thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Virginia reshaped as Democrats put historic stamp on  laws

RICHMOND , Va. - Democratic legislators in Virginia have dramatically reshaped the state in two months , sweeping aside many of the state ’ s old business-friendly and socially conservative laws and replacing them with a broad , progressive policy agenda .
Lawmakers wrapped up this year ’ s session Sunday — apart from passing the state budget — after advancing the South ’ s strictest gun laws , broadest LGBTQ protections and some of its loosest abortion restrictions .
Democrats had not had full control of the legislature for more than two decades , and their years of pent-up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sessions in Virginia ’ s history .
“ In November , voters called for swift , impactful action to make their communities safer and more prosperous .
We have delivered , ” House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn said .
But many Republicans said Democrats had advanced a liberal agenda beyond what the average voter supports while trampling on Virginia ’ s pro-business reputation .
“ I think it ’ s been a fairly devastating year for people that are in rural Virginia , ” said Sen. Steve Newman , a Republican who has served @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s .
“ It ’ s not just the high-profile items , but it ’ s just how deep the far left has reached into the code of Virginia.
” An astonishingly large list of topics were covered , with high-profile legislation advancing to Democratic Gov .
Ralph Northam ’ s desk almost daily .
Marijuana was decriminalized , insulin prices capped , and voter ID requirements repealed .
One immediate priority of Democrats , making Virginia the critical 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delight of women ’ s rights advocates , some of whom had worked on the issue for decades .
Virginia briefly became the epicenter of the nation ’ s gun debate , as tens of thousands of gun owners from around the country took over Capitol Square in January to protest Democrats ’ aggressive gun-control push .
Long disproportionately made up of white men , the legislature was led by Filler-Corn , the first female House speaker , and had the highest number of African Americans in leadership positions in Virginia ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that raise the minimum wage , make it easier to vote , repeal decades-old racist language in state code , cap the interest rates on payday loans and make it easier for struggling tenants to avoid evictions .
“ We ’ ve never had this kind of success , ” said Del .
Lamont Bagby , chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus .
“ We haven ’ t had as many bills .
And we haven ’ t had this many significantly important bills.
” On criminal justice reform , lawmakers succeeded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 500 to $ 1,000 and ending the suspension of driver ’ s licenses over court fines and fees .
But several other measures died , including a proposal to legalize marijuana .
State regulators have said a sweeping renewable energy bill that will make Virginia a national leader on addressing climate change is expected to significantly increase the average customer ’ s electricity bills .
And lawmakers agreed to increase the gas tax to help alleviate some of Virginia ’ s notorious traffic problems .
Lawmakers also passed several measures to expand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , after special interests spent heavily on campaign contributions and lobbyists .
Democrats had plenty of growing pains in their first year in charge , and deep divisions within the party were exposed .
Moderate senators complained the more liberal House was rushing through too many big-ticket items .
But some House members and others said the new Democratic majority hadn ’ t lived up to its campaign promises .
“ When push comes to shove , they give us , like , crumbs , ” said Reuben Chavez , a delivery driver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of the Senate gallery by police Saturday for yelling “ shame ” when lawmakers voted not to allow undocumented immigrants to get normal driver ’ s licenses , but instead created a special new category of IDs called a driver privilege card .
The Senate won out in several fights , insisting on more moderate versions of high-profile legislation .
A plan to hike the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour is more gradual and has broader exemptions than what the House wanted , and a public sector collective bargaining measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House initially passed .
The Senate also watered down almost all of Northam ’ s package of gun-control laws and outright rejected his proposed ban on the sale of assault weapons .
A fight over redistricting reform was particularly caustic in the House Democratic caucus .
Black lawmakers pleaded unsuccessfully with their colleagues not to support a proposed constitutional amendment to create a bipartisan redistricting commission , saying it could hurt minority influence in drawing future legislative and Congressional lines .
Lawmakers delayed action on passing a $ 135 billion two-year state budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether to fund a college tuition freeze .
They planned to pass a final budget on Thursday and then return in April to take up the governor ’ s proposed amendments and vetoes .

Alan Suderman And Sarah Rankin - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-03-08--2 charged in attack on Spanish speakers head to court

BOSTON - Two Massachusetts women charged with assaulting a woman and her teenage daughter for speaking Spanish in public last month are scheduled to be arraigned on hate crime charges , prosecutors said .
Jenny Leigh Ennamorati and Stephanie Armstrong , both 25 and both of Revere , are expected in court on Monday to answer to felony charges of violating a person ’ s constitutional rights with bodily injury , and misdemeanour assault and battery , according to the office of Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins .
The victims , who have not been publicly identified beyond their last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 in the heavily Latino East Boston neighbourhood .
The mother , 46 , said she and her 15-year-old daughter were walking home from dinner and the attack was unprovoked .
The attack was caught on surveillance video .
The suspects shouted , “ This is America , ” and told them to “ speak English ” and “ go back to your ( obscenity ) country “ as they punched , kicked and bit them , the mother said .
It could not be determined if Ennamorati and Armstrong had attorneys .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother and daughter because they believed they were making fun of them in Spanish .
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thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Mexican women paint victim names to protest gender violence

MEXICO CITY - Adriana .
Dulce .
Paola .
Nayeli .
Ingrid .
Maria — lots of Marias .
These are just some of the names of the thousands of women killed each year in Mexico , often by their intimate partners .
Dozens of women carpeted Mexico City ’ s central Zocalo square Sunday with victim ’ s names in white block letters as part of protests against gender violence on International Women ’ s Day .
Government data shows that 3,825 women met violent deaths last year , 7 % more than in 2018 .
That works out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women slain each day in Mexico , making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world for females .
Thousands more have gone missing without a trace in recent years .
“ We decided it was a moment to put them into numbers — all those women who are missing , who they ’ ve taken from us , ” said Sofia De Robina , a lawyer with the Miguel Agustin Pro Human Rights Center .
De Robina , together with friends and activists , compiled a list of names of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since since 2016 .
The idea was to put those names on the asphalt as a memorial , but also to give them a voice in the day ’ s protest .
Murders of women in Mexico are often accompanied by sexual violence and stunning brutality .
Some women are burned .
Some are mutilated .
Authorities seem incapable of preventing or properly investigating the crimes , very few of which result in convictions .
As De Robina talked , children and women passing by offered to pick up a paint brush and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came from public records of deaths that appear to fall in the category of femicide , meaning those women ’ s killings carried marks of hatred for the female gender .
De Robina and her collaborators found 3,300 apparent femicides in all .
Criminal charges of femicide carry heavier sentences than other homicides in Mexico .
Thousands of Mexican women were expected to march in protest of gender violence in the capital Sunday , with smaller demonstrations in cities across the country and some larger marches in nations across the world .
Protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Roman goddess Diana in Mexico City , and also the water of a fountain to the Roman goddess of wisdom , Minerva , in Guadalajara .
Associated Press journalist Rebecca Blackwell contributed to this report .

Amy Guthrie And Alicia Hernandez - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Despite coronavirus risk, 2020 U.S. presidential hopefuls keep up campaigns for now

GRAND RAPIDS , Mich.—As the coronavirus hits more states , Democratic president candidate Bernie Sanders said Sunday his campaign is gauging when it may become necessary to cancel the large campaign rallies that public health experts say could be breeding grounds to spread the potentially deadly illness .
“ Obviously what is most important to us is to protect the health of the American people , ” Sanders said as he appeared in a series of TV interviews .
“ And what I will tell you , we are talking to public health officials all over this country.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , every candidate has got to deal with , ” he said .
Federal health authorities have been advising older people and those with medical conditions , in particular , to avoid crowded spaces , prompting the cancellation of music and arts festivals and other events around the country .
On Sunday , Surgeon General Jerome Adams noted that the average age of death for people from the coronavirus is 80 , while for those needing medical attention , it is 60 .
But that so far hasn ’ t stopped U.S. President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic rivals , Sanders and Joe Biden from cutting back on major campaign events .
Each is in his 70s .
Sanders said “ in the best of all possible worlds ” the three candidates should probably limit their travel and avoid crowds , “ but right now , we ’ re running as hard as we can.
” Trump on Saturday said he wasn ’ t worried about the coronavirus getting closer to the White House after the first case in the nation ’ s capital was confirmed over the weekend .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent political conference where Trump himself had spoken also tested positive for the virus .
“ No , I ’ m not concerned at all .
No , I ’ m not .
We ’ ve done a great job , “ Trump said .
Adams , acknowledging Trump ’ s busy public schedule , said for many Americans “ life can ’ t stop ” and that ultimately the goal was to minimize risk the best as possible .
“ But speaking of being at risk , the president , he sleeps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s healthier than what I am , ” he said .
“ And so that ’ s the other reason that this messaging is hard , because there are 70-year-olds who run marathons and are healthier than some 30-year-olds.
” “ If people are going to go out there , we want them to be extra cautious -- we want them to wash their hands frequently , ” Adams said .
The U.S. death toll from the virus has climbed to at least 19 , with all but three victims in Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to more than 400 , scattered across the U.S .
Still , concerns about the spreading virus haven ’ t stopped thousands from thronging campaign rallies in recent days .
At a Trump rally last week in Charlotte , North Carolina , the virus threat didn ’ t deter enthusiastic fans who shared buckets of chicken fingers in the stands and dunked their hands into shared vats of popcorn while they awaited the president ’ s arrival .
Sanders drew more than 7,000 to a convention hall in downtown Detroit on Friday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his rally in Chicago ’ s Grant Park on Saturday .
Mercedes Lopez , a 56-year-old who owns a restaurant in Grand Rapids and attended an open-air Sanders rally in the city ’ s downtown on Sunday , said she ’ s not afraid of the virus .
She said she sees the government ’ s increased concern as a plot to distract the electorate from other , negative things that are occurring , such as increasing petty crime and official corruption .
“ There ’ s a virus but it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s to distract people , ” Lopez said .
Lopez added that she wasn ’ t worried about attending an event with such a large group , saying , “ I ’ m calm .
I ’ m not going to worry about it because the more you think about , ‘ I ’ m going to protect myself against this one thing or this other thing , it becomes impossible .
You can ’ t protect yourself from everything.
” Sanders appeared on CNN ’ s “ State of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Meet the Press , ” and ABC ’ s “ This Week , ” and Adams spoke on CNN and CBS ’ “ Face the Nation .
”

