thetorontostar--2020-10-17--The Latest: Virus case in Vatican hotel where pope lives

The Vatican says someone who lives in the same Vatican hotel as Pope Francis has tested positive for coronavirus , adding to the 11 cases of COVID-19 among the Swiss Guards who protect him .
The Vatican said Saturday that the resident of the Domus Sanctae Marthae has moved out temporarily and is in isolation , as are all the people who came into direct contact with him .
The hotel serves as a residence for Vatican-based priests as well as visiting clerics and lay people .
Francis chose to live there permanently after his 2013 election , shunning the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed to be around ordinary people .
The hotel has a communal dining room and chapel where Francis celebrates Mass each morning .
The Vatican , a tiny city state in the centre of Rome , has beefed up its anti-COVID-19 measures amid a resurgence of the outbreak in Italy .
Protective masks are required indoors and out , but Francis has largely shunned them even when holding audiences with the public .
At 83 and with part of a lung removed when he was in his 20s due to illness , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complications .
Last week , the Vatican confirmed a cluster of 11 cases among the Swiss Guards , the tiny army of young Swiss men who serve as ceremonial guards at papal Masses , guard the Vatican City gates and protect the pope .
BRATISLAVA , Slovakia — Slovakia is acquiring 13 million rapid antigen tests for a mass testing of its population amid a record surge of coronavirus infections .
Prime Minister Igor Matovic says almost 6,000 testing sites will be established across the country for the testing that is scheduled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starting with the three or four hardest-hit counties .
Matovic says it will be similar for citizens to going to cast ballots at elections .
It ’ s unclear if the testing will be mandatory .
Antigen tests are less accurate than PCR tests , which are considered the gold standard , but have the advantage of producing faster results .
The nation of 5.4 million has been facing a record spike with the number of confirmed positive cases in one day surpassing 2,000 on Thursday .
The Slovak authorities have so far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared with other European countries .
Just under 12,000 were carried out on Friday .
The country has a total of 28,268 confirmed cases and 82 people have died .
HERE ’ S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK : — White House puts ‘ politicals ’ at CDC to try to control info — Belgium will tighten coronavirus restrictions from Monday in an effort to hold the disease in check .
The new measures include a night-time curfew and the closure of cafes , bars and restaurants for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe is at a turning point as the coronavirus surges back across the continent , including among vulnerable people , and governments try to impose restrictions without locking whole economies down .
— Hundreds of Argentine flags dotted the sand of a beach at the Mar del Plata resort , a poignant memorial to the victims of the novel coronavirus in one of this South American country ’ s virus hot spots .
HERE ’ S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING : ZAGREB , Croatia — Nearly 30 patients and staff at a Croatian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new coronavirus amid a record surge in infections in the country .
Croatian state television HRT said Saturday that the infected patients include five in post-operative care and five awaiting surgery .
The head of the Sisters of Mercy hospital , Mario Zovak , says eight surgeons have also tested positive , along with nurses and other staff .
Zovak says the hospital is setting up special wards for the infected and transferring some patients to another hospital .
Croatia has reported record numbers of new infections , which on Saturday exceeded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a row in the country of 4.2 million people .
DUBAI , United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates has announced its highest single-day total of new cases of the coronavirus amid a spike in this Mideast nation home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai .
The country ’ s Health Ministry said tests found 1,538 new cases of the virus , pushing the overall number of cases to 114,387 .
The ministry said another four people died from the virus , bringing the overall death toll to 459 .
Recorded infections have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities have relaxed restrictions and resumed schools for in-person instruction .
Dubai has reopened its airport for international travellers and embarked on an active campaign promoting itself as a tourism destination amid the pandemic .
The UAE is engaged in an aggressive testing campaign , with over 11 million tests conducted in a country home to over 9 million people .
BANGKOK — Health officials in Thailand say five people in the same family in a province bordering Myanmar have tested positive for the coronavirus .
The cases are the first since early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong , director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences , said a married couple in Tak province were confirmed to be infected on Oct. 13 .
He said their daughter , niece and nephew were found positive in an initial test , and results of second confirmation test would be known Saturday night .
Nine people close to the family members were put under quarantine , and provincial authorities are considering what additional measures should be taken .
Thai authorities on Saturday announced 10 new confirmed cases of coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to bring the total since January to 3,679 , including 59 deaths .
The other eight new cases are Thais who were in quarantine after returning from abroad .
ROME — Italy ’ s northern Lombardy region , where the European coronavirus outbreak began in late February , has taken new measures to contain rebounding infections , limiting bar service and alcohol sales , banning contact sports and closing bingo parlours .
The regional government late Friday also called for high schools to adopt hybrid schedules with students alternating in-person with online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lombardy , Italy ’ s most populous region , has once again become the most affected in the COVID-19 resurgence , adding more than 2,000 infections a day .
Hospitals are coming under strain and intensive care units are filling up .
The new measures allow only table service for bars from 6 p.m. , ban takeout alcohol sales from that time and prohibit all consumption of booze in public spaces , an effort to eliminate crowds from forming in piazzas with takeout drinks .
Italy ’ s other hardest-hit region , southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including a shutdown of schools for two weeks .
After parents protested , the regional governor backed off Friday and allowed day-care centres to remain open .
PRAGUE — Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have surpassed 10,000 in one day for the first time , setting a new record high for the third straight day .
The Health Ministry says the day-to-day-increase of the new confirmed cases surged to 11,105 on Friday .
It is almost 1,400 more than the previous record set a day earlier .
The country has registered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,283 deaths .
After a series of new restrictive measures adopted by the government to slow down the surge , Health Minister Roman Prymula said he still expected a rise of those tested positive for about two weeks .
If the new measures fail to make an impact , the number of new cases could reach a quarter of million in the second half of October , the Health Ministry predicted .
BEIJING — Qingdao , a coastal city in eastern China , has completed coronavirus testing for its 11 million residents following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so far .
As of Friday , the 10.9 million samples came back negative .
Xue Qingguo , Qingdao ’ s deputy mayor , told state broadcaster CCTV that the risk of community transmission “ is basically eliminated.
” The citywide testing was ordered after 13 people were infected in China ’ s first locally transmitted cases in over two months .
The source of the outbreak was traced to two dock workers who had tested positive for the virus in September but did not exhibit any symptoms at first .
They had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent to a CAT scan room , which was not disinfected properly afterward and led to the infection of other patients , according to health officials .
Health Commission Director Sui Zhenhua and Deng Kai , president of Qingdao ’ s thoracic hospital to which the cases have been linked , have been placed under investigation in connection with the outbreak .
On Saturday , the National Health Commission reported 13 new imported cases .
China has reported 4,634 deaths among 85,659 confirmed cases .
NEW DELHI — India reported 62,212 new cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its total to more than 7.4 million and continuing a downward trend .
The Health Ministry on Saturday also registered 837 additional fatalities , taking the death toll to 112,998 .
The worst-hit western Maharashtra state accounted for nearly 36 % of total fatalities .
According to the Health Ministry , India ’ s average number of daily cases dropped to 72,576 last week from 92,830 during the week of Sept. 9-15 , when the virus peaked .
It is recording an average of around 70,000 cases daily so far this month .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures may not be reliable because of poor reporting and inadequate health infrastructure .
India is also relying heavily on antigen tests , which are faster but less accurate than traditional RT-PCR tests .
Health officials have warned about the potential for the virus to spread during the religious festival season beginning later this month .
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan told reporters on Friday that the next two months were particularly crucial because of the winter season and festivals .
New Delhi is also bracing for high air pollution levels , making the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
MELBOURNE , Australia — Australia ’ s Victoria state has reported just one new case of COVID-19 and no deaths as the city of Melbourne moves closer towards the easing of some lifestyle restrictions .
The state ’ s coronavirus death toll remains at 816 and the Australian total is 904 .
Melbourne residents are expecting COVID-19 restrictions to be eased on Sunday but it is unclear how much freedom will be regained .
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has indicated the changes would be more “ in the social space , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from restrictions that once included an overnight curfew .
Current restrictions include a two-hour exercise limit within 5 kilometres ( 3 miles ) of work or home and mandatory face masks covering the mouth and nose when a person leaves their home .
SALEM , Ore. -- The Oregon Health Authority reported 418 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases and six additional deaths .
At the current rate of transmission , Oregon Health Authority officials project that new infections will increase “ substantially ” to 570 new reported cases a day and 40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kate Brown announced Friday that Lane County has been added to the County Watch List .
Currently there are five counties on the watch list — Benton , Clatsop , Lane , Malheur and Umatilla .
A county is placed on the watch list when COVID-19 is spreading quickly .
ALBUQUERQUE , N.M. -- New Mexico health officials on Friday confirmed the state set another single-day record with 819 COVID-19 cases , bringing the statewide total to 35,770 since the pandemic began .
New rules to limit gatherings to five people or less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 p.m. closing time for bars and some restaurants also took effect Friday after successive days of record-breaking daily infection rates .
The previous record of 672 on Thursday already had eclipsed records set in recent days .
The state on Friday also reported six additional deaths related to the pandemic , bringing that total to 928 .
At the University of New Mexico , eight football players and one assistant coach have tested positive for the coronavirus and high positivity rates in the county where the school is located have forced the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eddie Nuñez said if the team is unable to practice for the next week , they will not be able to safely play their first scheduled game on Oct. 24 against Colorado State .
SALT LAKE CITY — One of Utah ’ s largest hospitals had no beds left Friday in its regular intensive-care unit as the governor declared the state ’ s weekslong spike in coronavirus cases “ unsustainable.
” The University of Utah Health had to set up extra ICU beds staffed by doctors and nurses working overtime to care for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unit hit 104 % capacity , said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Russell Vinik .
“ We ’ ve cut back where we can but it ’ s precarious , ” he said .
“ We are very concerned about flu season , particularly if people don ’ t get vaccinated .
We can ’ t take another hit.
” MIAMI - Florida has reported a slight uptick in daily confirmed COVID-19 cases , adding 3,449 to its total caseload on Friday .
The new state report raises the seven-day average of new infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had dropped under 2,300 in late September and early October , when the state lifted restrictions on restaurants and the largest school districts began welcoming students .
The COVID-19 hospitalization and deaths figures have been relatively stable in recent weeks .
The number of people being treated in Florida hospitals peaked in late July at more than 9,500 , then declined for about two months .
But the figure has levelled off for the past three weeks at around 2,000 to 2,200 without further decline .
The state tallied 98 new virus-related deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 16,030 .
RALEIGH , N.C. — North Carolina ’ s Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a plan Friday in which it described the residents it will prioritize when a coronavirus vaccine gets approved and becomes available .
“ We anticipate that populations of focus for initial COVID-19 vaccination will likely be the critical workforce that provides healthcare and maintains essential functions of society , staff and residents in long-term care facilities , and people with two or more co-morbidities that put them at high risk for complications from COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will also consider prioritizing specific locations with vulnerable populations or high rates of spread .
The detailed 148-page plan notes that the groups of people getting a vaccine first will be reevaluated over time .
“ Jurisdictions should anticipate that allocations may shift during the response based on supply , demand , and risk.
” The federal government will be responsible for giving money to North Carolina ’ s state , tribal and local health departments .
JACKSON , MISS .
- Mississippi ’ s state health officer said he overestimated the number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face coverings to prevent the spread of coronavirus after the statewide mask mandate was lifted .
“ Why we would broadly abandon something that is so simple — even easy , and effective — just because there is not an executive order , it has perplexed me and I ’ m frankly quite disappointed , ” Dr. Thomas Dobbs said on a video call with reporters on Friday .
After months of declining cases , Mississippi has seen two straight days of new cases topping 1,000 , something the state hasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s statewide mask mandate was put into place in August .
Gov .
Tate Reeves repealed Mississippi ’ s statewide mask mandate on Sept. 30 , citing declining cases .
The Republican governor encouraged citizens to continue to wear masks anyway , but added officials “ should not use the heavy hand of government more than it is justified.
” Dobbs said Friday the decision was not made lightly .
But two months into the mandate , people were lashing out against it .
“ There were people who were getting tired of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of were violating it when it was still mandated , ” he said .
“ I think that was some of the concern , that it ’ s lost its sort of , firepower.
” MADISON , Wis. — Wisconsin broke the record for new positive coronavirus cases on Friday for the third time in a week as a surge that began in early September shows no signs of abating .
The state also hit record highs for daily deaths and hospitalizations this week as a third lawsuit was filed arguing that Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authority by issuing public health emergencies and implementing a statewide mask mandate and capacity limits for bars and restaurants .
Evers on Friday launched a television ad criticizing Republicans for inaction , and the state ’ s second-largest school district said students wouldn ’ t be returning for in-person classes until late January at the earliest .
There were 3,861 new coronavirus cases reported in Wisconsin on Friday , breaking the previous record set just a day earlier of 3,747 .
Wisconsin continued its record-setting pace for hospitalizations , hitting a new high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ field hospital to handle overflow patients opened near Milwaukee on Wednesday .
Evers has repeatedly blamed Republicans who control the Legislature for blocking his efforts to get the virus under control .
Republicans are part of a lawsuit seeking to overturn the state ’ s mask mandate and the Tavern League of Wisconsin is suing to overturn Evers ’ order limiting capacity in bars and restaurants .
A third lawsuit filed Friday asks the Wisconsin Supreme Court to rule that Evers overstepped his authority in issuing subsequent public health emergency orders after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Tenn. — Gov .
Bill Lee is calling for the temporary suspension of negative consequences for Tennessee schools and teachers related to student tests for the current school year due to adjustments and disruptions to learning caused by the coronavirus pandemic .
The Republican governor said Friday that while student testing will continue , he wants to “ alleviate any burdens ” associated with teacher evaluations and school accountability for the 2020-2021 school year .
Lee said school districts missed critical learning time when in-person classes were suspended during the spring as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ districts started holding in-person classes when the current school year started several weeks ago , others have maintained online learning only .
Some teachers and school district administrators have called for cancellation of tests or suspension of accountability measures .
Teacher pay can be influenced by teacher evaluation scores , and poorly performing schools can be moved under state control .
Lee said he will work with the Tennessee General Assembly on his call to “ temporarily pause the accountability that we have in our state that ties student testing to teacher evaluations @ @


