thetorontostar--2020-08-12--As Hong Kongers seek to emigrate, some simply can’t leave

HONG KONG - Pamela Lam ’ s 6-year-old son fell in love with the Hong Kong protest anthem , “ Glory to Hong Kong , ” the first time he heard it , and he loves singing it , at home , in the shower , and sometimes on the streets .
A sweeping new national security law , though , has made singing it in public risky .
As China ’ s Communist leaders tighten controls that many believe are stripping semi-autonomous Hong Kong of its freedoms , some families are considering leaving the former British colony , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After Britain said in May that it would allow holders of British National ( Overseas ) passports extended stays and a path to citizenship , thousands of Hong Kongers rushed to renew or apply for them .
That may be an option for relatively affluent Hong Kongers , who often have been educated overseas and hold multiple passports , but it is not for most of the territory ’ s 7 million residents .
One in five Hong Kong families scrapes by below the poverty line in a city with one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whom are tycoons who carved out lucrative niches in manufacturing , trade , property development and finance .
“ I ’ ve thought about moving to Australia , or the U.K. , but we don ’ t have the financial ability to do it now , ” said Lam , who has a BNO passport .
“ We don ’ t have to worry about putting food on the table or the clothes on our backs , but there isn ’ t much room for more , “ said Lam , a freelance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is about $ 4,300 .
Most people in most countries either can not or would not consider moving away to escape their governments .
But many living in Hong Kong chose to escape the communist mainland or descend from people who did .
Lam ’ s parents fled from China in the 1970s , seeking a better life free from political chaos and poverty .
She joined peaceful mass protests last year and is among many younger Hong Kong residents who grew up counting on the enclave ’ s freedoms and hoping for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promised Hong Kong 50 years of a “ one-country , two-systems ” arrangement granting the city its own customs territory and legal system after the 1997 handover .
They are underpinned by western-style civil liberties , such as the right to public dissent , that are rarely allowed on the Chinese mainland .
Even moving to nearby Taiwan , a self-governed island democracy that China claims as its own territory , would be a stretch financially , Lam says .
In early July , Taiwan opened an office to help Hong Kongers interested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business to move to the island .
The office said it had received over 1,000 inquiries as of July 27 , mostly related to emigration .
For many families , it ’ s a “ very tough life ” in Hong Kong , especially if they have mortgages to pay off , said Paul Yip , a professor at the University of Hong Kong ’ s department of social work .
He puts the number of Hong Kongers enjoying a Western-style middle class life and likely able to afford emigration at about 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s unclear how many in Hong Kong might be considering moving .
Hong Kong police say the number of people requesting a certificate of no convictions — often required to apply for visas — jumped 53 % between 2014 , the year an earlier round of protests called the Umbrella Revolution took place , and 2019 .
As of December 2019 , the number of people holding valid BNO passports was 314,779 , according to the U.K. , more than double four years earlier .
Those who qualify can apply for visas enabling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live and work in the U.K. and eventually apply for citizenship , the British government says .
However , they must show they have the means to support themselves in the U.K. for six months , and will not be entitled to public support .
As a freewheeling capitalist enclave , Hong Kong ’ s population includes nearly 732,000 expatriates in the territory .
Globetrotting bankers and other executives tend to arrive with a promise of tickets onward or back home already paid for .
The more than 400,000 migrant workers who work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to families in the Philippines and Indonesia also usually have contracts providing them passage home .
But saving up enough to pack up and build a new life elsewhere may be nearly impossible for most living in a city where buying an apartment costs an average of nearly $ 32,000 per square meter and the median monthly wage is 18,200 Hong Kong dollars ( $ 2,348 ) .
It would cost between 10,000-15,000 pounds ( $ 13,000- $ 19,000 ) for a family of three to relocate to Britain , including visas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rent an apartment , said Evgeny Pavlov , managing director for Mann ’ s Solutions , an immigration law firm based in Britain .
Relocation inquiries to Pavlov ’ s firm have grown by five to six times in the past two months .
Most were from young professionals , entrepreneurs or investors , he said .
The increase coincided with the enactment of the security law , imposed by Beijing after the mass protests that began last year , triggered by proposed extradition legislation that could have resulted in Hong Kong people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The bill eventually was withdrawn after demonstrations escalated with demands for more democracy and government accountability , sometimes turning violent .
May Cheung , a divorcee in her 50s with two grown children , also dreams of moving away , to Taiwan .
But since she earns just over 10,000 Hong Kong dollars ( $ 1,280 ) a month working at a church , barely enough to get by , she is resigned to staying , but not to giving up on rights she cherishes .
She joined thousand of others in July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and says she intends to keep demonstrating .
“ What I know about this national security law is that it makes a totalitarian government even more totalitarian , ” she said .
“ There is no freedom , you can see for yourself — even speech is restricted.
” The government says the security law targets only a small number of people who engage in secessionist and subversive behaviour .
But it has arrested scores of people .
It also criminalized the popular protest slogan “ Liberate Hong Kong , revolution of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the protest anthem .
The education bureau has banned the song .
Lam worries that pro-democracy speech , and even her son ’ s singing of the song he likes so much he learned to say it in sign language , might be considered subversive and punished .
She says she plans to educate her son about the issues they face .
“ I believe that thought is free , ” Lam said .
“ He may just be a child , but he has a sense of right from wrong.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cut ourselves off , or self-censor .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Biden raises $26M in 24 hours after VP announcement

WILMINGTON , Del .
- Joe Biden raised $ 26 million in the 24 hours after he named Kamala Harris as his running mate , doubling his previous one-day record and signalling enthusiasm among Democrats following the selection of the first Black woman on a major party ’ s presidential ticket .
“ It ’ s really palpable , the excitement , ” Biden said Wednesday .
The campaign hopes the haul is the beginning of a prolific fundraising push in the final stretch before Election Day .
Democrats are close to matching , if not surpassing , the massive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump and Republicans reported in July .
Harris is expected to play a key role in that effort .
She joined Biden in Delaware on Wednesday for their first fundraiser together as running mates , where she talked to grassroots donors about how her parents ’ activism inspired her interest in politics .
“ This is a campaign that really fuels my hope because it is about knowing that this is fighting for something and not against something and it ’ s fighting for the best we are as a nation , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting for the best of who we can be.
” With large in-person events out of the question due to the pandemic , the campaign has an aggressive schedule of online fundraisers planned for Harris .
That could play to one of her political strengths and offset an area where Biden has sometimes struggled .
Harris already has a robust network of donors in her native California , a state that has long been referred to as the ATM of the Democratic Party .
She can rake in cash from Wall Street .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asian descent , has the potential to bring new money into the Democratic fold due to the historic nature of her candidacy .
“ To have someone on the ticket whose mother is from the south of India is a dream come true , ” said Swadesh Chatterjee , a businessman from North Carolina who also raises money for political candidates .
“ You will see more fundraising from the Indian American community.
” Lisa Hernandez Gioia , who was a deputy finance director for Hillary Clinton ’ s 2016 campaign , called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ Donors already have an eagerness , ” she said .
“ She adds the star power that will be like an afternoon shot of espresso to the campaign ’ s fundraising.
” Before it was clear he would win the Democratic nomination , Biden was never a particularly successful fundraiser .
As a longtime senator from Delaware , a small , solidly blue state , he never had to cultivate a national network of donors .
And party fundraisers have long grumbled that he lacked the same touch with donors that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line .
Biden ’ s campaign was virtually broke the time he won the South Carolina primary , which revived his prospects and powered his way to the Democratic nomination .
And while his clinching of the nomination has led to a flood of campaign contributions , some believe Harris can juice totals even higher .
Yet Harris , who dropped out of the Democratic primary last year , has had her own struggles with fundraising .
She launched her presidential bid in early 2019 and raised $ 15.5 million by mid-March , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the race .
But her campaign hemorrhaged money .
And while she wowed well-heeled donors , she struggled to develop a competitive base of grassroots contributors who chip in small amounts online , a phenomenon that fueled the fundraising success of rivals Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren .
But there are also big differences between a primary and the general election , where agreements struck between the nominee and the party enable massive checks to be raised from individual donors .
Already there are signs that suggest Harris is seeing some success @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s online fundraising arm , reported taking in almost $ 11 million in the hours after the Harris announcement .
And Biden aides later said the flood of money generated by the Harris announcement broke the online fundraising platform ’ s all-time one-day record for a campaign .
“ The primary campaign folding early was not indicative of a lack of fundraising ability , ” said Bakari Sellers , a CNN commentator and prominent Harris supporter from South Carolina .
“ Kamala is going to raise money and it ’ s going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be raised.
” The connections Harris makes fundraising now will serve her well in the future .
At 55 , she has years left in her political career .
That could give her a leg up on the competition in 2024 or later .
Steve Westly , a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who has known Harris for over 20 years , said her dynamic presence serves her well the staid world of political fundraising .
“ She ’ s animated , she ’ s smart and she ’ s lively .
And this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cautious , older Caucasian men , ” said Westly .
“ She is going to do very well .
”

Brian Slodysko And Will Weissert - The Associated Press

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thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Complaints as medical waste piles up outside Mexico hospital

MEXICO CITY - Residents of Mexico ’ s Gulf coast state of Veracruz have complained after photos showed mountains of bagged hospital waste piling up in a patio outside a government hospital .
The 10-foot ( 3-meter ) tall garbage pile outside the Adolfo Ruiz Cortines hospital has apparently been growing for a couple of weeks , according to hospital employees and residents of the state capital , also known as Veracruz .
The hospital treats patients with COVID-19 , raising fears of a spread of infection .
However , the Mexican Social Security Institute , which runs the hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the waste was not infectious or biological .
It said the hospital was trying to hire a contractor to remove the garbage .
Improper disposal of medical waste has become an increasing problem in Mexico amid the pandemic .
In May , authorities found 3.5 tons of hospital waste dumped in the woods on the outskirts of Mexico City and 6,000 cubic yards ( meters ) of medical waste piled ceiling-high at a clandestine warehouse in Puebla state , leaking out of over-crammed trailers and buildings .
Teetering piles of coffins , meanwhile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s overworked crematoriums .
In the town of Nicolás Romero , in a wooded area on the outskirts of Mexico City , someone had been dumping tons of medical waste on a hillside starting sometime around mid-April .
By the time inspectors came to clean up the area between May 4 and 11 , they found 3.5 tons of the stuff , including tissue and partly incinerated human tissue scattered around the area .
Specialized waste incinerators are already over-taxed by the flood of disposed protective equipment and infectious tissue being generated @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Family wants fatal officer-involved shooting case reopened

JUNEAU , Alaska - The parents of a man who died after being shot by a Juneau police officer want the state to reopen its review of the case , citing evidence one of their attorneys says indicates the officer was “ formulating ” a plan to shoot Kelly Stephens .
Attorneys for Stephens ’ parents , during an online news conference Wednesday , offered video footage they said was released to them through a records request .
They contend audio from Officer James Esbenshade ’ s body camera , which they had enhanced and transcribed over the video , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as , “ If you came at me with that , I ’ d shoot you .
Drop you dead .
You can ’ t do that.
“ The police report they cited contained similar language .
Stephens had been accused of threatening a grocery store patron and swinging a long chain before the fatal shooting .
Attorney Ben Crittenden said the comments they are seeking to draw attention to came after the officer responded to the incident at the store to take a witness report late on Dec. 28 .
The shooting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Dec. 29 .
Crittenden cited the materials in a letter to the state Department of Law ’ s Office of Special Prosecutions asking that its earlier conclusion — that the shooting was legally justified — be re-evaluated .
The video the family ’ s attorneys cited was not among the videos and photos the Juneau Police Department publicly released last month , after Stephens ’ parents , Kevin and Virginia Stephens , filed a civil lawsuit .
Jack McKenna , a chief assistant attorney general with the Office of Special Prosecutions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ legally justified in his use of deadly force in order to defend himself from the threat of serious physical injury posed by Mr. Stephens.
” McKenna in his findings said the state would not bring criminal charges against Esbenshade .
McKenna said he had reviewed the results of the Juneau Police Department ’ s investigation and materials including video and audio recordings and witness statements .
His report said Esbenshade , through his attorney , declined to be interviewed about the shooting .
Maria Bahr , a Department of Law spokesperson , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news conference was provided to the Office of Special Prosecutions “ as part of the initial investigation materials by the Juneau Police Department .
The Department of Law is reviewing the material in light of the family ’ s request and will respond by early next week.
” A message seeking comment was left for an attorney who represented Esbenshade .
According to McKenna ’ s report , Esbenshade responded after police received a call of a shot fired around 12:30 a.m. Dec. 29 , with the caller saying someone was trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said a man later identified as Stephens yelled expletives at Esbenshade and told the officer , “ I will kill you , ” as Esbenshade backed up .
The report said Esbenshade had ordered Stephens to stop and said Esbenshade was retreating when he raised his gun .
The report cited footage that McKenna said showed Stephens walking toward where Esbenshade was and swinging a leash and chain .
Steven Glickman , another attorney for Stephens ’ parents , said they worked with a company to make the audio louder and added transcription @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released Wednesday .
A portion of the police report highlighted and released by the attorneys references Esbenshade driving around after conducting a witness interview following the grocery store incident and talking to himself , “ something similar to : ‘ you can ’ t come at me with that , that is a deadly weapon .
I ’ d shoot you and drop you dead.
’ “ He later stated , “ you get one chance , you better make it good .
Because when I get ahold of you ...
There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” according to the police report the attorneys shared .
Crittenden , in his letter to McKenna , said the police report “ describes in bone-chilling detail Officer Esbenshade talking to himself and formulating his premediated ( sic ) plan to shoot Kelly if he found him.
” A Juneau police spokesperson referred questions to the city attorney , Robert Palmer III , citing the litigation .
Palmer and attorneys for Stephens ’ parents noted the city has yet to be served with the civil lawsuit .
Palmer said attorneys “ are prohibited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuits in the media , with rare exceptions .
So read into that as you will.
“ He declined to elaborate .
Crittenden said Palmer ’ s office “ warned us not to go forward with this press conference because they believed we would be in violation of ethical rules.
“ Crittenden said his side was “ fully within our right ” to hold the press availability .


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--The Latest: Virus cases slow in China, but up in Hong Kong

BEIJING — New locally transmitted cases of the coronavirus reported in China have fallen into the single digits , but Hong Kong is seeing another rise in hospitalizations and deaths .
China ’ s National Health Commission said Thursday that eight new cases were registered in the last 24 hours in the northwestern region of Xinjiang , whose main city of Urumqi has enacted lockdown measures and travel restrictions to control China ’ s latest outbreak .
An additional 11 cases were brought by Chinese returning from overseas .
Hong Kong , meanwhile , has 62 new cases , up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an additional five deaths .
The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city has required masks be worn in all public settings and limited indoor dining among other measures to curb a new outbreak .
HERE ’ S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK : — Science and politics tied up in global race for a vaccine — A top official at the Federal Reserve criticized the decision by many states to reopen businesses this spring before getting the virus fully under control , saying those choices have hindered an economic recovery in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participating Milan fashion houses are preparing to present in-person previews for Spring-Summer 2021 .
Fashion houses next month will have social distancing and mask requirements .
HERE ’ S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING : SEOUL , South Korea -- South Korea has reported 56 newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus as new infection clusters continue to pop up across major cities .
The figures announced by South Korea ’ s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday brought the national caseload to 14,770 infections , including 305 deaths .
Forty-three of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ populated Seoul metropolitan area , where health authorities have struggled to stem transmissions at churches , nursery homes , schools and shopping venues .
Two of the new cases came from the southern port of Busan , the country ’ s second-largest city that has reported infections at schools and foreign cargo ship workers .
UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that the cordonavirus pandemic not only threatens gains in fighting global poverty and building peace but risks exacerbating existing conflicts and generating new ones .
The U.N. chief told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 23 call for an immediate cease-fire in conflicts around the world to tackle the virus led a number of warring parties to de-escalate or stop fighting .
But , he added , “ regrettably , in many instances , the pandemic did not move the parties to suspend hostilities or agree to a permanent ceasefire.
” Guterres predecessor as secretary-general , Ban Ki-moon , told the council it is astonishing that the world has locked down billions of people , closed borders and suspended trade , but has failed to put conflicts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — Montana Gov .
Steve Bullock says his state will begin paying the extra $ 400 in weekly unemployment benefits that President Donald Trump announced in an executive order over the weekend weekend .
A $ 600 federal payment expired in late July , and Congress has not allocated the money for the additional payments , so it may take weeks for the federal government to provide guidance .
But Bullock said Wednesday that Montana will use some of its $ 1.25 billion in coronavirus relief money to begin providing the additional payments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SANTA FE , N.M. -- The school year is underway at some of New Mexico ’ s largest public school districts as teachers , students and parents deal with remote learning amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Albuquerque Public Schools started Wednesday as schools in the district have been distributing technology to students , making virtual home visits , and providing guidance to staff , students and families .
The Las Cruces district outlined its protocols for instruction , technology and nutrition services for an all-online start Wednesday .
Whether New Mexico students return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will depend on the pace of the pandemic in the state .
The state reported an additional 180 COVID-19 cases and two deaths Wednesday .
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is repeating his call to reopen the nation ’ s schools , and he again pressed Congress to steer future coronavirus funding away from schools that do not reopen this fall .
Trump made the remarks Wednesday at a White House discussion with parents , teachers and doctors who said they support a full return to the classroom .
Also joining Trump were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pence , who said the health risks tied to keeping children at home are greater than those associated with the coronavirus .
Most of the nation ’ s largest school districts are planning to start the year with remote instruction as virus cases continue to rise .
As Congress negotiates a new round of virus relief , Trump has said school funding should go to parents if their local schools do not reopen for in-person instruction .
He said Wednesday that he wants money to follow students , while Democrats want it to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proponent of school choice , added her support for Trump ’ s proposal .
She says families need “ options that are going to work for their child and their child ’ s education.
” ROME — Italy is requiring coronavirus tests for people arriving from Croatia , Malta , Spain and Greece after a spate of new infections were registered in Italians returning home from vacation .
A health ministry ordinance approved Wednesday says travellers arriving from those four countries must show proof of a negative test in the past 72 hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or go to the local Italian health service to be tested within two days .
The ordinance also adds Colombia to Italy ’ s blacklist : Visitors who have been to Colombia in the past 14 days are barred outright , as are visitors from around a dozen other countries .
Italy was the onetime epicenter of the European outbreak and is still seeing between 300-500 new cases a day .
CHARLESTON , W.Va. — West Virginia Gov .
Jim Justice has halted nursing home visits as both confirmed cases and deaths from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice said at a news conference Wednesday that there are virus outbreaks currently at 28 nursing homes statewide .
Justice stopped nursing home visits in March and let them resume in mid-June .
But the number of virus-related deaths in West Virginia has jumped 23 % since Friday , pushing the total for the pandemic to at least 153 .
Multiple deaths have been reported this month at the Princeton Health Care Center nursing home in Mercer County .
Statistics show 26 of the 29 deaths reported statewide since Friday have involved people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is seeking to reassure voters that nothing — including the coronavirus and skepticism about mail-in voting that ’ s been stoked by President Donald Trump — will stop the election and that it will be safe and secure .
The Republican issued on Wednesday a 48-point voting safety plan based on CDC guidelines to Ohio ’ s 88 county election boards that strongly recommends , but does not mandate , mask-wearing on Election Day .
He characterized the failure to wear a mask as rude and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” but said that his protocol makes accommodations to all voters .
Those in-person voters who choose not to wear a face covering will be given options , including voting outside or using the curbside option , but they will not be stopped from voting inside if that ’ s their choice .
LaRose said requiring masks to be worn would step on people ’ s right to vote and place an unfair enforcement burden on poll workers .
ATLANTA — Georgia ’ s largest school district struggled Wednesday to launch online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents complaining students couldn ’ t log in to Gwinnett County ’ s system .
Meanwhile , Cherokee County has quarantined 1,156 students after trying in-school learning , adding about 330 students to yesterday ’ s total .
They are home because of possible coronavirus exposure since classes resumed last week .
About 70 students and staff members in the 40,000-student Cherokee County district have tested positive for the coronavirus , according to data posted Wednesday on the district ’ s website .
It ’ s unclear whether any were infected at school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi and the Mississippi Center for Justice filed a lawsuit over concerns about the state ’ s absentee voting law .
They filed suit against Secretary of State Michael Watson , who is the state ’ s top elections officer , and against circuit clerks in Hinds and Rankin counties .
The lawsuit asks a judge to issue a statewide declaration to allow absentee voting by people with health conditions that could put them in extra danger because of the virus .
Mississippi only allows absentee voting for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have had cancer or have other conditions , including lupus and asthma .
The groups say the law is confusing and could be applied inconsistently during the coronavirus pandemic .
Legislators made a change that allows absentee voting by people quarantined with COVID-19 or caring for someone with the virus .
The lawsuit says election officials could interpret the law differently in different places .
ATHENS , Greece — Health authorities in Greece have announced 262 new coronavirus infections , the highest daily number since the outbreak began .
Two more deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toll to 216 .
The total number of confirmed cases is 6,177 .
Greece imposed an early lockdown that kept the number of infections and deaths low .
But there ’ s been significant increase in the number of confirmed cases since restrictions were lifted and the country reopened to international visitors .
Authorities have imposed new restrictions in some areas , including ordering bars , restaurants and cafes in some of the country ’ s top tourist spots to shut between midnight and 7 a.m. BRASILIA , Brasil — The grandmother of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after more than a month fighting COVID-19 in a public hospital on the outskirts of Brasilia .
Maria Aparecida Firmo Ferreira , 80 , was the grandmother of Michelle Bolsonaro , who is married to Brazil ’ s President Jair Bolsonaro .
She had been hospitalized since July 1 , having tested positive for the coronavirus .
The health secretariat of Brazil ’ s federal district confirmed her death .
President Bolsonaro and Michelle Bolsonaro were diagnosed with COVID-19 last month .
The president , who has recovered , has consistently downplayed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 3.1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 103,000 deaths , ranking second highest in the world .


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Police: Rental truck rear-ends school bus, 1 dead, 8 injured

ALMA , Ga. - A box truck crashed into the back of a school bus Wednesday afternoon that was stopped to unload students in rural Georgia , leaving the truck ’ s driver dead and at least eight students injured , authorities told local news outlets .
According to the Georgia State Patrol , the bus had stopped in the outside lane of highway U.S. 1 in Alma about 4 p.m. when the rental truck struck the back of the bus .
At least two helicopters were called to airlift injured students to area hospitals , Bacon County Emergency Management @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He said at least eight students were injured and taken to hospitals .
The condition of those students wasn ’ t immediately known later Wednesday , Trooper Shane Copeland of the Georgia State Patrol said both drivers were initially able to help students out of the bus , but the truck driver later collapsed and died .
The driver ’ s name was not immediately released , nor the name of the bus driver .
“ Terrible news out of Alma , “ Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp tweeted Wednesday night after being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his family was praying for the students involved and the family of the deceased driver .
A photograph published online by WSAV showed the yellow school bus with its back end and rear exit door caved in .
The back bumper appeared badly mangled .
Alma is a community in southeastern Georgia , located about 70 miles ( 110 kilometres ) west of the state ’ s Atlantic coast .
Phone messages and emails to the Georgia State Patrol seeking further details Wednesday evening weren ’ t immediately returned .


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Native American man seeks further delay of federal execution

FLAGSTAFF , Ariz. - Attorneys for the only Native American on federal death row are asking a judge to delay his upcoming execution while they argue that the procedures should be consistent with Arizona law .
Lezmond Mitchell , who is Navajo , is set to be put to death on Aug. 26 at the federal prison in Indiana where he ’ s being held .
He ’ s among the first inmates whose executions were scheduled after the U.S. Justice Department said last year that it would resume carrying out capital punishment for the first time since 2003 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard arguments on the request for a delay Wednesday and said he would make a decision quickly .
The 9th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals had spared Mitchell from execution temporarily while he sought to interview jurors about potential racial bias in his case .
The appeals court ruled against him , and the stay of execution is expected to expire next week .
Mitchell ’ s attorneys have said they ’ ll seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court .
They ’ ve also filed a petition for clemency based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the death penalty .
Mitchell was sentenced to death after being convicted of carjacking resulting in death , a crime that carries the possibility of capital punishment no matter where it happens .
He fatally stabbed Alyce Slim , 63 , and forced her 9-year-old granddaughter to sit beside her grandmother ’ s lifeless body as he drove about 40 miles ( 64 kilometres ) before he slit the girl ’ s throat .
Their beheaded , mutilated bodies were found in a shallow grave on the Arizona portion of the Navajo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of Mitchell ’ s federal public defenders , argued Wednesday that the Federal Bureau of Prisons is required to carry out the execution in the same way Arizona would .
He said Mitchell would be better protected from potential mishap under Arizona provisions , citing differences in qualifications for administering lethal injections , disclosure of drugs , access to counsel and the number of witnesses .
“ If anyone in Arizona would be entitled to these protections , Mr. Mitchell has to be as well , “ he said .
The U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ untimely , unpersuasive and unjustified .
Justice attorney William Voit said Mitchell ’ s attorneys knew since last July that the federal protocol would be used and didn ’ t raise the issue until after a federal appeals court in the District of Columbia recently ruled in a similar case .
He accused Aminoff of manufacturing conflicts between Arizona and federal provisions .
“ In the 230-year history of the federal death penalty , the federal government has never been obligated to comply with the minute details of state execution protocols , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal execution has ever been carried out under a court order to follow such granular state procedures , ” Voit wrote in court documents .
In a separate case , the D.C .
Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way for the executions of other federal death row inmates this year by overturning a lower court decision that said the federal government ’ s protocol for carrying out the death sentences was inconsistent with a 1994 federal law .
Robert Dunham , executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center , said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to review that case left the matter open to interpretation .
“ What ’ s left is a decision that doesn ’ t provide any guidance and a virtual guarantee of continuing litigation in each of these cases , “ he said .
” That ’ s what ’ s come to pass here .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Mexico judge holds gang leader for trial for fuel theft

MEXICO CITY - A Mexican court has ordered the leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima gang held over for trial on organized crime charges .
José Antonio Yépez Ortiz will be held in prison for at least two months at a maximum security prison just west of Mexico City until further hearings are held .
The Attorney General ’ s Office said Wednesday that Yépez Ortiz participated in a criminal organization that stole fuel from government pipelines or refineries .
He was arrested in early August after years in which his gang spread violence through the north-central state of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battle with the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel .
Yépez Ortiz is better known by his nickname “ El Marro , ” which means “ The Sledgehammer.
” Yépez Ortiz was unusual among gang leaders because he posted videos with emotional calls to his followers , including one in June showing him appearing to cry after several of his supporters and relatives were arrested .
In another video around the same time , he threatened to join forces with the Sinaloa cartel to defeat Jalisco New Generation , Mexico ’ s fastest-rising cartel @


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Florida sheriff bans masks for deputies with some exceptions

ST. PETERSBURG , Fla. - A central Florida sheriff says his deputies won ’ t be allowed to wear face masks except under some conditions , and neither will visitors to the sheriff ’ s office .
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said in an email to staff that he had weighed both sides of the issue amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic .
“ Now , I can already hear the whining and just so you know I did not make this decision easily and I have weighed it out for the past 2 weeks , ” Woods said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added , “ We can debate and argue all day of why and why not .
The fact is , the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should , I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldn ’ t. ” In July , the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked Americans to wear masks against the virus .
“ There is increasing evidence that cloth face coverings help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida reported 213 new coronavirus deaths .
That brought its overall fatality total to 8,898 and its average daily deaths over the past week to 164 .
That ’ s down from the state ’ s peak rate of daily deaths of 185 a week ago .
The peak rate for New York — a state of comparable population — was more than 760 in mid-April .
Also Wednesday , there were more than 8,100 new infections reported in Florida , for a total of 550,000 known cases in the state since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people treated in Florida hospitals for the virus continued a three-week downward trend , standing at 6,538 by late morning Wednesday — down from highs of more than 9,500 .
Woods , the Marion County sheriff , said exceptions to his mask prohibition will be made for deputies at jails , schools , courthouses , hospitals , nursing homes and when dealing with someone who is elderly or has COVID-19 .
In these situations , the mask should be removed when giving orders or commands to comply , the sheriff said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks won ’ t be allowed so that visitors can be easily identified and there is clear communication , the sheriff said .
The sheriff ’ s decision came as the county ’ s largest city , Ocala , about 80 miles ( 130 kilometres ) northwest of Orlando , was debating implementing a face mask mandate .
The Ocala City Council passed an emergency ordinance last week requiring facial coverings inside businesses , but the mayor vetoed it .
The council is considering a possible override of the veto .
Also Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopened for in-person learning , one class at SeaWind Elementary School was sent home after a student exhibited symptoms commonly associated with COVID-19 , Treasure Coast Newspapers reported .
The nine students who were in the classroom will be required to quarantine for 14 days , district spokesperson Jennifer DeShazo told the newspaper .
Other students who were already enrolled in remote learning will continue doing so .
Meanwhile in South Florida , a Miami Beach spokeswoman said the city has issued 288 violations citywide for lack of facial coverings since July 23 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the $ 50 fine and the civil citation can not be appealed , spokeswoman Melissa Berthier said .
___

Tamara Lush And Mike Schneider - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Mexico sells only 1/3 of presidential jet lottery tickets

MEXICO CITY - Mexico has sold only about one-third of the lottery tickets in a symbolic raffle for the presidential jet , with just a little over a month to go before the Sept. 15 drawing .
The 6 million $ 25 tickets don ’ t carry a stake in the plane ; instead , each of the 100 winners will collect prizes of about $ 1 million each .
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador urged Mexicans to buy tickets , noting Wednesday “ there ’ s not much time left.
” The lottery was originally intended to raise money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sales slowed by the coronavirus pandemic , President Andrés Manuel López Obrador now says the unsold tickets will simply be donated to the government agency that runs public hospitals , which would keep the money from any winning tickets .
López Obrador has been trying for over a year to sell the Boeing Dreamliner purchased by a previous president for about $ 200 million .
The president , who only flies commercial as one measure in his austerity government , said the Boeing Dreamliner symbolizes the luxury and excesses of previous administrations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ plane itself , but hit on the symbolic lottery after many Mexicans wondered what they would do with the huge plane if they won it .


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--These microbes may have survived 100 million years beneath the sea floor

The South Pacific Gyre is an aquatic nowhere .
It is the spot in the sea that is farther from land than any other , so devoid of nutrients , life and even continental dust that it is considered “ the deadest spot in the ocean , ” said Steven D ’ Hondt , a geomicrobiologist at the University of Rhode Island .
Yet some 6,000 metres beneath the surface of this watery desert , microscopic creatures have not only found a way to eke out a living — they have also managed to weather the inhospitality for many millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published in Nature Communications , D ’ Hondt and his colleagues describe the remarkable revival of a small population of microbes that may have spent the past 101.5 million years ensconced in a slumber under sediments deep below the gyre — only to be roused awake in the lab .
If confirmed , these microbes could be among the oldest living organisms ever found .
Spawned during a time when the non-avian dinosaurs still stalked the Earth , these hibernating cells might have rested as the continents creaked into their modern configuration , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and our great ape lineage took its first steps toward walking upright .
Such longevity is unlikely , even mathematically impossible within the constraints of some models , said Yuki Morono , a microbiologist at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology , or Jamstec , and an author of the study : “ No theoretical microbiology can explain it .
But we found it.
” Other scientists have unearthed snoozing microbes from harsh environments beneath the sea floor in the past .
Crushed by miles of water and mud and starved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cells must adapt or perish .
Those that adapt can sometimes avoid death by simply teetering on the verge of it .
Scientists think that microbes will grind their metabolism to a near halt so they can make do with the meagre motes of food in their environment .
Some in the field refer to this strategy as “ the slow lane of life , ” said Nagissa Mahmoudi , a geomicrobiologist at McGill University who wasn ’ t involved in the study .
“ They ’ re not really thriving , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just hanging on.
” But the relative rarity of such cells has made it tough to determine just how long such states of quasi-suspended animation can actually last .
So a team led by Fumio Inagaki , also of Jamstec , set sail into the southern Pacific Ocean in the fall of 2010 and drilled deep into its sediments .
Over eons , mud settles in layers like a chronological stack of pancakes , with the newest additions closest to the sea floor ; the oldest , some 250 feet under the ocean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 101.5 million years before .
Even Morono was skeptical of finding life in the most ancient parts of the mucky , nutrient-poor cores the team extracted .
Down there , bits of clay are crammed so tightly together that the spaces between them can ’ t even accommodate the full width of a bacterial cell .
“ You are packed into the sediment and can not move , ” he said .
“ I can not even imagine such a harsh environment as a human.
” But as he continued to sample backward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were microbes all the way down .
The work wasn ’ t easy .
To avoid discombobulating the fragile cells too much , Morono tried to replicate their home environment as best he could .
That meant spending up to 10 hours a day working in a room chilled to below 50 F , bundled from head to toe , as he plied the bugs with bits of chemically labelled food .
Morono expected that after thousands , if not millions , of years stuck in the mud , the microbes would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just a few days , some of the groggy germs had started to divide .
For nearly two years , the researchers watched their specimens grow ; 557 days later , many communities of the teeny troopers were still chugging along .
The microbes ’ new-found vivacity hints that for millions of years , they were “ just kind of waiting for conditions to improve , ” said Virginia Edgcomb , a geomicrobiologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who wasn ’ t involved in the study .
It is hard to determine the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some may be as old as the sediments they once sat in ; others may be the progeny of these ancients .
Given how spare the microbes ’ diets probably were , D ’ Hondt suspects that reproduction was probably rare .
That makes it all the more remarkable that , even after spending millions of years just barely ticking along , the cells were game to “ sit up and party on , ” he said .
Even older microbes could still be in yet-untested sea floor sediments , which can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age .
Future-minded scientists could find these stalwart specimens useful — including those involved in the search for extraterrestrial life .
“ This opens up a whole Pandora ’ s box for where we could find life elsewhere in the universe , ” Mahmoudi said .
“ It seems everywhere we ’ ve gone , we ’ ve found life .
”

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thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Puerto Rico Supreme Court upholds second round for primaries

SAN JUAN , Puerto Rico - Puerto Rico ’ s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the votes cast during a botched primary over the weekend are valid and that a second round of voting will be held this Sunday at centres that never opened or did not remain open for the required eight hours .
The ruling was a response to five lawsuits filed after missing or delayed ballots meant that voting occurred in only about 60 of Puerto Rico ’ s 110 precincts last Sunday .
“ Let ’ s hope that , in the name of democracy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , errors or delays .
Any other result or deviation from what is stated here would be clearly unacceptable , ” the court stated .
Three of the five lawsuits were filed by gubernatorial nominees who demanded that the votes already cast be tallied and made public .
A fourth suit by Gov .
Wanda Vázquez , who competed in her party ’ s primary , asked that a second round of voting be held at all voting centres that opened late .
The fifth lawsuit was filed by a female voter represented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The decision was celebrated by voters , including Andrés Pérez , a retiree who stood in line for nine hours before going home after being told that his voting centre would not open .
“ They did a good job , ” he said of the Supreme Court justices .
“ It ’ s what ’ s easiest and least problematic.
” Pérez said he would show up at the same voting centre at 6 a.m. Sunday to cast his ballot .
Maite Oronoz , president of Puerto Rico ’ s Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was no perfect solution to what she called an “ embarrassment ” that lacerated “ beyond repair ” the fundamental right to vote .
“ Thousands of Puerto Ricans invested their time , risked their lives in the face of potential contagion of COVID-19 , made arrangements at their jobs or homes , waited in lines under the sun , paid for transportation or mobilized on foot — more than once — to exercise their right to vote .
Many even served as volunteers in the schools to guarantee the purity of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them abysmally , ” she wrote .
Electoral officials acknowledged after the voting debacle that the last remaining ballots didn ’ t arrive until Saturday night and that rental trucks carrying ballots and electronic voting machines didn ’ t go out until early Sunday , the day of the primary .
The materials usually are delivered one or two days ahead of time .
Vázquez and the presidents of the island ’ s two main parties have demanded the resignation of the elections commission president , Juan Ernesto Dávila .
Dávila has said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while the primaries are still unresolved and told The Associated Press that he does not believe it was a mistake to hold the primaries despite knowing things were running behind schedule .
He blamed the delays on the pandemic , Tropical Storm Isaias and a last minute request from both parties for additional ballots .
“ I want to urge the People of Puerto Rico to have confidence in our electoral system , ” Dávila said in a statement shortly after the ruling .
“ We will evaluate and adopt the corresponding measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orderly and that the expectations of the voters who participate in this process are honoured.
” A federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico ’ s finances has authorized $ 1.27 million for the second round of votes , warning in a letter that “ the efficiency in the use of these funds is paramount.
” Vázquez is competing against Pedro Pierluisi , a former justice secretary who represented Puerto Rico in Congress for eight years , for the gubernatorial nomination of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party .
Pierluisi briefly served as governor last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following huge protests over corruption and a profanity-laced chat that was leaked .
But the island ’ s Supreme Court ruled Vázquez was constitutionally next in line as justice secretary since there was no secretary of state at the time .
The main opposition Popular Democratic Party has three nominees : San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz , known for her public spats with U.S. President Donald Trump following Hurricane Maria ; Puerto Rico Sen. Eduardo Bhatia ; and Carlos Delgado , mayor of the northwest town of Isabela .
Bhatia said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and like others urged people to go out again and vote .
“ Don ’ t let anyone make you think that the decision has already been made , ” he said .
“ Don ’ t let anyone make you think that your vote doesn ’ t count .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--College bribery scheme tipster sentenced for financial fraud

LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles financier who tipped authorities to the college admissions cheating scheme was sentenced to prison Wednesday for trying to cheat stock investors out of $ 15 million .
Morrie Tobin , 57 , was sentenced to a year and a day in prison by a federal judge in Boston who acknowledged his “ extraordinary ” co-operation with federal authorities in both the college bribery case and his own fraud case , the Los Angeles Times reported .
However , U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton said he couldn ’ t allow a felon to avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and simple greed , ” Gorton told him .
Tobin acknowledged that he sold stock to investors at inflated prices .
The scheme could have sent him to prison for eight years , although prosecutors asked that he receive probation .
Before sentencing , Tobin told the judge he was “ extremely , sincerely sorry and ashamed ” of his crimes and said he had since tried “ to do everything possible to make amends.
” Tobin met with federal authorities in Boston in 2018 and told them that Rudy Meredith , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yale University , wanted a bribe to grant his daughter an athletic waiver for admission .
During a recorded meeting in a hotel room , Meredith asked for $ 450,000 , prosecutors said .
That meeting sparked an investigation that led to William “ Rick “ Singer , a college admissions consultant in Newport Beach , California .
Authorities say he worked with wealthy parents and athletic coaches to have children admitted to elite universities across the country by having someone cheat on their exams or provide them with fake athletic credentials .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ began co-operating in the investigation by secretly recording his phone calls with parents to build the case against them .
More than 50 people have been charged .
Nearly 30 prominent parents have pleaded guilty in the case , including “ Desperate Housewives ” star Felicity Huffman .
She was sentenced to two weeks in prison for paying $ 15,000 to have someone cheat on her daughter ’ s entrance exam .
Others include “ Full House ” actor Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband , Mossimo Giannulli , who admitted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two daughters into the University of Southern California as fake rowing crew recruits .


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Judge invalidates Trump rollback of law protecting birds

NEW YORK - A U.S. judge in New York has invalidated rule changes put in place by the Trump administration that scaled back a century-old law protecting most American wild bird species despite warnings that billions of birds could die as a result .
U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni ’ s ruling Tuesday criticized the administration ’ s argument that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act only applied to the intentional killing of birds and not “ incidental ” killing from industrial activities .
“ It is not only a sin to kill a mockingbird , it is also a crime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , citing Harper Lee ’ s “ To Kill a Mockingbird.
“ ” That has been the letter of the law for the past century.
” Caproni , who was nominated to the Southern District of New York by President Obama in 2012 , disagreed with the Trump administration ’ s interpretation of the law .
“ There is nothing in the text of the ( Migratory Bird Treaty Act ) that suggests that in order to fall within its prohibition , activity must be directed specifically at birds , ” she wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only intentionally killing migratory birds .
And it certainly does not say that only ’ some ’ kills are prohibited.
” More than 1,000 species are covered under the law , and the changes have drawn a sharp backlash from organizations that advocate on behalf of an estimated 46 million U.S. birdwatchers .
“ The Trump administration ’ s policy was nothing more than a cruel , bird-killing gift to polluters and we ’ re elated it has been vacated , ” said Noah Greenwald , endangered species director at the Center for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the plaintiffs .
The 1918 migratory bird law came after many U.S. bird populations had been decimated by hunting and poaching — much of it for feathers for women ’ s hats .
It was one of the country ’ s first major federal environmental laws , enacted just after the conservation movement embodied by President Teddy Roosevelt had emerged as a new force in American politics .
Over the past half-century , as new threats to birds emerged , the law also was applied against companies that failed to prevent foreseeable bird @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not put netting over toxic waste pits despite warnings from federal officials .
The Trump administration argued the deaths of birds that fly into oil pits , mining sites , telecommunications towers , wind turbines and other hazards should be treated as accidents and not subject to prosecution .
The Department of Interior said in a statement that Caproni ’ s ruling “ undermines a common sense interpretation of the law and runs contrary to recent efforts , shared across the political spectrum , to de-criminalize unintentional conduct.
” An Interior legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminal enforcement under the act during Trump ’ s presidency .
Eight states led by New York and numerous conservation groups including the National Audubon Society challenged that decision in federal court .
They argued that birds already were being harmed by the administration ’ s policies , most notably in the destruction last fall of nesting grounds for 25,000 shorebirds in Virginia to make way for a road and tunnel project .
State officials had ended conservation measures for the birds after federal officials advised such measures were voluntary under the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement case bought under the migratory bird act resulted in a $ 100 million settlement by BP , after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010 killed about 100,000 birds .
Industry sources kill an estimated 450 million to 1.1 billion birds annually , out of an overall 7.2 billion birds in North America , according to the U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service and recent studies .


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Hawaii teacher arrested for violating traveller quarantine

HONOLULU - A Hawaii high school teacher was arrested for violating the 14-day traveller quarantine the state mandated to curb the spread of the coronavirus .
Agents from the Hawaii attorney general ’ s office arrested Mark Alan Cooper last week .
Cooper , 48 , of Mililani , returned to Honolulu from Florida on July 27 .
An acquaintance spotted him at a post office a few days later , the state said .
The acquaintance reported him to a citizen ’ s group that helps track down people who violate the quarantine .
The group then reported him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Campbell High School , travelled to Florida because of an illness in his family , his attorney , Rustam Barbee said Wednesday .
After his arrest , he resumed his quarantine period , which ended Monday , Barbee said .
Cooper was arrested a week after teachers statewide returned to work .
It ’ s not clear if he had been on campus before his arrest .
“ We can confirm that Mark Alan Cooper is a teacher at Campbell High School , and that this individual requested the appropriate leave for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Education spokesperson Drew Henmi said in an email .
The department declined to provide details about when he requested leave , citing a need to protect his privacy as an employee .
Student instruction begins Monday , with most schools starting the year online .
“ Parents are also disappointed that the ( education department ) hasn ’ t announced his arrest , ” said Angela Keen , one of the leaders of Hawaii Quarantine Kapu Breakers , the group that reported Cooper to authorities .
“ Teachers are held to a higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” A news release from the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center announcing his arrest didn ’ t mention he ’ s a teacher .
“ Mr .
Cooper has never had COVID-19 and has never infected anyone , ” Barbee said .
According to court records he was cited in April for violating emergency orders by allegedly walking in a park that was closed because of the pandemic .

Jennifer Sinco Kelleher - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--75 years later, 1 million Japanese war dead still missing

TOKYO - Seventy-five years after the end of World War II , more than 1 million Japanese war dead are scattered throughout Asia , where the legacy of Japanese aggression still hampers recovery efforts .
The missing Japanese make up about half of the 2.4 million soldiers who died overseas during Japan ’ s military rampage across Asia in the early 20th century .
They are on remote islands in the South Pacific .
They are in northern China and Mongolia .
They are in Russia .
As the anniversary for the end of the Pacific War arrives Saturday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever be recovered , let alone identified and returned to grieving family members .
Only about half a million are considered retrievable .
The rest are lost in the sea or buried in areas that can ’ t be reached because of fighting or security or political reasons , according to Japan ’ s Ministry of Health , Labor and Welfare , which is in charge of support measures for bereaved families .
Locating , identifying and finding places to store the decades-old remains have been complicated as memories fade , artifacts and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age .
In 2016 , Japan ’ s parliament passed a law launching an eight-year remains recovery initiative through 2024 .
It promotes more DNA matching and co-operation with the U.S. Department of Defence in case remains are found at U.S. military facilities on islands in the southern Pacific that were former battlegrounds .
It was not until 2003 that the Japanese government started DNA matching , but only at the request of possible families .
In July , Japan set up a comprehensive remains information centre at the ministry that would provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disastrous retreats in the Pacific in 1943 , the military started sending back empty boxes with stones to bereaved families , without providing details about the deaths .
Japan insisted all war dead would be honoured as gods at Yasukuni Shrine .
Similar practices were continued by postwar governments , which didn ’ t put an emphasis on identifying individual remains to return to families , experts say .
Japan sent its first overseas remains collection mission in 1952 after a seven-year U.S. occupation ended .
The efforts were unwelcome in many Asian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggression .
The government in the 1950s dispatched missions to major former battlegrounds for the “ token ” collection of random remains ; most were unidentified and never returned to families .
After collecting the remains of about 10,000 war dead , the welfare ministry in 1962 tried to end the project but was forced to continue the effort following repeated requests by veterans and bereaved families .
The government mission has so far recovered just 340,000 remains ; most are kept at Tokyo ’ s Chidorigafuchi national cemetery of unknown soldiers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and almost certainly include a “ significant number ” of the remains of non-Japanese nationals , including Koreans and Taiwanese soldiers drafted and sent overseas to fight for the Japanese Imperial Army , said Kazufumi Hamai , a Teikyo University historian and expert on the remains issue .
More than 240,000 Koreans fought for Japan during the country ’ s 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula , including 20,000 believed to have died outside of mainland Japan .
Some of their remains were most likely brought back , unidentified and mixed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before being placed in Chidorigafuchi .
Japan ’ s delayed and insufficient remains collection underscored the government ’ s failure to face up to its wartime past , Hamai said .
“ The government lacked respect for individual remains and their dignity , ” he said .
“ Their remains collection program was sloppy and carried out reluctantly at the request of veterans ’ families , while completely neglecting the Koreans and Taiwanese.
” About 700 remains of Koreans have been separately stored at a Tokyo Buddhist temple , Yutenji .
Health and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only remains of the former Korean soldiers that they are aware of .
More than half of the 700 are from North Korea .
Several hundred remains had been previously returned to their homes through diplomatic arrangement , but talks have been stalled in recent years as diplomatic relations have soured over Japan ’ s wartime actions , including the use of forced labourers and the sexual abuses of women forced to work at frontline military brothels .
Japan gained access to Russia and Mongolia only starting in 1991 , when Japan was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of imprisoned Japanese soldiers and maps of the mass graves where they were buried .
About 600,000 were sent to former Soviet prisons , where 55,000 died , including a few thousand Koreans .
Last year , a U.S. citizens ’ group searching for the remains of American war dead in the Pacific War found the remains of about 160 Asians on the island of Tarawa — called the Republic of Kiribati today .
It asked the Japanese and Korean governments to have them DNA tested .
Hamai says the case could set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-operating to identify and return the remains to where they belong .


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Tusayan mayor seeking third two-year term apparently ousted

FLAGSTAFF , Ariz. - A woman who has long opposed massive development in Tusayan on the outskirts of Grand Canyon National Park is the unofficial winner of the mayoral race .
The Coconino County Recorder ’ s Office on Wednesday said Clarinda Vail won more than 61 % of the vote from the Aug. 4 primary election in her bid to oust current Mayor Craig Sanderson , who was seeking a third two-year term .
The county had dozens of outstanding ballots to process and count before posting the unofficial results , which don ’ t become final until the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be next week .
Tusayan relies heavily on revenue from the millions of people who drive through the town each year on their way to the Grand Canyon ’ s more popular South Rim for revenue .
Up until 2010 , it wasn ’ t considered a town , but a state law that catered to Tusayan allowed it to incorporate .
Even before that , developers have eyed the outpost nestled among the forest where restaurants , gift shops and hotels line the state highway .
Development been a major point of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the chief pilot for Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines , has supported the development while Vail , a property manager and a Tusayan native , has not .
Sanderson and Vail agree on the need for private housing in a town where most everyone lives in company housing , better internet access and a sports complex .
But the timelines on those projects have been stalled over various issues .
In a statement Wednesday , Vail said she plans to initiate reforms to make sure local sales tax revenues help accomplish projects residents demand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also wants to make sure public safety gets needed funding and plans to undertake new initiatives to bring quality housing to the town .


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Radical or moderate? Trump paints Democratic ticket as both

WASHINGTON - An overzealous prosecutor trying to hide her crime-fighting past — who is also weak on crime .
The most radical pick for vice-president ever — but too moderate to energize progressive Democrats .
President Donald Trump ’ s campaign is struggling to define California Sen. Kamala Harris , the newly announced running mate for Democratic rival Joe Biden .
And without a clear message , Trump has reverted to his usual playbook , resorting to sexist and racist attacks .
He has repeatedly called Harris “ nasty ” and has leaned into appeals that appear stuck in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The ‘ suburban housewife ’ will be voting for me .
They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighbourhood .
Biden would reinstall it , in a bigger form , with Corey Booker in charge !
” he tweeted Wednesday , incorrectly spelling the name of the Democratic senator and former mayor of Newark , New Jersey , who is also Black .
Like Biden , Harris has staked out relatively moderate stances over the course of her career on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement .
That ’ s complicating the Trump campaign ’ s crude efforts to depict the Democratic ticket as out of step with the country .
With Trump lagging in the polls less than 90 days before the election , his team faces a pivotal choice .
Do they attempt to fire up their own base and scare off moderates by painting Biden and Harris as radical socialists ?
Or do they aim to depress enthusiasm among the Democratic base by arguing Biden and Harris are opportunistic and insufficiently liberal ?
Biden and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But that hasn ’ t stopped Trump and his allies from trying to make the incongruous portrayals stick .
“ Clearly , Phony Kamala will abandon her own morals , as well as try to bury her record as a prosecutor , in order to appease the anti-police extremists controlling the Democrat Party , ” senior campaign adviser Katrina Pierson said in the Trump ’ s campaign ’ s first statement responding to the news .
During his Fox News program on Tuesday , host Sean Hannity called Harris the “ most radical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time as it echoed that messaging , the Republican National Committee also sought to frame her as insufficiently liberal , gleefully declaring : “ liberals revolt against Biden , Harris ticket.
” Some Republicans said the messaging wasn ’ t coherent .
“ So to sum up : Kamala Harris is a cop — who is an anti-police extremist .
A radical leftist — who is causing a ‘ revolt ’ among Bernie voters .
A phoney — who was too nasty to Joe Biden .
Got that ?
” wrote Tim Miller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to an anti-Trump political action committee and as an RNC spokesperson .
During their first appearance as running mates Wednesday , Biden struck back at Trump ’ s attacks on Harris .
“ It ’ s no surprise , ” Biden said .
“ Whining is what Donald Trump does best more than any president in American history .
Is anyone surprised Donald Trump has a problem with a strong woman ?
” He added , “ We know that more is to come.
” Harris broadly condemned Trump and his administration but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about her .
While Trump has said publicly that Harris was his “ No .
1 draft pick ” and that he thought she would help his political prospects , he ’ s expressed doubts in private .
As Air Force One returned to Washington from a weekend in New Jersey on Sunday night , Trump turned to the senior staffers and friends assembled on the plane to discuss Biden ’ s impending choice .
Assessing the Democratic field , Trump said he thought California Rep. Karen Bass or former national security adviser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boost , according to two White House officials and Republicans close to the president who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversations .
Looking to blunt momentum from the pick , the Trump campaign was putting the final touches on its efforts to have a robust counter-programming schedule during next week ’ s Democratic National Convention , which will be a virtual , online event .
The president was poised to hold events in Wisconsin , Minnesota and Arizona early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day of Biden ’ s acceptance speech , Trump was set to make an appearance in the former vice-president ’ s former hometown of Scranton , Pennsylvania , according to a campaign official not authorized to publicly discuss plans that had not been finalized .
Trump ’ s repeated attacks against “ Crooked ” Hillary Clinton had a devastating effect on her campaign in 2016 .
Four years later , the lack of a clear , consistent message could portend trouble .
Trump ’ s campaign has been plotting for almost two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running mate as beholden to the “ radical left.
” That might have gained traction had progressive leaders Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren won the nomination .
But it ’ s a harder case to make against Biden , who didn ’ t embrace “ Medicare for All ” during the Democratic primary and has resisted more recent calls from some activists to defund the police .
Harris ran her own campaign for the Democratic nomination as a relative moderate in the field .
The former California attorney general also served as district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record in law enforcement came under scrutiny and turned away some liberals and younger Black voters who saw her as out of step on issues of racism in the legal system and police brutality .
Yet on a conference call with reporters responding to the news Tuesday evening , Trump ’ s campaign continued to push the narrative that Harris is a “ leftist ” pushing a “ radical agenda.
” “ This has completed the leftist takeover of the party and of their radical agenda , ” said Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be the most liberal leftist nominee for VP that our country has ever seen “ and cited her support for the Black Lives Matter group .
“ With this move to left , “ she predicted , ” what you ’ re going to see is a lot of security moms that are all across this nation who are going to say , ‘ You know what ?
Law and order is important to me ... .
Security in our communities is important , and I don ’ t want someone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be tough on hardened criminals.
’ ” On the same call , Pierson went after Harris ’ record as attorney general , saying that “ she fought to keep inmates locked up in overcrowded prisons so they could be used for cheap labour “ and that she “ championed laws that put parents in jail and prosecuted the mentally ill .
”

Jill Colvin, Zeke Miller And Jonathan Lemire - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-12--Warlord’s release from US prison ups tension with Colombia

MIAMI - A last-minute battle is unfolding over the fate of a former paramilitary warlord who the Colombian government wants returned following a long drug sentence in U.S. prison .
Salvatore Mancuso , the top commander of a since-disbanded group of right-wing militias , completed a 12-year cocaine trafficking sentence in March .
He remains in U.S. custody as Colombia — where courts have judged him responsible for more than 1,500 acts of murder or forced disappearance — fights a U.S. order that would send him to Italy , where he also has citizenship .
Mancuso ’ s lawyers contend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a South American country that has struggled to heal from decades of bloody conflict .
They argue he has already fulfilled his obligations under a 2003 peace deal he negotiated , which caps prison terms at eight years for paramilitary bosses who confess their crimes .
The many victims Mancuso left behind say at stake is the justice that has long been denied them .
Colombian officials also complain that denying their request that Mancusco be deported back home would be a high-profile snub to a staunch ally that suffered a decades-long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions more displaced .
The carnage was made worse by U.S. demand for Colombian cocaine , which funded illegal armed groups including Mancuso ’ s United Defence Forces of Colombia , known as AUC .
Successive conservative governments have sent several thousand Colombians to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S. Mancuso is among the highest profile , having directed the manufacture and shipment of more than 138,000 kilograms of cocaine , according to his U.S. plea agreement .
“ Removing him to Italy would be a repugnant betrayal for victims ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Human Rights Watch .
“ If the Colombian government is honestly committed to justice for atrocity crimes , it should exhaust all legal avenues to take Mancuso back to Colombia , hold him to account and prevent this humiliation to victims.
” The fight underscores the unfinished business of the paramilitary peace process , known as Justice and Peace , that led to the demobilization of 30,000 right-wing fighters but fell way short of its ambitious goal of truth telling and reconciliation .
Those wounds resurfaced this month when Colombia ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Álvaro Uribe as it investigates whether he helped bribe witnesses to keep a lid on suspicions that have long swirled about his own relationship with paramilitary groups .
In 2008 , the far-right Uribe stealthily extradited Mancuso and 13 other warlords to face drug charges in the U.S. His critics say the shock move , an apparent peace accord violation , was an attempt to silence the men just as they began to reveal secrets about their crimes and politician collaborators — including Uribe , who as a governor in the 1990s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups to protect ranchers ’ land from leftist guerrilla fighters .
“ With me they extradited the truth , ” Mancuso told Colombian media shortly after his arrival in the U.S. in 2008 .
On April 16 , the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ordered Mancuso ’ s removal to Italy , according to two people close to Mancuso who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private administrative proceeding .
But that deportation didn ’ t happen .
In June , U.S prosecutors requested on behalf of their Colombian counterparts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colombia to serve a 27-year sentence for the 1997 kidnappings of two relatives of a top leftist rebel commander , according to U.S. court records .
Armed AUC fighters dressed as Colombian police carried out one abduction at a flower shop while , at the same time in a separate operation , commandos posing as prospective home buyers raided the residence of the other victim .
Mancuso , who according to the extradition request was in phone contact with one of the captors right after the raids , later took responsibility for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ captives were later killed .
Colombia withdrew its extradition request last month and the U.S. case was closed .
While the government gave no reason for its sudden reversal , it appears that Mancuso ’ s Miami-based attorney , Joaquin Perez , outmanoeuvred prosecutors .
Last year , a judge in the capital , Bogota , granted Mancuso probation in Colombia .
The judge said Mancuso ’ s years in U.S. prison satisfied the requirements of the Justice and Peace law , which allows alternative sentences of up to eight years to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders on July 15 ; Colombia withdrew its extradition request five days later .
But the country ’ s president still says he wants Mancuso returned and prosecutors still seek his arrest for other crimes , though they aren ’ t recognized as offences under U.S. law because they stem from his position atop AUC ’ s chain of command — not specific orders he gave .
The Colombian chief prosecutor ’ s office said Tuesday that it continues working to seek Mancuso ’ s extradition .
In a statement , it said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge handling a case in which Mancuso is suspected of money laundering that occurred after his demobilization .
In 2018 , the judge suspended proceedings in the case .
Mancuso ’ s apparently solid legal standing hasn ’ t stopped Colombian officials from demanding his arrest .
And in a country with a notoriously weak , corrupt and maze-like judiciary , it doesn ’ t take much for a freelancing judge to issue an arrest order .
Colombian President Iván Duque has said the time Mancuso served in the U.S. for drug trafficking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for “ crimes against humanity ” back home .
“ The second he steps on Italian soil , I will personally make a request to the International Criminal Court that he be tried for these crimes , ” Duque said in a recent interview with Bogota ’ s Semana magazine .
Some critics believe Duque ’ s government may just be going through the motions .
Opposition Sen. Iván Cepeda said Duque — whose political mentor is Uribe and whose supporters include politicians who were jailed for ties to the AUC — has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s return .
“ You have to be really naive to believe that an involuntary bureaucratic mistake is what is blocking the return of the person who knows the most about the history of the paramilitaries , ” said Cepeda , who has travelled to the U.S. to meet Mancuso on behalf of victims .
The leftist Cepeda , who is Uribe ’ s top accuser and whose father was killed by soldiers in co-ordination with paramilitaries , pledges to hold congressional hearings about how in his view Colombia bungled the extradition request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ranchers in the 1980s to counter leftist rebel extortion and kidnapping , the militias seized control of much of Colombia ’ s Caribbean coast in the late 1990s , killing thousands and stealing millions of acres of land while wresting control of lucrative drug routes .
In 2001 , the U.S. designated the AUC a foreign terror organization .
Mancuso has expressed more remorse than other paramilitary leaders and an eagerness to make amends with his former battlefield enemies — the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia , or FARC — who signed their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 .
His sophistication — he studied English at the University of Pittsburgh — has always distinguished him from the other rural warlords .
Robert Spelke , a retired federal narcotics prosecutor who led proceedings against the warlords , described Mancuso as “ very bright , very personable “ and a co-operative witness who was committed to telling the truth .
Spelke spent over 200 hours interviewing Mancuso and recalled once when the Colombian tearfully broke down as he recounted a paramilitary massacre of civilians .
“ I know what these guys did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when you put yourself in their shoes — It was a nasty war .
I ’ d like to think I ’ d do things differently , but if the FARC was killing my family , stealing my cattle ... “ Mancuso ’ s eagerness to talk has already shaken Colombia ’ s politics .
His boast in 2005 that a third of Colombia ’ s congress was elected with paramilitary support triggered a wave of judicial investigations that ended with dozens of elected officials behind bars , including Uribe ’ s senator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Peace process continued after he reached the U.S. , where he did more than 300 video conferences with Colombian investigators and victims .
In a symbolic gesture that shocked many Colombians , Mancuso spoke by phone last month with the FARC ’ s former top commander , Rodrigo Londono .
The one-time adversaries united in pledging their support for peace , reconciliation and support for millions of victims .
That candour is what got Mancuso extradited to the U.S. in the first place — and endangers his life should he be returned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney .
Several family members have already received threats and last month Paeres filed a complaint with Colombia ’ s chief prosecutor alleging he was the intended target of an attack by 35 armed men who raided a ranch adjacent to where he was staying .
“ Mancuso wants to return to Colombia .
But it ’ s us , his lawyers and friends , and even some authorities , who have told him not to come back , ” Paeres told The Associated Press .
“ I have no doubt they will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. order that he be sent to his father ’ s native Italy , Colombian officials have launched a last-ditch lobbying effort .
Colombia ’ s Ambassador in Washington , Francisco Santos , in recent weeks has met with U.S. officials in the White House as well as the State and Justice Departments to try and block his transfer to Italy , according to a senior Colombian official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks .
The State Department and White House wouldn ’ t comment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement that the agency took custody of Mancuso , who it referred to only as a “ Colombian national , ” from federal marshals on July 21 and that he ’ s now awaiting removal .
ICE declined to provide details , citing operational security .
While extradition of Colombian drug lords has helped relieve pressure on the country ’ s investigators , it ’ s far rarer for Colombia to seek arrests beyond its borders .
But Mancuso ’ s value is unique .
If the famously voluble warlord @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncomfortable truths that many Colombians haven ’ t wanted to hear , said Cepeda , the leftist lawmaker .
“ A lot of the truth is already known , ” Cepeda said .
“ But there ’ s a lot more to come .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--For Americans waiting on virus aid, no new relief in sight

WASHINGTON - Americans counting on emergency coronavirus aid from Washington may have to wait until fall .
Negotiations over a new virus relief package have all but ended , with the White House and congressional leaders far apart on the size , scope and approach for shoring up households , re-opening schools and launching a national strategy to contain the virus .
President Donald Trump ’ s top negotiator , Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin , tried to revive stalled talks Wednesday , but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer dismissed the “ overture , ” saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meet them halfway .
Congressional Republicans are largely sitting out the talks .
“ The White House is not budging , ” Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement .
With the House and Senate essentially closed , and lawmakers on call to return with 24-hours notice , hopes for a swift compromise have dwindled .
Instead , the politics of blame have taken hold , as the parties head into August focused on the presidential nominating conventions and lawmakers ’ own reelection campaigns .
Trump said the Democrats are “ holding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are talks will not resume in full until Congress resumes in September , despite the mounting death toll , surpassing 161,000 in the U.S. , and more than 5 million people infected .
For Americans , that means the end of a $ 600 weekly unemployment benefit that has expired , as has a federal ban on evictions .
Schools hoping for cash from the federal government to help provide safety measures are left empty handed .
States and cities staring down red ink with the shattered economy have few options .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a temporary reprieve , offering $ 300 in jobless benefits and some other aid .
But it could take weeks for those programs to ramp up , and the help is far slimmer than what Congress was considering .
More than 20 million Americans risk evictions , and more are out of work .
Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows briefed GOP senators privately on Wednesday .
But congressional Republicans , who have left the negotiating largely to Democrats , seem satisfied there is enough money still available from previous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put in motion the procedural steps to recess , possibly Thursday .
The House is already gone .
Because McConnell has such cool support from his ranks for any bill , Democrats are trying to push the White House to go bold .
They want to maintain the $ 600 jobless benefit and provide nearly $ 1 trillion to the states and cities , nonstarters for the White House .
While there is some common ground over $ 100 billion for schools and new funds for virus testing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump rejects , including to shore up the U.S .
Postal Service and election security ahead of the November election .
Trump said Thursday on Fox Business Network ’ s “ Mornings with Maria ” that among the sticking points were Democrats ’ demand for billions to assist states in protecting the election and to help postal workers process mail-in ballots .
“ They need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots , ” Trump said , adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get those two items , that means you can ’ t have universal mail-in voting because they ’ re not equipped to have it.
” Pelosi and Schumer said Democrats have compromised , noting that they dropped their initial $ 3 trillion-plus proposal by $ 1 trillion and expect Trump ’ s team to raise its $ 1 trillion offer by a similar amount to $ 2 trillion .
“ However , it is clear that the Administration still does not grasp the magnitude of the problems that American families are facing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Mnuchin made an “ overture ” to meet .
The treasury secretary called the Democratic leaders on Wednesday , according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private call .
The Democrats said they are waiting for the White House to put a new offer on the table .
“ We have again made clear to the Administration that we are willing to resume negotiations once they start to take this process seriously.
” But Mnuchin shot back with his own statement , saying , “ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mnuchin said Pelosi ’ s statement was “ not an accurate reflection of our conversation .
She made clear that she was unwilling to meet to continue negotiations unless we agreed in advance to her proposal , costing at least $ 2 trillion.
” McConnell said the American people need help and “ are not done fighting this virus.
” Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Experts warn Spain is losing the second round in virus fight

BARCELONA , SPAIN—Not two months after battling back the coronavirus , Spain ’ s hospitals are beginning to see patients struggling to breathe returning to their wards .
The deployment of a military emergency brigade to set up a field hospital in Zaragoza this week is a grim reminder that Spain is far from claiming victory over the coronavirus that devastated the European country in March and April .
Authorities said the field hospital is a precaution , but no one has forgotten scenes of hospitals filled to capacity and the daily death toll reaching over 900 fatalities a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort is revealing that a majority of the infected are asymptomatic and younger , making them less likely to need medical treatment , concern is increasing as hospitals begin to see more patients .
Experts are searching for reasons why Spain is struggling more than its neighbours after western Europe had won a degree of control over the pandemic .
But one thing is clear : The size of the second wave has depended on the response to the first one .
“ The data don ’ t lie , ” Rafael Bengoa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Basque Country region and international consultant on public health , told The Associated Press .
“ The numbers are saying that where we had good local epidemiological tracking , like ( in the rural northwest ) , things have gone well , ” Bengoa said .
“ But in other parts of the country where obviously we did not have the sufficient local capacity to deal with outbreaks , we have community transmission again , and once you community transmission , things get out of hand.
” Bengoa is one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who recently called for an independent investigation in a letter published in the medical journal The Lancet to identify the weaknesses that have made Spain among the worst affected countries by the pandemic in Europe despite its robust universal health care system .
Except for teenagers and young adults , Spaniards largely comply with mandatory face mask rules .
The health ministry also embarked on one of the world ’ s largest epidemiological surveys .
Randomly testing over 60,000 people , it found the virus prevalence to be five per cent , showing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ herd immunity.
” However , Spain , with a population of 47 million , leads Europe with 44,400 new cases confirmed over the past 14 days , compared with just 4,700 new cases registered by Italy , with 60 million inhabitants , which was the first European country to be rocked by the virus .
Spain is still in good shape compared with many countries in the Americas , where the spread seems unchecked in the United States , Mexico and several South American countries .
But hospitalizations with COVID-19 have quintupled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases were down to a trickle after a severe lockdown stopped a first wave of the virus that had pushed the health care system to breaking point .
On Tuesday , Spain ’ s ministry reported 805 people nationwide hospitalized over the past seven days .
Half of the 64 people who died over the previous week were from Aragón , the region surrounding Zaragoza .
“ There is no one single factor in such a pandemic , ” said Manuel Franco , a professor of epidemiology at John Hopkins and Spain ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed The Lancet letter .
Franco cited Spain ’ s economic inequalities that have exposed poorer communities , especially fruit pickers , to greater harm , understaffed epidemiological surveillance services , and its large tourism industry .
Combined with other factors , they could have formed a lethal cocktail .
Bengoa believes that social customs and traits prevalent in Mediterranean cultures , which emphasize physical contact and smaller personal space , have worked against Spain .
“ Family gatherings are dangerous in Spain .
We are being anti-Spanish in social gatherings if Spaniards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touch one another , ” Bengoa said , while adding that Spanish and Italian families live in larger , more multi-generational groups than in northern European countries , making contagion inside households more likely .
Some authorities seem to agree .
Spain ’ s Canary Islands government has issued a public awareness spot that shows a family gathering to celebrate a grandfather ’ s birthday , with people taking off masks and embracing , only to end with the grandfather in a hospital bed .
Spain ’ s regions have complained that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special authority to confine people to their homes that it used under a three-month state of emergency .
That has led to regions having to recommend that people stay at home — instead of ordering them to do so — and lower compliance .
Yet it seems that adjusting to the “ new normal ” of co-existing with the virus has been uneven across Spain ’ s regions .
A contact tracing app has been recently developed by the health ministry , but the regional governments of Madrid and Barcelona appear to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracers to keep tabs on cases .
Madrid , whose conservative leaders rarely shy away from a political scuffle with the nation ’ s left-wing government , has called for university volunteers to act as tracers and hired a private hospital to help do tracing .
Madrid ’ s regional health chief Enrique Ruiz told Spanish health news website ConSalud.es on Wednesday that the region including the capital has doubled its hospitalizations each week for the past month , reaching 4,600 last week .
“ Our hospitals can handle the number of patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but that does not mean that we aren ’ t closely watching the situation , ” Ruiz said .
Catalonia ’ s separatist-led administration , likewise , moved too slowly and is now having to do pool testing to control clusters .
Catalonia ’ s public health director , Josep Argimon , said Wednesday that the situation is “ stabilized.
” Still , Miquel Porta , a professor of epidemiology at Barcelona ’ s Hospital del Mar who also signed The Lancet letter , said “ it is mind-blowing that politicians don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need people in the field doing shoe leather work to search for contacts , ” Porta said .
“ It boils down to very simple things , and some regional governments are not doing what they said they would .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Police: 4 people charged after 2 goats found killed

SPOTSYLVANIA , Va. - Four people have been charged after two goats were fatally attacked by dogs and someone wielding a spiked bat and what appeared to be a machete , authorities in Virginia said .
The charges were filed in Spotsylvania County , The Free Lance-Star reported Monday .
Sheriff ’ s Capt .
Liz Scott said the investigation began after someone called to report that people were attacking the goats .
Scott said deputies arrived and were told by homeowner Halie Morgan , 22 , that the goats had been taken away earlier that day after she learned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the neighbourhood .
But Scott said that two goats were found dead on the property .
Scott said that video obtained by police showed Morgan encouraging her two large dogs to attack the goats .
Authorities said Andrew Haefele , 36 , used a large bat with spikes to strike the goats .
Scott said the animals were also struck with what appeared to be a machete .
Scott said that Charles E. McKinney , 34 , was seen cutting the neck of one of the goats as it lay on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McKinney and Donald Compton , 35 , are all charged with offences that include maiming an animal , conspiracy to maim an animal , animal cruelty and giving false information to law enforcement .
It ’ s unclear if they have hired attorneys who could comment on the charges .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Rights group: Houthis, Saudis killed Ethiopian migrants

CAIRO - A prominent rights group Thursday accused Yemen ’ s Houthi rebels and rival Saudi border guards of killing several dozen Ethiopian migrants in an incident at the border earlier this year .
The statement from New York-based Human Rights Watch quoted Ethiopian migrants who said Houthi fighters in April rounded up thousands of them from their unofficial settlement area in al-Ghar town in the country ’ s northwestern Saada province .
The migrants said they were forced into pickup trucks and driven to the nearby Saudi border .
During the process , Houthis screamed that the migrants were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone who tried to escape , the witnesses said .
Once the Ethiopian migrants arrived at the Saudi border , they got caught up in clashes between their Houthi escorts and Saudi border guards , the rights group said .
“ It was early in the morning ( on April 16 ) and they told us to leave in two hours , ” said an Ethiopian woman .
“ Most people left , but I stayed .
But after two hours , they started firing bullets and rockets — I saw two people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war pits the Houthis , who occupy the north , against a U.S-backed .
and Saudi-led coalition that supports an internationally recognized government in the south .
“ The lethal disregard Houthi and Saudi forces have shown civilians during Yemen ’ s armed conflict was replayed in April with Ethiopian migrants at the Yemen-Saudi border , ” said Nadia Hardman , refugee and migrant rights researcher at Human Rights Watch .
“ United Nations agencies need to step in to address the immediate threats to the Ethiopian migrants and press for accountability for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abuses.
” Neither Houthi nor Saudi officials could be immediately reached for comment .
Thousands of East Africans make the perilous journey from the Horn of Africa to oil-rich Saudi Arabia through war-torn Yemen every year , hoping to escape poverty and instability in their home countries .
They are exposed to many forms of abuse , including abduction , trafficking and arrest and detention .
In recent months , migrants have also been faced with growing xenophobia as a result of the spread of the coronavirus , according to the International Organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interviewed by HRW in the April incident said they saw dead bodies but the exact casualty toll could not be determined .
Those who managed to return to the settlement area saw their tents and shelters had been destroyed , an account that HRW was able to confirm later using satellite imagery .
Some of the migrants told HRW that Saudi border guards fired at them using mortar shells and rocket launchers .
They were eventually transferred to “ unsanitary and abusive ” detention facilities in Jeddah and Jizan provinces .
There some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ belongings confiscated .
Hundreds of others , including children , may still be stranded in the mountainous border region , the rights group said .
“ Hundreds if not thousands of Ethiopian migrants are now languishing in squalid detention centres in Saudi Arabia or remain stranded at the border , ” Hardman said .
“ The United Nations needs to work with the Saudis and Ethiopians to assist in the voluntary return of Ethiopians in detention or still stranded at the border.
” HRW urged both Houthi and Saudi authorities to investigate the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ migrants .
In 2014 , Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran Yemen ’ s northern parts and the capital Sanaa , forcing the U.N.-backed government to flee to the south , In 2015 , a Saudi-led coalition launched a war on the Houthis hoping to reinstate the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi .
The 5-year-old conflict in the Arab World ’ s poorest country has resulted in a military stalemate and killed more than 100,000 people including thousands of civilians .