Hope Yen And Will Weissert - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-03-08--U.S. lawmakers pass bill allowing Confederate monument removals

RICHMOND , Va.—Some of Virginia ’ s scores of Confederate monuments could soon be removed under legislation state lawmakers approved Sunday .
The Democratic-led House and Senate passed measures that would undo an existing state law that protects the monuments and instead let local governments decide their fate .
The bill ’ s passage marks the latest turn in Virginia ’ s long-running debate over how its history should be told in public spaces .
The legislation now heads to Gov .
Ralph Northam , who has said he supports giving localities — several of which have already declared their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the issue .
After white supremacists descended on Charlottesville in 2017 , in part to protest the city ’ s attempt to move a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee , many places across the country quickly started taking Confederate monuments down .
But Virginia localities that wanted to remove monuments were hamstrung by the existing law .
In the two legislative sessions that followed the rally , Republican lawmakers defeated bills like the one that passed Sunday .
But Democrats recently took full control of the state house for the first time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill ’ s sponsors , Del .
Delores McQuinn of Richmond , said she feels great about letting local leaders decide what ’ s right for their community .
But she said she thought many places would opt to keep the monuments .
“ I think more of them are going to be interested in contextualizing , you know , making sure that there is a sense of truth told and shared with the public , ” she said .
Virginia , a state that prides itself on its pivotal role in America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to more than 220 public memorials to the Confederacy , according to state officials .
Among those are some of the nation ’ s most prominent — a collective of five monuments along Richmond ’ s Monument Avenue , a National Historic Landmark .
Critics say the monuments are offensive to black Virginians because they romanticize the Confederacy and ignore its defence of slavery .
“ My family has lived with the trauma of slavery for generations .
...
I hope that you understand that this is a situation that ’ s so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war memorials , ” Lt. Gov .
Justin Fairfax , who presides over the Senate , said earlier in the week .
Others say removing the monuments amounts to erasing history .
Republican Amanda Chase said during the same Senate debate that slavery was evil .
“ But it doesn ’ t mean that we take all of these monuments down , ” she continued .
“ We remember our past and we learn from it.
“ The House and Senate initially passed different legislation , with disagreements about what hurdles a locality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A conference committee hashed out the differences .
The compromise measure says a locality must hold a public hearing before voting to remove or otherwise alter a monument .
If it decides to remove one , it must be offered to “ any museum , historical society , government or military battlefield , “ although the governing body ultimately gets the say on the “ final disposition.
” The measure wouldn ’ t apply cemeteries or the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington , which has a prominent statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was embroiled in a scandal over a racist photo that appeared in his medical school yearbook , announced at the start of the legislative session what he called a historic justice agenda aimed at telling the accurate and complete story of Virginia ’ s past .
In addition to the monuments bill , lawmakers also have advanced bills removing old racist laws that were technically still on the books , substituting the state ’ s holiday honouring Lee and Jackson for one on Election Day and creating a commission to recommend a replacement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. Capitol .
They have also passed legislation that provides protections and funding for historic African American cemeteries .
Another bill introduced this year took aim at a controversial statue on Capitol Square , one of Harry F. Byrd Sr. , a former Virginia governor and U.S. senator who ’ s considered the architect of the state ’ s “ massive resistance ” policy to public school integration .
Republican Del .
Wendell Walker introduced the bill that would have removed the bronze figure to needle Democrats on the larger monuments issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the goose is good for the gander.
” Byrd , a Democrat , led a political machine that dominated Virginia politics for decades .
But when met with some agreement from across the aisle on removing the statue , Walker asked that the bill be killed .


thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Indiana community battling shoreline erosion files lawsuit

OGDEN DUNES , Ind .
- An Indiana community along Lake Michigan has filed a federal lawsuit over its battle with shoreline erosion , saying the town ’ s infrastructure is in danger of “ total destruction.
” Ogden Dunes residents argue protections previously installed are exposed to Lake Michigan and at least one section of a steel wall is failing , according to the lawsuit filed this year in Hammond ’ s federal court .
“ If any portion of the sheet piling fails , the town infrastructure , including town-owned dunes , beach access ways , roads and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in danger of total destruction , ” the lawsuit said .
“ This in turn could lead to the release of sewage and other pollutants into Lake Michigan endangering the public and wildlife , and will endanger the lives of the occupants of those residences.
” The lawsuit accuses the National Park Service and the Army Corps of Engineers of interfering with permits for protection plans .
Federal officials didn ’ t immediately return messages Sunday .
Ogden Dunes and neighbouring communities have declared emergencies over erosion , according to The Chicago Tribune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting state and federal help .
“ It really comes down to the survival of our town , ” resident Rodger Howell told the Tribune .
“ We ’ re looking to get our permits and put this in place .
And we ’ re looking to do what ’ s been previously agreed that we can do.
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thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Jackson Hole’s largest elk herd grows after slow hunt

JACKSON , Wyo .
- Jackson Hole ’ s largest elk herd is thriving and appears to have grown slightly over the past year after hunters had a historically tough time finding animals and filling tags .
Wyoming Game and Fish Department harvest data for 2019 estimates that 794 hunters who targeted zones roamed by the Jackson Elk Herd found success and filled their freezer , according to the Jackson Hole News & Guide .
“ That ’ s about half of what it normally is , ” Game and Fish wildlife biologist Aly Courtemanch said .
“ Usually , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,600 elk harvested , both bulls and cows.
” The 30-year average harvest in the Jackson Herd is 2,098 elk , though the kill hasn ’ t surpassed 2,000 since the early 2000s — when the herd size started shrinking by design .
Fall 2019 elk hunts were slow across the board .
The mature bull harvest in early September and October hunts in the mountains east and north of Jackson was down slightly : There were 554 killed in 2019 , well shy of the 30-year average , 877 bulls .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at reducing the population by targeting cows and calves , that were especially uneventful for hunters .
State harvest data estimates that 207 cows and 25 calves were killed combined in late season hunts in places like the National Elk Refuge , Grand Teton National Park and private land along Spring Gulch Road .
The cow harvest was just 22 % of the 30-year average ; calves killed in the valley amounted to 10 % of the long-term average .
It ’ s not yet clear if Jackson Hole ’ s slow harvest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fish hasn ’ t yet released its statewide harvest reports for elk .
Locally , weather likely played a role .
“ There were warm temperatures and a really mild November , ” Courtemanch said .
“ Really late migration.
” Many of the wapiti that went on to live another day , or year , were later detected in the state ’ s “ classification ” of the Jackson Elk Herd , an animal-by-animal count from the ground and helicopter that wrapped up a couple weeks ago .
Tallying animals attracted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and open range , Courtemanch and her colleagues came up with 10,985 elk — just 15 animals shy of the 11,000-animal herd objective .
( The Jackson Hole Daily reported last week that there were 10,927 elk counted in the herd , but the total was upped by 58 animals this week after Game and Fish confirmed it missed a group on Burro Hill in Buffalo Valley . )
Game and Fish does not estimate a population size for the Jackson Elk Herd , relying instead on a hard trend count and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are detected .
“ Harvest was low , so ( the population ) did probably increase some , ” Courtemanch said .
“ It was the highest count we ’ ve had since 2013 .
“ But it ’ s hard to speculate , ” she said , “ because there are a lot of other factors that go into elk numbers than just harvest.
” The previous winter ’ s count , dating to February 2019 , turned up 9,627 elk , but the likelihood is that the 1,300-animal difference was more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the landscape last winter and thus easier to miss from a helicopter .
The Jackson Elk Herd has been generally stable in size over the past decade , hovering right around the herd goal .
Its distribution , however , has been more in flux and less desirable .
A trend of animals piling onto the National Elk Refuge continued this winter , when the count came in at 8,095 animals on the feed lines , 62 % higher than the refuge ’ s own goal .
“ Overall , this appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70 to 80 % of the overall Jackson Elk Herd winter on the refuge , ” Elk Refuge biologist Eric Cole said .
As recently as the 1970s and ’ 80s , only about 50 % of the herd wintered on the refuge .
The Gros Ventre River valley and its three feedgrounds were the second-most-used part of the landscape by the Jackson Herd during the survey .
Elk counters on sleighs came up with 1,731 elk on the Fish Creek and Patrol Cabin feedgrounds and another 401 animals spending the winter out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Total elk counted occupying the river drainage came to 2,132 animals , just two off the 2019 assessment .
In some recent winters elk have almost entirely emptied out of the Gros Ventre , wintering instead primarily on the refuge , though this year and last the numbers have rebounded closer to normal historic levels .
Game and Fish and a University of California-Berkeley researcher are studying the elk interchange , and the role that wolves are playing .
Some 33 cow wapiti fitted with GPS collars in the Gros Ventre last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being tracked .
A quarter of those cows headed to the refuge this winter , Courtemanch said .
Extrapolating that ratio to the larger Gros Ventre population , she said that it ’ s reasonable to think another 700 or so elk reside up the drainage in the summer — meaning about 3,000 total elk .
Cow elk that dwell up the Gros Ventre appear to have fared well raising calves over the past year .
The ratio of calves to cows , 29-to-100 , surpassed the calf ratio in the herd as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggests a growing Gros Ventre population , Courtemanch said .
As recently as 2014 , the Gros Ventre calf ratio was just a dozen for every 100 cows .
The ratio of adult bulls tallied this winter in the Jackson Herd — 23 to every 100 cows — is in line with numbers from recent years .
The balance of the Jackson Herd was distributed in groups off of the feedgrounds around the valley .
Some 124 elk were spotted on the north end of the refuge off of the feedgrounds .
Others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on national forest near the refuge .


thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Advocates, environmentalists disagree on trail extension

SALT LAKE CITY - Utahns of all political stripes enjoy trails that connect their communities to the outdoors , but efforts to expand one of the state ’ s premier trails threaten to divide two groups of stakeholders that are normally allied on public lands issues : trail users and wilderness advocates .
The Bonneville Shoreline Trail , which contours along parts of the Wasatch foothills , tracks the edge of what was once a vast lake .
But most of it persists as mere jagged lines on a map , particularly in the southern half of Salt Lake County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ populated valley .
There , the trail is more of an aspiration than an actual pathway because private properties , extending above Olympus Cove , Millcreek , Holladay , Sandy and other Salt Lake City suburbs , effectively push future trail development into steep , rugged higher ground .
To avoid such parcels , trail proponents and the U.S. Forest Service outlined routes that climb far above neighbourhoods into the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest , the Salt Lake Tribune reported .
But that presents another obstacle .
In several key places , the trail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the use of mechanized equipment , including mountain bikes and motorized trail-building tools .
Trail advocates find it ironic that wilderness designations on the edge of Utah ’ s largest urban area are thwarting foothill trail development that could help alleviate the intense recreational pressure high up Mill Creek and Big and Little Cottonwood canyons , which see more traffic than the state ’ s “ Mighty Five ” national parks combined .
“ We are the capital of outdoor recreation , but the bulk of our population has limited access to trails @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director of Trails Utah , who is pushing hard for the Shoreline Trail ’ s completion .
“ We need a corridor for human movement that can support our recreational lifestyle .
The health benefits are incredibly important .
We need to create more recreation opportunities away from our canyons and watersheds.
” The trail enjoys wide support , yet a solution now in the works is turning trail completion into a wedge issue .
Conceived in the 1980s by Jim Byrne and Rick Reese , the Bonneville Shoreline Trail envisions a 280-mile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nephi , tracking the ancient shoreline of Lake Bonneville along the Wellsville and Wasatch ranges .
To date , 90 miles have been completed , according to Bennett , with approvals in place for another 23 .
South of Emigration Canyon , only fragments are in place because construction has been stymied by landowners demanding top dollar for easements and outright purchases , said John Knoblock , chairman of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail Committee .
“ It ’ s been two decades with almost no trail getting built in this section , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week .
At the base of Mount Olympus ’ towering northwest face , Neffs Canyon would be a vital link for the trail , connecting it with Mill Creek Canyon ’ s trails .
Neffs is , however , filled with obstacles , visible only as lines on a map .
Homes abut near-vertical slopes , so the trail ’ s approved alignment passes through Mount Olympus Wilderness Area .
Because bikes would not be allowed to use this section , it has been nearly impossible to muster the resources needed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ south to Corner Canyon , a segment that crosses current wilderness in 12 spots , explained Aaron Clark , policy manager for the International Mountain Bicycling Association .
Rep. John Curtis , R-Utah , is stepping forward with a solution that , on its face , seems commonsensical to many , yet appears bound to get mired in controversy .
Curtis plans to introduce a bill , known as the Bonneville Shoreline Trail Advancement Act , that would redraw wilderness boundaries to exclude the trail on the western periphery of the Mount Olympus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas .
“ This is an important piece of a much larger puzzle , ” said Curtis , a former Provo mayor who grew up in Olympus Cove exploring the very terrain that the trail would cross .
“ The Bonneville Shoreline Trail ... is a tremendous asset for the state.
” Under his bill , fragments totalling 277 acres perched just above subdivisions and a busy highway would be swapped out of the wilderness areas in exchange for a 473-acre parcel in Mill Creek Canyon that was once part of the Boy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Forest Service acquired it in 2016 .
Curtis ’ proposal is harmless to wilderness preservation , right ?
Wrong , says Carl Fisher , executive director of Save Our Canyons .
He and other wilderness activists fear the Curtis measure undermines the prospects of passing a comprehensive conservation plan for the Central Wasatch .
“ They ’ re cherry-picking the removal of wilderness and the completion of a bike trail at the expense of the larger conservation vision , ” Fisher said .
“ What we could call additions of wilderness that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) table scraps .
It ’ s not an equal equation.
” The wilderness carveouts in Curtis ’ bill are included in the proposed 80,000-acre Central Wasatch National Conservation and Recreation Area Act , which Save Our Canyons and other conservation groups embrace .
That proposal stems from the Mountain Accord , a process launched in 2012 to identify solutions to the Cottonwood canyons transportation woes and land-use disputes plaguing the popular destinations in the Salt Lake Valley ’ s backyard .
It calls for the addition of 8,000 acres of wilderness , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Parleys canyons , capturing Grandeur Peak and Mount Aire , locking in ski area boundaries , and involving complicated land swaps .
Fisher fears that stand-alone legislation to support the shoreline trail would fragment the coalition of diverse interests that he hopes will persuade Congress to pass the bill establishing the conservation area .
“ It could take the legs out ” for the bigger bill , Fisher warned .
Lining up against the Curtis bill are , among others , the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance , the Sierra Club ’ s Utah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wasatch Mountain Club .
“ The comprehensive package has something for everyone , hikers , resorts , lovers of wildlife , backcountry skiers , mountain bikers , families , landowners and downstream water users .
This ‘ something for everyone ’ approach is the glue that keeps this vision relevant , ” the groups wrote in a joint letter Friday to Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson .
“ Carving out elements of the agreed actions leaves our communities at risk and perpetuates the piecemeal approach to land use in the foothills and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t want the shoreline project “ held hostage ” to further the larger conservation plan that appears to be going nowhere , and Curtis sees his proposal as a win for both outdoor recreation and wilderness .
“ It ’ s hard to argue that we ’ re hurting wilderness by taking these couple hundred acres out .
If you look at the Scout camp ... it should be wilderness , ” Curtis said .
“ It just seems like such a natural , such a nice fit .
I like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such close proximity .
It should be ( in ) wilderness , just as these portions of the trail should not be ( in ) wilderness.
” Curtis , who plans to hitch his trail proposal to a package of other recreation bills in Congress , has waited to file , hoping to see the two sides find harmony .
“ But it is shaping up a little like , if we don ’ t jump in and do this , we ’ ll lose this window of opportunity , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a reduction of wilderness .
As a matter of fact , we ’ re doubling overall acres .
So it ’ s not a sly ploy to get less wilderness.
” Additionally , the shoreline trail would connect local trail systems , such as Corner Canyon , City Creek and Mill Creek , enabling users to ride between communities , thereby eliminating the need to drive to distant trailheads .
“ I see this as a good-faith effort to invest in the future of a trail that is now the central organizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every municipality along the Wasatch Front , ” Bennett , of Trails Utah , said .
“ We are long overdue for comprehensive trail planning and funding .
”


thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Protest and celebration mark Women’s Day, despite threats

NEW YORK—From the streets of Manila to a school in East London , people around the world marked International Women ’ s Day on Sunday with calls to end exploitation and increase equality .
But tensions marred some celebrations , with police arresting demonstrators at a rally in Kyrgyzstan and separatists detonating a bomb during a ceremony in Cameroon .
No one was hurt in the attack .
“ In many different ways or forms , women are being exploited and taken advantage of , ” Arlene Brosas , the representative of a Filipino advocacy group said during a rally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presidential palace .
Protesters called for higher pay and job security , and demanded that President Rodrigo Duterte respect women ’ s rights .
In Pakistan , women rallied in cities across the country , despite petitions filed in court seeking to stop them .
The opposition was stirred in part by controversy over a slogan used in last year ’ s march : “ My Body , My Choice.
” Some conservative groups had threatened to stop this year ’ s marches by force .
But Pakistani officials pledged to protest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a conservative country where women often do not feel safe in public places because of open harassment .
The main Islamic political party , Jamaat-e-Islami , organized its own rallies to counter the march .
At a school in East London , the duchess of Sussex , Meghan Markle , joined students in listening to speeches about women labour activists , and urged both girls and boys to respect the contributions of women every day of the year .
“ For young men ... you have your mothers , sisters , girlfriends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
Make sure they are feeling valued and safe , ” she told the students .
But safety was in short supply at some events to mark the day .
The detonation of explosives triggered panic at a ceremony in Bamenda , an English-speaking town in the northwest of Cameroon .
Suspicions focused on separatists who had vowed to disrupt the events .
No one was killed or wounded .
Police in Bishek , the capital city of Kyrgyzstan , detained about 60 people after a group of unidentified men broke up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Demonstrators had gathered in the city ’ s main square to express support for women ’ s and children ’ s rights .
But unidentified men barged into the gathering .
Police said people from both sides were detained , but news reports said they were primarily women .
They were released several hours later , after about 10 had been charged with resisting police , the Akipress news agency reported , citing an attorney .


thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Bill would lift yoga ban in schools, but don’t say namaste

MONTGOMERY , Ala. - Alabama lawmakers might lift a decades-old ban on yoga in public schools , but the bill would keep the greeting “ namaste ” on the forbidden list .
The bill by Rep. Jeremy Gray , a Democratic legislator from Opelika , is on the proposed debate agenda Tuesday in the Alabama House of Representatives .
The bill says that local school systems can decide if they want to teach yoga , poses and stretches .
However , the moves and exercises taught to students must have exclusively English names , according to the legislation .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , mantras and teaching the greeting “ namaste.
” The Alabama Board of Education in 1993 voted to prohibit yoga , hypnosis and meditation in public school classrooms .
The ban was pushed by conservative groups .
The 1993 Alabama yoga ban got new attention in 2018 when an old document circulated listing yoga — along with games like tag — among inappropriate activities in gym class .
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thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Florida police say man killed sleeping couple, buried bodies in swamp

HAINES CITY , Fla. - A Florida man was arrested Saturday after he killed a married couple while they slept and enlisted his stepdaughter to help bury the bodies in a swamp , authorities said .
The Polk County Sheriff ’ s office started getting strange calls last week about a 19-year-old woman trying to sell a truck for $ 200 .
When asked about the low price , she told buyers the owner didn ’ t need it anymore , authorities said .
Sheriff Grady Judd said that ’ s because Raymond Cline , 33 , and Crystal Ann @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No one had seen the couple since Feb. 21 .
Investigators went to the home of Amberlyn Nichols after she tried to sell Cline ’ s truck .
Judd said Nichols admitted she and her boyfriend helped her stepfather hide the bodies in the backyard and led investigators to two decomposing bodies in the swampy woods .
Todd Jackson was charged with two counts of first-degree murder .
Nichols said her stepfather was angry because Raymond Cline owed him money .
Authorities said he broke into their home and shot them both in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was not immediately clear whether Jackson had an attorney who could comment .
Nichols said her stepfather called her and her boyfriend to clean up the crime scene and help bury the bodies .
The Tampa Bay Times reports that Nichols and her boyfriend face charges including failing to report a death and accessory after the fact .
She also admitted that she had been living in the Clines ’ home instead of the tent in a park where she normally sleeps .
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thetorontostar--2020-03-08--A Bowery chapel once let homeless New Yorkers sleep inside. No more

NEW YORK—Sha ’ id Muwakkil hunched his shoulders against an icy wind blowing along the Bowery , furrowed his brow and considered where he might spend the night .
He would probably end up inside the subway system or a 24-hour fast food restaurant , Muwakkil said .
A year ago he might have slept inside the Bowery Mission , one of New York City ’ s oldest and best-known homeless aid organizations , where he had just finished dinner .
“ A night like this , the chapel would ’ ve been open , ” he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” He was referring to the mission ’ s chapel , which , for years , was opened on cold nights so that scores of men could sleep indoors , on the floor , beneath a stained-glass window illustrating the Christian parable of the return of the prodigal son .
But just before the start of winter , the chief program officer at the mission announced a new policy in an internal email .
“ The Bowery Mission will NOT be offering Code Blue Shelter at Bowery , Tribeca or Newark campuses this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , referring to a term used by city officials when the nighttime temperature drops to 32 degrees or below , including wind chill .
Last winter , from November 2018 to April 2019 , the mission offered Code Blue shelter on 118 nights .
Some advocates for the homeless were surprised .
Mary Brosnahan , who was a longtime leader of the Coalition for the Homeless , a Manhattan-based aid organization , said the change was “ very significant.
” “ On those bitterly cold nights , ” she said , “ it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ James Winans , the mission ’ s interim chief executive , said the decision to discontinue its Cold Blue program had been made after long deliberation , partly because it was meant only to supplement shelter offered by the city and partly because those seeking shelter would be better off in a setting with beds and other amenities .
“ The Bowery Mission is always making decisions about how we offer the most excellent care to the most people , ” he said .
“ This is a space in which we felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most excellent care and that there were other options.
” Winans did not provide a figure for how much it cost to offer Code Blue shelter .
Asked if finances were a factor in the decision to end that program , he said : “ We are always adjusting our plan according to our resources.
” He added that the staff had discretion to provide overnight shelter on an ad hoc basis to individuals who could not safely be outside .
They had done so this winter , he said , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how many times that had occurred .
The Bowery Mission has long been a presence on the downtown street with which it shares a name , even as the neighborhood has moved beyond its old reputation as a notorious skid row .
Time and gentrification have erased much of that grit .
The flophouses and nickel-a-drink saloons have given way to nightclubs and luxury condos .
But some of the old Bowery remains .
A grim reminder of that reality came last October when four homeless men were murdered while sleeping on sidewalks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mission .
The Code Blue policy change at the mission , coming against the backdrop of gentrification , has prompted questions about how the mission sees its role at a time when a record number of people in New York City are homeless .
The Bowery facility — the organization has seven locations in the city — provides free meals three times a day , free medical services three times a week and access to showers for nonresidents twice a week .
Although it no longer offers Code Blue shelter , the organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regularly : Its Tribeca location has 194 shelter beds , and the mission provides residential programs in several of its facilities , where hundreds of men and women live each year while receiving counseling and job training or while recovering from addiction .
Additionally , it operates a children ’ s summer camp in Pennsylvania .
The privately funded mission , which was founded in 1879 and is housed inside a former coffin factory , has for years been seen as one of the Bowery ’ s leading institutions .
President William Howard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayors have taken part in the mission ’ s annual coat drives and Thanksgiving dinners .
It was created to minister to the generations of men who gravitated toward the Bowery , long seen as a desolate , end-of-the-line outpost where the minutes were often measured sip by sip .
Michele Campo , a photographer and artist , moved to the Bowery in 1971 , attracted by the low rent and generous spaces .
She said she considered the Bowery men , as they were sometimes called , her neighbors .
As the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has saddened her to watch the mission — “ the last vestige ” of hope for some people — appear to roll back a bit of its compassion .
“ It seems harsh , ” she said recently .
“ When the mission closes its doors for Code Blue , that ’ s as cold as it gets.
” The mission has faced recent budget shortfalls and is looking for a new president to replace David P. Jones , who stepped down just before Thanksgiving .
During the nearly five years of Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of people enrolled each year in its residential recovery programs , absorbing the Goodwill Rescue Mission in Newark , New Jersey , and the New York City Rescue Mission in Tribeca .
But as it expanded its footprint , the Bowery Mission also cut back on some efforts .
For example , a program that distributed food four times a week in the East Village , Chelsea and Bushwick was phased out .
The Code Blue email sent by its chief program officer , Cheryl Mitchell , was one of the latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Code Blue shelter will be referred to partnering agencies and shelters , ” she wrote , adding that the mission would provide “ overnight warming centers ” when subway and bus service is suspended because of extreme weather or when travel is too hazardous .
Previously , the mission ’ s website had said that up to 150 nonresident men could sleep in the chapel and cafeteria whenever the temperature dropped below 40 degrees , stating : “ By providing a warm place to sleep , we are preventing victimization , illness and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exposure.
” Flyers distributed at the mission now refer men seeking nighttime Code Blue help to a main portal into the city ’ s shelter system on East 30th Street , a drop-in center on East 32nd Street and a warming center at West 28th Street .
All are about 2 miles from the chapel .
Recently , homeless men who had just had dinner at the mission discussed the end of Code Blue nights there .
“ You ’ re going to see more people in the subways , more people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 43 , as he stood near the mission , both hands shoved into his jacket pockets .
Some said that while they appreciated the free meals offered at the mission , it sometimes felt daunting to step outside to face wintry conditions .
“ You ’ re on your own , out in the cold , ” said Aaron Johnson , 37 .
“ And the cold can definitely be dangerous .
”


thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Weinstein adds ‘prison consultant’ to entourage

During his month-long trial , film producer Harvey Weinstein was surrounded by an expansive , and expensive , entourage of advisers and assistants .
He had four lawyers , a jury-selection expert , a crisis manager and a spokesman .
There was even an employee who made sure his court-ordered ankle monitor was functioning correctly .
But about three weeks ago , well before a jury found Weinstein guilty of two felony sex crimes , another paid professional was brought into his camp : a “ prison consultant ” named Craig Rothfeld .
Rothfeld ’ s private firm , Inside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new inmates understand the details of what he calls “ the journey ” — the confusing and often frightening passage from living an ordinary life to living behind bars .
Minutes after Weinstein was convicted , the judge in his case , Justice James M. Burke , revoked his bail and ordered him to be sent at once to jail .
But despite the ruling , Weinstein has so far been housed in a prison ward at the Bellevue Hospital Center , where he has been receiving treatment for chest pains , diabetes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Juda Engelmayer , said .
In the past few weeks , Rothfeld has worked with Weinstein ’ s lawyers to make sure city jail officials give the producer medical attention while he is being detained before his sentencing , now set for March 11 .
Over the weekend , photographs emerged online of Weinstein sitting in what seemed to be a common room at Bellevue , watching television in an armchair with a wheelchair parked beside him .
The images prompted questions about whether the wealthy and well-connected mogul was getting special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ folks , ” writer Denis Hamill said on Twitter .
City correction officials have repeatedly declined to discuss why Weinstein is being held at the hospital rather than in a cell at Rikers Island .
“ Any suggestion that Mr. Weinstein is receiving special treatment is false , ” said Peter Thorne , a spokesman for the Department of Correction .
“ He has access to the same services as anyone else at his location , no more , no less.
” “ Everyone thinks he has a sweetheart deal , but he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He ’ s in the hospital , but he ’ s still in a prison cell — a regular cell , with a toilet open for the world to see.
” Rothfeld said quite a bit of work went into getting Weinstein sent to Bellevue .
To persuade Burke to recommend the hospital , he and Weinstein ’ s lawyers submitted copies of his medical prescriptions and a notarized letter from a doctor certifying his physical disability .
It helped Weinstein ’ s argument , he said , that over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was found dead in the Manhattan federal jail cell where he was awaiting prosecution on sex-trafficking charges .
Because of Epstein ’ s death , there were now “ major security issues surrounding high-profile people , ” Rothfeld said .
It is likely Epstein ’ s suicide is being taken into account by jail officials in their decision to keep Weinstein at Bellevue rather than transferring him to Rikers , according to one former jail official and one city official , both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official said keeping Weinstein at Bellevue was “ extremely unusual.
” Rikers inmates are normally not housed at the hospital for an extended period unless they have serious medical problems .
“ They don ’ t know what to do with him , understandably , ” the city official said .
“ Post-Epstein , I ’ m sure there is more concern.
” Weinstein could spend as many as 29 years in prison , and after he is sentenced , he will no doubt face conditions far less pleasant than those he has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ met with Weinstein one-on-one to prepare him for the fast-approaching moment when he will be sent to prison .
Their conversations , he said , have focused on getting the producer ready for having his head shaved and wearing handcuffs .
“ When you go away , you ’ re largely entering the Bermuda Triangle , ” Rothfeld said in an interview this week .
“ There ’ s little information available , and at the lowest point in someone ’ s life , they usually have no idea of what ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city inmates convicted of violent felonies , Weinstein will first be sent to a reception area at the Downstate Correctional Facility — about 120 kilometres north of the city , in Fishkill — to await his assignment to an upstate prison , where he will start to serve his term .
Rothfeld said he was working with Weinstein ’ s lawyers on a sentencing memo designed to persuade Burke to recommend sending the producer to a prison with a medical or protective-custody unit , so he can be housed apart from the general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent to a prison close to New York City or to one with a significant Jewish population , Rothfeld said .
Rothfeld , 49 , founded Inside Outside in 2017 , after he served two years in prison .
In 2015 , he pleaded guilty in Manhattan to charges of defrauding investors in a securities company he owned out of $ 11 million ( U.S. ) .
“ As ashamed and remorseful as I am for what I did , ” he said , “ I ’ m just as proud for taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Prison consulting is a relatively rare line of work whose practitioners generally cater to the wealthy .
Companies including the Justice Advocacy Group in Virginia and Jail Time Consulting in Florida help new inmates navigate the federal and , on occasion , state penal systems .
Rothfeld declined to discuss his rates in detail , but said the cost of hiring him was more than what the average accountant charges to prepare a yearly tax return , but less than the retainer a white-shoe lawyer charges .
He said that on occasion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who can not afford them .
In the past two years , he said , he has had about 20 clients , though none has been as famous as Weinstein is .
As part of his contract , Rothfeld said , he has counselled not only the producer , but members of his family , too , advising them on how to visit Weinstein once he enters prison , how to send him packages and how to contact him by phone .
“ You ’ re a therapist , a rabbi , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big brother , ” Rothfeld said .
“ All the questions people have , if you can answer them correctly , it sheds a little light on the ultimate mystery : the prison system .
”


thetorontostar--2020-03-08--The Congo rainforest is losing its ability to absorb carbon dioxide. That’s bad for climate change.

Scientists have determined that trees in the Congo Basin of central Africa are losing their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide , raising alarms about the health of the world ’ s second-largest contiguous rainforest and its ability to store greenhouse gases linked to climate change .
A study published Wednesday in the journal Nature found that some sites in the Congo Basin showed signs of weakened carbon uptake as early as 2010 , suggesting that the decline in Africa may have been underway for a decade .
Increasing heat and drought is believed to be stifling the growth of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phenomenon previously noted in the Amazon .
The new data provides the first large-scale evidence that tropical rainforests untouched by logging or other human activity around the world are losing their potency to fight climate change .
The new paper predicts that by 2030 , the African jungle will absorb 14 per cent less carbon dioxide than it did 10 to 15 years ago .
By 2035 , Amazonian trees won ’ t absorb any carbon dioxide at all , the researchers said .
By the middle of the century , the remaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amazon and Asia will release more carbon dioxide than they take up — the carbon “ sink ” will have turned into a carbon source .
Tropical forests will “ add to the problem of climate change , rather than mitigating against , ” said Simon Lewis , an ecologist at the University of Leeds and the paper ’ s co-author .
The results imply that unless nations accelerate efforts to counter climate change , temperatures will rise even faster than anticipated .
The Earth “ is more sensitive to carbon dioxide emissions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who published a less comprehensive study of the African carbon sink in 2009 .
The findings contradict models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and governments around the world , which predicted that the Congo rainforest would continue to absorb carbon for many decades to come .
Richard Betts , head of the climate impacts research at the U.K. ’ s Hadley Centre , who was not involved in the newest research , called the results “ a really important finding.
” Scientists have warned for decades that increased temperature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carbon sink , which is the absorption of carbon dioxide by tropical forests .
The researchers estimate that in the 1990s , 17 per cent of the carbon dioxide pumped out of smokestacks and tailpipes when oil , coal and natural gas are burned was thought to be taken up by uncut tropical jungles rather than accumulating in the atmosphere , slowing climate change .
That figure has dropped to only six per cent , they say .
The Congo research required more than a decade of work , travelling to some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in dugout canoes , motorcycles and on foot , and measuring tens of thousands of trees by hand .
“ This has been a huge endeavour , ” said Wannes Hubau , the paper ’ s author and a forest ecologist at the African Museum in Brussels .
The new study ’ s origins date to 2005 when , with research fellowship from the U.K. ’ s venerable Royal Society , Lewis began assembling a network of forest plots that had not been degraded by logging in Africa to track the amount of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A group of several hundred Amazon plots had been set up by a colleague five years earlier .
But no one had done a similar survey of trees in the Congo Basin .
And Africa is different .
“ It ’ s a difficult research environment , ” Lewis said .
The road network in central Africa is spare and poorly maintained , and perennial political upheaval often halts work .
Moreover , there ’ s little funding to support such research , and few African researchers with whom to collaborate .
Computing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boots on the ground , measuring the girth of every tree in a patch about twice the size of a football field as frequently as every few years , Lewis said .
Scientists have come up with standard equations for converting the diameter of a tree trunk into the amount of carbon it contains in wood .
The quantity of carbon absorbed , or lost , by a plot is simply the mathematical difference between how much the trees contain in successive censuses .
Lewis set up several dozen sites himself in Cameroon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a record of carbon uptake in the years even before he began .
So he sought out plots that had been set up earlier , often for different purposes by other researchers , and often later abandoned .
One study site was started in 1979 in Liberia by a group of German foresters .
The researchers fled the country in the late 1980s during Liberia ’ s civil war , and the records there were destroyed .
But Lewis ferreted out a database of measurements that had been saved on a computer in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2007 , he drove to Liberia ’ s only remaining rainforest with a paper sketch of the research locations and found a local resident who had helped to conduct the original census .
“ He led us straight to tree number one of the census , ” Lewis said .
“ Now they ’ re a core part of our network.
” In 2013 , Lewis hired Hubau to expand the network and look into questionable data in existing ones .
It wasn ’ t easy .
They wanted patches scattered all across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from human influence .
Hubau reached one site in the Congo by motorcycle to find trunks as expansive and true as Greek columns , rising 10 stories above him .
He brought a sheaf of papers that contained the vitals of each tree with a trunk thicker than his wrist .
It amounted to 376 trees , when last counted in 2014 .
Hubau noted which trees had died since the most recent count and which trees had grown big enough to be added to the roster .
He wrapped a tape measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For trees too broad for Hubau ’ s lanky arms to hug , a helper would pass the dangling end of the tape measure around .
But the site had serious complications .
The 2014 crew had nailed numbered tags identifying each tree too tightly to the trunks .
Subsequent growth had swallowed up some of them .
Termites had attacked red blazes that a 2012 team had painted to mark the height from the ground at which they ’ d applied their tapes .
Tree girth must be checked at the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change in the measurement point introduces errors that throws off the carbon tally .
After two days of sweaty labour and detective work , Hubau identified and measured every tree in that plot .
The new Nature paper combines the work of researchers and field assistants who studied 135,625 trees at 244 African plots in 11 countries with data that , in some cases , goes back to the 1960s .
It concludes that , on average , Africa trees absorbed the same amount of carbon dioxide for two decades through 2014 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ lose their capacity to absorb carbon as early as 2010 .
A typical acre of African jungle accumulates an extra 1,200 pounds of wood every year , equivalent to about half a cord of firewood .
Like their Amazonian counterparts , the African forests appears to benefit from carbon dioxide fertilization — they grow more quickly as the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere steadily increases .
But higher temperatures and increased drought , both detrimental to tree growth , are eroding the benefits of carbon fertilization , according to the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long list of colleagues used the African records , combined with a comparable set already available from the Amazon , to tease out the factors that influence the health of the tropical carbon sink and to predict its future .
Researchers have already documented a reduction in carbon uptake in the Amazon rainforest .
In a 2015 paper also published in Nature , scientists found that intact Amazon jungle absorbed 30 % less carbon in the 2000s than in the 1990s .
The new study finds that Africa is lagging only 10 or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says central African forests are cooler than the Amazon , which has delayed the impact of rising temperatures .
“ This carbon sink is turning off far earlier than even the most pessimistic of these climate models , ” said Lewis .
Now , “ we ’ ll have to cut emissions faster than expected , ” said Betts of the Hadley Centre .


thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Pilgrims turn to prayer, kinship during coronavirus scare