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Artist hikes length of Vermont, painting along the way

MANCHESTER , Vt. - After hiking over 200 miles ( 320 kilometres ) on the country ’ s oldest long-distance trail , Rob Mullen had just 3 miles ( 5 kilometres ) to go in the rain to meet up with his wife and father for a break .
He kept dry with his foul weather gear as he walked down the trail with a backdrop of trees sprouting fall ’ s orange and yellow leaves and carrying trekking poles and a big stuffed blue pack on his back that held his precious painting kit .
Mullen , a 64-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 272-mile ( 440-kilometre ) Long Trail that runs the length of Vermont and over its highest mountains from the Canadian border to the Massachusetts state line and painting sights along the way .
He was nearing the end of his monthlong journey and planned to finish as soon as Saturday afternoon with half a dozen paintings and several thousand photos from which to paint .
He ’ s also coming away with sense of hope about the country from the people he ’ s met along the trail .
“ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a long time , ” he said during his break off the trail in Manchester on a Tuesday .
Mullen , who has done a number of wilderness canoe trips in Alaska and Canada , had planned to paddle in the Northwest territories of Canada this year with three others .
But then the coronavirus pandemic hit .
He decided to do the entire Long Trail as a painting trip and to raise money with his art for the Vermont Wildlife Coalition , of which he is a board member , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Long Trail .
Mullen managed to fulfil his plan to hike a certain distance and then paint a painting on the first day .
He got to a shelter around 4 p.m. , banged out a painting of an erratic boulder , cooked dinner and went to bed , he said .
But the northern part of the trail with the bigger mountains is tough and he admits he hadn ’ t trained properly , which slowed pace .
“ I mean I was really suffering , “ he said , adding that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hand off some weight , including his 8-pound ( 3.6 kilogram ) painting kit .
But he wasn ’ t about to give up .
As he continued , he gained strength and took back the painting kit .
At times , he said the scenery was breathtaking .
Unlike paddling , provides a view he can see for miles , showing peaks poking through the clouds at higher elevations , his wife Bonnie Rowell said .
She meets up with him about every five days to resupply him with food .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ black bears and in a special sighting , a gray fox .
And he ’ s met many hikers who are either hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine or , like himself , Vermont ’ s Long Trail , sharing shelters with them for the night or meeting up on the trail .
“ You get these ephemeral friendships , ” he said , of the bonds he made with strangers along the way .
The hikers look out for one another , share gear and help to fix what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of fuel on a recent night , another hiker loaned them a fuel cannister , he said .
And so-called trail angels leave water at road crossings and other spots for hikers , .
His monthlong hike was also a reprieve from the polarizing political debate in the country , he said .
He hasn ’ t heard a political discussion in weeks .
“ It certainly gives you a little hope that the apparent polarization that comes across when you ’ re watching the news doesn ’ t go that deeply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not in many of them .
So it was encouraging for me , “ he said .

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thetorontostar--2020-10-17--For Trump, city where ‘bad things happen’ looms large

PHILADELPHIA - When President Donald Trump told the world that “ bad things happen in Philadelphia , ” it was , in part , a blunt assessment of his party ’ s struggles in the nation ’ s sixth-most populous city .
For decades , Philadelphia has been the cornerstone of Democratic victories in the battleground state — producing Democratic margins so massive that winning statewide has been a longshot for most Republican presidential candidates .
But it ’ s a longshot Trump pulled off in 2016 and is trying to repeat again .
His debate stage disdain for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspired memes and T-shirts — underscored his campaign ’ s months-long effort to fight the blue tide that starts in the city .
That fight has involved court challenges and statehouse wrangling over mail-in voting and poll watching , efforts Democrats characterize as voter suppression .
And it came as Trump openly declared , citing no evidence , that the only way he can lose Pennsylvania to former Vice-President Joe Biden is through a massive fraud engineered by Democrats in the city of 1.6 million .
But Trump can ’ t change the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one in eight registered voters live in Philadelphia , a city that keeps delivering increasingly large Democratic margins , routinely provides one in five votes for Democratic presidential candidates and is spurring a leftward drift in the heavily populated suburbs around it .
“ Trump is right , ‘ bad things happen in Philadelphia , ’ especially for him , ” Philadelphia ’ s Democratic Party chair , Bob Brady , said .
“ And bad things are going to happen for him in Philadelphia on Election Day.
” Recent polls show Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania , or Biden ahead by single-digits in a state Trump won by just over 44,000 votes — less than a percentage point — in 2016 .
Trump ’ s victory was the first by a Republican presidential candidate since 1988 , and it shocked Pennsylvania Democrats to the core .
In Philadelphia , Biden ’ s campaign is putting a heavy emphasis on turning out Black and Latino voters and is bringing in former President Barack Obama to campaign there .
Trump ’ s campaign is making its own appeal to Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better results with his white , working-class base .
Brady predicted Philadelphia will carry the rest of Pennsylvania and produce a bigger margin of victory for Biden than the 475,000 it produced for Hillary Clinton in 2016 .
That gap was slightly smaller than the historic margins Obama had in 2008 and 2012 .
The Biden campaign has several “ voter activation ” centres around the city , not to mention Biden ’ s campaign headquarters .
Trump ’ s campaign , meanwhile , opened offices in heavily Black west Philadelphia and in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a year-old state law that greatly expanded mail-in voting , people now have weeks to vote and turnout is brisk at newly opened election offices around the city where voters can fill out and cast ballots .
That is giving hope to Philadelphia Democrats , after the city ’ s predominantly Black wards did not turn out as strongly in 2016 for Clinton as they did for Obama , including some that delivered 10 % fewer votes .
“ The line went around the block , ” state Rep. Chris Rabb , whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a newly opened election office there .
“ It was nothing that I ’ ve seen since 2008 and I ’ ve worked the polls for 16 years now.
” In a city that is 42 % Black , the belief that Trump has fueled a racist surge is widely held .
Breaking up concrete on a contracting job at a west Philadelphia rowhouse this week , Dexter Ayres , a lifelong Democrat , said he already voted for Biden in hopes of improving how Black people are treated in America .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting will change anything .
Ayres , who is Black , admitted that makes him wonder , “ Wow , why did I vote ?
” “ But then I look at it like : ‘ Well , maybe my vote will make a difference , ’ ” Ayres said .
“ I ’ m just praying and leaving it in God ’ s hands.
” Sitting on her front porch in west Philadelphia this week , Latoya Ratcliff , a Democrat , said she will vote for Biden , and sees more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump than in 2016 to vote for Hillary Clinton .
The defining issue for Ratcliff , who is Black , is racism .
“ They understand a little more about getting out and getting that vote out , “ said Ratcliff , 39 .
In northeast Philadelphia , Trump saw unexpectedly strong support from an area with a reputation for being home to unionized building trades members , police officers and firefighters .
Republicans say they now expect even stronger support for Trump there .
“ Back the Blue ” yard signs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the city ’ s police union endorsed Trump again and the city ’ s firefighters and paramedics union also endorsed him , breaking with its international association ’ s endorsement of Biden .
Leaving his northeast Philadelphia home to go shopping recently , lifelong Democrat Joe Dowling said he will vote for Trump after backing Clinton four years ago .
The issue that changed his mind , he said , has been the violence in the wake of George Floyd ’ s death and a backlash against police .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dowling , 60 , who is white .
“ There ’ s no reason for anybody to disrespect the police.
” Democrats acknowledge that they slipped in northeast Philadelphia in 2016 — the swing was about 11,000 voters from 2012 .
Still , the area snapped back for Democrats in 2018 and U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle , who represents it in Congress , said he expects Biden to do better there than Clinton .
He recalled a paper-shredding event his office last fall , attended by hundreds in the parking lot of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I was surprised by the animus toward Trump , people unsolicited saying , ‘ Got ta get him out of there , he ’ s a disaster , ’ ” said Boyle , a Democrat .
“ And it was different .
I wasn ’ t hearing that a few years earlier.
” Stephen Lomas , a long-time registered Republican who lives between two Trump supporters in northeast Philadelphia , said he will vote for Biden .
Lomas , 84 , who is white , said Trump and members of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the system .
...
They ’ re out-and-out crooks .
They ’ re almost traitors to our Constitution.
” Besides mail-in voting , another thing that is different in this presidential election is a network of allied liberal issues and community groups in Philadelphia , organizers say , with a long-term focus on reaching people unlikely to vote in predominantly Black and Latino neighbourhoods .
Briheem Douglas , vice-president of Unite Here Local 274 , a union of casino , food service and hotel workers that supports Biden , said he is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 36 , tells a personal story to everyone he meets who isn ’ t planning to vote : He is caring for the infant child of his 21-year-old niece , Brianna , who died in September from the coronvavirus .
“ So I ’ m laser-focused on canvassing more than in 2016 , ” Douglas said .
Levy reported from Harrisburg , Pennsylvania .
Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter and Mike Catalini at www.twitter.com/mikecatalini AP ’ s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early , by mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : //interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020

Mike Catalini And Marc Levy - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--China passes amendments outlawing insulting national flag

HONG KONG - The Standing Committee of China ’ s congress on Saturday passed amendments to a law that will @ @ @ @ @ the national flag and emblem , after anti-government protesters in Hong Kong last year desecrated @ @ @ @ @ to the newly amended National Flag and National Emblem Law , which will take effect @ @ @ @ @ who intentionally burn , mutilate , paint , deface or trample the flag and emblem @ @ @ @ @ for criminal responsibility .
The law also states that that national flag must not be @ @ @ @ @ or used in any manner that impairs the dignity of the flag .
The revised @ @ @ @ @ offices in Hong Kong and Macao that are set up by the central government .
@ @ @ @ @ were proposed after anti-government protesters in Hong Kong last year trampled on the Chinese flag @ @ @ @ @ China .
At least three protesters in Hong Kong were sentenced for desecrating the Chinese @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Iran announces its virus death toll passes 30,000 killed

TEHRAN , Iran - Iran announced Saturday that its death toll from the coronavirus has passed the milestone of 30,000 killed , in what has been the Mideast region ’ s worst outbreak .
The announcement by Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari saw Iran put its total death toll from the outbreak at 30,123 killed , with 253 new deaths being added to the official count .
Lari added that there are 4,721 virus patients that are in critical condition .
Iran has been struggling with the coronavirus since announcing its first cases in February , with more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent weeks , Iran has seen daily death tolls spike to their highest-ever levels , sparking increasing concern even as government officials continue to resist a total lockdown for fear of cratering the economy , which has been hard-hit by U.S. sanctions .
On Wednesday , Iranian officials announced a travel ban to and from five major cities , including the capital of Tehran and the holy city of Mashhad , that they said aimed to contain the virus ’ spread .
The coronavirus has also spread to some of the highest levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes many older men .
Among those recently infected is the head of the country ’ s atomic energy organization , while Iran ’ s vice-president in charge of budget and planning tested positive on Sunday .
After downplaying the outbreak in its first weeks , Iranian officials have more recently begun to admit the scope of the epidemic within the country .
Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi , who had tested positive for the virus in March after playing down its threat and refuting reports of mass deaths , told state TV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true death toll is about double the reported figures .
According to officials , there are also large numbers of patients in hospitals being treated as COVID-19 cases but who have not been tested , whose tests came out as false negatives or whose symptoms are not the same as those listed by the World Health Organization and who are therefore not counted in the official case numbers .
Like in many other countries , the spiraling outbreak in Iran reflects the government ’ s contradictory virus response .
This week , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record for three times , authorities announced tighter restrictions for the hard-hit capital of Tehran .
Recently reopened universities and schools , as well as libraries , mosques , cinemas , museums and beauty salons , shut down .
In the past week , the government mandated that all Tehran residents wear face masks outdoors and in public places , warning violators would be fined .
Officials promised those who tested positive would be closely tracked .
Movement restrictions this spring somewhat checked the spread of the disease .
Then the government swiftly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its stricken economy .
Since June , the case count has steadily increased — and spiked to new heights in recent weeks .
Long before the virus hit , Iran ’ s economy was ailing , pummeled by U.S. sanctions after the Trump administration ’ s unilateral withdrawal in 2018 from Tehran ’ s nuclear accord with world powers .
As the death toll soared this week , the nation ’ s currency plunged to its lowest level ever , following the U.S. administration ’ s decision last week to blacklist Iranian banks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of re-imposed American sanctions .
As Iran approaches winter , the seasonal influenza could be an added and serious issue for the country , as it has had purchasing the flu vaccine amid new American sanctions on Iranian banks .
Iran ’ s Red Crescent Society said in a tweet on Tuesday that they were in charge of importing two million flu vaccine doses into the country , but that new U.S. sanctions prevented the import .
Meanwhile on Saturday , the United Arab Emirates has announced its highest single-day total of new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Gulf nation that is home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai .
The country ’ s Health Ministry said tests found 1,538 new cases of the virus , pushing the overall number of cases to 114,387 .
The ministry said another four people died from the virus , pushing the overall death toll to 459 .
Overall recoveries are at 106,354 .
Recorded infections have soared again in recent weeks , as authorities have relaxed restrictions and resumed schools for in-person instruction .
Dubai has reopened its airport for international travellers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a tourism destination amid the pandemic .
The UAE is engaged in an aggressive testing campaign , with over 11 million tests conducted in a country home to over 9 million people .
Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell , in Dubai , the United Arab Emirates , contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Leftist versus hardliner in Turkish Cypriot leadership vote

NICOSIA , Cyprus - Turkish Cypriots vote on Sunday in a leadership runoff that could decide whether they retain more control over their own affairs or steer even closer to an increasingly domineering Turkey .
Veteran incumbent Mustafa Akinci , 72 , backs the long-held federal framework for a deal with rival Greek Cypriots to reunify ethnically divided Cyprus .
He ’ s also a champion of Turkish Cypriots who oppose Turkey ’ s complete domination of their affairs .
His hardline challenger Ersin Tatar , 60 , advocates fully aligning Turkish Cypriots with Turkish policies , such as pursuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Here ’ s a look at what ’ s at stake : A 1974 Turkish invasion triggered by a coup aimed at union with Greece split the eastern Mediterranean island along ethnic lines .
Nine years later , Turkish Cypriots in the northern third declared independence , but are only recognized by Turkey , which maintains a strong military footprint there .
Since then , the agreed-upon arrangement that would restore Turkish Cypriots to the international fold is a federation of two separately administered zones .
But nearly half a century of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have stumbled on several core issues .
Those include a demand for Turkey to retain military intervention rights and a permanent troop presence .
The majority Greek Cypriots also oppose a Turkish Cypriot demand for equal say at all levels of federal government .
Akinci says that despite the difficulties federation is the only path to peace .
But Tatar mirrors Turkey ’ s view that both sides must look at new options , including a two-state deal .
The winner ’ s first test will be a planned meeting under U.N. Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two sides with ‘ guarantors ’ Greece , Turkey and Britain to scope out the chances of resuming peace talks .
But the final say on key issues such as intervention rights rests with Ankara , on which Turkish Cypriots are economically and militarily dependent .
Turkey , Greece and Cyprus are heavily at odds over potential offshore gas and oil reserves .
With much military muscle flexing , Turkey has laid claim to areas of the sea where Greece and Cyprus ’ internationally recognized Greek-Cypriot government say they have exclusive economic rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every right to look for energy reserves there and that it ’ s also defending Turkish Cypriots ’ rights .
The standoff has ratcheted up military tensions between Greece and Turkey .
A Cyprus peace deal would go a long way towards easing those tensions and enabling maritime border deals that would unlock the eastern Mediterranean ’ s huge potential as a possible gas exporter to energy-hungry Europe and beyond .
Akinci says peace talks should include negotiations on sharing any future gas proceeds .
Tatar takes that a step further by insisting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greek Cypriots say Turkish Cypriots ’ share to a potential gas bounty is already guaranteed .
Last week ’ s first round of voting took place under the cloud of Turkey ’ s alleged meddling to rally support around Tatar .
In a move that also served notice over who ’ s pulling the strings in the north , Turkey opened to the public a beach in an uninhabited Famagusta suburb that ’ s remained off-limits and under Turkish military control since its Greek Cypriot residents fled the 1974 invasion .
Many Turkish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to boost support for Tatar , while Greek Cypriots were angry at what they saw as a prelude to the Turkish Cypriots taking over the whole suburb in contravention of U.N. resolutions .
Akinci charged that the beach opening showed an unprecedented level of Turkish interference in an election and argued that it would pit Turkish Cypriots against U.N. decisions .
In the first round , Ersin Tatar came out on top with 32.35 % , and Akinci secured 29.84 % .
The centre-left CTP party of third-place finisher Tufan Erhurman who garnered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind Akinci .
But the race could go either way .
Akinci may have CTP backing , but Tatar is courting a significant pool of voters — especially in rural areas — who may not have voted in the first round .
Turnout will be a key factor .
The first round saw an all-time low voter participation of 55 % from a 200,000-strong electorate , and some analysts say a higher turnout might favour Tatar .

Menelaos Hadjicostis - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Azerbaijan: Armenian missile killed 13, wounded over 50

BAKU , Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan on Saturday accused Armenia of striking its second-largest city with a ballistic missile that killed at least 13 civilians and wounded 50 others in a new escalation of their conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh .
The Armenian Defence Ministry denied launching the strike , but the separatist authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh put out a statement listing alleged “ legitimate ” military facilities in the city of Ganja , although they stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attack .
Azerbaijani officials said the Soviet-made Scud missile destroyed or damaged about 20 residential buildings in Ganja overnight , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rubble for victims and survivors .
Scud missiles date back to the 1960s and carry a big load of explosives but are known for their lack of precision .
In a televised address to the nation , Azerbaijan ’ s president , Ilham Aliyev , denounced the missile strike as a war crime and warned the leadership of Armenia that it would face responsibility for that .
“ Azerbaijan will give its response and it will do so exclusively on the battlefield , ” Aliyev said .
While authorities in both Azerbaijan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas have increasingly come under shelling amid the hostilities that have raged for three weeks despite Russia ’ s attempt to broker a cease-fire .
Stepanakert , the regional capital of Nagorno-Karabakh , came under intense shelling overnight , leaving three civilians wounded , according to separatist authorities .
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there ended in 1994 .
The latest outburst of fighting began on Sept. 27 and has involved heavy artillery , rockets and drones , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of hostilities between the South Caucasus neighbours in more than a quarter-century .
Aliyev announced Saturday that Azerbaijani forces have taken the town of Fizuli and seven villages around it , gaining a “ strategic edge.
” Fizuli is one of the seven Azerbaijani regions outside Nagorno-Karabakh that was seized by the Armenian forces during the war in the early 1990s .
Russia , which has a security pact with Armenia but also has cultivated warm ties with Azerbaijan , hosted top diplomats from both countries for more than 10 hours of talks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal .
But the agreement immediately frayed , with both sides blaming each other for breaching it .
Azerbaijan has insisted it has the right to reclaim its land by force after efforts by the so-called Minsk group of international mediators that comprises Russia , the United States and France failed to yield any progress .
Azerbaijan has actively pushed for its ally Turkey to take a prominent role in future peace talks .
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar spoke on the phone with his Azerbaijani counterpart , congratulating Azerbaijan on “ liberating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Armenian jets .
The Azerbaijani military declared Saturday that they downed an Armenian Su-25 jet , a claim quickly dismissed by Armenia ’ s Defence Ministry .
Drones and rocket systems supplied by Turkey have given the Azerbaijani military an edge on the battlefield , helping them outgun the Armenian forces that rely mostly on outdated Soviet-era weapons .
Associated Press writers Avet Demourian in Yerevan , Armenia , Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul , Turkey , contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--New Zealand’s Ardern appears headed for big win and 2nd term

AUCKLAND , New Zealand - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appeared headed for a landslide win and a second term in office Saturday during early vote counting in New Zealand ’ s election .
With about one-third of votes counted , Ardern ’ s liberal Labour Party had nearly double the amount of votes than its main challenger , the conservative National Party .
One question will be whether Labour can win an outright majority in Parliament , something that hasn ’ t happened since New Zealand implemented a proportional voting system 24 years ago .
Typically , parties must form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s a chance Ardern and Labour will be able to go it alone .
A record number of voters cast early ballots in the two weeks leading up to the election .
On the campaign trail , Ardern has been greeted like a rock star by people who have crammed into malls and spilled onto streets to cheer her on and get selfies with her .
Her popularity soared earlier this year after she led a successful effort to stamp out the coronavirus .
There is currently no community spread of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million and people are no longer required to wear masks or social distance .
Ardern , 40 , won the top job after the 2017 election when Labour formed an alliance with two other parties .
The following year , she became only the second world leader to give birth while in office .
She became a role model for working mothers around the world , many of whom saw her as a counterpoint to President Donald Trump .
And she was praised for her handling of last year ’ s attack on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supremacist gunned down 51 Muslim worshippers .
She moved quickly to pass new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons .
In late March this year , when only about 100 people had tested positive for the coronavirus , Ardern and her health officials put New Zealand into a strict lockdown with a motto of “ Go hard and go early.
” She shut the borders and outlined an ambitious goal of eliminating the virus entirely rather than just trying to control its spread .
With New Zealand having the advantage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy worked .
The country eliminated community transmission for 102 days before a new cluster was discovered in August in Auckland .
Ardern swiftly imposed a second lockdown in Auckland and the new outbreak faded away .
The only new cases found recently have been among returning travellers , who are in quarantine .
The Auckland outbreak also prompted Ardern to postpone the election by a month and helped increase the early voter turnout .
The National Party ’ s leader , Judith Collins , is a former lawyer .
She served as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prides herself on a blunt , no-nonsense approach , a contrast to Ardern ’ s empathetic style .
Collins , 61 , is promising sweeping tax cuts in response to the economic downturn caused by the virus .
In the election , voters also have a say on two contentious social issues — whether to legalize marijuana and euthanasia .
Polls indicate the euthanasia referendum is likely to pass while the marijuana vote remains close .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Aides rejoin Trump on campaign trail after their own COVID cases

WASHINGTON - Donald Trump set off for a campaign swing to the Midwest and West with his largest contingent of advisers since a coronavirus outbreak swept through the White House _ including key aides who fell ill with the virus themselves .
Trump held rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin Saturday and planned to travel on to Las Vegas ahead of a rally in Carson City , Nevada , on Sunday and events in Arizona on Monday .
Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany joined Trump on Air Force One on Saturday after tweeting Friday night that she ’ d recovered from COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and White House aides Hope Hicks and Stephen Miller , all recently diagnosed with COVID-19 and now recovered , were also aboard .
Trump has held daily rallies since Monday , which was 11 days after he tested positive for the virus himself and was later admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment .
He continues to pledge that America is “ rounding the corner ” on the pandemic , despite caseloads rising nationally again .
Cases in the U.S. have topped 8 million , and deaths are more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hot spot , and the seven-day average of new confirmed cases in the state has risen more than 3,000 for the first time .
Trump still held a rally there Saturday night with hundreds of people packed close together .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Trump leans into fear tactics in bid to win Midwest states

JANESVILLE , Wis. - President Donald Trump leaned into fear tactics Saturday as he accused the left of trying to “ destroy the American way of life ” in a late reelection pitch to voters in Michigan and Wisconsin — two Midwestern states that were instrumental to his 2016 victory but may now be slipping from his grasp .
In back-to-back rallies , Trump accused the left of wanting to “ erase American history “ and “ purge American values.
” He claimed , with no basis , that Democratic rival Joe Biden would put communities at risk .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ headwinds not only in national polling , which shows Biden leading , but also in key battleground surveys .
His comments come after his campaign , with far less cash than Biden ’ s , largely retreated from TV advertising in the Midwest , shifting much of its money to Sun Belt states such as Florida , North Carolina , Arizona and Georgia , as well as Pennsylvania .
As he tries to energize his base and keep on-the-fence voters from turning against him , Trump sought to paint Democrats as “ anti-American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a moral duty ” to join the Republican Party .
“ The Democrat Party you once knew doesn ’ t exist , ” he said .
It was the same on issue after issue , as he claimed in hyperbolic terms that Biden ’ s election would spur “ the single biggest depression in the history of our country ” and “ turn Michigan into a refugee camp.
“ Addressing the coronavirus crisis , Trump warned that Biden would “ shut down the country , delay the vaccine and prolong the pandemic.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be in far better shape had Trump ’ s administration taken more aggressive action early on .
And while he repeatedly predicted victory , Trump seemed to grapple throughout the day with the prospect that he could indeed lose in November .
In Michigan , he quipped that , in January , he “ better damn well be president .
In Wisconsin , he wondered how he would process a loss .
“ Can you imagine if I lose ?
I will have lost to the worst candidate in the history of American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What do I do ?
” Trump has continued to hold rallies despite the threat of the coronavirus , which hospitalized him for several days earlier this month .
Wisconsin broke the record for new positive virus cases on Friday — the third time that ’ s happened in a week .
The state also hit record highs for daily deaths and hospitalizations this past week .
But there was little evidence of concern among the thousands of supporters Trump drew in both states , where audience members stood closely together in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued to call on Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer to roll back restrictions that remain in place to try to halt the spread of the virus , prompting the crowd to break into a “ Lock her up !
” chant .
( The same chant also broke out after he mentioned his 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar . )
Whitmer , a Democrat , was the focus of a kidnapping plot by anti-government extremists who were angered by lockdown measures .
Thirteen men have been charged in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans to storm the state capitol and to hold some kind of trial for the governor .
“ You got to get your governor to open your state and get your schools open .
The schools have to be open , right ?
” said Trump , who also took credit for federal law enforcement ’ s role in foiling the plot .
“ Every single time the President does this at a rally , the violent rhetoric towards her immediately escalates on social media , ” she tweeted .
“ It has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Biden , meanwhile , had no public events planned for Saturday .
But in a memo to supporters , campaign manager Jen O ’ Malley Dillon warned about becoming complacent .
“ The reality is that this race is far closer than some of the punditry we ’ re seeing on Twitter and on TV would suggest , ” she wrote in the memo , a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press .
“ If we learned anything from 2016 , it ’ s that we can not underestimate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his way back into contention in the final days of a campaign , through whatever smears or underhanded tactics he has at his disposal.
“ Trump has an aggressive campaign schedule in the coming days , with rallies planned Sunday in Nevada , Monday in Arizona and Tuesday in Pennsylvania .
But Trump ’ s schedule suggests concern .
On Friday , he campaigned in Georgia — a state no Republican presidential contender has lost since 1992 but where polling shows Trump and Biden in a tight contest .
Trump also has had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he carried by almost 10 percentage points four years ago .
The latest campaign fundraising figures from the Trump team suggest he ’ s likely the first incumbent president in the modern era to face a financial disadvantage .
After building a massive cash edge , his campaign spent lavishly , while Biden kept expenses low and benefited from an outpouring of donations that saw him raise nearly $ 1 billion over the past three months .
That gives Biden a massive cash advantage with just over two weeks to go before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would be “ the greatest fundraiser in the history of politics ” if he tried , but didn ’ t want to make calls and didn ’ t need the money .

Jill Colvin And Brian Slodysko - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Mailman rescues man in chainsaw accident in Norwalk

NORWALK , Calif. - A mailman on his route in southern California helped another man who accidentally cut his arm with a chainsaw late last week , authorities said .
United States Postal Service mailman Fernando Garcia was wrapping up his shift in Norwalk when he heard a loud scream from a nearby house before rushing toward the home to help , KNBC-TV reported Monday .
Garcia said he found a man with a cut to the arm and used his belt as a tourniquet .
He stayed with the man until an ambulance arrived .
The extent of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Los Angeles County sheriff ’ s department posted on Twitter Friday from the Norwalk station that the man is expected to recover because of Garcia ’ s quick action .
“ I was a little panicky but at the end of the day ...
I did what anybody else would have done , which was to try to stop the bleeding , ” Garcia said .
“ I was just fortunate to be there , to help him out.
” It is unclear where the man was in the home and what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the time of the accident .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--21 members of white supremacist orgs charged for guns, drugs

SALT LAKE CITY - Twenty-one members and associates of white supremacy organizations in Utah are facing charges over gun and drug distribution .
The indictments came after an investigation that started in June 2019 that focused on the Soldiers of Aryan Culture , Silent Aryan Warriors and Noble Elect Thugs .
“ SAC and SAW are highly volatile , dangerous criminal enterprises , ” Mike Schoenfeld , director of the Salt Lake Area Gang Project , said Friday .
“ These gangs have their roots right here in the Utah prison system .
It ’ s not something to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very strong ties nationwide to other violent white supremacy groups.
“ The indictments unsealed Friday include charges for distributing heroin and methamphetamine , possessing a firearm while selling drugs and having a gun as a felon , the Salt Lake Tribune reported .
Officials said many of the men and women charged have lengthy criminal histories in Utah .
“ These targets were violent , they ’ re criminals , and they ’ re the worst in our communities , ” said Matt Harris , U.S. marshal for the District of Utah .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Archbishop performs exorcism to cleanse protest site

SAN RAFAEL , Calif. - The archbishop of San Francisco performed a short exorcism ceremony Saturday outside a Catholic church where protesters had earlier toppled a statue of Father Junipero Serra , saying the ceremony was intended to drive out evil and defend the image of Serra .
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone performed the ritual before some 150 supporters before holding a special Mass inside St. Raphael Catholic Church and an expected march to a Planned Parenthood clinic , the San Francisco Chronicle reported .
Serra was an 18th-century Spanish missionary priest and the father of the California mission system .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the church for bringing Roman Catholicism to what is now the western United States , but critics highlight a darker side to his legacy .
In converting Native Americans to Catholicism , critics say he forced them to abandon their culture or face brutal punishment .
Depictions of Serra have been protested and vandalized over the years , and Pope Francis ’ decision in 2015 to elevate him to sainthood reopened old wounds .
More recently , protests focusing on the rights and historical struggle of Black and Indigenous people led activists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Francisco , Sacramento and Los Angeles .
San Rafael police say they arrested five people on vandalism charges for knocking over the statue on Monday , leaving just the feet attached to the base .
The statue is being repaired and will be returned .
Despite characterizations in popular culture , the newspaper reports that exorcism is more commonly a solemn ceremony to evict the devil or evil spirits from an area or person .
Cordileone said prayers in Latin , remarking that “ the experts in the field tell me that Latin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devil because he doesn ’ t like the language of the church.
” San Rafael is north of San Francisco , in the county of Marin .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Japan’s populist, pragmatic new PM Suga pushes Abe’s vision

TOKYO - Japan ’ s new prime minister , Yoshihide Suga , leaves Sunday on his first overseas foray since taking over from his former boss Shinzo Abe last month , heading to Vietnam and Indonesia .
The choice to visit Southeast Asia underscores Japan ’ s efforts to counter Chinese influence and build stronger economic and defence ties in the region , much in line with Abe ’ s vision .
It also reflects pandemic realities .
With the U.S. tied up with domestic politics ahead of the Nov. 3 election , Suga was unable to head to Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s most important ally after he replaced Abe , who resigned for health reasons .
As he emerges from Abe ’ s shadow with promises to “ work for the people , ” Suga is proving in some ways to be even more hard line .
It has raised hackles within Japan and could rile neighbours , already disgruntled by Abe ’ s nationalist agenda .
Abe had vowed to restore Japan ’ s waning diplomatic stature and national pride by promoting ultra-nationalistic policies such as traditional family values and amending the post-World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greater overseas military role for his country .
While Abe travelled abroad relentlessly during his nearly eight years in office , often as Japan ’ s top salesman , Suga mostly stayed home to manage bureaucrats to push economic , security and other domestic policies .
Suga is expected to sign a bilateral defence equipment and technology transfer agreement with Vietnam as part of Tokyo ’ s efforts to promote exports of Japanese-made military equipment .
It ’ s a signal that Suga is certain to follow in Abe ’ s footsteps in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best known for his behind-the-scenes work pushing Abe ’ s agenda as chief Cabinet secretary .
He has deftly used his modest background as the son of a strawberry farmer and a teacher and his low-profile , hardworking style to craft a more populist image than his predecessor .
With much of the world , including Japan , occupied with battling the coronavirus pandemic , Suga is focusing more on delivering results .
So far , he appears to be trying to distinguish himself from Abe by pumping out a hodge-podge of consumer-friendly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quick work .
With national elections expected within months , there is little time to waste .
( asterisk ) What is always on my mind is to tackle what needs to be accomplished without hesitation and quickly , and start from whatever is possible ... and let the people recognize the change , ” Suga told reporters Friday as he marked his first month in office .
He has ordered his Cabinet to rush through approvals of several projects such as eliminating the requirement for Japanese-style “ hanko ” stamps , widely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and government documents .
He is forging ahead with his earlier efforts to lower cellphone rates and promote use of computers and online government and business .
Tackling Japan ’ s low birthrate and shrinking population head-on , he favours granting insurance coverage for infertility treatments .
“ So far , Prime Minister Suga is working on policies that are easy to understand and popular to many people , as his administration apparently aims to maintain high support ratings , ” said Ryosuke Nishida , a sociologist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one after another , and that ’ s his strategy to make his government look as if it is achieving results.
” At the same time , Suga ’ s refusal to approve the appointments of six professors out of a slate of 105 to the state-funded Science Council of Japan has drawn accusations that he is trying to muzzle dissent and impinge on academic freedoms .
The flap looks unlikely to balloon into a serious crisis for Suga , who has not given any explanation apart from saying that his decision was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that advises and checks government policies should be acceptable to the public .
But it has added to concerns that Suga might be more forthright than Abe in quashing opposition : The council , set up in 1949 , has repeatedly opposed military technology research at universities , most recently in 2017 .
Its objections to government funding for such research is contrary to Abe ’ s efforts to build up Japan ’ s military capability .
Many Japanese , especially academics , are wary of abuse of power given the country ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World War II and anti-communist campaigns after the war .
Historian Masayasu Hosaka , writing in the Mainichi newspaper , described it as a “ purge.
” The surprise decision sent support ratings for Suga ’ s Cabinet to just above 50 % last week from well above 60 % shortly after he took office .
Adding to unease over possible interference in academic freedom , the Education Ministry urged public schools to display a black cloth symbolizing mourning along with the national flag , and to hold a moment of silence to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nakasone , whose state-funded funeral was held Saturday .
Such moves would come as no surprise under Abe , who as grandson of wartime leader Nobusuke Kishi and heir to a political dynasty stuck to his ultra-conservative agenda .
But while Suga ’ s own personal ideology is unknown , he followed Abe ’ s example in making ritual donations of religious ornaments Saturday to the Yasukuni Shrine to pay respect to the war dead .
China and South Korea consider the shrine , which also commemorates executed Japanese war criminals , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Suga “ seems to be a person with no ideology or political vision , ” said Nishida .
“ His failure to articulate a mid- to long-term goal is worrisome ...
It seems everything he does is for electoral gain.
” That could prove risky , some analysts say .
Heavyweights within the governing Liberal Democratic Party gave Suga , a self-made politician not affiliated with any of the party factions , their backing when Abe suddenly stepped aside .
Suga could lose their support just as easily despite his carefully designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show he is mindful of his precarious situation , said Koichi Nakano , an international politics professor at Sophia University in Tokyo and outspoken critic of Abe .
( asterisk ) Basically , the LDP is a party of hereditary politicians , and that ’ s Mr. Suga ’ s weakness , ( asterisk ) Nakano said .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--1-year-old critically hurt; 6 others shot in Arizona

MESA , Ariz. - Police in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa said on Saturday that several young children , including a 1-year-old who is in critical condition , were shot while eating dinner with their families on Friday night .
A total of seven people , including children ages 6 , 9 and 16 , along with three adults , were shot in a parking lot full of food trucks and families who were dining .
Besides the 1-year-old , the other victims had injuries varying from minor to severe , but officials expected those six to survive .
Police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know the motive but say a fight between a man and woman had broken out there early in the evening .
They say a small box-style SUV pulled up to the lot and started firing .
A worker at one of the food stands fired back , and the car fled .
Police don ’ t know if the car was struck .
Authorities are looking for any help finding the suspect .
“ It ’ s a sad and it ’ s a tragic day , ” Mesa Police Chief Ken Cost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to these family members who had their children shot.
“


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--At least 5 injured in blast, fire at Virginia strip mall

HARRISONBURG , Va. - An investigation was underway into the cause of an explosion and large fire at a shopping centre in Harrisonburg , Virginia , that injured at least five people Saturday morning .
Three people were taken to hospitals after the incident that was reported around 8:30 a.m. , and two others were treated on the scene for minor injuries , the city said in an update Saturday evening .
The strip mall contained a vape shop , musical instrument store and recording studio , according to the Daily News-Record .
It was a “ total loss , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Damage was also reported to other structures .
Although Gov .
Ralph Northam tweeted that state emergency personnel had been deployed to the area after what he called a gas explosion , Harrisonburg Fire Chief Matt Tobia told reporters the cause was under investigation .
Parks , who said the probe will likely take several days , said there ’ s no indication of foul play .
Harrisonburg , in Virginia ’ s Shenandoah Valley , is a city of around 50,000 that ’ s home to James Madison University .
The university @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students from the school ’ s Army ROTC program who had been participating in a 10-mile race were among those injured .
The building where the blast occurred was about 30 yards ( 27 metres ) from the race ’ s start and finish line , the school said .
One of the students was hospitalized but was expected to be quickly released , JMU said .
Two other students were treated at the scene and released , according to the post .
The university said the other two injured people were not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s update , posted on Twitter around 5:30 p.m. , said they had been flown to the University of Virginia ’ s medical centre in serious condition and were “ now stable.
” Parks said it wasn ’ t immediately clear if those victims were affiliated with one of the centre ’ s businesses .
Tobia said when crews arrived , the injured were outside of the structure .
Families who lived nearby told TV station WHSV the blast shook their homes .
“ It woke me up personally and I mean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something not normal , “ Katie Landes told the station .
” So , I looked right outside the window that was right by me and I saw that there was the beginning of some serious smoke going on .
”


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Conservatives staging free speech rally attacked by critics

SAN FRANCISCO - A free speech demonstration staged by conservative activists quickly fell apart in downtown San Francisco on Saturday after several hundred counterprotestors surged the area , outnumbering and attacking those gathered , including knocking one in the mouth .
A photographer working for The Associated Press witnessed an activist with Team Save America taken away in an ambulance and an injured San Francisco police officer on the ground by San Francisco ’ s United Nations Plaza .
Team Save America organized the rally to protest Twitter , which it said squelches conservative speech .
Members of the group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump campaign hats and carried pro-police “ Thin Blue Line ” flags and U.S. flags .
Philip Anderson , the organizer of the event , posted photos to social media of his bloody mouth with a front tooth missing and another hanging loosely .
He said anti-fascist protesters attacked him “ for no reason.
“ Anderson took the stage at about 1 p.m. and was greeted by chants and plastic water bottles and glass bottles thrown over police barricades .
The event was cancelled , although both sides lingered in the area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the San Francisco Police Department were not immediately returned Saturday .
Anderson called the counterprotesters hypocrites and said they are the reason why he ’ s voting for President Donald Trump .
“ I love America , I love this country and I love free speech , ” he said .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--ICC prosecutor arrives in Sudan to discuss Darfur charges

CAIRO - The International Criminal Court ’ s prosecutor arrived in Sudan late Saturday to discuss co-operation with local authorities over bringing to trial those internationally wanted for war crimes and genocide in the country ’ s Darfur conflict , the Sudanese official news agency said .
Prime Minister Abdallla Hamdok ’ s office said in a statement that ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and other court officials would stay in Sudan until Wednesday .
It is the first announced visit for Bensouda to Sudan .
“ The ICC delegation will discuss methods of co-operation between the Government of Sudan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against whom the ICC has issued arrest warrants , ” read the statement , which did not name any of the suspects .
Among those wanted by the international court is former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir , who has been in jail in Khartoum since his ouster last year and is facing several trials in Sudanese courts related to his three decades of strongman rule and the uprising that helped oust him .
The conflict in Sudan ’ s Darfur region broke out when rebels from the territory ’ s ethnic central and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2003 , complaining of oppression by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum .
Al-Bashir ’ s government responded with a scorched-earth campaign of aerial bombings and unleashed militias known as Janjaweed , who are accused of mass killings and rapes .
Up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were driven from their homes .
The ICC charged al-Bashir , 76 , with war crimes and genocide for allegedly masterminding the campaign of attacks in Darfur .
Sudanese prosecutors started last week their own investigation into the Darfur conflict .
Also indicted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of al-Bashir ’ s rule : Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein , interior and defence minister during much of the conflict , and Ahmed Haroun , a senior security chief at the time and later the leader of al-Bashir ’ s ruling party .
Both , Hussein and Haroun , have been under arrest in Khartoum since the Sudanese military , under pressure from protesters , ousted al-Bashir in April 2019 .
The court also indicted rebel leader Abdulla Banda , whose whereabouts are not known , and Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb , who surrendered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sudan ’ s neighbour , in June before being flown to The Hague to face justice more than 13 years after ICC judges issued an arrest warrant against him .
Sudan ’ s transitional government , which has promised democratic reforms and is led by a mix of civilian and military leaders , has previously said that war crime suspects including al-Bashir would be tried before the ICC , but the trial venue is a matter for negotiations with The Hague-based court .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--‘Home Improvement’ actor Zachery Ty Bryan arrested in Oregon

EUGENE , Ore. - Zachery Ty Bryan , the actor who played the oldest son on the long-running 1990s sit-com @ @ @ @ @ arrested in Oregon and faces charges of strangulation and assault .
The Eugene Police Department @ @ @ @ @ a North Eugene apartment Friday night on a report of a physical dispute .
They @ @ @ @ @ sitting outside and his girlfriend , 27 , at a neighbouring apartment .
Bryan reportedly @ @ @ @ @ her breathing , and took her phone away when she tried to call 911 , @ @ @ @ @ declined medical assistance .
Bryan was booked into Lane County jail after 1 a.m. Saturday @ @ @ @ @ a possible agent for Bryan was not immediately returned .
It wasn ’ t immediately @ @ @ @ @ lawyer who could speak on his behalf .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Police: Man upset with mask mandate threatened Wichita mayor

WICHITA , Kan. - A retired firefighter who was upset with Wichita ’ s mask ordinance was arrested on suspicion of threatening to kidnap and kill the mayor of Kansas ’ largest city , authorities said .
Police said the 59-year-old suspect who was arrested Friday could face a charge of criminal threat , the Wichita Eagle reported .
Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple , a Democrat , said someone had read him text messages received by another city official that asked about the mayor ’ s address and threatened his life .
“ He said he was going to kidnap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed my address because I needed to see the hangman — me and everyone who , something about tyranny , ” Whipple said .
“ It sounded like the person was very upset about pretty much mask mandates and he said something about not being able to see his mother because of COVID restrictions on elderly homes , ” he said .
Wichita police spokesman Charley Davidson said that no other local officials are believed to have been targeted .
The arrest comes more than a week after authorities said they thwarted a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whitmer .
Authorities allege members of two anti-government paramilitary groups took part in plotting in that case .
Six men are charged in federal court with conspiring to kidnap the Democratic governor .
Eight others are charged in state court with counts including providing material support for terrorist acts .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Police officer shot, another man injured in Kansas shooting

A police officer and another man were injured by gunfire in Kansas , authorities said .
Lyons police officer Cory Ryan was shot multiple times when responding to a 911 call Friday afternoon from a man who said he had been threatened with a gun , the Kansas Bureau of Investigation reported .
The 36-year-old police officer went to a Lyons residence and was shot by a man who lived there , 40-year-old Adam Hrabik , the bureau said .
Two bystanders who saw the shooting drove the officer to a hospital in their vehicle .
Lyons Police chief Justin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 56-year-old Lyons man who had been shot from the scene .
Holliday is recovering at home after being treated at a local hospital .
Ryan was later transferred from a local hospital to a Wichita hospital where he is improving and is listed Saturday in critical , but stable condition .
The 56-year-old man is in good condition Saturday and is expected to be released from the hospital .
An hourslong standoff ensued after Hrabik retreated into the residence , according to investigators .
Negotiators with the Kansas Highway Patrol ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the home at about 7:10 p.m. , The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said .
Hrabik has not been formally charged .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--A Fenway first: Ballpark becomes voting venue amid pandemic

Bostonians who lined up at the nation ’ s oldest ballpark on Saturday were far more focused on the ballot box than the batter ’ s box .
Hundreds of people cast their votes at Fenway Park , which city officials are using as an alternative to indoor venues during the pandemic .
Voter Rob Cohen said he ’ s a 3-minute walk from his nearest polling location but he chose to take a 20-minute bus ride and then stand in line 45 minutes to cast his vote at the storied ballpark .
“ It was two things I like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the diehard Red Sox fan said after his first and only visit to the park this year .
Fenway Park was one of 10 locations across Boston where residents could cast their votes on Saturday , when early voting began across the state .
Early voting in the state will run through Oct. 30 , but Fenway Park is being used only for this weekend as an early voting location .
The ballpark provided a unique experience compared to the other voting venues across Massachusetts .
“ This is the first time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or opened up Fenway Park for any kind of voting in the city of Boston , so we ’ re really excited to be partners with the city on this , ” said Red Sox spokeswoman Zineb Curran .
With their 60-game season over , the players are long gone .
Residents weren ’ t allowed in the stands then , nor were they allowed in the stands on Saturday .
Instead , a crowd of upbeat voters formed a line that began on one side of the park and snaked toward the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the field after filling out their ballots in the concourse and exiting on Lansdowne Street .
The ballpark provided a safer voting venue during the pandemic because it ’ s both outdoors and covered , providing protection from the elements while also having plenty of ventilation .
Despite providing a voting venue , the Red Sox organization stuck to baseball and staying out of the politics .
“ We just want people to exercise their right to cast their ballot , ” Curran said .
Voters were encouraged to wear masks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed them .
But no one was turned away since the goal was to provide access to anyone who wanted to cast a vote .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--New Zealand’s Ardern wins 2nd term in election landslide

AUCKLAND , New Zealand - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won a second term in office Saturday in an election landslide of historic proportions .
With most votes counted , Ardern ’ s liberal Labour Party was winning 49 % of the vote compared to 27 % for its main challenger , the conservative National Party .
Labour was on target to win an outright majority of the seats in Parliament , something that hasn ’ t happened since New Zealand implemented a proportional voting system 24 years ago .
Typically , parties must form alliances to govern , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go it alone .
In a victory speech in front of hundreds of cheering supporters in Auckland , Ardern said her party had gotten more support from New Zealanders that at any time in at least 50 years .
“ This has not been an ordinary election , and it ’ s not an ordinary time , ” she said .
“ It ’ s been full of uncertainty and anxiety , and we set out to be an antidote to that.
“ Ardern promised not to take her new supporters for granted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We are living in an increasingly polarized world , a place where , more and more , people have lost the ability to see one another ’ s point of view , ” she said .
“ I think in this election , New Zealanders have shown that this is not who we are.
” A record number of voters cast early ballots in the two weeks leading up to the election .
On the campaign trail , Ardern was greeted like a rock star by people who crammed into malls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on and get selfies with her .
Her popularity soared earlier this year after she led a successful effort to stamp out the coronavirus .
There is currently no community spread of the virus in the nation of 5 million and people are no longer required to wear masks or social distance .
Ardern , 40 , won the top job after the 2017 election when Labour formed an alliance with two other parties .
The following year , she became only the second world leader to give birth while in office .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mothers around the world , many of whom saw her as a counterpoint to President Donald Trump .
And she was praised for her handling of last year ’ s attack on two Christchurch mosques , when a white supremacist gunned down 51 Muslim worshippers .
She moved quickly to pass new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons .
In late March this year , when only about 100 people had tested positive for COVID-19 , Ardern and her health officials put New Zealand into a strict lockdown with a motto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” She shut the borders and outlined an ambitious goal of eliminating the virus entirely rather than just trying to control its spread .
With New Zealand having the advantage of being an isolated island nation , the strategy worked .
The country eliminated community transmission for 102 days before a new cluster was discovered in August in Auckland .
Ardern swiftly imposed a second lockdown in Auckland and the new outbreak faded away .
The only new cases found recently have been among returning travellers , who are in quarantine .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election by a month and helped increase the early voter turnout .
The National Party ’ s leader , Judith Collins , is a former lawyer .
She served as a minister when National was in power and prides herself on a blunt , no-nonsense approach , a contrast to Ardern ’ s empathetic style .
Collins , 61 , was promising sweeping tax cuts in response to the economic downturn caused by the virus .
In a speech to her supporters in Auckland , Collins said she ’ d called Ardern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an outstanding result for the Labour Party , ” Collins said .
“ It has been a tough campaign.
“ Collins promised that the party would be back to fight another day .
The election also saw Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and his small New Zealand First party voted out .
The libertarian ACT Party increased its support to 8 % and the Green Party won 7.5 % of the votes .
Labour Minister David Parker said it was a landslide win for his party .
“ It ’ s a tremendous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minister , but also to the wider Labour team and the Labour movement , ” he said .
In the election , voters also had a say on two contentious social issues — whether to legalize marijuana and euthanasia .
Polls taken before the election indicated the euthanasia referendum was likely to pass while the outcome of the marijuana vote remained uncertain .
The results of both referendums will be announced Oct. 30 .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Ardern for her victory and said he looked forward to continuing to work together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 , fighting climate change and empowering women and girls around the world .
“ Her dedication and determination have helped advance these important issues , and I look forward to continuing our progress to build a more inclusive , equal , and resilient world for everyone , ” Trudeau said .
— with files from The Canadian Press .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--As lockdown eases, Israelis again gather against Netanyahu

JERUSALEM - Thousands of Israelis demonstrated outside the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night , resuming the weekly protest against the Israeli leader after emergency restrictions imposed as part of a coronavirus lockdown were lifted .
The protests were curtailed last month after Israel imposed new lockdown measures in response to a new virus outbreak .
The emergency regulations blocked Israelis from travelling to Jerusalem to protest and allowed people only to attend smaller demonstrations within one kilometre ( half a mile ) of their home .
The protesters gathered in central Jerusalem and marched to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ banners calling on him to go and shouting “ Revolution !
” Many blew horns and pounded on drums , while others hoisted Israeli flags .
Scores of smaller demonstrations were held across the country , and organizers claimed some 260,000 people participated nationwide .
The protesters say Netanyahu must resign , calling him unfit to lead the country while he is on trial for corruption charges .
They also say he has mishandled the virus crisis , which has sent unemployment soaring .
Netanyahu is on trial for fraud , breach of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a series of scandals .
He has denied the charges and said he is the victim of a conspiracy by overzealous police and prosecutors and a liberal media .
Israeli media reported several incidents of violence by far-right counter-demonstrators .
In the northern city of Haifa , police said they arrested three people suspected of using pepper spray on demonstrators .
Earlier this year , Israel managed to contain the virus outbreak by sealing its borders and imposing a strict lockdown .
But a quick reopening of the economy led to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdown .
Health officials say the new restrictions have brought the infection rate down , and Israel is set to begin easing the lockdown on Sunday by reopening daycare centres and some businesses .
A full reopening is expected to take several months .
Unemployment , including people on open-ended furloughs , has soared to nearly 25 % , according to government figures .
Many of the protesters include business owners , entrepreneurs and workers who lost their jobs .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Organizers exhort women to vote for change at US rallies

Thousands of mostly young women in masks rallied Saturday in the nation ’ s capital and other U.S. cities , exhorting voters to oppose President Donald Trump and his fellow Republican candidates in the Nov. 3 elections .
The latest of rallies that began with a massive women ’ s march the day after Trump ’ s January 2017 inauguration was playing out during the coronavirus pandemic , and demonstrators were asked to wear face coverings and practice social distancing .
Rachel O ’ Leary Carmona , executive director of the Women ’ s March , opened the event by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one another , saying that the only superspreader event would be the recent one at the White House .
She talked about the power of women to end Trump ’ s presidency .
“ His presidency began with women marching and now it ’ s going to end with woman voting .
Period , ” she said .
“ Vote for your daughter ’ s future , ” read one message in the sea of signs carried by demonstrators , who marched through downtown Washington to the Supreme Court .
“ Fight like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dozens of other rallies were planned from New York to San Francisco to signal opposition to Trump and his policies , especially the push to fill the seat of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before Election Day .
One march was held at Cornell University in Ithaca , New York , outside the dormitory where Bader Ginsburg lived as an undergraduate student .
In New York , a demonstrator wearing a Donald Trump mask stood next to a statue of George Washington at Federal Hall during the the women ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We Dissent , ” said a cardboard sign carried by a young woman wearing a red mask with small portraits of the liberal Supreme Court justice whose Sept. 18 death sparked the rush by Republicans to replace her with a conservative..
In Washington , Sonja Spoo , director of reproductive rights campaigns at Ultraviolet , said she has to chuckle when she hears reporters ask Trump whether he will accept a peaceful transfer of power if he loses his reelection bid .
“ When we vote him out , come Nov. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ said Spoo .
” Donald Trump will not get to choose whether he stays in power.
“ “ That is not his power , that is our power .
... We are the hell and high water , ” she said .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Haitian police, protesters clash; president calls for unity

PORT-AU-PRINCE , Haiti - Haitian police on Saturday fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters who blocked roads and set fires in the capital , Port-au-Prince .
Several people were injured .
It was the latest unrest during more than a year of protests calling for the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse over corruption charges .
Haiti is currently experiencing a political impasse without a parliament and is now run by decree under Moïse .
The president marked Saturday by appealing for unity and laying a wreath on the 214th anniversary of the death of Haiti ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Many Haitians criticize the government ’ s pandemic response , alleging that authorities have not done enough to provide treatment for those affected , or offered economic support for those who lost work due to a national lockdown aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the impoverished country .
The police have held their own protests this year , demanding better pay and working conditions .
In February , police exchanged gunfire with Haitian soldiers outside the national palace where police were protesting working conditions .
Earlier this year , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of corruption and failing to protect the population .


thetorontostar--2020-10-17--Stacey Abrams’ zeal for voting began with preacher parents

( RNS ) — Stacey Abrams , the former Georgia House minority leader who lost a razor-thin race for governor in 2018 , voted on Thursday ( Oct. 15 ) , driving her ballot to a local drop box .
Jeanine Abrams McLean , a former biologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who now helps her sister run the census advocacy group Fair Count , also took advantage of Georgia ’ s early voting , wearing her “ Come to Your Census ” T-shirt to her polling place in Tucker .
In an interview with Religion News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coincidence that the siblings had cast their votes on the same day .
The family ’ s pastor , the Rev .
Ralph Thompson , said voting is ingrained in the Abramses .
“ The family is just a tight-knit cadre of people who understand that it is incumbent upon them to vote and to make a difference , ” he said .
Thompson , whose predominantly Black Columbia Drive United Methodist Church in Decatur , Georgia , has a sign outside that says “ Vote Early , ” said the entire family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sacred civil duty.
” This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press .
RNS and AP partner on some religion news content .
RNS is solely responsible for this story .
When Abrams , 46 , threw herself into her twin causes of protecting the right to vote and being counted in the census , most news stories attributed her efforts to her loss in the gubernatorial election by 50,000 votes to Brian Kemp , the state ’ s top elections official at the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes , announced the formation of her voter access organization , Fair Fight , in her concession speech , along with her intention to sue Kemp for running what she alleged was an unfair election .
( The suit is ongoing . )
But Abrams also connects voter protection and other civic activism to her family ’ s faith .
“ My faith is central to the work that I do , in that I not only hold Christian values , but my faith tradition as a Methodist tells me that the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Abrams .
Abrams and her siblings were raised by two United Methodist clergy , the Rev .
Robert Abrams and the Rev .
Carolyn Abrams , both now retired .
Their parents trained them early in service , bringing them to work at soup kitchens and to boycott a local Shell gas station to protest its corporate owner ’ s connections to apartheid-era South Africa .
McLean was an acolyte , or altar server , and Stacey Abrams said she “ did double duty ” as an usher and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family attended at the time .
“ You look at Stacey , who ’ s doing public service with all of her advocacy , ” said McLean , 38 .
“ You look at Fair Count and the work that I ’ ve been able to do here , but even public service working in public health : My siblings are all doing some sort of work that has an impact on people ’ s lives because that ’ s just the way that we were taught .
...
The first place we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ church.
” The family has continued to pursue its commitment to public service through the church , using faith as a motivator to be engaged in politics .
“ I was raised to not only think about my faith as an activity , but to translate that into how I engage community , ” said Abrams .
Earlier this year , Fair Count provided a “ faith app ” to dozens of congregations to help clergy text their members with census and church information .
McLean envisions faith leaders encouraging congregants to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reviewed in their communities .
Apps that can be used on mobile phones make such information more available to disadvantaged communities , where cellphones are more widely available than broadband-dependent devices .
“ What we ’ re trying to do is provide these resources , not only to help to make sure that there is long-term power building in faith communities in these vulnerable areas , ” McLean said , “ but also to just give people a lifeline so that they can continue to reach out and stay connected with their members.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Columbia Drive Church in Decatur , along with her husband and two children and Robert and Carolyn Abrams .
Stacey Abrams attends when her schedule allows and has been a speaker for special events and obliges her pastor ’ s impromptu invitations to make remarks .
Abrams ’ four other siblings are Leslie Abrams Gardner , a U.S. District Court judge ; Andrea Abrams , an anthropologist and an associate vice-president for diversity affairs at Centre College in Kentucky ; and two brothers , Richard Abrams , a Georgia social worker ; and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a California drug treatment facility .
All but Gardner joined McLean , Stacey Abrams and their parents on a Facebook “ Abrams Family Reunion ” as Fair Count held a virtual event to highlight census participation in the Magnolia State where they were raised .
Voting activism and the Black church have long been mutually reinforcing , as churches historically provided a protected space to discuss politics and organize drives .
The family has been that for the Abrams as well .
In a January speech to law students at Chapman University in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s story of being taught at her Mississippi church how to pass a written poll test , only to be refused the vote because she didn ’ t get the “ right ” answer when asked how many bubbles there were in a bar of soap .
“ She told me she made sure once she finally got the right to vote that she exercised it on every occasion , ” Gardner said .
“ As we celebrate the progress we ’ ve made , we must remain resolute to continue the fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the law.
” The Abramses are helping to expand the focus on the vote to other areas they say are equally empowering .
“ There are three pillars of democracy — the census , voting and redistricting — and we want to make sure that communities that have been left out of all three of these conversations have their voices heard from now and into the future , ” said McLean in an interview .
“ I evaluated the census the same way I did the right to vote or the right to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Facebook event , sitting next to his wife .
“ Anything that anyone worked so hard to keep from you must be good.
” Perhaps the most important link between Abrams and her church background , however , has been the resilience it has granted her to come back from seemingly overwhelming setbacks .
The latest came Tuesday , when the Supreme Court decision ended the extended census count , a decision McLean called “ jarring.
” “ I hope my witness is always seen as one of perseverance , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been the governor , but that didn ’ t absolve me of the responsibility that my faith tells me I hold , which is to ensure that the marginalized , the voiceless , the disadvantaged , are able to be heard and to be served.
” Religious messages have been a part of Abrams ’ campaigns dating at least to her run for governor , when her “ Boundless Belief ” ad featured her recollections of the Saturdays of service observed in her parents ’ home as a child and included footage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with family members as an adult .
Speaking earlier this year at Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Selma , Alabama , Abrams referred to the biblical book of Isaiah ’ s discussion of faithful endurance when she spoke of civil rights marchers who fought and bled for the right to vote on Bloody Sunday in 1965 .
“ I ’ m the product of the Voting Rights Act , an act that was bought and paid for on Edmund Pettus Bridge with foot soldiers who had believed that they had the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in footage of the event in “ All In : The Fight for Democracy , ” a 2020 documentary about barriers to voting .
“ They stood up and they crossed the bridge .
Those were the wings of the eagles that Isaiah talked about .
It may have looked like feet crossing the bridge but that was flight.
” Political scientist Andra Gillespie at Emory University in Atlanta said it ’ s not unusual for Black politicians like Abrams to include faith in voter mobilization work .
But her deep experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of familiarity to draw on more than a few oft-heard Bible verses .
“ She ’ s not going to go to the same places that everybody usually goes to because they only know a handful of Scripture , ” said Gillespie , an expert on African Americans and politics .
“ She ’ s been around church her whole life , so , yeah , she ’ s fluent in the Bible.
” Abrams said she ’ s going to keep up her message despite the disappointments along the way .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we speak to those in power and how we determine who holds power , ” she said .
“ And that ’ s my mission.
” This story was supported by the Solutions Journalism Network , a non-profit organization dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems .