thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Given a chance, Trump would push court pick before election

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have tried to make it clear : Given the chance , they would push through a Supreme Court nominee should a vacancy occur before Election Day .
The issue has taken on new immediacy with the disclosure Friday that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is receiving chemotherapy for a recurrence of cancer after four earlier bouts with the disease .
The 87-year-old liberal , who apologized in 2016 for her pointed public criticism of Trump during his first campaign , says she has no plans to retire .
The development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s at stake this election , with the winner in position to help shape the trajectory of the court for years to come .
Trump administration officials have underscored that Trump would not hesitate to fill an opening before voters have their say Nov. 3 , less than four months away , on whether to give him a second term .
Four years ago , also in a presidential election year , the GOP-controlled Senate refused to hold a hearing or vote when President Barack Obama , a Democrat , nominated federal judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after his death in February .
Nine months before that year ’ s election , McConnell said voters should determine who would nominate the person to fill that seat .
Fast forward to this past week .
Trump ’ s chief of staff , Mark Meadows , told reporters : “ I can ’ t imagine that if he had a vacancy on the Supreme Court that he would not very quickly make the appointment and look for the Senate to take quick action.
“ Meadows spoke shortly after the court said Ginsburg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice announced she had a recurrence of cancer and has been treated with chemotherapy since May 19 .
Ginsburg is the oldest justice , followed by Stephen Breyer , 81 , Clarence Thomas , 72 , and Samuel Alito , 70 .
Trump sees his efforts at reshaping the judiciary as a signature achievement of his presidency .
Last month he marked his 200th judicial appointment .
Earlier in his term , he won confirmation of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the high court .
The president has sought to remind fellow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term , he would have the chance to push the Supreme Court and lower courts further to the right .
Last month , after the court rejected his administration ’ s attempt to end an Obama-era program that provided legal protections to roughly 650,000 immigrants illegally brought to the United States as children , Trump said more needed to be done to push the court to the right .
He said he would release a “ new list of Conservative Supreme Court Justice nominees ” by Sept. 1 .
“ Based on decisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more important than ever before ( Second Amendment , Right to Life , Religous Liberty , etc . )
– VOTE 2020 !
” he tweeted .
Carl Tobias , a University of Richmond law school professor , said Republicans “ have shown no consistency ” between their refusal to give Garland a hearing and their insistence it would be proper to move forward on a vacancy during the waning days of a potentially lame-duck presidency .
Tobias said Trump and Republicans are calculating that playing up their commitment to adding another conservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ base voters that it ’ s worth risking being labeled hypocrites by their opponents .
Leading Republicans , including the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman , Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina , now say it ’ s OK to consider an election-year appointment when the Senate and the White House are held by the same party .
“ Merrick Garland was a different situation , ” Graham said in May .
“ You had the president of one party nominating , and you had the Senate in the hands of the other party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got them both would be different.
” McConnell was even more blunt .
“ Yeah , we ’ d fill it , ” he said in a February interview .
Sen. Joni Ernst , R-Iowa , a member of the Judiciary panel who is facing reelection , told Iowa PBS on Friday that she would also be supportive of holding hearings and a vote on a Trump nominee this year , even if the president lost reelection .
“ There ’ s likely not to be a lot of disagreement ” between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selection of a nominee , unlike in 2016 , Ernst said .
At least one key Republican has expressed reservations .
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley , the former chairman of the Judiciary panel who blocked Garland ’ s nomination in 2016 , said two years ago that he would not take up a new nomination if he were still the committee chairman in 2020 and there were a Supreme Court vacancy .
But Grassley , who now heads the Senate Finance Committee , said if there were a different chairman that person would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told Fox News in 2018 that the wouldn ’ t take up the nomination because “ I pledged that in 2016 … That ’ s a decision I made a long time ago.
” Associated Press writers Jessica Gresko and Matthew Daly contributed to this report .

Aamer Madhani And Mary Clare Jalonick - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--‘Black Lives’ mural outside Trump Tower defaced for 3rd time

NEW YORK - A “ Black Lives Matter ” mural painted on the street in front of President Donald Trump ’ s namesake New York City tower has quickly become a target for vandalism , defaced with bucketfuls of paint three times in less than a week .
In the latest incident , two women were arrested around 3 p.m. Saturday after police said they poured black paint on the block-long mural outside Trump Tower on Manhattan ’ s chic Fifth Avenue .
Bystander video showed police officers surrounding one of the women as she rubbed the paint on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screamed : “ they don ’ t care about Black lives ” and “ refund the police.
“ One of the officers slipped on the paint and tumbled to the ground , sustaining injuries to his head and arm , police said .
He was listed in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital .
A police department spokesperson said the women ’ s names and information on possible charges against them weren ’ t immediately available .
The city ’ s largest police union , the Police Benevolent Association , tweeted : “ Thankfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this nonsense needs to stop .
Our city is in crisis .
Paint on the street helps no one.
” Saturday ’ s vandalism happened less than 24 hours after three people were caught on surveillance video smearing blue paint on the mural around 4 p.m. Friday while a woman littered it with flyers that referenced the recent shooting death of a 1-year-old boy in Brooklyn , police said .
Officers found the trio nearby a short time later with blue paint on their hands and clothing , police said .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them was wearing an “ All Lives Matter ” shirt as well as other apparel indicating support for President Donald Trump .
They were arrested , charged with criminal mischief and released with a order to appear in court at a later date .
The woman , 64 , was issued a criminal court summons for illegal posting of flyers .
A photo provided by police showed one of the flyers designed like an internet meme , with a close-up picture of 1-year-old shooting victim Davell Gardner Jr. under the words “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a crying emoji .
Next to Gardner ’ s picture was a message written in red marker : “ I wasn ’ t killed by a cop .
I was killed by a Black person .
Where ’ s BLM ?
” Police have released surveillance video showing two men running and pointing guns who are believed to be suspects in the July 11 shooting .
Witnesses say they jumped out of a car and fired multiple shots at the group before driving away .
No arrests have been made .
Meanwhile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man in black shorts and a dark blue T-shirt who was seen splashing red paint on the “ Black Lives Matter ” mural around noon on Monday .
The words “ Black Lives Matter ” have been painted on streets in New York and elsewhere in recent weeks to show support for the movement demanding justice and reforms after the recent police killings of George Floyd and other Black people .
Mayor Bill de Blasio helped paint the mural in front of President Donald Trump ’ s namesake tower last week .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affixing the words to Fifth Avenue in front of his building would denigrate “ this luxury Avenue .
”

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Postal Code


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Honduran journalist dies of COVID-19 contracted in prison

TEGUCIGALPA , Honduras - A Honduran journalist known as a strong critic of President Juan Orlando Hernandez died Saturday at a hospital of COVID-19 that he apparently contracted while in prison on a defamation sentence .
The National Cardio-pulmonary Institute confirmed the death of Radio Globo director David Romero due to respiratory failure associated with the novel coronavirus .
He had been imprisoned since March 2019 , when Honduran police broke down the door of a radio station and arrested him .
Defamation has since been decriminalized under a new law in Honduras that took effect in June , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Former President Manuel Zelaya wrote in his Twitter account that “ the death of David Romero is a murder by the regime of JOH , ” referring to the current president ’ s initials .
“ The order was given that he serve an unfair sentence and to not take him out of prison until he had caught COVID-19.
” The Honduras Journalists Association said via Twitter that it regretted Romero ’ s death .
It said the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had been pushing for his release .
In 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government social security system in which state money was channeled to the election campaign of Hernandez .
Romero ’ s imprisonment stemmed from his reporting on Sonia Inez Galvez Ferrari , the wife of former Attorney General Rigoberto Cuellar .
He was convicted in 2016 of defaming Galvez , who as a prosecutor in 2005 had won a conviction against Romero for raping his own daughter .
Romero was later released .
Romero had repeatedly denounced Hernández and his family , accusing them of involvement in corruption and drug trafficking .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if that happens , the person responsible is the president , ” Romero said as he was forced into a police vehicle when he was arrested in 2019 .
U.S. federal prosecutors won a drug trafficking conviction against Hernández ’ s brother Juan Antonio “ Tony ” Hernández last year in New York .
U.S. prosecutors have alleged that the president fueled his political ascent in part with money from drug traffickers .
He has not been charged and has repeatedly denied those allegations .
The president himself was diagnosed with COVID-19 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this month .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Republicans Marco Rubio and Dan Sullivan mistakenly post pictures of Elijah Cummings in 'tribute' to

Republicans Marco Rubio and Dan Sullivan mistakenly post pictures of Elijah Cummings in 'tribute' to late John Lewis

MIAMI - Social media of Republican Sens .
Marco Rubio of Florida and Dan Sullivan of Alaska mistakenly posted photos of the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings with comments meant to honour the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis .
The posts were quickly revised with photos of Lewis , a Democratic lawmaker who died Friday at the age of 80 .
Rubio acknowledged the Twitter error and displayed a video of himself with Lewis .
“ Earlier today I tweeted an incorrect photo , ” he wrote in the updated post .
“ John Lewis was a genuine American hero @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Miami 3 years ago at an event captured in video below .
May God grant him eternal rest.
” Sullivan ’ s initial Facebook tribute to Lewis featured a photo of Sullivan and Cummings at the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture .
The revised tribute omitted the reference to the museum , and the photo of the pair was replaced with a picture of Lewis alone .
The changes were made without comment .
In response to an email , Sullivan spokesman Mike Anderson wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made a mistake trying to honour an American legend.
” Lewis , a Democrat from Atlanta , was the last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists , led by the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr .
He was best known for leading 600 protesters in the 1965 Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma , Alabama .
Lewis was knocked to the ground and beaten by state troopers .
Televised images forced the country ’ s attention on racial oppression .
Cummings , a fellow civil rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representing a district in the state of Maryland , died in October at age 68 .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--As virus surges in some U.S. states, emergency rooms swamped

