thetorontostar--2020-01-17--Chicago flights halted; plane slides off Kansas City taxiway

CHICAGO - The Federal Aviation Administration halted all flights in and out of Chicago ’ s O ’ Hare Airport for hours Friday night due to a sprawling winter storm , which forced the closure of schools , universities and government offices as it moved across large sections of the Midwest .
The FAA lifted the stop at 9:45 p.m. , but by then hundreds of flights already were cancelled Friday at at one of the nation ’ s busiest airports .
Earlier Friday , a plane slid off an icy taxiway at Kansas City International Airport .
The Delta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ de-iced before flying to Detroit when the nosegear slipped off the taxiway , said Delta spokeswoman Martha Witt .
There were no reports of injuries aboard the Airbus A319 , which was carrying 123 passengers and a crew of six .
Witt said the airline was trying to put passengers from Delta flight 1114 on other planes .
The airport was closed and numerous flights were cancelled in the morning but flights resumed about noon .
Most Friday flights from Nashville , Tennessee , were cancelled , likely disrupting travel plans for fans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City for Sunday ’ s AFC championship game with the Chiefs , KCTV reported .
At 9 p.m. , the Chicago Department of Aviation was reporting nearly 690 flights had been cancelled at O ’ Hare , with 169 flights cancelled at Midway , the city ’ s other international airport .
A winter weather advisory was issued for the Chicago area through early Saturday , with 2 to 5 inches of snow expected .
“ If there is travel you don ’ t need to make , consider postponing it , ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lnternational Airport in St. Louis reported more than 130 flights cancelled as of noon Friday and American Airlines suspended all flights to Missouri ’ s Columbia Regional Airport until noon Saturday .
The slippery conditions come after the National Weather Service issued winter weather advisories , saying the storm will create hazardous travel conditions from the Plains into the Northeast through the weekend .
Snow is forecast over much of the Great Lakes , with a blizzard warning for parts of the Upper Midwest .
The winter weather advisory extended south into western @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rain was expected Friday .
In South Dakota and Minnesota , dozens of schools cancelled classes Friday ahead of snowfall expected during the day .
In Kansas Gov .
Laura Kelly closed state offices in the Topeka area , urging people in a news release to “ stay safe and warm , exercise caution and allow road crews to do their job.
“ A storm that hit during the morning commute Friday coated the roads of Salt Lake City with up to 5 inches ( 13 centimetres ) of snow .
Advance warning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and some schools , which kept the number of crashes to a relatively low 75 , police said .


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Trump team, House managers trade sharp views on impeachment

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump ’ s legal team issued a fiery response ahead of opening arguments in his impeachment trial Saturday while House Democrats laid out their case in forceful fashion , saying the president had betrayed public trust with behaviour that was the “ worst nightmare “ of the founding fathers .
The dueling statements previewed arguments both sides intend to make once Trump ’ s impeachment trial begins in earnest on Tuesday .
Their challenge will be to make a case that appeals to senators who will render the verdict and for an American public bracing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The House ’ s 111-page brief pulled together the private and public testimony of a dozen witnesses -- ambassadors and national security officials at high levels of government -- who raised concerns about the president ’ s actions with Ukraine .
Stripped of legalese and structured in plain English , the document underscored the extent to which the impeachment proceedings are a political rather than conventional legal process .
The Trump team similarly offered a taste of the rhetoric expected to be deployed by the president ’ s defenders in the Senate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ overseeing the prosecution wrote that it is clear that the “ ’ evidence overwhelmingly establishes ” that Trump is guilty of both charges for which he was impeached last month : abuse of power and obstruction of Congress .
“ The only remaining question is whether the members of the Senate will accept and carry out the responsibility placed on them by the Framers of our Constitution and their constitutional Oaths , “ the brief states .
The Trump team , meanwhile , called the Senate ’ s formal impeachment summons to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack on the right of the American people to freely choose their president.
” Trump ’ s legal team , led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump personal lawyer Jay Sekulow , is challenging the impeachment on both procedural and constitutional grounds , claiming Trump has been mistreated by House Democrats and that he did nothing wrong .
“ This is a brazen and unlawful attempt to overturn the results of the 2016 election and interfere with the 2020 election , now just months away , “ the filing states .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ unequivocally “ denies the allegations and encouraged lawmakers to reject ” poisonous partisanship “ and ” vindicate the will of the American people “ by rejecting both articles .
Trump ’ s answer to the summons was the first salvo in what will be several rounds of arguments before the trial formally begins .
Trump will file a more detailed legal brief on Monday , and the House will be able to respond to the Trump filing on Tuesday .
The House ’ s impeachment managers are working through the weekend and will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prep the case .
The filings came a day after Trump finalized his legal team , adding Ken Starr , the former independent counsel whose investigation into President Bill Clinton led to his impeachment , and Alan Dershowitz , a Harvard law professor emeritus who intends to make constitutional arguments .
People close to the legal team said Cipollone would deliver the president ’ s opening argument before the Senate and that Sekulow would follow .
Starr and Dershowitz would have “ discrete functions ” on the legal team , according to those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were not authorized to discuss the strategy by name and spoke on condition of anonymity .
At issue in the impeachment cases are allegations that Trump requested his Ukraine counterpart to investigate political rival Joe Biden at the same time his administration withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in aid from the former Soviet republic .
“ President Trump abused the powers of his office to invite foreign interference in an election for his own personal political gain and to the detriment of American national security interests , “ the House brief states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faithfully execute the laws and betrayed his public trust .
It says : “ President Trump ’ s misconduct presents a danger to our democratic processes , our national security , and our commitment to the rule of law .
He must be removed from office .
Trump ’ s attorneys argue that the articles of impeachment are unconstitutional in and of themselves and invalid because they don ’ t allege a crime .
Under the Constitution impeachment is a political , not a criminal process , and the president can be removed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawmakers consider “ high crimes and misdemeanours.
” White House attorneys and Trump ’ s outside legal team have been debating just how political Monday ’ s legal brief laying out the contours of Trump ’ s defence should be .
Some in the administration have echoed warnings from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , that the pleadings must be sensitive to the Senate ’ s more staid traditions and leave some of the sharper rhetoric exhibited during the House proceedings to Twitter and cable news .
One Republican whose votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Alaska , told reporters Saturday she wants to hear both sides of the case before deciding if they need to hear new witnesses .
Democrats have pushed for calling witnesses .
“ I don ’ t know what more we need until I ’ ve been given the base case , ” Murkowski said .
She also acknowledged the political pressure bearing down on senators .
“ I ’ m going to take my constitutional obligations very , very seriously.
” Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Becky Bohrer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this report .

Eric Tucker, Zeke Miller And Lisa Mascaro - The Associated Press

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thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Mexico blocks hundreds of migrants from crossing border span

CIUDAD HIDALGO , Mexico - Mexican authorities closed a border entry point in southern Mexico on Saturday after thousands of Central American migrants tried to push their way across a bridge spanning the Suchiate River between Mexico and Guatemala .
Honduran migrants waved their country ’ s flag and sang the national anthem as they approached the bridge .
At the height of the confrontation , Guatemalan authorities estimated 2,500 migrants were on the bridge , or attempting to get on it .
Mexican National Guardsmen slammed down a metal fence that reads “ Welcome to Mexico ” to block @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cried and tempers flared as the crowd swelled .
Amid shoves , Mexican officials did allow a few migrants to enter the country in groups of 20 , while a voice over a loudspeaker warned migrants against trying to slip into Mexico without passing through immigration filters .
Piecemeal , more than 150 migrants entered to apply for asylum or some other variation of permission to stay in Mexico as the day wore on .
But many migrants prefer to pass through Mexico en route to the United States .
Mexico again finds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Central Americans desperate for a better life try to make their way north , while Mexico ’ s biggest trade partner — the United States —insists that Mexico prevent those migrants from reaching the U.S. border .
Mexico ’ s National Migration Institute said via Twitter on Saturday that it had reinforced multiple points along the country ’ s southern border to assure “ safe , orderly and regular immigration.
” It also said it was using drones to monitor the region .
Hundreds of guardsmen lined the river to prevent migrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voice on the loudspeaker warned , over and over , that those aiming to transit through Mexico may not be granted asylum in the U.S. , even if they make it there .
As temperatures rose Saturday , migrants trickled back across the bridge to Guatemala .
By late afternoon , fewer than a hundred remained on the bridge .
Marvin Aguirre , 33 , was one of the few who remained on the span .
He stretched a sheet across metal poles on the bridge to protect his family from the afternoon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The family would like to start a new life in Mexico , he said , but they fear Mexican authorities will deport them .
Aguirre set out from the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula on Tuesday with three children , his wife and a baby granddaughter .
“ This is hard , especially with the children , ” he said .
“ But there in Honduras , there ’ s nothing to do .
Everything is burned .
There ’ s no work.
” Mexico ’ s government has said migrants entering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed to pass from its southern border area .
But those seeking asylum or other protections will be allowed to apply and legalize their status in Mexico .
Guatemalan officials have counted roughly 3,000 migrants who registered at border crossings to enter that country in recent days , and estimated there were an additional 1,300 migrants who did not register .
The Guatemalan government is offering to return migrants by bus to their countries of origin .
Guatemala ’ s human rights defender ’ s office said there were more than 1,000 migrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border far to the north in the Peten region .
There were reports that Mexican forces were gathered on the other side of the border there .
Vicente Hernández , head of the Mexican armed forces in the border area , told migrants on the Guatemalan side of the Suchiate on Saturday that “ there are opportunities for everyone ” in Mexico .
“ Here you just have to register , ” he added , saying that Mexican officials would then offer the migrants jobs .
Mexico ’ s offer of legal status @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stipulation that would confine migrants to southern Mexico , where wages are lower and there are fewer jobs than elsewhere in the country .
El Salvador ’ s consul general in Mexico , Antonio Azúcar , told The Associated Press that Mexican authorities had reported that the migrants crossing into Mexican territory would be housed in Ciudad Hidalgo , the city on the banks of the Suchiate where the bridge standoff happened .
But a Mexican official , who refused to be quoted by name , said those who request asylum in Mexico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ migratory stations in the state of Chiapas — one in Tapachula and the other in Tuxtla Gutiérrez .
Once in custody , in theory , migrants may request temporary work permits to remain in Mexico .
For months , however , non-profit groups have complained that the migrants are instead often returned to their countries of origin .
And many of the migrants aim for a new life in the U.S. — not in Mexico .
“ We are going to walk all the way up , ” said Jazmín González , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ González said she feared being deported as she turned herself over Saturday to Mexican authorities , alongside her daughter and three other family members .
Lourdes Geraldina Jiménez of Honduras also decided to trust in the assurances of Mexican officials as she entered Mexico with a son and another family member .
Jiménez said she left Honduras because gang members wanted to kill her 14-year-old son .
“ I can ’ t return to Honduras , ” she said , walking next to her son .
Many of the migrants leaving Central America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home , while others say they are looking for better economic prospects .
Associated Press writer Sonia Pérez D. in Tecún Uman , Guatemala , contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Buttigieg says Oval Office needs wartime veteran

ANKENY , Iowa - Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said Saturday the Oval Office requires a wartime veteran , a niche he occupies exclusively among top-tier candidates in his party ’ s race for the 2020 nomination .
During an interview on Iowa PBS in suburban Des Moines , Buttigieg was asked if there ’ s value in a president who had faced hostile fire .
Buttigieg , a Naval intelligence officer in Afghanistan in 2014 , noted he had been present for rocket attacks while stationed at Bagram Airfield , and later faced potential danger as an armed driver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii , served in Iraq , but is running far behind the front-running candidates .
“ This is very real for me , “ Buttigieg told interviewer David Yepsen .
“ And I do believe there is value in someone in the Oval Office understanding what ’ s at stake , understanding at a personal level what ’ s at stake , when decisions are made that could send people into a conflict.
” Buttigieg often sites his seven months deployed to Afghanistan , though has seldom said as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wartime veteran .
The 37-year-old former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , is the only military veteran in the top tier of the field of Democrats running for president .
He would be the only president to have served in the military since George W. Bush .
“ That perspective is needed especially when we ’ ve got a president who thinks that strength is the same as the chest-thumping of the loudmouth guy at the end of the bar , “ Buttigieg said .
Buttigieg , who was tasked with reading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money to terrorist cells , said he doubted President Donald Trump thoroughly consulted intelligence , members of Congress or U.S. allies before ordering the strike this month that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Iraq .
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thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Report: Oregon marijuana sales 420% stronger near Idaho

PORTLAND , Ore. - Marijuana sales in Oregon along the Idaho state line are 420 % the statewide average , according to a state report .
Idaho residents are purchasing recreational marijuana in Oregon because it is illegal in Idaho , the report released Friday by the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis said .
The report also showed stronger marijuana sales for Washington state along its border with Idaho in 2019 than along its borders with Oregon or Canada .
“ The sales in counties along the Idaho border were much stronger than I anticipated , ” analyzer Josh Lehner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not legal in Idaho , but even after throwing the data into a rough border tax model that accounts for incomes , number of retailers , tax rates and the like , there remains a huge border effect.
” A border effect occurs when two neighbouring jurisdictions have different rules prompting residents to travel to nearby regions to take advantage of the different regulations , experts said .
The report found about 75 % of Oregon sales and about 35 % of Washington state sales in counties along the Idaho border were caused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three states that have legalized recreational marijuana sales including Oregon , Washington and Nevada , officials said .
Advocates for legalizing medical marijuana have started collecting signatures to get an initiative on the general election ballot , the Idaho Statesman reported .
The number 420 is a colloquial term referencing marijuana or cannabis consumption .
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thetorontostar--2020-01-18--2020’s first big test? Not Iowa, but a tiny Texas House race

KATY , Texas - Beto O ’ Rourke is livestreaming again .
Joe Biden and Julián Castro are making their presence felt .
Mike Bloomberg has knocked on doors and outside groups are running TV attack ads .
On the brink of 2020 ’ s first big contest , it all screams high stakes .
Not in Iowa .
This is just for a single Texas House seat .
“ This is one of the most important elections taking place in the country right now , ” said O ’ Rourke , who since ending his own presidential run in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the race , Eliz Markowitz , including again Saturday with Castro .
The outcome of the Jan. 28 special election runoff near Houston — a week before the Iowa caucuses — in an ethnically diverse district of 220,000 people won ’ t change the balance of power in the GOP-controlled Texas Capitol .
But like other special elections since President Donald Trump took office , this one is seen as brimming with broader significance : the year ’ s first bellwether that could signal bigger trends to come in November .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it ’ s also easy to see why an obscure race for Texas House District 28 is a tempting testing ground .
Is an impeached president repelling suburbanites who are crucial to his re-election ?
Trump won this turf by 10 points in 2016 .
Can Democrats really flip the nation ’ s biggest red state ?
If they win this race , they ’ ll move within eight seats of retaking the Texas House .
Is the GOP in trouble with minority voters ?
The surrounding county , Fort Bend , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America .
The election is a release valve for Democrats itching for November to just get here already , but it also reflects the striking level of money and national muscle that are poised to swamp legislative races .
Aside from the White House , the biggest prize for Republicans and Democrats this year may be winning control of statehouses — voting maps in the U.S. will be redrawn after the 2020 census , and the party in power can carve out electoral advantages for the next decade .
That may be lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also unclear how much this race says about Trump and his impact .
Republican candidate Gary Gates says that when he ’ s knocked on doors in the last two months , fewer and fewer voters have wanted to talk about the president .
“ All that has kind of died down .
It hasn ’ t been as strong , ” he said .
Nevertheless , last summer , Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen , a Republican , was caught confiding to a conservative activist in a secretly recorded meeting that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and suburban districts .
Gates , a real estate developer , said that was not his impression from the 150 homes he hits a day .
Special elections have transformed into nationally watched battlegrounds in the Trump era , particularly among Democrats eager for signs that voters are fed-up with a combative presidency .
In September , Republicans hung on in a special election for a House seat in North Carolina that included Trump personally appealing to voters , although the narrow victory still set off warning signs for the GOP about suburban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in on the Texas race .
But on a recent Saturday , the living room of a two-story suburban mansion in Katy resembled an Iowa house party for a presidential candidate .
O ’ Rourke climbed on the living room furniture to fire up dozens of volunteers , some of whom squeezed next to a breakfast spread that included muffins decorated with tiny “ Beto for America “ flags .
Biden made a splash by endorsing Markowitz , and Bloomberg paused his own presidential campaign swing through Texas to walk a neighbourhood with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Forward Majority , which is spending millions of dollars nationwide to flip GOP-controlled statehouses , says it has spent $ 400,000 on the race , at least four times what the group spent on any other Texas district in 2018 .
The spending included a TV ad that resurfaced allegations from 2000 that Gates , who has adopted 11 children , abused some of his kids .
State child welfare investigators ultimately dropped that case , and Gates put up a counter-ad pushing back on the claims .
Fort Bend County is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is home to Tom DeLay , the former Republican House majority leader .
Pierce Bush , the 33-year-old grandson of the late President George H.W .
Bush , is making a run here for Congress .
The state House seat opened up when John Zerwas , who was among the most powerful moderate Republicans in the House , stepped down for a high-ranking university post .
In November , Markowitz finished first with 39 % in an open special election race , falling well short of avoiding a runoff with the rest of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans .
“ Special elections are unique creatures that don ’ t necessarily predict anything , ” said James Dickey , chairman of the Texas Republican Party .
Associated Press journalist John L. Mone contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Biden rips Sanders campaign for Social Security attacks

INDIANOLA , Iowa - Joe Biden has called for Bernie Sanders ’ presidential campaign to “ disown ” what he calls “ doctored video ” that some Sanders supporters say shows the former vice-president endorsing Republican calls to cut Social Security and Medicare .
“ There ’ s a little doctored video going around ... put out by one of Bernie ’ s people , ” Biden told supporters Saturday in Indianola , Iowa , referring to a 2018 speech in which Biden discussed then-House Speaker Paul Ryan saying rising deficit demanded action on the popular entitlement programs .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come forward and disown it , ” Biden continued , pointing to his 2020 campaign proposals designed to shore up Social Security .
“ But they haven ’ t done it yet.
” The video in question , circulated on Twitter by a top Sanders adviser , does not appear to be altered .
But the short clip omits Biden ’ s larger argument over how Ryan handled the 2017 tax cuts and subsequent budget debates .
A separate Sanders ’ adviser included a transcript of Biden ’ s remarks in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He added other , more extended video , of Biden as a U.S. senator in 1995 and presidential candidate in 2007 explaining his support for a more austere federal budget , including putting Social Security and Medicare “ on the table.
” The 2020 campaign flap highlights long-standing philosophical fissures between the progressive Sanders , who has spent decades arguing for a massive expansion of the federal government , and the more centrist Biden .
Those differences have come to the forefront as Biden and Sanders are bunched with Pete Buttigieg and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary .
Responding to Biden ’ s remarks Saturday , Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir said , “ Joe Biden should be honest with voters and stop trying to doctor his own public record of consistently and repeatedly trying to cut Social Security.
” “ The facts are very clear : Biden not only pushed to cut Social Security -- he is on tape proudly bragging about it on multiple occasions , ” Shakir said in a statement .
“ The vice-president must stop dodging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explaining why he has so aggressively pushed to slash one of the most significant and successful social programs in American history , which millions of Americans rely on for survival.
” In a Jan. 1 tweet , Sanders adviser Warren Gunnels wrote that it “ is soul-wrenching ” to have heard “ Biden say ‘ Ryan was correct.
’ ” He attached a 20-second video clip taken from an April 2018 speech Biden delivered at the Brookings Institution .
“ Paul Ryan was correct when he did the tax code .
What ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to go after ?
” Biden continued , leaning into the microphone .
“ Social Security and Medicare … That ’ s the only way you can find room to pay for it.
“ It was part of a broader speech in which Biden outlined his economic vision .
He previewed his 2020 campaign emphasis on the middle-class , but declared that billionaires are not “ the problem , ” an implicit contrast with progressives .
The statement that Gunnels highlighted reflects a common Biden argument from the 2020 campaign : that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are tilted to corporations and the wealthiest Americans , knowing it would balloon the deficits , so the GOP could then justify cutting Social Security and Medicare .
“ What I ’ d do is I make sure that we expand Social Security coverage , ” Biden insisted Friday when a voter in Iowa asked him about the program .
Biden , like most Democrats , proposes raising the cap on the level of income that is subject to the payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare .
That cap is set at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , meaning any income beyond that threshold is still subject to personal income tax , but not payroll taxes .
Biden — and many other Democrats — propose lifting that cap to increase the tax revenue flowing into the Medicare and Social Security trust funds .
Sanders ’ camp , meanwhile , maintains that Biden ’ s history is more important than his current proposals .
Another of their favourite video clips shows then-Sen. Biden , in the first years after Republicans ’ 1994 midterm election romp , calling for a more austere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we should freeze federal spending , I meant Social Security , as well , ” Biden said at the time .
“ I meant Medicare and Medicaid .
I meant veterans ’ benefits .
... And I not only tried it once .
I tried it twice , I tried it a third time , and I tried it a fourth time.
” Just as the Biden campaign argues that Republicans would lambaste the Vermont senator as a socialist if he wins the Democratic nomination , Sanders ’ backers retort that Trump would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to harm Biden with older voters who will prove critical in battleground states in November .


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Winter storm brings heavy snow, ice to Midwest, Northeast

CHICAGO - A winter storm that brought snow and sleet to the Midwest and Plains created travel headaches Saturday after airlines cancelled flights and officials shut down major roads .
The storm system began moving through the Plains and Midwest on Friday , leading to trouble at airports in Chicago and Kansas City .
It was expected to spread to the Northeast by Saturday evening .
Blizzard conditions with powerful winds were reported in some areas , and officials in North Dakota , South Dakota , Minnesota and Iowa were urging people to stay inside if possible on Saturday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly impossible to see in some areas , making driving treacherous .
Officials in South Dakota shut down most of Intestate 29 and a 72-mile ( 115.87-kilometre ) portion of Interstate 90 Friday night .
Both highways were open Saturday afternoon , although no traffic was advised on those roads .
Most of I-29 in North Dakota and a 200-mile ( 321.87-kilometre ) stretch of I-94 remained closed .
Farther west in Wyoming , officials closed down stretches of Interstate 80 due to the weather and as a precaution against travellers becoming stranded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roads was highlighted by dashcam video recorded from a delivery truck and made public by the Iowa State Patrol .
The video shows a state trooper and a person who had been involved in a crash along Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs in western Iowa on Friday looking at the damage when another truck loses control on the slick interstate and barrels into the crash scene , barely missing the trooper and other man .
In Nebraska , the winter storm that pummeled the state Friday was blamed for at least one death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Patrol reported Saturday .
The patrol said the driver was killed Friday when the pickup he was driving spun out of control , crossed the median and slammed into a semitrailer .
Nebraska troopers responded to more than 200 weather-related incidents across the state .
Most of those were to assist stranded motorists , but 55 were crashes , the patrol said .
In the Northeast , snow totals could reach a foot ( 30 centimetres ) or more in parts of Vermont and New York state .
But most areas in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few inches .
On Saturday , snow fell from Buffalo to New York City as the storm tracked across the state .
On Friday , the Federal Aviation Administration halted all flights in and out of Chicago ’ s O ’ Hare Airport for several hours , and a plane slid off an icy taxiway at Kansas City International Airport .
The Chicago Department of Aviation reported about 200 cancellations at O ’ Hare on Saturday morning out of nearly 2,000 total flights , and the FAA said some flights were being delayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ storm , temperatures were expected to drop to the single digits and even below zero ( -18 degrees Celsius ) in parts of the Plains and the Midwest .


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Warrant for Odell Beckham Jr. rescinded in butt-swat case

NEW ORLEANS - A misdemeanour simple battery warrant for Cleveland Browns wide receiver and former LSU star Odell Beckham Jr. has been rescinded , the New Orleans Police Department confirmed Saturday .
The warrant was issued Thursday as video posted on social media appeared to show Beckham swatting a security officer ’ s buttocks during LSU ’ s locker room victory celebration after Monday night ’ s college national championship game in the Superdome .
LSU players were seen smoking cigars — forbidden in the Superdome — in pictures from the post-game celebration .
Authorities reportedly warned them they could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available on Twitter , a security officer is seen standing over an LSU player sitting on a locker room bench .
The officer appears to be searching around the bench and pointing to the floor .
He can be heard talking about a “ burn mark ” just before Beckham approaches him from behind and appears to swat his backside .
“ The security officer in the incident involving Odell Beckham Jr. has decided to drop the charge , ” the department ’ s public information office said in an email .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not a case our office intends to pursue , ” Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro said in a statement .
Beckham has also come under scrutiny over his apparent cash payments to Tigers players on the field after the game .
LSU athletics spokesman Michael Bonnette said last week that initial information suggested that Beckham handed out “ novelty bills ” to players , but further investigation showed that Beckham may have given away real money , Bonnette said.
’ The NCAA does not allow players to receive cash benefits while playing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prevent institutions from luring talent through the promise of direct or indirect payments .
Beckham , 27 , starred for LSU from 2011 to 2013 and was a first-round draft pick by the New York Giants .
He was traded to Cleveland before last season .
The three-time Pro Bowler played most of the season with a sports hernia injury that may require surgery .
Despite not being completely healthy , he still played in all 16 games and finished with 74 catches for 1,035 yards .
However , he had just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full season .
The flashy wide receiver was fined by the NFL for wearing an expensive watch during a game and was asked by officials to change his helmet visor as well as cleats that did not conform to league rules .
Late in the season , as the Browns were falling from playoff contention , Beckham dismissed reports he was telling opposing players to “ come get me ” during games .
Beckham said he had no intention of leaving the Browns and was committed to helping them win while playing alongside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former college teammate .


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--LSU title parade draws massive crowds

LSU title parade draws massive crowds

BATON ROUGE , La .
- Thousands of LSU fans wearing purple and gold lined streets near Tiger Stadium and packed a basketball arena for a parade on Saturday honouring the football team ’ s national championship season .
A day after visiting with President Donald Trump at the White House , Tigers players rode on trucks pulled by floats and tossed Mardi Gras beads to fans along the route through the western side of campus to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center .
Gov .
John Bel Edwards , his wife , Donna , and Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , throwing souvenir cups to the crowds lining the street .
LSU coach Ed Orgeron led players into the arena , shaking both fists above his head as the team was greeted with a raucous standing ovation .
Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow sauntered in close behind , wearing sunglasses and a backward baseball cap with beads dangling around his neck .
After the team had taken seats on the floor of the arena , Burrow stood , removed his cap and took a bow when he was introduced over the public address @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cap to a great season , ” Burrow told the screaming fans .
Burrow also presented a replica Heisman Trophy to the school .
Orgeron was presented with college football ’ s coaches ’ award , a crystal football , and the national championship trophy as the LSU band played “ We Are The Champions.
” LSU safety Jacoby Stevens , of Nashville , said he ’ d always dreamed of playing for the Tigers .
“ I ’ ve always dreamed of making plays and bringing a trophy back here , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stage .
“ Walking in here man , I ’ m like a little kid from Nashville and would dream of stuff like that .
I ’ ve had to fight back tears seeing all the people celebrating us , and the crazy thing is , we did this for ya ’ ll .
We ’ re celebrating ya ’ ll.
” LSU ’ s most recent national championship was its fourth , but this season has been widely viewed as the best in program history .
LSU finished 15-0 with seven victories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the time the games were played .
The regular season was highlighted by a thrilling 46-41 triumph at Alabama which ended LSU ’ s eight-game losing streak in the series and secured the Tigers ’ place atop the SEC West .
LSU followed its 12-0 regular season with lopsided victories over Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship , Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinal and Clemson in the final .
Along the way , Burrow took ownership of every significant LSU passing record while becoming the first quarterback in the program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Heisman — and only the second Tigers player at any position to take home college football ’ s most prestigious individual award .
Burrow ’ s 5,671 yards passing tied for third most in a single season in NCAA history and his 60 passing touchdowns set an NCAA record .
LSU led the nation in scoring with 48.4 points per game and in total offence with 568.5 yards per game .
Tigers sophomore Ja ’ Marr Chase , who caught 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns , received the Biletnikoff Award @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More AP college football : https : //apnews.com/APTop25CollegeFootballPoll and https : //apnews.com/Collegefootball and https : //twitter.com/AP_Top25


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Pumps acquired to help drain lake, ease pressure on dam

STARKVILLE , Miss .
- Pumps to help take some of the pressure off a dam that ’ s perilously close to failing are on site to help drain Oktibbeha County Lake .
The pumps arrived Friday after a contract for their rental was agreed upon with Birmingham , Alabama-based Herc Rentals , The Starkville Daily News reported .
The details of the contract have not been made public , but it was authorized due to an emergency proclamation the Board of Supervisors unanimously enacted Thursday in anticipation of Saturday ’ s forecasted rain .
Mississippi has one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and are in poor or unsatisfactory condition , according to a two-year investigation by The Associated Press .
A breach of the dam would endanger about 130 properties and nine highways downstream .
According to the National Weather Service , the area around the lake ’ s failing dam could receive one-fourth of an inch of rain ( 0.6 centimetres ) on Saturday , though watershed from an 18-mile ( 29-kilometre ) radius will also contribute to rising water levels at the lake .
Emergency Management Agency Director Kristen Campanella said additional supplies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alabama and Louisiana .
Light towers were installed to allow emergency crews to install the pumps .
As part of the plan to drain the lake , County Lake Road will be closed indefinitely to allow the pumps to continually move 25,000 gallons of water every minute , the fastest rate the lake could safely be drained without flooding areas downstream , according to County Engineer Clyde Pritchard ’ s calculations .
At that rate , estimations have the process of draining the lake taking anywhere from 22 to 24 days .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultimate goal of allowing county officials to demolish a “ riser ” at the bottom of the lake , which will prevent the lake from filling with water again , alleviating pressure on the dam structure , which has experienced sliding land as a result of water seepage , and the failing dam .
Board President and District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery said it was unfortunate the county had to act so immediately but stressed that the safety of residents ’ lives and property was the number one concern .
“ How do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s life ?
“ Montgomery said .
” When I was sworn in as supervisor , I promised to put the safety of the residents first.
” County officials have been inspecting the dam regularly to look for further signs of deterioration that would trigger a mandatory evacuation .
One such sign would be if the sliding ground on the levee were to reach the pavement .
Another would be if a continuous stream was observed running along the bottom of the levee .
Both would signal that water was continuing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away .
Tuesday ’ s emergency evacuation plan remains in effect if either of those signs were to be observed , with transportation from Mississippi State University and OCH Regional Medical Center on standby to help move people away from the area directly east of the dam .


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Alabama lynching memorial, museum expanding

MONTGOMERY , Ala. - The nation ’ s first memorial to lynching victims is expanding .
The Equal Justice Initiative on Saturday opened a new welcome centre and exhibition space that will add to the existing lynching memorial and museum that documents the history of racial inequality in America .
The pavilion , located in downtown Montgomery , will serve as a hub for visitors to the two previously opened sites , EJI ’ s National Memorial for Peace and Justice , which documents the era of racial terror lynchings between 1877 and 1950 and the Legacy Museum .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women , men and children who were victims of racial terror lynchings in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War and during Reconstruction .
It will also honour civil rights figures including Martin Luther King Jr. , Claudette Colvin , John Lewis , Rosa Parks , Jonathan Daniels , Jo Ann Robinson , and E.D .
Nixon and describe the role Montgomery played in fueling a civil rights movement .
It will also include a gift shop , soul food restaurant and a shuttle service to the memorial and museum .
The organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convenience , comfort , and food to the thousands of people who visit the memorial and museum .
The organization said they are also proud to present new content about America ’ s history “ that is essential for understanding our past and improving our future.
” The Equal Justice Initiative is a a legal advocacy centre .
The organization ’ s work is featured in the movie “ Just Mercy.
” The organization said 650,000 people have visited the memorial and museum since the sites opened in 2018 .
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thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Gun-rights activists gear up for show of force in Virginia

RICHMOND , Va. - Police are scouring the internet for clues about plans for mayhem , workers are putting up chain link holding pens around Virginia ’ s picturesque Capitol Square , and one lawmaker even plans to hide in a safe house in advance of what ’ s expected to be an unprecedented show of force by gun-rights activists .
What is provoking their anger in this once reliably conservative state is the new Democratic majority leadership and its plans to enact a slew of gun restrictions .
This clash of old and new has made Virginia - determined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence in 2017 - ground zero in the nation ’ s raging debate over gun control .
The Virginia Citizens Defence League ’ s yearly rally at the Capitol typically draws just a few hundred gun enthusiasts .
This year , however , thousands of gun activists are expected to turn out .
Second Amendment groups have identified the state as a rallying point for the fight against what they see as a national erosion of gun rights .
“ We ’ re not going to be quiet anymore .
We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and on the ground .
The illegal laws they ’ re proposing are just straight up unconstitutional , ” said Timothy Forster , of Chesterfield , Virginia , an NRA member who had one handgun strapped to his shoulder and another tucked into his waistband as he stood outside a legislative office building earlier this week .
VCDL president Philip Van Cleave said he ’ s heard from groups around the country that plan to send members to Virginia , including the Nevada-based , far-right Oath Keepers , which has promised to organize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Extremist groups have blanketed social media and online forums with ominous messages and hinted at potential violence .
The FBI said it arrested three men linked to a violent white supremacist group Thursday who were planning to attend the rally in Richmond , according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an active investigation .
Democrats have permanently banned guns inside the Capitol , and Gov .
Ralph Northam declared a temporary state of emergency Wednesday that bans all weapons , including guns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally to prevent “ armed militia groups storming our Capitol.
” Gun-rights groups asked the Virginia Supreme Court to rule Northam ’ s declaration unconstitutional , but the court on Friday upheld the ban .
Northam said there were credible threats of violence - like weaponized drones being deployed over Capitol Square .
On Friday , the FAA issued a temporary flight restriction , including for drones , over Capitol airspace during the rally .
The governor said some of the rhetoric used by groups planning to attend Monday ’ s rally is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white nationalist rally in Charlottesville in August 2017 .
One woman was killed and more than 30 other people were hurt when a white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters there .
The Virginia State Police , the Virginia Capitol Police and the Richmond Police are all co-ordinating the event and have plans for a huge police presence at Monday ’ s rally that will include both uniformed and plainclothes officers .
Police plan to limit access to Capitol Square to only one entrance and have warned rally-goers that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get past security screening .
Nonessential state staff were being told to stay away .
Del .
Lee Carter , a Democratic Socialist , said he ’ s planning to spend Monday at an undisclosed location because of threats he has received .
Northam lamented that such precautions were necessary for what ’ s been a peaceful yearly event , but said pro-gun activists have “ unleashed something larger , something they may not be able to control.
“ House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert said in a statement on Saturday that his caucus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of twisted or extreme worldview into this fundamentally democratic exercise.
” “ While we and our Democratic colleagues may have differences , we are all Virginians and we we will stand united in opposition to any threats of violence or civil unrest from any quarter , “ Gilbert said .
The pushback against proposed new gun restrictions began immediately after Democrats won majorities in both the state Senate and House of Delegates in November .
Much of the opposition has focused on a proposed assault weapons ban , which would affect thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One version of the bill , which Democrats later disavowed , would have required current owners of the rifles to turn them in or face felony charges .
That bill was the spark that created the massive pushback , according to Sen. Creigh Deeds , one of the few moderate Democrats left in Virginia who represents rural areas .
“ That allowed people who like to inflame passions to say , ‘ Look , they ’ re really coming after your guns , they ’ re coming after you , ’ ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from around the state packed municipal meetings to urge local officials to declare their communities “ Second Amendment Sanctuaries ” opposed to “ unconstitutional “ gun restrictions like universal background checks .
More than 125 cities , towns and counties have approved sanctuary resolutions in Virginia .
Gun-control advocates , meanwhile , have also been flocking to Richmond to show their support for the proposed legislation .
More than 200 volunteers with Moms Demand Action held a rally on Jan. 6 .
Gun control became a leading issue in the 2019 Virginia legislative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beach opened fire on his co-workers in May , killing 12 and injuring four others .
Janet Woody , a retired librarian from Richmond and a Moms volunteer , said she believes the proposed package of legislation can help reduce gun violence .
“ I just feel so angry and helpless because of all these massacres , “ she said .
“ You can call your legislator or write , but there comes a point where you just have to get out in the street.
” This story has been updated to correct @ @ @ @ @ @ @

By Alan Suderman And Denise Lavoie - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--MS-13 inmates sent to restricted unit after prison stabbing

NEW YORK - The federal Bureau of Prisons is moving some MS-13 gang members in its custody into more restricted housing at certain high-security facilities across the U.S. after a gang stabbing in a Virginia prison , two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Saturday .
A brawl broke out Wednesday at the prison known as USP Lee between the MS-13 leader and a fellow inmate associated with the Mexican Mafia , and the gang member was stabbed , the people said .
The Bureau of Prisons said in a statement that the inmate was injured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else was injured , the agency said .
Fearing retaliation , officials have started moving some MS-13 inmates into more secured units at the six federal high security prisons , the people said .
It was unclear how many inmates were restricted , or how long they ’ d be separated from the general population .
The prison , in Jonesville , Virginia , houses about 1,500 men .
The FBI was notified about the attack and the Bureau of Prisons also launched an internal investigation , which remains ongoing .
The people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anonymity in order to discuss the incident , which remains under investigation .
The Bureau of Prisons has been plagued for years by chronic violence , extensive staffing shortages and serious misconduct .
The agency has come under increased scrutiny since wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in federal custody in August .
An independent report released in September found that inmates had expressed concerns about a culture of violence that they believed extended to the prison ’ s leadership and included allegations that staff members both perpetrated and encouraged violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they will be held separate from the general inmate population , and may be held in a cell either alone or with other inmates .
At one facility in Florida , at least a dozen MS-13 members were placed in the special housing unit .
Visitation at both USP Lee , the abbreviated name of the U.S. penitentiary , and another prison , USP Big Sandy in Kentucky was cancelled as a result of the fight .
There will be no visitation at USP Lee until at least Monday , according to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prison was also placed on limited operational status a few months ago after an inmate assaulted a staff member , officials said at the time .
The staff member was hospitalized after the incident , WCYB-TV in Virginia reported in October .
The facility has also had issues with contraband .
In 2014 , a guard at Lee pleaded guilty in federal court to accepting bribes to smuggle tobacco products and a cellphone into the prison .
The federal Bureau of Prisons has 175,269 inmates housed in 122 different facilities around the country @

Michael Balsamo, Michael R. Sisak And Jim Mustian - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--National Archives: ‘We made a mistake’ altering Trump photos

WEST PALM BEACH , Fla. - The National Archives said Saturday it made a mistake when it blurred images of anti-Trump signs used in an exhibit on women ’ s suffrage .
The independent agency is charged with preserving government and historical records and said it has always been committed to preserving its holdings “ without alteration.
” But the archives said in a statement Saturday “ we made a mistake.
“ The archives ’ statement came one day after The Washington Post published an online report about the altered images .
The archives said the photo in question is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but rather was licensed for use as a promotional graphic in the exhibit .
“ Nonetheless , we were wrong to alter the image , ” the agency said .
The current display has been removed and will be replaced as soon as possible with one that uses the original , unaltered image , the archives said .
The exhibit about the 19th Amendment , which gave women the right to vote , blurred some anti-Trump messages on protest signs in a photo of the 2017 Women ’ s March in Washington .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ private parts , which also were widespread during the march , which was held shortly after Trump took office , also were altered .
The archives said it will immediately begin a “ thorough review “ of its policies and procedures for exhibits “ so that this does not happen again.
” T he American Civil Liberties Union called on the archives to issue a more detailed , explanation .
“ Apologizing is not enough , ” Louise Melling , the organization ’ s deputy legal director , said in a statement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the public why it took the Orwellian step of trying to rewrite history and erasing women ’ s bodies from it , as well as who ordered it.
” Archives spokeswoman Miriam Kleiman told the Post for its report that the nonpartisan , nonpolitical federal agency blurred the anti-Trump references “ so as not to engage in current political controversy.
” References to female anatomy in the signs were obscured in deference to student groups and young people who visit the archives , Kleiman told the newspaper .
Kleiman did not respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Associated Press .
The public affairs office at the archives emailed the statement .
The archives issued the apology as thousands again gathered in Washington and in cities across the country Saturday for Women ’ s March rallies focused on issues such as climate change , pay equity and reproductive rights .

Darlene Superville - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Thousands gather for Women’s March rallies across the US

WASHINGTON - Thousands gathered in cities across the country Saturday as part of the nationwide Women ’ s March rallies focused on issues such as climate change , pay equity , reproductive rights and immigration .
Hundreds showed up in New York City and thousands in Washington , D.C. for the rallies , which aim to harness the political power of women , although crowds were noticeably smaller than in previous years .
Marches were scheduled Saturday in more than 180 cities .
The first marches in 2017 drew hundreds of thousands of people to rallies in cities across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump was inaugurated .
That year ’ s D.C. march drew close to 1 million people .
In Manhattan on Saturday , hundreds of people gathered as part of a “ Rise and Roar “ rally at separate events in Foley Square and Columbus Circle .
“ Today , we will be the change that is needed in this world !
Today , we rise into our power !
” activist Donna Hylton told a cheering crowd in Foley Square .
Snow began falling by the afternoon in Manhattan , apparently putting a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to converge in large numbers near Times Square .
In downtown Los Angeles , thousands of men , women and children filled several blocks as they made their way from a plaza to a park adjacent to City Hall , where a rally featured speeches by Jennifer Siebel Newsom , the wife of California Gov .
Gavin Newsom , Mayor Eric Garcetti , Rep. Maxine Waters and others .
Jennifer Siebel Newsom credited women for mobilizing against gun violence , creating the # MeToo movement against sexual harassment and discrimination , and taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Representatives .
“ In 2020 , I have no doubt that it will be women who will lead again , rise up and move this country forward on a path toward justice , ” she said .
In Denver , organizers opted to skip the rally after the march and instead invited participants to meet with local organizations to learn more about issues such as reproductive rights , climate change , gun safety and voting .
Several thousand came out for the protest in Washington , far fewer than last year when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the White House .
But as in previous years , many of the protesters made the trip to the nation ’ s capital from cities across the country to express their opposition to Trump and his policies .
From their gathering spot on Freedom Plaza , they had a clear view down Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S. Capitol , where the impeachment trial gets underway in the Senate next week .
In Washington , three key issues seemed to galvanize most of the protesters : climate change , immigration and reproductive rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigrant students , and in political times like this I want to make sure I ’ m using my voice to speak up for them , ” said Rochelle McGurn , 30 , an elementary school teacher from Burlington , Vermont who was in D.C. to march .
“ They need to feel like they belong , because they do.
” Peta Madry of New London , Connecticut , was celebrating her 70th birthday in D.C. by attending her fourth Women ’ s March with her sister , Cynthia Barnard , of San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing handknitted pink hats that date from the first march .
With pained expressions , they spoke about Trump ’ s determination to reverse the policies of his predecessor Barack Obama and his treatment of women .
“ Look what he ’ s doing to Greta Thunberg , ” Madry said , referring to the teenage climate activist .
“ He ’ s the biggest bully in the world.
” Melissa McCullough of Georgetown , Indiana , said when she recently turned 50 she promised herself that she would get more involved politically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protest Trump , as a woman , ” she said .
Her daughter , 19-year-old University of Cincinnati student Elizabeth McCullough , chimed in to say that most women ’ s issues are human issues , and they talked about the need to protect immigrants .
“ You have to push to protect everyone or no one ’ s safe , ” Melissa McCullough said .
The protesters planned to march around the White House , but Trump wasn ’ t there .
He is spending the holiday weekend at his resort in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faced criticism from some local African American activists for failing to focus on local issues and damaging the ability of local activists to organize .
“ Local D.C. is a domestic colony and the actions of national organizers have to recognize that , ” Black Lives Matter D.C. wrote in a letter this week to Women ’ s March organizers .
“ Here in D.C. , these unstrategic mass mobilizations distract from local organizing , often overlook the black people who actually live here and even result in tougher laws against demonstration being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ updated to correct the activist ’ s name to Donna Hylton , not Hill .
___ Associated Press reporter Daisy Nguyen in San Francisco contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Tennessee governor wants to amend day that honours KKK leader

NASHVILLE - Gov .
Bill Lee will introduce legislation this year that would amend a law requiring Tennessee to honour Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest , an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan .
Lee ’ s office confirmed Friday that the Republican , who has previously expressed his displeasure over the honour , was working on the bill .
The office did not provide further details .
According to the law in question , Tennessee governors must sign six proclamations throughout the year designating the following days of special observance : Robert E. Lee Day ( January 19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12 ) , Andrew Jackson Day ( March 15 ) , Confederate Decoration Day ( June 3 ) , Nathan Bedford Forrest Day ( July 13 ) and Veterans ’ Day ( November 11 ) .
The law encourages the governor to invite the public to observe each day in schools and churches .
It does not , however , outline a penalty should the governor choose to not sign the proclamation .
Lee received national backlash in July when he not only signed the Nathan Bedford Forrest proclamation , but also declined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought the law should change .
Lee later clarified that he didn ’ t like signing the proclamation and would prefer to see the law changed .
“ While it is my job as governor to enforce the law , I want Tennesseans to know where my heart is on this issue , ” Lee said at the time .
“ Our state ’ s history is rich , complex and in some cases painful .
With this in mind , I will be working to change this law.
” As of Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s website did not show that Lee had signed the Robert E. Lee Day proclamation .
His office also did not respond to questions if the governor wanted to change that day celebrating the Confederate general , which falls the day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day .
Prior proclamations have said “ Robert E. Lee is widely recognized as one of the outstanding Americans of the nineteenth century.
“ Forrest , a Confederate cavalry general , amassed a fortune as a plantation owner and slave trader in Memphis before the Civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the battle of Fort Pillow , where an estimated 300 African-American soldiers were massacred by Forrest ’ s men after surrendering .
The massacre provoked outrage in the North and was one of the most bitterly disputed incidents in the Civil War .
“ I know that it ’ s hard to renegotiate history , but at the end of the day we need to celebrate folks that bring people together and not necessarily tear people apart .
I hope that we will consider that and reexamine all of these proclamations for state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Democrat from Memphis .
Meanwhile , Democratic Rep. London Lamar , also from Memphis , is sponsoring a bill this year to remove the Forrest Day designation .
Previous Democratic lawmaker attempts to change the law have been unsuccessful .
The attention to the Forrest proclamation comes as lawmakers also have debated for years on possibly moving the bust of Forrest that has sat inside the Tennessee Statehouse for decades .
A state commission is scheduled to meet in February to address the bust , just months after Lee appointed two @ @ @ @ @ @

Kimberlee Kruesi And Jonathan Mattise - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Man arrested in shooting of 13 people at Chicago house party

CHICAGO - A man has been charged with attempted murder in a December shooting at a Chicago house party that left 13 people wounded , Chicago police said Saturday .
According to a police statement , 25-year-old Keilon Jones was arrested Thursday .
He is also charged with aggravated battery .
It ’ s not clear if Jones has an attorney who could comment on the allegations .
Jones was due in court Saturday .
Police didn ’ t release any information about how investigators identified Jones .
Police have said the Dec. 22 shooting stemmed from a dispute at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of someone killed in April .
Authorities have said the shooting began inside a house in the city ’ s Englewood neighbourhood and more shots were fired as people began fleeing .
Police have said the victims ranged in age from 16 to 48 .
None of their wounds were fatal .
Another man was arrested nearby shortly after the shooting and charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and as an armed habitual criminal .
Prosecutors have said police stopped Marciano White , 37 , as he carried a bag @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pistol inside .
During a December bail hearing , public defender Scott Finger said there was no evidence that White shot anyone .
Prosecutors said they were awaiting the results of forensic tests on the gun police found in White ’ s bag .
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thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Sanders steps up appeals to women after flap with Warren

PORTSMOUTH , N.H. - Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders stepped up his pitch to women in early-voting New Hampshire on the heels of a squabble over sexism in politics with fellow progressive and 2020 rival Elizabeth Warren .
The Vermont senator delivered a brief speech Saturday at the Seacoast Women ’ s March in Portsmouth , saying that “ we are in this together.
” “ Men , if you think abortion rights , if you think equal pay for equal work is just a women ’ s issue , you are dead wrong , “ Sanders said .
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men have got to stand with the women.
“ Sanders did not stay to march , heading instead to the next campaign stop .
His remarks at the event came a day after his campaign released two television ads in New Hampshire .
The state ’ s primary is set for Feb. 11 , eight days after the Iowa caucuses lead off the nominating contests .
One of those ads , “ Our Side , ” says that , under President Donald Trump , “ women ’ s rights are under attack.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and always has been , ” a female narrator says over images of Sanders campaigning with and posing for pictures alongside large groups of supporters , most of them women .
“ Fighting to protect a woman ’ s right to choose , to fully fund Planned Parenthood , make child care affordable and guarantee paid family leave and equal pay.
” In Portsmouth , Sanders said , “ What the Women ’ s March , and what we are all about , is saying that it is the women of this country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bodies , not politicians.
” Sanders didn ’ t mention Warren or the flare up-with his longtime friend , a Massachusetts senator who overlaps with him on many policy initiatives that seek to overhaul the nation ’ s political and economic system .
Warren said this past week that , during a private meeting between the two in 2018 , Sanders disagreed that a woman could win the presidency — a charge he ’ s forcefully denied .
That has raised deeper questions about societal misogyny that female candidates have to overcome .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , she said ” feud during a debate last week .
Warren refused to shake Sanders ’ hand afterward as both of them called the other “ a liar.
” They were in the Senate for the start of Trump ’ s impeachment trial on Thursday and said they ’ d not subsequently spoken about the incident .
Warren , campaigning in Iowa on Friday , declared that “ I don ’ t have anything else to say on this.
” A second Sanders ad airing in New Hampshire , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message , evoking John F. Kennedy and rejecting “ half measures ” to real political change .
Later Saturday in Des Moines , Iowa , Warren planned to focus on abortion rights during a “ fireside chat ” at a private home with Planned Parenthood activists .

Hunter Woodall And Will Weissert - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Man rescued, cited after rappelling into Yellowstone canyon

BILLINGS , Mont .
- A 55-year-old Indiana man had to be rescued in Yellowstone National Park after he rappelled down a deep canyon , then was unable to climb back out after he left his rope to retrieve a backpack he dropped , park officials said .
Dave Christensen of Winamac was uninjured in the Jan. 6 incident , but he was cited for disorderly conduct and for illegally going off-trail in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone , according to court records .
He has a court hearing scheduled for Feb. 3 .
A call made to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday .
Christensen was near the end of his 360-foot ( 110-meter ) rope in the canyon , which is more than 1,200 feet ( 366 metres ) deep in places , when he dropped his backpack , district park ranger Klint Powell told the Billings Gazette .
He slid down the canyon wall to retrieve it and then could not climb back up .
A friend who was communicating with him by radio from the top confirmed he was not injured and then called for help after about two hours , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 800 feet ( 244 metres ) to Christensen , and it took four hours to raise them both in the blowing snow and freezing temperatures , officials said .
“ It was a long , slow haul to bring him back up , ” Powell said .
“ The rescuer had to work their way up through really deep snow.
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thetorontostar--2020-01-18--Facing Senate trial crunch, Dems blitzing Iowa, early states

NEWTON , Iowa - As a winter storm barrelled down on Iowa , Elizabeth Warren ’ s campaign team struggled with whether to scrap a town hall scheduled at the old Maytag headquarters .
There was more than weather at play as the Massachusetts senator ’ s campaign monitored the forecast and called expected attendees to gauge their willingness to brave the snow and whipping wind .
For the Democratic presidential candidate , the event was probably one of her last chances to make a face-to-face appeal to voters in Iowa before the Feb. 3 caucus .
So it went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Sens .
Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota , is soon to be marooned in the Senate as a juror in President Donald Trump ’ s impeachment trial .
With the trial schedule up in the air , this weekend is likely the final full weekend of campaigning for those candidates before the kick-off caucus .
That ’ s left their campaigns scrambling to make the most of their time in Iowa and the other early-voting states , and thinking of ways to stay on voters ’ radars during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s also given their 2020 rivals outside the Senate an opportunity to take advantage .
Klobuchar trails the top tier of contenders in polling and fundraising and needs a strong showing in Iowa to catapult her campaign into the next round of primaries .
She insisted that the demands of the Senate trial wouldn ’ t hurt her candidacy .
“ I ’ m a mom and I can balance things really well , ” Klobuchar said during an event Saturday in Coralville .
But privately , the collision of the trial and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advisers who face the prospect of their bosses being trapped in the Senate as silent jurors just as voters in Iowa are taking a final look at the candidates .
The full schedule for the Senate trial is uncertain , and it ’ s possible it wraps up before the caucuses .
But campaigns are planning for the prospect of the candidates being in Senate session Tuesday through Saturday next week , as well as five or six days the following week .
The fourth Democratic senator still in the race is Michael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Warren and Sanders are considering putting private planes on hold in Washington so they can quickly fly to Iowa for late-night events after the trial wraps up .
Sanders has already scheduled an 8 p.m. rally in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday , taking advantage of the one-hour time difference between Washington and Iowa .
Campaign surrogates are planning to headline events during the week that the candidates can appear at via livestream video .
Warren ’ s team has Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Katie Porter of California on standby , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former Obama housing secretary who dropped out of the presidential race this month .
Sanders ’ wife , Jane Sanders , will headline an event in Las Vegas next weekend and will introduce her husband , who will participate by video .
Still , the Senate schedule has increased the pressure on the candidates to make the most of what may be their last free weekend .
Warren had three events scheduled Saturday with influential interest groups .
Klobuchar was headlining three town halls in eastern Iowa .
Sanders was campaigning in New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primary calendar , before heading back to Iowa on Monday .
“ I wish I could be back in New Hampshire and Iowa , but I will be in Washington doing my constitutional duty , ” Sanders told voters during an event Saturday in Portsmouth , New Hampshire .
The Senate trial has added a layer of uncertainty to the political climate in Iowa , where the Democratic race remains exceedingly close .
Recent polls show Warren , Sanders , former Vice-President Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg the former mayor of South Bend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with Klobuchar trailing behind .
Biden and Buttigieg will largely have the state to themselves once the impeachment trial begins .
Biden and Buttigieg do not serve in the Senate , and neither currently has any other job .
Biden has events scheduled in Iowa four out of the next five days .
Buttigieg plans to be in the state nearly every day until the caucuses , focusing in particular on smaller Iowa cities and towns less often seen by his top rivals .
Last week , Buttigieg travelled across northwest Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the minority party still has active county party organizations .
In sub-zero weather , he drew 100 people in Algona , population about 5,400 .
It was his second visit to the town , one where no other candidate polling above 1 per cent has campaigned .
On Thursday , he met about as many in Emmetsburg , where only Biden had visited before , and twice as many in Arnold ’ s Park , a popular summertime lake-area vacation spot , where only Sanders had previously stopped .
While those areas are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities , they still have delegates up for grabs that could make the difference on caucus night in a close race .
The Associated Press will call the winner of the Iowa caucuses based on the number of state delegate equivalents the candidates receive on caucus night .
Associated Press writers Thomas Beaumont in Emmetsburg , Iowa , Bill Barrow in West Des Moines , Iowa , Alexandra Jaffe in Coralville , Iowa , and Hunter Woodall in Portsmouth , New Hampshire , contributed to this report .
Catch up on the 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekly `` Ground Game ’ ’ politics podcast


thetorontostar--2020-01-19--Biden rips Sanders campaign for Social Security attacks


thetorontostar--2020-01-19--Fire at Czech asylum for mentally ill kills 8 patients

PRAGUE , Czech Republic - A fire official says eight people have been killed in a fire at an asylum @ @ @ @ @ the Czech Republic .
Prokop Volenik , spokesman for the regional rescue service , said @ @ @ @ @ town of Vejprty broke out early Sunday before 5 a.m. ( 0400 GMT ) .
@ @ @ @ @ border with Germany .
German rescuers came to help their Czech colleagues who were not @ @ @ @ @ to bad weather .
Volenik said , in addition to the deaths , 30 others @ @ @ @ @ .
One of them is in critical condition .
The injured were transported to nearby @ @ @ @ @ Zavoral said the blaze was contained and the cause was being investigated .
Czech Prime @ @ @ @ @ condolences to the families of those who died .
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thetorontostar--2020-01-19--Lebanon to release protesters detained after night of riots

BEIRUT - Lebanon ’ s public prosecutor ordered the release Sunday of more than 30 people detained the previous evening , according to the National State News agency , in the worst day of violence since protests erupted three months ago .
The public prosecutor said all 34 arrested are to be released , except those with other pending cases .
The clashes took place with the backdrop of a rapidly worsening financial crisis and an ongoing impasse over the formation of a new government .
The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned in late October .
Protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Riot police fired volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets on Saturday to disperse thousands of protesters rallied outside the parliament and in downtown Beirut .
The protesters , who came from the country ’ s north , east and the capital itself , lobbed flares at security forces , metal bars , stones and tree branches .
The pitched street battles lasted for nearly nine hours and were among the worst scenes of rioting since protests broke out in mid-October .
At least 377 people were injured in the clashes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Lebanese Civil Defence .
More than 120 of those were treated in hospitals , including a protester who sustained an eye injury , as well as security force members .
The clashes also took place in the courtyard and steps of a mosque downtown .
The top Muslim Sunni Fatwa office called it “ inappropriate ” and said protesters had taken refuge inside the mosque and were taken care of .
Protesters smashed windows and the facade of the headquarters of the country ’ s Banking Association with metal bars .
Security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set up by protesters nearby .
Interior Minister Raya El Hassan said Saturday that security forces were ordered to protect peaceful protests .
“ But for the protests to turn into a blatant attack on the security forces and public and private properties , this is condemned and totally unacceptable , “ she tweeted .
However , Human Rights Watch described the security force response as “ brutal “ and called for an urgent end to a “ culture of impunity ” for police abuse .
“ There was no justification for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s riot police against largely peaceful demonstrators in downtown Beirut , “ said Michael Page , deputy Middle East director at HRW .
“ Riot police showed a blatant disregard for their human rights obligations , instead launching teargas canisters at protesters ’ heads , firing rubber bullets in their eyes and attacking people at hospitals and a mosque.
” The protesters have rallied against the country ’ s political elite who have ruled Lebanon since the end of the 1975-90 civil war .
The protesters blame politicians for widespread corruption and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the largest debt ratios in the world .
Panic and anger have gripped the public as their local currency , pegged to the dollar for more than two decades , plummeted .
The Lebanese pound lost more than 60 % of its value in recent weeks on the black market .
The economy has seen no growth and foreign inflows dried up in the already heavily indebted country that relies on imports for most of its basic goods .
Meanwhile , banks have imposed informal capital controls , limiting withdrawal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hassan Diab had been expected to announce an 18-member Cabinet on Friday , but last minute disputes among political factions scuttled his latest attempt .


thetorontostar--2020-01-19--Hong Kong police fire tear gas as thousands rally

Hong Kong police fired tear gas Sunday at a public park that was overflowing with thousands of protesters calling for electoral reforms and a boycott of the Chinese Communist Party .
Sporting their movement ’ s trademark black clothing and face masks , rally participants packed into Chater Garden , not far from the Chinese territory ’ s Legislative Council building .
They held up signs that read “ Free Hong Kong “ and waved American and British flags .
A former British colony , Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 .
While the framework of “ one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city greater democratic rights than are afforded to the mainland , protesters say their freedoms have been steadily eroding under Chinese President Xi Jinping .
Frictions between democracy-minded Hong Kongers and the Communist Party-ruled central government in Beijing came to a head last June , when proposed extradition legislation sparked months of mass demonstrations .
The bill — which would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial — has since been withdrawn , but protests have continued for more than seven months , centred around demands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into police conduct .
While the protests began peacefully , they increasingly descended into violence after demonstrators became frustrated with the government ’ s response .
They feel that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has ignored their demands and used the police to suppress them .
Demonstrators have routinely thrown bricks and gasoline bombs at riot police , who have responded with tear gas , rubber bullets and — on rare occasions — live rounds .
The months of unrest have sent the financial hub ’ s economy reeling , as shops have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away .
Hong Kong police gave approval for Sunday ’ s rally , but not for a march that organizers were also planning .
Protesters used bricks , umbrellas and traffic barriers to barricade a road .
They ran for cover after riot police appeared around Chater Garden and raised yellow warning flags , telling demonstrators that they should disperse because they were participating in an illegal assembly .
Two officers were bleeding from the head after a group of “ rioters ” attacked them with wooden sticks , police said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water bottles and other objects at law enforcement .
Others threw paint bombs at buildings in the Central business district , according to police .
Associated Press writer Yanan Wang in Beijing and photographer Ng Han Guan in Hong Kong contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-01-19--Bodies of 11 Ukrainians killed in Iran plane crash sent home

KYIV , Ukraine - The bodies of the 11 Ukrainians who died when an Iranian missile shot down a passenger @ @ @ @ @ for a farewell ceremony .
They were among the 176 people killed in the Jan. @ @ @ @ @ Ukrainian Airlines plane heading to Kyiv was brought down shortly after takeoff from Tehran .
@ @ @ @ @ that the plane was mistakenly hit by an anti-aircraft missile .
On Sunday , the @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Boryspil Airport aboard a Ukrainian air force plane .
An honour guard solemnly @ @ @ @ @ airport terminal , where a farewell observance is to last until the evening .
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thetorontostar--2020-01-19--Japan’s leader vows to boost nation’s role in US alliance

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged Sunday to bolster his country ’ s role under its security pact with the U.S. in “ outer space and cyberspace , ” as the allies marked the 60th anniversary of a treaty that has been the basis for their postwar defence alliance .
Abe ’ s grandfather , Nobusuke Kishi , who was prime minister at the time , signed the treaty in Washington on Jan. 19 , 1960 , with President Dwight Eisenhower .
The treaty allows for the stationing of tens of thousands of U.S. troops and the deployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exchange , the U.S. is obligated to protect Japan in case of enemy attack .
“ We have elevated the relationship to one in which each of us , the U.S. and Japan , protects the other , thereby giving further force to the alliance , ” Abe said in his opening remarks .
“ Going forward , it is incumbent upon us to make it even more robust , to make it a pillar for safeguarding peace and security in both outer space and cyberspace.
” The anniversary comes as Washington adds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the financial cost and play a greater defence role in the Asia-Pacific region to make up for a receding U.S. presence .
“ As the security environment continues to evolve and new challenges arise , it is essential that our alliance further strengthen and deepen , ” President Donald Trump said in a statement marking the anniversary .
“ I am confident that in the months and years ahead , Japan ’ s contributions to our mutual security will continue to grow , and the Alliance will continue to thrive.
” The bilateral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a greater U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific region as a deterrence to Soviet threats , is a legacy of the Cold War era .
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union , Washington and Tokyo have redefined the pact as a pillar for maintaining stability and prosperity in the region in the face of new threats from China and North Korea .
Sunday ’ s anniversary was also a time for the grandchildren of the two leaders to revisit history .
In his opening remarks , Abe told Mary Jean Eisenhower , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reception , that their grandfathers played golf together in 1957 at Burning Tree Club near New York , fostering a friendship that led to the signing of the treaty .
Abe and the younger Eisenhower together looked at photos of their grandfathers playing golf that were on exhibit outside a reception hall .
President Eisenhower was to visit Tokyo for a ratification ceremony and perhaps another round of golf later in 1960 , but the planned reunion never happened because escalating anti-U.S. military protests in Tokyo forced him to cancel his trip and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Abe has pushed for Japan ’ s Self-Defence Force to expand its international role and capability by bolstering co-operation and weapons compatibility with the U.S. , as it increasingly works alongside American troops .
Abe is also campaigning to achieve his and his grandfather ’ s long-cherished dream of amending Japan ’ s postwar , U.S.-drafted pacifist constitution .
In 2015 , Abe reinterpreted Japan ’ s constitution to allow the use of force in defending Japan and its allies .
He has bolstered Japan ’ s defence budget , citing missile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Since Trump took office three years ago , Japan has increasingly purchased costly American weapons , including F-35 stealth fighter jets , in an apparent attempt to reduce its trade surplus with the U.S .


thetorontostar--2020-01-19--Afghan officials say Taliban kill 6 members of same family

KABUL - Afghan officials said Sunday that the Taliban executed six members of the same family , including an infant girl , in a remote village in the country ’ s north .
The Taliban denied any involvement , saying the attack Saturday was triggered by a personal dispute .
However , local Afghan officials said the family was accused by the Taliban of working in prostitution .
The insurgents sentenced them to death for immoral acts , then stormed the house and opened fire , according to Jawed Bedar , a spokesman for Faryab province ’ s governor .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ twin sister survived , but both of the child ’ s legs had to be amputated , the spokesman said .
He said Afghan security forces deployed to the village early Sunday and helped evacuate the two survivors to the hospital .
He said the Taliban attacked the government troops when they arrived .
The ensuing gunbattle killed three Taliban members , who Bedar said were involved in the family ’ s killing .
The Taliban control the village in Andkhoy district where the killings took place , making it difficult to accurately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Taliban now control or hold sway over roughly half of Afghanistan .
Locals in the area also disputed the accounts of prostitution .
Instead , they claimed that a member of the slain family was a former Taliban militant who recently joined the peace process , according to Andkhoy district chief Sultan Mohammad Sanjer .
It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting accounts .
The Taliban continue to stage near-daily attacks targeting Afghan and U.S. forces , even as they hold peace talks with the U.S and have given the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan .
Scores of Afghan civilians have also been killed in the crossfire and by roadside bombs planted by militants .
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thetorontostar--2020-01-19--Philippines looks for safer homes for volcano residents

TAGAYTAY , Philippines - Philippine officials said Sunday the government will no longer allow villagers to return to a crater-studded island where an erupting volcano lies , warning that living there would be “ like having a gun pointed at you.
“ Taal volcano has simmered with smaller ash ejections in recent days after erupting on Jan. 12 with a gigantic plume of steam and ash that drifted northward and reached Manila , the capital , about 65 kilometres ( 40 miles ) away .
While the volcano remains dangerous , with large numbers of local villagers encamped in emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recovery .
Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said officials in Batangas province , where the volcano is located , have been asked to look for a safer housing area , at least 3 hectares ( 7 acres ) in size , for about 6,000 families that used to live in four villages and worked mostly as tourist guides , farmers and fish pen operators on Volcano Island .
The new housing site should be at least 17 kilometres ( 10 miles ) away from the restive volcano to be safe , he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government as a national park that ’ s off-limits to permanent villages .
The government ’ s volcano-monitoring agency has separately declared the island a permanent danger zone , but impoverished villagers have lived and worked there for decades .
“ We have to enforce these regulations once and for all because their lives are at stake , ” Ano said , adding that closely regulated tourism work could eventually be allowed on the island without letting residents live there permanently .
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has approved a recommendation for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no man ’ s land , ” but he has yet to issue formal guidelines .
After an initial visit last week , Duterte plans to return to hard-hit Batangas province on Monday to check conditions of displaced villagers , Ano said .
Although it ’ s one of the world ’ s smallest volcanoes , the 311-meter ( 1,020-foot ) -high Taal is the second most-active of 24 restive Philippine volcanoes .
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has placed Taal and outlying cities and towns at alert level 4 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerous explosive eruption is possible within hours or days due to fewer but continuous earthquakes and other signs of restiveness .
“ They lived on the volcano itself with 47 craters .
That ’ s really dangerous .
It ’ s like having a gun pointed at you , ” Renato Solidum , the head of the volcanology institute , told The Associated Press .
Taal left more than 200 people dead in a powerful 1965 eruption , then again exploded in 1977 .
Officials of the government institute said they began issuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as early as March last year , helping local officials prepare and evacuate thousands of villagers rapidly from Volcano Island hours before the volcano erupted thunderously .
Lucia Amen , a 45-year-old mother of six , said she started packing up clothes in bags in November after hearing from her children that their teachers were warning that the volcano was acting up again .
When the volcano erupted , she said she was ready with her family and rapidly moved out of Laurel town , which lies near Volcano Island .
Amen wept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evacuation centre in Tagaytay city in Cavite province , saying she was worried about her children as the eruption dragged on .
A senator from Batangas , Ralph Recto , has recommended the creation of a commission to oversee the recovery of the volcano-devastated region .
It will be similar to a government body that was established after Mount Pinatubo ’ s 1991 eruption north of Manila .
A long-dormant volcano , Pinatubo , blew its top in one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century , killing hundreds of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region .
The disaster-prone Philippines lies along the Pacific “ Ring of Fire , ” a string of faults around the ocean basin where many of the world ’ s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur .
Gomez reported from Manila .
Associated Press videojournalist Joeal Calupitan in Tagaytay contributed to this report .

Aaron Favila And Jim Gomez - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-01-19--Iran says it is preparing  for satellite launch

TEHRAN , Iran - Iran said Sunday that two newly constructed satellites have passed pre-launch tests and will be transported to the nation ’ s space centre for eventual launch , without elaborating .
Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi tweeted about the development , calling it an “ important research step.
” Iran has not said when it will launch the satellites , but often co-ordinates its launches with national holidays .
It will celebrate the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution next month .
Iran ’ s largely state-run media say the 90-kilogram ( 200-pound ) Zafar satellites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will monitor and transmit data on natural resources as well as agricultural and environmental developments .
Iran says its satellite program , like its nuclear activities , is aimed at scientific research and other civilian applications .
The U.S. and other Western countries have long been suspicious of the program because the same technology can be used to develop long-range missiles .
Iran tried and failed to launch two satellites into orbit in January and February last year .
A rocket exploded inside the Imam Khomeini Space Center in August during what officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials did not acknowledge the mishap until satellite imagery showed the explosion .
Officials blamed a technical malfunction .
In a separate incident , a fire killed three researchers at the space centre , which is some 240 kilometres ( 150 miles ) southeast of the capital , Tehran .
Iran has sent several satellites into orbit over the past decade , and in 2013 it launched a monkey into space .
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thetorontostar--2020-01-19--Iran backtracks on plan to send flight recorders to Ukraine

TEHRAN , Iran - The Iranian official leading the investigation into the Ukrainian jetliner that was accidentally shot down by the Revolutionary Guard appeared to backtrack Sunday on plans to send the flight recorders abroad for analysis , a day after saying they would be sent to Kyiv .
Hassan Rezaeifar was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency as saying “ the flight recorders from the Ukrainian Boeing are in Iranian hands and we have no plans to send them out.
” He said Iran is working to recover the data and cabin recordings , and that it may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as black boxes — to Ukraine or France .
“ But as of yet , we have made no decision.
” The same official was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Saturday as saying the recorders would be sent to Ukraine , where French , American and Canadian experts would help analyze them .
Iranian officials previously said the black boxes were damaged but are usable .
It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting accounts .
Iran may be hesitant to turn over the recorders for fear that more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harrowing 20 seconds between when the first and second surface-to-air missiles hit the plane — will come to light .
The Guard ’ s air defences shot the plane down shortly after it took off from Tehran on Jan. 8 , killing all 176 people on board .
Hours earlier , the Guard had launched ballistic missiles at U.S. troops in Iraq in response to the U.S. airstrike that killed Iran ’ s top general in Baghdad .
Officials say lower-level officers mistook the plane for a U.S. cruise missile .
Iranian officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a technical problem and invited countries that lost citizens to help investigate .
Three days later , Iran admitted responsibility after Western leaders said there was strong evidence the plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile .
The victims included 57 Canadian citizens as well as 11 Ukrainians , 17 people from Sweden , four Afghans and four British citizens .
Most of those killed were Iranians .
The other five nations have demanded Iran accept full responsibility and pay compensation to the victims ’ families .
The plane was a Boeing 737-800 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S .
The plane ’ s engine was designed by CFM International , a joint company between French group Safran and U.S. group GE Aviation .
Investigators from both countries have been invited to take part in the probe .


thetorontostar--2020-01-19--Israel building underground defence system on Lebanon border

JERUSALEM - Israel ’ s military said it began construction of an underground defence system Sunday along its northern frontier with Lebanon to protect against cross-border tunnels .
The infrastructure project will identify underground acoustic and seismic activity indicating tunnel digging , accompanied other defensive measures , said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus , a military spokesman .
Israel destroyed a series of what it said were attack tunnels last year , dug under the border by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah .
The group battled Israel to a stalemate in a monthlong war in 2006 .
Hezbollah is closely allied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regional foe , and has vowed to retaliate for America ’ s killing of a top Iranian general in a drone strike earlier this month .
Conricus said the construction would all be on the Israeli side of the border and that United Nations peacekeepers along the frontier had been notified .
“ What we are doing today is part of a larger plan , ” he said .
“ We understand that our activity may be seen and will be heard on the other side and we want to explain what we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing it .
It is a matter of precaution.
” Israel recently warned that Hezbollah had beefed up its presence along the volatile frontier .
Israel and Hezbollah ’ s 2006 war ended in a U.N.-brokered cease-fire .
While direct fighting has been rare since then , there has been occasional violence .
The most recent flare-up was in September , when Hezbollah fired a barrage of anti-tank missiles into Israel and Israel responded with artillery fire .
There were no casualties on either side .
Israel also has acknowledged carrying out scores @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them believed to have been aimed at Iranian weapons shipments bound for its Hezbollah proxy .
Hezbollah has a battle-tested army that has been fighting alongside the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Syria ’ s civil war .
Israel believes the group has arsenal of some 130,000 missiles and rockets capable of striking virtually anywhere in Israel .
More recently , it has accused the group of trying to import or develop guided missiles .
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