thetorontostar--2020-04-01--West Virginia governor’s coal companies to pay $5M in fines

CHARLESTON , W.Va. - Billionaire West Virginia Gov .
Jim Justice ’ s coal companies have agreed to pay more than $ 5 million for thousands of mine safety violations , federal prosecutors said Wednesday .
The civil case brought by prosecutors in Virginia last year on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Mine Safety and Health Administration sought to claim payments on nearly 2,300 violations committed since 2014 .
The Republican governor ’ s companies repeatedly failed to pay off the fines after years of requests from multiple federal agencies , authorities said in a news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay their penalties for violating mine safety and health laws is an important part of protecting miners ’ safety and health , and that means holding them accountable if they fail to pay fines , ” said David G. Zatezalo , assistant secretary for the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration .
Prosecutors said the Justice family ’ s 24 companies operate in Virginia , West Virginia , Tennessee , Alabama , and Kentucky .
The payment covers the fines from the May 2019 lawsuit as well as additional violations not included in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported to be the richest man in West Virginia , with a fortune estimated at more than $ 1 billion by way of a vast umbrella of coal and agricultural businesses .
The governor , whose companies have been perennially dogged in litigation over unpaid bills , has tried to put distance between himself and his businesses , saying that his children run them .
The mining violation lawsuit listed Justice and his son and daughter as controllers of the companies .
When the case was filed last year , Michael Carey , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he was disappointed because they had been in negotiations to resolve the fines for months .
The announcement comes as Justice runs for a second term as governor , and highlighted the unusual situation of a governor with a vast business empire , which has grown complicated at time .
In one recent example , Justice ’ s personal attorney held a news conference in the governor ’ s ornate reception room at the state capitol to tell reporters that a federal investigation involving Justice ’ s private businesses and his lavish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of wrongdoing .
In another , according to records provided to The Associate Press under the Freedom of Information Act , a farming company owned by the Justice family received $ 125,000 in soybean and corn subsidies , the maximum allowed from a federal program meant to help American farmers through the U.S. trade war with China .

Anthony Izaguirre - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-04-01--Migrant dies in Mexico detention centre riot over virus fear

MEXICO CITY - A Guatemalan migrant died during a riot at an immigration detention centre in Mexico , where detainees burned mattresses to protest conditions that they say could expose them to the new coronavirus , officials said Wednesday .
The Guatemalan consul in Mexico ’ s Gulf coast state of Tabasco , Luis Eduardo Montenegro , confirmed the man ’ s death .
According to a local migrant shelter in the Tabasco city of Tenosique , the riot broke out Tuesday because migrants were tired of long periods of detention and also feared that overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The “ 72 ” migrant shelter said 14 other migrants were injured , some seriously .
In the Tenosique protest , and an earlier demonstration at a detention centre in the city of Tapachula , migrants expressed anger that they were not released or returned to their countries .
Mexico ’ s National Immigration Institute says deportation programs have been delayed by travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic .
The United Nations human rights and migration offices in Mexico said the dead man had sought refugee status in Mexico .
It said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said rights workers are working to transfer 42 asylum seekers from the Tenosique facility to a shelter .
That move could help reduce overcrowding and keep people safer .
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thetorontostar--2020-04-01--Rural areas fear spread of virus as more hospitals close

CARROLLTON , Ala. - As the coronavirus spread across the United States , workers at the lone hospital in one Alabama county turned off beeping monitors for good and padlocked the doors , making it one of the latest in a string of nearly 200 rural hospitals to close nationwide .
Now Joe Cunningham is more worried than ever about getting care for his wife , Polly , a dialysis patient whose health is fragile .
The nearest hospital is about 30 miles away , he said , and that ’ s too far since COVID-19 already has been confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Mississippi state line .
Cunningham is trusting God , but he ’ s also worried the virus will worsen in his community , endangering his wife without a hospital nearby .
“ It can still find its way here , ” said Cunningham , 73 .
The pandemic erupted at an awful time for communities trying to fill health care gaps following the closure of 170 rural hospitals across the nation in the last 15 years .
2019 was the worst year yet , with 19 closures , and eight more have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina .
While the nation ’ s coronavirus hot spots so far have been big cities like New York and New Orleans , officials fear inadequate testing and the lack of medical resources linked to hospital failures will catch up with smaller population centres .
The reasons for the closures vary , but experts and administrators cite factors including declining rural populations , rising medical costs , insufficient Medicare reimbursements , large numbers of uninsured patients , state decisions against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of the counties and towns that have lost hospitals are in the South , an analysis by the Sheps Center showed .
Other communities are trying to keep hundreds of endangered hospitals afloat as resources are stretched thinner than ever and moneymaking services like elective surgeries are curtailed during the outbreak .
“ It ’ s a scary time to be thinking about losing a hospital when you ’ ve got a pandemic going on , ” said Scott Graham , chief executive officer of Three Rivers and North Valley Hospitals in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 26,000 people in a wide-open area that Graham describes as so remote it ’ s more frontier than rural .
In North Conway , New Hampshire , a physician at the 25-bed Memorial Hospital already is among the county ’ s seven confirmed cases of coronavirus , said CEO Art Mathisen .
The hospital is preparing for the worst as it tries to triple the number of beds and spends upward of $ 100,000 on rooms with air flow aimed at limiting the spread of contagions , he said .
About 15 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 46 million people , lives in rural areas , according to the Census Bureau .
They are more likely than urban dwellers to die from chronic respiratory illnesses , heart disease and other problems that put people more at risk for COVID-19 , the illness caused by the virus , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
For some , especially older adults @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia , and death .
In West Virginia , where no city has a population of more than 50,000 and 20 % of residents are senior citizens , frustration has mounted over two recent hospital closings that forced patients to seek help farther away .
A tentative purchase deal was announced Wednesday for a third hospital that had said it would shut down sometime in April .
There has been talk but no immediate action to open new facilities to deal with coronavirus cases in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We certainly need our local hospital .
We need the beds .
We need the equipment , and we need it locally , ” said Michael Angelucci , a state lawmaker who operates an ambulance service in rural Fairmont , West Virginia , where a hospital closed this month .
The pandemic could actually hasten more rural hospital closures , said Michael Topchik of the Maine-based Chartis Center for Rural Health .
He co-authored a study released in February that found about 450 rural hospitals were vulnerable to shutting down .
Most rural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and elective procedures , which are on hold as health care workers try to ration masks and other protective gear in anticipation of COVID-19 infections , he said .
“ Our study predicts the worse is yet to come if something ’ s not done to stabilize the safety net , ” he said .
In northern Missouri , Sullivan County Memorial Hospital ’ s chief executive , Tony Keene , said that on top of the recent drop in revenue linked to reduced services , he has been pumping money into preparation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area by the Iowa border where the hospital is .
“ We need an infusion of cash , like now , ” Keene said .
“ If we go a couple more weeks , we are going to have to make very serious decisions on whether we pay our vendors or pay our people.
” The $ 2.2 trillion coronavirus package approved by Congress last week includes $ 100 billion for hospitals , but it ’ s unclear how much of that will go toward rural health care centres .
As Pickens County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 , Mayor Mickey Walker organized a protest outside the public hospital that drew around 70 people — a big crowd in a town of only 950 people .
The facility shut down anyway .
A building beside the shuttered , tan-brick hospital houses medical offices , including the dialysis clinic that treats Joe Cunningham ’ s wife , but Walker said that ’ s not enough .
The old folks Walker talks to through church are getting more worried by the day about the new virus .
“ Everybody ’ s just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We have all this virus stuff going on , and we don ’ t have a hospital to go to.
” This story has been corrected to show the name of the Maine group is the Chartis Center for Rural Health , not the Charter Center for Rural Health .
Associated Press writers Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City , Missouri ; John Raby in Charleston , West Virginia ; Michael Casey in Concord , New Hampshire ; Kim Chandler in Montgomery , Alabama ; Amy Forliti in Minneapolis ; and Gillian Flaccus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this report .
Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


thetorontostar--2020-04-01--‘Never Rarely’ captures the obstacles of abortion

NEW YORK - Even progressively minded movies about abortion have usually focused on the morality of the decision .
Eliza Hittman wanted to make a film where the highest hurdle isn ’ t deciding to have an abortion .
It ’ s getting it .
“ For me , it was about the obstacles .
I think a lot of films focus on destigmatizing the abortion , ” says Hittman .
“ They show it as a need and a necessity of woman ’ s life , but they don ’ t show how hard it is for the majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them.
” “ Never Rarely Sometimes Always , ” Hittman ’ s third feature film , is about a 17-year-old named Autumn ( Sidney Flanigan ) who can ’ t get an abortion in her rural Pennsylvania town without her parents ’ permission .
She and her cousin , Skylar ( Talia Ryder ) , scrap enough money together to take a bus to New York City to get the abortion she ’ s seeking .
Their odyssey traverses not just the byzantine state-to-state restrictions that can surround abortion , but a broadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in unspoken solidarity , make their way through a world of male harassment , from slight gestures to more heartbreaking encounters .
“ I wanted to put the audience in the shoes of a young woman navigating a hostile environment , and all the ways in which men , whether they know it or don ’ t , can cross a line , ” Hittman said .
Hittman was speaking in an interview in Manhattan alongside Flanigan and Ryder in early March .
The movie was days away from opening in theatres @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run that began with rave reviews out of its Sundance premiere ( where Hittman ’ s direction was also honoured for its neorealism ) and was followed by winning the Silver Bear prize at the Berlin Film Festival .
By then , an ominous feeling had already settled over New York because of the coronavirus .
Everyone greeted with pointed elbows or a wave .
Hittman , a native New Yorker , was having a hard time imagining her city self-isolating .
“ Never Rarely Sometimes Always ” opened in a few theatres @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( and April , May and June movies ) , its release was soon cancelled .
On Friday , Focus Features will debut “ Never Rarely Sometimes Always ” on on-demand .
The quick digital release brings one of the spring ’ s best films into homes eager for entertainment , but also into a challenging environment for a quiet film , without stars , that builds its considerable power patiently through an accumulation of sharply observed details .
“ The dependence on word of mouth is as critical now as it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( “ Moonlight ” ) , in a phone interview with fellow producer Sara Murphy .
“ It ’ ll just have to be over Zoom and not over a cocktail.
” “ Hopefully we can continue to talk about the film and the importance of the issues in the film that are still relevant , even more so today as people are talking about whether abortion is an essential medical procedure , ” Murphy says .
During the pandemic , some Republican-led states have deemed abortion a “ non-essential ” procedure .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions and set future arguments to be heard by video conferencing .
Last year , states including Georgia , Alabama , Louisiana , Missouri and Mississippi introduced bills that would ban most abortions .
In some states , efforts are increasing to roll back the landmark Roe v. Wade decision by bringing abortion arguments to a Supreme Court populated by new conservative appointees .
Last month , the Supreme Court heard arguments over a Louisiana law that would require doctors to have admitting privileges to local hospitals , a regulation that could severely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s ironic that it ’ s being called ‘ privileges , ’ “ says Hittman before alluding to her film ’ s title .
“ I see it as it pertains to the larger conversation about abortion in this country where people , men , try to decide under what circumstances a woman should have access .
I think it ’ s always.
” Hittman had long considered making a movie about abortion but was emboldened after the election of Donald Trump and the experience of attending a women ’ s march at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the closest pregnancy care centre in a more restrictive state .
She drove out to Pennsylvania .
“ I wanted to see it to believe it , ” she says .
“ Never Rarely Sometimes Always ” has drawn comparisons to the celebrated Romanian film “ 4 Months , 3 Weeks , 2 Days , ” about a woman seeking an illegal abortion .
Hittman appreciates that film but takes issue with its depiction of a pregnant woman .
“ She ’ s represented as being careless and naive and she ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ But it ’ s a masterpiece .
It ’ s a male masterpiece.
” The perspective behind “ Never Rarely Sometimes Always ” is plainly different , and it ’ s one shared by its young protagonists .
Both are acting in their first film , both natives of Buffalo , and both have been hailed as breakthrough performers .
They giggled their way through their first , private screening of the movie , but Flanigan , 21 , cried when she saw it at Sundance .
Ryder is 17 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she could be in Autumn ’ s situation .
After screenings , she ’ s been approached by some mothers who tell her : “ After seeing this , I just want my daughter to know I ’ m there for her and that she can talk to me.
” “ Never Rarely Sometimes Always ” is rated PG-13 , meaning teenage girls can watch it on their own if they want to .
Hittman says the Motion Picture Association said if she removed just two expletives , it wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it was always my dream to make smart , artful films for young people , ” says Hittman .
“ There are a lot of commercial films in the world that don ’ t really represent what it ’ s like to be a young person in the world every day .
”


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Report: US hostage families seek better government support

WASHINGTON - Relatives of Americans who are wrongfully imprisoned abroad or held hostage by militant groups say in a report issued Thursday that the U.S. government still must do better in communicating with them , though improvements have been made over the last five years .
Several of those interviewed for the report say they don ’ t feel their loved ones ’ cases have the attention of the highest levels of government .
In particular , family members of Americans who are detained by foreign governments on trumped-up charges say they feel those cases are less of a priority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hostage-taking by militant or criminal groups .
The report from the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation is based on interviews with 25 former hostages and detainees as well as their relatives and advocates .
It cites improvements in the government ’ s response since the government overhauled its hostage policy five years ago , but says relatives still want more complete and accurate information and clarity about which agency is supposed to help them .
Some , for instance , want the government to declassify more information so that it can be more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security clearances .
The report is the latest outside effort to scrutinize how the government interacts with hostages and detainees and their families back home .
It examines the changes to hostage policy that were instituted by the Obama administration in 2015 and that largely remain intact under President Donald Trump .
Those include the creation of an FBI-led hostage rescue fusion cell and the appointment of a State Department envoy for hostage affairs .
The policy revamp followed the beheadings of Westerners , including Foley , a freelance journalist , at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Syria .
Relatives of hostages demanded changes after they said U.S. officials threatened prosecution if they tried to pay ransom , kept them out of the loop on rescue attempts and didn ’ t clearly communicate government policy .
Foley ’ s mother , Diane , established the foundation to raise attention for hostage issues and to advocate for Americans held overseas .
The report says the policy improvements have been effective and durable , resulting in better government access for hostage families as well as more resources .
But it also says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t feel like their cases are prioritized in the same way .
The U.S. government distinguishes hostages who are captured by overseas criminal organizations or by militant groups designated as terrorists from detainees who are held by foreign governments , often arbitrarily or on exaggerated or fabricated charges .
The distinction matters in terms of which government agency is responsible for the case .
Hostage cases are worked by the interagency FBI-led Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell and the State Department through its presidential envoy for hostage affairs .
Detainee cases are run through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consular affairs office but also its hostage office if the detention is seen as for illegitimate purposes .
Though the hostage policy overhaul sought to establish lanes of responsibility within the government ’ s response , several of the report ’ s participants expressed confusion about which agency was supposed to be their primary point of contact .
Most relatives of hostages who were interviewed said they felt they had reliable access to the government , but relatives of detainees did not feel the same , with one family advocate saying they “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get the State Department ’ s attention and help.
” The State Department did not respond to a request for comment , and the FBI had no immediate comment .
“ There is a notable disparity in the treatment of hostage and wrongful detainee families by the U.S. government , with the latter receiving less attention , information , and access , “ the report said .
It said “ the U.S. government can do more to support the families of those Americans wrongfully detained abroad.
” Several interviewees said they were concerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department ’ s hostage affairs office because of recent turnover there .
Robert O ’ Brien , the official who used to hold the position , is now Trump ’ s national security adviser .
The Trump administration has made the return of hostages and detainees a priority .
Officials have eagerly touted the release of multiple high-profile Americans as validation of those efforts .
Danny Burch , an American held for 18 months in Yemen , was freed last year , and Kevin King , an American professor , was released by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November .
Still , other cases remain unresolved or have not had positive outcomes .
American journalist Austin Tice remains missing after vanishing in Syria in 2012 .
Trump recently mentioned Tice by name in saying that the government was working to bring him home .
Last week , the family of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson , who vanished on an unauthorized CIA mission to Iran 13 years ago , said it had been told that the U.S. government had concluded that he was dead .
U.S. officials have not said what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though FBI Director Chris Wray said in an email to the workforce that “ the most credible evidence “ to date pointed to his death .


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Poorer NYC neighbourhoods hit hardest by virus

NEW YORK - The coronavirus pandemic has touched every part of New York City , but new data shows it is hitting especially hard in neighbourhoods that tend to be poorer and might be more likely to have many people living under one roof .
Data released late Wednesday by city health officials show that residents in the immigrant-rich Jackson Heights , Elmhurst and Corona sections of Queens have tested positive for the virus in far greater numbers and at higher rates per capita than in wealthy , mostly white parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn .
People living in one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Airport were roughly four times as likely to have tested positive as people in the gentrified section of Brooklyn that Mayor Bill de Blasio calls home .
The numbers back something that has , for days , seemed obvious at Elmhurst Hospital , the only major medical centre serving that part of Queens where infections are most prevalent .
Long lines of people waiting for testing and treatment outside the hospital have been one of the defining images of the pandemic , as have stories of multiple deaths in Elmhurst ’ s overburdened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Mitchell Katz , chief executive of the city-run hospital system , said crowded housing could be playing a role .
“ We know that in Queens , many families , because of poverty , live together in very close quarters .
So that while we are practicing as a city social distancing , you may have multiple families living together in a very small apartment .
And so it ’ s easy to understand why there ’ s a lot of transmission of COVID occurring , ” he said .
A disproportionately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive for COVID-19 in certain Brooklyn neighbourhoods that are home to many Orthodox Jews , who , for reasons of faith and tradition , also often have large families under one roof .
Certain sections of the Bronx have also had a disproportionately high number of positive tests for the virus , compared to population .
Katz said people getting sick in western Queens face a second problem , which is that it has half the hospital beds per capita than Manhattan .
The city ’ s public hospital system has been trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by moving some patients out and moving additional staff in .
It also increased its number of intensive care unit beds from 29 to 111 in 10 days .
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday the city had recorded 1,374 deaths from the virus .
Nearly 46,000 city residents have tested positive for COVID-19 .
The true number of people sickened by the virus is likely much higher because officials have been rationing tests and encouraging all but the most seriously ill people not to seek treatment and instead ride it out at home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience mild or moderate symptoms , including fever and cough .
Others , though , develop pneumonia , sometimes requiring hospitalization .
The risk of death is greater for older adults and people with other health problems .


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Europe’s hospitals running out of ICU meds for COVID-19

LONDON - Nine leading European university hospitals are warning they will run out of essential medicines needed for COVID-19 patients in intensive care in less than two weeks as they are increasingly crushed by the pandemic .
The European University Hospital Alliance said that without countries co-operating to ensure a steady supply of these drugs , doctors and nurses might no longer be able to provide adequate intensive care for people critically ill with the new coronavirus .
In a statement published this week and sent to national governments , the group said that aside from the need for protective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urgent need now is for the drugs that are necessary for intensive care patients.
” They wrote that existing stocks of muscle relaxants , sedatives and painkillers were likely to run out in two days in the hardest-hit hospitals , and in two weeks in others .
The shortage has led some hospitals to buy alternative drugs or try other doses on patients .
“ It is extremely worrying that overworked and often less-experienced nurses and doctors-in-training , drafted to fill the gaps , have to use products and dosages that they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote , on behalf of hospitals in Austria , Britain , France , Germany , Italy , the Netherlands , Belgium , Sweden and Spain .
The hospital group noted that some governments had reacted to the shortages by refusing to export drugs elsewhere , and warned this would prevent drugs from reaching hospitals in dire need of the medicines .
“ No single country in Europe has the production facilities to provide all the drugs ( or protective gear or ventilators ) needed , ” they wrote .
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thetorontostar--2020-04-02--AP-NORC poll: Broad support for state virus control efforts

WASHINGTON - A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that a majority of Republicans and Democrats alike approve of how state and local governments are handling the coronavirus outbreak .
Fewer than half of Americans say the same of the response by the federal government and President Donald Trump , opinions driven by deeply partisan views about the president and his administration .
Among other findings in the survey , conducted March 26-29 among American adults : — Worries about the coronavirus continue to grow .
Half of Americans are very or extremely worried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be infected , up from 31 % two weeks ago and 22 % six weeks ago .
About 34 % are somewhat worried , while just 16 % say they are not worried about COVID-19 .
Democrats are more likely to say they ’ re very worried than Republicans , 61 % to 35 % .
— Across party lines , overwhelming shares of Americans favour a number of actions aimed at limiting the spread of the outbreak , including restricting travel into the U.S. for people from other countries ( 82 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the U.S. from other countries to quarantine themselves for 14 days ( 88 % ) , closing schools ( 83 % ) and requiring Americans to limit gatherings to fewer than 10 people ( 84 % ) .
— A slightly smaller share , 78 % , support requiring Americans to stay in their homes .
Roughly three-quarters also favour restricting travel within the U.S. , requiring Americans to postpone non-essential medical treatment and requiring bars and restaurants to close .
— Sixty-one per cent of Americans say they support postponing elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two months — a view held consistently by both Democrats and Republicans .
— Americans in states that had stay-at-home orders in place when the survey began are more likely than those in states that did not to approve of their state ’ s response , 63 % to 51 % .
— Americans are skeptical that their area hospitals are prepared to handle the outbreak .
Just 15 % of Americans overall say hospitals are very or extremely prepared ; 38 % say they are not very or not at all prepared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just about 2 in 10 Republicans , think their area hospitals are not prepared to handle the outbreak .
The AP-NORC poll of 1,057 adults was conducted March 26-29 using a sample drawn from NORC ’ s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel , which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population .
The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points .


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Israel’s health minister has virus, top officials to isolate

JERUSALEM - The new coronavirus is forcing more top Israeli officials into isolation after the country ’ s health minister , who has had frequent contact with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , tested positive , the Health Ministry said Thursday .
The Middle East has over 81,000 confirmed cases of the virus , most of those in Iran , and over 3,600 deaths .
Iran ’ s Health Ministry said Thursday that the new coronavirus killed another 124 people , pushing the country ’ s death toll to 3,160 .
In a rare acknowledgment of the severity of the outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hassan Rouhani said the new coronavirus may remain through the end of the Iranian year , which just began late last month , state TV reported Thursday .
“ The corona issue is not an issue that we can say it will be ended ( on a specific ) day .
It is possible corona will be with us for the coming months .
It is possible it will be with us by the end of the year .
We always have to follow healthy protocols provided by the health ministry , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philippines ambassador , Bernardita Catalla , died of complications from the coronavirus Thursday , the Philippines said .
Lebanon has recorded 479 cases , including 14 deaths .
Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman and his wife , who also contracted the virus , are in isolation , feel well and are being treated , the ministry statement said .
Shortly after the announcement , the prime minister ’ s office said Netanyahu returned to self-quarantine because of his contact with Litzman .
Netanyahu had previously been in isolation after a top aide tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested negative .
Hebrew language media reported that the head of Israel ’ s Mossad spy agency and the National Security Council were asked to self-quarantine because of their interactions with Litzman .
The Health Ministry director and Litzman ’ s staff also self-quarantined , and the ministry said that requests to enter isolation will be sent to those who came in contact with the minister in the past two weeks .
Israel has gone into near-lockdown to try to contain the virus outbreak .
The country has reported just over 6,200 confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 , the illness caused by the virus .
Israel ’ s large , insular ultra-Orthodox community , of which Litzman is a member , has been particularly hard hit by infections .
In the early phases of the outbreak , some rabbis had pushed back or ignored government-mandated movement restrictions , but resistance appears to have diminished .
On Wednesday , Netanyahu ordered a police cordon around the largely ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak , east of Tel Aviv , to limit movement to and from the city .
Bnei Brak has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Israel .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough .
But for others , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , the virus can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia or death .
The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .
Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beirut and Amir Vahdat in Tehran contributed .


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Tourists stranded in India because of coronavirus lockdown

NEW DELHI - Tourists from Australia , Britain and Canada are stranded in India ’ s capital after their vacations were abruptly ended by a three-week lockdown and international flights were halted because of the coronavirus .
Some said on Thursday that they are running out of money and hoping to be flown home with help from their countries ’ embassies in New Delhi .
Emma Snashford , a British tourist , said she has contacted officials in London but has been asked to keep waiting .
Snashford and her friend , Lambert Desrosiers Gaudette , a Canadian , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ popular for its royal palaces , forts and temples , but were kicked out of their hotel shortly before India announced the lockdown on March 24 .
They moved to New Delhi and managed to find a hostel that opened its doors to 25 foreign tourists .
“ We ’ ve been desperate for quite a while , ” said Gaudette , who is now trying to get on a French rescue flight .
“ We have called the ( British ) embassy and we get put through to London and no one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For the last week , we ’ ve just been told to sit tight , wait , ’ ’ Snashford said .
Stewart Dufty , an Australian disc jockey who arrived in India early last month , said he was very concerned about his family and elderly mother back home .
“ I ’ m worried about how all of this is affecting them , I mean my mother is in her late 70s .
And I do know that once I get back , I ’ ve got up to two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happy to do that .
I don ’ t want to be a risk for anyone else there , ” Dufty said .
He said he was very short of money because he was unable to go to banks or a Western Union to get cash .
The Australian High Commission said in a statement Wednesday that “ We are actively exploring options for a commercial charter flight for Australians to return .
There is no guarantee and it will be difficult to achieve.
” Australian tourists are also reported to be stranded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in Mumbai , India ’ s financial and entertainment capital .
India has halted all international flights until April 14 , when the three-week lockdown is scheduled to end .


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Spanish WWII liberator of Paris dies of coronavirus at 99

PARIS - Rafael Gomez Nieto , the last surviving member of a company of Spanish soldiers that fought with French forces in liberating Paris from Nazi occupation in 1944 , has died of the new coronavirus , the French presidency said Thursday .
He was 99 .
The presidency said Gomez Nieto died in Strasbourg , a city in eastern France that he fought to liberate in November 1944 .
France ’ s eastern regions have been hit particularly hard by virus infections and deaths .
French media said Gomez Nieto died Tuesday .
While growing up in Spain , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a teenager when he fought in the Spanish Civil War , joining the Republican forces that battled the Nationalists led by Gen. Francisco Franco .
More than 500,000 people died in the 1936-1939 conflict .
As Franco ’ s forces advanced , declaring victory on April 1 , 1939 , Gomez Nieto and his family joined the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Spanish refugees who fled over the Pyrenees to France , hoping to find safety , the French presidency said .
But like many others , Gomez Nieto was locked up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internment camps that were hastily thrown together for refugees in the south of France .
Gomez Nieto later managed to join up with Free French troops in North Africa .
He enlisted in 1943 and became part of “ La Nueve , ” a company that reunited veterans of the Spanish war .
The company was part of French Gen. Leclerc ’ s famed 2nd Armored Division that fought in the Allied liberation of France and took Paris on Aug. 25 , 1944 .
“ These stubborn freedom fighters were determined to root @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Spain and under the sun of Africa and the skies of Paris .
After taking up arms against Franco , they fought against Hitler , “ the presidency said in a statement .
“ Everywhere , they sowed liberty.
” La Nueve gave Spanish names to its armoured vehicles and was at the forefront of the thrust into Paris .
In an interview published by the French newspaper l ’ Humanite in 2014 , Gomez Nieto said the half-track he drove was nicknamed “ Guernica , ” after the Spanish town bombed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soldiers took City Hall as ordered , and Gomez Nieto parked the vehicle in front of the building , he recalled .
“ When you enter an oppressed city , the girls jump on the liberator !
” the newspaper quoted him as saying .
The presidency said France will be “ eternally gratefully ” to Gomez Nieto and his comrades .


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Polio immunization suspended amid coronavirus pandemic

LONDON - Health officials attempting to eradicate polio say they are being forced to suspend their mass immunization efforts amid the surging coronavirus pandemic .
The World Health Organization and partners decided that for the next six months , all polio activities including national vaccination campaigns and house-to-house surveillance “ should be suspended to avoid placing communities and frontline workers at unnecessary risk.
” The announcement came after a meeting last week of the Polio Oversight Board , an expert body co-ordinated by WHO and partners .
The experts noted that while halting efforts to stop polio is necessary given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people globally , it will undoubtedly result in the increased spread of the paralytic disease and the numbers of children paralyzed by the virus .
The mass vaccination campaigns — which occur as frequently as every month — are critical to stopping polio , as eradication requires that more than 95 % of children under 5 be immunized .
The global effort to wipe out polio began in 1988 and was intended to eliminate the disease by 2000 .
But the initiative has been hobbled by numerous problems including resistance to the vaccines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccines themselves and little access to conflict areas in Pakistan , Afghanistan and Nigeria .
It will be up to individual countries to decide whether to suspend their vaccination campaigns , according to a note released after the polio meeting .
Officials warned that stopping polio efforts will require scaled-up work once immunization activities can resume .
Polio is endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan and continues to be a problem in about 10 other countries worldwide .
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thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Trump resists national shutdown, leaving it up to states

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is resisting calls to issue a national stay-at-home order to stem the spread of the new coronavirus despite his administration ’ s projections that tens of thousands of Americans are likely to be killed by the disease .
One by one , though , states are increasingly pushing shutdown orders of their own .
Trump said Wednesday he wants to give governors ’ “ flexibility ” on whether a stay-at-home policy is the best option for their constituents but acknowledged that he ’ s looking at limiting air and rail travel between hot spots within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remains hesitant to press a unified policy even after the White House released “ sobering ” new projections on Tuesday that 100,000 to 240,000 Americans will likely succumb to the coronavirus even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained .
Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Wednesday the nation ’ s federalist system leaves much of the authority on how to properly respond to catastrophes to state governors and local officials .
“ We trust the governors and the mayors to understand their people and understand whether or not they feel like they can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make the right decisions , ” Adams said on ABC ’ s “ Good Morning America.
” On Wednesday alone , five more states — Florida , Georgia , Mississippi , Nevada and Pennsylvania — added or expanded their stay-at-home orders .
But the invocation of federalism in the midst of a crisis that threatens a nationwide body count on par with some of the deadliest American wars suggests that Trump and his advisers are cognizant of the political ramifications of their response .
Republican governors in states like Florida , Texas and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strong social distancing rules to rural or exurban areas that haven ’ t reported much evidence of the virus .
The lack of a unified , 50-state response also collides with evidence emerging that coronavirus infections are being spread by people who have no clear symptoms , complicating efforts to gain control of the pandemic .
A study conducted by researchers in Singapore and published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday is the latest to estimate that around 10 % of new coronavirus infections may be spread by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but not experiencing symptoms .
Even while deferring to governors .
the Trump administration has issued guidelines that have urged Americans to work from home if possible , cancel on-site instruction at schools and avoid large gatherings .
The resistance to a more robust response comes even as Vice-President Mike Pence said White House models for the coronavirus toll show the country on a trajectory akin to hard-hit Italy .
Speaking to CNN , Pence said , “ We think Italy may be the most comparable area to the United States at this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recorded more than 13,000 deaths , has issued a nationwide quarantine , shutting down almost all industrial production and offices and largely prohibiting residents from leaving their homes .
The U.S. has recorded more than 5,000 deaths , according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
The White House ’ s best-case projection for loss of life assumes statewide stay-at-home orders , according to a senior administration official familiar with Trump ’ s thinking .
Trump , the official said , is a believer in federalism and that it is up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal discussions .
More than 285 million people live in the 40 states where governors have declared statewide shelter-in-place orders or have recommended that residents stay home .
In other states — places like Iowa and Nebraska , among others — governors have resisted state-level decisions , but some localities have declared residents should stay at home .
According to a poll published Wednesday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research , 78 % of U.S. adults , including 84 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans , favour requiring Americans to stay in their homes except for essential errands .
Americans in states that already had stay-at-home orders in place when the survey began are more likely than those in states that did not to approve of their state ’ s response , 63 % to 51 % .
Still , Trump — who has conducted long , near-daily briefings on his administration ’ s response to the virus outbreak over the last three weeks — has been reluctant to use his bully pulpit to urge governors to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a national quarantine .
“ There are some states that are different , ” Trump told reporters Wednesday .
“ There are some states that don ’ t have much of a problem.
” But there are signs that Trump administration officials are pushing behind the scenes for holdout governors to issue statewide quarantines .
Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis had resisted issuing a statewide order but reversed course and issued one Wednesday as federal and local pressure mounted for him to abandon the county-by-county approach he had implemented .
DeSantis , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to issue the order after consulting with Trump and White House advisers .
Rep. Donna Shalala , a Florida Democrat , said earlier Wednesday that Trump should be pressing governors for a unified approach to help stem the spread of the disease , calling his response so far “ fragmented , weak and uneven.
” “ He hasn ’ t made a national plea to say we ’ re all in this together , and he hasn ’ t even talked to the governors about all doing the same thing , ” Shalala @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human services under President Bill Clinton , said in an interview .
Authority to order quarantines inside states rests almost entirely with states under provisions in the U.S. Constitution ceding power not explicitly delegated to the federal government to states , courts have ruled consistently for years .
While the federal government itself can ’ t order nationwide quarantines or impose quarantines on states , courts have said it has clear power under constitutional clauses regulating commerce to quarantine international travellers or those travelling state to state who might be carriers of deadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argued that the Constitution ’ s Commerce Clause may vest Trump with powers to impose a multiple state or national lockdown with or without states ’ approval , though any such move under that minority interpretation would almost certainly be challenged immediately as unconstitutional .
Pence told CNN that leaders and residents of states that haven ’ t been hard hit are already taking action to slow the virus ’ spread .
In Nebraska , Republican Gov .
Pete Ricketts has said he ’ s basing his decisions on the advice he gets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Nebraska Medical Center , which has dealt extensively with outbreaks and served as a quarantine space for Ebola patients .
In Iowa , Republican Gov .
Kim Reynolds has resisted a mandatory shelter-in- place order , saying the data she looks at doesn ’ t yet justify it in her state .
South Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem , another Republican , said her voluntary guidance had helped slow the infection rate .
“ The calls to apply a one-size-fits-all approach is herd mentality , it ’ s not leadership , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump supporter , has repeatedly said he won ’ t impose a stay-at-home order in Nebraska but has ordered restaurants either to close their dining areas or allow no more than 10 people inside at once , depending on their location in the state .
In Texas , Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott has ordered schools to stay closed through at least May and imposed restrictions that doctors and even his critics say are tantamount to a stay-at-home order for the state .
Still , Abbott refused to call it that .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A stay-at-home strategy would mean that you have to stay home , “ Abbott said .
“ This is a standard based upon essential services and essential activities.
” Madhani reported from Chicago .
Associated Press writers Meghan Hoyer , Colleen Long and Dino Hazell in Washington , Paul J. Weber in Austin , Texas , Grant Schulte in Lincoln , Nebraska , Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee , Florida , David Pitt in Des Moines , Iowa , and Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls , South Dakota , contributed reporting .

Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller And Alan Fram - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Trump’s contradictory views on China shift as crisis grows

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has held an unequivocal position about China and the coronavirus — several of them .
Trump initially praised China , then excoriated Beijing after it made unsubstantiated claims that the virus originated in the United States .
Now , Trump is back to offering niceties .
The diverging messages have generated finger-pointing by both Beijing and Washington that is further destabilizing a critical relationship between countries with the two largest economies and militaries .
There might not be radical shifts in U.S.-China policy during the next several months , but China ’ s coverup and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward , Dan Blumenthal , director of Asian studies at the American Enterprise Institute , said Wednesday .
“ It ’ s very hard to see progress on trade talks after this , ” he said .
He added that he expects Congress will push to address American dependence on China for medical and other manufacturing supplies .
There are calls in Congress to hold China accountable for initially covering up the outbreak .
Anticipating a backlash , China ’ s official Xinhua News Agency last month suggested that Beijing could retaliate against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical products that would leave the U.S. stuck in the ” ocean of viruses.
“ Early in the outbreak , Trump lauded China for its response to COVID-19 , tweeting on Jan. 24 that the U.S. appreciated Beijing ’ s efforts and “ transparency , “ even though local Chinese officials initially covered up mounting cases in Wuhan , the city where the virus was first reported .
In February , as the virus began to spread in Europe , Trump still refrained from blaming China .
Then Trump started going after Beijing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus.
“ He said he was upset that some Chinese officials had suggested without evidence that the U.S. military transported the virus to Wuhan or that the virus was released from a U.S. lab .
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman , Zhao Lijian , tweeted March 12 : “ It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan .
Be transparent !
Make public your data !
US owe us an explanation !
” Other U.S. officials chimed in .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called COVID-19 the “ Wuhan virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ briefing .
He chastised the Chinese Communist Party for not allowing U.S. medical experts into the country , kicking Western journalists out and cracking down on the flow of information .
The National Security Council at the White House also has accused the Communist Party of launching disinformation campaigns around the world and retaliating against Chinese citizens who wanted to tell the public about the coronavirus .
The president has said China was trying to blame the United States to distract the world from the shortcomings of Beijing ’ s own response .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ its tracks , ” Trump said March 19 at a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House .
“ Unfortunately , they ( Chinese officials ) didn ’ t decide to make it public .
But the whole world is suffering because of it.
” Trump abruptly stopped calling it the “ Chinese virus ” shortly after China ’ s ambassador to the U.S. , Cui Tiankai , appeared to split with Zhao , calling the theory “ crazy ” and saying that it was not for diplomats to speculate .
Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jinping again .
“ We have a great trade deal and we would like to keep it .
They would like to keep it and the relationship is good , ” Trump said Wednesday .
He noted that some of China ’ s numbers on COVID-19 cases seem a bit “ low , ” but he insisted his relationship with Xi remained “ really good.
” For most people , the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough , that clear up in two to three weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia , and death .
The coronavirus has infected at least 940,000 people and killed more than 47,000 worldwide , according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
Ray Yip , an American public health official who founded the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s office in China in 2003 , said expert teams the central government sent to Wuhan failed to initially realize that the virus could spread from human to human , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese government understood the scope of the problem , it moved decisively , he said .
Chinese health officials informed the World Health Organization about the new virus on Dec. 31 .
By Jan. 12 , Chinese scientists had sequenced the virus ’ genetic makeup and shared it with the WHO , drawing praise for their transparency and swift action .
Yip contends the U.S. response was far worse than China ’ s .
“ If we started responding forcibly , properly , tracked down the cases and snuffed them out , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Yip said .
“ We let an initial small fire spread , and now the fire is too big — we have trouble putting it out .
If there is such a thing as suing for malpractice for public health — this has to be it.
” Dali Yang , a University of Chicago political science professor who researches Chinese governance and has closely followed the pandemic , also points a finger at local Chinese officials , who , in early January , were preparing for “ two sessions , ” an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They didn ’ t want to upset Beijing or cause panic in the streets ahead of the important Jan. 11-17 meetings so they suppressed information about the outbreak .
Before and during the “ two sessions , ” China ’ s National Health Commission dispatched three teams of experts to Wuhan .
The first two struggled to get information from local health officials , especially about whether the virus was being transmitted from person to person , Yang said .
The experts reportedly were closely watched and were not allowed to talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Local officials punished Li Wenliang , an ophthalmologist who shared information about local transmission of the virus , which later claimed his life .
When Dr. Ai Fen , head of emergency care at Wuhan Central Hospital , assessed that the virus was being spread from human to human , she was admonished for spreading rumours and causing panic , Yang said .
Sen. Richard Blumenthal , D-Conn. , said Beijing often blames local authorities for the central government ’ s failings .
“ They ’ re still covering up , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 on social media apps get blocked and censured .
...
They are cracking down even more , censoring even more .
They are jailing people who are trying to tell the truth.
“ Associated Press writer Dake Kang in Beijing contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Dutch leader proposes EU fund for nations hit hard by virus

THE HAGUE , Netherlands - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has proposed a multibillion-euro ( dollar ) European Union fund to help countries in the 27-nation bloc whose health care systems have been hardest-hit by the coronavirus outbreak .
In an interview broadcast Wednesday night by Dutch news show Nieuwsuur , Rutte said : “ We are , of course , in solidarity with South Europe .
There ’ s no doubt about it.
” The proposed fund and Rutte ’ s comments follow harsh criticism of the Dutch from southern European nations over the country ’ s opposition to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known as coronabonds or eurobonds , and comments attributed to Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra about Spain ’ s ability to fund its medical response to the virus .
“ Hoekstra and I have said we could have communicated in a more subtle way , ” Rutte told Nieuwsuur .
Now Rutte says the Dutch have “ taken the initiative to establish a fund in the form of gifts for countries that are economically weaker to help them with the health care costs of fighting the coronavirus.
” He expects the fund to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nations agree to it .
However , he also stressed that the Dutch still oppose issuing European debt to help hard-hit economies .
“ The Netherlands is against that for very many reasons — it doesn ’ t fit into the euro system , ” he said .
“ Another thought that we have is that ’ s what the European emergency fund ... is for.
” Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte said earlier this week he hoped the European Union would put together a cohesive response to the plight of countries like his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus outbreak .
Conte vowed to fight for a “ strong and cohesive European response “ and called the crisis “ an appointment with history .
Europe must say if it ’ s ready for this appointment ” to effectively deal with social and economic shock wreaked by the pandemic .


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Pakistan court overturns conviction in death of Daniel Pearl

KARACHI , Pakistan - A Pakistani court Thursday overturned the murder conviction of a British Pakistani man found guilty of the 2002 kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl .
Instead , the court found Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh guilty of the lesser charge of kidnapping and sentenced him to seven years in prison .
Pearl disappeared Jan. 23 , 2002 in Karachi while researching links between Pakistani militants and Richard C. Reid , who became known as the “ shoe-bomber ” after he was arrested on a flight from Paris to Miami with explosives in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a trap by promising to arrange an interview with an Islamic cleric who police believed was not involved in the conspiracy .
One of Saeed ’ s lawyers , Khwaja Naveed , said Saeed could go free unless the government chooses to challenge the court decision .
Faiz Shah , prosecutor general for southern Sindh province , said the government will appeal to the Supreme Court of Pakistan .
Saeed has already spent 18 years in prison in southern Hyderabad on death row .
The seven-year sentence was expected to be counted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Sindh High Court also acquitted three others accused in the case : Fahad Naseem , Sheikh Adil , and Salman Saqib , who were earlier sentenced to life in prison .
The defendants were also collectively fined $ 32,000 .
“ Justice has been done for my clients , ” said Naveed .
Saeed , a former student at the London School of Economics , and the others were convicted in 2002 .
A videotape received by U.S. diplomats in February , 2002 confirmed that Pearl , 38 , was dead .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ testimony and emails released during the trial , Saeed said he developed a personal relationship with Pearl , with both sharing their concerns about their wives , who were both pregnant at the time .
Marianne Pearl gave birth to their son Adam in May 2002 .
The Pearl Project , an investigative journalism team at Washington ’ s Georgetown University , carried out a three-year investigation into Pearl ’ s kidnapping and death .
They concluded the reporter was beheaded by Khalid Sheikh Mohammad , who was arrested in Pakistan in 2003 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States .
Mohammad is a prisoner at the U.S .
Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba .
Soon after Pearl disappeared , Pakistani and U.S. news organizations received emails from the previously unknown National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty .
The group demanded better treatment for Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners at Guantanamo .
FBI agents traced the emails to Saeed , who admitted his role in the kidnapping during his first court appearance but later recanted .
“ Right or wrong I had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court at the time .
“ I think that our country shouldn ’ t be catering to America ’ s needs.
” The statement was ruled inadmissible because it was not made under oath .
Saeed had been arrested in 1994 by Indian authorities , accused of kidnapping three Britons and an American , who were all freed unharmed , in Indian-ruled Kashmir , Hindu India ’ s only Muslim dominated region .
Kashmir is a disputed territory between Pakistan and India .
Since 1989 , an insurgency in Indian-held Kashmir has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kashmir or union with Islamic Pakistan .
In 1999 , India freed Saeed and two other militants in exchange for the release of 155 passengers and crew aboard an Indian Airlines plane hijacked to Kandahar , Afghanistan .
The Pearl kidnapping was the first of five attacks against Westerners in Pakistan in 2002 .
A grenade attack against a Protestant church in Islamabad on March 17 killed five people , including two Americans and the attacker , were killed .
Gannon reported from Islamabad .
Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed @ @ @

Adil Jawad And Kathy Gannon - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Top court rules 3 anti-migrant quota countries broke EU law

BRUSSELS - The European Union ’ s top court ruled Thursday that the Czech Republic , Hungary and Poland broke EU law by refusing to comply with a refugee quota program launched after well over a million migrants entered the bloc , most fleeing war in Syria and Iraq .
In an emergency move in 2015 , EU nations agreed to relocate up to 160,000 refugees from Italy and Greece as those two countries buckled under the number of migrant arrivals .
Five years on , Greece is still struggling to manage the burden , with thousands of people held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That “ temporary relocation mechanism ” decision was made in a vote requiring about a two-thirds majority among the EU member countries — 28 at the time .
The Czech Republic , Hungary and Poland were among a small group of nations that voted against the move .
In the end , only about 40,000 refugees were relocated .
The Czech Republic , Hungary and Poland took in almost none over the two years the scheme was in operation .
The EU ’ s executive arm , the European Commission , sought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answers .
In its ruling , the European Court of Justice said that “ by refusing to comply with the temporary mechanism for the relocation of applicants for international protection , Poland , Hungary and the Czech Republic have failed to fulfil their obligations under European Union law.
” The three had argued that EU countries alone are responsible for ensure public safety and not the commission , which drew up the quota scheme and took the countries to court .
But the Luxembourg based ECJ said they “ can rely neither on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and order and the safeguarding of internal security , nor on the alleged malfunctioning of the relocation mechanism to avoid implementing that mechanism.
” The failure of nations to take part in a burden-sharing measure meant to help EU partners in distress was at the heart of one of the bloc ’ s biggest political crises .
The issue of immigration then became a major vote-winner for far-right parties .
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thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Extremists see global chaos from virus as an opportunity

JOHANNESBURG - Both the Islamic State group and al-Qaida see the coronavirus as a threat , but some of their fighters also see the upheaval from the pandemic as an opportunity to win over more supporters and strike harder than before .
Messages from the Islamic extremist groups show concern about the virus mixed with bravado , asserting that it is punishment for non-Muslims while also urging followers to repent and take care of themselves .
Al-Qaida suggested in a statement Tuesday that non-Muslims use their time in quarantine to learn about Islam .
But in a sharp commentary in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urged followers to show no mercy and launch attacks in this time of crisis .
In a commentary Tuesday , the International Crisis Group warned that the pandemic threatens the global solidarity that is key to fighting extremists .
“ It is almost certainly correct that COVID-19 will handicap domestic security efforts and international counter-ISIS co-operation , allowing the jihadists to better prepare spectacular terror attacks , ” it said .
Though analysts said it was too soon to say which attacks can be blamed on militants exploiting the coronavirus , Islamic extremists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assault yet against the military of Chad , a significant contributor to Africa ’ s growing counterterrorism efforts , killing at least 92 soldiers near the border with Nigeria and Niger .
In Egypt , two military officials reported a spike in IS attacks in March in the restive northern part of the Sinai Peninsula but security forces foiled at least three other major assaults .
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media .
While Syria and Iraq have seen no uptick in attacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the pandemic has prompted the U.S.-led coalition to halt training activities in Iraq amid a planned pullout from several bases .
There are signs elsewhere that the U.S. , British and other militaries are pulling back because of the virus , leaving a possible opening for the extremists .
That ’ s a danger in Africa ’ s hot spots of the Sahel , the Lake Chad region and Somalia , where the U.S. military already worried allies in recent months by contemplating cuts to focus on threats from China and Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in pulling back in Africa will take the opportunity to do so , ” said Clionadh Raleigh , executive director of the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project , which tracks extremists ’ activities worldwide .
“ That will be unbelievably bad.
” A U.S. Africa Command spokeswoman , Lt. Christina Gibson , told The Associated Press that “ while the size and scope of some AFRICOM activities have been adjusted to ensure the safety and protection of forces — both U.S. and partner nation — our commitment to Africa endures.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operations but said AFRICOM still has about 5,200 forces on the continent at any given time .
The British army mission in Kenya , which provides counterterrorism training and other skills , this week announced that all army families are returning to the U.K. because of the virus .
But France ’ s largest overseas military mission , Barkhane in West Africa ’ s sprawling Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert , is keeping its 5,100 troops there , the French Defence Ministry said .
A pro-al-Qaida French organization issued a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and save lives instead .
African military units , already stretched thin and under attack , are likely to take protective measures as the virus threatens their ranks .
In Nigeria , which has struggled against the Boko Haram extremist group and an assertive IS-linked offshoot , the military has called for suspending much of its activities including large gatherings and training .
A leaked memo signed by Nigerian army ’ s policy chief says its vehicles might have to be used for mass burials or transferring the sick to hospitals as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targets , under-guarded prisons could be too , said Laith Alkhouri , a counterterrorism adviser who researches extremists in West Africa .
Both IS and al-Qaida-linked fighters have turned the Sahel into Africa ’ s most urgent extremism crisis , and even have engaged in some unprecedented co-operation .
Their fighters are likely to exploit the pandemic by accusing governments of mismanaging the crisis to try to win popular support , he said .
Alkhouri said that under another scenario , individuals may believe that only religion can keep them safe from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which could lead to an increase in infections.
” Some extremist groups are showing signs that , like the rest of the world , they are trying to understand the coronavirus and respond .
In Somalia , the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab held a rare five-day meeting of its leaders in March that discussed the virus .
In a communique , the group recognized its “ emergency threat ” to the world , including Muslims .
An al-Shabab spokesman later told the AP it was too soon to comment on whether the group would heed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which have continued , or whether it would allow health workers access to areas it controls .
In Afghanistan , the Taliban have gone even further , putting out videos on disinfection and photos of its fighters handing out face masks and soap .
It also has offered security guarantees to any aid group assisting victims of the virus or helping to stop its spread .
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed told the AP that “ if , God forbid , the outbreak happens in an area where we control the situation , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Kathy Gannon in Islamabad , Pakistan ; Haruna Umar in Maiduguri , Nigeria ; Sam Mednick in Ouagadougou , Burkina Faso ; Abdi Guled and Tom Odula in Nairobi , Kenya ; Samy Magdy and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo ; Samya Kullab in Baghdad and Sylvie Corbet and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed .
Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Japan’s SoftBank ends WeWork tender, remains behind bailout

TOKYO - Japanese technology company SoftBank Group Corp. called off its offering of up to $ 3 billion worth of shares in office-space rental venture WeWork , though it remains committed to its $ 5 billion bailout of the financially troubled company .
The main loser in the offer ’ s failure is WeWork founder Adam Neumann , who quit the company last year , but owns about half the shares that were up for offer , according to SoftBank .
The company said Thursday that the option not to close the offer was part of the initial deal if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April 1 deadline .
Such conditions include the release of financial and operational information from U.S. criminal and civil investigations related to Neumann , according to SoftBank .
The required anti-trust approvals have not been obtained , and restrictions on WeWork due to government efforts to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic were other factors , it said .
SoftBank said its bailout of WeWork , announced late last year , would go ahead .
Views on WeWork ’ s potential vary .
Detractors say it ’ s just a glorified real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are attractive because they are equipped with the latest net and other technology features and offer opportunities for personal networking .
SoftBank and its Vision Fund , which gathers investment money , has promised to invest more than $ 14 billion in WeWork , including the latest bailout money .
SoftBank Senior Vice-President Robert Townsend said the tender offer ’ s closure will not affect WeWork ’ s operations or its overall strategic plan .
WeWork has been trying to turn itself around over the past half year and has installed new managers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly expressed his belief in its potential .


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Q&A: How to get aid for a small business hit by virus crisis

NEW YORK - Millions of small business owners will be turning to the government , seeking help for an individual and nationwide cataclysm , the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus outbreak .
The government says it will begin disbursing loan money to company owners and freelancers Friday under the Paycheck Protection Program , part of the $ 2 trillion relief package signed into law last week .
For many companies , it may be the quickest way to rebuild the lifeblood of any business : the cash flow that enables a company to pay its bills .
The program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s recovery : Small businesses employ about half the workers in the private sector .
By some estimates , as many as 20 million people will have lost their jobs by the end of April .
Here are questions and answers about financial help available through the government and other sources : They can be , if they ’ re used to retain or hire workers .
Starting Friday , the Small Business Administration is guaranteeing $ 349 billion in potentially forgivable loans under the rescue package .
A business with up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solo and freelancers , can borrow up to $ 10 million to be repaid over two years at an annual rate of 0.5 % .
The money that ’ s used to pay salaries can be forgiven , and a portion of money used for rent , mortgage interest and/or utilities can be at least partially forgiven .
Payments are deferred for six months .
You technically could get the full amount of the loan forgiven .
But if you cut jobs — say you had 10 employees , let them go , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amount of loan forgiveness will be reduced , and you ’ ll have to repay some .
But a caveat from the government : Because so many owners are expected to take advantage of the loans , it ’ s anticipated that no more than 25 % of the forgiven amount may be for things other than payroll — rent , mortgage interest and utilities .
So there ’ s a good chance you will have some repayments ahead .
You can learn more about the loans at https : //www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/paycheque-protection-program-ppp .
HOW @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says this will be a fast , streamlined process — some companies could get money the same day , not like the weeks it takes when applying for a traditional SBA loan .
You can apply through any federally insured bank , credit union or farm credit system institution , not just a traditional SBA lender .
Most businesses are expected to apply online , through a financial institution ’ s website .
You don ’ t need collateral or a personal guarantee .
But you ’ ll need to document your payroll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expenses .
The payroll portion of the loan is based on the monthly average of what a company paid employees during the year prior to the loan being granted .
WHEN WILL MY LOAN BE FORGIVEN ?
The government will calculate how much of a loan will be forgiven after June 30 .
The program covers the period from Feb. 15 through June 30 and owners will need to document how many workers they employed during that time and how much they were paid .
If you ’ ve laid off workers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them — but the sooner you rehire and start paying them , the larger your loan forgiveness will be .
CAN I GET A DISASTER LOAN TOO ?
The SBA is giving out what are called economic injury disaster loans .
These are intended to help companies whose revenue losses have left them without working capital , making it difficult or impossible to pay their operating expenses including payroll , fixed debt payments and accounts payable bills .
But a company that gets a disaster loan can not use the money for payroll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a paycheque protection loan .
The disaster loans give owners up to $ 2 million at an annual rate of 3.75 % .
The loans can be taken out for as many as 30 years , but the terms of each loan will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will depend on each company ’ s financial situation .
Companies can also apply for a $ 10,000 loan advance that can be granted within three days , the SBA says .
This does not have to be repaid .
Disaster loan applications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its website https : //covid19relief.sba.gov/ WHAT OTHER MONEY IS AVAILABLE ?
The Federal Reserve is working on a program to provide loans directly to small businesses .
The details have not been announced yet .
Individual states , counties and cities may have loans or grants for small businesses .
And those that have not yet announced any programs may yet create them — the outbreak has not yet reached its peak .
Check online with your state or local agencies that support small businesses .
CAN I FREELANCERS GET UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS AND @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rescue package provides for unemployment benefits for freelancers and independent contractors who haven ’ t qualified for such help in the past .
So millions of people , including wedding photographers , graphic artists and writers , who have lost gigs or projects can get unemployment benefits .
They ’ re also eligible for paycheque protection loans — but if they have both types of loans , they can not use disaster loan money to cover payroll .
Online lenders promise fast money — some turn loans around the same day — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many companies with cash flow crunches turn to them .
But in many cases the money carries a steep interest rate and/or big payments .
And unlike traditional loans , the size of a payment may not be predictable — companies like PayPal , for example , will take a percentage of revenue that comes into a borrower ’ s account .
Keep in mind that even that even if you end up paying back the full amount you borrow under the Paycheck Protection Program , you ’ ll be paying just 0.5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CONCESSIONS FROM LANDLORDS AND OTHER BUSINESSES ?
Many small business owners have been in touch with their landlords , bankers and suppliers , asking for more time to pay .
And some have gotten concessions , especially when the business and its creditor or banker have a long-time relationship .
Any concessions or grace periods you can get , especially if they ’ re interest and penalty-free , may be a good route to go .
Landlords and business associates who want to hold on to your business can be accommodating unless they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems .
It ’ s also true that some , perhaps many , are tough business people ; some are already suggesting to their tenants and customers that they should seek government loans rather than help from them .
THERE ’ S ALWAYS FAMILY AND FRIENDS , RIGHT ?
Absolutely .
And the people close to you may be ready and willing to help — if they can right now .
But , for the sake of keeping these relationships solid , if you get a loan from someone close , you need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward about how the business is doing , and when you ’ re likely to repay them .
Have an idea for a story about the coronavirus outbreak and business ?
Email Joyce Rosenberg at jrosenberg @ ap.org .
Follow her at www.twitter.com/JoyceMRosenberg .
Her work can be found here : https : //apnews.com .

Joyce M. Rosenberg - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--New York virus toll doubles in 72 hours as hot spots spread

New York rushed to bring in an army of medical volunteers as the statewide death toll from the coronavirus doubled in 72 hours to more than 1,900 , while the global number of people diagnosed with the illness edged closer to 1 million on Thursday .
As hot spots flared around the U.S. in places like New Orleans and Southern California , the nation ’ s biggest city was the hardest hit of them all , with bodies loaded onto refrigerated morgue trucks by gurney and forklift outside overwhelmed hospitals .
The wail of ambulances in the otherwise eerily quiet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soundtrack of the crisis .
” It ’ s like a battlefield behind your home , “ said 33-year-old Emma Sorza , who could hear the sirens from severely swamped Elmhurst Hospital in Queens .
And the worst is yet to come .
“ How does it end ?
And people want answers , “ New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo said .
” I want answers .
The answer is nobody knows for sure.
” President Donald Trump acknowledged that the federal stockpile is nearly depleted of personal protective equipment used by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times to come .
“ Difficult days are ahead for our nation , “ he said .
“ We ’ re going to have a couple of weeks , starting pretty much now , but especially a few days from now that are going to be horrific.
” Altogether , close to 940,000 people around the world have contracted the virus , according to a tally being kept by Johns Hopkins University .
More than 47,000 people have died from the virus , which was first found in China late last year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ much higher because of testing shortages , differences in counting the dead and large numbers of mild cases that have gone unreported .
Asian stocks were meandering Thursday after a White House warning that as many as 240,000 Americans might die in the pandemic sent Wall Street tumbling .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 970 points , or over 4 % .
Meanwhile , European nations facing extraordinary demand for intensive-care beds were putting up makeshift hospitals , unsure whether they will find enough healthy medical staff to run them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 4,000-bed temporary hospital built in a huge convention centre .
Spain reported a record 864 deaths in one day Wednesday , for a total of more than 9,000 , while France registered 509 deaths for more than 4,000 deaths in all .
In Italy , with the most deaths of any country at more than 13,000 , morgues overflowed with bodies and caskets piled up in churches , although experts drew hope that the spread was already slowing in the country .
Meanwhile , Israel ’ s health minister , who has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prime Minister Netanyahu and other top officials , was diagnosed with the illness , the Health Ministry announced Thursday .
Scientists offered more evidence Wednesday that the coronavirus can be spread by seemingly healthy people who show no clear symptoms , leading the U.S. government to issue new guidance warning that anyone exposed to the disease can be considered a potential carrier .
Many countries are now modeling their response to the virus in part after China , which in January closed off an entire province home to tens of millions of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unprecedented lockdowns .
The government says the measures have been a success , with nearly all new cases of the virus imported from abroad .
People in Wuhan , once the epicenter of the crisis , are starting to return to work .
They are being tracked by a smartphone app that shows if they are symptom free .
The app is required to board a subway , check into a hotel or just enter the city .
Walking into a subway station Wednesday , Wu Shenghong , a manager for a clothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a barcode on a poster that triggered her app .
A green code and part of her identity card number appeared on the screen .
A guard wearing a mask and goggles waved her through .
If the code had been red , that would tell the guard that Wu was confirmed to be infected or had a fever or other symptoms and was awaiting a diagnosis .
A yellow code would mean she had contact with an infected person but hadn ’ t finished a two-week quarantine , meaning she should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures to control the spread of the virus rolled out Wednesday in the U.S .
Under growing pressure , Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis belatedly joined his counterparts in more than 30 states in issuing a statewide stay-home order .
The governors of Pennsylvania , Nevada and Mississippi took similar steps .
The U.S. has recorded more than 216,000 infections and more than 5,100 deaths , with New York City accounting for about 1 out of 4 dead .
More than 80,000 people have volunteered as medical reinforcements in New York , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a break from their regular jobs .
A Navy hospital ship has docked in the harbour , a convention centre has been turned into a hospital , and the tennis centre that hosts the U.S. Open is being converted to one .
Those arriving to help have found a hospital system near the breaking point .
“ It ’ s hard when you lose patients .
It ’ s hard when you have to tell the family members : ‘ I ’ m sorry , but we did everything that we could , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cape Coral , Florida , who has been working at New York Presbyterian Hospital .
“ It ’ s even harder when we really don ’ t have the time to mourn , the time to talk about this.
” Cuomo said projections suggest the crisis in New York will peak at the end of April , with a high death rate continuing through July .
The strain facing some of the world ’ s best health care systems has been aggravated by hospital budget cuts over the past decade in Italy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have called in medical students , retired doctors and even laid-off flight attendants with first aid training .
The staffing shortage has been worsened by the high numbers of infected personnel .
In Italy alone , nearly 10,000 medical workers have contracted the virus and more than 60 doctors have died .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough .
But for others , especially older adults and people with health problems , it can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia .
Charlton reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report .
Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Robert Bumsted, Angela Charlton And Mark Sherman - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Chinese smartphone health code rules post-virus life

WUHAN , China - Since the coronavirus outbreak , life in China is ruled by a green symbol on a smartphone screen .
Green is the “ health code ” that says a user is symptom-free and it ’ s required to board a subway , check into a hotel or just enter Wuhan , the central city of 11 million people where the pandemic began in December .
The system is made possible by the Chinese public ’ s almost universal adoption of smartphones and the ruling Communist Party ’ s embrace of “ Big Data ” to extend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walking into a Wuhan subway station Wednesday , Wu Shenghong , a manager for a clothing manufacturer , used her smartphone to scan a barcode on a poster that triggered her health code app .
A green code and part of her identity card number appeared on the screen .
A guard wearing a mask and goggles waved her through .
If the code had been red , that would tell the guard that Wu was confirmed to be infected or had a fever or other symptoms and was awaiting a diagnosis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ contact with an infected person but hadn ’ t finished a two-week quarantine , meaning she should be in a hospital or quarantined at home .
Wu , who was on her way to see retailers after returning to work this week , said the system has helped reassure her after a two-month shutdown left the streets of Wuhan empty .
People with red or yellow codes “ are definitely not running around outside , ” said Wu , 51 .
“ I feel safe.
” Intensive use of the health code is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revive China ’ s economy while preventing a spike in infections as workers stream back into factories , offices and shops .
Most access to Wuhan , the manufacturing hub of central China , was suspended Jan. 23 to fight the coronavirus .
The lockdown spread to surrounding cities in Hubei province and then people nationwide were ordered stay home in the most intensive anti-disease controls ever imposed .
The final travel controls on Wuhan are due to be lifted April 8 .
Other governments should consider adopting Chinese-style “ digital contact tracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a report published Tuesday in the journal Science .
The virus is spreading too rapidly for traditional methods to track infections “ but could be controlled if this process was faster , more efficient and happened at scale , ” the researchers wrote .
Once aboard the subway , Wu and other commuters used their smartphones to scan a code that recorded the number of the car they rode in case authorities need to find them later .
An attendant carried a banner reading “ Please wear a mask throughout your trip .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scan the code before you get off the train.
” Seats were marked with dots denoting where passengers were to sit to stay far enough away from each other .
Visitors to shopping malls , offices buildings and other public places in Wuhan undergo a similar routine .
They show their health codes and guards in masks and gloves check them for fever before they are allowed in .
The health codes add to a steadily growing matrix of high-tech monitoring that tracks what China ’ s citizens do in public , online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cameras blanket streets from major cities to small towns .
Censors monitor activity on the internet and social media .
State-owned telecom carriers can trace where mobile phone customers go .
A vast , computerized system popularly known as social credit is intended to enforce obedience to official rules .
People with too many demerits for violations ranging from committing felonies to littering can be blocked from buying plane tickets , getting loans , obtaining government jobs or leaving the country .
A statement by the city government of Tianjin , a port @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beijing , said the health codes were temporary but offered no indication when use might end .
The codes are issued through the popular WeChat messaging service of internet giant Tencent Ltd. and the Alipay electronic payments service of Alibaba Group , the world ’ s biggest e-commerce company .
Some 900 million people use the system on WeChat , according to the newspaper Beijing Youth Daily and other outlets .
No total for Alipay has been reported .
Obtaining a health code is simple : Users fill out an electronic form with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have a cough or fever .
The system includes no steps to confirm whether a user is healthy .
Authorities have threatened that violators will be “ dealt with severely , ” though detailed penalties have yet to be announced .
Regulations say people who try to travel with a red health code will be marked down in the social credit system .
“ Fraud , concealment and other behaviours ” carry penalties that “ will have a huge impact on their future life and work , ” a statement by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Associated Press producer Olivia Zhang in Wuhan , China , and AP writer Joe McDonald and researcher Yu Bing in Beijing contributed to this story .


thetorontostar--2020-04-02--Double strike: Tornado, virus push Tennesseans to the limit

NASHVILLE - When Jose Cojom ’ s house collapsed around his family in a tornado that struck after midnight , he knew his life was going to get much harder .
But that was just the beginning .
A few weeks later , the restaurant where he cooks closed its doors because of the coronavirus .
Now , living in a rental apartment , Cojom ’ s family faces an uncertain future , unsure whether to rebuild or move on .
“ The tornado was a monster , almost killed us , ” Cojom said .
“ Now , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It kind of hurts me because it makes me stay home and think about all the things that we went through.
” Like thousands of other Middle Tennesseans , Cojom ’ s life has been upended by back-to-back disasters .
Putnam County residents still reeling from the deadly twisters of March 3 now have to confront life in the age of coronavirus .
The storms that tore through the region killed 25 people — 19 in Putnam County , 80 miles ( 130 kilometres ) east of Nashville — and damaged or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people had been sleeping were demolished , sending families to hotels and shelters .
Donations poured in , electrical and construction crews mobilized , and volunteers handed out supplies and served meals .
Then the coronavirus pandemic complicated the recovery efforts .
The virus has sickened more than 2,600 in Tennessee and more than 30 in Putnam County , according to the state health department .
Residents who had united to help tornado-stricken neighbours quickly retreated to their houses .
Volunteers who came from as far as Kansas went back home .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and set off a wave of hotel cancellations .
As the virus encroaches on the county where twisted metal still hangs in trees along Interstate 40 , Mayor Randy Porter said debris cleanup could take several more weeks .
“ It ’ s been tiring and a little stressful , but we ’ re working through it , ” Porter said .
“ We live in a loving , come-together community.
” At Cookeville Regional Medical Center in the county seat , doctors and nurses have gone from treating about 80 patients injured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Visitation has been restricted , elective surgeries postponed .
One hospital employee died and six others lost everything in the tornado , hospital CEO Paul Korth said .
Tornado damage closed a medical supplies warehouse in Mt .
Juliet , and the hospital is supplementing its limited supply of ventilators and masks .
“ We are trying to be very cautious and very proactive on how we use those , ” Korth said .
The hospital had four COVID-19 patients Wednesday , spokeswoman Melahn Finley said .
In most people , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that clear up in two to three weeks .
For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness and may be life-threatening .
For Eric Grooms , whose family saw their home reduced to its foundation in the storms , the restrictions put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus have made a return to normal impossible .
Grooms ’ wife owns a salon , now temporarily closed .
His industrial filter service has lost business .
Grooms said they are lucky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shops shuttered , it ’ s been hard to make it feel homey .
Restaurants and other distractions that initially took their minds off the destruction aren ’ t open .
Grooms has been told he can ’ t rebuild until next year at the earliest but expects to stay in the neighbourhood .
“ The whole neighbourhood is just so tight , so close that we can leave the place , but it ’ s hard to leave the people , ” he said .
More than anything , though , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6-year-old daughter .
“ We can ’ t take her to the bounce house .
You can ’ t do this .
You can ’ t do that , ” Grooms said .
“ It makes the tornado , that environment afterward , the shock , it just prolongs it.
” Cojom , the 42-year-old Cookeville father and cook , faces more uncertainty .
Mauricio ’ s Italian Restaurant , where he works , is closed for at least another week , maybe more .
The storm ’ s terror still lingers for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night , their house shook violently , the roof collapsed on him and a wall fell on one daughter .
‘ At first , he thought it was a bad dream .
He held tightly to his bed to keep from blowing away , and his wife and their other girl hid in their crumbling bathroom .
Somehow , they all escaped with only cuts and bruises .
They left it all behind .
They ’ re living in a three bedroom apartment , their rent covered by home insurance for about six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they ’ re staying home as much as possible .
He doesn ’ t know when he will get his job back , but in an odd way he feels up for the challenge .
“ I don ’ t know what ’ s next , ” he said .
“ We ’ ve just got to stay strong.
” Sainz reported from Memphis , Tennessee .
Associated Press reporters Kristin M. Hall and Travis Loller contributed .
Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : @ @

Adrian Sainz And Jonathan Mattise - The Associated Press