JERUSALEM - A group of Christian pilgrims from Alabama is turning to prayer and positive thinking as they cope with an open-ended coronavirus quarantine , confined to their West Bank hotel rooms while they wait for clearance to return to the United States .
Chris Bell , the lead pastor at the 3Circle Church in Fairhope , Ala. , said his 13-member group arrived last week for what was supposed to be a dream-of-a-lifetime trip to the Holy Land .
But after two days of touring Jerusalem and Bethlehem , they were notified that they might have been exposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tourists staying in the same hotel had tested positive .
They have been instructed by local authorities to remain in their hotel indefinitely .
“ We ’ re really sad that things turned out the way they did , ” Bell said .
“ It ’ s not a great situation , but we ’ re trying to make the best of it.
” He said the group is made up of church staff and spouses , and for almost everyone , it was their first time in the Holy Land .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with generosity from the hotel and the local community , has helped them get through the ordeal .
He said the group is confined to one floor of the hotel .
Each morning , he said people put on gloves and masks and meet in the hallway to pray together .
They also have reading materials and wi-fi , allowing them to read the news , stream movies and remain in contact with the outside world .
“ We love each other .
Most of us have our spouses with us as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interaction , even though it ’ s through gloves , masks and at a distance really helps us get through every day , ” he said .
Bell said the hotel staff has treated his group with great hospitality , disinfecting rooms and delivering food in plastic bags .
He said the local community has sent shipments of everything , from shawarma to bread and chips , and from Popeye ’ s Chicken to medications .
His group also remains in contact with Palestinian and Israeli authorities , as well as U.S. consular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The group has been tested for the virus and is waiting for the results , he said .
In the meantime , no one is showing any symptoms of sickness .
He said everyone remains hopeful that they will soon be allowed to leave and return home .
“ We are people of faith .
And we do not believe this is an accident , ” Bell said .
“ We know that our God knows exactly where we are .
And he has a plan for this and that he is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going to be faithful to us .
And we just want to represent him well while we ’ re walking through us.
“ The group ’ s hotel , the Angel , is located in Beit Jala , a village on the outskirts of Bethlehem , which has become the epicenter of the West Bank ’ s coronavirus scare .
Fourteen of the 19 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the West Bank are hotel workers .
The hotel ’ s director , Maryana al-Arajah , who is among those infected , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is in closed rooms and quarantined on one floor , while those at risk , such as the Americans , are on a separate floor .
She said workers who are not infected have been given gloves , masks and protective clothing while they deliver food and continue to disinfect the building .
In all , 42 people are in quarantine , she said .
The coronavirus scare has generated a sense of panic throughout Bethlehem — the biblical town revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus Christ .
Streets have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week , and the Church of the Nativity , built on the grotto where tradition says Christ was born , has been closed to the public .
Israel , meanwhile , has confirmed 25 cases of coronavirus , including a 38-year-old man who was in serious condition on Sunday .
Some 20,000 people have been ordered into 14-day home quarantine protectively , while the local travel sector has taken a beating as scores of flights in and out of the country have been cancelled .
“ We know there ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ So we ’ re not just praying for ourselves .
We ’ re praying for the hurting people of this area because we love them.
“ “ We ’ re just hoping that we are able to go home and have great memories and a great story to tell in the end , an epic story , ” he said .


thetorontostar--2020-03-08--Cruise ship hit by virus to dock in Oakland

SAN FRANCISCO—A cruise ship hit by the new coronavirus is headed to the port of Oakland , California , the captain told passengers , though they were destined to stay aboard the ship for at least another day .
Grand Princess Capt .
John Smith , in a recording provided by passenger Laurie Miller of San Jose , told guests the ship will dock in Oakland .
Princess Cruises says it ’ s expected to arrive on Monday .
The ship is carrying more than 3,500 people from 54 countries .
“ An agreement has been reached to bring our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he told passengers Saturday night .
“ After docking , we will then begin a disembarkation process specified by federal authorities that will take several days.
“ Smith said passengers who need medical treatment or hospitalization will go to health care facilities in California , while state residents who don ’ t require acute medical care “ will go to a federally operated isolation facility within California for testing and isolation.
” U.S. guests from other states will be transported by the federal government to facilities in other states .
Crew members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ship .
Smith said the information he was given did not include any details about what would happen to passengers from other countries .
“ We are working to obtain more details overnight .
...
I ’ m sorry I can ’ t provide you more details right now , ” he said .
The Grand Princess had been forbidden to dock in San Francisco amid evidence that the vessel was the breeding ground for a cluster of nearly 20 cases that resulted in at least one death after a previous voyage .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus climbed to 19 , with all but three victims in Washington state .
The number of infections swelled to more than 400 , scattered across the U.S. , as passengers aboard the ship holed up in their rooms .
Steven Smith and his wife , Michele , of Paradise , California , went on the cruise to celebrate their wedding anniversary .
The Smiths said they were a bit worried but felt safe in their room , which they had left just once since Thursday to video chat with their children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivered trays with their food in covered plates , delivered outside their door .
They ’ ve occupied themselves by watching TV , reading and looking out the window .
“ Thank God , we have a window !
” Steven Smith said .
The ship was heading from Hawaii to San Francisco when it was held off the California coast Wednesday so people with symptoms could be tested for the virus .
Cruise officials on Saturday disclosed more information about how they think the outbreak occurred .
Grant Tarling , chief medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s believed a 71-year-old Northern California man who later died of the virus was probably sick when he boarded the ship for a Feb. 11 cruise to Mexico .
The passenger visited the medical centre the day before disembarking with symptoms of respiratory illness , he said .
Others in several states and Canada who were on that voyage also have tested positive .
The passenger likely infected his dining room server , who also tested positive for the virus , Tarling said , as did two people travelling with the man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have the virus were not on the previous cruise , he said .
Some passengers who had been on the Mexico trip stayed aboard for the current voyage — increasing crew members ’ exposure to the virus .
Another Princess ship , the Diamond Princess , was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama , Japan , last month because of the virus .
Ultimately , about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public-health failure , with the vessel essentially becoming a floating germ factory .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ flown to military bases in California and other states for two-week quarantines .
Some later were hospitalized with symptoms .
An epidemiologist who studies the spread of virus particles said the recirculated air from a cruise ship ’ s ventilation system , plus the close quarters and communal settings , make passengers and crew vulnerable to infectious diseases .
“ They ’ re not designed as quarantine facilities , to put it mildly , ” said Don Milton of the University of Maryland .
Worldwide , the virus has infected more than 100,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vast majority of them in China .
Most cases have been mild , and more than half of those infected have recovered .
— Associated Press writers Olga R. Rodriguez and Juliet Williams in San Francisco ; Gene Johnson , Martha Bellisle and Carla K. Johnson in Seattle ; Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami ; Rachel La Corte in Olympia , Washington ; and AP researcher Monika Mathur in Washington , D.C. , contributed to this report .
— The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .

Daisy Nguyen And Janie Har - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-03-09--Dueling Afghan leaders both declare themselves president

KABUL - Afghanistan ’ s incumbent president and his main political challenger have both sworn themselves in as president .
The rival inauguration ceremonies were held at the same time Monday .
That ’ s thrown the next and crucial step in the U.S.-Taliban peace deal into chaos .
Washington ’ s peace envoy was reportedly going back and forth between the two Afghan rivals into the early hours Monday .
The Afghan government and the Taliban are supposed to hold talks on a road map for the country ’ s future .
But the disputed election means the Afghan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ united front .
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE .
AP ’ s earlier story follows below .
Squabbling Afghan presidential rivals threatened to both declare themselves president in dueling inauguration ceremonies Monday , throwing plans for negotiations with the Taliban into chaos .
Those talks among Afghans on both sides of the conflict were supposed to be the next crucial step in a U.S.-Taliban peace deal , signed less than two weeks ago .
But the dispute between the top two candidates in last year ’ s presidential election over who actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unable to present a united front .
Washington ’ s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was reportedly going back and forth between the two Afghan rivals into the early hours Monday , with some local media reports saying he made five separate visits .
His shuttle diplomacy apparently won him a few hours to continue his mission to try to break the stalemate .
When Washington and the Taliban insurgents signed the deal , the promise was that Afghans would sit down and negotiate a road map for their country ’ s future .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ thorny issues as women ’ s rights , free speech and the fate of tens of thousands of armed men on both sides of the 18-year war .
Those negotiations were set to be held Tuesday in Oslo .
The U.S. has said its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will be linked to the Taliban keeping their counter-terrorism promises , but not to the success of talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government .
Afghanistan ’ s election commission has declared incumbent President Ashraf Ghani as the winner of September ’ s vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government , chief executive Abdullah Abdullah , as well as the election complaints commission say the results are fraught with irregularities .
As a result , both Ghani and Abdullah have declared themselves winners .
The two candidates are also backed by warlords who have a stake in who becomes president , complicating negotiations to break the stalemate being conducted Khalilzad .
The rival presidential candidates called journalists to their respective inaugurations early Monday , only to delay them for a few hours while more talks were being held .
A senior member @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Salangi , told local Afghan channel Tolo TV that the U.S. peace envoy has asked both sides to delay their inaugurations for three days to sort out the stalemate .
Abdullah reportedly said he was ready , but would go ahead with his ceremony Monday if Ghani refused to postpone .
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed , in response to questions from The Associated Press , said late Sunday that the Taliban were still committed to the deal , but said the dueling presidential inaugurations “ are not good for the Afghan nation.
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still has to get some agreement on a prisoner release , which was supposed to be settled before the intra-Afghan negotiations could begin .
The peace deal signed by the U.S. and Taliban said 5,000 Taliban prisoners and up to 1,000 captives from the government side would be freed as a goodwill gesture ahead of the intra-Afghan negotiations .
Ghani had previously said he won ’ t release the Taliban prisoners , even as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on all sides to stop posturing and free their prisoners , some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Pompeo called on all sides get on with talks about the country ’ s future .
The Taliban spokesman told AP that the group wants their prisoners released and were ready to free the captives they ’ re holding .
Mujahed said they did not want to see a delay , but reiterated that if it occurred “ we remain committed to the agreement.
” In a tweet , Afghanistan ’ s former deputy foreign minister , Jawed Luddin , thanked Washington for trying to sort out Afghanistan ’ s political turmoil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ Thank you USA for trying to sort out our political crisis - yet again .
We know you must be sick of it - as are we Afghans , ” Luddin said .
“ You and us both had a hand in bringing about the mess that is today ’ s Afghan politics .
But I wish we Afghans felt half as responsible for the mess as you do , “ he added .
The deal signed by the U.S. would allow Washington to end its involvement in Afghanistan and bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18 months .

Rahim Faiez And Tameem Akhgar - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-03-09--Iran says new virus kills 43, death toll climbs to 237

DUBAI , United Arab Emirates - Saudi Arabia closed off air and sea travel to nine countries affected by the new coronavirus Monday as Mideast stock markets tumbled over fears about the widening outbreak ’ s effect on the global economy .
The state oil giant Saudi Aramco led the financial losses , dropping by 10 % on Riyadh ’ s Tadawul stock exchange and forcing a halt to Aramco ’ s trading .
Tadawul remained open , but Boursa Kuwait ’ s premier market shut down within 30 minutes of opening Monday as stocks again dropped by 10 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trading in recent days .
The drop came as global oil prices suffered their worst losses since the start of the 1991 Gulf War .
Other Mideast markets fell as well as the new coronavirus has affected global energy prices and OPEC failed to make a production cut deal with Russia last week .
Earlier Monday , coronavirus concerns led Saudi Arabia to cut off air and sea travel with Bahrain , Egypt , Iraq , Italy , Kuwait , Lebanon , South Korea , Syria and the United Arab Emirates .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ borders as well .
“ Out of concern to protect the health of citizens and residents and ensure their safety , the kingdom ’ s government decided to temporarily suspend the travel , ” it said in a statement attributed to an unnamed Interior Ministry official .
Abu Dhabi ’ s long-haul carrier Etihad , which operated 12 flights daily to Saudi Arabia , said three flights had been airborne at the time of the announcement .
When those planes landed in Dammam , Jiddah and Riyadh , only Saudi citizens could disembark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abu Dhabi , the airline said .
Saudi Arabia already shut down access to the holiest sites in Islam over concerns about the virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes .
The virus usually leaves people with only mild to moderate symptoms , but because it ’ s new , experts can ’ t say for sure how far it will ultimately spread and how much damage it will do , both in terms of health and the global economy .
The tiny , energy-rich neighbouring country of Qatar meanwhile has cut off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China , Egypt , India , Iran , Iraq , Italy , Lebanon , Nepal , Pakistan , Philippines , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Syria and Thailand .
That ’ s affected its long-haul carrier Qatar Airways , which has already been hurting from a yearslong boycott by four Arab nations including Saudi Arabia over a political dispute .
Qatar separately announced via its state-run news agency it would shut down schools and universities beginning Tuesday until further notice .
Worldwide , there are over 110,000 confirmed cases of the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to it .
In the Mideast , there have been over 7,000 confirmed cases , with the vast majority in hard-hit Iran , which has seen 194 reported deaths .
Experts worry Iran may be underreporting its cases .
The new virus has caused major economic disruptions , including in global aviation , which has helped slow demand for oil .
An OPEC meeting with Russia last week failed to see countries agree to a production cut .
In response , Saudi Arabia has warned it will increase its production and slash its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That sent oil prices into a free fall , losing some 25 % of their value .
Mideast stock markets followed suit .
The Tadawul fell over 8 % , with investors particularly selling their stock in Saudi Aramco , formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co .
The stock closed at 27 riyals a share ( $ 7.19 ) , giving the company a valuation of $ 1.4 trillion .
The company had reached $ 2 trillion in early days of trading in December .
The oil company offered only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % , on the exchange to help fund Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ’ s redevelopment plans for the kingdom .
The rest remains state owned .
The Dubai Financial Market saw stocks drop by 8.5 % in a steep selloff as it opened .
The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange dropped by over 8 % .
The Bahrain Bourse fell by over 5 % .
Meanwhile , authorities in Egypt ’ s southern tourist hub of Luxor announced the city would close to tourists Monday until medical experts could examine all hotel guests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Two cruise ships on the Nile River have been quarantined there in recent days , after 45 people on board one of the ships tested positive for the coronavirus .
There were no immediate details on the second ship .
Associated Press writers Aya Batrawy and Fay Abuelgasim in Dubai and Isabel DeBre in Cairo contributed to this report .
The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .


thetorontostar--2020-03-09--New Malaysian leader unveils revamped Cabinet with no deputy

PUTRAJAYA , Malaysia - New Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin unveiled his Cabinet on Monday , saying he will have no deputy prime minister and instead appointing four senior ministers to keep factions happy in his Malay-majority government .
Muhyiddin also named a banker as finance minister in an unprecedented step , and appeared to deliver on promises of a graft-free Cabinet as he sought to shore up public support for his leadership .
Muhyiddin took office a week ago after his party ’ s defection and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad ’ s resignation sparked the collapse of the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been questioned by Mahathir and his allies , who have called for a parliamentary vote to test Muhyiddin ’ s claim of majority support .
Muhyiddin said Monday the appointment of four senior ministers will create a Cabinet that is more efficient and focused .
They will co-ordinate issues related to the economy , security , infrastructure development and education .
“ Ï want to form a Cabinet that can provide the best service to the people , a Cabinet that delivers .
The senior ministers will help me in my job as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my absence , “ he said in a televised announcement .
“ With these senior ministers , there is no need for a deputy prime minister to be appointed for now.
” Muhyiddin left out senior allies who have been charged with corruption .
That includes key leaders of the United Malays National Organization , the party of disgraced ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak that was ousted by Mahathir ’ s alliance in 2018 polls .
In a surprise move , he named Zafrul Abdul Aziz , the head of Malaysia ’ s second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first time a technocrat has been appointed to a crucial job in the Cabinet .
He also created new ministries for national unity , environment , higher education and Sabah and Sarawak affairs — two resource-rich but poor states on Borneo island .
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thetorontostar--2020-03-09--Sudan’s PM says he survived assassination attempt in capital

CAIRO - Sudan ’ s prime minister said he survived an assassination attempt Monday after an explosion went off near his convoy in the capital of Khartoum .
Abdalla Hamdok , a longtime economist , tweeted he was “ safe and in good shape “ following the explosion .
Sudanese state TV said Hamdok had been heading to his office when the attack took place .
Hamdok also tweeted a photo of himself smiling and seated at his desk , while a TV behind him showed news coverage reporting he ’ d survived .
The attack highlighted the fragility of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , almost a year after pro-democracy protesters forced the military to remove autocratic President Omar al-Bashir from power and replace him with a joint military-civilian government , which has promised to hold elections in three years .
However , the military generals remain the de facto rulers of the country and have shown little willingness to hand over power to civilians .
Hamdok , in his brief statement on Twitter , said , “ Rest assured that what happened today will not stand in the way of our transition , instead it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change in Sudan.
“ No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack .
Faisal Saleh , Sudan ’ s information minister and interim government spokesman , said the attack was carried out using both explosives and firearms , and that a security officer was lightly wounded .
Footage posted online showed two white , Japanese-made SUVs vehicles typically used by Sudan ’ s top officials parked on a street , damaged with its widows broken .
Another vehicle was badly damaged in the blast .
Several dozen people were seen in the site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With our blood and soul , we redeem you , Hamdok.
” The protest movement that led the uprising against al-Bashir called the blast a “ terrorist attack.
” The statement by the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change called on people to take to the streets to “ show our unity and cohesion ... and protect the transitional authority.
” After months of negotiations , the military and the pro-democracy movement reached a power-sharing deal in August , at which point Hamdouk took office .
The deal established a joint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sudan for the next three years .
Prominent activist Khalid Omar , secretary general of the Sudanese Congress Party , said the attempt on Hamdouk ’ s life was a “ new chapter in the conspiracy against the Sudanese revolution.
” The U.S. Embassy in Sudan tweeted : “ We continue to support Sudan ’ s civilian led transitional government and stand in solidarity with the Sudanese people.
” Irfan Siddiq , the British ambassador in Khartoum , said the blast “ is a deeply worrying event must be investigated fully.
” He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s office had confirmed Hamdok and his team “ are all fine , with no injuries.
” Monday ’ s blast came less than two months after an armed revolt from within Sudan ’ s security forces shut down the capital ’ s airport and left at least two people dead .
The tense stand-off between the armed forces and rogue intelligence officers paralyzed street life in several parts of Khartoum , along with another western city .
In 1989 , al-Bashir came to power in an Islamist-backed military coup and imposed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , limiting personal freedoms .
The country was an international pariah for its support of extreme Islamists .
Sudan ’ s transitional authorities announced in February that they agreed to hand over al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court along with other former officials wanted by the ICC .
Hamdok has confirmed the government will co-operate with the court ’ s efforts to prosecute those wanted for war crimes and genocide in connection with the Darfur conflict in Sudan in the 2000s .
Sudan ’ s transitional government has also been under pressure to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeks to rehabilitate the country ’ s battered economy , attract much-needed foreign aid and deliver the democracy it promises .
Nearly a year after al-Bashir ’ s ouster , the country faces a dire economic crisis .
Inflation stands at a staggering 60 % and the unemployment rate was 22.1 % in 2019 , according to the International Monetary Fund .
The government has said that 30 % of Sudan ’ s young people , who make up more than half of the over 42 million population , are without jobs .


thetorontostar--2020-03-09--Grief, controversy mark anniversary of Ethiopian plane crash