A fast-rising tide of new coronavirus cases is flooding emergency rooms in parts of the United States , with some patients moved into hallways and nurses working extra shifts to keep up with the surge .
Patients struggling to breathe are being placed on ventilators in emergency wards since intensive care units are full , officials say , and the near-constant care they require is overtaxing workers who also are treating more typical ER cases like chest pains , infections , and fractures .
In Texas , Dr. Alison Haddock of the Baylor College of Medicine said the current situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which swamped Houston with floodwaters in 2017 .
The state reported a new daily record for virus deaths Friday and more than 10,000 confirmed cases for the fourth consecutive day .
“ I ’ ve never seen anything like this COVID surge , ” said Haddock , who has worked in emergency rooms since 2007 .
“ We ’ re doing our best , but we ’ re not an ICU.
” Patients are waiting “ hours and hours ” to get admitted , she said , and the least sick people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ room for most seriously ill. Around Seattle , which was the nation ’ s first hot spot for the virus that causes COVID-19 , a new wave of patients is showing up at emergency departments , said nurse Mike Hastings .
“ What ’ s really frustrating from my side of it is when a patient comes into the emergency department , and is not really having symptoms of COVID , but they feel like they need that testing , ” said Hastings , who works at an area hospital and is president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sometimes we ’ re not able to test them because we don ’ t have enough test supplies , so we ’ re only testing a certain set of patients.
” In Florida , another state that is seeing surging case numbers , hospitals say they are in desperate need of remdesivir — a medication that has been shown to shorten average hospitalization times — to treat the coronavirus patients who are filling up beds .
In response , Gov .
Ron DeSantis announced 30,000 vials of the drug were being shipped to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5,000 patients .
On Saturday , Florida reported more than 10,200 new cases of the virus and 90 additional deaths , while Missouri recorded a pandemic-high 958 new cases in one day .
Arizona , which conducts periodic reviews of death certificates , reclassified 106 deaths as having been from COVID-19 , bringing the number of fatalities reported Saturday to 147 .
Confirmed coronavirus cases around the world have surpassed 14 million , and deaths neared 600,000 , according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University .
On Saturday , the World Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , reported a single-day record of new infections — over 259,000 worldwide — for the second day in a row .
The true toll of the pandemic is thought to be even higher , in part because of shortages in testing and shortcomings in data collection .
The United States , Brazil and India top the list of cases , and South Africa — with more than 350,000 cases , roughly half of all confirmed infections in Africa — entered the top five this weekend .
In the United States , where infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Megan Jehn , associate professor of epidemiology at Arizona State University in Tempe , said it ’ s important to monitor emergency room visits since increases there can signal that the virus is spreading more rapidly .
But it ’ s difficult to get a complete picture of how emergency rooms are faring in many places .
In Arizona , one of the few states that reports data on visits to the emergency room by people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 symptoms , numbers started to spike in early June and peaked earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went to an ER with coronavirus symptoms on a single day , July 7 .
On Friday , COVID-19-related hospitalization figures for Arizona were near but below recent records set after the state became a national hot spot .
Dr. Robert Hancock , who works at multiple hospitals in Texas and Oklahoma and serves as president of the Texas College of Emergency Physicians , said some Texas emergency rooms are facing backups of patients awaiting ICU beds .
And many of them are on ventilators , meaning they require more attention than other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the increased demand for personnel , there typically isn ’ t anybody free to come down to the ER to help a lot of times from a nursing standpoint , ” he said .
Burnout could await these health workers , as it did some in New York City , when it was the epicentre of the nation ’ s outbreak in the spring .
Emergency room doctors and nurses were caught off guard by the relentless stream of severely sick patients during shifts that often lasted 12 hours , said Dr. Bernard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center .
“ You were on high alert the whole shift , ” Chang said .
“ It was a brutal , sustained battle .
”


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Chicago police, protesters clash during bid to topple statue

CHICAGO - Protesters trying to topple a Christopher Columbus statue in downtown Chicago ’ s Grant Park clashed with police who used batons to beat people and made at least a dozen arrests after they say protesters targeted them with fireworks , rocks and other items .
The clash Friday evening unfolded after at least 1,000 people tried to swarm the statue in a failed attempt to topple it following a rally in support of Black and Indigenous people .
Police said 18 officers were injured and at least 12 people were arrested during the clash .
Four protesters were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led local elected officials and activists to condemn the officers ’ tactics .
“ We unequivocally condemn Mayor Lori Lightfoot ’ s decision to send the Chicago police to beat , arrest , and terrorize the demonstrators and journalists gathered in Grant Park tonight , ” a group of elected officials said in a statement released late Friday .
The statement was signed by several members of the City Council , including Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor and Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez , and two members of the Legislature — state Rep. Delia Ramirez and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday that she “ will always fight for the rights of individuals to peacefully protest on any issue ” but noted that “ a portion of the protesters turned violent ” during Friday ’ s protest .
“ A number of individuals came with frozen water bottles , rocks , bottles , cans and other gear to throw at officers .
People in the crowd also threw fireworks and other incendiary devices at police , causing injury in several cases .
These violent acts are unacceptable and put everyone at risk , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayor said reports of excessive force by officers during their response to the protest “ are also unacceptable ” and urged anyone who believes they were mistreated by police to file a complaint with the city ’ s Civilian Office of Police Accountability , or by dialing 311 .
Local news site Block Club Chicago reported that one protester , an 18-year-old woman , had several of her front teeth knocked out when an officer punched her .
It also shared a video of that assault and a photo of the woman ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It identified her as Miracle Boyd , a member of the anti-gun violence group GoodKids MadCity .
The police department said in a statement that officers assembled in the park as the protesters converged there and were “ providing security and protecting their First Amendment right to peacefully assemble.
“ It said that as demonstrators approached the statue “ some members of the crowd turned on the police and used the protest to attack officers with fireworks , rocks , frozen bottles , and other objects.
” Amika Tendaji , an organizer for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statue with slogans including “ Decolonize Chicago ” and “ Black Lives Matter , ” decried the officers ’ use of force to protect a statue .
“ I think the people of Chicago and the world have proven that they are over police brutalizing people , ” she said .
“ They ’ re over police murder , they ’ re over police terrorism , so the people are going to keep fighting.
” The Columbus statue in Grant Park and another in the city ’ s Little Italy neighbourhood were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the county have called for the removal of statues of Columbus , saying that the Italian explorer is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas .
Statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami ; Richmond , Virginia ; St. Paul , Minnesota ; and Boston , where one was decapitated .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Pakistani court approves moving zoo’s elephant to Cambodia

ISLAMABAD - A Pakistani court on Saturday approved the relocation of an elephant to a sprawling animal sanctuary in Cambodia after animal rights activists launched a campaign saying the pachyderm that spent three decades in the Islamic nation was being mistreated at the capital ’ s small zoo , officials said .
The decision was hailed by the World Wide Fund for Nature , which said its representative in Pakistan “ has been part of the continuous efforts to address welfare issues regarding Kaavan , “ the 33-year-old elephant that was given to Pakistan in 1985 by Sri Lanka .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be moved a 25,000-acre sanctuary in Cambodia , which already houses elephants and has rehabilitated over 80 elephants so far .
Mian Aslam Amin , Pakistan ’ s federal minister for climate change , called the ruling by the Islamabad High Court a “ sad but correct decision , “ which he said was made for the benefit Kavan , the lone elephant at Islamabad ’ s zoo .
He said Kaavan would be relocated , but gave no dates for it .
The elephant was well-loved by children and was treated well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Authorities had said that was done for the safety of visitors after observing occasional aggression in the animal ’ s mood .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Remembering John Lewis, rights icon and `American hero’

WASHINGTON - People paid great heed to John Lewis for much of his life in the civil rights movement .
But at the very beginning — when he was just a kid wanting to be a minister someday — his audience didn ’ t care much for what he had to say .
A son of Alabama sharecroppers , the young Lewis first preached moral righteousness to his family ’ s chickens .
His place in the vanguard of the 1960s campaign for Black equality had its roots in that hardscrabble Alabama farm and all those clucks .
Lewis , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists who organized the 1963 March on Washington , and spoke shortly before the group ’ s leader , Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. , gave his “ I Have a Dream ” speech to a vast sea of people .
If that speech marked a turning point in the civil rights era — or at least the most famous moment — the struggle was far from over .
Two more hard years passed before truncheon-wielding state troopers beat Lewis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led 600 protesters over Selma ’ s Edmund Pettus Bridge .
Searing TV images of that brutality helped to galvanize national opposition to racial oppression and embolden leaders in Washington to pass the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act five months later .
“ The American public had already seen so much of this sort of thing , countless images of beatings and dogs and cursing and hoses , ” Lewis wrote in his memoirs .
“ But something about that day in Selma touched a nerve deeper than anything that had come before.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lewis ’ life .
He returned there often during his decades in Congress representing the Atlanta area , bringing lawmakers from both parties to see where “ Bloody Sunday ” went down .
More brutality would loom in his life ’ s last chapter .
He wept watching the video of George Floyd ’ s death at the hands of police in Minnesota .
“ I kept saying to myself : How many more ?
How many young Black men will be murdered ?
” he said last month .
Yet he declared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ We ’ re one people , we ’ re one family .
We all live in the same house , not just the American house but the world house.
” Lewis earned bipartisan respect in Washington , where some called him the “ conscience of Congress.
” His humble manner contrasted with the puffed chests on Capitol Hill .
But as a liberal on the losing side of many issues , he lacked the influence he ’ d summoned at the segregated lunch counters of his youth , or later , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steadfast voice for the poor and disenfranchised .
He was a guiding voice for a young Illinois senator who became the first Black president .
“ I told him that I stood on his shoulders , ” Obama wrote in a statement marking Lewis ’ s death .
“ When I was elected President of the United States , I hugged him on the inauguration stand before I was sworn in and told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made.
” Lewis was a 23-year-old firebrand , a founder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he joined King and four other civil rights leaders at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York to plan and announce the Washington demonstration .
The others were Whitney Young of the National Urban League ; A. Philip Randolph of the Negro American Labor Council ; James L. Farmer Jr. , of the interracial Congress of Racial Equality ; and Roy Wilkins of the NAACP .
At the National Mall months later , he had a speaking slot before King and toned down his intended remarks , bowing to pressure that “ incensed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have an air of militancy , ” Lewis said .
He dropped a reference to leading a “ scorched earth ” campaign across the South , like Civil War Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman ’ s March to the Sea .
( “ John , that doesn ’ t sound like you , ” he recalled King telling him . )
He scaled back criticism of President John Kennedy ’ s civil rights record .
It was a potent speech nonetheless .
He vowed : “ By the forces of our demands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we shall splinter the segregated South into a thousand pieces and put them together in an image of God and democracy.
” His words were soon and for all time overshadowed by the speech of King .
“ He changed us forever , ” Lewis said of King ’ s oratory that day .
But the change the movement sought would take many more sacrifices .
After months of training in nonviolent protest , demonstrators led by Lewis and the Rev .
Hosea Williams began a march of more than 50 miles from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Montgomery .
They didn ’ t get far : On March 7 , 1965 , a phalanx of police blocked their exit from the Selma bridge .
Authorities swung truncheons , fired tear gas and charged on horseback , sending many to the hospital .
The nation was horrified .
“ This was a face-off in the most vivid terms between a dignified , composed , completely nonviolent multitude of silent protesters and the truly malevolent force of a heavily armed , hateful battalion of troopers , ” Lewis wrote .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human tanks was something that had never been seen before .
People just couldn ’ t believe this was happening , not in America.
” King swiftly returned to the scene with a multitude , and the march to Montgomery was made whole before the end of the month .
Lewis was born on Feb. 21 , 1940 , outside Troy , in Alabama ’ s Pike County .
He attended segregated public schools and was denied a library card because of his race , but he read books and newspapers avidly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even in his later years .
He was a teenager when he first heard King , then a young minister from Atlanta , preach on the radio .
They met after Lewis wrote him seeking support to become the first Black student at his local college .
He ultimately attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University instead , in Nashville , Tennessee .
Soon , the young man King nicknamed “ the boy from Troy ” was organizing sit-ins at whites-only lunch counters and volunteering as a Freedom Rider , enduring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the South .
Lewis helped form the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to organize this effort , led the group from 1963 to 1966 and kept pursuing civil rights work and voter registration drives for years thereafter .
President Jimmy Carter appointed Lewis to lead ACTION , a federal volunteer agency , in 1977 .
In 1981 , he was elected to the Atlanta City Council , and then won a seat in Congress in 1986 .
Humble and unfailingly friendly , Lewis was revered on Capitol Hill .
When Democrats controlled the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as his party ’ s senior deputy whip , a behind-the-scenes leadership post .
The opening of the Smithsonian ’ s National Museum of African American History and Culture was a key victory .
But as one of the most liberal members of Congress , spending much of his career in the minority , he often lost policy battles , from his effort to stop the Iraq War to his defence of young immigrants .
Lewis also met bipartisan success in Congress in 2006 when he led efforts to renew the Voting Rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much of the law in 2013 , and it became once again what it was in his youth , a work in progress .
Lewis initially endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary , but belatedly backed Obama when it became clear he had more Black support .
After Obama ’ s swearing-in , he signed a commemorative photograph for Lewis that reflected much more than his endorsement , writing “ Because of you , John .
Barack Obama.
” Later , they marched hand in hand in Selma on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And when Obama was succeeded by a president who sought to dismantle much of his legacy , Lewis made no effort to hide his pain .
Lewis refused to attend Donald Trump ’ s inauguration , saying he didn ’ t consider him a “ legitimate president ” because Russians had conspired to get him elected .
When Trump later complained about immigrants from “ s -- -hole countries , ” Lewis declared , “ I think he is a racist ... we have to try to stand up and speak up and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rug.
” Trump ordered flags at half-staff at the White House and all federal public buildings and grounds , including embassies abroad and all military posts and naval stations , throughout the day Saturday .
“ Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing .
Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family , ” Trump said via Twitter .
Lewis said he ’ d been arrested 40 times in the 1960s , five more as a congressman .
At 78 , he told a rally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help reunite immigrant families separated by the Trump administration .
“ There can not be any peace in America until these young children are returned to their parents and set all of our people free , ” Lewis said .
“ If we fail to do it , history will not be kind to us , ” he shouted .
“ I will go to the border .
I ’ ll get arrested again .
If necessary , I ’ m prepared to go to jail.
” The rise of the Black Lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crowds protesting racism and police brutality gave him encouragement in his last weeks even as the unrest exposed anguished division that would not be overcome in his lifetime .
“ It was very moving , very moving to see hundreds and thousands of people from all over America and around the world take to the streets to speak up , to speak out , ” he said on “ CBS This Morning.
” He urged protesters seeking justice in Floyd ’ s killing and the authorities confronting them to be nonviolent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , something wholesome , about being peaceful and orderly.
” Lewis announced in late December 2019 that he had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer .
“ I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now , ” he said at the time .
Lewis ’ wife of four decades , Lillian Miles , died in 2012 .
They had one son , John Miles Lewis .
If the Voting Rights Act that Lewis cherished was a work in progress , so was America , Lewis observed as he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a half-century after the March on Washington .
“ Fifty years later we can ride anywhere we want to ride , we can stay where we want to stay , ” he said that day in August 2013 .
“ Those signs that said ‘ white ’ and ’ colored are gone .
And you won ’ t see them anymore except in a museum , in a book , on a video .
“ But there are still invisible signs buried in the hearts in humankind that form a gulf between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe our differences define us instead of the divine spark that runs through all of human creation.
” Then came the cheers and applause .
This time he was no warm-up act for a giant of history .
This was his moment , and there was not a cluck to be heard .
Associated Press writer Michael Warren contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--New coronavirus treatments are expected this fall. But how powerful will they be?

WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is hoping that a sophisticated new drug treatment to prevent people from getting severely ill from COVID-19 will be available to the public by this fall .
But experts in the field say that treatments most likely to reach the market in September or October are more modest , repurposed therapeutic drugs meant to treat late-stage symptoms of the illness .
Hundreds of treatments and antivirals are currently undergoing U.S. clinical trials .
But the potential drugs that are furthest along in the process are medications already on the market to treat other illnesses or have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those are anti-inflammatory and blood clot treatments that could mitigate the severity of the disease , decrease hospital stays and reduce fatalities .
The success of these more modest drugs would be less dramatic than a tailor-made treatment that could prevent the disease from progressing to a life-threatening state .
But they could still alter the dynamics of an expected autumn wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States , which already has taken over 138,000 lives and continues to ripple across the country .
“ If you look at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goal on the treatment side —the late-stage inflammatory issues , ” said David Thomas , vice-president of industry research at BIO , a major trade association representing biotechnology companies and institutions .
“ The goal would be to have more therapeutics that would decrease the severity of the late-stage disease.
” The hope is that these drugs might help lower the death toll and the burden on intensive care units in hospitals .
Experts compare the impact of these drugs to that of remdesivir , the most prominent repurposed , antiviral treatment currently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is produced by Gilead Sciences and was originally tested for its effectiveness against other infectious diseases , including the SARS and MERS coronaviruses .
Preliminary clinical trials on the effects of remdesivir in coronavirus patients found that the drug has reduced hospitalization times .
More robust clinical trials will be necessary to determine the extent to which the drug helps patients recover .
“ You have this emergent need for therapeutics , and people are taking everything they have off the shelf , ” said Dr. Lawrence Blatt , chief executive officer of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently working on a therapeutic candidate for COVID-19 .
“ The net result is that most of the therapeutics that are in clinical trials right now are either not going to be effective or will have marginal benefit.
” “ Let ’ s think of it like a lock and key .
Each virus has its own lock , ” Blatt continued .
“ If you took your key from one door and tried to unlock another door , it wouldn ’ t work very well .
You have to make a key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ key ” is the gold standard for a coronavirus treatment , and is the current goal of the federal government , which this month placed a $ 450-million US bet on an experimental drug cocktail that could help infected individuals beat back the coronavirus at earlier stages of infection —or even prevent infection in the first place .
“ We are investing in the candidates that are furthest along so that we could have products by early fall of 2020 , ” a senior administration official working on Operation Warp Speed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and production of a coronavirus vaccine , said referring to therapeutics .
“ While we think it is fair to say that vaccine progress is occurring at ‘ warp speed ’ pace , faster than any vaccine has been developed in history , therapeutics are even faster , and we believe we ’ ll have new options for saving American lives as soon as the early fall , ” the official told reporters last week .
The drug cocktail , produced by Regeneron , is being made from scratch to address the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ antibodies ” — protective proteins that have been identified by lab scientists and produced on a large scale to fight off the virus .
It is unclear whether the project will succeed — Regeneron has pulled another monoclonal antibody treatment designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis from consideration as a COVID-19 treatment .
If the new drug cocktail works , only 300,000 doses will be available by the end of autumn , far short of expected demand .
That would leave doctors and nurses still largely relying on the other repurposed , late-stage treatments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultimately proves successful .
“ We know that vaccines will take a while , so there ’ s been a lot of discussion about using different kinds of drugs — some old drugs , ” said David Eller , the chairman , co-founder and chief executive officer of Celltex Therapeutics , a Texas-based biotech company conducting Phase II clinical trials for a stem cell treatment of COVID-19 .
“ The real issue is , we need something today.
” Still , the less ambitious , late-stage treatments that have shown promise could blunt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to this point , as fatal to severely ill COVID-19 patients : hyperinflammation and blood clotting .
“ The lung only fails in so many different ways , and it doesn ’ t matter if it ’ s SARS CoV-2 , or influenza , or metapneumovirus , ” said Richard Boucher , director of the Marsico Lung Institute at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine , explaining why he believes some repurposed drugs currently under consideration to treat COVID-19 patients could work .
“ It ’ s going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but are going to be incremental.
” Last month , Boucher released a major study on how the coronavirus primarily infects the respiratory tract through the nose — a critical finding in the search for therapeutics .
Treatments that attempt to mobilize the power of the immune system are proving far more complicated to achieve , Boucher said .
“ There ’ s no question that antivirals would be better if you can get them in early , ” he said .
“ But the second half of the disease , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be complex .
It ’ s a delicate balance .
I mean , we ’ re on a knife ’ s edge all the time immunologically.
” Some scientists are hopeful that the chances of achieving a simpler , early-stage treatment will increase the more they learn about the nature of the coronavirus .
In Miami-Dade County in Florida , Dr. Gustavo Ferrer , president of the Aventura Pulmonary Institute , is working on a therapeutic method recently submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for review that might diminish the viral load @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nasal spray .
Addressing the potency of the virus early on in the infection would prevent the disease from progressing to a serious stage , and could help mitigate its contagiousness , Ferrer said .
Pharmaceutical companies , he said , “ are focusing on treating people who have moderate to severe disease.
” “ The great majority of people have mild to moderate symptoms and never get to respiratory failure , ” Ferrer added .
“ But those people are the ones passing the virus , and we ’ re not using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that group other than using masks and social distancing.
” Five months since the coronavirus outbreak became apparent nationwide , only a handful of treatments have been authorized by the FDA for emergency use on severely ill patients .
The Trump administration ’ s focus remains on monoclonal antibody drugs as well as treatment methods that harness antibodies from the blood donations of recently recovered coronavirus patients — convalescent plasma and hyperimmune globulin treatments .
Dr. Janet Woodcock , director of the FDA ’ s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identify therapeutic drugs for the coronavirus .
She told reporters last week that the government has been unable to stockpile convalescent plasma because donations are being used up in the current wave of cases across the southern states .
“ We are in the midst of an outbreak at the moment , ” said Woodcock .
“ We ’ re doing everything we can to make it available.
” Without a strategic supply of convalescent plasma and a massive stockpile of FDA-approved monoclonal antibody drugs to meet demand , the best hope for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drugs that can slow down the death rate , experts say .
Over 286 treatments , 192 antiviral drugs and 169 vaccines are currently undergoing clinical trials in the United States , according to a BIO database of coronavirus therapeutic development .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said last week that therapeutics already in use — like remdesivir and convalescent plasma — are examples of successes in the U.S. response to the pandemic .
President Donald Trump , at a press conference on Tuesday , said that more therapeutics would “ hopefully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ People are feeling good about our country , ” Trump said .
“ People are feeling good about therapeutics and possible vaccines .
”

Michael Wilner - McClatchy Washington Bureau


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Netanyahu’s graft trial resumes amid Israeli virus anger

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’ s corruption trial will resume in earnest in January , with thrice-weekly evidentiary hearings set to begin then , a Jerusalem court decided Sunday .
It was not immediately clear if Netanyahu would be required to be present at each hearing , although some Israeli media reported he would .
Regardless , the grueling judicial schedule will keep Netanyahu ’ s legal woes firmly in the national consciousness and conversation — and continue to raise questions over whether he can keep serving while simultaneously standing trial .
The court ’ s decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing , a procedural deliberation that set the pace for the remainder of the proceedings .
The trial opened in May after a two-month delay prompted by concerns over the coronavirus .
Its resumption comes as Netanyahu faces mounting discontent over his handling of the health crisis and its economic fallout .
Netanyahu is charged with fraud , breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals in which he is alleged to have received lavish gifts from billionaire friends , and exchanged regulatory favours with media moguls for more agreeable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Netanyahu denies wrongdoing , painting the accusations as a media-orchestrated witch hunt pursued by a biased law enforcement system .
At the first hearing in May , just before appearing in front of the judges , Netanyahu took to a podium inside the courthouse and flanked by his party members bashed the country ’ s legal institutions in an angry tirade .
Netanyahu did not appear at Sunday ’ s hearing .
According to the court , the judge decided that the trial ’ s evidentiary stage would begin in January and would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Netanyahu ’ s lawyer also asked for a delay in the proceedings because of the virus , saying mask-wearing impeded his job of questioning witnesses .
The trial resumes as Netanyahu faces widespread anger over his government ’ s handling of the coronavirus crisis .
While the country appeared to have tamped down a first wave of infections , what ’ s emerged as a hasty and erratic reopening has sent infections soaring .
Yet even amid the rise in new cases , Netanyahu and his emergency government — formed with the goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to neglect the numbers and moved forward with its reopening plans and other policy priorities .
It has since reimposed restrictions , including a weekend only lockdown set to begin later this week .
Israel has seen nearly 50,000 virus cases since the outbreak began , with 406 deaths .
More than 21,000 people have recovered .
Netanyahu and his government have been criticized for a baffling , halting response to the new wave , which has seen daily cases rise to nearly 2,000 .
It has also been slammed for its handling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While Israel has pledged billions of dollars worth of aid , it hasn ’ t all been doled out to those in need , and a plan to give a stipend to all Israelis , even the wealthy , has been panned by the country ’ s leading economists .
The first and second round of restrictions has battered the economy and sent unemployment skyrocketing to more than 20 % , up from 3.9 % before the outbreak .
The anger has boiled over into protests over the past few week s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police .
The protests haven ’ t been on a massive scale , partly due to restrictions on large gatherings , but the rising frustration appears to be among the greatest challenges Netanyahu has faced in his decade-plus in power .
The trial ’ s resumption thus comes at inopportune timing for the long-serving leader .
Netanyahu had hoped to ride on the goodwill he gained from overcoming the first wave of infections going into his corruption trial but the increasingly souring mood has dropped his approval ratings and may deny him the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Although his base remains firmly behind him , only a smattering of supporters turned up outside the court to voice their backing for the prime minister , far fewer than the throngs who converged at the trial ’ s opening .


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--French officials mark WWII-era Vel d’Hiv round-up

PARIS - France ’ s veterans ’ minister , Geneviève Darrieussecq , led a ceremony Sunday commemorating the Vel d ’ Hiv round-up , a mass arrest of Jews by French police in 1942 .
Alongside Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo , she took part in a wreath-laying to pay her respects to the 13,000-plus victims of the round-up , one of the most shameful acts undertaken by the country ’ s wartime government .
Following the Nazi invasion of France in 1940 , the country was ruled by a government commonly known as Vichy France , which collaborated with Nazi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the name of the Winter Velodrome that many of the detainees were confined in , before they were deported to concentration and extermination camps such as Drancy and Auschwitz .
Over 4,000 children were included in the round up .
In 1995 , some 53 years later , President Jacques Chirac finally apologized for the role the French authorities had in the raid .
President Emmanuel Macron went further , in 2017 , acknowledging the responsibility the French State had in those events and in the Holocaust .
Darrieussecq said Sunday “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Vel d ’ Hiv round-up is an issue belonging to France.
“


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Storyteller entertains kids in Mexico City apartment complex during coronavirus lockdown

MEXICO CITY—Percibald Garcia recognized that confinement during the coronavirus lockdown is especially tedious for children .
So the young architect decided to read them stories .
Almost every day since the beginning of May , the 27-year-old has gone out in an enormous Mexico City apartment complex with his “ wandering microphone ” to broadcast stories to children who gather at their windows to listen .
While most kids these days have cellphones , tablets or computers , Garcia wants them to hear the human voice and the world of shared tales .
He also wants them to realize they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the public plazas that have served as the anchor of life in Mexico for centuries .
“ We realized that almost nobody was looking after the way that kids were experiencing this lockdown , ” Garcia said Saturday .
Setting up his microphone in one of the green spaces that sit between rows of apartment buildings , he read ” El Tlacuache Lunatico ” ( “ The Crazy Opossum ” ) .
It ’ s a story by David Martín del Campo about a possum who suffers because he is so short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moon to feel taller .
Once there , he eats the moon — and then has to figure out , with fellow animals , how to bring it back .
Other stories follow the same vein .
Garcia often precedes a story by playing songs by the celebrated Mexican children ’ s composer Francisco Gabilondo Soler , who performed as Cri-Cri the cricket .
Sometimes other storytellers perform , as does a puppet troop .
And always , just as on Saturday , children appear at the windows of the multi-storey building to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end , it is an act of mutual comfort , similar to the Italians who serenaded each other from their balconies early in the pandemic , but also a cry to reclaim shared public spaces and stem the migration to a digital , virtual world .
“ In the last three months , everything has gone online — work , contacts , shopping , ” said Garcia .
“ This is an act of resistance in the face of this ferocious digitalization we are experiencing.
” Rogelio Morales listened to the stories from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apartment .
Since March , the nine-year-old has spent much of his time playing video games .
“ The only thing I go out for is to walk my dog , ” he said .
“ It ’ s a little boring .
I miss school.
” “ It ’ s nice , ” Rogelio said of the storytelling .
“ If we have something to do , or if we ’ re very frustrated , we can relax a little.
” Luna Gonzalez , came with her mother , Tatiana Vega , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe distance , both wearing face masks .
“ I imagine the characters , I imagine what the animals are like , ” said Luna , who used the opportunity to go out to dress up in her finest .
“ Sometimes we go out , because I get bored at home.
” Garcia calls his project “ De la Casa a la Plaza ” ( “ From the house to the plaza ” ) — a reference to the town squares where historically Mexicans have gathered to socialize and share .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because people have been encouraged not to go out or gather for fear of contagion .
It ’ s a tradition that also has been altered in the modern neighbourhoods of Mexico ’ s big cities , where shopping malls have often replaced plazas and parks as gathering spots .
But due to the coronavirus , the malls also have been ordered closed in Mexico City .
Garcia ’ s family has lived in the capital ’ s Tlatelolco neighbourhood since 1967 , just a few years after it opened in 1964 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and spread over 94 hectares .
The government-built complex was erected during a period when architects still felt they had to provide open , communal spaces , something private developers have largely abandoned .
“ The public plaza has been extremely important in Mexico since the time of our ancestors , ” since the Aztecs , Garcia noted .
“ It is where people meet , talk , where the life of a neighbourhood develops.
” “ The shopping mall is now the plaza , but it ’ s private ... you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This kills the public plaza , kills the social structures.
” Some children have even approached Garcia to read their own stories , and other guest storytellers are invited to join .
“ This is an invitation to people to continue using the public plaza , ” he said .
It is not only children who listen .
Rogelio ’ s grandmother , Maria Elena Sevilla , also leaned out her ground-floor window .
“ This young man will get a special reward from God , because it is not just children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of my age , too , ” she said .


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Police contracts can stand in the way of accountability

SEATTLE - A stipulation in a Kentucky police contract prohibited officials from initially firing the officers involved in Breonna Taylor ’ s death in Louisville .
The disciplinary history of a Chicago police officer who fatally shot Laquan McDonald had been deleted under the department ’ s contract , so officials didn ’ t know about the officer ’ s previous bad behaviour .
A Seattle officer fired for arresting an elderly Black man who used a golf club as a cane got $ 100,000 in back pay , thanks to the union contract that said the investigation missed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide protections that stand in the way of accountability , even when the federal government is overseeing an agency through a consent decree , experts said .
The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer ignited protests and calls for change , but experts say police contracts threaten to undermine those efforts .
Contracts designed to ensure officers receive fair wages and benefits have spilled over into public policy .
“ We ’ re ignoring the purpose of the bargaining rights and we ’ re allowing them to step outside of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Ayesha Bell Hardaway of the Case Western University School of Law .
“ When talk about discipline , accountability and use of force protocols , we should not be talking about collective bargaining rights because those terms have no business inside of the contracts in the first place.
” When contracts are written in private negotiations , that means little input from communities .
“ Without transparency there can ’ t be any accountability , “ she said .
James Pasco , executive director of the 351,000-member National Fraternal Order of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be better screening and more training for recruits , not limiting contracts .
“ We don ’ t get to decide who our members are , ” he said .
Stephen Rushin , a Loyola University Chicago law school professor , has studied police contracts nationally and detailed their problems in an article published in the Duke Law Journal .
“ A substantial number of these agreements limit officer interrogations after alleged misconduct , mandate the destruction of disciplinary records , ban civilian oversight , prevent anonymous civilian complaints , indemnify officers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limit the length of internal investigations , ” he said .
Some contracts let an officer see videos of offences before an officer is interviewed , give an officer a 48-hour delay before they speak to internal affairs and allows an officer to appeal a punishment to arbitrators who can overturn rulings , an Associated Press investigation found .
“ These examples bolster the hypothesis that some union contract provisions may impede effective investigations of police misconduct and shield problematic officers from discipline , ” Rushin said .
The problem is more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s an indictment of the city for granting those concessions .
Police unions only have the power that politicians give them , ” he said .
Seattle is an example of how elected officials allowed police unions to insert controversial measures during closed negotiations , over the objections of community groups .
“ The Seattle story is a microcosm of what ’ s happening elsewhere in the country , ” Rushin told The Associated Press .
“ It highlights perfectly this conflict between major reform efforts and the extent to which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engage in real change.
“ In 2011 , a federal judge found that the Seattle Police Department had engaged in a pattern of excessive force .
The city entered into a settlement agreement , or consent decree , the following year and passed an accountability measure for additional oversight .
About 70 law enforcement agencies nationwide have faced consent decrees , according to the U.S. Justice Department .
The police overhaul bill in Congress includes a section that would cut federal funds for a law enforcement agency that “ enters into or renews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bargaining agreement with a labour organization , that conflicts with any terms or conditions contained in a consent decree.
” By 2018 , the judge in Seattle said the department was in compliance , but warned that “ if collective bargaining results in changes to the accountability ordinance that the court deems to be inconsistent with the consent decree , than the city ’ s progress ... will be imperiled.
” Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said the city was a national model for overhauling the police department .
But community members felt duped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ union for a contract that violated the accountability measure and the consent decree .
One Seattle officer who benefited from the union contract in recent years was Cynthia Whitlach .
She had arrested an elderly Black man , claiming he swung his golf club cane at her .
Her dashcam video showed he had not .
After the charges were dismissed , the man filed a federal lawsuit and was awarded $ 325,000 .
A jury found Whitlatch had engaged in racial discrimination .
Whitlatch was fired but the union filed a grievance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 180 days , as required by the contract .
The city awarded her $ 100,000 in back pay .
Minor stipulations in police contracts like the 180-day rule are common .
A stipulation in a Kentucky police contract kept the officers involved in Taylor ’ s death from immediately getting fired .
Under the Kentucky police bill of rights and the Louisville police contract , an officer can not be disciplined “ without just cause , ” said Annale Taylor , the city ’ s deputy general counsel , who is not related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ establish “ just cause , ” a thorough investigation must be done , she said .
If officers are fired before that work is complete , they could appeal , go back to work and sue , she said .
Stipulations in contracts also force agencies to destroy discipline records .
A Chicago officer went unnoticed for years thanks to the department ’ s collective bargaining agreement .
Officer Jason Van Dyke had claimed McDonald threatened him with a knife , and Van Dyke said he fired in self-defence .
That story changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t charged the officers and was walking away when Van Dyke shot him 16 times .
Van Dyke was charged with second-degree murder .
Rushin ’ s research found that Van Dyke had more than 20 complaints against him since 2001 .
Before McDonald ’ s killing , authorities had never pursued disciplinary action against Van Dyke or flagged him as problematic in part because the union contract says officials must erase records of old complaints , so review boards aren ’ t able to see patterns of bad behaviour , Rushin said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that less than 2 % of all civilian complaints against Chicago police officers result in any sort of disciplinary action , “ his report found .


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Asia Today: Masks mandatory as cases rise in Australia state

MELBOURNE , Australia - After a one-day respite , coronavirus cases in the Australian state of Victoria have risen again , prompting a move to make masks mandatory in metropolitan Melbourne and the nearby shire of Mitchell .
Health officials on Sunday recorded 363 new cases in the past 24 hours .
Two men and a woman in their 90s died , taking the national death toll from COVID-19 to 122 .
On Saturday , Victoria ’ s new cases fell to 217 from a record high of 428 the previous day .
By Wednesday , masks or face coverings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their homes to exercise or to purchase essential goods .
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said up to 3 million face masks are on order by the state government and the first batch of 300,000 is due to arrive this week .
Andrews said those who fail to wear a mask will be fined 200 Australian dollars ( $ 140 ) .
“ There ’ s no vaccine to this wildly infectious virus and it ’ s a simple thing , but it ’ s about changing habits , it ’ s about becoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Andrews said .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — A record 24-hour surge of 38,902 new cases has taken India ’ s coronavirus total to 1,077,618 .
The Health Ministry on Sunday also reported 543 additional deaths for a total of 26,816 .
The number of people who have recovered continues to grow .
The Health Ministry data shows 677,422 patients have been cured so far across the country , putting the recovery rate at 62.82 % .
Experts say India is likely to witness a series of peaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
— Hong Kong is tightening anti-coronavirus measures following a recent surge in cases .
The wearing of masks will be mandatory in all public places and nonessential civil servants will again work from home .
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam introduced the measures on Sunday .
Travellers flying to Hong Kong from areas where the risk of infection is considered particularly severe will have to show a negative coronavirus test before boarding their flight , undergo another test upon arrival and undergo a 14-day quarantine in a hotel .
Previously , those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The nations included in the new regulation were given as Bangladesh , India , Indonesia , Nepal , Pakistan , the Philippines and South Africa .
— China on Sunday reported another 13 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the northwestern city of Urumqi , raising the total in the country ’ s most recent local outbreak to at least 30 .
An additional three cases from overseas increased China ’ s total number of confirmed infections to 83,660 with 4,634 reported deaths .
Despite the Urumqi outbreak , China has just 251 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Another 151 people were being monitored in isolation for showing signs of having the virus or for testing positive without showing symptoms .
At least 23 of those asymptomatic cases were in Urumqi , although China does not include them in confirmed cases .
Urumqi has responded by reducing subway , bus and taxi services , closed off some residential communities and is now conducting citywide tests , beginning with areas where cases had been reported , according to state media .
Some restrictions on people leaving the city have also been imposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city reduced .
— South Korea has reported less than 40 additional cases of the coronavirus for a second straight day , as authorities struggle to suppress an uptick in local infections .
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday the 34 new cases raise the country ’ s total to 13,745 with 295 deaths .
The agency says 21 of the newly confirmed cases were domestically infected , all of them in the densely populated Seoul area or two central cities .
The rest were from overseas .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 are less threatening than local transmissions because South Korea is mandating testing and enforcing two-week quarantines on all people arriving from abroad .
Follow all of AP ’ s pandemic coverage at http : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Iranian FM visits Baghdad, ahead of Iraqi PM trip to Riyadh

BAGHDAD - Iran ’ s foreign minister on Sunday stressed that Iran-Iraq relations would not be “ shaken ” ahead of the Iraqi prime minister ’ s planned visit this week to regional rival Saudi Arabia .
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif ’ s visit to Baghdad was the first since the American assassination of top Iranian General Qassim Soleimani outside Baghdad airport in January .
The brazen strike catapulted Iraq to the brink of a proxy war .
It also comes as the Iraqi government tussles with Iran-backed militia groups , some of which have become increasingly difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and senior Iranian militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis , who was also killed in the strike .
Iraq raided the headquarters of the Iran-backed group Kataib Hezbollah over a spate of rocket attacks targeting the U.S. in late June .
Most of the militants were later released .
“ We stressed that we want balanced relations with all neighbouring countries , based on Iraqi interests , mutual interests and non-interference in internal affairs , “ Iraq ’ s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said , in a press conference following the meeting .
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region and Iraq out from international tensions and protecting Iraqi sovereignty.
” The two diplomats discussed trade , as border points were recently re-opened and fortified with additional security forces in line with reform plans devised by Iraq ’ s government .
Talks encompassed energy and investment , with Iraq relying heavily on Iranian gas and electricity imports to meet power demands .
“ Iran has good relations with Iraq on the energy level and will continue to , ” said Zarif .
“ There are many agreements with Iraq that will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the site of Soleimani ’ s killing outside the Baghdad airport upon his arrival to Iraq ’ s capital .
He said the loss of the Iranian general , who led Iran ’ s expeditionary Quds Force , was “ a major loss ” in the fight against the Islamic State group , but that “ Iran-Iraq relations will not be shaken.
” The Iranian minister also met with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi a day before the premier was set to fly to Riyadh on Monday and to Tehran the following day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the trips were to “ build balanced relations.
“ “ Iraq seeks to assert its balanced and positive role in making peace and progress in the region , ” al-Kadhimi tweeted during the meeting with Zarif .


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Virus deaths top 600,000 and Hong Kong warns of resurgence

JOHANNESBURG - The number of people around the world who have died as a result of the coronavirus has passed the 600,000 mark as countries from the U.S. to South Africa to India struggle to contain infections .
Hong Kong also warned of a resurgence in the virus as it issued tougher new rules on the wearing of face masks .
Concerns are rising that the pandemic has found fresh legs over the past few weeks , with Johns Hopkins University and the World Health Organization both recording daily highs in newly reported infections .
Pope Francis said that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stopping ” and pointed to those whose suffering from the outbreak is worsened by conflicts .
While the U.S. leads global infections , South Africa now ranks as the fifth worst-hit country in the pandemic with more than 350,000 cases , or around half of all those confirmed on the continent .
Its struggles are a sign of potential trouble to come for nations with even fewer health care resources .
India , which has now confirmed more than a million infections , on Sunday reported a 24-hour record surge of 38,902 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are far from their peak in the spring but local outbreaks are causing concern , leaders of the 27-nation European Union haggled for a third day in Brussels over a proposed 1.85 trillion-euro ( $ 2.1 trillion ) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund .
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there is “ a lot of good will , but there are also a lot of positions ” in the talks , which have have laid bare the fissures in the bloc about how the countries hit hardest by the pandemic , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helped and under what conditions .
She said the talks , which were initially scheduled to end on Saturday , could still end without a deal .
Confirmed global deaths from or with COVID-19 rose to more than 602,000 , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins .
The United States tops the list with over 140,000 , followed by more than 78,000 in Brazil , 45,000 in the United Kingdom and 38,000 in Mexico .
The number of confirmed infections worldwide has passed 14.2 million , with 3.7 million accounted for by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witnessed more than 2 million while India has recorded over 1 million .
Experts believe the true numbers around the world are higher because of testing shortages and data collection issues in some nations .
Infections have been soaring in U.S. states such as Florida , Texas , Arizona , with many blaming a haphazard approach to the lifting of the lockdowns as well as the resistance of some Americans to wearing masks .
Even where the situation has been largely brought under control , new outbreaks continue to worry authorities and prompt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a recent surge in cases , Hong Kong made the wearing of masks mandatory in all public places and told non-essential civil servants to work from home .
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the situation in the Asian financial hub is “ really critical ” and that she sees “ no sign ” that it ’ s under control .
Police in Barcelona are limiting access to some of the city ’ s beaches because sunbathers are ignoring regulations amid a resurgence of the coronavirus .
Authorities in Amsterdam are urging people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ famous red light district and have closed off some of the historic district ’ s narrow streets because they are too busy .
Slaughterhouses also have featured in several outbreaks .
Authorities in northwestern Germany ’ s Vechta county said Saturday that 66 workers at a chicken slaughterhouse tested positive .
That is much smaller than a recent outbreak in western Germany that prompted local authorities to order a partial lockdown .
Cases in the Australian state of Victoria rose again on Sunday , prompting a move to make masks mandatory in metropolitan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for people who leave their homes for exercise or to purchase essential goods .
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said those who fail to wear a mask will be fined 200 Australian dollars ( $ 140 ) .
“ There ’ s no vaccine to this wildly infectious virus and it ’ s a simple thing , but it ’ s about changing habits , it ’ s about becoming a simple part of your routine , ” Andrews said .
Speaking on Sunday from his studio window overlooking St. Peter ’ s Square @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an immediate worldwide cease-fire that he said “ will permit the peace and security indispensable to supplying the necessary humanitarian assistance.
” Moulson contributed from Berlin .
Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report .

Cara Anna And Geir Moulson - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--EU summit drags into 3rd day amid splits on virus fund

BRUSSELS - Acrimonious European Union talks over an unprecedented 1.85 trillion-euro ( $ 2.1 trillion ) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund entered a third day Sunday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel warning that the summit of 27 leaders could still end without a deal .
The bitter marathon negotiations , which are taking place amid the unprecedented crisis of the coronavirus pandemic , have underscored the deep fissures within the 27-nation bloc with the traditional Franco-German alliance struggling to get its way .
“ Whether there will be a solution , I still can ’ t say , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the extra day of talks at what had been planned as a two-day summit in Brussels .
” There is a lot of good will , but there are also a lot of positions .
So I will join in working for it .
But there may also be no result today.
” Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron walked out of heated talks late Saturday with a group of five so-called frugal nations led by the Netherlands pushing to limit the grants given to countries whose economies have been hardest hit by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on how the money is spent .
“ They run off in a bad mood , ” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in the early hours of Sunday after Merkel and Macron ’ s departure from talks .
The so-called Frugals were in talks with summit host Charles Michel early Sunday but the chances of quick progress appeared remote .
Merkel and Macron refused to water down their proposals of aid while Rutte and others also stuck to their demands .
“ It is a decisive moment , “ said an EU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified because the negotiations were ongoing .
Rutte is widely seen as the leader of the nations known as the Frugal Four — the Netherlands , Austria , Denmark and Sweden .
He has long been known as a European bridge builder , but this weekend , his tough negotiating stance is being blamed for holding up a deal .
While Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he has a good personal relationship with Rutte , he said the “ clash is very hard ” and that Rutte ’ s threat of wielding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Rutte and his small group of allies are pushing for labour market and pension reforms to be linked to EU handouts and a “ brake “ enabling EU nations to monitor and , if necessary , halt projects funded by the recovery fund .
“ He can ’ t ask us to do specific reforms , ” Conte said .
“ Once ( the aid ) is approved , each country will present its proposals.
” Rutte also wants a link to be made between the handout of EU funds and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is clearly aimed at the likes of Poland and Hungary , countries that many in the EU think are sliding away from democratic rule .
“ I don ’ t know what is the personal reason for the Dutch prime minister to hate me or Hungary , but he ’ s attacking so harshly and making very clear that because Hungary , in his opinion , does not respect the rule of law , ( it ) must be punished financially , ” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said .
The urgency of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic has pitched the bloc into its worst recession ever and killed around 135,000 of its citizens .
The EU executive has proposed a 750 billion-euro fund , partly based on common borrowing , to be sent as loans and grants to the most needy countries .
That comes on top of the seven-year 1 trillion-euro EU budget that leaders have been haggling over for months .
All nations agree they need to help but the four richer nations in the north , led by the Netherlands , want strict controls on spending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Italy say conditions should be kept to a minimum .
Macron said leaders need to compromise Sunday .
“ I think it is still possible , but these compromises , I say very clearly , will not be made at the cost of European ambition , ” he said .
Mike Corder reported from The Hague , Netherlands .
Associated Press writer Geir Moulson contributed from Berlin .
Follow all of AP ’ s pandemic coverage at http : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Mike Corder And Raf Casert - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Japan rocket carrying UAE Mars probe ready for Monday launch

TOKYO - A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying a United Arab Emirates Mars spacecraft has been placed on the launch pad for Monday ’ s scheduled liftoff for the Arab world ’ s first interplanetary mission , officials said Sunday .
The launch of the orbiter — named Amal , or Hope — from Tanegashima Space Center on a small southern Japanese island was initially scheduled for this past Wednesday , but was delayed due to bad weather in the region .
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries , the provider of the H-IIA rocket , announced Sunday that the launch would proceed at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
The preparation has been completed , and the rocket is now on the launch pad , Mitsubishi said .
Hope is expected to reach Mars in February 2021 , the year the UAE celebrates 50 years since its formation .
A successful Hope mission would be a major step for the oil-dependent economy , which is seeking a future in space .
Two other Mars missions are planned in the coming days by the U.S. and China .
Japan has its own Martian moon mission planned for 2024 .
Hope will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and monitor climate change on Mars .
It is scheduled to circle the red planet for at least two years .
The UAE says it will provide a complete view of the Martian atmosphere during different seasons for the first time .
A newcomer in space development , the UAE has so far successfully launched three observation satellites , but has not gone beyond the Earth ’ s orbit .
Omran Sharaf , project director of Emirates Mars Mission , said in a Twitter video message Sunday : “ The Emirates ’ Mars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Arab youth .
If a young nation like UAE is able to reach Mars in less than 50 years , then we can do much more as a region .
”


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Police pelted with bottles in Frankfurt clashes, 39 arrested

BERLIN - German police officers were pelted with bottles to applause from a large crowd after they tried to end a brawl in central Frankfurt early Sunday , leading to clashes that ended with 39 arrests , the city ’ s police force said .
Frankfurt police chief Gerhard Bereswill said a small group of police tried to intervene after the brawl involving up to 30 people broke out at around 3 a.m. in the city ’ s central Opernplatz square .
Participants in the fight turned on the officers and threw bottles at them , along with others standing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 500 to 800 people in the square “ began to jeer and clap when bottles hit our colleagues , ” Bereswill added .
Police called in reinforcements , who he said were also pelted with bottles , and then cleared the square .
Bereswill said police arrested 39 suspected bottle-throwers , eight of whom were still in custody Sunday .
Most were young men aged 17-21 from the Frankfurt area , many of them with immigrant roots , he said .
At least five police officers sustained slight injuries such as bruises and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--27 Islamic State suspects held in Turkey as attacks planned

ANKARA , Turkey - Turkish police have detained 27 people in Istanbul over suspected links to the Islamic State group @ @ @ @ @ Sunday .
The Anadolu news agency reported that the suspects were held in simultaneous early @ @ @ @ @ in 15 districts across Istanbul as they allegedly prepared to carry out attacks .
The @ @ @ @ @ were in response to recent social media posts that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and that @ @ @ @ @ of documents and digital material was recovered during the searches .
Turkey has suffered a @ @ @ @ @ State militants over the last five years , including the bombing of a peace rally @ @ @ @ @ October 2015 that killed 102 people .


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Spanish novelist Juan Marsé dies at 87

Spanish novelist Juan Marsé dies at 87

BARCELONA , Spain - The literary agency of Juan Marsé says the Spanish novelist has died .
He was 87 @ @ @ @ @ announced his passing on Sunday .
It did not give a reason for his death @ @ @ @ @ Spain ’ s most-respected novelists over the past few decades and the winner of the @ @ @ @ @ Spanish-speaking world ’ s top literary award .
Marsé ’ s most important novel was @ @ @ @ @ ” ( “ Last Afternoons with Teresa ” ) published in 1965 .
It chronicles @ @ @ @ @ adolescent who tries to win over a girl from the upscale side of Barcelona .
@ @ @ @ @ the city , followed that success with several other novels that form a portrait of @ @ @ @ @ during the latter part of the 20th century .


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Russian ambassador rejects virus vaccine hacking claims

LONDON - Russia ’ s ambassador to Britain has rejected allegations that his country ’ s intelligence services sought to steal information about a coronavirus vaccine .
Andrei Kelin said in a BBC interview broadcast Sunday that there was “ no sense ” in the allegations made last week by the United States , Britain and Canada .
“ I don ’ t believe in this story at all , there is no sense in it , ” he said when asked about the allegations .
“ I learned about their ( the hackers ) existence from British media .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of computer hackers to any country , it is impossible.
“ Intelligence agencies in the U.S. , Britain and Canada on Thursday accused the hacking group APT29 — also known as Cozy Bear and believed to be part of Russian intelligence — of using malicious software to attack academic and pharmaceutical research institutions involved in COVID-19 vaccine development .
It was unclear whether any useful information was stolen .
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also said that “ Russian actors ” had tried to interfere in last year ’ s general election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online .
Kelin said in the interview that his country had no interest in interfering in British domestic politics .
“ I do not see any point in using this subject as a matter of interference , ” he said .
“ We do not interfere at all .
We do not see any point in interference because for us , whether it will be ( the ) Conservative Party or Labour ’ s party at the head of this country , we will try to settle relations and to establish better relations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain will work with its allies to call Russia out on its “ reprehensible behaviour ” and make sure research organizations know “ so that they can better defend against it.
” The allegations came days before the British parliament ’ s Intelligence and Security Committee prepares to release a long-awaited report on Russian interference in British politics .


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Syrians vote for new parliament amid measures against virus

DAMASCUS , Syria - Syrians headed to polling stations in government-held parts of the war-torn country on Sunday to elect a new parliament amid strict health measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus .
The vote is the third to take place in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 .
It has killed more than 400,000 , displaced half the country ’ s population and sent more than five million as refugees mostly into neighbouring countries .
The vote this year follows a new wave of U.S. sanctions that came into effect last month and a campaign to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of President Bashar Assad come under pressure to pay back tens of millions of dollars to the state .
Some 1,658 government-approved candidates are running this year for the 250-seat People ’ s Assembly .
The total number of eligible voters hasn ’ t been announced .
As in previous votes in Syria , the vote will produce a rubber-stamp body loyal to the president .
Inside polling stations , all workers were wearing masks and gloves and voters had to use their own pens in the sanitized booths .
Once they cast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as no gatherings were allowed inside .
People also had to keep a safe distance while waiting for their turn .
In the morning , Assad and his wife , Asma , both wearing masks , voted in Damascus at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs .
Assad has twice postponed the country ’ s parliamentary elections this year in light of restrictions in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus .
Assad himself is not standing for election .
Syria , that had a pre-war population of 22 million , has reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus .
However , the actual numbers are likely far higher and increases have been reported in recent days .
The head of the Higher Judicial Committee for the Elections , Judge Samer Zumriq , confirmed on Saturday in a statement to state news agency SANA that more than 7,400 polling stations have been set up in 15 voting districts .
They include 1,400 stations where troops and members of the country ’ s security services will vote .
No vote was being held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last rebel stronghold in Syria or in the country ’ s northeast , which is controlled by U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters .
Polling centres opened at 7 a.m. ( 0400 GMT ) and are scheduled to close 12 hours later .
Results are expected to be announced the following day .
Some 167 seats are allocated for Assad ’ s ruling Arab Socialist Baath Party — guaranteeing it a solid majority — while the rest are allocated for independents , including merchants , businessmen and industrialists .
“ We hope that the members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improve the living conditions of citizens by enacting new legislation , ” said Samir Sulaiman , a 50-year-old employee .
This year ’ s vote comes as the country is also witnessing harsh economic conditions including a crash in the local currency worsened by U.S. sanctions and an economic crisis in neighbouring Lebanon .
The so-called Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act , envisages sanctions on Syrian troops and others responsible for atrocities committed during Syria ’ s civil war and also provides funding for war crimes investigations and prosecutions .
Outgoing legislator Mohannad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and European sanctions , said the country is experiencing a “ suffocating economic and political siege.
” He also said Syrian citizens are aware of corruption within state institutions adding that Assad has started “ dealing with corruption by tracking down on the corrupt.
” Haj Ali did not give any names but his comments came after Assad ’ s maternal cousin Rami Makhlouf , who was once described as central to Syria ’ s economy , has been pleading for Assad to help prevent the collapse of his business .
The last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when large parts of Syria were outside of government control and people there did not take part in the polling .
Since then Assad ’ s forces have captured much of Syria with the help of his allies Russia and Iran .


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Kuwait’s ruler, 91, undergoes a ‘successful’ surgery

DUBAI , United Arab Emirates - Kuwait says says its 91-year-old ruler has undergone a successful surgery , without elaborating on what ails him .
That ’ s according to a report on the state-run KUNA news agency on Sunday .
Kuwait has yet to elaborate what required Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah to seek a previously unannounced medical treatment on Saturday .
However , Sheikh Sabah ’ s sudden surgery could inspire a renewed power struggle within Kuwait ’ s ruling family .
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE .
AP ’ s earlier story follows below .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ surgery that required the oil-rich nation ’ s crown prince to be temporarily empowered to serve in his place , according to a ministerial decree seen Sunday .
Kuwait has yet to elaborate what required Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah to seek a previously unannounced medical treatment on Saturday .
However , Sheikh Sabah ’ s sudden surgery could inspire a renewed power struggle within Kuwait ’ s ruling family .
The state-run KUNA news agency had described Sheikh Sabah ’ s hospitalization Saturday as “ medical checks , ” citing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court .
Several hours later , KUNA published a second report saying that 83-year-old Crown Prince Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah had assumed some of Sheikh Sabah ’ s powers temporarily , without explaining why that was necessary .
However , a copy of the ministerial decree posted by Kuwait ’ s official gazette , Kuwait Al-Youm , and seen by The Associated Press on Sunday said the crown prince would be empowered for “ the duration of a surgical procedure until the health event is over.
” The decree did not elaborate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not immediately respond to a request for comment .
Sheikh Sabah , a widely beloved ruler in this OPEC-member nation , took power in 2006 just nine days into the rule of the ailing Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah .
Concerns mounted during Sheikh Saad ’ s brief reign as he was seen in public only in a wheelchair and did not speak .
However , Sheikh Sabah ’ s ascension upset an informal power-sharing arrangement between branches of Kuwait ’ s ruling family .
While Kuwait has since remained politically stable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arab nation , there have been internal power struggles behind the scenes of his rule .
Kuwait , a nation home to 4.1 million people that ’ s slightly smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey , has the world ’ s sixth-largest known oil reserves .
It has been a staunch U.S. ally since the 1991 Gulf War expelled the occupying Iraqi forces of Saddam Hussein .
Today , Kuwait hosts some 13,500 American troops , many at Camp Arifjan south of Kuwait City , which is also home to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--UN agency: US-sought tanker ‘hijacked’ off UAE now in Iran

DUBAI , United Arab Emirates - A United Nations agency acknowledged Sunday that a U.S.-sought oil tanker “ hijacked ” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates after allegedly smuggling Iranian crude oil is back in Iranian waters .
The International Labor Organization said that the MT Gulf Sky was hijacked July 5 , citing its captain .
That mirrors earlier reporting by The Associated Press .
“ The vessel was taken to Iran , ” the ILO said .
It said that all 28 Indian crew members disembarked in Iran and all but two of the crew without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 15 .
The ILO cited the International Seafarers ’ Welfare and Assistance Network for its information .
The ILO earlier filed a report saying the vessel and its sailors had been abandoned by its owners without pay since March off Khorfakkan , a city on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates .
Iranian state media and officials have not acknowledged the hijacking and arrival of the MT Gulf Sky to Iran .
The U.S. government similarly has not commented .
In May , the U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to launder some $ 12 million to purchase the tanker , then named the MT Nautica , through a series of front companies .
Court documents allege the smuggling scheme involved the Quds Force of Iran ’ s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard , which is its elite expeditionary unit , as well as Iran ’ s national oil and tanker companies .
The two men charged , one of whom also has an Iraqi passport , remain at large .
A U.S. bank froze funds associated with the sale , causing the seller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to repossess the vessel , the Justice Department earlier said .
That civil action was believed to still be pending , raising questions of how the tanker sailed away from the Emirates after being seized by authorities there .
As tensions between Iran and the U.S. heated up last year , tankers plying the waters of the Mideast became targets , particularly near the crucial Strait of Hormuz , the Persian Gulf ’ s narrow mouth through which 20 % of all oil passes .
Suspected limpet mine attacks the U.S. blamed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being involved , though it did seize several tankers .


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--Fires set, fences moved: Police call Portland protest a riot

PORTLAND , Ore. - Protesters broke into a building , set it on fire and started dumpster fires late Saturday night in Oregon ’ s largest city , police said , as demonstrations that have been taking place since the death of George Floyd intensified for another night in Portland .
The fire at the Portland Police Association building was put out a short time later , Portland police said on Twitter .
The department declared the gathering a riot , and began working to clear the downtown area .
Tear gas was deployed , according to pictures and video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been placed around federal courthouse had also been removed by protesters and made into barricades , police tweeted .
President Donald Trump has decried the demonstrations , and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf blasted the protesters as “ lawless anarchists ” in a visit to the city on Thursday .
Before the aggressive language and action from federal officials , the unrest had frustrated Mayor Ted Wheeler and other local authorities , who had said a small cadre of violent activists were drowning out the message of peaceful protesters in the city .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city is now exacerbating a tense situation and he has told them to depart .
“ Keep your troops in your own buildings , or have them leave our city , “ Wheeler said Friday .
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum late Friday sued Homeland Security and the Marshals Service in federal court .
The complaint said unidentified federal agents have grabbed people off Portland ’ s streets “ without warning or explanation , without a warrant , and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action.
” Rosenblum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order to “ immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians.
” The administration has enlisted federal agents , including the U.S .
Marshals Special Operations Group and an elite U.S. Customs and Border Protection team based on the U.S.-Mexico border , to protect federal property .
But Oregon Public Broadcasting reported this week that some agents had been driving around in unmarked vans and snatching protesters from streets not near federal property , without identifying themselves .
Tensions also escalated after an officer with the Marshals Service fired a less-lethal round at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 , critically injuring him .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer , D-Oregon , issued a joint statement Saturday denouncing the Trump administration ’ s actions .
“ We live in a democracy , not a banana republic .
We will not tolerate the use of Oregonians , Washingtonians — or any other Americans — as props in President Trump ’ s political games .
The House is committed to moving swiftly to curb these egregious abuses of power immediately , ” they said .
Hundreds of people had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the downtown Justice Center , which is sandwiched between two federal buildings , including a courthouse , The Oregonian/OregonLive reported .
Across the street , dozens of other protesters entered two recently closed city parks after dismantling chain-link fencing that blocked access .
Federal agents emerged from an office building next door and used impact munitions , stun grenades and tear gas to clear the area , the news organization reported .
It said its journalists did not observe any incident that might have prompted the use of the weapons .
Federal officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a few protesters placed dismantled fencing in front of plywood doors covering the entrance of the federal courthouse .
Early Saturday , Portland police declared the gathering unlawful , saying protesters had piled fencing in front of the exits to the federal courthouse and the Multnomah County Justice Center and then shot off fireworks at the Justice Center .
Federal officers and local police then advanced simultaneously on the demonstrators to clear the streets , making arrests as protesters threw bottles and pieces of metal fence at police , the Portland Police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lovell told reporters Friday that his officers are in contact with the federal agents , but that neither controls the others ’ actions .
The overnight action by Portland ’ s police was condemned Jo Ann Hardesty , a prominent member of the City Council .
Hardesty said Saturday that local police “ joined in the aggressive clampdown of peaceful protest.
” Hardesty also slammed Wheeler , telling the mayor he needed to better control local law enforcement .
Hardesty , who oversees the city ’ s fire department and other first-responder agencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wheeler if “ you can ’ t control the police , give me the Portland Police Bureau.
” In a statement Saturday , Portland Police said as they responded to the overnight protests — which included people throwing projectiles at them — some federal agencies took action “ under their own supervision and direction.
” Portland Police said city officers arrested seven people , and one officer sustained a minor injury .
The statement said the city ’ s police supports peaceful protests , and beginning Saturday night Department of Homeland Security police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police incident command centre .

Andrew Selsky And Gillian Flaccus - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-19--China blasts dam to release floodwaters as death toll rises

BEIJING - Authorities in central China blasted a dam Sunday to release surging waters behind it amid widespread flooding across the country that has claimed scores of lives .
State broadcaster CCTV reported the dam on the Chuhe River in Anhui province was destroyed with explosives early Sunday morning , after which the water level was expected to drop by 70 centimetres ( more than 2 feet ) .
Water levels on many rivers , including the mighty Yangtze , have been unusually high this year because of torrential rains .
Blasting dams and embankments to discharge water was an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst floods in recent years in 1998 , when more than 2,000 people died and almost 3 million homes were destroyed .
Last week , the gargantuan Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze opened three floodgates as the water level behind the massive dam rose more than 15 metres ( 50 feet ) above flood level .
Another flood crest is expected to arrive at the dam on Tuesday .
Elsewhere , soldiers and workers have been testing the strength of embankments and shoring them up with sandbags and rocks .
On Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 188-meter ( 620-foot ) break on Poyang Lake , China ’ s largest freshwater lake , that had caused widespread flooding across 15 villages and agricultural fields in Jiangxi province .
More than 14,000 people were evacuated .
Seasonal flooding strikes large parts of China annually , especially in its central and southern regions , but has been especially severe this summer .
More than 150 people have died or are missing in flooding and landslides brought on by the torrential rains — 23 of them since Thursday alone .
About 1.8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ losses attributed to flooding are estimated at more than 49 billion yuan ( $ 7 billion ) , according to the Ministry of Emergency Management .
Major cities have been spared so far , but concern has risen over Wuhan and other downstream metropolises that are home to tens of millions of people .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Texas coronavirus cases include more than 80 infants

AUSTIN , Texas - A health official on the Texas Gulf Coast said 85 infants have tested positive for the coronavirus .
Corpus Christi Nueces County Public Health Director Annette Rodriguez said Friday that the 85 infants are each younger than 1 , but offered no other details , including how the children are suspected to have become infected .
“ These babies have not even had their first birthday yet .
Please help us to stop the spread of this disease “ by staying home except for necessary trips , socially distancing and wearing masks in public , Rodriguez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corpus Christi .
Rodriguez did not return messages for comment Saturday from The Associated Press .
Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott is also stressing that the widespread use of face coverings could avoid another lockdown , which he hasn ’ t ruled out .
Texas health officials reported more than 10,000 new cases for a fifth consecutive day on Saturday and said 130 more people have died due to COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus , bringing the number of reported cases to 317,730 and the number of deaths to 3,865 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely higher because many people have not been tested , and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks .
But for others , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal .