thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Asia Today: India has record spike of 95K new virus cases

NEW DELHI - India reported another record spike of 95,735 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours as the virus spreads beyond its major cities .
According to the Health Ministry , the number of people known to be infected in India reached 4,465,863 on Thursday .
It has the second-highest caseload in the world behind the United States , where more than 6.3 million people are known to be infected .
The Health Ministry also reported 1,172 deaths in the past 24 hours , taking total fatalities up to 75,062 .
Its death toll is third-highest in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The ministry said the surge in new infections is due to ramping of daily testing that exceeds 1 million now .
However , experts caution that India ’ s outbreak is entering a more dangerous phase as the virus spreads to smaller towns and villages .
The Indian capital saw a record surge of 4,618 new cases in the past 24 hours with 19 deaths .
New Delhi , Pune , Mumbai and Chennai are the worst-hit cities in the country .
With the economy contracting by a record 23.9 % in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indian authorities have said they have little choice but to continue reopening the economy .
Meanwhile , the Serum Institute of India maintained that the temporary halt to late-stage studies of AstraZeneca ’ s COVID-19 vaccine candidate would not impact the timeline for vaccine trials in India .
The studies in multiple countries were halted because of “ potentially unexplained ” illness in a British recipient .
Indian authorities said they would review the illness report and assess the information from the initial human clinical trials in India .
Serum , the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volume , is mass-producing the vaccine for low and middle-income countries .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — South Korea ’ s new coronavirus cases have come below 200 for an eight straight day , suggesting a viral resurgence is slowing amid stringent social distancing rules .
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday it has reported 155 additional cases over the past 24 hours , taking the national tally to 21,743 with 346 deaths .
New infections spiked in South Korea , mostly in the greater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Authorities in the Seoul area subsequently ordered the shutdown of churches , nightspots and fitness centres and restricted dining at restaurants .
Those enhanced rules expire on Sunday , and the government is to announce whether to extend them .
— Clinical trials for AstraZeneca ’ s COVID-19 vaccine candidate have been halted in India , the Serum Institute of India said Thursday .
The institute is the world ’ s largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume and has said it will mass-produce the vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ illness in a test recipient had triggered a “ standard review process ” and that late-stage studies had been put temporarily on hold .
Serum Institute of India , though , had said trials in India were continuing .
But after a communication from Indian regulators , the company paused their trials on Thursday .
“ We are reviewing the situation and pausing India trials until AstraZeneca restarts the trials , ” the company said .
— Tokyo is lowering its COVID-19 alert by one notch from the highest “ red ” category @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scale following a decline in the number of new cases , though Gov .
Yuriko Koike urged residents to continue taking preventive measures .
Koike said Thursday that the decision is based on findings that the average number of new cases per day in the past week fell to 149 from 183 the week before .
Koike said the Tokyo government will lift requests for bars and restaurants serving alcohol to close at 10 p.m. , allowing them to return to their usual hours next Wednesday .
“ We still need to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news conference .
“ We have to continue to take appropriate measures to keep a balance between prevention of the spread of infections and social and economic activity.
” Some experts are warning of a resurgence because the slowing of infections is still modest .
Tokyo confirmed 276 new cases on Thursday for a total of 22,444 , including 379 deaths .
Nationwide , Japan has reported 73,221 cases and 1,406 deaths as of Thursday .
— A Singapore court has sentenced a Taiwanese woman to 11 weeks in jail for intentionally sneezing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from entering a Singapore shopping mall .
The court issued the sentence Thursday after Sun Szu-Yen pleaded guilty in June to performing a rash act and an unrelated harassment charge , Singapore media reported .
Sun and her son were stopped at a mall entrance on April 12 for not wearing masks amid the coronavirus pandemic , local media said .
She tried to use her scarf as a mask but when the guard refused to let her in , she sneezed in the guard ’ s direction and reportedly told the guard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took her passport out of her bag and said “ I am China , I am Taiwan , ” local media said .
She was also charged with harassment for throwing several items , including a vacuum cleaner and a plastic chair , out of her condominium window in June last year , local media said .
Prosecutors told the court that she is not mentally ill but has a mood disorder .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Russia says West trying to victimize Moscow over Navalny

MOSCOW - Russia ’ s top diplomat on Thursday accused the West of levelling accusations of poisoning top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny without providing evidence , staunchly denying any official involvement .
Navalny , the most visible opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin , was flown to Germany two days after falling ill on Aug. 20 on a domestic flight in Russia .
German chemical weapons experts have determined that the 44-year-old was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent , prompting Berlin to demand that Russia investigate the case .
The German hospital treating him said Monday that Navalny ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take him out of an induced coma .
Russian authorities have prodded Germany to share the evidence that led them to conclude “ without doubt ” that Navalny was poisoned with a military nerve agent from the Novichok group , the same class of Soviet-era agent that British authorities said was used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England in 2018 .
Russian doctors said they had found no trace of poison in Navalny ’ s system .
Speaking at a news conference Thursday , Foreign Minister Sergey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States and other Western allies who urge Russia to conduct a probe into Navalny ’ s poisoning squarely expect Russia to accept blame for something it hasn ’ t done .
“ If such logic prevails , that would only mean that they put themselves above the law , above everyone else , ” he said .
Germany ’ s Defence Ministry has said the data about Navalny had been provided to the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons .
Putin ’ s spokesman , Dmitry Peskov , said Thursday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handed over any information to the OPCW .
He underlined that it would like to receive the information firsthand to help investigate the case .
“ We don ’ t know what they have given to the OPCW , ” he said during a conference call with reporters .
“ We naturally prefer that they hand over those analyses directly to us.
” Peskov noted that Russian authorities had launched a preliminary check into what happened to Navalny , but emphasized that they need proof of his poisoning to conduct a full-fledged criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ puzzling over what kind of difficulties could have prevented them from sharing their findings with us , ” he said .
Earlier this week , German Chancellor Angela Merkel ’ s office indicated that she might be willing to rethink the fate of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will bring Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea — a sign of Berlin ’ s growing frustration over Moscow ’ s stonewalling about the Navalny case .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told conservative radio host Ben Shapiro that when people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to poison a dissident , and they recognize that there is a substantial chance that this actually came from senior Russian officials , I think this is not good for the Russian people.
” “ I think the world has matured and come to an understanding that this is not how normal countries operate , and this will prove costly for the Russians , ” Pompeo said .
Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report .

Vladimir Isachenkov - The Associated Press

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thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Danes tap migration envoy as EU eyes asylum system reforms

COPENHAGEN - The Danish government on Thursday appointed an envoy to “ help open doors ” for a new approach on migration to Europe and to “ ensure that real refugees are helped faster and better in the surrounding areas.
” The move comes as the European Union ’ s executive body prepares to unveil vast reforms to the bloc ’ s asylum and migration system , and fits with the position of EU leaders who have mostly focused on beefing up Europe ’ s borders and outsourcing work to curb migration to Northern Africa countries and Turkey .
Denmark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in one or more countries outside the EU to diminish the incentive for migrants to seek asylum in Denmark .
The Danish government also wants to improve the deportation of rejected asylum-seekers and to support agencies in countries along the most common migration routes .
The Danish Foreign Ministry said the new special envoy , Anders Tang Friborg , and a task force established on Sept. 1 would “ support the work for a fair and humane asylum system.
” Denmark is already involved in several projects designed to prevent migrants from reaching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting those who do make it to return home .
Denmark ’ s Social Democratic government “ wants as few spontaneous asylum-seekers as possible ” to come into the country and “ we will achieve this goal , among other things , by establishing one or more reception centres outside the EU and thereby removing the migrants ’ incentive to cross the Mediterranean , ” Acting Immigration Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek said .
Denmark intends to take a lead in the outsourcing the job of curtailing migration , hoping other countries will follow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easy .
But we are working on it and hope that the new ambassador and the strengthened task force can contribute to fulfilling the ambitions , ” Dybvad Bek said in a statement that did not say what non-EU countries Denmark was thinking about outsourcing to .
The arrival in 2015 of well over a million migrants and refugees seeking sanctuary or better lives sparked one of the European Union ’ s biggest recent political crises .
Coastal Mediterranean coastal countries felt abandoned by their fellow EU members as they struggled to cope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out .
Countries bickered over who should take responsibility and whether they should be obliged to help .
The foundation of Europe ’ s asylum system - a rule stating that migrants must apply for asylum and stay in the country where they first arrive — remains a contentious issue that the EU has not addressed .
Denmark received about 20,000 asylum-seekers in 2015 , a small number compared with its Swedish and German neighbours .
Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--AP Explains: What’s driving India-China military standoff

SRINAGAR , India - Tensions along the disputed India-China border seem to be getting worse , three months after their deadliest confrontation in decades .
The Asian giants accused each other this week of sending soldiers into the other ’ s territory and fired warning shots for the first time in 45 years , raising the spectre of full-scale military conflict .
Their foreign ministers are expected to discuss the simmering dispute in Moscow on Thursday on the sidelines of a regional security and economic meeting .
The high-altitude standoff along the eastern section of what ’ s known as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loose demarcation — risks dramatically altering the already fraught relationship between the nuclear-armed neighbours .
The face-off began in early May with a fierce brawl before exploding into hand-to-hand combat with clubs , stones and fists on June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers dead .
China is believed to have taken casualties , but has given no numbers .
India and China inherited their territorial disputes from the period of British colonial rule .
Three years after India ’ s independence in 1947 and a year after the communists came to power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beijing began strongly asserting its claims and repudiating earlier treaties it says were signed under duress , but which India says are fixed .
Beijing ’ s approach has strengthened under Xi Jinping , China ’ s most powerful leader in decades who has sworn not to surrender even an inch of territory .
In the 1950s , China started building a strategic road on the uninhabited Aksai Chin Plateau to connect its restive regions of Tibet and Xinjiang .
India objected and claimed Aksai Chin as part of Ladakh , itself belonging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ divided between India and Pakistan .
Relations were further strained after India allowed Tibet ’ s spiritual leader , the Dalai Lama , to establish a self-declared government-in-exile in the northern Indian town of Dharmsala after he fled his homeland in 1959 during an abortive uprising against Chinese rule .
The differences led to a bitter monthlong war in 1962 .
Firefights broke out again in 1967 and 1975 , leading to more deaths on both sides .
They ’ ve since adopted protocols , including an agreement not to use firearms , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year ’ s clashes .
China , in the meantime , began cementing its relations with India ’ s archrival Pakistan and backing it on the issue of Kashmir .
The fiercely contested LAC separates Chinese and Indian held territories from Ladakh in the west to India ’ s eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh , which China claims in its entirety .
It is broken in parts where the Himalayan nations of Nepal and Bhutan border China .
According to India , the de facto border is 3,488 kilometres ( 2,167-mile ) long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figure .
As its name suggests , it divides the areas of physical control rather than territorial claims .
In all , China claims some 90,000 square kilometres ( 35,000 square miles ) of territory in India ’ s northeast , including Arunachal Pradesh with its mainly Buddhist population .
India says China occupies 38,000 square kilometres ( 15,000 square miles ) of its territory in the Aksai Chin Plateau , which India considers part of Ladakh , where the current face-off is happening .
Despite more than three dozen rounds of talks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping , they are nowhere near settling their dispute .
Since the 1962 war , both economies have grown substantially , but China has far outpaced India while enjoying a large trade surplus with its neighbour .
The growing economic rivalry has added to territorial and geostrategic differences .
India has tried to capitalize on China ’ s rising labour costs , and deteriorating ties with the United States and Europe , to become a new base for foreign manufacturers .
India grew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through Pakistani-controlled Kashmir as part of Xi ’ s signature foreign policy push , the multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative , which India has vehemently opposed .
Meanwhile , India ’ s growing strategic alliance with the U.S. has ruffled feathers in Beijing , which sees the relationship as a counterweight against China ’ s rise .
Indian fears of Chinese territorial expansion are bolstered by the growing presence of the Chinese navy in the Indian Ocean and Beijing ’ s efforts to strengthen ties with not only Pakistan but also Sri Lanka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategic parity with China , massively ramping up its military infrastructure along the LAC .
Adding to the tension , India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory and separated it from disputed Kashmir in August 2019 , ending its semi-autonomous status .
Shortly after , lawmakers in India ’ s ruling party began advocating taking control of some China-run areas , alarming Beijing .
Border tensions have persisted despite talks at military , diplomatic and political levels .
With strong nationalists leading both countries , the border has taken on a prominence not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unscathed from the COVID-19 pandemic , China is also perceived regionally as ramping up military ambitions against its neighbours , particularly through the use of “ salami slicing ” tactics to incrementally gain territory .
While Chinese soldiers remain in what India says is its territory in Ladakh , India occupied at least one unmanned mountain top last week , leading Beijing to furiously demand that New Delhi vacate the area .
Experts warn that if military hostilities are not stopped , war could be next .
“ If diplomacy fails , guns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what we have been witnessing during last four months , ” said Lt. Gen. D.S .
Hooda , who was head of the Indian military ’ s Northern Command from 2014 to 2016 .
“ Things are fast escalating out of control unless there is a breakthrough in talks.
” Wang Lian of Peking University ’ s international relations department considers the possibility of a wider conflict less likely , despite preparations being made on both sides .
“ China has shown restraint in bilateral relations with India , and India may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future , ” Wang said .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--German study highlights carbon footprint of video streaming

BERLIN - Streaming high-definition videos and games can result in significant greenhouse gas emissions , depending on the technology used , according to a German government-backed study released Thursday .
The report published by Germany ’ s Federal Environment agency calculated the amount of carbon dioxide produced by data centres where material is stored for streaming , and by the transmission technology used to get it to consumers .
It concluded that streaming video over fiber optic cables results in the lowest amount of CO2 emissions — 2 grams per hour .
Using copper cables produces twice that amount , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hefty 90 grams of CO2 per hour .
The report ’ s authors said streaming over next-generation mobile technology , known as 5G , would result in carbon dioxide emissions of 5 grams per hour , suggesting that widespread rollout could help cut energy consumption .
Data centres , meanwhile , accounted for only a small share of the overall energy use , though the amount varied significantly depending on how efficiently servers were used and cooled , according to the report .
Christian Stoll , am energy expert who wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures appeared plausible but noted that they didn ’ t take into account the amount of electricity consumed by the devices used to watch the streamed videos .
“ ( This ) represent a significant part of the total emissions , ” said Stoll , a researcher at the Technical University Munich ’ s Center for Energy Markets and the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research .
Presenting the report , German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said the study was an attempt to help provide solid data for decision-makers as digital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time as countries try to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that heat up the atmosphere .
“ It is possible to stream data without negatively impacting the climate if you do it right and choose the right method for data transmission , ” she said .
“ From an environmental perspective , it would be a good idea to set up more public WiFi hotspots , as this is more climate-friendly than streaming in mobile networks .
”


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Miami-Dade school district cuts ties with online platform

MIAMI - Florida ’ s largest school district is severing ties with an online platform many blame for failures as the county tries to get kids back to school .
Following a 13-hour meeting , the Miami-Dade County School Board unanimously voted early Thursday to stop using My School Online .
Teachers can now begin using other platforms , the Miami Herald reported .
The meeting stretched into the middle of the night because the board had to finish public comment on Vice Chair Steve Gallon ’ s proposal to get to the bottom of what went wrong .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most of them negative , about the online platform .
Miami-Dade began a delayed school year on Aug. 31 , but it was marred by network outages and a series of cyberattacks .
A teenager was arrested last week and accused of the cyberattacks .
The Herald reported tensions ran high throughout the night .
Board member Marta Perez , who will have served 22 years on the board in November , called it “ one of the worst meetings , in all due respect , we ’ ve ever had at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run by the for-profit tech education company K12 .
Its investors have included Michael Milken , the convicted junk-bond king who President Donald Trump pardoned earlier this year , and current Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos , the Herald reported .
In 2016 , former California Attorney General and current Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris oversaw a $ 168.5 million settlement with K12 over alleged violations of the state ’ s laws against false claims , false advertising and unfair competition .
Miami-Dade County Public Schools is the fourth largest school district in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools , 345,000 students and over 40,000 employees .
The district chose the My School Online platform through K12 because it wanted a one-stop shop for all students and teachers .
After school abruptly shut down in March because of the coronavirus pandemic , teachers used any learning platform they felt comfortable with .
Parents complained that it was difficult to keep track of assignments .
Last week , the district told teachers and students in grades 6 through 12 to use Microsoft Teams and Zoom because of national glitches with the K12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools and teachers also have moved to Teams and Zooms even though they were told to continue with the K12 platform .
The Herald reported that many parents and teachers said they felt that K12 ’ s curriculum was not appropriate for younger students .
A sullen Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said before the vote that the School Board would have a final say on K12 and that no further announcements will come from the district .
He said no money had been paid to K12 .
He also reminded the board that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunities for a decade .
“ This was a low point for me , a low point for our school system , ” he said .
“ This was not our finest moment .
It did not begin the way we expected .
”


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--In Chile, life goes on for loved ones after COVID-19

SANTIAGO , Chile - Red-eyed from crying , José Collantes Navarro couldn ’ t contain himself and crumpled against the wall as he watched his partner being buried at the Catholic Cemetery in Chile ’ s capital .
She had lost the fight against the new coronavirus , while he had survived .
For many pandemic survivors and those who lost loved ones , like the 36-year-old Collantes , the tragedy lingers and their lives are never the same .
“ Daddy , daddy , why did mommy die ?
” asks his 5-year-old daughter Kehity , whose mother , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He doesn ’ t know what to say but feels he has to respond .
“ Because she was sick , ” he said .
Collantes is one of thousands of people who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 in Chile , one of the countries in Latin America hardest hit by the virus .
His case highlights how COVID-19 deaths the world over are often the beginning of a new personal journey for those affected .
The Peruvian , who moved to Chile eight years ago , let Associated Press journalists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him and Kehity .
Collantes says he is haunted by questions about why Cano died and not him when they both caught the virus .
Was there medical negligence ?
Was there something he could have done ?
Collantes got the virus at end of April , the first in his family to do so .
Not wanting to infect Cano or his daughter , he quarantined himself in one of the hotels the government set up for COVID patients , but he only exhibited mild symptoms .
When he left the hotel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his partner at work , “ I saw that she was not doing well , ” he said .
“ She told me she had a backache.
” But he downplayed the possibility she had the virus and thought of his own mild symptoms .
“ The coronavirus does nothing , ” he said he told Cano , 37 , who is also a Peruvian .
Five days later she begged to be taken to a hospital .
Cano went to a medical centre May 17 , and was diagnosed with flu and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pain in her back and couldn ’ t breathe .
She returned to the medical centre May 19 and was diagnosed with pneumonia , then was sent to the Barros Luco Trudeau public hospital .
Collantes never saw his partner again alive , though they did speak by cellphone from her isolation .
At that time , Chile was going through some of the worst days of its pandemic with around 4,000 new cases reported daily .
The government said the number of new cases was surging because of increased testing and because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t following lockdown measures .
Chile now has more than 425,000 confirmed coronavirus cases , the sixth most in Latin America .
When Cano was in the hospital , it was the first time Collantes was completely in charge of his daughter and running their home .
By phone , Cano even told him how to bake bread for Kehity .
Collantes says he worked as an electrician but hasn ’ t had work since he got sick in April .
The first month he got a bit more than $ 500 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each month until he received only $ 250 in August .
He said he found a temporary job in the second week of September as a deliveryman for a transportation company , which allows him to bring Kehity along with him .
Collantes keeps wondering what happened .
He says that May 29 , he got a call from the hospital and was told Cano had been taken to the ICU with lung problems and was intubated .
When he asked why , a doctor said : “ She was brought in with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he got what he felt were contradictory messages .
After two weeks in the ICU , a doctor told him Cano had improved and they were evaluating if she still needed the ventilator .
The next day they called to say he needed to come to the hospital .
Cano was dying .
On June 14 , she was pronounced dead .
“ Why didn ’ t they see that she was getting worse ?
“ he keeps asking himself .
Such doubts made him contact a lawyer to try to find out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he doesn ’ t want money , but to know “ if there was any failure.
” Officials at the hospital declined to talk about Cano ’ s situation , saying they do not speak publicly about any of their patients .
Collantes brings flowers to her grave in Santiago ’ s Catholic Cemetery at least once a week .
He says Kehity hasn ’ t cried since her mother died and he needs to give the girl a better explanation and understanding of what happened .
He also needs to raise the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t want to give up , ” he said .

Eva Vergara And Esteban FéLix - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Assange extradition hearing paused over COVID-19 risk

LONDON - The London hearing on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ’ s extradition from Britain to the United States was suspended Thursday because one of the lawyers may have been exposed to the coronavirus .
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ordered the proceedings adjourned until Monday while a lawyer representing the U.S. government is tested for the virus .
Assange ’ s attorney , Edward Fitzgerald , said it had to be assumed that the lawyer had the virus and “ COVID will be in the courtroom.
” “ Court staff themselves would be at risk , and you yourself may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the judge .
” Finally , our client Mr. Assange , who is vulnerable you are aware , would be at risk in court.
” The judge asked for submissions from both legal teams about what to do if the lawyer is confirmed to have COVID-19 .
Assange is fighting American prosecutors ’ attempt to get the British government to send him to the U.S. to stand trial on spying charges .
U.S. prosecutors have indicted the 49-year-old Australian on 18 espionage and computer misuse charges over WikiLeaks ’ publication of secret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison .
Assange ’ s lawyers say the prosecution is a politically motivated abuse of power that will stifle press freedom and put journalists around the world at risk .
The hearing started Monday at London ’ s Old Bailey criminal court and is scheduled to last about a month .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Top Belarus activist says authorities threatened to kill her

KYIV , Ukraine - A prominent opposition activist who resisted her forcible expulsion from Belarus by ripping up her passport accused Belarusian authorities Thursday of threatening to kill her amid their efforts to end a month of protests against the country ’ s authoritarian president .
Maria Kolesnikova said in a formal complaint released by her lawyer that agents of Belarus ’ state security committee put a bag on her head and drove her to the border with Ukraine before she fought her removal from Belarus and was jailed .
“ They threatened to kill me , ” Kolesnikova said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refuse to leave the territory of Belarus voluntarily , they will get me out of the country anyway - alive or in fragments.
“ She demanded that the nation ’ s Investigative Committee probe the KGB officers on charges of abduction , illegal detention and threats of killing .
Opposition activists came under increasing pressure this week as Belarus marked a month since massive demonstrations broke out against President Alexander Lukashenko ’ s reelection to a sixth term .
The opposition rejects the results of the country ’ s Aug. 9 election , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resignation represent an unprecedented challenge to the Belarusian leader ’ s 26-year rule .
Kolesnikova is a leading member of the Coordination Council created by opposition activists to push for a new election .
She was detained Monday and destroyed her passport in a no-man ’ s land between Ukraine and Belarus the next day to prevent her expulsion .
Kolesnikova , who remains jailed in the Belarusian capital of Minsk , is accused of undermining national security as part of a criminal probe against senior members of the opposition Coordination Council .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ prison , if convicted .
All of the council ’ s senior members except for Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich have been jailed or forcibly expelled from the country .
Unidentified people attempted Wednesday to enter Alexievich ’ s apartment in Minsk .
Diplomats from several European Union nations gathered there to prevent her detention .
Daily protests in Belarus have continued since election night despite police crackdowns and government threats .
Several dozen employees of a huge potash factory in Soligorsk held a rally Thursday .
One worker handcuffed himself in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Workers at the Belaruskali factory , which accounts for one-fifth of the world ’ s potash fertilizer output and is the nation ’ s top cash earner , launched a strike last month .
Authorities quickly ended it and detained the action ’ s organizer .
Speaking to prosecutors on Thursday , Lukashenko urged them to take tougher action to end ongoing protests .
“ You must not only give a legal assessment to the actions of their organizers and agitators , but mount a stronger , more powerful prosecutorial response , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state farm director firmly shrugged off the opposition demands to step down .
Lukashenko has rejected demands from the United States and the European Union to engage in a dialogue with the opposition .
The U.S. and the EU have criticized last month ’ s presidential election in Belarus as neither free nor fair .
“ I want to say it in a manly way to avoid any misunderstanding , ” he said .
“ They often lament that ‘ He wouldn ’ t give up power.
’ And they rightfully do so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for that .
The power is given not to take it and then give it away .
No one will dare to throw the government into the dirt.
” Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Three dead, thousands ordered to evacuate as massive wildfire rips through California

GRIDLEY , Calif. - A Northern California wildfire became the state ’ s deadliest of the year Thursday when authorities announced seven more deaths , bringing the total to 10 and there was the unnerving prospect the toll would climb as searchers looked for 16 missing people .
Butte County sheriff ’ s deputies and detectives found seven bodies on Thursday , a day after three other victims were discovered .
Among those unaccounted for are Sandy Butler and her husband , who called their son to say they were going to try to escape the flames by finding shelter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re still hoping and praying for good news , ” said Jessica Fallon , who has two children with the Butler ’ s grandson and considers them her own grandparents .
“ Everything is replaceable , but not my grandparents ’ lives .
I ’ d rather lose everything than those two .
They kind of held the family together.
” More bodies could be found as crews manage to make their way into devastated areas .
A team of anthropologists from Chico State University were helping in the search , sheriff ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The weeks-old fire was about 50 % contained when winds thrashed it into explosive growth on Tuesday , driving it through rugged Sierra Nevada foothills and destroying much of the town of Berry Creek .
More than 2,000 homes and other buildings had burned in the lightning-sparked collection of fires now known as the North Complex burning about 125 miles ( 200 kilometres ) northeast of San Francisco .
Forecasters said there was some good news on the weather front : winds were expected to remain lighter this week in the fire area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the temperature slightly and was expected to kept the humidity somewhat higher .
The fire is among five this year that have set records for the most land ever burned , including a blaze that broke the mark Thursday as the largest ever .
More than 4,800 square miles ( 12,500 square kilometres ) have burned so far this year — more land than Rhode Island , Delaware and Washington , D.C. , combined — and fall is typically the worst season for fires .
Nineteen people have been killed and nearly 4,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The fires , fed by drought-sapped vegetation amid warming temperatures attributed to climate change , have spread at an alarming rate and given people less time to flee .
Hundreds of campers , hikers , and people spending Labor Day weekend at mountainside reservoirs and retreats had to be evacuated by military helicopter when they got stranded by a fast-moving fire that broke out in the Sierra National Forest in the centre of the state during record-setting high temperatures .
President Donald Trump spoke with Gov .
Gavin Newsom on Thursday “ to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life and reiterate the administration ’ s full support to help those on the front lines of the fires , ” according to White House spokesman Judd Deere .
The North Complex fire is the 10th largest in the record books and growing as firefighters try to prevent it from advancing toward the town of Paradise , where the most destructive fire in state history two years ago killed 85 people and destroyed 19,000 buildings .
Authorities lifted an evacuation warning for Paradise on Thursday , the day after residents awoke to similar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wind-whipped inferno reduced the town to rubble .
Under red skies and falling ash Wednesday , many chose to flee again , jamming the main road out of town in another replay of the catastrophe two years ago .
About 20,000 people were under evacuation orders or warnings in three counties from the fire .
Some 14,000 firefighters continued to try to corral 29 major wildfires from the Oregon border to just north of Mexico , though California was almost entirely free of critical fire weather warnings after days of hot , dry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Smoke blew into vineyards in wine country north of San Francisco , and rose above scenic Big Sur on the Central Coast and in the foothills and mountains of Los Angeles , San Bernardino and San Diego counties in the southern part of the state .
Numerous fires continued to burn in Washington and Oregon , as well , and dense smoke blanketed much of the West Coast on Thursday morning , darkening skies with hazardous air pollution .
A fire raging along the Oregon border destroyed 150 homes near the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed dead , the Siskiyou County Sheriff ’ s Office said .
About 400 more homes were threatened .
The fire that roared into the hamlet of Berry Creek , with a population of 525 , incinerated countless homes and largely destroyed Camp Okizu , a summer getaway for children with cancer .
A crew fighting the fire was overrun by flames when winds shifted and its members escaped with only minor injuries after deploying emergency shelters .
It was the second time in two days that firefighters in California had to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives .
Fallon , who had driven from the San Francisco Bay Area after hearing the Butlers were missing Wednesday morning , waited with her toddler son and 2-year-old daughter with dozens of evacuees gathered at a fairgrounds in the small city of Gridley , trembling in morning cold .
Among them was Douglas Johnsrude , who packed up his eight dogs and fled his home in the community of Feather Falls on Tuesday .
Johnsrude said he assumed his house trailer burned , which would be the second time he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He inherited his mother ’ s house after her death , but it was destroyed in a 2017 fire .
“ The reason I haven ’ t rebuilt up there is because I knew it was going to happen again .
And guess what ?
It happened again , ” he said .
“ Seeing the smoke and the flames and everything else , it ’ s unreal .
It ’ s like an apocalypse or something.
” Butte County spokeswoman Amy Travis described the evacuation centre as a staging area while officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the fire amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ COVID has changed the way we do sheltering , ” she said .
“ We don ’ t have a lot of hotel rooms here in Butte County , and a lot of them are definitely busy with people that have already made their own hotel arrangements for evacuations.
” Fallon said she ’ d been peppering hospitals with phone calls in search of her grandparents .
Her daughter , Ava , doesn ’ t understand what ’ s going on .
She thinks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ typically speaks with her great-grandmother two to three times a day .
“ I ’ m tossing and turning .
I have just such bad anxiety .
I ’ m just really worried about my grandparents , ” Fallon said .
“ I ’ m hoping that they ’ re up there sitting in some water waiting to be rescued.
” Melley reported from Los Angeles .
Associated Press writers John Antczak in Los Angeles contributed to this report .

Adam Beam And Brian Melley - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Maddow beneficiary of scramble for attention by authors

NEW YORK - It ’ s high season for books that pick apart Donald Trump ’ s presidency , and Rachel Maddow is a big beneficiary .
MSNBC ’ s prime-time personality reached the second-biggest audience of her career when 5 million viewers tuned in for her Tuesday interview with Michael Cohen about his new book , “ Disloyal : A Memoir : The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump.
” Only the 5.23 million who saw Maddow ’ s July interview with presidential niece Mary Trump about her family tell-all exceeded that audience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was also the most-watched program in MSNBC ’ s 24-year history .
With less than two months before the election , authors are elbowing each other for space on the bestseller lists .
One key to success is having some revelations that grab headlines and attention for a news cycle or two .
Veteran Bob Woodward knows that drill .
His status , and the presence of audiotape interviews he conducted with Trump for the book “ Rage , ” were key to him landing a slot on CBS ’ “ 60 Minutes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publication date .
He ’ ll be on NBC ’ s “ Today ” show the next morning .
Those shows reach a more mainstream audience than Maddow ’ s and , in the case of “ 60 Minutes , ” a larger one .
Conservative authors have also sought attention for new books during the political season .
Autographed copies of Fox News Channel ’ s Sean Hannity ’ s new book , “ Live Free or Die , ” have been distributed to Trump campaign donors .
Former White House Press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hot spot with a visit to “ The View ” this week .
But for people like Mary Trump , Cohen and Michael Schmidt , reporter for The New York Times and author of the just-released “ Donald Trump vs. the United States , ” Maddow offers a concentrated audience of potential buyers .
“ There isn ’ t any show on television that sells more books than Maddow , ” says Keith Urbahn of the Javelin literacy agency , where clients include former FBI Director James Comey and former Hillary Clinton aide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most engaged , book buying audience bar none .
Every time one of our authors has been on , she has shot the book to number one.
” Sales of CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter ’ s book on the relationship between Fox News and Trump soared after a Friday night appearance on Maddow last month .
Authors like Stephanie Winston Wolkoff , interviewed last week about her book “ Melania & Me : The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady , ” were visibly grateful for the attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her producer available to talk about the competition among authors to get on her show and the factors that help a book make the cut .
She noted on her show Thursday that having so many authors on her show “ isn ’ t like me.
” “ Everybody is basically getting it all off their chests at the same time , ” she said .
Then she held up a copy of “ Compromised : Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump ” by former FBI official Peter Strzok and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this book for months.
“ She called it remarkable .
Sometimes the Maddow appearances resemble an adult version of story hour , where she reads long passages of books being highlighted .
She did that with “ Compromised , ” with Strzok ’ s description of internal FBI meetings about Trump and his dealings with Russia , before interviewing him .
Maddow is generous with her time for authors whose stories pique her curiosity .
“ I read it cover to cover , ” she said while introducing Cohen , who had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about “ Disloyal.
” “ I did not intend to .
But I started at the beginning and didn ’ t put it down until it was over.
” Associated Press National Writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Trump revels in packed Michigan crowd amid book fallout

FREELAND , Mich. - Reeling from another crisis of his own making , President Donald Trump tried to refocus attention on his Democratic rival at a rally in battleground Michigan Thursday as he pushed to move past revelations that he purposefully played down the danger of the coronavirus last winter .
But the virus controversy followed him as he faced new pushback from local officials worried about the growing size of his rallies and his campaign ’ s repeated flouting of public health guidelines intended to halt the COVID-19 spread .
That includes Michigan ’ s Democratic Gov .
Gretchen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s event , warning it would make recovery harder .
Trump , however , reveled in the crowd of several thousand , packed shoulder-to-shoulder in a cavernous airport hangar , mostly without masks — with Air Force One on display as his backdrop .
“ This is not the crowd of a person who comes in second place , ” Trump declared to cheers as he railed against Whitmer for current state restrictions .
“ Tell your governor to open up your state !
” he demanded , saying Michigan would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who knew what the hell she was doing.
“ Before departing the White House , Trump denied he had lied to the nation as he continued to grapple with fallout from a new book by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward .
In a series of interviews with Woodward , the president spoke frankly about the dangers posed by the virus — even as he downplayed them publicly — and admitted he had tried to mislead the public .
“ Donald Trump knew all along just how deadly this virus is , ” Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virtual fundraiser .
“ He knew and purposefully played it down because all he was concerned about was his reelection , didn ’ t want to affect economic growth.
” Trump , answering questions at the White House , insisted “ there was no lie ” in his often dismissive public comments and said he was only tying to project calm .
He offered a similar explanation to his Michigan supporters while taking a potshot at Woodward .
“ This wack job that wrote the book , he said , ‘ well Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump told the crowd .
“ They wanted me to come out and scream , ‘ people are dying , we ’ re dying.
’ No , no .
We did it just the right way .
We have to be calm .
We don ’ t want to be crazed lunatics.
” But Trump seemed to have no issue leaning into fear at the rally .
He lobbed several unsubstantiated accusations at Biden and Democrats , including charging that they want to shut down auto plants — despite the Obama administration ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and “ delay ” the production of a coronavirus vaccine .
Biden , he claimed , would terminate travel bans Trump has implemented , overwhelming the state “ with poorly vetted migrants from jihadist regions ” and refugees “ from terrorist hot spots around the world.
” And he continued his racially charged appeal to suburban voters who turned to Democrats during the 2018 midterms , warning that under a Biden administration , “ far left lunatics ” would be placed in charge of the federal government and courts and American suburbs would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a member of antifa as a resident of your suburb ?
I don ’ t think so , “ Trump declared , telling his supporters , “ Your vote will save America.
” Trump has resumed an aggressive campaign schedule , despite the ongoing pandemic and amid growing resistance from local leaders who have expressed alarm at his insistence on holding large-scale rallies as Americans continue to get sick and die .
While the rallies so far have been held in open-air airport hangars , they have been drawing thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of attendees , including in Michigan , have refused to wear masks , even when mandates are in place .
Trump has characterized the rallies as “ peaceful protests.
” This week , the state of Nevada became the first to scuttle his plans for rallies initially set for Las Vegas and Reno , after the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority warned a company that planned to host 5,000 people at a private hangar it would be in violation of the governor ’ s restrictions banning gatherings of more than 50 people and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the hangar .
In Michigan , Gov .
Whitmer did not try to stop the rally , but warned that such events “ threaten all that sacrifice that we ’ ve made.
” “ If the rallies are like those he ’ s held in recent days in other states , with lots of people close together without masks on projecting their voices , I ’ m concerned about it , ” she said Thursday morning .
Michigan currently caps outdoor events at 100 people and mandates that attendees wear masks if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from people who are not part of their households .
There is an exception , though , for outdoor expressive activities protected by the First Amendment .
The governor ’ s office said people still must maintain distance .
Michigan is a vital Electoral College battleground , which Trump won by only 10,704 votes in 2016 , helping him breach the Democrats ’ “ blue wall.
“ While Trump aides had all but written off the state earlier this summer , they now say they have seen a tightening .
Democrats see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gains there in the 2018 midterms , winning every major statewide office and a handful of congressional seats as well .
Both candidates have been paying frequent visits , with Biden travelling to suburban Detroit on Wednesday to make a direct appeal to blue-collar workers who might have voted Republican four years ago but now regret it .
Trump on Thursday pushed back , accusing Biden of supporting trade deals and policies that led to U.S. job losses .
“ Joe Biden devoted his career to offshoring Michigan ’ s jobs , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowd .
“ Biden supported every disastrous globalist sellout for over a half a century.
” Michigan ’ s unemployment rate spiked at 24 % in April , according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics .
It has since recovered to 8.7 % , but Michigan has nearly 414,500 fewer jobs than it did when Trump was inaugurated .
Associated Press writers David Eggert in Lansing , Michigan , Brian Slodysko in Washington , Bill Barrow in Atlanta , and Jonathan Lemire in New York contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Explosions occur at Jordanian military munitions depot

ZARQA , Jordan - Several explosions occurred early Friday in a Jordanian military base warehouse where unsuitable mortar bombs were @ @ @ @ @ .
The warehouses are in an isolated area east of the city of Zarqa , @ @ @ @ @ armed forces said .
The surrounding area was sealed by security forces .
No injuries @ @ @ @ @ , the state-run new agency Petra reported , citing a government spokesperson , Amjad Adaileh @ @ @ @ @ the explosions were caused by an electrical fault in the warehouse , Adaileh added .
@ @ @ @ @ forces said a committee was formed to determine the causes of the explosion .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--India, China agree to disengage thousands of border troops

NEW DELHI - The Indian and Chinese foreign ministers agreed their troops should disengage from a tense border standoff , maintain proper distance and ease tensions in the cold-desert Ladakh region where the two sides had their deadliest clash in decades in June .
India ’ s S. Jaishankar and China ’ s Wang Yi met in the Russian capital on Thursday night and concurred that “ the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side , ” according to the joint statement issued Friday .
Since last week , the Asian giants have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rival ’ s territory and firing warning shots for the first time in 45 years , threatening a full-scale military conflict .
They did not set any any timeline for the disengagement of tens of thousands of troops in a standoff since May , but agreed that “ both sides shall abide by all the existing agreements and protocol on China-India boundary affairs , maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and avoid any action that could escalate matters.
” Earlier this week , Jaishankar described the current situation along the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious ” and said the state of the border can not be separated from the state of the relationship .
On Thursday , the two countries agreed that as the situation eases , they should expedite work to conclude “ new confidence building measures to maintain and enhance peace and tranquility in the border areas.
” In a separate statement , Wang said “ China-India relations have once again come to a crossroads.
“ Wang “ outlined China ’ s stern position on the situation in the border areas , emphasizing that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as firing and other dangerous actions that violate the commitments made by the two sides , “ the statement said .
“ It is also important to move back all personnel and equipment that have trespassed .
The frontier troops must quickly disengage so that the situation may de-escalate , “ it quoted Wang as saying .
They met on the sidelines of a gathering of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization .
The body comprises China , India , Pakistan , Russia , Kazakhstan , Krgyzstan , Tajikistan and Uzbekistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border between the world ’ s two most populous countries stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim .
The latest standoff is over portions of a pristine landscape that boasts the world ’ s highest landing strip and a glacier that feeds one of the largest irrigation systems in the world .
Both sides accuse the other of provocative behaviour including crossing into each other ’ s territory and both have vowed to protect their territorial integrity .
The two nations fought a border war in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an uneasy truce .
Since then , troops have guarded the undefined border area , occasionally brawling .
They have agreed not to attack each other with firearms .
Rival soldiers brawled in May and June with clubs , stones and their fists with a clash on a high ridge June 15 leaving 20 Indian soldiers dead .
China reported no casualties .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Student arrested for attending school in person, in protest

MASTIC BEACH , N.Y. - A high school senior was arrested Thursday after repeatedly showing up to the building in protest on days he had been scheduled for remote learning .
Maverick Stow , 17 , was issued a five-day suspension for appearing Tuesday at William Floyd High School on Long Island and returned on the following two days , Newsday reported .
He said he believes students should be in school five days a week .
Officials warned Wednesday that he would be arrested , and on Thursday he was arrested by Suffolk County police on a charge of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in court Sept. 24 .
If Stow continues to try to attend school in person , the high school will have to close , school spokesperson James Montalto said .
“ We are still in the midst of a pandemic and will abide by the regulations set in place by our government and health officials designed to keep our students and staff safe , “ Montalto said in a written statement .
“ As we have said , Mr. Stow ’ s rights as a student do not surpass the rights of any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in-person classes are at capacity , and it would be impossible to have all students back under social distancing guidelines , Montalto said .
The school district said in the statement that it was naming Stow and his family because , while it “ takes student privacy seriously ... the student and his family already disclosed the information in public forums.
” The Associated Press is also identifying Stow because he has spoken publicly .
Stow has vowed to continue to attempt to attend school five days per week after his suspension is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel my son should have been arrested , ” said Nora Kaplan-Stow .
“ I certainly didn ’ t like seeing my son in handcuffs , but I support him 1,000 % .
”


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--North Carolina deputy shot to death; suspect killed

HENDERSONVILLE , N.C. - A suspect in a vehicle break-in fatally shot a deputy before the suspect was killed by other officers during an early morning encounter , a North Carolina sheriff said Thursday .
Henderson County Deputy Ryan Hendrix died Thursday afternoon , hours after he was shot while he and other deputies responded to a call about a vehicle break-in , news outlets reported .
Sheriff Lowell Griffin said a homeowner had noticed someone breaking into a car around 3 a.m. Thursday .
Griffin said the homeowner yelled at the man , who then shattered a window at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the man and the homeowner exchanged gunfire after the suspect took a gun from the vehicle and before deputies arrived .
Griffin said the suspect appeared to comply with commands to show deputies his hands before firing once and shooting Hendrix in the face .
The sheriff said two other deputies returned fire and that the suspect , identified as Robert Ray Doss Jr , died at the scene .
Hendrix , who had been with the sheriff ’ s office since 2012 , was a Marine veteran and the father of @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Eerie orange hue fades in the West but air quality worsens

SAN FRANCISCO - A dense smoke layer from dozens of raging wildfires darkened the skies and fouled the air along much of the West Coast on Thursday and was expected to hover in the region at least through the weekend .
Eerie orange and red skies across California , Oregon and Washington had mainly turned gray thanks to stronger winds coming in from the Pacific Ocean that helped to disperse thick smoke that acted as a filter scattering blue light and only allowed yellow , orange and red light to reach the ground .
“ The wind has been blowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sun is not being blocked as much as it was yesterday , ” said Steve Anderson , a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Bay Area office .
But as the wind scattered the smoke and a layer of air blocking it from reaching the ground started dissipating Thursday , smoke particles began mixing with ground-level air worsening air quality in much of California and parts of Oregon where wildfires are raging .
Satellite photos Thursday showed a towering band of smoke hovering along the Pacific coast .
Tatenysha Harris , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Francisco Bay Area , said it was the first time she has left her house in a week because of the poor air quality .
Her 8-year-old daughter suffers from severe asthma and Harris said fires that have raged in Northern California the past four years have made her dread this time of year because the smoke exacerbate her daughter ’ s breathing problems .
“ Right now we ’ re getting through it by staying inside as much as possible with the windows shut , ” she said .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a house and move away.
” “ We can ’ t keep going through this every year , ” she said .
Conditions in Northern California were expected to linger at least through Friday when the Bay Area Air Quality Management District expects to issue its 25th consecutive Spare The Air alert requiring residents to cut pollution — the longest stretch since the program began in 1991 .
The alerts began Aug. 18 after thousands of lightning strikes ignited three massive wildfires to the north , south and east of San Francisco .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pacific Northwest , and people in communities from southern Oregon to north of Seattle reported hazy skies and choking smoke .
The smoke was still blocking out so much sunlight that a forecast for Bay Area temperatures to climb to 90 degrees ( 32 Celsius ) instead dipped to the 60s ( 15.5 Celsius ) .
In Los Angeles , at least six COVID-19 testing sites closed due to smoky air brought on by two massive wildfires burning in Angeles National Forest and the San Bernardino Mountains .
A respite from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blue skies could come by the middle of next week when the forecast shows stronger winds and light rain , Anderson said .
“ We ’ ll get more of an onshore flow , stronger winds , blowing the smoke out of our area but eastward into Nevada , Idaho , Utah , Colorado , “ Anderson said .
The rain will not be enough to put out the fires but “ it ’ ll definitely be welcomed by the firefighting efforts , ” he said .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Las Vegas shooting victims closer to getting $800M payout

LAS VEGAS - More than 4,400 relatives and victims of the deadliest mass shooting in recent U.S. history could receive a total of $ 800 million in payouts from MGM Resorts International and its insurers by January , the casino giant and attorneys said Thursday .
After a year arranging details , Robert Eglet , the attorney handling the settlement of dozens of lawsuits , submitted documents asking a Nevada court judge to approve sweeping negotiations involving an eye-popping number of plaintiffs from nearly every state in the U.S. , at least eight Canadian provinces , the United Kingdom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of victims , identified by initials only , runs for more than 170 pages of a 225-page civil complaint seeking compensation and punitive damages from MGM Resorts .
It accuses the casino company of negligence , wrongful death and liability in the 2017 shooting that killed 58 people and injured more than 850 others on the Las Vegas Strip .
A man with military-style weapons rained gunfire into a crowd at an outdoor country music festival from his room on the upper floors of the Mandalay Bay resort , which MGM Resorts owns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It will pay $ 49 million , while insurance companies will pay $ 751 million , both sides said .
A separate document declares the case settled and asks Clark County District Court Judge Linda Marie Bell to set a date to field any objections .
Bell could set a hearing by the third anniversary of the Oct. 1 , 2017 , massacre .
“ Clearly , the case has been settled in good faith , ” said Eglet , speaking on behalf of his 2,000-plus clients and dozens of legal firms and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initially filed lawsuits and eventually joined the consolidated settlement .
“ Everybody recognized there are no winners in long , drawn-out litigation with multiple trials where people and the community are reliving the event every time we try a case , ” he told The Associated Press .
In a statement , MGM Resorts called the court filings “ the next steps in the settlement process ... thereby bringing all parties closer to closure so the community can continue to heal.
” Millions of dollars could go to the most severely and permanently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factors including age , number of dependents , type of injuries , previous and future medical treatment , and ability to work .
A minimum $ 5,000 would go to each person who filed a claim for unseen injuries and did not seek medical attention or therapy , he said .
Eglet said amounts disbursed will be determined by two administrators — retired Nevada Judge Jennifer Togliatti and retired California Judge Louis Meisinger — with help from the Virginia-based claims management legal firm BrownGreer .
“ We ’ re hopeful it will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but a lot could depend on appeals and how quickly and efficiently the administrators can finish their work .
They ’ ve got a lot of work to do , ” Eglet said .
This week ’ s court filings don ’ t mention the gunman , Stephen Paddock , who killed himself as police closed in .
Las Vegas police and the FBI determined the 64-year-old retired accountant and high-stakes poker player meticulously planned the attack and acted alone .
They theorized he may have sought notoriety , but said they never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In various lawsuits , victims and families accused MGM Resorts of failing to protect people at the concert venue it owned or stop the shooter from amassing an arsenal of assault-style weapons and ammunition over several days before he opened fire .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Alton Sterling case: Baton Rouge nixes $5M settlement offer

NEW ORLEANS - Attorneys representing the children of Alton Sterling , a Black man fatally shot by a Baton Rouge police officer in 2016 , said Thursday that a decision by local officials against offering $ 5 million to settle a pending civil case showed they were uninformed about the matter .
Sterling was fatally shot on July 5 , 2016 , outside a Baton Rouge convenience store during a struggle .
Lawyers for Sterling ’ s five children subsequently filed a wrongful death suit in 2017 against the city , its police department and former police chief and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shooting fit a pattern of racist behaviour and excessive force by Baton Rouge Police .
it also claims poor training and inadequate police procedures led to Sterling ’ s death .
Officer Blane Salamoni shot and killed Sterling outside the store where the 37-year-old black man was selling homemade CDs .
Officer Howie Lake II helped wrestle Sterling to the ground , but Lake didn ’ t fire his gun .
Two cellphone videos of the shooting quickly spread on social media after the killing , leading to protests that year in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Both the East Baton Rouge Parish attorney and lawyers for Sterling ’ s family met with a mediator on Oct. 3 , 2019 , about the case and they agreed on a proposed $ 5 million figure .
On Wednesday , the East Baton Rouge Metro Council heard the matter , which needed seven votes for the settlement to be approved .
Six council members voted yes , five voted no and one abstained , meaning the judgment failed .
Barring a settlement , the lawsuit is set to go to trial in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a news conference in Baton Rouge that he was surprised by the decision .
“ It was perfectly clear that the city council had no clue what is going on in this case , ” Stewart said .
“ It was clear they were not informed about anything going on in this case and that puts the city at risk .
The misinformation that was given lay in the hands of the parish attorney.
” “ When a jury actually hears all the horrific things , not just what officer Salamoni did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but what supervisors and superiors did to allow him to remain on the force , that jury verdict could easily be $ 100 million , ” Stewart added .
Stewart and Sterling ’ s other attorneys accused Parish Attorney Andy Dotson of failing to provide council members with appropriate legal advice or information related to the case .
Attorneys said the family would have considered the $ 5 million judgment if it had passed , but were shocked at how little “ accurate ” information the Council members had as they considered the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard the council last night you would ’ ve thought they were never part of those conversations , ” said attorney Mike Adams .
Dotson told The Advocate he couldn ’ t comment on pending litigation and noted that his door is always open to council members .
“ We have been , and always will be , available for our Metro-Council members to discuss any pending litigation in our office , ” Dotson said .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Russia clashes with Germany and West over Navalny poisoning

TANZANIA , Tanzania - Russia clashed with Germany and five of its Western allies Thursday over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny , with Moscow ’ s ambassador demanding evidence that a Soviet-era nerve agent was responsible and Germany ’ s envoy countering that his country ’ s findings have been handed over to the international chemical weapons watchdog .
The confrontation came at the monthly U.N. Security Council meeting on chemical weapons in Syria , with the United States , Belgium , Britain , Estonia and France expressing grave concern at Germany ’ s determination that 44-year-old Navalny @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack using a military-grade nerve agent from the Novichok group .
Britain ’ s acting U.N. ambassador , Jonathan Allen , said a similar nerve agent was used “ with lethal effect ” in southern England in 2018 on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter .
A woman exposed to the contents of a perfume bottle reportedly used in the attack died several months later .
Russia vehemently denied any involvement , but Britain has charged two men it called Russian military intelligence officers with the nerve-agent poisoning .
Allen told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Germany ’ s findings on Navalny and called on Russia to “ urgently conduct a full and transparent investigation into this use of a banned chemical weapon ” and to uphold the Chemical Weapons Convention that bans their use .
Acting U.S. deputy ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet called Navalny ’ s poisoning by a chemical weapon “ completely reprehensible ” and urged Russia “ to be fully transparent and to bring those responsible to justice.
” Navalny , the most visible opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin , fell ill on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk after the plane made an emergency landing .
He was flown to Germany two days later .
German scientists concluded that “ without doubt ” Navalny was poisoned by a Novichok agent .
The German hospital treating Navalny said Monday his condition had improved , allowing doctors to take him out of an induced coma .
Russia ’ s U.N. ambassador , Vassily Nebenzia , told the Security Council that “ we are the most interested party to know what happened ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence .
He said the Russian doctors who saved Navalny ’ s life found no “ chemical weapons substances.
” Nebenzia cited an Aug. 27 request from Russia ’ s prosecutor to Germany for information under a Russian-German agreement , which has had no response .
“ If you demand explanations , put the facts on the table and we ’ ll compare notes , ” he said .
“ Why should we trust allegations uncorroborated by evidence ?
.
“ “ This whole incident can not but raise questions about some foul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Germany ’ s Defence Ministry has said the data about Navalny has been provided to the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons , which implements the Chemical Weapons Convention .
Stressing that point , Germany Ambassador Christoph Heusgen accused Russia of using “ another smoke screen ” and said Navalny ’ s poisoning isn ’ t an issue between Germany and Russia but “ an issue of international concern “ about chemical weapons use .
Germany “ is doing what it is supposed to do under the Chemical Weapons Convention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the OPCW , Heusgen said .
“ And it would be very good if Russia would work with OPCW in finding all the background to the case of the use of Novichok , ” he said .
Nebenzia replied that it is a case Russia-German relations and not an international issue .
He quoted a Russian Foreign Ministry statement issued Wednesday saying if the evidence requested by Moscow isn ’ t provided , Russia will regard it as Germany ’ s refusal “ to establish truth ” in an investigation .
Nebenzia also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be regarded as “ a blatant and hostile provocation against Russia , which would definitely undermine Russian-German relations and international relations as a whole .
”


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Ex-Driscoll’s exec sentenced for stealing from berry giant

SAN JOSE , Calif. - A former executive for one of the world ’ s largest berry suppliers was sentenced to federal prison Thursday and ordered to repay nearly $ 1.5 million .
Marc Marier , 42 , of Napierville , Illinois , was sentenced in a San Jose federal courtroom to 29 months in prison after pleading guilty in June to wire fraud and money laundering .
Prosecutors say Marier embezzled from Driscoll ’ s , a Watsonville , California , firm that works with growers worldwide and sells strawberries , blueberries and other berries in dozens of countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the global berry market .
In 2017 , Marier was hired as director of real estate and workplace services and relocated from Illinois to California ’ s Central Valley .
Shortly after being employed , Marier began submitting and approving false invoices from a phoney business , and routing the payments to a bank account he controlled , according to a statement from the U.S. attorney ’ s office .
Marier cashed in on at least 15 phoney invoices between November 2017 and May 2018 , prosecutors said .
Among other things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a five-bedroom home in Illinois and to provide a $ 75,000 cashier ’ s check to his girlfriend , authorities said .
Marier resigned after learning that the company was investigating him .
The case later was referred to the FBI .
The government seized the home , a truck and more than $ 700,000 in cash from bank accounts associated with Marier and his phoney company , authorities said .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--57 bison relocated from North Rim of Grand Canyon

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK , Ariz. - Dozens of bison have been relocated from the Grand Canyon ’ s North Rim and sent to Native American tribes in the Great Plains .
A recent two-week roundup led to the transfer of 57 bison to the InterTribal Buffalo Council , Grand Canyon National Park officials said .
The bison then were transported to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Kansas , the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe in South Dakota , the Santee Sioux Tribe in Nebraska and the Modoc Nation in Oklahoma , park officials said .
More than 30 bison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year and sent to the Quapaw Tribe in Oklahoma .
The Grand Canyon bison are descendants of those introduced to northern Arizona in the early 1900s as part of a ranching operation to crossbreed them with cattle .
They now roam almost exclusively in the far northern reaches of the Grand Canyon .
The park released a plan in 2017 to reduce the herd of about 400 to 600 bison to around 200 .
The plan calls for a mix of corralling the animals near the highway that leads to the Grand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for skilled volunteers to shoot a certain number of bison inside and outside the park .
Putting tracking devices on some of the animals allows biologists to track their migration patterns and better estimate the population .
The Grand Canyon plans to move forward with lethal options in 2021 , but the details haven ’ t been worked out , park spokeswoman Joelle Baird said Thursday .
A handful of tribes have said they ’ re interested in participating , she said .
Scott Poppenberger , a regional supervisor for the Arizona Game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the goal is to do it in the fall season .
The effort has been stymied over disagreements over who exactly gets to participate in legally killing the animals and what happens with the meat .
“ We ’ ve made a lot of progress toward effective communication , and we appreciate the park ’ s commitment to work with us and achieve some meaningful reduction , and that ’ s a welcome change , ” Poppenberger said .
It ’ s unclear if hunting the animals on state land outside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the roundups have outpaced bison births over the past couple of years , he said .
This story has been corrected to show the number of relocated bison was 57 , not 51 .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Climate change largely missing from campaign as fires rage

SACRAMENTO , Calif. - Historic fires are raging across the western United States ahead of what scientists say is the typical peak of wildfire season .
Hurricane Laura devastated parts of the Gulf Coast last month , while swaths of Iowa are recovering from a derecho that brought hurricane force winds to the Midwest .
The streak of disasters has left millions of Americans reeling .
But it ’ s barely had an impact on the campaign for the White House , in part because of the vulnerabilities it highlights for President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger , Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multiple challenges , including the pandemic , joblessness and social unrest , and can ill afford another one .
When he talks about California , where fires have killed at least a dozen people and threatened thousands of homes , it ’ s mostly to blast the state ’ s Democratic leaders .
And for Biden , the spreading fires are a reminder to the party ’ s progressive base that he doesn ’ t embrace some of the most liberal elements of the Green New Deal , the grand plan for tackling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understands that a full embrace of an aggressive climate change agenda could create problems for them in Upper Midwest , ” said Dan Schnur , who served as an adviser to former California Gov .
Pete Wilson and Arizona Sen. John McCain .
“ Trump has shown no desire to talk about California beyond using it as a liberal punching bag to make his case to his conservative base.
” Still , climate activists say the moment underscores the need for Washington to support the Green New Deal , an ambitious — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. from fossil fuels and drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions .
“ It ’ s no surprise that Trump isn ’ t talking about the fact that America is literally in flames on his watch — but why isn ’ t Biden ?
” said Rebecca Katz , a political strategist who has worked with Democratic congressional candidates supporting the measure .
“ For Democrats to not connect what ’ s happening on the West Coast to Trump ’ s failure on climate change is just political malpractice.
” The Biden campaign ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notable since his running mate , Sen. Kamala Harris , represents California in the Senate .
She was campaigning in Miami on Thursday , but her spokesperson , Sabrina Singh , said Biden and Harris “ have been closely monitoring the wildfires raging across the state and highlighting the urgent need to address the threat of climate change.
” Biden tweeted that climate change “ is already here — and we ’ re witnessing its devastating effects every single day.
” “ We have to get President Trump out of the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat that it is , “ he said .
While Biden hasn ’ t embraced the full Green New Deal , he has promised to make creating new green jobs and drastically reducing U.S. carbon emissions part of a larger recovery plan designed to revive the economy after the coronavirus abates .
Biden ’ s top advisers note that many of his proposals will move the country toward the Green New Deal , but some activists worry it is not ambitious enough .
“ I ’ m looking outside my window right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s on fire .
For young people across the board , but especially young Latinos , we also care very deeply about climate change , not just like immigration , ” said Christian Arana , policy director for the California-based Latino Community Foundation .
“ This is a perfect moment to get on TikTok or do an interview with Teen Vogue or whoever to talk about these issues.
” Trump spoke with California Gov .
Gavin Newsom on Thursday “ to express his condolences for the loss of life and reiterate the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those on the frontlines of the fires , ” according to White House spokesman Judd Deere .
But the president has a history of criticizing California ’ s response to wildfires and threatening to withhold federal funding .
In 2019 , months after the deadliest wildfire in California history tore through the town of Paradise in Northern California , Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency should stop giving the state money and blamed the fires on poor forest management .
Fire scientists say climate change , not forest management , is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fires becoming worse and more deadly .
Still , Trump has always approved California ’ s request for major disaster declarations , as he did Aug. 22 as the state battled blazes across Northern California .
That approval came a day after he again blamed California for mismanagement and Newsom hit back in a video that aired during the Democratic National Convention in which he highlighted Trump ’ s threats .
“ Just today the president of the United States threatened the state of California , 40 million Americans who happen to live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defund our efforts on wildfire suppression because he said we hadn ’ t raked enough leaves .
You can ’ t make that up , ” Newsom said .
Trump visited Iowa last month to meet with officials there about the derecho , and he surveyed damage on the Louisiana-Texas border following Hurricane Laura .
Trump visited California in November 2018 after Paradise was ravaged by the most deadly wildfire in state history .
But he currently has no plans to visit areas on the West Coast impacted by the fires , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the condition of anonymity .
The official , who was not authorized to speak about the president ’ s travel plans , said it would be unwise for Trump to visit while the fires are still active as it would divert key first responder resources away from the fire fight .
Madhani reported from Chicago and Weissert reported from Washington .

Aamer Madhani, Kathleen Ronayne And Will Weissert - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--More than half a million people in Oregon forced to flee wildfires

The Latest on wildfires in the U.S. West ( all times local ) : SALEM , Ore. -- Authorities in Oregon now say more than 500,000 people statewide have been forced to evacuate because of wildfires .
The latest figures from Thursday evening come from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management .
That ’ s over 10 % of the state ’ s 4.2 million population .
More than 1,400 square miles ( 3,625 square kilometres ) have burned this week in the state .
Authorities say the wildfire activity was particularly acute Thursday afternoon in northwestern Oregon as hot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news conference Thursday , Gov .
Kate Brown said there have been fatalities but the exact number is not yet known .
There have been at least three reported fire deaths in the state .
WILSONVILLE , Ore. — The Oregon Department of Corrections says it is evacuating a prison out of an abundance of caution as two large wildfires in the area appear to be merging .
Authorities said Thursday afternoon they evacuated more than 1,300 adults in custody at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville , which houses mostly women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relocated and not released .
Wilsonville is about 16 miles ( 26 kilometres ) south of Portland .
Earlier this week , fires triggered evacuations at three other prisons near Oregon ’ s capital city of Salem .
Oregon Gov .
Kate Brown said Thursday afternoon that more than 80,000 people have had to evacuate because of wildfires burning across the state .
SALEM , Ore. — Oregon Gov .
Kate Brown now says more than 80,000 people have had to evacuate because of wildfires burning across the state .
Brown said on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ If you ’ re advised to evacuate , do so immediately , ” she said .
More than 1,400 square miles ( 3,625 square kilometres ) have burned this week in the state .
Authorities say the wildfire activity was particularly acute Thursday afternoon in northwestern Oregon as hot , windy conditions continued .
At a news conference Thursday , she said there have been fatalities but the exact number is not yet known .
There have been at least three reported fire deaths in the state .
Brown said she had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal government .
MALDEN , Wash. — Wildfires have scorched nearly 937 square miles ( 2,426 kilometres ) in Washington state this week , Gov .
Jay Inslee said Thursday as he toured the devastated remains of the town of Malden .
“ We ’ ve had this trauma all over Washington , ” Inslee said , according to KHQ-TV .
“ But this is the place where the whole heart of the town was torn out.
” Malden is a farm town set among wheat fields about 35 miles south of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ferrell said residents only had minutes to get out of town Monday .
No one was killed or seriously injured .
Inslee has declared a state of emergency to free up cash assistance for families in need .
More than 80 % of the homes in Malden were destroyed by the flames .
SACRAMENTO , Calif. — The staggering scale of California ’ s wildfires in 2020 continues to grow .
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says as of Thursday wildfires have scorched nearly 4,844 square miles ( 12,545 square @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Six of the top 20 largest fires in state history have occurred this year as well .
California is now almost entirely free of Red Flag warnings for critical fire weather , but 14,000 firefighters remain on the lines of 29 major wildfires .
SALEM , Ore. — Oregon Gov .
Kate Brown said more than 900,000 acres have burned across the state in the last several days – nearly double the amount of land that usually burns in a typical year .
At a news conference Thursday , she said there have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not yet known .
There have been at least three reported fire deaths in the state .
The governor also said up to 40,000 people had to evacuate because of encroaching flames .
“ We have never seen this amount of uncontained fire across the state , ” Brown said .
The windy , hot conditions will likely continue through Thursday , she said , continuing to hamper firefighting efforts .
Brown said she had requested firefighting help from other states and the federal government .
OROVILLE , Calif. — California authorities say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the northern Sierra Nevada this week has destroyed or damaged about 2,000 structures , including homes and other buildings .
The damage estimate Thursday follows two days of powerful winds that sent an 8-mile-wide ( 12.8-kilometre ) front of the North Complex fire bearing down on northeastern Butte County .
Cal Fire says there was major damage to communities including Berry Creek and Feather Falls .
Winds have moderated but authorities say more than 22,000 structures are still threatened , including the city of Oroville .
The improved weather is allowing more aggressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of aircraft .
WILLOWS , Calif. — A wildfire burning since last month in Northern California is now the state ’ s largest on record .
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the August Complex has scorched more than 736 square miles ( 1,906 square kilometres ) , centred in vast wilderness about 130 miles ( 209 kilometres ) north of San Francisco .
The blaze originated as 37 separate fires in the Mendocino National Forest on Aug. 17 , when California was hit by thousands of lightning strikes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have since been added , and the complex now covers parts of Glenn , Mendocino , Lake , Tehama and Trinity counties .
It has destroyed 26 structures as it consumes chaparral , timber and tall grass .
The state ’ s second-largest fire is now the Mendocino Complex , which burned more than 717 square miles ( 1,857 square kilometres ) in the same region in 2018 .
CASPER , Wyo .
— Park officials say a fire in Wyoming near Yellowstone National Park has grown to 5 square miles .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that hard frosts at night have killed plants and trees , which will aid the fire ’ s growth .
The so-called Lone Star Fire started on Aug. 22 .
Officials say it is expected to be contained by Oct. 30 .
Firefighters are cutting down trees and heavy vegetation in the area to protect power lines , historic buildings and communication equipment .
SPOKANE , Wash. — The parents of a 1-year-old boy who died in a northern Washington state wildfire remained in critical condition Thursday in a Seattle hospital .
Okanogan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died after his family was apparently overrun by flames while trying to flee the giant Cold Springs Fire this week .
It was the state ’ s first death of this wildfire season .
Gov .
Jay Inslee said Thursday that he and his wife were heartbroken to hear about the child ’ s death .
Hawly said the family from the Seattle suburb of Renton was discovered by searchers Wednesday morning along the banks of the Columbia River .
He said all were badly burned and the child was dead .
Hawley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Jamie Hyland , 26 , were flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of third-degree burns .
The hospital listed them in critical condition and in intensive care on Thursday .
According to a GoFundMe page set up for the family , Jamie Hyland is pregnant .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--The Latest: Texans remain in locker room for national anthem

KANSAS CITY , Mo .
- The Latest from the opening game of the NFL season between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans ( all times local ) : The Houston Texans remained in their locker room during the national anthem before their opener against the Kansas City Chiefs in a co-ordinated display meant to bring awareness to Black Lives Matter and other social justice initiatives .
The anthem was performed by R & B duo Chloe X Halle from an empty stadium and streamed on the video screens .
As soon as it was over , the Texans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tunnel in the corner of Arrowhead Stadium .
The Chiefs stood along their sideline during the anthem .
Most of them had their hands over the hearts .
The two teams then met at midfield to shake hands while messages such as “ We believe Black lives matter ” and “ It takes all of us “ played on the screen .
They then lined up from end zone to end zone in a show of solidarity before the coin toss .
The Chiefs won the toss and deferred to the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their Super Bowl banner and presented the Lombardi Trophy to the roughly 17,000 fans at Arrowhead Stadium before they opened the season against the Houston Texans .
The team ’ s chairman , Clark Hunt , high-fived his family members at midfield as the Chiefs spilled out of the tunnel and round after round of fireworks shot off over the stadium .
The team also wheeled out a 20-foot replica of the Lombardi Trophy during a relatively muted pregame celebration during the coronavirus pandemic .
The championship flag now flies below one from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only other Super Bowl win .
The Kansas City Chiefs lined up along the goal line about 30 minutes before kickoff Thursday night in a show of solidarity for social justice initiatives while a video played on the screens in each end zone of Arrowhead Stadium .
Along with the words “ It Takes All of Us ” on the screens , the video showcased Alicia Keyes performing the song “ Lift Every Voice and Sing.
” It was written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson and set to music by his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is often referred to as the “ Black national anthem.
” The song will be played before every Week 1 game this season as the NFL continues to address social injustice .
The Texans had already left the field when the video was shown .
The Chiefs and Texans arrived at their opener Thursday night without any significant health concerns , either because of injuries or the coronavirus .
The Texans had wide receiver Keke Coutee , fullback Cullen Gillaspie , right tackle Charlie Heck and cornerback Cornell Armstrong inactive along with linebackers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiver Brandin Cooks was available after he was listed as questionable with a quad injury .
The Chiefs had defensive ends Taco Charlton and Demone Harris inactive along with cornerback BoPete Keyes , tight end Ricky Seals-Jones and offensive lineman Yasir Durant .
They also were without cornerback Bashaud Breeland , who is serving a four-game suspension , and defensive tackle Mike Pennel , who is suspended for two games .
Thousands of fans of the Kansas City Chiefs trickled into the parking lots surrounding Arrowhead Stadium for the start of the NFL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ champions were playing the Houston Texans .
The Chiefs are among five franchises that have been given the green light to have fans in person .
The number was capped at 22 % of the capacity of the stadium , and that equates to about 17,000 fans .
Most of those who arrived early huddled with friends under tents in the parking lots as rain continued to fall .
The Chiefs are using a pod system that allows fans to sit with their group , but that also puts a certain amount of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fans said they thought those precautions , along with the requirement of face masks , will be enough to ensure the game can be played safely with people in the stands .


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--Mexico starts campaign urging employers to hire refugees

MEXICO CITY - Mexico ’ s Labor Department and the U.N. refugee agency launched a campaign Thursday to encourage employers @ @ @ @ @ spike in asylum and refugee requests .
The Labor Department said the program aims to @ @ @ @ @ finding legal work in Mexico , “ in states where the refugee population does not @ @ @ @ @ local people.
” Mexico saw requests for asylum or refugee status skyrocket from 2,137 in @ @ @ @ @ .
The department opened an information campaign describing the advantages of hiring refugees and advising @ @ @ @ @ should or shouldn ’ t ask job-seekers for .
For example , the department says @ @ @ @ @ for specific identification documents from refugees ’ home countries , given that some had to @ @ @ @ @ stresses that as job candidates , refugees are “ resilient people who are prepared to @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-09-10--7 killed in protests over police custody death in Colombia

BOGOTA - Violent clashes erupted in Colombia ’ s capital following the death of a man in police custody , with angry citizens setting fire to city buses , vandalizing police stations and squaring off with officers in confrontations that killed seven people .
The wave of violence Wednesday erupted over a video showing two officers holding down a 43-year-old man being tasered as he begged them to stop and highlights long simmering tensions over excessive use of force by police .
Authorities said Thursday that 56 police stations were damaged , eight city buses burned and 175 civilians injured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by bullets .
“ That didn ’ t even happen during combat in the worst moments of the Colombian armed conflict , ” Mayor Claudia López said after visiting the injured at a hospital .
“ What happened yesterday was an indiscriminate , disproportionate , absolutely unjustified attack by some members of the police against the citizens of Bogota.
” The outrage stemmed from the death of taxi driver Javier Ordóñez .
Police said they were called to respond to reports of a fight among a group of men who had been drinking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a working-class Bogota neighbourhood hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic .
“ They turned aggressive against the police , ” Col. Alexander Amaya said .
Video captured by witnesses shows Ordóñez , dressed in black pants and sneakers , being held down by officers as he cried out .
“ He ’ s telling you to stop !
” a witness yells in the background .
“ We ’ re recording you.
” According to officials , Ordóñez was taken to a police station and later to a hospital , where he arrived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his death got out Wednesday , citizens took the streets , defying government orders to avoid conglomerations because of the pandemic .
Several streets were left with piles of ash and rubble .
The dead were mostly young people .
The youngest was 17 .
Authorities promised a thorough investigation , though relatives expressed skepticism that they would see justice in a country with high levels of impunity .
The mayor said she would insist on an independent probe by the attorney general ’ s office .
“ None of the families I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation by the police , ” López said .
Police in Colombia were repeatedly accused of excessive use of force during anti-government protests that brought thousands to the street last year .
The death of 18-year-old student Dilan Cruz , who was hit in the head by a projectile fired by police while protesting , sparked widespread outrage and condemnation from human rights groups .
The new unrest comes at a time of protests in the United States over racial discrimination and police abuse against Black citizens .
The Colombia protests are more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and poor .
Taking a cue from the U.S. , the hashtag # ColombiaLives Matter began trending on Twitter .
Alejandro Lanz , a lawyer who leads Temblores , a group that tracks police violence , said he has documented 170 instances of excessive force this year .
He expressed particular concern about the use of firearms by police and the presence of non-identified officers during Wednesday night ’ s protests .
“ We think these statistics are an undercount , ” he said .
New demonstrations broke out as night descended on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to knock down a stoplight and set a trash bin on fire .
Police deployed 1,500 additional officers and 300 soldiers throughout Bogota .
Colombia is emerging from a five-month lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus .
Millions have lost their jobs , nearly 700,000 have been infected by the virus and over 22,000 people have died from COVID-19 .
Authorities asked citizens to cease acts of violence and vandalism .
“ Colombia demands justice , ” Interior Vice Minister Daniel Palacios said .
“ But the violent acts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a consequence take more lives .
”

Christine Armario - The Associated Press