ADDIS ABABA , Ethiopia - The year since the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max has been a journey through grief , anger and determination for Ruth Kageche , Zipporah Kuria and others whose loved ones were on the plane .
Grief at the staggering toll : 157 lives lost when the plane crashed six minutes after takeoff .
Anger that the plane was flying at all , five months after another brand-new 737 Max crashed off the coast of Indonesia , killing 189 people .
And finally , determination to pressure Boeing and aviation regulators : If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plane fly again , to make it as safe as possible , with pilots who were better informed and trained about the Max ’ s unique flight-control system .
The crash was not only devastating for the families of victims , it had far-reaching consequences for the aeronautics industry as it brought about the grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 jets , which remain out of service .
Flight 302 took off from Addis Ababa airport the morning of March 10 , 2019 .
Almost immediately , the pilots reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permission to return to the airport .
They never made it .
After a struggle to control the plane , it nose-dived into a barren patch of land about 40 miles from Addis Ababa .
The flight was headed to Nairobi , and 32 of the passengers were Kenyan , the largest number of the 35 nationalities on board .
The Rev .
George Mukua Kageche , a Catholic priest , was among the passengers , returning home on his annual leave from Rome .
A year later his sister , Ruth Kageche @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s farm in Kenya where she buried what she said were the “ fragments ” of her brother returned to her — a hand , a few bits of flesh and bone and a piece of the priest ’ s robe he was wearing that morning .
Kageche said that since receiving the remains , neither she nor any family member has received any assistance or compensation from the airline or Boeing .
“ Actually they called us to go for the fragments and from there , they just kept quiet , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the time they have started talking about the memorial.
” Families of the passengers have filed more than 100 lawsuits against Boeing .
The Kageche family ’ s lawyer , Irungu Kang ’ ata , said “ more and more evidence has been coming up that shows that Boeing had done something bad.
” He pointed to messages and emails between Boeing employees including test pilots and production manager who had safety concerns about the Max , especially a flight-control system called MCAS that was not included on previous 737 models @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , boost the victims ’ cases .
The sharp pain of bereavement continues for Kageche and her family .
“ We don ’ t think our hearts will ever heal and we need a lot of counselling to forget about these things , ” she said , adding that professional help has not been offered to the family .
A private commemoration at the site of the crash for family members of crash victims has been planned by Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing .
Family members from the United States , Canada and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flown to Addis Ababa at Boeing ’ s expense for the memorial .
Ethiopian officials did not plan to allow press coverage .
Zipporah Kuria , who lives in Britain , said she was appalled when family members got very little notice in November , and were unable to attend , when dozens of coffins bearing unidentified remains including those of her father , Joseph Waithaka , were buried in a mass grave .
Photos circulated online of the coffins waiting to be covered , with a bulldozer and mounds of dirt in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as if they were people who didn ’ t have anyone who cared for them .
They were robbed of their lives , and then they were robbed of their dignity , “ she said .
“ We ’ re hoping that by coming together on the 10th where their remains now rest , we can begin to experience some form of closure.
” Kuria and her mother and two brothers plan to attend from the U.K .
In Canada , in suburban Toronto , Clariss Moore decided to go to Ethiopia for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chris , will stay home and visit a body of water , maybe a canal in Ottawa or a beach on Lake Ontario , to honour their daughter Danielle , a 24-year-old marine biologist who perished in the crash .
Chris Moore has already visited the site in Ethiopia and upon seeing it , realized the enormous impact of the crash .
He took some comfort in knowing that his daughter must have died instantly .
Now he is determined to continue to lobby Canadian and U.S. regulators to put the retooled Boeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He is already looking ahead to a hearing later this month in Canada ’ s Parliament .
“ I ’ m going through a constructive grieving process , ” he said .
“ I ’ m trying to do something positive out of this — making something better , because March 10 was the worst day of my life.
” Nadia Milleron and Michael Stumo of Massachusetts , who lost their daughter Samya in the crash , are planning to attend the ceremony , along with Samya ’ s two brothers and her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day , ” Milleron said .
“ I have been there twice .
I think about Samya approaching the ground and being alive — maybe I ’ m walking in a place where she was last alive.
” Milleron , however , has major reservations about the event .
She said Boeing has been sensitive to the feelings of passengers ’ families and will not have a major presence at Tuesday ’ s event , but Ethiopian Airlines has largely shut families out of planning the ceremony and a permanent memorial that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Ethiopian Airlines didn ’ t even want the memorial program , ” she said .
“ In December , they said to us , ‘ Why are you coming ?
You weren ’ t invited.
’ ” Now , she said , Ethiopian officials are fighting families ’ requests to have Don Edkins , a South African documentary maker whose son Max died in the crash , film the event , and to consider a memorial design by Adrian Toole , a U.K. citizen whose daughter Joanna was also on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Ethiopian Airlines has not shared all details about the ceremony , and it is unclear whether the airline ’ s CEO will speak .
“ If he talks , the families won ’ t boo , ” Milleron said .
“ They will just be quiet and be very upset.
” Kuria said the CEO should not speak , but she thinks both Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing have their own motives for organizing the event .
“ We are under no illusion that the companies are doing this for us , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oblivious to the fact that it ’ s also partially in service of themselves to repair their reputations.
” Family members like Kuria , Milleron , Stumo and the Moores say their year of grieving has been wrenching , but they are proud of raising questions about aviation safety and pressing for greater scrutiny of new planes .
One year after the crash investigations are continuing into the crash .
An official with the Ethiopian transport ministry said an interim report on the crash is expected to be released soon .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan it to release it ahead of the crash anniversary , ” he told The Associated Press , on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press .
Yonathan Menkir Kassa , an aviation writer based in Ethiopia ’ s capital , Addis Ababa , said the interim report on the crash is expected “ anytime soon as early as next week.
” The Ethiopian crash came almost five months after a strikingly similar crash in Indonesia of the same model aircraft .
Together the two crashes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 737 Max jets , more than 380 planes used by more than 50 airlines around the world .
Boeing initially expressed confidence that the planes would soon be returned to service , but no date has been set .
Ethiopian Airlines has had less disruption to its operations and in October announced it earned an operating profit of $ 260 million for the year , according to Yonathan .
The investigation is being conducted in Ethiopia where there is not a strong independent media , human rights protection and transparent legal proceedings , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughter , Angela , died in the crash , travelled from Canada to Ethiopia for the memorial .
“ Our memorial committee has done a pretty good job in getting information to us .
But there were difficult moments trying to get information from Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing , ” said Rehhorn .
“ Looking back , I feel that this is a crash that could have been avoided .
I think there were some oversights and hopefully moving forward those oversights will never happen again , ” said Rehhorn .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a memorial site but also we want the people around that area to have better opportunities , not just a memorial .
We want to make sure that the local people have better opportunities , too.
” Koenig reported from Dallas , Texas , and Kaviti reported from Nairobi , Kenya .

Elias Meseret, David Koenig And Geoffrey Kaviti - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-03-09--Stocks, oil prices plunge as virus closes sites around world

BANGKOK - The world ’ s largest economies delivered more worrisome cues Monday as anxiety over the virus outbreak sent stock and oil prices plunging and closed sites from the Sistine Chapel to Saudi Arabian schools .
Shares in Asia , the Mideast and Europe , and U.S. futures were down sharply , reports on the health of the economies of Japan and China stirred more unease , and the downturn was being felt by people around the world .
“ Our business is one-fifth of what it was before , ” said Cheng Sheng , who helps run a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and noodles .
“ There ’ s much less foot traffic .
There are no people.
” As the weakening economy was blamed at least in part on the virus that has infected more than 110,000 people , cases were reported in more than half the world ’ s countries and flash points were erupting around the globe .
In the United States , where more than 500 infections have been reported , eyes were fixed on cruise ships on opposite sides of the country that were kept at bay over fears of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Regal Princess early Monday after it received clearance to dock in Florida .
Tests of two crew members eyed as possible carriers of the virus came back negative .
The Grand Princess , meantime , was expected to dock in California with 21 people who tested positive for the coronavirus on board .
Passengers were to be placed under quarantines .
Global oil prices suffered their worst losses since the start of the 1991 Gulf War .
In Saudi Arabia , shares of state oil giant Saudi Aramco dropped by 10 % , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company on Riyadh ’ s stock exchange .
Saudi Arabia cut off air and sea travel to and from Bahrain , Egypt , Iraq , Italy , Kuwait , Lebanon , South Korea , Syria and the United Arab Emirates after earlier closing off its land borders .
All Saudi Arabian schools and universities were closing beginning Monday .
In Italy , the government took a page from China ’ s playbook , issuing a quarantine order attempting to lock down 16 million people across a swath of the country ’ s north @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Milan and its popular tourist city of Venice were among the places under the order , and across the country , museums and archaeological sites were closed , weddings were cancelled , and restaurants were told to keep patrons a meter ( 3.3 feet ) apart .
The country has counted 7,375 cases of COVID-19 .
Pope Francis celebrated Mass by himself Monday at the Vatican hotel where he lives , but resumed some meetings .
Countries around the world showed a willingness to take tough steps to try to stop the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday that visits to hospitals and retirement homes were banned and random checks would begin of vehicles arriving at border crossings , including taking the temperature of occupants .
Qatar cut off travel to 15 countries and announced it would shut down schools and universities beginning Tuesday .
China reported 40 new cases of the virus Monday , its lowest number since Jan. 20 .
More than three-quarters of the country ’ s surviving virus patients have been released , according to government figures .
South Korea reported 165 more cases Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this report were Ken Moritsugu in Beijing ; Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul , South Korea ; Carlo Piovano in London ; Nicole Winfield in Rome ; and Jon Gambrell in Dubai , United Arab Emirates .
The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .
Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak