thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Notre Dame Cathedral’s organ getting 4-year-long cleaning

PARIS - Pipe by precious pipe , the organ that once thundered through Notre Dame Cathedral is being taken apart after last year ’ s devastating fire .
The mammoth task of dismantling , cleaning and re-assembling France ’ s largest musical instrument started Monday and is expected to last nearly four years .
It will take six months just to tune the organ , and its music isn ’ t expected to resound again through the medieval Paris monument until 2024 , according to the state agency overseeing Notre Dame ’ s restoration .
Amazingly , the 8,000-pipe organ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cathedral ’ s roof and toppled its spire .
But the blaze coated the instrument in toxic lead dust that must now be painstakingly removed .
And while the organ didn ’ t burn , it did suffer damage from a record heatwave last summer and has been affected by other temperature variations it ’ s been exposed to since the 12th-century cathedral lost its roof , the agency said .
Experts stared removing the organ ’ s keyboards Monday and will then take out its pipes in a dismantling process that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , according to the restoration agency .
The pieces will be placed in special containers inside the huge cathedral , where the cleaning and restoration will take place .
The general who leads the agency said the organ , which dates from 1733 , will next play again on April 16 , 2024 , marking five years since the fire .
President Emmanuel Macron hopes the cathedral can reopen in time for the 2024 Olympics in Paris .
But it ’ s taken more than a year to clear out dangerous lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place before the fire for a previous renovation effort , and reconstruction of the landmark has yet to begin .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Greece: 1 hurt as small plane hits shut village coffee shop

THESSALONIKI , Greece - A small training plane crashed into a village coffee shop in northern Greece Monday , injuring @ @ @ @ @ minor damage , authorities said .
Police said the accident occurred during a morning training @ @ @ @ @ , who was flying solo , apparently lost control of the light aircraft and hit @ @ @ @ @ main square of Proti , a village in the Serres area east of Thessaloniki .
@ @ @ @ @ of the crash and the plane proceeded to hit a first-floor balcony above the coffee @ @ @ @ @ tail on the ground against the building ’ s facade , without catching fire .
@ @ @ @ @ at the time .
The pilot was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries , @ @ @ @ @ .
Police said that the young man lived in a nearby village , and that @ @ @ @ @ in Proti , was at her work at the time of the crash .
The @ @ @ @ @ not immediately clear .

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thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Zimbabwe continues arrests of critics, says opposition party

HARARE , Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe ’ s military and police are arresting scores of opposition members and activists after authorities thwarted an anti-government protest last week , according to rights groups .
More than 60 people have been arrested so far in the continuing clampdown , said Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights , which is providing lawyers for the arrested people .
Last week internationally known author Tsitsi Dangarembga was arrested for a peaceful protest and spent a night in police cells before being released on bail .
Zimbabwe ’ s main opposition party , the MDC Alliance , says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or have gone into hiding .
If state agents do not find the person they want to arrest , they often vandalize their homes and harass their relatives , said opposition spokesman Tendai Biti .
Human rights groups accuse President Emmerson Mnangagwa ’ s administration of clamping down on dissent under the guise of enforcing anti-COVID-19 lockdown rules .
The Zimbabwean police and government officials have repeatedly denied allegations of human rights abuses , saying those arrested or being sought by the police were inciting people to revolt against Mnangagwa ’ s government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until Thursday a bail hearing for Hopewell Chin ’ ono , an investigative journalist who has been in jail for two weeks on accusations of mobilizing the foiled protests .
Another investigative journalist , Mdudzuzi Mathuthu , prominent for reporting on alleged government corruption linked to purchases of COVID-19 personal procurement equipment and drugs , is in hiding .
“ I am hiding like a rat in my own country for doing nothing more than my job , ” Mathuthu told The Associated Press Monday .
“ Journalism is just a job , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter of life and death .
They have not only come just after me , but my family as well , ” he said .
His nephew , Tawanda Muchehiwa , who family members say was abducted by state security agents last week to force the journalist to surrender , was dropped near his home Saturday , hours after a judge ordered police to “ produce him.
” Muchehiwa , a journalism student , is receiving medical treatment after alleged torture caused him to suffer “ severe injuries resulting in acute renal failure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and under the feet , ” according to his lawyer , Nqobani Sithole .
The alleged abuse included forcing him to drink his own urine , the lawyer said .
The ongoing arrests are “ worrying , ” said Dewa Mavhinga , Human Rights Watch director for Southern Africa .
He noted that some students were arrested for simply walking in their neighbourhoods with a Zimbabwean flag or tweeting about Zimbabwe ’ s deepening economic and political problems .
“ The continued security forces clampdown shows that nothing has changed since the repressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protested on Friday did so in small groups , yet activists are still being hunted down , it shows lack of respect for the right to peacefully demonstrate , ” he said .
Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe with an iron fist for 37 years , before being deposed through a coup in 2017 .
Mnangagwa , who had been Mugabe ’ s deputy , promised “ a flowering of democracy ” when he took over after the coup , but critics say his rule has been rife with abuses .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Outbreak hits Norway cruise ship, could spread along coast

COPENHAGEN - A Norwegian cruise ship line halted all trips and apologized Monday for procedural errors after an outbreak of coronavirus on one ship infected at least 5 passengers and 36 crew .
Health authorities fear the ship could have infected dozens of towns and villages along Norway ’ s western coast .
The 41 people on the MS Roald Amundsen who tested positive have been admitted to the University Hospital of North Norway in Tromsoe , north of the Arctic Circle , where the ship currently is docked .
“ A preliminary evaluation shows that there has been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam said in a statement .
He added the company that sails along Norway ’ s picturesque coast between Bergen in the south and Kirkenes in the north is “ now in the process of a full review of all procedures , and all aspects of our own handling.
“ The cruise line has contacted passengers who had been on the MS Roald Amundsen for its July 17-24 and July 25-31 trips from Bergen to the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard , which is known for its polar bears.T @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voyage and 178 guests on the second voyage .
All 158 crew members on MS Roald Amundsen have been tested and 122 were negative .
But since the cruise ship line often acts like a local ferry , travelling from port to port along Norway ’ s western coast , the virus may not have been contained onboard .
Some passengers disembarked along the route and may have spread the virus to their local communities .
The municipality of Tromsoe is urging anyone who travelled on the ship or had any contact with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health authorities .
A total of 69 municipalities in Norway have been affected , Norwegian news agency NTB reported .
Its not known how the outbreak began since guests come from all over the world .
NTB said 33 of the 36 crew members that have tested positive came from the Philippines and the others came from Norway , France and Germany .
Over the weekend , Skjeldam said cruise ship officials did not know that they should have notified the passengers after the first case was reported Friday , adding that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s doctors .
But Line Vold of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said its advice was to inform passengers and crew as soon as possible so they could monitor their health and go into quarantine if needed .
“ We have made mistakes .
On behalf of all of us in Hurtigruten , I am sorry for what has happened .
We take full responsibility , ” Skjeldam said .
The Hurtigruten line says the operations of three ships — MS Roald Amundsen , MS Fridtjof Nansen and MS Spitsbergen — have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Tromsoe-based Hurtigruten was one of the first companies to resume sailing after the pandemic hit and started cruises to Norway out of Hamburg , northern Germany , in June with a single ship .
It added cruises to Svalbard in July , Norwegian media reported .
In Italy , the Costa Crociere cruise ship line said Sunday three crew members from two ships in Civitavecchia , near Rome , have tested positive for the coronavirus .
The cruise company said two assigned to the Costa Deliziosa were hospitalized in good condition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Costa Favolosa , was in isolation on the ship .
The Italian cruise company , which is part of Carnival Corp. said the crews of both ships were being screened ‘ ’ in view of the possible relaunch of our cruises , as soon as the government gives the authorization.
’ ’ The Cabinet is meeting on the matter next Sunday .
Costa Crociere said that all crew members were tested for the virus before leaving their countries , then undergo a second test once they arrive in Italy , after which they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Cruise lines stopped sailing in mid-March after several high-profile coronavirus outbreaks at sea .
More than 710 people fell ill aboard Carnival ’ s Diamond Princess cruise ship while it was quarantined off Japan and 13 people died .
A German cruise ship last week set sail from Hamburg , testing procedures for how cruise ships can operate safely during the pandemic .
The ship sailed with less than 50 % capacity and only went on a four-day trip at sea with no stops at other ports .
Colleen Barry in Milan @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Pandemic parody of `Goodnight Moon’ to be released in fall

NEW YORK - A popular online spoof of the children ’ s favourite “ Goodnight Moon , ” reworked for the coronavirus , will be published by Penguin Random House this fall .
The Penguin imprint Philomel Books announced Monday that “ Good Morning Zoom , ” written by Lindsay Rechler and illustrated by June Park , is scheduled for Oct. 6 .
Currently self-published , “ Good Morning Zoom ” takes Margaret Wise Brown ’ s beloved bedtime story and turns it into a narrative about Zoom , bread baking , home schooling and other familiar parts of life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s fans include talk show host James Corden , who read from it on “ The Late , Late Show.
” Rechler is a banking executive and mother of two who lives in Manhattan .
Park is a graphic designer and illustrator who lives in Brooklyn .
All author net proceeds will be donated to coronavirus relief charities .
“ COVID-19 is a difficult topic , especially for young children , ” Rechler said in a statement .
“ I wanted to tell my children a relatable story — a story that would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyday lives and within that story , touch upon what was happening in the outside world .
I thought a lot about the contrast between quarantining safely inside versus what was happening outside my window.
“


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Philippine capital returning to lockdown as virus surges

MANILA , Philippines - The Philippine president has agreed to place the capital and outlying provinces back under a lockdown after medical groups warned that the country was waging “ a losing battle ” against the coronavirus amid an alarming surge in infections .
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Monday that metropolitan Manila , the capital region of more than 12 million people , and five densely populated provinces will revert to stricter quarantine restrictions for two weeks starting Tuesday .
The move , which economic officials oppose , will again prohibit non-essential travel outside of homes .
President Rodrigo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on June 1 in an effort to restart the stalled economy .
Under the new restrictions , police checkpoints will return to ensure only authorized people , including medical personnel and workers in vital companies , venture out of their homes , Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said .
Other businesses previously allowed to partly reopen , including barbershops , internet cafes , gyms , dine-in restaurants , massage and tattoo shops , drive-in cinemas and tourist destinations , will again be closed .
Authorized companies including banks , health and food processing firms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their employees between home and work .
Workers can travel by bike , motorcycle and private car , but mass transit will be closed .
Many expressed support for the medical workers but reactions were mixed on the lockdown ’ s return .
Allan Espanola , a 33-year-old jobless man , said it will bring more burdens to the people .
“ We ’ ll suffer more .
It ’ s like we ’ re going to square one again , ” he said .
“ Any lockdown is not effective on its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong health response , “ opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros said .
Businesses in the capital and outlying regions comprise about 67 % of the national economy and the Duterte administration has walked a tightrope between public health and economic revival .
The economy contracted slightly in the first quarter but is likely facing a deep recession from the massive business closures that started when Duterte declared a strict lockdown in mid-March .
Leaders of nearly 100 medical organizations held a rare online news conference Saturday and warned that the health system has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collapse as health workers fall ill or resign from exhaustion and fear .
They asked Duterte to reimpose a tight lockdown in the capital to allow the government to give health workers “ a time out ” and allow the government to recalibrate its response to the pandemic .
“ We are waging a losing battle against COVID-19 and we need to draw up a consolidated , definitive plan of action , ” the groups said in a letter to Duterte that they read publicly .
They expressed fears to Duterte that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States .
The Department of Health reported a jump of more than 3,200 confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday , bringing the country ’ s total to 106,330 , including more than 2,100 deaths .
The Philippines has the second-highest number of confirmed cases in Southeast Asia after Indonesia , and has had more reported infections than China , where the pandemic began late last year .
While he granted the demand , Duterte appeared irritated after the medical groups went public with critical remarks , saying they could have talked to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stage a revolution , you will give me the free ticket to stage a counter-revolution .
How I wish you would do it , ” Duterte said in televised remarks Sunday night .
“ You yourself don ’ t have any solution .
What are you babbling about ?
” Duterte said .
He floated the idea of tapping civilian reservists to be placed under military control , including his daughter who is a city mayor and police nurses and medics , if exhausted doctors and nurses leave their anti-pandemic work .
Associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iya Forbes in Manila contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--First students resume class in Germany after corona shutdown

BERLIN - Children returned to school Monday in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , the first in the country to start the new school year following nationwide shutdowns at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in March .
Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek has advocated mask requirements inside school buildings .
But the school system is largely a matter for the 16 state governments in Germany , and as the state ’ s 152,700 pupils returned to class in cities like Rostock and Schwerin , regional officials had not yet implemented such a rule .
The sparsely populated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the pandemic , with 877 positive tests for COVID-19 and 20 virus-related deaths among its 1.6 million residents .
In Hamburg , where students return on Thursday , and Berlin , where they return next week , state governments have ordered masks be worn .
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania ’ s education minister , Bettina Martin , has said she was working on a proposal to require them as well .
“ I think it ’ s good that we play it safe , ” she said .
Since schools largely closed down due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , teachers and children across the country have been eyeing the reopenings warily as states have grappled with the challenge of how to safely resume in-class learning .
At the height of the pandemic , schools across the country offered some exams and limited classes , combining that with distance learning .
A very limited , piecemeal return to classrooms started toward the end of the last school year , but officials are keen to return to something closer to normal now .
As the students in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania return from summer holidays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups for their classes to compartmentalize any possible outbreak , but are allowed to go mask-free and don ’ t have to respect distancing guidelines , the dpa news agency reported .
Many children voluntarily wore masks on Monday as school began , and several schools implemented their own mask rules and handed them out to children who forgot them .
“ In these hallways , compulsory masks are the rule , ” the head teacher of the Reutershagen high school in Rostock , Jan Bonin , told dpa .
Even in states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Berlin , Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg , many have questioned how effective they will be as protection .
Even though they will be required in hallways , they are not required in classrooms where the plan is to keep students a safe distance apart .
Administrators have also acknowledged that once the students are off school property , there is little they can do to enforce distancing and hygiene rules .
Germany is widely seen as a success story in its efforts to stanch the spread of the pandemic , with a total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths , according to the country ’ s disease control centre , the Robert Koch Institute .
From a peak of more than 6,000 new daily cases reported in March , the daily figure was brought down to the low hundreds by mid-May , even as the country started reopening shops , restaurants and other parts of the economy .
It remains relatively low but has started to tick back up recently , raising concerns that people have grown lax in their precautions .
“ Tourism , restaurants and even fitness studios have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems , ” Martin told Die Welt newspaper .
“ It ’ s high time to push children ’ s interests to the front .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--German laser tech company says gov’t blocks exports to China

BERLIN - A German company that specializes in laser communication says it is pulling out of uncompleted deals in China after the German government barred it from delivering hardware to the country .
Mynaric said on Friday that it had requested official clearance of a planned export of products to a Chinese customer , which it didn ’ t identify .
It said it received a notification “ that clearly prohibits Mynaric from delivering laser communication hardware to China.
” Asked on Monday about the company ’ s announcement , Economy Ministry spokesman Korbinian Wagner had no immediate comment and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirm , deny or comment on individual cases .
Mynaric , which said it hadn ’ t yet delivered any laser communication hardware to China , said it is ceasing business in China immediately and would start extricating itself from uncompleted transactions .
It said it “ considers its clear commitment to national interests of its core markets as critical to its business success.
” “ This commitment is even more important now , considering pending governmental opportunities in the U.S. – a market that is currently gaining significant momentum , ” it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Space Development Agency ’ s current examination of proposals related to a U.S. government communication network .
Mynaric said it “ has received high interest from numerous international actors.
” Increasing antagonism between the United States and China is rattling governments and companies around the world , with the role of China ’ s Huawei in 5G telecommunications networks one major source of tension .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Serbian parliament convenes after elections, amid protests

BELGRADE , Serbia - Serbia ’ s new parliament convened Monday amid protests by the some opposition parties and far-right groups claiming that the parliamentary election , overwhelmingly won by the ruling populists , was rigged .
Dozens of protesters booed and jeered at the lawmakers arriving to the inaugural parliament session in the domed downtown parliament building .
Some of them threw eggs toward the building .
Police sealed off much of the area in front of the assembly to prevent the repeat of violent protests last month at the same location against the increasingly autocratic rule of Serbian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruling Serbian Progressive Party swept the June 21 parliamentary vote that was boycotted by several of the main opposition parties .
The Progressives won 188 seats in the 250-member assembly .
The rest of the seats went to Vucic ’ s allies or minority groups , meaning that the real opposition will not be represented .
The opposition boycott was carried out citing the lack of free and fair voting conditions and a danger to public health amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
But a number of smaller parties decided to run , saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition .
Sasa Radulovic , the leader of one of the parties that ran in the election , took part in Monday ’ s protest .
“ The government has forged the elections by falsifying the final electoral reports at the polling stations , “ he said , claiming he has proof of the wrongdoing .
Vucic has repeatedly denied interfering in the vote , saying his opponents are crying foul because they have little popular support .
Vucic , who was elected to a five-year term in April 2017 and was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dominated the election campaign through the mainstream media which he controls , denouncing and ridiculing his critics .
He rejected allegations that by taking a leading role in the campaign , he was abusing his largely ceremonial presidential powers .
Most of the opposition parties accused Vucic and his government of letting the coronavirus crisis spin out of control in order to hold the election that tightened the ruling party ’ s grip on power amid widespread feelings of chaos .
Lawmakers at the inaugural parliament session wore face masks , and kept @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Lebanese foreign minister quits over lack of will to reform

BEIRUT - Lebanon ’ s foreign minister resigned on Monday amid the severe economic and financial crisis gripping the Arab country , warning that a lack of vision and a will to make changes risked turning the country into a “ failed state.
” Nassif Hitti is the first Cabinet minister to defect from his post amid the crisis , which poses as the most significant threat to the country since a devastating 15-year civil war ended in 1990 .
His resignation is a blow to Prime Minister Hassan Diab ’ s government , which has struggled to implement reforms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and poverty , made worse by the coronavirus pandemic .
Hitti submitted his resignation to Diab and left the government house without making any comments .
He later issued a strongly worded statement explaining his resignation , saying the government had failed to manage the crisis and implement the required reforms to save the country .
“ After giving it a lot of honest thought , I have come to the conclusion that I can not perform my duties in these historical circumstances , ” Hitti said .
He said he had decided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a vision for Lebanon ... and the absence of an effective will to achieve comprehensive structural reform.
” In a stark warning , he said Lebanon was turning into a “ failed state ” and urged politicians to rally around the country ’ s national interest .
“ I took part in this government to work for one boss called Lebanon .
I found in my country multiple bosses and conflicting interests , ” he said .
“ If they do not come together in the interest of the Lebanese people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board.
” A career diplomat , Hitti became foreign minister in January as part of Diab ’ s government after former Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned under pressure from anti-government protests .
Diab was supported by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its allies , and lacked key support from his own Sunni Muslim constituency .
According to Lebanon ’ s sectarian power-sharing system , the country ’ s prime minister must be a Sunni .
Diab ’ s inherited a country already teetering with the financial crisis and mass protests , and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic and ensuing lockdown which exacerbated the country ’ s many troubles .
Talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout have stalled and its currency has collapsed .
Local media reports said Hitti also was angered by Diab ’ s criticism of French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian following his visit to Beirut last month during which he said Lebanon will not be getting any financial assistance before initiating substantive reforms .
Diab had said Le Drian “ did not bring anything new ” and was not properly informed about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Diab accepted Hitti ’ s resignation later Monday and was in consultations with the president over a potential replacement .
It was not immediately clear whether his resignation would be accepted and whether one of the other ministers would assume his responsibilities in caretaker capacity until a new minister is appointed .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--John Hume, who worked to end N. Ireland violence, dies at 83

LONDON - Politician John Hume , who won Nobel Peace Prize for work to end violence in his native Northern Ireland , has died , his family said Monday .
He was 83 and has suffered from ill health for a number of years .
The Catholic leader of the moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party , Hume was seen as the principal architect of Northern Ireland ’ s 1998 peace agreement .
He shared the prize with the Protestant leader of the Ulster Unionist Party , David Trimble , for their efforts to end the sectarian violence that plagued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 3,500 people dead .
“ I want to see Ireland as an example to men and women everywhere of what can be achieved by living for ideals , rather than fighting for them , and by viewing each and every person as worthy of respect and honour , ” he said in 1998 .
“ I want to see an Ireland of partnership where we wage war on want and poverty , where we reach out to the marginalized and dispossessed , where we build together a future that can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Born Jan. 18 , 1937 , in Northern Ireland ’ s second city — Londonderry to British Unionists , Derry to Irish nationalists — Hume trained for the priesthood before becoming a fixture on the political landscape .
An advocate of nonviolence , he fought for equal rights in what was then a Protestant-ruled state , but he condemned the Irish Republican Army because of his certainty that no injustice was worth a human life .
Though he advocated for a united Ireland , Hume believed change could not come to Northern Ireland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He also realized that better relations needed to be forged between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and between London and Dublin .
He championed the notion of extending self-government to Northern Ireland with power divided among the groups forming it .
“ Ireland is not a romantic dream ; it is not a flag ; it is 4.5 million people divided into two powerful traditions , ?
he said .
“ The solution will be found not on the basis of victory for either , but on the basis of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The real division of Ireland is not a line drawn on the map , but in the minds and hearts of its people.
” While both Hume and Trimble credited the people of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic for approving a referendum that led to power sharing , it was Hume ’ s diplomacy that offered the impetus to the peace process that led to the 1998 Good Friday accord .
Hume won the breakthrough in Belfast ’ s political landscape in 1993 by courting Gerry Adams , the head of Sinn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Irish Republican Army , in hopes of securing an IRA cease-fire .
That dialogue burnished Adams ’ international credibility and led to two IRA cease-fires in 1994 and 1997 .
Like most Protestant politicians at the time , Trimble had opposed efforts to share power with Catholics as likely to jeopardize Northern Ireland ’ s union with Britain .
He at first refused to speak directly with Adams , insisting that IRA commanders needed to prove they were willing to abandon violence .
He ultimately relented and became pivotal in peacemaking efforts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the discussions , arguing they must be driven by close co-operation between the British and Irish governments .
The process was overseen by neutral figures like U.S. mediator George Mitchell , with the decisions overwhelmingly ratified by public referendums in both parts of Ireland .
“ Without John Hume there would not have been a peace process , “ Mitchell said at the time the prize was announced .
” Without David Trimble there would not have been a peace agreement.
” Tributes poured in after ’ s Hume ’ s death was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Blair , Chief European Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier , and Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin .
“ It is impossible to properly express the scale and significance of John Hume ’ s life , ” Martin said in a tweet .
“ He was one of the towering figures of Irish public life of the last century .
His vision and tenacity saved this country .
We owe him and his wife Pat so much .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Shops closed, beaches deserted as Isaias nears the Carolinas

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH , S.C. - Coastal shops and restaurants closed early , power began to flicker at oceanfront hotels and even the most adventurous of beachgoers abandoned the sand Monday night as newly restrengthened Hurricane Isaias sped toward the Carolinas .
The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned oceanside home dwellers to brace for storm surge up to 5 feet ( 1.5 metres ) and up to 8 inches ( 20 centimetres ) of rain in spots , as Isaias moved up the coast .
The Carolinas weren ’ t the only states at risk .
“ All those rains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the eastern Carolinas and mid-Atlantic , and even in the northeast U.S. , ” said Daniel Brown , senior hurricane specialist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center .
A tropical storm warning extended all the way up to Maine , where flash flooding was possible in some areas on Wednesday .
The centre also warned of possible tornadoes in North Carolina on Monday night and early Tuesday , and from eastern Virginia to southern New England later Tuesday .
Isaias ( pronounced ees-ah-EE-ahs ) was upgraded again from a tropical storm to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The storm had maximum sustained winds of 85 miles ( 137 kph ) and was centred about 60 miles ( 100 kilometres ) south of Myrtle Beach .
It was moving northeast at 16 mph ( 26 kph ) .
The Hurricane Center said it expected the storm to make landfall later Monday night near the border between South and North Carolina .
Isaias killed two people in the Caribbean and roughed up the Bahamas but remained at sea as it brushed past Florida over the weekend , providing some welcome relief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask-wearing evacuees in storm shelters .
The centre of Isaias remained well offshore as it passed Georgia ’ s coast on Monday .
President Donald Trump on Monday described Isaias as “ very serious.
“ “ Storm surge and inland flooding are possible and everyone needs to remain vigilant until it passes , “ Trump said .
Authorities in Myrtle Beach , South Carolina , ordered swimmers out of the water to avoid rough surf and strong rip currents .
By nightfall , power began to flicker at beachfront hotels as Isaias crossed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its path toward the U.S. mainland .
Still , on this part of the South Carolina and North Carolina coasts that has been affected to varying degrees by seven tropical storms or hurricanes since 2014 , residents weren ’ t panicking .
“ It ’ s just going to be a lot of wind and high tide , ” said Mike Fuller , who has lived along the coast for more than a decade .
Shops and restaurants appeared quieter than usual for a summertime Monday in North Myrtle Beach , but locals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses were boarding up their windows , although some moved outside furniture inside .
Wayne Stanley and his family came to the city over the weekend from Julian , North Carolina .
He ’ s never experienced a hurricane , but said he never considered cancelling his family ’ s weeklong vacation either .
“ I was pretty scared to start off with , ” Stanley said Monday .
“ Then we thought maybe it ’ s not going to be that bad.
” Officials in frequently flooded Charleston , South Carolina , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so residents on the low-lying peninsula could stow their cars above ground .
Forecasters had warned earlier of possible major flooding , but the storm passed faster than expected and only about a dozen streets were flooded .
Farther up the coast into North Carolina , the hurricane centre predicted storm surges of 3 to 5 feet ( 0.9 to 1.5 metres ) when Isaias moves onshore .
North Carolina Gov .
Roy Cooper warned residents on Monday that the storm could be dangerous regardless of its strength .
He urged those evacuating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resort , citing coronavirus risks and the need to operate shelters at reduced capacity to allow for social distancing .
“ Whether it ’ s labeled a tropical storm or a hurricane , you should take this storm seriously , and make sure your family is ready , ” Cooper said .
Ferry operators wrapped up evacuations from Ocracoke Island in North Carolina ’ s Outer Banks on Monday , moving more than 3,500 people and 1,700 vehicles off the island over four days .
Island officials were taking no chances after taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Hurricane Dorian .
Evacuation orders also have been issued for Hatteras Island north of Ocracoke .
Morgan Stewart said many evacuating residents had come into the store where she works in the inland community of Kinston to buy tarps , batteries , flashlights and other supplies .
“ You can tell they ’ re worried , ” said Stewart , who saw cars parked on higher ground over the weekend as she secured her boat at a marina .
Since forming last week , Isaias has been buffeted by competing forces both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy .
“ Of all the places it could be , it found the warmest water it could , ” which fuels storm development , McNoldy said .
“ And yet it is struggling.
” That ’ s because dry air kept working its way into the storm at low and mid-levels , which chokes storms .
Isaias ’ passage near Florida over the weekend was particularly unwelcome to authorities already dealing with surging coronavirus caseloads .
The storm brought heavy rain and flooding to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus testing sights , as well as beaches and parks .
Officials lashed signs to palm trees so they wouldn ’ t blow away .
About 150 people had to keep masks on while sheltering in Palm Beach County , which had a voluntary evacuation order for people living in homes that can ’ t withstand dangerous winds , said emergency management spokeswoman Lisa De La Rionda .
This story has been edited to correct the spelling of Isaias in the third paragraph from the bottom .
Associated Press reporters Russ Bynum in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michelle Liu in Columbia , South Carolina ; Sophia Tulp in Atlanta ; and AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Kensington , Maryland , contributed to this report .

Sarah Blake Morgan - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Parents struggle as schools reopen amid coronavirus surge

DALLAS , Ga. - Putting your child on the bus for the first day of school is always a leap of faith for a parent .
Now , on top of the usual worries about youngsters adjusting to new teachers and classmates , there ’ s COVID-19 .
Rachel Adamus was feeling those emotions Monday morning as she got 7-year-old Paul ready for his first day of second grade and prepared 5-year-old Neva for the start of kindergarten .
With a new school year beginning this week in some states , Adamus struggled to balance her fears with her belief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instruction that school provides , even as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus has hit about 155,000 and cases are rising in numerous places .
As the bus pulled away from the curb in Adamus ’ Dallas , Georgia , neighbourhood , the tears finally began to fall .
“ We have kept them protected for so long , ” said Adamus , who said her aunt died from COVID-19 in Alabama and her husband ’ s great-uncle succumbed to the virus in a New Jersey nursing home .
“ They haven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only go to parks if no one else is there .
We don ’ t take them to the grocery store .
And now they ’ re going to be in the classroom with however many kids for an entire day with a teacher.
” The Adamus children are among tens of thousands of students across the nation who resumed in-person school Monday for the first time since March .
Parents in Louisiana , Mississippi and Tennessee will also be among those navigating the new academic year this week .
Many schools that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents a stay-at-home virtual option ; Adamus , like many other parents , decided against that .
Other schools are planning a hybrid approach , with youngsters alternating between in-person classes and online learning .
But an uptick in COVID-19 cases in many states has prompted districts to scrap in-person classes at least for the start of the school year , including Los Angeles , Philadelphia and Washington .
President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have urged schools to reopen .
However , Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There may be some areas where the level of virus is so high that it would not be prudent to bring the children back to school.
” “ So you can ’ t make one statement about bringing children back to school in this country .
It depends on where you are , ” he said .
In Indiana , where schools reopened last week , a student at Greenfield-Central Junior High tested positive on the first day back to class and was isolated in the school clinic .
“ This really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ School Superintendent Harold Olin said .
“ We knew that we would have a positive case at some point in the fall .
We simply did not think it would happen on Day One.
” Elsewhere in Indiana , Elwood Junior Senior High suspended in-person classes two days into the school year after at least one staffer tested positive .
In Newton County , Mississippi , fourth grader Avery Mangum returned to school for the first time in months to find many things changed : She had to wear a mask , sit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her classroom instead of in the cafeteria .
When kids in her class moved around the school , they followed their teacher in a straight line with one arm sticking out in front of them to make sure they stayed at least an arm ’ s length away from other kids .
The playground at Avery ’ s school was split in two : Some kids could play on half of the equipment , and others on the other half , with only a certain number allowed in total .
“ It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were at recess , ” she said .
“ Everyone wants to play with their friends and do all these things but we can ’ t. ” Emily Thompson ’ s son started the sixth grade at Newton County Middle/High School in Decatur .
Thompson , a pharmacist , said she felt relief watching him get in line to have his temperature taken before entering the building .
She and her husband , who also works in health care , found it was a “ nightmare ” trying to keep the boy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ track with their studies .
She said she is not overly worried about her children getting sick at school .
“ It would be more detrimental not to send them , in my opinion , than for them to hang out and do the virtual learning , ” she said .
“ I think they ’ re going to get more interaction at school .
They are going to learn more at school .
They just need to be in that setting.
” In Georgia ’ s Paulding County , both of Adamus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not mandatory for the 30,000 students in the county , about 25 miles ( 40 kilometres ) northwest of Atlanta .
Adamus lives near North Paulding High School , where the principal sent a letter over the weekend announcing a football player tested positive for the virus after attending practice .
The Georgia High School Association , in a memo last week , said it has received reports of 655 positive tests since workouts for football and other sports started on June 8 .
One student who wasn ’ t starting at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Her mother , Erica Williams , said she is keeping the 14-year-old freshman home because two of her younger sons have cystic fibrosis and she can ’ t risk their being exposed .
Williams said she thinks her daughter will be OK academically with online classes , which up to 30 % of the district ’ s students have enrolled in .
But she is worried about Aliyah ’ s inability to see her friends .
“ She ’ s a social butterfly .
That ’ s a big part of her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been participating in colour guard with the school band , but Williams said she is now “ conflicted ” about that too , considering the football player ’ s positive test .
Other Paulding County parents were eager for in-person classes .
Jenna Thames drove 8-year-old Brantley to his first day of third grade and 6-year-old Rhett to his first day of first grade .
Thames said that no one at her house is high-risk and that as a former teacher , she thinks her children will learn more from teachers than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ They ’ re going to actually listen to their teacher , as opposed to me .
When it ’ s time to do sight words , it was a fight every day , ” Thames said .
“ I absolutely trust our administration and our teachers to do what it takes to keep them safe and keep themselves safe.
” Many teachers are uneasy , dismayed that the Paulding district refused to mandate masks or push back the start date for in-person classes , as other Atlanta-area districts have done .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there has been little organized opposition .
“ I desperately want to return to face-to-face teaching , but not until it is safe , ” Steven Hanft , a North Paulding High teacher , told the county school board last month .
Other parents have to balance their job with schooling decisions .
Shannon Dunn has to report to her job this week as a cafeteria manager at an elementary school in Baton Rouge , Louisiana , but she has no idea what she will do when her daughter starts kindergarten with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I have no one I can take her to and say , ` OK , at 12 o ’ clock you are going to have to start working online with her for school , ’ ” Dunn said .
School officials have said they hope to begin in-person classes after Labor Day .
But Dunn said that will not ease her mind completely .
“ If I hear of the spread of COVID at the school , then I ’ d have to rethink it all over again , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
AP journalists from around the world contributed to this report .

Jeff Amy And Denise Lavoie - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Stranded by virus, honeymooners hitch home on Antarctic boat

WELLINGTON , New Zealand - A New Zealand honeymoon couple stranded on the remote Falkland Islands in March because of the coronavirus has managed to return home by hitching a ride of more than 5,000 nautical miles ( 9,200 kilometres ) on an Antarctic fishing boat .
Feeonaa Clifton said she had never spent even a single night on a boat before she and her husband Neville embarked on the monthlong voyage through some of the world ’ s most forbidding seas .
After weeks spent watching albatrosses and learning how to don survival suits , they were finally able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Their adventure began on Leap Day , Feb. 29th , when they were married at their Auckland home .
They had been together for 25 years and raised three children but Feeonaa , 48 , an artist , said they hadn ’ t believed in the idea of marriage .
“ We realized , at some point , we hadn ’ t actually appreciated or celebrated one another , at least not in front of family and friends , ” she said .
“ It was just something we wanted to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The plan was to spend two weeks of their honeymoon on the Falkland Islands , where Neville , 59 , a communications engineer , was born but left as a young child , and then a month in South America .
They arrived on the Falklands on March 7 , just as the pandemic was worsening .
Their flight back to Brazil was cancelled , and they ended up spending 12 weeks in lockdown with an elderly aunt .
With a population of about 3,000 , the Falklands are about 500 kilometres ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the south Atlantic Ocean .
The islands have reported 13 cases of the virus , all now recovered .
With not much to do , the newlyweds took long walks , climbing every hill they could find .
They admired the rugged landscapes that were devoid of trees .
But with limited human contact , they began to feel that they were living in an eerie alternate reality .
Few of their options for getting home were realistic .
The only possible flights were convoluted routes through Britain or Africa and the prospect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then they heard a New Zealand fishing boat was planning to make the journey with the crew and catch from a sister boat .
Run by the company Sanford , the sister boat had spent months at sea catching Patagonian toothfish , which are often sold in the U.S. as Chilean sea bass .
Skipper Shane Cottle said he was a bit nervous at first about taking the couple on his 38-meter ( 125-foot ) vessel San Aotea II , along with the crew of 14 .
“ I wasn ’ t sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of thing , ” Cottle said .
“ We go south around Cape Horn and across a part of the ocean we call Middle Earth .
There ’ s nothing there and nowhere to get medical assistance.
” Cottle said the couple turned out to be lovely and , after a couple of days of queasiness , perfect sailors .
He said the crew managed to get an excellent run home , without the huge storms and icebergs they sometimes encounter .
Clifton said the seas still seemed big enough , and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because it was too dangerous .
“ Walking around without getting injured was our main objective , ” she said .
The couple gradually fell into a routine .
They used their body weight to do resistance workouts each day in the confined space .
They did some research and work .
They played cards .
They watched films on shared hard drives and chatted with the crew .
They tried to help with some light duties but mostly tried to stay out of the way .
They saw dolphins , watched albatrosses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crew had spotted whales spouting in the distance .
Meals were generous portions of lamb , pork and steak for the hard-working crew , and Clifton said she was excited to finally get some fresh fruit , some New Zealand bread , and the yeast spread Marmite .
She said they slept in bunks , rather than the romantic notion of hammocks .
“ The mattresses were surprisingly comfortable , ” she said .
“ I ’ m going to miss that feeling of being on an ocean , of being swung @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honeymoon wasn ’ t what they expected but she said it was wonderful in many ways .
“ We spent an unheard of amount of time together , ” she said .
“ It was frustrating with the restrictions at times , but it also opened up new possibilities in our lives.
” They landed in the port of Timaru and expect to be back in Auckland within a few days .
Clifton said the first things she wants to do are to hug her kids and have a glass of sparkling wine @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Appeals court: NOAA can’t make rules for offshore fish farms

NEW ORLEANS - A federal appeals court in New Orleans has upheld a decision that throws out rules regulating fish farms in the Gulf of Mexico .
The law granting authority over fisheries to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration does not also let the agency set rules for offshore fish farms , the 5th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals said in its 2-1 decision on Monday .
The farms use enormous open-topped nets or submersible pens to raise huge numbers of fish , including tuna , salmon , seabass and cobia , out in open water .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the open sea , is vital to seafood production and can both provide jobs and protect species and habitats .
Opponents say huge numbers of fish confined in nets out in the ocean could hurt ocean health and native fish stocks , and the farms would drive down prices and devastate commercial fishing communities .
“ I think this is the final nail in the coffin for industrial aquaculture in federal waters unless Congress gives authority , ” said George Kimbrell , who represented opponents of the plan as legal director for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fisheries is reviewing the decision , spokeswoman Kate Goggin said in an email .
She did not respond to questions about whether NOAA plans to appeal the ruling or whether it is likely to affect plans to expand offshore aquaculture outside the Gulf .
It won ’ t stop anything — it just means one less permit is needed to set up shop , said Neil Anthony Sims , chief executive of Ocean Era , which ran two demonstration projects off of Hawaii raising Almaco jack , and plans a third in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida .
The Coast Guard and state of Florida have approved permits , and Ocean Era has applied for permits from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers , Sims said .
“ But we don ’ t need any permit from NOAA for that project now , ” he said .
Cufone and Kimbrell said NOAA and other offshore fish farming advocates went the regulation route after trying fruitlessly for a decade to get Congress to pass a law saying how the offshore fish farms should be governed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Gulf of Mexico and expand in the Atlantic and Pacific .
Now the court has rejected their entire authority for how they could do this.
“ He acknowledged that the 5th Circuit ruling is controlling only in federal courts in Louisiana , Mississippi and Texas .
“ Certainly they can try other places but we can sue them and we will win , ” he said .
It ’ s an important decision , especially in light of President Donald Trump ’ s executive order in May to streamline aquaculture permits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Center for Environmental Law at Loyola University New Orleans .
She and Kimbrell were among attorneys for nine groups representing commercial and recreational fishing interests , food safety advocates and conservationists .
The Magnuson-Stevens Act , which empowers NOAA to regulate fisheries in all U.S. waters , doesn ’ t mention aquaculture at all , Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan wrote for himself and Judge Patrick Higginbotham .
Attorneys for NOAA said the fact that the law doesn ’ t mention aquaculture is just a gap to be filled by the regulations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is barred ” by an earlier 5th Circuit ruling , he said .
Duncan said NOAA ’ s arguments hinged on the law ’ s definition of fishing as “ catching , taking , or harvesting of fish.
” “ ‘ Harvesting , ’ we are told , implies gathering crops , and in aquaculture the fish are the crop .
That is a slippery basis for empowering an agency to create an entire industry the statute does not even mention , ” he wrote .
“ We will not bite.
” Judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s reasonable to interpret the law as including aquaculture among “ all fish and ... fishery resources ” in federal waters .

Janet McConnaughey - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Typhoon brings heavy rain, winds to Shanghai, coastal China

BEIJING - A typhoon brought high winds and heavy rains to China ’ s eastern coastal areas including the financial hub of Shanghai early Tuesday .
China ’ s National Meteorological Center said Typhoon Hagiput made landfall in Zhejiang province around 3:30 a.m. , with winds blowing up to 136.8 kilometres ( 85 miles ) per hour at its centre .
It was moving north at around 25 kilometres ( 16 miles ) per hour and was expected gradually turn in a northeasterly direction , heading out to sea again on Wednesday morning and moving toward the Korean Peninsula .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces to the south , recalled fishing boats and suspended ferry service and some trains .
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries resulting from the storm .
State broadcaster CCTV showed trees toppled in the Zhejiang city of Yuhuan , but there were no indications of serious damage .
This year ’ s typhoon season has been relatively mild in China , although flooding since June along its major river systems has caused scores of deaths , forced around 2 million people to be evacuated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( $ 7 billion ) in damage .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Mexico’s school year to begin with instruction on television

MEXICO CITY - Distance learning will begin for more than 30 million Mexican school children Aug. 24 , but a return to classrooms will remain an uncertain goal , the country ’ s education secretary said Monday .
Secretary Esteban Moctezuma Barragán and executives from the country ’ s largest television networks presented in broad strokes a plan to put educational instruction on television .
Moctezuma said that risks to in-person education continue being too high .
Officials fear children could become coronavirus carriers , infecting relatives at home .
“ We wanted to return to in-person classes , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Moctezuma said .
Students will not return to classrooms until the government ’ s version of a stoplight to evaluate the pandemic ’ s risk is safely at green .
Throughout Latin America , nearly all schooling is being carried out online or through television as the pandemic continues to surge here .
School districts around the world are struggling with the decision , knowing that for most students there is no substitute for in-person instruction .
Moctezuma cited several countries that had opened schools and then had to close them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools in Nicaragua and students are scheduled to return to the classroom in Cuba Sept. 1 .
In Bolivia , the government announced Sunday it was ending the school year because it was impossible to guarantee free and universal education in a country where most rural areas lack access to the internet .
In Mexico , remote indigenous communities will be able to access instruction through government radio stations .
Moctezuma said television was a good option because government data shows 94 % of homes have one .
Some 140 million free textbooks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have no television can listen to radio classes .
In cases of multiple children at different grade levels in a home , Moctezuma said programming would try to take this into account and that classes would be repeated at multiple time slots .
“ It is returning to classes with all of the formality , ” said President Andrés Manuel López Obrador .
“ This is not an emergency or transitory course .
It is starting classes in accordance with the education plan.
” The president said details about the costs would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be minimal .
AP writers Andrea Rodriguez in Havana , Cuba and Carlos Valdez in La Paz , Bolivia contributed to this report .

Christopher Sherman - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Nicaragua police discount arson in fire at cathedral

MANAGUA , Nicaragua - Nicaragua ’ s National Police on Monday declared a fire inside Managua ’ s Metropolitan Cathedral accidental shortly after the Vatican ’ s top diplomatic envoy to the country said he had requested a “ serious , careful and transparent investigation.
” What the Managua archdiocese and Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes had called a terrorist attack , the police said was the result of vapour from disinfectant alcohol ignited by a candle inside a chapel holding a sculpture of Christ nearly four centuries old .
The police investigation ’ s conclusion was close to what Vice-President Rosario @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday .
According to Murillo a fire had occurred because “ our people are very devoted ” and there were a lot of candles and a curtain caught fire .
That however had been quickly discarded by Brenes , who visiting the site Friday had said , “ Our chapel doesn ’ t have curtains and there are no candles.
“ The police investigation said rugs had been ignited .
Brenes said a “ bomb ” had been tossed into the chapel .
The incident drew the attention of Pope Francis who prayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire as an “ attack.
” “ I am thinking about the people of Nicaragua who are suffering due to the attack on the Cathedral of Managua , “ he said .
On Monday , before the police announced the conclusion of their investigation , Francis ’ envoy to Nicaragua said he had requested a thorough investigation .
The National Police , citing witnesses and analysis , said the fire was accidental and not the result of a criminal attack .
They said it appeared that a spray bottle of alcohol used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flammable vapours that rose to the ceiling of the chapel then descended and were ignited by a candle .
However , the archdiocese said an unidentified person had tossed a “ bomb ” inside the chapel .
A sculpture of Christ on the cross that dates to 1638 was badly charred .
The church did not immediately respond to the police investigation .
Nicaragua ’ s Permanent Commission on Human Rights , a nongovernmental organization , called for an independent investigation of the incident , “ hiring an expert to determine the real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played a role in trying to mediate the ongoing conflict between President Daniel Ortega and the opposition since protests broke out in April 2018 .
There have been a number of attacks on churches and clergy since that time .
On Monday , the Granada Diocese announced that woman had entered a church in Altagracia-Isla de Ometepe municipality and violently defaced a figure .
On Sunday , in the western city of Leon , a man entered a church in the middle of Mass and threw objects that shattered a glass case and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have reported graffiti and harassment .
“ These are criminal acts motivated by hate and division sadly deeply seated in a great part of Nicaraguan society , ” Sommertag said .
The recent spate of incidents follows the archdiocese announcement in mid-July of the cancellation of the annual celebrations for Santo Domingo de Guzmán , the capital ’ s patron saint .
The archdiocese normally collaborates with the city government on the August festivities that bring tens of thousands of faithful out for massive parades , but the church said it would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have speculated the aggression toward the church is an attempt to distract from the pandemic ’ s spread .
Ortega has resisted imposing or recommending the social distancing measures taken elsewhere in the world and the Pan-American Health Organization has criticized its lack of action and transparency .
The church has become a target for Ortega ’ s supporters before .
When protests against changes to Nicaragua ’ s social security system began in April 2018 and expanded nationwide to a general call for Ortega to step down , the president invited the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dialogue quickly broke down , Ortega accused the church of working with those who called for his removal .
The situation between the government and the church grew especially tense in July 2018 .
On July 9 , 2018 , Brenes led a delegation , including Sommertag , to the basilica in Diriamba , south of Managua .
Doctors and nurses were treating wounded protesters inside and it was surrounded by pro-government supporters .
When the delegation arrived , the mob pushed , scratched and shouted profanities at the clergy .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the church .
A few days later , armed government backers fired on the Jesus of Divine Mercy church in Managua for hours while 155 student protesters who had fled from a nearby university lay under the pews .
A student who was shot in the head at a barricade outside died on the rectory floor .
The church was covered in bullet impacts .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Rajapaksa brothers to get strong support in Sri Lanka polls

COLOMBO , Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka ’ s powerful , popular Rajapaksa brothers are likely to get strong support in parliamentary elections Wednesday that could add to their family political dynasty and their ability to amend the constitution – a prospect raising fears of weakening government institutions and the rule of law .
The results of the vote could also lead to sibling rivalry , charting the country into more confusion , analysts say .
Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the presidential election last November after casting himself as the only leader able to keep Sri Lanka secure following the Easter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Islamic State-inspired attacks that killed 269 people had exposed serious intelligence lapses and discord among political leaders of the then-government .
His victory set up the return to power of the Rajapaksa family , once considered invincible but unexpectedly defeated in 2015 after being accused of corruption , dynastic ambitions and intolerance of criticism during Gotabaya ’ s older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa ’ s nine-year presidency .
Mahinda Rajapaksa did not retire after his election defeat .
His supporters needed his charisma to stage a comeback , while he needed to be politically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s political career .
He was elected to the last Parliament and was appointed prime minister last November .
The 74-year-old is hopeful he could become prime minister again on Wednesday .
“ Mahinda ’ s family has a dream of bringing Namal to the forefront of the leadership of the country , ” said Sakthivel Balakrishnan , an independent analyst .
“ Mahinda may not be able to do so with so much power going to Gotabaya.
” Gotabaya Rajapaksa ’ s opportunity to run for president came because the constitution limited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had served , though he remained popular for his role in ending a nearly 26-year separatist civil war by ethnic minority Tamil rebels .
Gotabaya , who was also crucial to the war victory as the top defence bureaucrat under his older brother , has served with less presidential power .
A 2015 constitutional amendment strengthened Parliament and the prime minister and put independent commissions in charge of judiciary appointments , police , public services and the conduct of elections .
That power structure has placed Mahinda Rajapaksa in a position of strength @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some Rajapaksa supporters are canvassing for a two-thirds majority in Parliament to change the constitution and strengthen the presidency .
“ We can go for two-thirds because the ( main opposition ) UNP ( United National Party ) is divided and the two factions are fighting among themselves rather than fighting us , ” said Wijedasa Rajapakshe , who is contesting for a seat from the Rajapaksas ’ party , Sri Lanka Peoples ’ Front .
He is not a member of the Rajapaksa family .
“ The presidential system has to prevail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run the country , ” he said .
“ If it ( the two-thirds majority ) comes , the conflict could become more acute , and the Gotabaya camp ’ s demand will become stronger to change the constitution , ” Balakrishnan said , adding Mahinda Rajapaksa may assert himself to make sure his own powers are not reduced .
There are at least four family members including Mahinda and Namal contesting seats in Parliament and are likely to control key functions within their administration .
If the Rajapaksas achieve a two-thirds majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unanimous in weakening independent institutions , allowing politicians to have a bigger say in their functions and appointments , says Jehan Perera , analyst from the independent think-tank National Peace Council .
Rajapakshe says a new government plans to revisit a constitutional council that recommends names to be appointed to the elections , police , public services and the judicial commissions because it is politicized .
“ So again the Rajapaksa octopus trying to control everything , ” said Harsha de Silva , an opposition candidate .
“ The expectation of those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he will be different — has not been realized .
He has not been able to understand the economy .
The people are in trouble and the government is not helping.
” said de Silva .
Drastic tax cuts when Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed power has put pressure on government revenue , and the COVID-19 pandemic has made the economic crisis acute .
Though the government has managed to contain the spread of the virus , his failure to provide economic relief has eroded the president ’ s popularity .
However , divisions in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advantage .
The UNP , the largest political party in the country , is divided and a breakaway party led by Sajith Premadasa is likely to return the second highest number of lawmakers in the 225-member Parliament .
Nimal Weerasinghe , 59 , a retired private sector employee , said he would vote for Peoples ’ Front because Gotabaya is the best option and he needs Parliament ’ s support to deliver on his promises .
Weerasinghe said Gotabaya has already proven his capabilities by effectively controlling COVID-19 .
Dashika Manuranga , 34 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is voting for Premadasa ’ s party because there was no alternative .
Manuranga said he fears that Rajapaksas would undermine democracy and the rule of law .
Associated Press Writer Bharatha Mallawarachi contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--One year after mass shooting, frustration in Ohio city

DAYTON , Ohio - Tormented by mind-scarring memories and questions without answers , Dion Green has dedicated his life after the death of his father and eight other people in a mass shooting in Dayton , Ohio , to memorializing them and trying to bring helpful change .
“ That purpose is my ‘ Why ?
’ ” said Green , whose father died in his arms after he was caught in the barrage of bullets in Dayton ’ s Oregon entertainment district in the early morning of Sunday , Aug. 4 , one year ago .
“ I didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s why I ’ m still here fighting.
” Besides the nine killed , 17 other people were wounded in barely half a minute before police fatally shot the gunman in front of a bar where , had he gotten inside , the toll could have risen rapidly .
The mass shooting brought an outpouring of community grieving and support , along with a “ Dayton Strong ” slogan .
There is frustration and disappointment as the first anniversary Tuesday nears , much of it because of coronavirus-necessitated safety orders and restrictions against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ That ’ s what ’ s so tough about it , ” Mayor Nan Whaley said .
“ This is a bad mix for COVID-19 , frankly .
We want to hug each other and to be with each other , and we just can not do it.
” “ I believe that , at least for some , this is going to be a very difficult one-year mark without that presence of community , ” said Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl , who recounted an astoundingly large turnout for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The city plans a series of activities people can share in at home .
There will be a nine-minute remembrance at 8:04 p.m. — representing Aug. 4 — as well as candle-lighting and special online programming .
Whaley said land has been donated for a permanent memorial , but authorities want to be deliberate about deciding what to put there .
There are small posters in many storefronts in the Oregon district offering a mental health program through a county board for a long list of issues , from anger to nightmares @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the pandemic hasn ’ t helped the situation , said city Fire Chief Jeff Lykins .
“ I think personally , the best healing occurs when we talk with each other face-to-face .
Maybe it ’ s on the back porch ... the COVID has hurt ; that people aren ’ t able to get together , not able to have the parking lot therapy , “ said Lykins .
He and Biehl said their departments ’ members are recovering at different rates after a traumatic year that also included responding to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a stolen police cruiser that killed two 6-year-old children , and the fatal shooting of a Dayton police detective .
A Dayton firefighter also killed himself , although authorities aren ’ t sure what led to the suicide .
Biehl said authorities are disappointed they ’ re still awaiting the findings of an FBI investigation into the influences and motivations of Connor Betts , the 24-year-old gunman whose sister , Megan , 22 , was among those killed .
He said more than 100 interviews have been conducted in that probe .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concluded and to be able to report to the community before Aug. 4 , ” Biehl said , saying he hopes police officials will have a pandemic-delayed meeting with federal authorities within weeks .
The FBI Cincinnati office said in a statement Monday that it is still investigating the shooting in partnership with local officials .
“ We remain engaged with our partners at the Dayton Police Department in this ongoing investigation , and will continue to do so to ensure all evidence and information connected to this case is thoroughly examined , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to know , ” said Green , whose father , Derrick Fudge , died at age 57 .
There are other frustrations unrelated to the coronavirus .
Within hours of the Dayton shooting , which came on the heels of a mass slaying of 22 people in El Paso , Texas , politicians started calling for gun ownership reforms .
But a year later , they ’ re still waiting .
“ I ’ m disappointed by just how little has changed , ” said Whaley , a Democrat .
“ I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made change happen.
” Reducing gun violence has been among the projects Green has taken on .
He helped organize a “ No More Silence End Gun Violence ” rally recently in his native Springfield , Ohio .
He ’ s formed the Fudge Foundation — Flourishing Under Distress Giving Encouragement — to provide support and connections for survivors of violence and trauma .
He also published a book “ Act of God/Act of Man ” detailing the Memorial Day 2019 tornadoes that damaged his home , followed by the Dayton shootings .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He remains in therapy ; sometimes he gets angry , sometimes , “ I just shut down , ” he said .
“ It ’ s hard to believe that it ’ s about to be a year since I ’ ve had a conversation with my father , ” Green said in an interview outside his home , a tornado-uprooted tree in view nearby .
“ You can keep replaying that scene over and over and over .
Like what if ?
What if I didn ’ t take him there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s one of the toughest battles I fight.
” On Tuesday evening , he will return to the Oregon district site .
He has bought flowers to place in honour of the victims , and will bring masks and hand sanitizer for anyone who wants to join in a socially distanced candlelight vigil .
“ For something like that that affected plenty of people , ” he said , “ it was only right that I bring people together.
” This story has been corrected to show that the name of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under Duress .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--House committees subpoena top Pompeo aides over IG firing

WASHINGTON - House Democrats have subpoenaed four top aides to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , saying that the Trump administration is stonewalling their investigation into the firing of the State Department ’ s top independent watchdog earlier this year .
Former State Department Inspector General Steve Linick appeared for a closed-door interview in the probe in June and told investigators that top department officials tried to bully him and dissuade his office from conducting a review of a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia before he was fired .
Linick also said he was looking into previously reported allegations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his wife may have misused government staff to run personal errands and several other matters .
Trump abruptly fired him late on May 15 with what Linick said was no warning or cited cause .
Democrats announced Monday that they had subpoenaed the officials because they were “ refusing to negotiate in good faith “ and talk to the committee .
“ That stonewalling has made today ’ s subpoenas necessary , and the committees will continue to pursue this investigation to uncover the truth that the American people deserve , ” according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee Chairman Eliot Engel , D-N.Y. , House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney , D-N.Y. , and the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez .
The subpoenas for closed-door depositions are for Undersecretary of State for Management Brian Bulatao , Acting State Department legal adviser Marik String , Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Michael Miller and senior adviser Toni A. Porter .
The State Department flatly rejected the Democrats ’ allegations as “ egregiously inaccurate ” but did not say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subpoenas .
“ We have provided a very clear path for every individual requested to engage with the committees , ” the department said in a statement .
“ All of the offers have been rejected , manipulated by the committees , or outright ignored .
These series of offerings are more than generous in an accommodations process and as a historical matter , rarely turned down.
“ Pompeo has rejected allegations that Linick was fired for investigating alleged impropriety and denied he was aware of any such probe into his or his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Linick was removed for not doing his job .
Linick , who had been inspector general since 2013 , said he was in a “ state of shock ” when he was fired .
He told the committees that he had opened a review of last year ’ s $ 8 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia at the request of lawmakers who claimed Pompeo had inappropriately circumvented Congress to approve the deal .
He said Bulatao and String then tried to stop him .
In the statement announcing the subpoenas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a separate State Department official , Charles Faulkner , and that interview “ raises additional questions ” about the Saudi arms sale .
Pompeo , Bulatao and others have said Linick was dismissed in part because of the alleged leak of one of his office ’ s reports into accusations of political reprisals by Trump appointees against career State Department officials .
Linick denied his office was responsible for the leak and said an investigation by the Defence Department inspector general cleared him and his office .

Mary Clare Jalonick - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Kids getting caught in crossfire as US gun violence surges

CHICAGO - July in Chicago ended as it began : Mourning the death of a child whose only mistake was venturing outside to play when someone armed with a gun came to the neighbourhood hunting for an enemy .
On Monday , two days after his department released statistics that revealed the month had been one of the deadliest in the history of the city , Police Superintendent David Brown repeated what has become a grim ritual of recounting the death of a child .
This time , the story was about Janari Ricks .
“ Nine years old , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while doing what every child in our city should able to do without a second thought ... playing with friends on a warm summer evening just outside his front door , ” said Brown .
“ Now , instead of planning for his future , Janari ’ s parents are arranging for their child ’ s funeral.
” His death underscores a surge in gun violence in the the United States that has been building all year .
In New York City , there have been 237 homicides in 2020 compared to 181 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Atlanta , the totals are lower but the surge is apparent : 76 homicides so far this year compared to 56 for the first seven months of 2019 .
Of this year ’ s total number of homicides , 23 , or nearly a third , were recorded in July alone .
It has been a similar story in Boston .
After recording 25 homicides in the first seven months of 2019 , Boston had 35 during the same period this year .
And 15 of those were during July .
Just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victims are children is difficult to say .
But every day headlines around the country tell story after story of children dying while doing nothing more than being children .
In Ohio , in little more than a week : A 14-year-old boy in Columbus died on July 25 when he was shot while riding a scooter ; An infant was killed and his twin brother wounded when someone fired shots into their home on July 22 .
And on Sunday , a 1-year-old was killed in Akron and two adults wounded when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was not immediately clear exactly how many children were homicide victims this year in Ohio , but in Columbus alone , the total stands at 13 .
In Philadelphia , a 7-year-old shot in the head over the weekend during a shootout between three men in front of his home later died of his injuries .
Police spokesman Inspector Sekou Kinebrew said Zamar Jones died Monday .
The boy was sitting on his porch Saturday when he was shot .
One of the men involved in the shooting , Christopher Linder , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempted murder and aggravated assault , and now faces murder charges , the district attorney ’ s office said .
The others involved in the shooting aren ’ t in custody .
According to Philadelphia police , the city has seen a 36 % increase in gun violence this year over last year .
The number of people murdered through Sunday was 255 , a 34 % increase over last year , and more than the annual total for 2014 , when 248 people were slain .
In the minutes after July became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there had been 105 homicides during the month compared to 44 in July 2019 , making it the deadliest month in the city since September 1992 .
Chicago had suffered 440 homicides by the end of July , compared to 290 for the same period last year .
And more and more of the victims are children .
Brown said Janari was the 38th juvenile to be fatally shot in the city this year .
In all , 19 children under the age of 10 have been shot in 2020 , five of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published Monday in the Chicago Tribune , those five homicides are more than double the tally for children under 10 shot and killed than in any other year in the last eight years .
The reasons , according to those who watch the violence , try to prevent it and have been touched by it , begin with the open gang warfare in Chicago that seems to have increased in recent years .
Brown has said there are more than 100,000 gang members who belong to the city ’ s 55 known gangs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subsets of gangs .
But recent shootings , including one outside the funeral of a gang member , underlines a terrorizing fact about the gangs : they seem more willing than ever to simply open fire in the direction of a rival without regard to anyone else .
That is what happened on the evening of July 4 when , according to prosecutors , three men in a car spotted a man they believed killed a member of their gang days before .
They climbed out of the vehicle and opened fire .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the ankle , but a nother hit 7-year-old Natalia Wallace in the forehead and killed her as she played in front of her grandmother ’ s house .
“ We shouldn ’ t have to worry about somebody pulling up to shoot ( but ) it just seems like it ’ s becoming the new normal .
A child shot dead playing in the street , just being a kid , ” said her father , Nathan Wallace .
“ She was just enjoying the 4th.
” The Rev .
Michael Pfleger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activist on the city ’ s South Side for more than 40 years , said this “ new normal ” involves a willingness to shoot whoever is near an intended target .
“ The shootings used to be targeted , but now it is spraying at porches , parks , down the street , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t think they ’ re trying to kill kids but I think their attitude is , ‘ I may not get you but I know those are your friends and family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know.
’ ” Associated Press writers Kate Brumback in Atlanta ; Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus , Ohio ; and Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Prosecutor seeking Trump’s taxes cites probe of his business

NEW YORK - A New York City prosecutor fighting to get President Donald Trump ’ s tax returns told a judge Monday he was justified in demanding them because of public reports of “ extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.
” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance , Jr. is seeking eight years of the Republican president ’ s personal and corporate tax records , but has disclosed little about what prompted him to request the records , other than part of the investigation related to payoffs to two women to keep them quiet about alleged affairs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday , attorneys for Vance , a Democrat , said the president wasn ’ t entitled to know the exact nature of the grand jury probe , which they called a “ complex financial investigation.
” They noted , though , that at the time the subpoena for the tax filings was issued to Trump ’ s accountants , “ there were public allegations of possible criminal activity ” at the president ’ s company “ dating back over a decade.
” They cited several newspaper articles , including one in which the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a practice of sending financial statements to potential business partners and banks that inflated the worth of his projects by claiming they were bigger or more potentially lucrative than they actually were .
Another article described congressional testimony by Trump ’ s former lawyer , Michael Cohen , who said the president would overstate the value of his business interests to impress people or lenders , but then deflate the value of assets when trying to reduce his taxes .
The attorneys also cited reports of past non-criminal investigations by New York regulators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amounted to bank or insurance fraud .
“ These reports describe transactions involving individual and corporate actors based in New York County , but whose conduct at times extended beyond New York ’ s borders .
This possible criminal activity occurred within the applicable statutes of limitations , particularly if the transactions involved a continuing pattern of conduct , ” the lawyers said .
Trump ’ s legal team has argued that the subpoena for his tax filings was issued in bad faith and amounted to harassment of the president .
Speaking to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ district attorney ’ s investigation another attempt by Democrats to damage him .
“ This is just a continuation of the witch hunt .
It ’ s Democrat stuff .
They failed with Mueller .
They failed with everything .
They failed with Congress .
They failed at every stage of the game .
This has been going on for three and a half , four years , “ Trump said , referring to special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s investigation of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election .
The Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s lawyers that the president could not be criminally investigated while he was in office .
Vance ’ s lawyers urged U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero to swiftly reject Trump ’ s further arguments that the subpoenas were improper , saying the baseless claims were threatening the investigation .
“ Every day that goes by is another day Plaintiff effectively achieves the ‘ temporary absolute immunity ’ that was rejected by this Court , the Court of Appeals , and the Supreme Court , “ Vance ’ s lawyers said .
Marrero has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-August .
Vance sought the tax records in part for a probe of how Cohen arranged during the 2016 presidential race to keep the porn actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal from airing claims of extramarital affairs with Trump .
Trump has denied the affairs .
Cohen is serving the last two years of a three-year prison sentence in home confinement after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations , lying to Congress and tax crimes .
He said he plans to publish a book critical of the president before the November election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s accounting firm to give his tax returns to the grand jury , they could be used in any criminal inquiry , but would not be released publicly .
Grand jury documents are secret in New York .
Associated Press Writer Zeke Miller in Washington D.C. contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Nevada to mail all voters ballots; Trump promises lawsuit

CARSON CITY , Nev. - Nevada Gov .
Steve Sisolak signed legislation Monday to mail all of the state ’ s active voters ballots ahead of the November election , a move being criticized by President Donald Trump , who promised a lawsuit to block the action .
“ This bill will enable election officials to continue to support the safest , most accessible election possible under these unprecedented circumstances , ” Sisolak , a Democrat , said in a statement .
Nevada joins seven states that plan to automatically send voters mail ballots amid the coronavirus pandemic , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this summer to adopt automatic mail ballot policies .
The plan drew criticism from Trump after making its way through the Legislature over the weekend .
The president has long claimed that mail ballots would compromise the integrity of the election , but the consensus among experts is that all forms of voter fraud are rare .
At a Monday press conference , Trump said that he planned to file a lawsuit against Nevada as early as Tuesday .
He called universal mail ballots a disgrace and said they would be a great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took aim at a provision that expands who can collect and return ballots , which he said enabled individuals to “ take thousands of ballots , put them together and just dump them down on somebody ’ s desk after a certain period of time.
” He also targeted the provision that allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted up to a week later could create a circumstance where the race couldn ’ t be called in a timely manner .
“ You ’ ll never know who won that state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Majority Leader Harry Reid applauded the lawmakers ’ decision and called Trump ’ s opposition desperate .
“ He ’ s lying about our state leaders and threatening a bogus lawsuit simply because Democrats made it easier for people to vote , “ Reid said in a statement .
Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske told lawmakers Friday that she wasn ’ t aware of any fraud in the June primary , when the state mailed all active voters absentee ballots and only opened a limited number of polling places to prevent the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Reno and Las Vegas resulted in lines of up to eight hours .
In the June primary , all counties had one polling place except for Clark County , which had three in the Las Vegas area .
The bill requires at least 140 polling places throughout the state in November , including 100 in Clark County , which had 179 in the November 2018 election .
Christine Saunders of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada said the long waits in the June primary demonstrated why the state needs both mail and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should have to choose between their health and voting , ” she said .
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued election guidance to provide a variety of voting options and limit crowds at polling places .
In states such as Colorado and Oregon , which have mailed all voters ballots for years , the procedure is cheaper than holding an in-person election , officials said .
But Cegavske said the equipment , education , printing and postage would cost the state an additional $ 3 million , not including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tabulate ballots .
Nevada spent more than $ 4 million in federal relief money in the June primary , most of it funneled to counties .
More than $ 1 million went toward leasing counting and sorting machines to accommodate a greater number of absentee ballots .
Cegavske , the state ’ s top election official and only Republican to hold statewide office , opposed the revised procedures .
She blasted the Democratic-controlled Legislature for excluding her from discussions and said she saw a draft of the bill only a day before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We were not involved in this bill ’ s writing at all , ” she said Friday .
The bill gives the governor the power to command the secretary of state to adjust election procedures during a declared state of emergency .
It passed on a party-line vote through both the state Senate and Assembly , with Democrats in favour and Republicans opposed .
Republicans were particularly distressed with provisions that expand who is allowed to collect and hand in ballots .
They and Trump say it enables a practice detractors call “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working for political groups collect and turn in large quantities of ballots to tip the scales in elections .
Democrats argued allowing people other than family members to return ballots would help groups like members of Nevada ’ s 32 Native American tribes , who have historically faced difficulty voting and live far form polling places , and seniors who may need assistance with voting and fear venturing to the polls .
For the June primary , all voters were mailed ballots and 1.6 % voted in-person on election day , a tiny @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state who voted in-person in the November 2018 election .
Sam Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative .
Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in newsrooms to report on under-covered issues .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Ex-UCLA gynecologist pleads not guilty to new sex charges

LOS ANGELES - A former gynecologist who worked for the University of California , Los Angeles pleaded not guilty Monday @ @ @ @ @ .
James Heaps , who had previously been charged with assaulting two patients , entered @ @ @ @ @ a total of 20 felony counts , according to a statement from the Los Angeles @ @ @ @ @ office .
Heaps , 63 , was taken into custody and held on $ 650,000 @ @ @ @ @ a potential sentence of more than 67 years in prison .
Heaps worked at UCLA @ @ @ @ @ and UCLA Medical Center .
He is accused of sexually assaulting patients between 2011 and @ @ @ @ @ 2018 when the university declined to renew his contract .
Heaps also has been sued @ @ @ @ @ he improperly groped or fondled them during examinations .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America to reopen Aug. 10

BLOOMINGTON , Minn. - The Mall of America said Monday the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park inside the mall will reopen @ @ @ @ @ nearly five months due to COVID-19 .
Officials of the Bloomington , Minnesota , mall @ @ @ @ @ ) theme park will reopen with significant changes aimed at maintaining a safe , healthy @ @ @ @ @ meet state guidelines , Nickelodeon Universe will operate with a reduced capacity of 250 visitors @ @ @ @ @ will be allowed through a single entry point .
Only guests who have bought a @ @ @ @ @ walk through the park .
Tickets will be limited to two hours .
Guests 3 @ @ @ @ @ required to wear face masks at all times , including for the duration of each @ @ @ @ @ under and people with special medical conditions are exempt .
Guests may remove their face @ @ @ @ @ .
Guests also must sanitize their hands before entering each attraction .
Sanitizing stations have @ @ @ @ @ and exit of each attraction .


thetorontostar--2020-08-03--Trump fires TVA chair, cites hiring of foreign workers

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Monday that he had fired the chair of the Tennessee Valley Authority , criticizing the federally owned corporation for hiring foreign workers .
Trump told reporters at the White House that he was formally removing chair Skip Thompson and another member of the board , and he threatened to remove other board members if they continued to hire foreign labour .
Thompson was appointed to the post by Trump .
The TVA was created in 1933 to provide flood control , electricity generation , fertilizer manufacturing and economic development to the Tennessee Valley , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Great Depression .
The region covers most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama , Mississippi and Kentucky as well as small sections of Georgia , North Carolina and Virginia .
Trump also urged the TVA board to immediately hire a new chief executive officer who “ puts the interests of Americans first.
“ According to the president , the current CEO , Jeff Lyash , earned $ 8 million a year .
“ The new CEO must be paid no more than $ 500,000 a year , ” said Trump , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We want the TVA to take action on this immediately .
... Let this serve as a warning to any federally appointed board : If you betray American workers , you will hear two words : ‘ You ’ re fired.
’ ” Trump said the authority was replacing many of its in-house technology workers with contractors who rely heavily on foreign workers under the H1-B visa program for highly skilled workers .
“ All TVA employees are U.S. based citizens , ” said authority public information officer Jim Hopson .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Information Technology department must be performed in the U.S. by individuals who may legally work in this country.
” “ As a federal corporation , TVA ’ s Board members serve at the pleasure of the President , ” Hopson added .
As Trump was meeting with workers who would shortly be laid off by the authority , he was passed a note from chief of staff Mark Meadows that said Lyash had called the White House and was promising to address the labour concerns .
Some of the attendees , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the end of the month , teared up as Trump read the message .
Trump acknowledged that he was made aware of the issue after seeing a television ad that aired in prime time on Fox News and was produced by U.S. Tech Workers , a non-profit that wants to limit visas given to foreign technology workers .
The group , led by Kevin Lynn , criticized the TVA for furloughing its own workers and replacing them with contractors using foreign workers with H-1B visas .
The ad , Lynn said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ aiming to persuade Trump to stop the TVA from outsourcing much of its information technology division .
Trump made the announcement as he signed an executive order to require all federal agencies to complete an internal audit to prove they are not replacing qualified American workers with people from other countries .
The White House said the order will help prevent federal agencies from unfairly replacing American workers with lower cost foreign labour .
The order followed the TVA ’ s announcement that it would outsource 20 % of its technology jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TVA ’ s action could cause more than 200 highly skilled American tech workers in Tennessee to lose their jobs to foreign workers hired on temporary work visas , according to the White House .
Sen. Lamar Alexander , R-Tenn. , said the TVA doesn ’ t get any taxpayer money and defended the CEO ’ s salary , saying it is in the bottom fourth of what his counterparts earn at other big utilities .
“ TVA may have shown poor judgment hiring foreign companies during a pandemic , but , on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good job of producing large amounts of low-cost , reliable electricity .
Residential electric rates are among the 25 per cent lowest in the country , and industrial rates are among the lowest 10 per cent , ” Alexander said in a statement .
“ TVA ’ s debt is the lowest in 30 years , its pension fund is stronger and TVA leads the country in new nuclear power plants .
”