thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Partner  of dead Belarus protester believes police shot him

MINSK , Belarus - The partner of a man who died in the protests engulfing Belarus says she does not believe the official account that Alexander Taraikovsky was killed when an explosive device that he intended to throw at police blew up in his hand .
Elena German told The Associated Press on Saturday that she is sure her 34-year-old partner was shot by police .
German spoke a few hours before Taraikovsky ’ s funeral and burial , an event that could reinforce the anger of demonstrators who have protested what they consider a sham presidential election and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died Monday as protests roiled the streets of the capital Minsk , denouncing official figures showing that authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko , in power since 1994 , had won a sixth term in office .
German was able to visit the morgue and see his body on Friday , four days after he died .
She said she did not believe he had been holding an explosive .
“ There is a seam in the chest area — the hole was sewn up , but there is a black bruise ; it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hands and feet are completely intact , there are not even bruises , ” she said .
“ Obviously , it was a shot right in the chest , ” she said .
Belarus ’ Interior Ministry has declined to comment on the situation , beyond its initial claim that a protester died because of a hand-held explosive .
German said she intends to seek a full investigation .
She has called on a Belarusian human rights organization for help , and wants international experts to take part in a probe .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m angry .
That is why I want to achieve justice , ” she said .
“ In fact , I am very scared , “ she added .
“ I was left alone , without support .
I feel empty.
” German said Taraikovsky had worked hard at his automobile repair business and that neither of them had been interested in politics until the last presidential election .
The family ’ s views began to change after she and her husband attended a 60,000-strong campaign rally of main opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post-election protests .
“ He was very indignant at the illegal detentions and was proud of the people .
He said — finally , finally !
We discussed all the news every evening , “ she said .
“ No matter how hard they try to put up some kind of barriers , turn off the Internet , disperse these rallies , we are not fools — everyone understands everything , ” German said .
Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this story .


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Pakistan launches anti-polio drive as COVID-19 cases decline

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani health officials on Saturday launched a seven-day vaccination campaign against polio as part of efforts aimed at eliminating the crippling disease amid a steady decline in fatalities and infections from the coronavirus , which had recently overwhelmed the country ’ s fragile health system .
The anti-polio campaign , which began amid tight security , aims to vaccinate as many as 34 million children across Pakistan , including former Taliban strongholds bordering Afghanistan , a government statement said .
Medical workers participating in the drive against polio were seen adhering to social distancing regulations as they wore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to avoid a spike in coronavirus cases .
“ I am hopeful that parents will continue to realize the importance of vaccinating their children during this campaign , ” said Faisal Sultan , an adviser to the prime minister on health issues .
According to Rana Safdar , who heads the government ’ s polio program , similar campaigns against polio will be launched in October , November and December .
Earlier Saturday , Pakistan ’ s military said Bill Gates , the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist , praised Islamabad ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a telephone call to the country ’ s army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa .
It said Gates also discussed the resumption of the drive against polio .
Pakistan , Afghanistan and Nigeria are the three countries in the world where polio — a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the polio virus — is still endemic .
The non-profit Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has helped Pakistan and other places worldwide fight the disease .
Pakistan had hoped to eliminate the disease by 2018 , when only 12 cases were reported .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases the following year .
Since January , Pakistan has reported about 100 new polio cases from various parts of the country , including the northwestern region bordering Afghanistan .
Pakistani Taliban and other militants regularly stage attacks on polio teams and security forces escorting them because they claim the anti-polio drive is part of an alleged Western conspiracy to sterilize children or collect intelligence .
Attacks on polio teams increased after it was revealed that a fake hepatitis vaccination campaign was used as a ruse by the CIA in the hunt for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Laden was killed by U.S. commandos in 2011 in Pakistan .
Pakistan halted the drive against polio in March and resumed it last month amid a decline in infections and fatalities from COVID-19 .
On Saturday , Pakistan reported only 9 new deaths from the new virus in the past 24 hours , increasing the country ’ s total of COVID-19 deaths to 6,162 .
So far , Pakistan has reported 288,047 cases and officials say about 93 % of the patients recovered since February , when the country reported its first confirmed @ @

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thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Hague police arrest 27 amid third night of rioting

THE HAGUE , Netherlands - Police in The Hague arrested 27 people as rioting broke out in a low-income neighbourhood @ @ @ @ @ with youths torching a storage building and throwing stones and fireworks at police Friday night @ @ @ @ @ of Saturday .
Unrest also spread to a second city , with arrests in a @ @ @ @ @ of Utrecht , local media reported .
Both areas affected are home to many families @ @ @ @ @ .
Hague police said arrests were made for offences including public violence , incitement and @ @ @ @ @ more than 20 arrests for similar offences on Thursday night .
Riot police guarded firefighters @ @ @ @ @ blaze in a storage shed for sports equipment and games in The Hague .
The @ @ @ @ @ amid a stifling heatwave in the Netherlands and moves by water authorities in The Hague @ @ @ @ @ hydrants to cool off .
Populist , anti-immigration lawmakers are seizing on the unrest as @ @ @ @ @ promote integration and call for those who refuse to integrate to be deported .


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Thousands of Britons return from France to avoid quarantine

LONDON - Thousands of British tourists beat a hasty retreat from France , packing out planes , trains and ferries to return to the U.K. by the early hours of Saturday morning to avoid a mandatory 14-day quarantine at home .
On Friday , many British travellers in the country opted to cut short their vacations to meet the 4 a.m. Saturday deadline that had only been announced the night before .
Anyone arriving back from France from Saturday must stay at home for two weeks to make sure they can not spread the coronavirus beyond their households if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prompted late Thursday when the British government took France off a list of nations exempt from traveller quarantine requirements because of a sharp rise in new coronavirus infections there .
A spokesman for the Le Shuttle car-carrying carrying rail service linking Britain and France under the English Channel said 12,000 people tried to book tickets in the hour after the new rules were announced , compared with just hundreds normally .
Some air fares were selling for significantly inflated prices compared to normal rates .
British Airways was selling tickets for a flight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ costing 452 pounds ( $ 590 ) .
The same journey on Saturday could be made for just 66 pounds .
Ferry companies put on extra services but they sold out fast too .
For those who can not work from home on their return , the mandatory self-quarantine could see them penalized further .
Others just couldn ’ t face the prospect of having to stay at home for two weeks , unable to do even basic chores , go for a run or even to walk the dog .
Peter Norris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the last flights Friday out of Nice , in the south of France , said it would have been “ incredibly inconvenient ” for him to face another two-week period cooped up at home .
?
It ’ s not like during lockdown , where you can go for a run , go to the shops , come back , “ he said .
“ None of that , we have to stay in , for two weeks.
” As well as complicating the return home for the hundreds of thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.K. move has the potential to upend the plans of those planning trips in the days ahead , particularly of families during the run-up to schools reopening in September .
French businesses running campsites in Brittany , wine-tasting tours in the Loire Valley or mountain treks in the Alps also have reason to worry .
The French government has indicated that it will respond in kind , a move that is set to further hobble travel and tourism between the two countries .
The British government insists it had to make the decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in confirmed coronavirus cases in France in the past week .
The Netherlands , Malta , Monaco and the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Turks & Caicos were also added to the U.K. ’ s quarantine list for the same reason .
In France , there ’ s a growing fear of a second spike of the outbreak .
Health authorities on Friday reported 2,846 new virus cases in 24 hours , bringing the total for the week to over 12,900 .
Paris extended the areas of the city where pedestrians will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after health officials said the coronavirus is “ active ” in the French capital and the Mediterranean city of Marseille .
Last month , Spain , the number one summer holiday destination for British tourists , was taken off the exempt list .
Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed to this report .
Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Asia Today: Restrictions in S. Korea, India cases hit 2.5M

SEOUL , Korea , Republic Of - South Korea on Saturday announced stronger social distancing restrictions for its greater capital area where a surge in COVID-19 cases has threatened to erase the hard-won gains against the virus .
The two-week measures starting Sunday will allow authorities in Seoul and towns in neighbouring Gyeonggi Province to shut down high-risk facilities such as nightclubs , karaoke rooms , movie theatres and buffet restaurants if they fail to properly enforce preventive measures , including distancing , temperatures checks , keeping customer lists and requiring masks .
Fans will once again be banned from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few weeks after health authorities allowed teams to let in spectators for a portion of their seats in each game .
Gatherings of more than 50 people will be discouraged .
Churches will be advised to shift their services online .
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo revealed the measures hours after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 166 newly confirmed cases , the highest daily jump in five months .
Park expressed concern that transmissions are getting out of control in the Seoul metropolitan areas , where health authorities have found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The current situation looks like an early stage of a massive round of transmissions , ” Park said .
“ If we fail to properly control the spread now , a broader and quicker spread of the virus would spike the number of patients and reach nationwide.
” Officials have previously resisted calls to enforce stronger distancing measures , citing concerns for the fragile economy that policymakers say could possibly shrink for the first time in two decades .
South Korea ’ s caseload is now at 15,039 , including 305 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new infections were local , mostly from the densely populated Seoul area where authorities scurried to shut down thousands of churches .
Many of them had failed to properly enforce preventive measures , allowing worshipers to take off their masks , sing in choirs or eat together in diners .
Other clusters have been tied to nursing homes , schools , restaurants , outdoor markets and door-to-door salespeople .
Officials also worried about demonstrations by thousands of anti-government protesters in Seoul on Saturday , the 75th anniversary of the country ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of World War II .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — India ’ s confirmed coronavirus cases have crossed 2.5 million with another biggest single-day spike of 65,002 in the past 24 hours .
India is behind the United States and Brazil in the number of cases .
The Health Ministry on Saturday also reported another 996 deaths for a total of 49,036 .
The average daily reported cases jumped from around 15,000 in the first week of July to more than 50,000 at the beginning of August .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extent of testing with 800,000 carried out in a single day .
But experts say India needs to pursue testing more vigorously .
India ’ s two-month lockdown imposed nationwide in late March kept infections low .
But it has eased and is now largely being enforced in high-risk areas .
The new cases spiked after India reopened shops and manufacturing and allowed hundreds of thousands of migrant workers to return to their homes from coronavirus-hit regions .
Subways , schools and movie theatres remain closed .
— The Australian state of Victoria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wave of COVID-19 infections and deaths in the hard-hit area .
It reported four more deaths and 303 new cases in the past 24 hours .
It ’ s the second-lowest daily figure in Victoria this month after 278 cases on Thursday .
Victoria ’ s daily numbers are gradually decreasing , with the seven-day average down to 344 from 521 a week ago .
But authorities warn there is more progress needed before lockdown restrictions in the city of Melbourne can be eased .
Melbourne residents and those in a nearby shire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time limits on outdoor exercise , distance allowed from home , mandatory public mask wearing and shutdowns of non-essential industries .
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says , “ We could not conceive of opening up with 200 cases a day .
We couldn ’ t do it with 100 cases a day .
We have to head for the lowest possible number.
” The four deaths announced Saturday take the state ’ s toll to 293 and the Australian COVID-19 death total to 379 .
— China ’ s government reported 22 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eight were acquired locally , including seven in the northwestern region of Xinjiang , the National Health Commission reported .
The rest were found in travellers who arrived from abroad .
The raised the number of confirmed cases on China ’ s mainland , where the pandemic began in December , to 84,808 , with 4,634 deaths .


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Authority says it’s unlikely to order power outages tonight

SAN FRANCISCO - A heat wave baking California in triple-digit temperatures continued to strain the electrical system Saturday .
But Saturday afternoon , the California Independent System Operator ( California ISO ) , which manages the power grid , said that it did not need to order power outages because the grid was able to handle consumer demand .
California ISO ordered the first rolling outages in nearly 20 years on Friday when it directed utilities around the state to shed their power loads .
The state ’ s three biggest utilities — Pacific Gas & Electric , Southern California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — turned off power to more than 410,000 homes and businesses for about an hour at a time until the emergency declaration ended 3 1/2 hours later .
The move came as temperatures around the state hit triple digits in many areas , and air conditioning use soared .
The power grid is mostly stressed during the late afternoon and early evening because of higher demand and solar energy production falling .
The state tried to prepare for the expected rise in electricity use by urging conservation and trying to buy more power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Western states meant there was less available .
A power outage caused a pump to fail at a wastewater treatment plant in Oakland , resulting in a sewer backup and the release of some 50,000 gallons of raw sewage into a waterway , the East Bay Municipal Utility District said .
The district said the outage began around 5 p.m. Friday , more than an hour before the rolling outages occurred , and sewage began to spill early Saturday .
The agency said the sudden outage affected its ability to connect to backup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , workers were dealing with flooding while trying to restore power .
The agency warned boaters to stay away from the Oakland Estuary as it investigates the accident .
The state remained gripped by the heat wave Saturday , with several records either tied or broken , according to the National Weather Service .
The last time the state ordered rolling outages was during an energy crisis in 2001 .
Blackouts occurred several times from January to May , including one that affected more than 1.5 million customers .
The cause was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manipulation by energy wholesalers , infamously including Enron Corp. , that drove up prices by withholding supplies .
Counties up and down the state reported scattered outages , although the city of Los Angeles , which has its own power generating system , wasn ’ t affected .
The heat wave brought brutally high temperatures , increased wildfire danger and fears of coronavirus spread as people flock to beaches and parks for relief .
A thunderstorm rolling from the Central Coast to inland Southern California also brought dry lightning that sparked several small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the high desert .
Records were set in Lake Elsinore , where the mercury hit 114 ; Riverside at 109 and Gilroy at 108 , according to the National Weather Service .
The high in Borrego Springs , in the desert northeast of San Diego , was 118 .
Coastal cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles sweltered in 86 and 98 degrees , respectively .
Several cities opened cooling centres , but with limited capacity because of social distancing requirements .
San Francisco ’ s Department of Emergency Management issued simultaneous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outages and to protect themselves from the coronavirus during the heat wave .
“ Stay home when possible .
If it feels too hot indoors , seek cooler temps outside , keep physical distance , wear a face covering , ” the department tweeted .
The scorching temperatures are a concern for firefighters battling blazes that have destroyed several homes and erupted near rural and urban foothill neighbourhoods , driving through tinder-dry brush .
In addition to the possibility of heat stroke and other hot-weather illnesses , health officers were concerned that people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recreation areas without following mask and social distancing orders — a major concern in the state that has seen more than 613,000 coronavirus cases .
Israel saw a COVID-19 resurgence after a May heat wave inspired school officials to let children remove their masks , Dr. George Rutherford , an epidemiologist at the University of California , San Francisco , told the San Francisco Chronicle .
“ People will want to take off their masks when it ’ s hot , ” Rutherford said .
“ Don ’ t do it .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--The Latest: S. Korea reports largest virus jump since March

SEOUL , South Korea — South Korea has reported 279 newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus , it ’ s highest daily jump since early March , as fears grow about a massive outbreak in the greater capital region .
The figures released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sunday brought the national caseload to 15,318 , including 305 deaths .
The number of new cases was the highest since 367 were reported on March 8 , when the country was concentrating public health tools and personnel from nationwide to combat an outbreak in the less populated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the new cases came from the Seoul metropolitan area , home to 26 million people , where health authorities have been struggling to stem transmissions linked to various places and groups , including churches , nursery homes , schools , restaurants and door-to-door salespeople .
Infections were also reported in other major cities , such as Busan and Daegu , a southeastern city that was the epicenter of the country ’ s previous virus crisis in late February and March , when hundreds of new cases were reported each day .
HERE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK : — Millions of seniors live in homes with at least one child , and the new school year could bring new worries for them .
— Testing for the coronavirus drops in Texas as schools reopen and the state prepares for football .
The drop comes even as deaths are continuing to climb .
— Thousands of British tourists beat a hasty retreat from France to avoid a mandatory 14-day quarantine at home .
— The year the music might die : British clubs face closure because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ music venues face possible closure despite some short-term government aid .
HERE ’ S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING : KAHULUI , Hawaii — Kahului Airport on Maui has completed its second phase of its thermal screening project meant to combat the spread of the coronavirus .
The screening uses thermal imaging and facial recognition technology to pinpoint people with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher .
Dual lens cameras have been installed at all arrival gates and TSA checkpoints in the airport .
The Maui News reports that when phase three is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to track travellers with high body temperatures so contact tracers can stop and screen them before they leave the airport .
KANSAS CITY — Trump ’ s top coronavirus adviser used a visit to Kansas to urge people to wear masks regardless of where they live .
“ What ’ s really important for every Kansan to understand is that this epidemic that we have been seeing this summer is both urban and rural , ” Dr. Deborah Birx , co-ordinator of the White House coronavirus task force said Saturday .
“ So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether you are urban or rural communities , to really wear a mask inside , outside , every day.
” She also stressed that people should socially distance and not have gatherings while in Kansas City , Kansas , for a meeting with Kansas Gov .
Laura Kelly , as well as community and state health officials at KU Medical Center , The Kansas City Star reports .
“ You can ’ t tell who ’ s infected , ” Birx said .
“ Much of the spread is asymptomatic .
I know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family members can not be positive .
They are.
” Birx said when communities start seeing a rise in positive cases , leaders need to close the bars , restrict indoor dining , decrease social gatherings and ensure there ’ s a mask mandate .
“ We have been doing that across the South and we ’ ve seen a dramatic decrease in cases where the population has followed those guidelines , ” she said .
AUSTIN , Texas — The death toll in Texas from the coronavirus inched nearer to 10,000 on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total to 9,840 .
The Texas Department of State Health Services said the number of reported cases increased by 8,245 to 528,838 .
Health officials said Saturday that 6,481 people with COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus , were hospitalized .
The number of hospitalizations has been decreasing since peaking in July at 10,893 , and the number of newly reported cases is shrinking .
But the virus is still spreading geographically .
SANTA FE , N.M. — New Mexico on Saturday reported 146 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases with eight more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ totals to 23,302 cases and 711 deaths .
Over half of the newly reported cases occurred in five counties — Bernalillo , Dona Ana , Eddy , Lea and McKinley .
The deaths reported Saturday involved people from six counties — Bernalillo , Cibola , Dona Ana , Eddy and Rio Arriba .
The 7-day rolling averages of daily new cases in New Mexico and daily deaths in the state both dropped over the past two weeks .
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma on Saturday reported an additional 901 cases of the coronavirus and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Health says the number of reported cases is now at 47,798 .
There have been a total of 657 deaths from COVID-19 , the illness caused by the virus .
The true number of cases in Oklahoma is likely higher because many people have not been tested , and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick .
The health department said that as of Saturday , there were 7,234 active cases and 39,907 people have recovered .
That increases the state ’ s totals to more than 192,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rolling average of daily new cases decreased from 2,550 to 1,021 per day from July 30 to Aug. 13 .
The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths decreased from 94 to 54 in the same time period .
The latest COVID-19-related hospitalization numbers posted by the state Department of Health Services were at levels last seen in early June .
The COVID-19-related hospitalizations in Arizona peaked about a month ago following Gov .
Doug Ducey ’ s lifting of stay-home orders in May .
Ducey re-imposed some restrictions and allowed local governments to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NEW YORK -- New York ’ s annual light display honouring victims of 9-11 is back on , officials announced Saturday .
They say health officials will supervise this year ’ s tribute to ensure workers ’ safety amid concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic .
Gov .
Andrew Cuomo said in a statement that it is especially important this year to commemorate the lives lost and heroism displayed in the Sept. 11 attacks “ as New Yorkers are once again called upon to face a common enemy.
” The announcement came days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Museum cancelled the Tribute in Light over concerns the coronavirus might spread among crews creating twin columns of light to represent the World Trade Center in the Manhattan sky .
Alice Greenwald , president and CEO of the 9-11 Memorial & Museum , thanked former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg , Cuomo and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation “ for their assistance in offsetting the increased costs associated with the health and safety considerations around the tribute this year.
” “ This year , its message of hope , endurance and resilience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said in a statement .
JOHANNESBURG — South Africa is lifting its month-long ban on cigarette sales and will allow limited alcohol sales .
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country has passed the peak of coronavirus infections and a “ ray of light is visible now on the horizon.
” The loosening of the lockdown on Monday will remove nearly all restrictions on economic activity , including the hospitality industry , and allow inter-provincial travel .
But international travel restrictions are still in place and gatherings of more than 50 people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world ’ s fifth-largest virus caseload with more than 583,000 .
The health ministry announced Saturday a total of more than 11,600 confirmed deaths .
Ramaphosa says in the past three weeks , confirmed cases have dropped from more than 12,000 a day to around 5,000 .
The president acknowledged the hardship of the lockdown and warned South Africans not to be complacent because of asymptomatic spread , when people don ’ t realize they have the virus .
ISTANBUL — Turkey ’ s health minister says the 1,256 coronavirus cases reported Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There ’ s been 21 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours , bringing the confirmed death toll to 5,955 .
More than 248,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Turkey since March .
Mask wearing in public is mandatory in much of the country , which has lifted many social restrictions to curb the spread of the virus .
DES MOINES — Iowa is reporting 832 new coronavirus cases for its second-largest single-day increase .
KRCG reports the cases brought the state ’ s total number of confirmed infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also added nine more deaths to bring the confirmed total to 973 , according to health officials .
The only other day with more new cases was July 17 , with 879 .
Both days had large numbers of tests processed .
An additional 9,539 tests were reported by public and private labs in the last 24 hours .
The positivity rate of tests during that period was 8.7 % , lower than the previous 11.7 % .
A total of 552,389 tests have been processed since the start of the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal government ’ s underground nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico say operations are ongoing despite a recent increase in coronavirus cases among workers .
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant has had cases among employees and contract workers more than double in the last week .
This week , the plant announced four new cases among employees of Nuclear Waste Partnership , the contractor hired to oversee daily operations at the facility .
The plant is in the second phase of resuming normal operations .
ROME — Italy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 600 daily for the first time in three months .
Tourists and vacationing people returning are considered major factors in rising caseloads .
The Health Ministry registered 629 coronavirus cases Saturday in the previous 24 hours , increasing the confirmed total to more than 253,000 .
The last time the daily number was higher was 669 cases on May 23 .
Only a few weeks ago , Italy had daily cases numbers in the 200s .
Italy ’ s confirmed deaths has reached more than 35,000 .
OPELIKA , Ala. — Alabama high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Opelika High School says it will cap attendance at about 30 % of the stadium capacity of 8,000 so fans can maintain proper social distancing .
Gulf Shores says attendance at athletic events will be cut by 50 % .
Other schools are announcing attendance reductions or still working on plans .
Some are skipping fall sports .
The first football games are scheduled for this week , although some schools have delayed games after players or staff tested positive for the coronavirus .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alabama has dropped below 1,000 , after reaching 1,800 in mid-July .
The number of hospitalized patients has lessened from about 1,600 to 1,400 , and the per cent of positive tests has gone from 16.7 % to 12.3 % .
However , Dr. Don Williamson , the former state health officer who heads the Alabama Hospital Association , says 89 % of ICU beds are full .
ROME — Some 455,000 people in Italy received citations or fines for not obeying early lockdown rules , according to Italian Interior Ministry figures released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdown in a bid to slow the coronavirus on March 11 .
Citizens could go out for essential work or food shopping in a country that became the epicenter of the virus in Europe .
Authorities says they cited 1,117 people for violating quarantine through July 31 .
The numbers of cases and deaths have dramatically decreased since the peak in Italy .
Italy currently has 252,809 known cases .
More than 35,000 people have died , sixth highest in the world .
ALGIERS , Algeria — Algeria reopened mosques , cafes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first time in five months , relaxing one of the world ’ s longer virus confinement periods .
Curfews remain in place in more than half the country as Algeria tries to contain the virus .
Crowds packed beaches in the capital Algiers , celebrating the opportunity to swim in the Mediterranean amid the August heat .
Restaurants reopened , and mosques that can hold more than 1,000 people must ensure social distancing measures .
However , mosques remain closed to all women , children and the elderly .
Algeria reported more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Friday .
It ’ s the third-highest death rate reported in Africa , after South Africa and Egypt .
JOHANNESBURG — A report in South Africa says there is a higher risk of Black or mixed-race patients dying of COVID-19 in the country ’ s hospitals than white patients .
A report by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases indicates the association but doesn ’ t go into detail .
South Africa has released little data by race during the coronavirus pandemic .
The country has the world ’ s fifth largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases and ranks No .
13 with more than 11,000 deaths , according to the tally by Johns Hopkins University .
The report says overall , 18 % of people with coronavirus admitted to hospitals die .
Public hospitals are generally more poorly funded than private hospitals .
The report includes data from more than 150 public and private hospitals across the country .
According to the 2011 census , 86 % of South Africans are Black or mixed race , with 9 % white .
BERLIN — Germany ’ s health minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands “ risk areas ” for coronavirus infection .
Travellers must undergo compulsory testing and two-week quarantine after arriving from there .
Health Minister Jens Spahn told Bild on Saturday that he knows “ how much Germans love Spain as a vacation destination .
But the numbers there are rising quickly , too quickly.
” The travel classification also includes the Spanish island of Mallorca , a popular destination for German tourists .
Germany is providing free testing for coronavirus at airports and those who test negative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days .
The Robert Koch Institute says Spain ’ s Canary Islands weren ’ t deemed a risk area .
That designation now covers most non-EU countries , including the United States , and several regions within the 27-nation bloc .


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Crews battle wildfires amid brutal heat wave in California

LOS ANGELES - Firefighters struggled to contain three wildfires near Los Angeles on Saturday as forecasters warned that the risk of new fires was high with temperatures expected to spike and humidity levels to drop across California .
In Northern California , the National Weather Service warned responders to beware of a rare fire tornado .
A huge forest fire that prompted evacuations north of Los Angeles flared up around noon , sending up a cloud of smoke as it headed toward thick , dry brush in the Angeles National Forest .
Although it was burning into forest land , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ western Antelope Valley because erratic winds in the forecast could push the fire toward homes , fire spokesman Jake Miller said .
Fire crews managed to stop the fire ’ s movement down to the desert floor when it flared up Friday afternoon .
In one dramatic moment , several firefighters ran to safety when a longhorn bull that was apparently escaping the blaze charged at them .
The Lake Fire was just 12 % contained as of Saturday morning , and after threatening more than 5,400 homes , it had charred more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kilometres ) of brush and trees .
Fire officials said 21 buildings had been destroyed , including at least five homes .
Firefighters were struggling in steep , rugged terrain amid scorching temperatures .
The National Weather Service warned temperatures could hit 111 degrees ( 44 Celsius ) in the Antelope Valley Saturday , and winds gusting 15-20 mph ( 24-32 kph ) was expected later in the afternoon .
“ In addition to that , we have a very unstable air mass over the Lake Fire that ’ s going to allow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later today so that will create extreme fire behaviour , ” meteorologist Matt Mehle said .
Many areas of the state saw record-breaking heat through the weekend , with triple-digit temperatures and unhealthy air predicted for many parts of the state .
There also was a chance of isolated thunderstorms worsening the fire threat by creating dry lightning and strong downdrafts , fire officials said .
North of Lake Tahoe , the Loyalton Fire has burned 31 square miles ( 80 square kilometres ) east of Reno , Nevada .
Weather service officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as gusty winds and blowing smoke similar to a deadly Northern California fire that destroyed more than 1,000 homes and killed 8 people .
That fire was just 5 per cent contained Saturday night .
There was also no containment of a blaze that blackened foothills above the Los Angeles suburb of Azusa .
It churned through 2.3 square miles ( 5.96 square kilometres ) of brush on Thursday and was moving away from homes .
Evacuation orders issued to residents were lifted early Friday .
Azusa police said they were looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fire .
He was identified as Osmin Palencia , 36 , and was last known to be living in a riverbed encampment near the site where the fire started .
Police said Palencia was believed to be violent and urged people to use caution if they see him .
Another blaze came dangerously close to a neighbourhood in the city of Corona , east of Los Angeles , before crews controlled it .
And a Northern California fire in the community of Sloughhouse , near Sacramento , burned about 500 acres ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward spread .


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Q&A: What’s happening at the US Postal Service, and why?

The U.S .
Postal Service is warning states it can not guarantee that all ballots cast by mail for the Nov. 3 election will arrive in time to be counted , even if ballots are mailed by state deadlines .
That ’ s raising the possibility that millions of voters could be disenfranchised .
It ’ s the latest chaotic and confusing development involving the agency , which has found itself in the middle of a high-stakes election year debate over who gets to vote in America , and how .
Those questions are particularly potent in the middle of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many Americans to consider voting by mail instead of heading to in-person polling places .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends mail ballots as a way to vote without risking exposure to the virus at the polls .
But President Donald Trump has baselessly excoriated mail ballots as fraudulent , worried that an increase could cost him the election .
Democrats have been more likely than Republicans to vote by mail in primary contests held so far this year .
Some questions and answers about what ’ s going on with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The Post Office has lost money for years , though advocates note it ’ s a government service rather than a profit-maximizing business .
In June , Louis DeJoy , a Republican donor and logistics company executive , took over as the new postmaster general and Trump tasked him with trying to make the Postal Service more profitable .
Doing so would also squeeze businesses such as Amazon .
Its chief executive , Jeff Bezos , has come under criticism from Trump because of the coverage the president has received from The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DeJoy cut overtime , late delivery trips and other expenses that ensure mail arrives at its destination on time .
The result has been a national slowdown of mail .
The Postal Service is hoping for a $ 10 billion infusion from Congress to continue operating , but talks between Democrats and Republicans over a broad pandemic relief package that could have included that money have broken down .
On Thursday , Trump frankly acknowledged that he ’ s starving the postal service of that money to make it harder to process an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday attempted to re-calibrate his position .
He said that he supports more funding for the postal service but refuses to capitulate to other parts of the Democrats ’ relief package — including funding for cash-strapped states .
WHY DOES THIS MATTER IN AN ELECTION YEAR ?
Mail-in ballots have exploded in popularity since the pandemic spread in mid-March , at the peak of primary season .
Some states have seen the demand for mail voting increase fivefold or more during the primaries .
Election officials are bracing for the possibility that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more — will cast ballots by mail in November .
Colorado , Hawaii , Oregon , Utah and Washington state have universal mail voting , and California , Nevada and Vermont are starting universal mail voting in November .
But the rest have little experience with such a volume of ballots cast through the mail .
Timely mail is key to voting by mail .
In states without universal mail-in voting , applications for mail ballots are generally sent out to voters by mail .
They ’ re returned , again , by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent to voters by mail , and returned , again , by mail , usually by Election Day .
Late last month , Thomas J. Marshall , the post office ’ s general counsel and executive vice-president , sent states a letter warning that many of them have deadlines too tight to meet in this new world of slower mail .
Pennsylvania , for example , allows voters to request a mail ballot by Oct. 27 .
Marshall warned that voters there should put already completed ballots in the mail by that date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This has been a potential problem since the Obama administration , when the post office relaxed standards for when mail had to arrive .
But it ’ s particularly acute when the volume of mail ballots is expected to explode in states such as Pennsylvania , which only approved an expansion of mail voting late last year .
It ’ s also acute when the president has said openly he wants to limit votes by his rivals by keeping them from voting by mail .
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT ?
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there will be a coronavirus relief bill that could help fund the post office .
Republicans and Democrats are far apart on the measure and Congress has gone home for a few weeks .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats are considering calling the House back into session to address the Postal Service , according to aides familiar with a Saturday evening leadership call .
One aide said the House could return next week or the following week .
The aides were not authorized to discuss the call publicly and requested anonymity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus aid , the matter is sure to come up during negotiations in September to continue to fund the federal government .
The government will shut down if Trump doesn ’ t sign a funding bill by Sept. 30 .
States can also act to change their mail balloting deadlines .
That ’ s what Pennsylvania did this past week , with the state asking a court to move the deadline for receiving mail ballots back to three days after the Nov. 3 vote , provided the ballots were placed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Day .
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and some other Democratic lawmakers are also seeking a review of DeJoy ’ s policy changes .
In response to the letter , spokeswoman Agapi Doulaveris of the U.S .
Postal Service Office of Inspector General said the office is “ conducting a body of work to address the concerns raised.
” She declined to elaborate .
Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre in Charleston , West Virginia , and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report .

Nicholas Riccardi - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--New voting laws revive fights over ‘ballot harvesting’

LAS VEGAS - As President Donald Trump ’ s reelection campaign challenged Nevada ’ s new voting law in court , the president and Republicans argued the rules would facilitate fraud and illegal voting .
Chief among their criticisms was a provision allowing “ ballot harvesting.
“ The Nevada lawsuit highlighted a practice that has long fueled Republicans ’ suspicions about mail-in voting .
Although widely practiced and rarely found to be abused , the rule permitting a third party to collect and return multiple ballots remains a source of partisan dispute .
Those fights are likely to continue up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws for the pandemic .
One of the few recent instances of fraud related to ballot collection happened in North Carolina in 2018 , resulting in a congressional election being overturned .
More than half of states allow a third party to collect ballots .
And political groups and campaigns from both parties have run ballot-collection programs aimed at boosting turnout and ensuring voters who are older , homebound , disabled , or live far from U.S. postal services can get their ballot returned .
“ This is not new ground , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Frierson said in a statement .
“ Allowing someone to assist a voter in turning in their ballot helps protect vulnerable populations , including our tribal and rural communities.
“ Trump and the GOP contend “ ballot harvesting ” opens the door for fraud and have fought to restrict it .
This has escalated as states prepare for greater reliance on absentee voting or vote-by-mail amid COVID-19 .
“ The issue has taken on heightened importance because there are so many people that are either confined to their homes or fearful of going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus , ” said Wendy Weiser , director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice .
This year , Republicans and Democrats have squared off in lawsuits over the third-party collection of ballots in Pennsylvania , Florida and Minnesota .
In Wisconsin , a conservative law firm known as the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty requested that election officials outlaw the process .
Though that state ’ s laws don ’ t specifically address “ ballot harvesting , ” officials said they weren ’ t aware of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state and did not impose a rule prohibiting it .
The 9th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year struck down a 2016 law passed by Republicans in Arizona that made it a felony for someone besides a voter ’ s family member or caregiver to return an absentee ballot .
While the appeals court sided with Democrats who had sued to challenge the law , the ruling is on hold while the state ’ s Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remains in force for the 2020 election .
In Nevada , an easing of ballot collection rules was included in a new law that calls for automatically sending ballots to all active voters this November .
Trump ’ s reelection campaign , the Republican National Committee and Nevada GOP filed a lawsuit last week asking a judge to strike down the law .
The complaint makes a brief mention of “ ballot harvesting , ” alleging without supporting evidence that it is among changes that “ facilitate fraud and other illegitimate voting practices.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked a judge this past week to dismiss the lawsuit .
A hearing has not yet been held .
Election security experts say voter fraud is rare among all forms of voting , including by mail .
They point to a 2018 congressional election in North Carolina as one of the few instances where there were reports of fraud related to ballot collection .
A state probe there found that a Republican political operative illegally gathered ballots and workers testified that they were directed to collect blank or incomplete ballots , forge signatures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election .
North Carolina is among 10 states that generally only allow a family member or caregiver to drop off someone ’ s ballot , according to the National Conference of State Legislatures .
Nevada is among 26 other states allowing voters to more broadly designate someone to drop off their ballot .
About a dozen of those states have imposed limits on how many ballots a person can submit .
Minnesota limits a person to collecting and returning three ballots , for example .
California since 2016 has allowed for someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from voters , though it does bar someone from being paid based on how many ballots they return .
California ’ s law became the source of controversy and GOP criticism after Democrats used the practice to their advantage in 2018 , flipping Republican-held congressional seats after a flood absentee ballots came in before the deadline and were counted after Election Day .
Richard L. Hasen , a law professor and elections expert at the University of California , Irvine , School of Law , said that despite then-U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was no evidence in those contests that any ballots were tampered with .
“ On the one hand , there ’ s going to be much more need for the use of absentee ballots because of the potential safety concerns of voting in person , ” Hasen said of the 2020 election .
“ On the other hand , there are going to be more people who are going to be receiving absentee ballots and more potential for interfering with them.
” Hasen said that ’ s particularly true for states like Nevada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the mail regardless of whether they requested one .
Nevada ’ s law does not include limits on how many ballots can be collected or restrictions on payment .
It does allow someone to be charged with a felony for blocking the ballot from being submitted or failing to return it after being entrusted to do so .
In addition to expanding ballot collection , Nevada ’ s law also allows voters who are over 65 , have a disability or are unable to read or write to have someone assist them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provisions have also drawn criticism from Trump .
Nevada requires anyone assisting a voter in physically marking a ballot to include a written statement with the name , address and signature of the person who assisted the voter .
Associated Press writers Sam Metz in Carson City , Nevada , and Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report .

Michelle L. Price - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Venezuelans brave open sea on tubes, fishing for survival

LA GUAIRA , Venezuela - The biggest fear is a fishhook puncturing the inner tube that keeps them afloat far from shore .
Then come sharks grabbing their catch and maybe biting their legs .
And the current that threatens to pull them out to sea .
A small but growing number of people in the coastal town of La Guaira , just a few minutes from the capital of Caracas , have turned to the sea for sustenance since the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down the Caribbean nation ’ s already miserable economy .
“ If we had steady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our lives out there , ” said Juan Carlos Almeida , who is accompanied by his fishing partner Eric Méndez .
“ We ’ re bricklayers , but there ’ s no construction.
” Others who paddle out in small groups up to 5 miles ( 8 kilometres ) from shore lost jobs in restaurants or shops catering to beachgoers .
All the beaches are closed , but the workers still have hungry children at home in their hillside barrios .
“ If we don ’ t help ourselves and don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to feed us ?
” said the 35-year-old Almeida .
“ Nobody.
” The new coronavirus hit Venezuela in mid-March and the government ordered most businesses closed .
The virus has steadily spread in the five months since .
Officials say it ’ s killed fewer than 300 and sickened roughly 31,000 .
The nation remains largely paralyzed and commercial flights have been grounded at the the nation ’ s main airport in La Guaira .
People have little hope life will return to normal anytime soon .
Newcomers to subsistence fishing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guaira ’ s pier , fearing the open seas .
Almeida and Méndez , 40 , consider themselves experienced after spending a couple months entering the water on inner tubes .
They make plastic hand paddles and wear flippers on their feet to propel them into the Caribbean .
They ’ re quickly out of sight of those back on shore .
They wear their extra fishhooks in the brim of their hats — away from the rubber and ready to grab .
They drop fishing lines from a spool baited with sardines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to improvise emergency patches just in case of an accidental puncture .
When they catch a fish , they pull it in slowly to see whether a shark is following .
They avoid drawing them in too close .
Despite the risks , the fishermen say being at sea for several hours brings a calm .
They ’ re far from the struggles of life on land — the growing coronavirus , economic crisis , hungry children and no work .
It ’ s also where the big fish swim .
They paddle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s tiring .
Then they walk several miles home , barefoot and carrying their catch in a yellow , blue and red backpack the government gives schoolchildren .
Their inner tube rests on one shoulder .
This was a good day , and they pulled in enough fish to feed their families and share some with neighbours for a week .
The rest they sell for a few dollars .
“ If we can ’ t work , where do we go ?
” said Méndez , a husband and father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us this — the sea .
So we go fishing.
” Associated Press writer Scott Smith in Caracas , Venezuela , contributed to this report .

Matias Delacroix And Juan Pablo ArráEz - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Israel strikes Gaza targets after arson balloons launched

GAZA , Palestinian Territory - Israeli aircraft bombed several sites belonging to the militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip for a fifth night in a row , the Israeli military said early Sunday .
Shortly after that announcement , the military said Palestinian militants in Gaza fired two rockets into southern Israel that were intercepted by aerial defence systems .
There were no immediate reports of injuries .
The military said the airstrikes were in response to arson balloons that Hamas-affiliated groups sent across the Gaza frontier into Israeli territory .
The balloons have caused dozens of fires that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Saturday , dozens of Palestinians took part in nighttime protests along the Gaza-Israel perimeter fence .
The military said the protesters “ burned tires , hurled explosive devices and grenades towards the security fence and attempted to approach it.
” TheGaza health ministry said two demonstrators were wounded by Israeli gunfire .
Israel shouldered Hamas , which rules Gaza , the responsibility for all violent acts from the Palestinian territory .
After months of calm reinforced by the coronavirus pandemic , the Gaza-Israel frontier has turned volatile over the past week .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , accused Israel on Saturday of not honouring an informal truce to ease the blockade it has imposed on Gaza since Hamas took it over in 2007 .
He told Hamas ’ al-Aqsa TV that the Palestinian people in Gaza were experiencing “ slow death ” by the blockade .
“ The zone of confrontation with the enemy is expanding day after day in response to its continued aggression , ” he said .
He said Egyptian mediators were expected to visit the region to discuss reinforcing the truce , but no timing @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Newsweek apologizes for op-ed questioning Harris eligibility

NEW YORK - Newsweek has apologized for an op-ed that questioned Sen. Kamala Harris ’ U.S. citizenship and her eligibility to be Joe Biden ’ s running mate , a false and racist conspiracy theory which President Donald Trump has not dismissed .
“ This op-ed is being used by some as a tool to perpetuate racism and xenophobia .
We apologize , ” read Newsweek ’ s editor ’ s note on Friday , which replaced the magazine ’ s earlier detailed defence of the op-ed .
“ We entirely failed to anticipate the ways in which the essay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” read the apology , signed by Josh Hammer , opinion editor , and Nancy Cooper , global editor in chief .
But they ended the note by saying that the op-ed would remain on the site , with their note attached .
The op-ed was written by John Eastman , a conservative attorney who argues that the U.S. Constitution doesn ’ t grant birthright citizenship .
Eastman sowed doubt about Harris ’ eligibility based on her parents ’ immigration status .
Harris ’ mother was born in India and her father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defended the piece , arguing that Eastman “ was focusing on a long-standing , somewhat arcane legal debate ” about the 14th Amendment and not trying to “ ignite a racist conspiracy theory around Kamala Harris ’ candidacy.
” But the theory is false .
Harris , who was tapped by Joe Biden to serve as his running mate on the Democratic ticket , was born in Oakland , California , and is eligible for both the vice presidency and presidency under the constitutional requirements .
The question is not even considered complex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ built his political career on questioning a political opponent ’ s legitimacy .
He was a high-profile force behind the “ birther movement ” — the lie that questioned whether President Barack Obama , the nation ’ s first Black president , was eligible to serve .
Only after mounting pressure during his 2016 campaign did Trump disavow the claims .
Asked about the matter at the White House on Thursday , Trump told reporters he had “ heard ” rumours that Harris does not meet the requirement to serve in the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rumours “ very serious.
” Trump was asked to revisit the topic during a news conference on Saturday .
He refused to say whether he believes the California-born senator does or doesn ’ t meet the constitutional requirements of the office he holds .
“ I have nothing to do with it .
I read something about it , ” Trump said .
He added : “ It ’ s not something that bothers me .
...
It ’ s not something that we will be pursuing.
” Asked point blank if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I just told you .
I have not got into it in great detail .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Police move in after fights break out during Georgia protest

STONE MOUNTAIN , Ga. - After several hours of mostly peaceful demonstrations Saturday in an Atlanta suburb that ’ s home to a giant Confederate memorial , large numbers of police moved in to disperse the crowds when fights broke out .
Several dozen right-wing demonstrators , some waving the Confederate battle flag and many wearing military gear , gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters , many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement .
People in both groups carried rifles .
For several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presence and things were largely peaceful , aside from some shoving and pushing and spirited arguments .
But just before 1 p.m. , fights broke out , with people punching and kicking each other and throwing rocks .
That ’ s when police officers in riot gear moved in to disperse the crowds .
By 2 p.m. , almost all of the protesters had left the area .
Right-wing groups led by an Arkansas group called Confederate States III % , had applied for a permit to hold a rally in Stone Mountain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giant sculpture of Confederate leaders .
The event was planned as a response to a march in the park by a Black militia group on July 4 .
But the Stone Mountain Memorial Association denied the permit on Aug. 4 , citing a violent clash between groups in April 2016 , spokesman John Bankhead said .
The park closed to visitors Saturday and was set to reopen Sunday .
With police manning barriers to keep people from entering the park , demonstrators took to the streets of the adjoining city of Stone Mountain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stay away all day and urged residents to stay home and businesses to shut down .
The predominantly Black demonstrators on July 4 spoke out against the huge sculpture depicting Gen. Robert E. Lee , Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Gen. Thomas J .
“ Stonewall ” Jackson .
Carved into a granite mountain , the bas-relief sculpture is the largest Confederate monument ever crafted .
The 100 to 200 protesters , many of whom carried large rifles , were peaceful .
Although the park has historically been a gathering spot for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stone Mountain has a majority-Black population today .
The park at Stone Mountain markets itself as a family theme park rather than a shrine to the “ Lost Cause ” mythology that romanticizes the Confederacy as chivalrous defenders of states ’ rights .
It ’ s a popular recreation spot for many families on the east side of Atlanta , with hiking trails , a golf course , boat rentals and other attractions .
The park has long been known for its laser light shows , but those have been cancelled because of @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Baby born in Dallas believed to be first to contract COVID-19 in womb

FORT WORTH , TEXAS—Doctors at Parkland Hospital in Dallas reported the first baby in the U.S. known to have contracted the coronavirus while in the womb .
Baby Alexa Figueroa tested positive for COVID-19 less than 24 hours after being delivered six weeks early by mother Wendy Figueroa on May 2 , according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV .
Doctors delivered the baby prematurely after Wendy Figueroa tested positive when she was 34 weeks pregnant .
“ We immediately separated baby from mother .
Mom was wearing a mask during delivery to reduce transmission , ” said Dr. Mamarambath Jaleel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , told WFAA .
After baby Alexa tested positive , doctors tested the placenta , which also came back positive .
“ Having the testing positive of the placenta , the most likely explanation was the transmission of infection was when the baby was in the mother ’ s womb , ” Dr. Jaleel said .
A day or two later , Alexa developed a fever and required supplemental oxygen , Jaleel told WFAA .
According to Jaleel , 128 pregnant women at Parkland have tested positive for COVID-19 .
Six of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alexa got sick , Jaleel said .
Wendy Figueroa was unable to hold Alexa for three weeks after giving birth .
“ I could not see my daughter .
They took her from me .
I could only see her from far away .
I could not hold her .
I cried , ” Figueroa told WFAA .
She cried for 20 consecutive days waiting to hold Alexa for the first time .
While she waited , Parkland officials set up an iPad on Alexa ’ s incubator during the day so that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When I held my daughter for the first time at that moment nothing else mattered , ” Figueroa said .
Both mom and daughter eventually recovered from the coronavirus .
Transmission between mother and baby is rare , Parkland Health & Hospital System OB/GYN Dr. Wilmer Moreno told KXAS-TV .
An article about the case was published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal on July 10 .

Stefan Stevenson - Fort Worth Star-Telegram


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--‘Do something:’ Harris’ rapid rise driven by call to action

SACRAMENTO , Calif. - Hours before Kamala Harris took the stage for the first time as Joe Biden ’ s vice-presidential pick , she received a text message from a childhood classmate with photos from their school days .
In one of the pictures , a racially diverse group of first-graders are gathered in a classroom .
Some had taken the bus from their homes across town to join white students from the affluent hillside neighbourhoods in Berkeley , California .
A pensive Harris sits on the floor , dutifully looking ahead , a child in the centre of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s how it started .
There ’ s no question !
” Harris , 55 , texted back to Aaron Peskin , the former classmate who is now a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors .
Fifty years after she was part of the second class to integrate Berkeley ’ s public schools , Harris is now the first Black woman and first Asian American woman named to a major party presidential ticket .
From her earliest years , Harris ’ path toward the second-highest office in the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for racial equality .
The start-and-stop progress and sometimes messy debate have shaped her life , from an upbringing by immigrant parents , a childhood among civil rights activists , a career at the helm of a flawed criminal justice system and her rapid ascent to the top of Democratic politics .
Those experiences forged a politician who is unafraid to buck the political powers that be , but also charts a cautious course through policy debates .
As a senator and candidate , she ’ s emerged as a leader who knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viral moment , and also the weight of her role as a voice for women of colour .
“ She ’ s the right thing at the right time in this country , ” said Peskin .
“ She understands how complicated life is , and what the promises of America are.
” Harris ’ s political rise , while fast , has not been without criticism and setbacks .
She ’ s been criticized for shifting policy positions .
She faced questions familiar to women in politics , particularly women of colour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump labeled her “ nasty ” for her piercing interrogation of his nominees , including now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh .
Some progressive Democrats , meanwhile , view her work as a prosecutor skeptically , questioning her use of policies they say are discriminatory .
Her own presidential bid , announced before 20,000 people in her hometown of Oakland , California , flamed out before primary season voting began .
She struggled to raise money and present a clear vision .
Now she ’ s back in an election she calls the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ My mother Shyamala raised my sister Maya and me to believe that it was up to us and every generation of Americans to keep on marching , ” Harris said Wednesday in her first speech after Biden announced his selection .
“ She ’ d tell us : Don ’ t sit around and complain about things .
Do something.
” Harris seemed bound to rise in politics from the very earliest days of her career .
She was a Howard University graduate without family wealth or high-powered ties when she returned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and took a job at the Alameda County District Attorney ’ s office in 1990 .
She quickly began making connections in San Francisco ’ s tightknit and competitive political circles .
She served on the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art board , where she reached out to Libby Schaaf , now Oakland ’ s mayor , who was running a volunteer program in Oakland ’ s public schools .
They launched a mentoring program to connect inner-city students interested in fine arts with museum members , giving the kids access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutions .
“ I love to say that Kamala has been fighting for the people long before anyone was looking , ” Schaaf said .
Among Harris ’ s friends and later political backers were members of the Getty family of oil fortunes and then-California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown .
In 2001 Harris joined a group of women working to enhance their political representation in the city .
Brown , whom Harris briefly dated , appointed her to two state boards in 1994 and 1995 .
It was her first foray into state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of political favouritism that would surface in 2003 , when Harris made her first political run for San Francisco district attorney .
Harris , then working for the city attorney , challenged her former boss , San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan .
He backed legalization of medical marijuana and other progressive issues .
But critics questioned his priorities .
Harris tacked right on the issues to run against him , pledging to be tough on crime and repair relationships with police .
Harris had the backing of monied donors , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used an ironing board as a pop-up table outside grocery stores to meet voters .
She promised to bring more attention to domestic violence cases and to Black mothers who had lost their children to homicide , issues she felt Hallinan was neglecting .
Debbie Mesloh , a longtime friend and adviser , said Harris cut her teeth in that first race , learning lessons that she would carry into national politics .
Harris faced both the scrutiny of her personal life and the resistance to her rise as she raced past rivals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to be strong , she had to be bold , she had to be ambitious , “ Mesloh recalled .
“ There was a big question , too , of ‘ Who do you think you are ?
’ ” Just months into her tenure , Harris decided not to seek the death penalty against a man charged with killing a police officer .
That decision angered law enforcement officers and drew rebuke from Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein , the city ’ s former mayor and a force in California politics .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ penalty opponent and her move made good on a campaign promise .
The issue would later fuel Harris ’ reputation as a political shape-shifter .
Years later , when she ran for California attorney general and needed support beyond her liberal home base , Harris tempered her stance on capital punishment .
She pledged to uphold the death penalty if elected , then stayed silent when ballot measures to repeal it went before voters in 2012 and 2016 .
She said it would be inappropriate to weigh in because her office was responsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she had a chance to effectively abolish the death penalty when a federal judge said it was so rarely used that it amounted to cruel and unusual punishment for those languishing on death row .
Harris appealed the decision and won , keeping capital punishment on the books .
She now calls for a federal moratorium .
Observers and critics point to these episodes as evidence of Harris ’ s penchant for staking out cautious positions that uphold the status quo .
“ There was nothing about the way she carried herself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handled cases , that made you say , ‘ Oh wow , she ’ s really shaking things up , ’ ” said John Raphling , a former public defender in California who is now a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch .
But , he added , the debate over criminal justice reform was different at the time .
“ The whole idea of a progressive prosecutor is a pretty recent phenomenon , ” he said .
Harris ’ allies argue that she worked within the confines of the system and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways to make change when possible , they say .
As district attorney , she launched a reentry program that connected nonviolent offenders to jobs and education that became a national model .
“ I remember the first time I visited the county jail .
So many young men , and they were mostly Black or brown or poor , ” she wrote in her 2019 book , “ The Truths We Hold , “ recalling her time as a young prosecutor .
“ They represented a living monument to lost potential , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” But she also focused on issues that activists said punished poor and minority families .
She took on truancy and supported a statewide law modeled on her city initiative that threatened parents with jail time , fines and lost public benefits if parents failed to send their children to school .
“ We took the relationship between a school , a parent and a child — instead of making a metric out of it , to improve the opportunities to get to school , to understand the barriers to get to school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Jessica Bartholow , a policy advocate at the Western Center on Law & Poverty .
Harris only barely won her race for state attorney general in 2010 , claiming the title of California ’ s “ top cop “ during a period of rapidly shifting views on criminal justice .
Soon the Black Lives Matter movement was taking hold , along with outrage over police brutality , prompted by the killings of Black people such as Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown .
Harris declined to support state legislation that would have required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer-involved shootings .
While she made state law enforcement officers wear body cameras , she did not support forcing local departments to do so .
As a former prosecutor , she believed the decisions were best made locally , she said .
Now Harris supports outside investigations of police shootings , one of several shifts on policing policies she ’ s made in the U.S. Senate .
It was also as attorney general that she became friends with then-Vice-President Joe Biden ’ s son , Beau , who was Delaware ’ s attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked together on a settlement with the nation ’ s five largest mortgage lenders following the foreclosure crisis .
The deal would reduce loans for roughly 1 million households , but Harris and Biden were among the last attorneys general to sign on , arguing it let the lenders off too easily .
They talked nearly every day , Harris said , with Beau Biden supporting her decision to keep fighting despite political pressure to take the deal .
Joe Biden said this past week that relationship was key in his decision to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he was visibly emotional Wednesday when she talked about his son , who died of a brain tumour in 2015 .
Harris won her Senate seat in 2016 as Trump won the presidency , setting off an immediate scramble among Democrats about who would run to replace him .
Within a week of her swearing-in ceremony , Harris turned to her prosecutorial skills to grill retired Gen. John Kelly , then Trump ’ s nominee for homeland security secretary , about the new administration ’ s handling of some young immigrants personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this information against them ?
” she asked .
Kelly fumbled his answer .
The moment was an early demonstration of the kind of senator Harris would be — one unafraid to battle Trump and good at creating viral moments that energized Democrats .
Nearly all of the Democratic senators joined Republicans in voting for Kelly .
But Harris was among 11 Democrats , and just three first-term senators , who did not .
Nathan Barankin , then Harris ’ s chief of staff and a longtime aide , recalled Harris making an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not be satisfied by Kelly ’ s answers despite his record as a well-respected military officer .
“ I don ’ t think there are too many freshmen that do that , ” Barankin said .
Harris was quickly viewed as a Democrat with White House potential .
By 2017 , Harris was feeling out a run in the Democratic primary .
It wasn ’ t her initial plan , Barankin said , but Trump ’ s brief tenure had convinced her that perspective , particularly as a Black woman , should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That perspective was steeped in Harris ’ s upbringing by two immigrant parents .
Her father , Donald Harris , who is of Afro Caribbean descent , left Jamaica to study economics at the University of California at Berkeley .
Shyamala Gopalan , the daughter of an Indian diplomat who had fought for India ’ s independence , came to Berkeley for graduate school and stayed .
The couple had two daughters , Kamala Devi and Maya Lakshmi .
The parents told their daughters stories , she writes in her book , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoses as they marched for civil rights and against the Vietnam War , of meeting Martin Luther King Jr. when he spoke at Berkeley , of forming reading groups to study Black intellectuals .
The couple split soon after Harris started school .
The girls continued to see their father , but Gopalan became the main force in their lives .
They moved to Toronto for several years while she worked at McGill University .
In Berkeley , Gopalan immersed the girls in the Black community she and her ex-husband had embraced .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ posters of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman on the walls , even as they celebrated their South Asian heritage through their names , their close ties with their mother ’ s family in India and occasional visits to her homeland .
They attended a Pentacostal church on Sundays and , on Thursdays , a Black cultural space called the Rainbow Sign that was a gathering spot for artists , intellectuals and activists .
Many of her mother ’ s closest friends were Black men and women who became “ aunts and uncles ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s decision to attend a historically Black university , Harris said .
“ She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as Black girls , and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident , proud Black women , “ Harris wrote of her mother .
At Howard , Harris joined Alpha Kappa Alpha , the nation ’ s oldest sorority for Black women .
Its network , along with those of eight other Black fraternities and sororities known as the Divine Nine , now offers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She ’ ll also have her sister , Maya , who has been one of her closest advisors , and husband , entertainment lawyer Doug Emhoff , who led a band of Harris supporters known as the # Khive during her presidential primary bid .
The couple married in 2014 , after her friend set them up on a date .
His two adult children call her “ Momala , ” a play on her name and the Yiddish word for “ little mother.
” Harris also bolstered her assets with the marriage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She earns $ 174,000 from the Senate and reported an additional $ 277,000 in income from book advances in 2019 .
But their combined net worth , excluding real estate , ranges from $ 2.8 million to as much as $ 6.3 million , the records show .
Harris , mindful of her history-making role , on Friday called Biden bold for choosing a Black woman to join him on the ticket .
“ I have not achieved anything that I have without the support of many who believed in the possibility of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ she said in an interview with the news outlet The 19th .
Dale reported from Philadelphia .
Associated Press writer Brian Slodysko in Washington contributed to this report .

Kathleen Ronayne And Maryclaire Dale - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Rolls-Royce closing Virginia jet parts plant where  280 work

PRINCE GEORGE , Va. - Rolls-Royce will close its aircraft parts factory in central Virginia by the middle of next year , throwing 280 people out of work , the company confirmed on Saturday .
The closing is the result of the decline in global travel during the COVID-19 pandemic , the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported .
There had already been 120 layoffs at the plant in June .
“ The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a historic collapse in civil aviation which will take several years to recover .
As a result , we ’ ve had to make difficult , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future of our business , ” Rolls-Royce North America spokesman Don Campbell said in a statement .
British-based Rolls-Royce has its North American headquarters in northern Virginia .
The factory opened in 2011 in an office park in Prince George County , about 40 miles ( 64 kilometres ) southeast of Richmond .
The plant makes precision aircraft components such as rotative discs and turbine blades , the newspaper said .
Workers were told about the plant closing on Friday , which could have a ripple effect on the central Virginia economy as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s construction was announced in 2007 .
The state provided an incentives package worth $ 57 million , most of it linked to employment and investment targets that the company would have to meet over 16 years .
The plant initially was supposed to test and assemble components for corporate jets , but the Great Recession led Rolls-Royce to change its plans .
Then-President Barack Obama visited the plant in 2012 to talk up his proposal of a network of U.S. research centres to foster manufacturing competitiveness .


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Texas testing drops as schools reopen, prepare for football

AUSTIN , Texas - Anyone can get a coronavirus test at the CentroMed clinic in San Antonio , but on a recent day , the drive-thru was empty .
Finally two masked people in a maroon SUV pulled straight on through with no wait .
With hundreds of deaths reported each day , students returning to class and football teams charging ahead with plans to play , Texas leaders who grappled with testing shortages for much of the pandemic are now facing the opposite problem : not enough takers .
“ We ’ re not having enough people step forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The number of coronavirus tests being done each day in Texas has dropped by the thousands in August , mirroring nationwide trends that has seen daily testing averages in the U.S. fall nearly 9 % since the end of July , according to The COVID Tracking Project .
The problem is dwindling demand : Testing centres like CentroMed are no longer inundated by long lines that stretch for blocks , or closing hours early because tests run out .
The dropoff comes as the U.S. has surpassed 5 million confirmed coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths .
It threatens to put the U.S. even further behind other countries that have better managed the pandemic , in part , through more aggressive testing .
The trend worries health experts who fear that Texas risks flying blind into the fall if it doesn ’ t increase testing .
Texas embarked on one of the fastest reopenings in the U.S. in May but retreated weeks later in the face of massive outbreaks , ultimately leading Abbott to impose a statewide mask order after previously saying he wouldn ’ t .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Texas border was airlifting COVID-19 patients hundreds of miles ( kilometres ) north in search of open beds , and Houston this month began threatening $ 250 fines for not wearing face coverings in an effort to drive down infection numbers .
In recent weeks , things have improved , including a nearly 40 % drop in hospitalizations since July ’ s peak .
But deaths remain high , and doctors in some parts still say they ’ re still stretched .
Texas is averaging more than 210 reported new deaths a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to The COVID Tracking Project .
On Saturday , it reported 238 deaths .
Overall , the state has recorded more than 9,800 fatalities .
The rolling average of people who test positive for the virus in Texas is stubbornly elevated at 16 % — a figure that itself could be a sign of insufficient testing .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said a positivity rate under 10 % is an indicator that a state has robust testing .
Abbott has said that unless Texas gets below that number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Other states in the South clobbered by the virus this summer are also seeing improvements , including Alabama .
Intensive care units remain frustratingly full there , but the average new confirmed cases each day has dropped below 1,000 , from 1,800 in mid-July .
It ’ s not clear why testing has fallen off , even as many areas of the country are still experiencing serious outbreaks .
Health experts suspect some Americans , jaded by images of long testing lines and the possibility of results taking a week or longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re ill. Others have suggested that mixed messages about the disease — like President Donald Trump ’ s recent false claim that 99 % of COVID-19 cases are harmless — could deter people from seeking tests .
“ The good answer would be because we have less COVID , fewer people have symptoms .
A bad answer might be that people gave up because it ’ s taking a long time , ” said Dr. Junda Woo , medical director for San Antonio Metro Health .
“ We have the data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of the answers behind the data.
” Some cities in Texas are now offering tests to virtually anyone after months of restricting limited supplies to only those with symptoms , and Abbott has said the state is working on rapid virus testing for nursing homes and schools .
Some students are already back in classrooms and in football-obsessed Texas , which has by far the most high school football players in the nation with about 170,000 , practices are underway .
“ At this point everybody ’ s a guinea pig @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor at Texas A & M University who ultimately decided to send her 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son back to classrooms when school opens Tuesday .
“ The teachers , the staff , the students , the parents .
Because we ’ re not exactly sure how this is going to work.
” Sam Chama is anxious because his girlfriend ’ s 5-year-old son is getting ready to start kindergarten in a few weeks in Austin .
As a former elementary school employee , he knows how easily younger children spread germs even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the year with virtual learning , the 35-year-old geologist says , is just buying time with the expectation that things will soon get better .
He wonders : What happens if it doesn ’ t ?
“ This is assuming that there will be a decline or some type of control , which I don ’ t think will happen , ” he said .
Associated Press journalists Desiree Mathurin in Atlanta , Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge , Louisiana , Kim Chandler in Montgomery , Alabama , and Eric Gay in San @ @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Cuomo: Health workers to supervise annual 9-11 light tribute

NEW YORK - The annual light display honouring victims of 9-11 is back on , officials announced Saturday , saying New York health officials will supervise this year ’ s tribute to ensure workers ’ safety amid concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic .
“ This year it is especially important that we all appreciate and commemorate 9-11 , the lives lost and the heroism displayed ?
as New Yorkers are once again called upon to face a common enemy , ” Gov .
Andrew Cuomo said in a statement .
The announcement came days after the National September 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Light over concerns the coronavirus might spread among crews creating twin columns of light to represent the World Trade Center in the Manhattan sky .
Alice Greenwald , president and CEO of the 9-11 Memorial & Museum , thanked former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg , Cuomo and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation “ for their assistance in offsetting the increased costs associated with the health and safety considerations around the tribute this year.
“ “ This year , its message of hope , endurance and resilience are more important than ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation recently decided to hold an alternative 9-11 Never Forget ceremony after the National September 11 Memorial & Museum announced family members won ’ t read the names of the nearly 3,000 victims this year because of the pandemic .
The foundation ’ s tribute will be held just south of the memorial plaza and relatives will read the victims ’ names , with mask-wearing enforced and podiums being sanitized after each speaker .


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Under siege in Belarus, Lukashenko turns to Putin

MOSCOW — After claiming for weeks that Russia was plotting to overthrow him , President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus appealed to the Kremlin on Saturday for help against a wave of protests and strikes triggered by police violence after a disputed presidential election .
Lukashenko spoke by telephone with President Vladimir Putin , Belarus ’ state news agency Belta reported , and secured a promise of Russian security assistance should Belarus request it .
The agency quoted Lukashenko as saying that Putin had pledged that , if needed , “ comprehensive assistance will be provided to ensure the security of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s own account of the leaders ’ conversation , however , gave no indication that Putin had offered any concrete support or even a clear endorsement of Lukashenko ’ s staying in power .
The Belarus news agency said Putin had offered help to “ ensure the security of Belarus in the event of external military threats , ” which suggested that any help from Russia might not include security assistance against domestic threats like protesters .
In its own statement on the talks , the Kremlin said that Putin had agreed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ to strengthen allied relations ” and prevent “ destructive forces ” from using the political turmoil in Belarus to “ harm the mutually beneficial co-operation between the two countries.
” Putin and Lukashenko , the Kremlin said , “ expressed confidence that all existing problems will be settled soon.
” As recently as last month , Lukashenko was accusing Moscow of engineering plots to overthrow his government and even of sending mercenaries to Belarus to disrupt the presidential election , which was held last Sunday .
But Lukashenko , facing the gravest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after claiming a landslide victory in what Western governments and many Belarusians dismissed as a rigged election , now seems to have calculated that Russia offers the best hope for his survival .
The European Union , outraged by a violent crackdown on protesters by Lukashenko ’ s security forces , said Friday that it was preparing to impose new sanctions on Belarus , while the leaders of Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania called on the country to conduct new “ free and fair ” elections .
Lukashenko , who has often been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” has danced between Russia and the West for decades , playing each off against the other as he struggled to keep his country ’ s decaying economy afloat and stay in power .
In Minsk , the Belarusian capital , thousands of people brought flowers to the Pushkinskaya metro station to a makeshift memorial for Aleksandr Taraikovsky , a protester who died there during some of the heaviest clashes with the police earlier in the week .
The protesters were peaceful , and there were no police officers at the site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Minsk , warned that his government would not be “ lulled to sleep ” by peaceful protests , saying that it was under attack from internal and external foes who were spreading “ fake ” stories about his actions and the true scale of the protest movement .
Belarusian state television , which has either ignored the protests or painted them as a foreign-born plot , became a focal point for protesters later Saturday .
More than 1,000 people massed outside its Minsk offices , shouting “ We want the truth !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past three days , protesters and riot police officers have refrained from confronting each other , retreating from the violent clashes seen earlier in the week .
“ He gave an order to allow us to get out and chant a bit , ” said Vitaly Karazhan , 33 , referring to Lukashenko .
“ At one point , he will have the riot police out again , he doesn ’ t want to give up power and there is no other way for him but the bloody one.
” Karazhan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said he feared that Lukashenko might ask the Kremlin to send reinforcements to support his own stretched and exhausted riot police squads .
“ If it wasn ’ t for Putin , he would have fled the country already , ” Karazhan said in an interview .
“ Factories are on strike — where is he going to get the money to feed his security apparatus ?
” Karazhan ’ s sentiment was shared by other protesters , who said they were wary of Russian interference .
A poster at the Pushkinskaya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this out without Putin.
” The Kremlin said that Belarus on Friday had released 32 Russian citizens who were arrested in late July when Lukashenko ’ s security services claimed they had foiled a Russian plot to disrupt the presidential election with a mercenary force of around 200 fighters .
The Russians ’ release , the Kremlin said Saturday , showed that the two countries ’ “ relevant departments ” — code for security and intelligence agencies — were now engaged in “ close co-operation.
” Lukashenko , signalling an abrupt tilt back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minsk that he needed to speak with Putin because his country ’ s tumult was “ no longer just a threat to Belarus ” but endangered both countries .
Lukashenko , in what seemed like an effort to blur his domestic troubles with alleged threats from outside , had said earlier that he was worried by NATO military exercises involving Poland and Lithuania , Western neighbours that have denounced his election victory as fraudulent .
He said that there had been “ an escalation and buildup of the armed component ” by NATO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military is worried about.
” He also accused protesters of following the playbook for a “ colour revolution , ” a reference to past popular uprisings cheered on by the West in Ukraine , Georgia and other former Soviet lands , and alleged that “ elements of external interference have already appeared.
” By casting his opponents as Western-backed agents of a would-be colour revolution , Lukashenko played into a conspiracy theory long embraced by the Kremlin that unrest in former Soviet territory is never really caused by locals but is always the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The defence of Belarus today is no less than the defence of our entire space , ” Lukashenko said , referring to the so-called Union State , a loose confederation comprising Russia and Belarus that was announced in the late 1990s but has never been fully implemented .
Lukashenko has in the past pushed hard to obtain cheap energy from Putin .
Putin has in turn used Belarus ’ dependence on Russian oil and gas to revive the moribund plan to unite the two countries .
Lukashenko ’ s turn to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pirouette in a dance that has been repeated time and again since he came to power in 1994 , suggested that the Belarus leader has run out of new ideas for staying in control .
When protesters took to the streets after the election , the security forces responded with shocking brutality , aggressively beating demonstrators , even after they fell to the ground , and using rubber bullets , tear gas and , in at least one confrontation , live bullets .
The police violence , however , backfired , outraging even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Strikes by workers in dozens of state-owned factories gained steam Friday and indicated that opposition to the president had spread far beyond Western-leaning youths in Minsk and reached deep into what had been the bedrock of Lukashenko ’ s support .

Andrew Higgins - The New York Times,Ivan Nechepurenko


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Alaska police investigate racist graffiti as hate crime

JUNEAU , Alaska - Alaska police are investigating racist graffiti in the woods near a Juneau middle school as a hate crime .
The graffiti near Floyd Dryden Middle School is described by police as including “ hateful and vulgar messages.
” The markings were reported to the department on Wednesday , KTOO-FM reported .
Retired teacher Janna Lelchuk and her husband were walking their dogs at Adair-Kennedy Park last weekend when they stumbled upon the racist and obscene graffiti in white spray paint on a bridge and trees .
“ There were horrible things written , ” Lelchuk said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And what really shocked me and surprised me there was this A-L-M sign , which absolutely didn ’ t go along with what was , you know , on the bridge or with all the writings and all the pictures.
” Lelchuk took photos of the graffiti and posted them in a public social media group .
Local residents organized a group to clean up the graffiti after the public post .
“ You know , when we went out there to clean it , they had a sporting event going on , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There were kids wandering around the trees and stuff right around that area .
Lots of families and younger kids that can see stuff like that.
” Juneau Police Lt. Krag Campbell said are investigating the graffiti as a hate crime .
“ There ’ s an emotional side of it that damages people who see that , ” Campbell said .
“ And we just want to make sure that we understand , that people understand this .
This is not okay .
It ’ s not okay to do these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of people .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--Tropical Storm Josephine closer to land, Kyle moving away

MIAMI - Tropical Storm Kyle moved away from the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States Saturday afternoon as Tropical Storm Josephine continued its crawl north of islands in the Caribbean .
Threats to land appeared to be minimal from both storms , according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center ’ s 5 p.m. advisories .
Kyle was centred 715 miles ( 1,150 kilometres ) southwest of Cape Race , Newfoundland , Canada , while Josephine was 160 miles ( 255 kilometres ) northeast of the northern Leeward Islands .
Josephine had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph ( 75 kph @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracking west-northwest at 17 mph ( 28 kph ) , while Kyle was churning east-northeast at 22 mph ( 35 kph ) .
Kyle ’ s maximum sustained winds were clocked at 50 mph ( 85 kph ) .
No coastal watches or warnings were in effect for either storm .
Josephine was forecast to bring 1 to 3 inches ( 3 to 8 centimetres ) of rain to parts of the northern Leeward Islands , the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico .
It ’ s been an active Atlantic hurricane season and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the way .
So far this year , Cristobal , Danielle , Edouard , Fay , Gonzalo , Hanna , Isaias , Josephine and Kyle have set records for being the earliest named Atlantic storms of their respective place in the alphabet .
Only Hanna and Isaias this year have developed into hurricanes .
Before Kyle , the earliest “ K-named ” storm was Katrina , which formed Aug. 24 , 2005 , according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach .
Isaias killed two people in the Caribbean earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states were then killed when the storm made landfall in North Carolina and moved through the East Coast , leading to floods , tornadoes , fires , and widespread power outages .
Last month , Hurricane Hanna slammed the Texas Gulf Coast with high winds and rains that flooded streets and knocked out power across the region .


thetorontostar--2020-08-15--More than 140 employees to be laid off at Alaska airports

ANCHORAGE , Alaska - The food service provider for the Anchorage and Fairbanks airports will lay off more than 140 employees because of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic , the organization said in a letter to Alaska officials .
The layoffs will comprise of 123 workers from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and 19 at Fairbanks International Airport , the food service provider , HMSHost , said in letters to state employment officials .
The layoffs at the Anchorage airport will affect businesses such as Starbucks , Cinnabon , Humpy ’ s Great Alaskan Alehouse , Norton Sound @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mezzanine Bar , Anchorage Marketplace and Local Alaskan Rustic Marketplace , the Anchorage Daily News reported .
“ The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the travel and restaurant industries , and unfortunately , HMSHost sits at the intersection of both , ” the letter said .
“ Never in the history of aviation and the hospitality industry have we experienced such catastrophic customer traffic declines.
” The Fairbanks layoffs will affect businesses such as The Local and Starbucks , HMSHost said .
The workers were originally furloughed in March .
The layoffs are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , HMSHost said .
The travel and service industries have been among the hardest hit as a result of the pandemic .
Alaska Airlines recently announced it expected to permanently lay off 330 employees in Anchorage on Oct. 1 and nearly 1,600 in Washington state .