarters in Manaus .
“ We don ’ t have any other explanation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admitted lack of testing makes it nearly impossible to have a clear idea how many people in the state are infected .
But even with vast under-reporting , Amazonas state has the highest number of deaths by COVID-19 per capita in the country with more than 1,700 fatal victims .
Poor and crowded neighbourhoods have been particularly affected .
Unable to afford private consultations and fearing the chaos of the public health system , many only sought medical help when it was too late .
Others preferred to die at home rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s administration has come under fire for spending half a million dollars ( 2.9 million Brazilian reais ) to buy 28 ventilators at quadruple the market price from a wine importer and distributor .
The breathing machines were deemed inadequate for use on coronavirus patients after inspections by the regional council of medicine and Manaus ’ health surveillance office .
Lima denies any wrongdoing .
Asked if he would have done anything differently to confront the virus , the governor shook his head .
“ Even if I had stopped it ( economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city for 30 days , no one goes in and no one goes out .
At some point I would have had to open and at some point the virus would have gotten here , ” he said .
The virus has , in the meantime , spread upriver from Manaus , creeping into remote towns and indigenous territories to infect indigenous tribes .
The sparsely populated but vast rainforest region is completely unprepared to cope .
Some towns can ’ t get oxygen tanks refilled or don ’ t have breathing machines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into lungs .
When they do have machines , power cuts frequently shut them down .
Many patients are being airlifted to Manaus , the only place in the state of 4 million people with full intensive care units .
Although health experts warn that the pandemic is far from over in the Amazon region , or the rest of the country , national polls show adherence to lockdowns and quarantines falling , and a growing number of Brazilians are neglecting local leaders ’ safety recommendations .
“ Every day there are different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clash with measures by the cities and states , and with what science says ” said Manaus-based physician Adele Benzaken .
A public health researcher who until last year lead the HIV/AIDS department at the Health Ministry , Benzaken already has lost four colleagues in the pandemic .
Meanwhile , misinformation and disinformation about the virus is swirling , some of it shared by the president himself .
On May 11 , Instagram labeled one of his posts as fake news after he falsely claimed a state had seen a drop in respiratory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of his posts in March that showed him praising the healing powers of chloroquine to supporters .
One false claim circulating on social media said the death rate in Manaus plummeted the day after the health minister ’ s visit .
Another purported to show an empty coffin being unearthed at Manaus ’ cemetery , implying the city was inflating its death toll .
But the photo was taken in Sao Paulo three years ago .
Still , the messages take root and spread like jungle foliage .
“ My opinion is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and trying to make money from it ” Israel Reis , 54 , said outside Manaus ’ fish market .
He didn ’ t specify who “ they ” might be .
Reis , who recently lost his job in an electronics maintenance company due to the pandemic , spoke without a mask and said he “ of course ” agrees with Bolsonaro the severity of the pandemic is exaggerated and death toll inflated .
He recently advised his nephew against seeking help at the local health clinic for an earache .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s that thing , ” he said , referring to the virus .
One recent late afternoon , a group of paunchy middle-aged men seated in plastic chairs on the sidewalk debated measures to fight the virus .
The street bar , just a few blocks from a police station in downtown Manaus , was operating in violation of state COVID-19 restrictions , yet officers in a passing squad car didn ’ t even slow down to reprimand them .
Icy beer provided relief from the sweltering heat , and tropical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The men , too , were getting worked up .
“ Put on your mask !
” yelled one friend .
Noronha , 52 , argued that only the elderly and those with health problems should stay home – as Bolsonaro affirms -- and the fit should return to normal .
Despite his age and full figure , Noronha didn ’ t believe he ’ s at risk .
“ This virus came to clean things up , ” he said .
“ But I ’ ll be fine .
”


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Biden marks Memorial Day at veterans park near Delaware home

NEW CASTLE , Del .
- Joe Biden made his first in-person appearance in more than two months on Monday as he marked Memorial Day by laying a wreath at a veterans park near his Delaware home .
Since abruptly cancelling a March 10 rally in Cleveland at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has waged much of his campaign from his home in Wilmington .
When Biden emerged on Monday , he wore a face mask , in contrast to President Donald Trump , who has refused to cover his face in public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his wife , Jill , laid a wreath of white flowers tied with a white bow , and bowed their heads in silence at the park .
He saluted .
“ Never forget the sacrifices that these men and women made , “ he said after .
“ Never , ever , forget.
” “ I feel great to be out here , “ Biden told reporters , his words muffled through his black cloth mask .
His visit to the park was unannounced , and there was no crowd waiting for him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and another man , both wearing face masks and standing a few feet away .
Biden also yelled to a larger group standing nearby , “ Thank you for your service.
” His campaign says Biden has gone to the park for Memorial Day often in the past , though services were cancelled Monday amid the pandemic .
Though low-key , the appearance was a milestone in a presidential campaign that has largely been frozen by the coronavirus outbreak .
While the feasibility of traditional events such as rallies and the presidential conventions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergence suggests he won ’ t spend the nearly five months that remain until the election entirely at home .
Trump , eager to project a country coming to life even as the pandemic ’ s death toll approached 100,000 , presided over back-to-back events at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and Fort McHenry in Baltimore .
After a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington , Trump mourned the fallen in remarks at the Baltimore historic site and praised the contribution of service members “ on the front lines of our war against this terrible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all aspects of American life and changed the terms of the election .
Trump ’ s argument that he deserves another term in office because of the strong economy has evaporated as unemployment rises to levels not seen since the Great Depression .
As a longtime senator and former vice-president , Biden is trying to position himself as someone with the experience and empathy to lead the country out of a crisis .
Trump counters that he is the leader who can preside over an economic rebound later this year or in 2021 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ era by building a television studio in his home , which he ’ s used to make appearances on news programs , late-night shows and virtual campaign events .
Some of those efforts have been marred by technical glitches and other awkward moments .
Some Democratic strategists have openly worried that Biden is ceding too much ground to Trump by staying home .
The president himself has knocked Biden for essentially campaigning from his basement .
Biden ’ s advisers say they plan to return to normal campaign activities at some point , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re in no hurry , preferring to defer to the advice of health experts and authorities ’ stay-at-home and social distancing recommendations .
At 77 , Biden is among the nation ’ s senior population thought to be especially vulnerable to the effects of the coronavirus — though so is Trump , who turns 74 next month .
“ We will never make any choices that put our staff or voters in harm ’ s way , ” Biden campaign manager Jen O ’ Malley Dillon said recently , adding that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ when safety allows , and we will not do that a day sooner.
” Trump has not resumed the large rallies that were the hallmark of his 2016 campaign and presidency but has begun travelling outside Washington in recent weeks .
He visited a facility producing face masks in Arizona and a Ford plant in Michigan that has been converted to produce medical and protective equipment .
Trump even played golf at his club in Virginia over the weekend , hoping that others will follow his lead and return to some semblance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an economy in free fall .
It was the president ’ s first trip to one of his money-making properties since March 8 , when he visited his private golf club in West Palm Beach .
The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic on March 11 , and Trump followed with the national emergency declaration two days later .
Biden ’ s campaign wasted little time producing an online video offering blurry , faraway footage of Trump on the golf course , imposed over images evoking the virus ravaging the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic rose .
The video concluded by proclaiming : “ The death toll is still rising .
The president is playing golf.
” Trump is travelling to Florida on Wednesday to watch U.S. astronauts blast into orbit .
Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast , “ Ground Game .
”


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Trump honours fallen soldiers as nation battles against virus

BALTIMORE - President Donald Trump honoured America ’ s war dead in back-to-back Memorial Day appearances colored by an epic struggle off the battlefield , against the coronavirus .
Eager to demonstrate national revival from the pandemic , Trump doubled up on his public schedule Monday , while threatening to pull the Republican National Convention out of Charlotte in August unless North Carolina ’ s Democratic governor gives a quick green light to the party ’ s plans to assemble en masse .
The U.S. death toll from the pandemic approached 100,000 ; North Carolina two days earlier reported its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump first honoured the nation ’ s fallen at Arlington National Cemetery .
Presidents on Memorial Day typically lay a wreath and speak at the hallowed burial ground in Virginia .
But the coronavirus crisis made this year different .
Many attendees arrived wearing masks but removed them for the outdoor ceremony in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier .
Trump , maskless as always in public , gave no remarks .
He approached a wreath already in place , touched it and saluted .
Trump then travelled to Baltimore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he declared : “ Together we will vanquish the virus and America will rise from this crisis to new and even greater heights .
No obstacle , no challenge and no threat is a match for the sheer determination of the American people.
” He praised the tens of thousands of service members and National Guard personnel “ on the front lines of our war against this terrible virus.
” His Democratic opponent , Joe Biden , chose Memorial Day to make his first public appearance in the two months since the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unannounced from his Delaware home to lay a wreath at a nearby park , with no crowd gathered to greet him .
It was a milestone in a presidential campaign that has largely been frozen .
Biden ’ s words were muffled through a black cloth face mask .
“ Never forget the sacrifices that these men and women made , ” he said after .
“ Never , ever forget.
” The U.S. leads the world with more than 1.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 98,000 deaths , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump tweeted his frustration with North Carolina Gov .
Roy Cooper , who has been moving his state into a cautious reopening that will keep indoor entertainment venues , like its NBA arena , closed for the time being .
The state reported a daily high of 1,100 new cases Saturday , and has lost about 750 residents to the pandemic .
The president said Republicans will be “ reluctantly forced ” to find a convention site in another state unless Cooper can guarantee that the GOP will be able to fill its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Charlotte .
Cooper ’ s office said state officials are working with the GOP on convention decisions .
Changing sites would be difficult for numerous reasons , including the contract between Republican officials and Charlotte leaders to hold the gathering there .
Trump is intent on accelerating his own schedule as he urges the country to get to work .
This month , Trump has toured factories in Arizona , Pennsylvania and Michigan that make pandemic supplies .
He plans to be in Florida on Wednesday to watch two NASA astronauts rocket into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his private club in Virginia on Saturday and Sunday .
The Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine commemorates the site where Francis Scott Key wrote a poem after a huge American flag was hoisted to celebrate an important victory over the British during the War of 1812 .
That poem became “ The Star-Spangled Banner.
” The fort is closed to the public because of the pandemic .
Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “ Jack ” Young objected to Trump ’ s visit in advance , saying it sends the wrong message about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afford the added cost of hosting him when it is losing $ 20 million a month because of the pandemic .
He cited the disproportionate effect the virus has had on his city and called on Trump to “ set a positive example ” by not travelling during the holiday weekend .
“ The brave men and women who have preserved our freedoms for generations did not stay home and the president will not either as he honours their sacrifice by visiting such a historic landmark in our nation ’ s history , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an emailed statement Sunday .
Trump last summer described a congressional district that includes Baltimore as a “ disgusting , rat and rodent infested mess ” where “ no human being would want to live.
” He visited Baltimore months later to address a meeting of congressional Republicans , and a giant inflatable rat adorned with Trump-style hair and a red necktie taunted him from a few blocks away .
Trump did not visit any Baltimore neighbourhoods .
Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Arlington , Va. , contributed to this report @

Darlene Superville - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Costa Rica latest country to legalize same-sex marriage

SAN JOSE , Costa Rica - Costa Rica is expected to become the latest country to legalize same-sex marriage early Tuesday when a ruling from its supreme court goes into effect ending the country ’ s ban .
Couples scheduled ceremonies — mostly private due to the COVID-19 pandemic , but some that would be broadcast — to celebrate their unions before judges and notaries after the ban was lifted at midnight .
Costa Rica would become the sixth country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage , following most recently Ecuador , which allowed it last year .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mexico .
The issue took centre stage in Costa Rica ’ s 2018 presidential election after the Inter-American Court of Human Rights earlier that year issued an opinion that countries like Costa Rica , which had signed the American Convention on Human Rights , had to move immediately to legalize gay marriage .
It helped propel President Carlos Alvarado to victory over an evangelical candidate , Fabricio Alvarado , who had campaigned against it .
In August 2018 , Costa Rica ’ s supreme court said the country ’ s ban was unconstitutional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ correct it or it would happen automatically .
The Legislative Assembly did not act , so at midnight the law banning same-sex marriage was nullified .
A campaign celebrating the achievement called “ I do ” planned a series of events including hours of coverage on state television and messages from celebrities , including Michelle Bachelet , the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights .
Gia Miranda , director of the “ I do ” campaign , said coverage would also include historical chapters of the movement in Costa Rica .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Miranda said .
“ The only thing that could win with this is Costa Rica and in general love.
” She said it would help decrease discrimination and make the country more prosperous and attractive to tourists .


thetorontostar--2020-05-25--Asian shares up as recovery hopes overshadow virus worries

TOKYO - Shares rose in Asia on Tuesday as some regions in Japan resumed close-to-normal business activity , with hopes for economic recovery overshadowing worries over the coronavirus pandemic .
The market focus is shifting to how various nations are adapting to getting back to business , while striving to keep new COVID-19 cases in check .
Japan lifted its state of emergency under what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday called a new lifestyle , with widespread wearing of masks and face shields .
Tokyo ’ s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 2.2 % in morning trading to 21,190.85 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was up 1.7 % at 5,711.30 .
South Korea ’ s Kospi gained 1.2 % to 2,019.06 .
Hong Kong ’ s Hang Seng added 1.6 % to 23,327.65 , while the Shanghai Composite advanced 0.7 % to 2,836.40 .
“ As is the financial market ’ s wont these days ... even the slimmest of positive news on the COVID-19 front triggers a bullish immune response and another wave of the peak-virus trade , “ Jeffrey Halley of Oanda said in a commentary .
U.S. markets were closed for Memorial Day on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , reflecting the global investor optimism .
France ’ s CAC 40 jumped nearly 2.2 % to end the day at 4,539.91 .
Germany ’ s DAX surged 2.9 % to 11,391.28 .
Trading was closed in Britain for a bank holiday .
Yoshimasa Maruyama , chief market economist with SMBC Nikko Securities , said global trade and production appeared to be bottoming out in May , though demand will likely recover gradually .
Comments from China ’ s central bank governor on support for its slowing economy also lifted sentiment .
Yi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bank ’ s website , promised to push down borrowing costs for entrepreneurs and “ support development of the real economy.
” He said the People ’ s Bank of China will pursue “ more flexible ” monetary policy .
He said that was in line with official goals announced Friday by Premier Li Keqiang of helping smaller and private companies survive the coronavirus pandemic .
The interview was published as China ’ s largely ceremonial National People ’ s Congress holds its annual session , where other senior officials have stressed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jobs , while steering clear of excess government spending .
Investors are also awaiting U.S. consumer confidence data for May and home sales for April , indicators that might give further clues into the severity of the downturn brought on by the pandemic .
Benchmark U.S. crude gained 78 cents to $ 34.03 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange .
It closed at $ 33.25 on Friday , and markets were closed on Monday .
The U.S. dollar rose to 107.85 Japanese yen from 107.69 yen late Monday .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.0898 .


thetorontostar--2020-05-25--Worker shortage concerns loom in immigrant-heavy meatpacking

SIOUX FALLS , S.D .
- When Martha Kebede ’ s adult sons immigrated from Ethiopia and reunited with her in South Dakota this year , they had few work opportunities .
Lacking English skills , the brothers took jobs at Smithfield Foods ’ Sioux Falls pork plant , grueling and increasingly risky work as the coronavirus sickened thousands of meatpacking workers nationwide .
One day half the workers on a slicing line vanished ; later the brothers tested positive for the COVID-19 virus .
“ It was very , very sad , ” Kebede said .
“ The boys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — who declined to be identified for fear of workplace retaliation — are among roughly 175,000 immigrants in U.S. meatpacking jobs .
The industry has historically relied on foreign-born workers — from people in the country illegally to refugees — for some of America ’ s most dangerous jobs .
Now that reliance and uncertainty about a virus that ’ s killed at least 20 workers and temporarily shuttered several plants fuels concerns about possible labour shortages to meet demand for beef , pork and chicken .
Companies struggling to hire before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Their hiring capability hinges on unemployment , industry changes , employees ’ feelings about safety , and President Donald Trump ’ s aggressive and erratic immigration policies .
Trump has restricted nearly all immigration , his administration recently granted seasonal workers 60-day extensions , affecting a smattering in meat and poultry .
Roughly 350 foreign workers were certified for meat and poultry gigs in 2019 , according to Daniel Costa at the Economic Policy Institute .
Such H-2B visa holders , capped at 66,000 annually , are commonly used in landscaping and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willingness to expand .
A plan to add 35,000 seasonal workers — which Trump supports in tight labour markets — was suspended in April for “ present economic circumstances.
” Immigrants make up nearly 40 % of the industry ’ s roughly 470,000 workers , with higher concentrations in states like South Dakota , where they are 58 % of workers , and Nebraska , where they ’ re 66 % , according to the non-profit Migration Policy Institute .
Estimates on illegal immigrants vary from 14 % to the majority at some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ample jobs with benefits and opportunities to advance for all workers .
Paulina Francisco said her 21 years at Smithfield in Sioux City , Iowa , helped her buy a home , something she didn ’ t think possible when she immigrated from Guatemala .
She ’ s now a citizen .
Still , most jobs are rural , limiting workers ’ access to lawyers , favourable union laws and other jobs .
Hourly pay averages as low as $ 12.50 for backbreaking work , often conducted side-by-side .
Workers in the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Vulnerable populations work well for them , ” Joshua Specht , a University of Notre Dame professor , said of the industry .
Chicken plants extensively recruited immigrants in the 1990s as union organizing among majority African-American workers increased .
One Morton , Mississippi , plant advertised in Miami ’ s Cuban stores and newspapers , busing workers willing to accept lower wages , a tactic replicated across the South , according to University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill anthropologist Angela Stuesse .
Initially , it was immigrants with work authorization , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here illegally .
Argentinians , Uruguayans and Peruvians followed .
By the 2000s , the labour pool was self-sustaining with word-of-mouth .
“ This is part of the way this industry works , is by having these different communities they can lean into to keep costs down and keep the lines running , ” said Stuesse .
One window into the industry ’ s response to sudden labour shortages is immigration raids .
In 2006 , agents swept Swift & Co. plants , netting 1,300 arrests , the largest single-worksite raid in U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One Greeley , Colorado , plant offered more pay , hiring about 75 workers , mainly U.S. citizens and Somali refugees , according to the Center for Immigration Studies , which supports restricting immigration .
Today , meatpacking has the fifth-highest concentration of refugee workers , according to the non-profit Fiscal Policy Institute .
Sudanese refugee Salaheldin Ahmed , 44 , heard about Smithfield ’ s jobs while in New Hampshire and moved to South Dakota six years ago .
After escaping war , little fazes the forklift driver , not even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were killing in front of you , ” Ahmed , who experienced mild symptoms , said of atrocities he once witnessed .
“ The coronavirus is nothing.
” Noncitizens comprised 52 % of meatpacking in 2006 , dropping to 42 % by 2008 , according to Michael Clemens at the Center for Global Development .
He cited an annual March employment survey .
But that trend reversed during the Great Recession ’ s high unemployment .
By 2011 , noncitizens were roughly 56 % .
After raids last year on Mississippi poultry plants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigrants returned to work , according to activists and local leaders .
“ There is a need of workers and they don ’ t have any other possibilities , ” said Rev .
Roberto Mena , whose Forest congregation includes poultry workers .
Koch Foods and Peco Foods , the largest companies targeted , didn ’ t return messages .
Both have touted use of the federal E-Verify system to confirm worker eligibility .
Some blame the business model .
With rapid turnover , it ’ s not uncommon for plants to rehire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocate National Employment Law Project .
“ This is the industry ’ s own short-sightedness , ” said Debbie Berkowitz , a director .
“ They want to look for workers they can exploit , rather than workers that would feel comfortable raising concerns.
” After the outbreak closed several plants , they got Trump ’ s help ; he issued an order classifying meat processing as critical .
The North American Meat Institute estimates most plants are at 70 % production .
Many added plexiglass barriers and other protections .
Little , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meatpacking companies continued to pay employees even when plants shuttered and suggested more people might be drawn to meatpacking amid high unemployment .
“ There ’ s so many unknowns , “ ’ she said .
“ I don ’ t know what ’ s in store for us.
” The pandemic has accelerated some workers ’ decisions .
Guadalupe Paez , 62 , likely won ’ t return to his job cleaning cattle at JBS Packerland in Green Bay , Wisconsin , after being hospitalized for COVID-19 .
Weaker , he fears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flores .
Paez immigrated from Mexico through a 1980s guest worker program and obtained a green card .
“ He only goes out for the doctor appointments , “ she said .
“ He ’ s traumatized .
”

Stephen Groves And Sophia Tareen - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-25--The U.S. is getting shorter, as map-makers race to keep up

Height is height , right ?
Look at a Manhattan skyscraper , or the Washington Monument , or a mountain peak in California , and you imagine that it will be the same height tomorrow as it is today .
But across the United States , the heights of structures , landmarks , valleys , hills and just about everything else are about to change , at least with regard to average sea level .
Most will get shorter .
Parts of the Pacific Northwest will shrink by as much as 5 feet , and parts of Alaska by 6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , director of the National Geodetic Survey .
Seattle will be 4.3 feet lower than it is now .
That ’ s because height is only height compared to a reference point — and geodesists , who calculate the Earth ’ s shape , size , gravitational field and orientation in space over time , are redefining the reference point , or vertical datum , from which height is derived .
It is a fiendishly difficult math and physics task that , once completed , will have taken a decade and a half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the scale that it is working at , it ’ s a big deal , ” said Chris Rizos , president-elect of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics and an emeritus professor of geodesy at the University of New South Wales in Sydney , Australia .
The grand recalibration , called “ height modernization , ” is part of a broader effort within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish more accurately where and how the U.S. physically sits on the planet .
This new National Spatial Reference System , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , is expected to be rolled out in late 2022 or 2023 , Blackwell said .
It will replace reference systems from the 1980s that are slightly askew , having been derived from calculations that were done before the advent of supercomputers or global navigation satellite systems such as GPS .
The errors in height are magnified as one moves diagonally across the country from the southeast to the northwest .
One of the few areas of the U.S. expected to either stay the same height or rise fractionally will be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s really a tilt that shows that all of the accumulated errors in our vertical network are pushed up into the northwest , ” Blackwell said .
But height has long been tethered to ego .
Some Coloradans worry that a few of their mountain peaks will fall below a bragging-rights threshold under the new height system , Blackwell said .
“ They are very proud of how high these things are , and I know that it ’ s going to be a bit of a bummer if they start to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought to be previously , ” she said .
She added that she is not yet sure precisely what the new measurements of Colorado ’ s peaks will be .
And near Beaumont , Texas , citizens are grappling with the unwelcome news that certain areas have subsided so much since previous height calculations that these regions now sit in the floodplain .
As a result , some landowners may now need to insure themselves against losses from floods , said Daniel R. Roman , chief geodesist at NOAA .
“ They didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heights had changed , ” he said , “ because when they do floodplain mapping , they ’ re like , ‘ Well , I ’ m this height — it hasn ’ t changed.
’ ” The U.S. has been measuring its height since 1807 , when Thomas Jefferson , then the president , established the Survey of the Coast , forerunner to the National Geodetic Survey , to chart the waters and coasts on the Eastern Seaboard .
The survey was the nation ’ s first civilian scientific agency .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As the country expanded westward , so did the measuring , using the coast , a proxy for sea level , as the reference point for zero elevation .
Surveyors planted metal bench marks in the land as they travelled , describing each point ’ s height above sea level , often mile by mile .
Anyone who wanted to measure the height of a building or hill measured it relative to the bench mark and , indirectly , to sea level .
Geodetic levelling , as the process was called , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make sure heights were measured in the same way right across the country over time , rather than each county or state having its own system .
For example , if engineers from two states were building a bridge across state lines , they needed to know it would meet in the middle .
And by 1900 , geodesy had become more sophisticated .
Instead of using a coastline as the stand-in for sea level , geodesists developed a model representing sea level based on readings from tides .
They have adjusted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in 1903 , 1907 , 1912 , 1929 and 1988 .
The 1988 model remains the standard in the U.S. and Mexico .
But the 1988 version was short on accurate information for California and parts of Texas and North Carolina , said David B. Zilkoski , a geodesist who is the former director of the National Geodetic Survey .
That is because the crust there has moved up or down considerably , as a result of tectonic plate activity and the removal of oil , gas and water from beneath the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , might be to use the global navigational satellite system technologies , such as GPS , that were then beginning to proliferate .
GPS is excellent at pinpointing where you are in a flat , two-dimensional system — say , at the corner of Bank Street and Garden Avenue .
But it is also capable of telling you where you are in a three-dimensional world : Bank Street and Garden Avenue at 40 feet above sea level .
By the mid-1990s , Zilkoski said , the goal of using GPS to modernize height @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advantage of being inexpensive and easy .
Satellites , and therefore global positioning systems , measure height relative to a smoothed-out mathematical approximation of the Earth ’ s shape called an ellipsoid .
( Picture a basketball squished at the top and bottom . )
But there was a big catch .
“ GPS doesn ’ t know much about gravity , ” said James L. Davis , a geophysicist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in New York .
Gravity matters to a geodesist .
Height is distance measured along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the strength and direction of gravity ’ s pull vary according to the density of what is beneath the terrain and near it .
In other words , height is not merely distance or elevation above the ground ; it is tied to gravity .
Gravity , in turn , is related to the distribution of mass .
So geodesists use the term “ height ” rather than “ elevation.
” “ Whenever I give a public lecture on gravity , half the talk is getting them to think about it differently , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a height measured only by GPS could be badly inaccurate .
An engineer who laid pipe only using GPS , without measuring local variations in the effect of gravity , might not get water to flow where it was supposed to go .
But making highly detailed measurements of the gravitational field , in order to factor them into heights captured by GPS , is no small task .
In 2007 , the National Geodetic Survey began an ambitious mission — GRAV-D , for Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Geodesists will then use these gravity readings to make a model that best represents average sea level everywhere in the world , even on land .
Because the pull of gravity varies everywhere , this model , called the geoid , resembles a lumpy potato .
All heights will subsequently be measured taking it into account .
Once the new height system is in place , people will find unexpected uses for it , Blackwell of the National Geodetic Survey said .
She invoked “ The Jetsons , ” the futuristic animated sitcom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around their cities in tiny spacecraft .
The underlying technology — the ability to calculate heights and other positional co-ordinates swiftly and accurately — was unimaginable at the time .
Today , with the proliferation of drones , self-driving cars and remotely operated aerial systems , the ability to navigate accurately in three dimensions is becoming paramount .
“ I think it ’ s going to get adopted really quickly , ” she said .
Even as geodesists get better at calculating the shape of the Earth , humans are changing it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are melting glaciers and ice sheets .
Their mass shifts from the land to the ocean , raising sea level and , eventually , changing height , which uses sea level as the reference for zero elevation .
The shift in mass also has an effect on the configuration of the planet .
“ That mass on the surface of Earth pushes down on Earth and actually changes its shape , ” said Davis of Columbia University .
In effect , through climate change , our species is altering gravity across the planet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by making chemical changes in the atmosphere that cause mass to be moved around , ” Davis said .
“ And the amount of mass now is tremendous .
It ’ s noticeable in the shape of the geoid .
It ’ s also noticeable in the Earth ’ s rotation.
” Davis and other scientists are scrambling to figure out more accurately how to calculate the effect of the human footprint in the coming years .
“ A few hundred years ago , it was all about what is the shape of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ And now it ’ s : Can we measure Earth ’ s changing shape , and the amount of mass in the glaciers , and where it came from , well enough to say what will happen at this location in the next few years ?
We ’ re in a race .
”


thetorontostar--2020-05-26--Mexico hit new virus record of over 500 deaths per day

MEXICO CITY - Mexico ’ s health department reported 501 deaths from the coronavirus Tuesday , a new one-day high and the first time the figure exceeded 500 .
The number of new cases also set a daily high , with 3,455 additional infections confirmed .
Mexico has so far recorded nearly 74,560 confirmed cases and 8,134 deaths , though officials acknowledge the number of cases is probably several times higher due to Mexico ’ s extremely low rate of testing .
Mexico ’ s daily death toll is now approaching that of the United States , at around 620 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with over 800 .
The announcement came on the same day that dozens of health care professionals blocked a major boulevard in the capital for at least an hour to demand better personal protective equipment .
They displayed over-sized coveralls they were supposed to wear and held placards demanding better equipment .
It was the same day that the World Health Organization said in a letter to the Mexican government that it “ wants to congratulate ” Mexico on its social-distancing and lockdown measures .
But the WHO insisted that testing is vital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with over 125 million people , has conducted about 230,000 tests to date , one of the lowest testing rates in the Western Hemisphere .
Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell said he believed the rate of increases in new cases in Mexico City , the worst-hit area of the country , would start to decline sometime next week .