thetorontostar--2020-08-18--DNC Day 2: Delegates across the U.S. cast ballots for Joe Biden

The Democratic Party has formally made Joe Biden its presidential nominee , a position he has sought for more than 30 years and through three White House bids .
Delegates from each state took a roll call vote during the second night of the virtual Democratic National Convention on Tuesday , awarding Biden the position .
Usually , each state calls out the number of delegates that different candidates won there during the primary in a dramatic fashion in a sports arena or large hall -- but the count was all done online this time .
Biden actually clinched the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challengers in the once-crowded Democratic presidential primary had left the race , and the votes of seven states and the District of Columbia gave him the 1,991 delegates to the convention needed to lock it up .
A former senator from Delaware and vice-president , Biden first ran for president in 1988 and tried again in 2008 before launching his 2020 campaign last year .
President Donald Trump faced only token opposition in his party ’ s primary and will formally be renominated as his party ’ s candidate during the virtual Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION : — Here ’ s what to watch on the second night of the convention — At DNC , Jill Biden to get personal about family ’ s struggles HERE ’ S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING : A cornfield in Iowa , a cattle range in Montana , the California coastline .
Those were the scenes behind Democratic delegates as they formally cast their votes in the presidential nominating process .
Most delegates went to Joe Biden , but some went to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Typically the nominating process is held in a convention hall with all the delegates gathered together .
But the videos submitted to the virtual convention provided more picturesque scenes from around the nation .
In Michigan , the delegates stood in front of cars representing the state ’ s auto industry .
In Louisiana , they spoke from an art studio with colorful murals on the wall .
In Nebraska , the woman nominating Biden wore a face mask as she talked about essential workers battling the pandemic .
Two politicians from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Delaware and a security guard who met Biden in an elevator have formally nominated him as the Democratic presidential nominee .
Jacquelyn Brittany met Biden when he went to The New York Times for an interview last year , and a video of their interaction went viral .
She says he was unlike many of the powerful people with whom she shares the elevator .
She says , “ I could tell he really saw me , that he actually cared.
” Sen. Chris Coons , who holds Biden ’ s former Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hopes of everyday people .
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester , also of Delaware , says future schoolchildren will learn about the pain and grief of this time in America but also about how a “ President Biden ” restored decency and integrity to American democracy .
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has described the progressive movement started by Bernie Sanders as “ a mass people ’ s movement ” that ’ s working to move the country toward guaranteed health care and higher education .
The New York congresswoman gave brief remarks Tuesday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Democratic National Convention .
Ocasio-Cortez is widely seen as the successor of Sanders ’ progressive flank of the party .
She says Sanders ran a historic grassroots campaign that realized that turns away from an American history checkered by violence , xenophobia , racial injustice and more and “ that realizes the unsustainable brutality that rewards explosive inequalities of wealth for the few at the expense of long-term stability for the many.
” Bill Clinton has delivered a stinging attack on President Donald Trump , saying the nation knows what he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the White House : “ Blame , bully and belittle.
” The former president addressed the second night of the virtual Democratic National Convention on Tuesday and said Trump “ defines the job as spending hours a day watching TV and zapping people on social media.
” Clinton said , “ Denying , distracting , and demeaning works great if you ’ re trying to entertain and inflame .
But in a real crisis , it collapses like a house of cards.
” He also praised Democratic candidate Joe Biden but spent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , who defeated his wife , Hillary , to clinch the presidency in 2016 .
Bill Clinton played a major role in conventions for four decades but was limited to five minutes on Tuesday .
But even abbreviated , his appearance is tricky for Democrats .
In the # MeToo era , as the party is focused on overt appeals to female voters , putting Clinton on stage is problematic for Democrats , given the numerous accusations of sexual misconduct against him .
Caroline Kennedy is portraying Joe Biden as a public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who once challenged Americans to look at what they can do for their country .
The daughter of President John F. Kennedy spoke Tuesday at the all-virtual Democratic National Convention about helping Barack Obama choose Biden as a running mate while on his vetting team and then seeing him in action as vice-president .
Kennedy served as the U.S. ambassador to Japan during the Obama administration and said she saw Biden as a leader who was tough but fair and commanded the trust and respect of other nations .
She appeared in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schlossberg as they attempted to bridge a generational span across the party .
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer made a pitch at the Democratic National Convention not just for Joe Biden , but for flipping control of the Senate to Democrats .
Schumer said Tuesday : “ If we are going to win this battle for the soul of our nation , Joe can ’ t do it alone .
Democrats must take back the Senate.
” The New York Democrat outlined a potential 2021 agenda on making health care “ affordable for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate change and other issues , including the COVID-19 crisis .
With the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop , he said President Donald Trump has “ demeaned ” everything it stands for .
“ America , Donald Trump has quit on you , ” he said .
“ We need a president with dignity , integrity , and the experience to lead us out of this crisis , a man with a steady hand and a big heart who will never — ever — quit on America , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden .
He will be a great president.
” Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates says President Donald Trump has “ trampled the rule of law ” and treats the country like a “ family business.
” Yates spoke Tuesday on the second night of the Democratic National Convention .
She said she never expected to be speaking at a convention but the future of the country was at stake .
She said Trump ’ s Democratic opponent , Joe Biden , represented the best of the country and said America needed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would restore the soul of America.
” Yates served as deputy attorney general during the Obama administration and stayed on as acting attorney during the early days of the T acting attorney general in the first days of the Trump administration , when she was fired by the president for refusing to defend the travel ban .
A diverse group of Democratic leaders is delivering the keynote address on the second night of the party ’ s convention , appearing in a montage of spliced together clips to deliver a stinging critique of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We know Joe Biden .
America , we need Joe Biden , ” said Stacey Abrams , the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate .
The keynote address is a moment that has often been seized by political up-and-comers to deliver a soaring message .
That includes Barack Obama , who rocketed to stardom in 2004 when John Kerry was the nominee .
But because the pandemic led to the cancellation of an in-person convention , Democrats opted to showcase a diverse group of local leaders in one video message on Tuesday .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this bad .
In the early days of the virus , Donald Trump didn ’ t listen to the experts , ” said Nikki Fried , Florida ’ s agriculture commissioner .
Long Beach , California , Mayor Robert Garcia added : “ We are facing the biggest economic and health crisis in generations because our president didn ’ t -- and still doesn ’ t -- have a plan.
” The speakers contrasted Trump ’ s leadership with that of Biden and their own , presenting the Democratic ticket as a safe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Former Secretary of State Colin Powell plans to say at the Democratic National Convention that he supports Joe Biden for president because of the values they share .
Powell served as secretary of state under Republican President George W. Bush from 2001 until 2005 , and served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under both Bush and Democratic President Bill Clinton .
In an advance clip of his speech Tuesday , Powell says that Biden shares “ the values I learned growing up in the South Bronx and serving in uniform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president because “ we need to restore those values to the White House.
” Powell , who is a decorated four-star general , also says that the country “ needs a commander in chief who takes care of our troops in the same way he would his own family.
” Powell says Biden knows how to do just that because his son Beau served in the Army National Guard .
Powell called President Donald Trump a liar and endorsed Biden in June .
He ’ s one of a handful of prominent Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kasich and Cindy McCain , the wife of deceased Arizona Sen. John McCain , set to speak at the Democratic National Convention .
A security guard who gushed over meeting Joe Biden in an elevator during his visit with The New York Times editorial board will be the first person to put his name into nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention .
Jacquelyn Brittany is one of three people putting Biden ’ s name into nomination on Tuesday night .
She ’ ll be joined by Sen. Chris Coons and Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The 31-year-old , who has declined to share her last name publicly , was filmed telling the former vice-president “ I love you ” as she escorted him to the newspaper ’ s editorial board meeting .
While Biden lost the paper ’ s endorsement , his team elevated the clip of Brittany as evidence that Biden appeals to average working Americans rather than elites .
Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield tweeted that Jacquelyn ’ s was “ the most powerful endorsement of the 2020 cycle.
” Jill Biden will offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s struggles and vouch for her husband ’ s ability to lead the nation through adversity during remarks at the Democratic National Convention .
According to advance remarks , she plans to say Tuesday night : “ There are times when I couldn ’ t imagine how he did it — how he put one foot in front of the other and kept going.
” She adds , “ But I ’ ve always understood why he did it .
...
He does it for you.
” Jill and Joe Biden have faced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first wife and infant daughter were killed in a 1972 crash .
Jill and Joe Biden faced tragedy together when son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015 .
Mrs. Biden will speak about what it takes to “ make a broken family whole ” : “ The same way you make a nation whole .
With love and understanding — and with small acts of compassion.
” Mrs. Biden will also speak about her work as a teacher .
She ’ s delivering the speech from her former classroom at Brandywine High @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is going to bat for Joe Biden , lending her voice to a video set to air during Tuesday night ’ s Democratic National Convention programming focused on Biden ’ s close friendship with her late husband , Republican Sen. John McCain .
In an advance clip from the video shared with The Associated Press , Cindy McCain talks about how then-Delaware Sen. Biden met her husband when John McCain was assigned to be a military aide for the senator on a trip overseas .
Cindy McCain is not expected to offer an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the video is her biggest public show of support yet for Biden ’ s candidacy .
Both Cindy McCain and her daughter Meghan have been outspoken critics of President Donald Trump , and the family is longtime friends with the Bidens .
Trump , a Republican , targeted John McCain personally in 2015 , saying the former prisoner of war wasn ’ t a hero “ because he was captured .
I like people who weren ’ t captured .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--What if ‘herd immunity’ is closer than scientists thought?

We ’ ve known from the beginning how the end will arrive .
Eventually , the coronavirus will be unable to find enough susceptible hosts to survive , fading out wherever it briefly emerges .
To achieve so-called herd immunity — the point at which the virus can no longer spread because there are not enough vulnerable humans — scientists have suggested that perhaps 70 per cent of a given population must be immune , through vaccination or because they survived the infection .
Now some researchers are wrestling with a hopeful possibility .
In interviews with The New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that the threshold is likely to be much lower : just 50 per cent , perhaps even less .
If that ’ s true , then it may be possible to turn back the coronavirus more quickly than once thought .
The new estimates result from complicated statistical modelling of the pandemic , and the models have all taken divergent approaches , yielding inconsistent estimates .
It is not certain that any community in the world has enough residents now immune to the virus to resist a second wave .
But in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mumbai , India , for example , it is not inconceivable that there is already substantial immunity to the coronavirus , scientists said .
“ I ’ m quite prepared to believe that there are pockets in New York City and London which have substantial immunity , ” said Bill Hanage , an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health .
“ What happens this winter will reflect that.
” “ The question of what it means for the population as a whole , however , is much more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immunity is calculated from the epidemic ’ s so-called reproductive number , R0 , an indicator of how many people each infected person spreads the virus to .
The initial calculations for the herd immunity threshold assumed that each community member had the same susceptibility to the virus and mixed randomly with everyone else in the community .
“ That doesn ’ t happen in real life , ” said Dr. Saad Omer , director of the Yale Institute for Global Health .
“ Herd immunity could vary from group to group , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even by postal codes , he said .
For example , a neighbourhood of older people may have little contact with others but succumb to the virus quickly when they encounter it , whereas teenagers may bequeath the virus to dozens of contacts and yet stay healthy themselves .
The virus moves slowly in suburban and rural areas , where people live far apart , but zips through cities and households thick with people .
Once such real-world variations in density and demographics are accounted for , the estimates for herd immunity fall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be in the range of 10 per cent to 20 per cent , but they were in the minority .
Assuming the virus ferrets out the most outgoing and most susceptible in the first wave , immunity following a wave of infection is distributed more efficiently than with a vaccination campaign that seeks to protect everyone , said Tom Britton , a mathematician at Stockholm University .
His model puts the threshold for herd immunity at 43 per cent — that is , the virus can not hang on in a community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected and recovered .
Still , that means many residents of the community will have been sickened or have died , a high price to pay for herd immunity .
And experts like Hanage cautioned that even a community that may have reached herd immunity can not afford to be complacent .
The virus may still flare up here and there , even if its overall spread is stymied .
It ’ s also unclear how long someone who has recovered may be immune , and for how long .
The coronavirus crashed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Orthodox Jewish neighbourhoods of New York City , tearing through the parades and masquerades in Brooklyn on March 9 and 10 .
Schools and synagogues soon shut down to quell the spread , but it was too late .
By April , thousands in the Brooklyn communities were infected , and hundreds had died .
“ It ’ s like a black hole in my memory because of how traumatic it was , ” said Blimi Marcus , a nurse practitioner who lives in Borough Park , which was hit hard by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changed now , Marcus added : “ The general feeling is one of complacency , that somehow we ’ ve all had it and we ’ re safe.
” Is it possible that some of these communities have herd immunity ?
In some clinics , up to 80 per cent of people tested had antibodies to the virus .
The highest prevalence was found among teenage boys .
But people at clinics are more likely to be showing symptoms and therefore more likely to be infected , said Wan Yang , an epidemiologist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Public Health in New York .
Random household surveys would probably find lower rates — but still well above the 21 per cent average reported for New York City , she said .
Researchers in Mumbai conducted just such a random household survey , knocking on every fourth door — or , if it was locked , the fifth — and took blood for antibody testing .
They found a startling disparity between the city ’ s poorest neighbourhoods and its more affluent enclaves .
Between 51 per cent and 58 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ antibodies , versus 11 per cent to 17 per cent elsewhere in the city .
The lowest-income residents are packed tightly together , share toilets , and have little access to masks .
“ These factors contributed to a silent infection spread , ” said Dr. Jayanthi Shastri , a microbiologist at Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai who led the work .
Most researchers are wary of concluding that the hardest-hit neighbourhoods of Brooklyn , or even those in blighted areas of Mumbai , have reached herd immunity or will be spared future outbreaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hint that it ’ s not impossible .
Other researchers have suggested , controversially , that herd immunity can be achieved at rates of immunity as low as 10 per cent or 20 per cent — and that entire countries may already have achieved that goal .
Criticism trailed Sunetra Gupta , a theoretical epidemiologist at Oxford University , after a widely circulated interview in which she said that London and New York may already have reached herd immunity because of variability among people , combined with a theoretical immunity to common cold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
“ That could be the explanation for why you don ’ t see a resurgence in places like New York , ” she said .
Most experts reject that notion .
Several studies have shown that certain immune cells produced following infection with seasonal coronaviruses may also recognize the coronavirus .
But “ where is the evidence that it ’ s protective ?
” asked Natalie Dean , a biostatistician at the University of Florida .
These cities have not returned to pre-pandemic levels of activity , other experts noted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to normal in our daily behaviour , ” said Virginia Pitzer , a mathematical epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health .
“ To think that we can just stop doing all that and go back to normal and not see a rise in cases I think is wrong , is incorrect.
” A second wave might also hit groups or neighbourhoods that were spared by the first , and still wreak havoc , she said .
Immunity is a patchwork quilt in New York , for instance : Antibodies were present @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a clinic in the Corona neighbourhood of Queens , for instance , but in just 13 per cent of those tested at a clinic in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn .
But another group , led by mathematician Gabriela Gomes of the University of Strathclyde in Britain , accounted for variations within a society in its model and found that Belgium , England , Portugal and Spain have herd immunity thresholds in the range of 10 per cent to 20 per cent .
“ At least in countries we applied it to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that herd immunity thresholds are higher , ” Gomes said .
“ I think it ’ s good to have this horizon that it may be just a few more months of pandemic.
” Other experts urged caution , saying these models are flawed , as all models are , and that they oversimplify conditions on the ground .
Jeffrey Shaman , an epidemiologist at Columbia University , said it wasn ’ t clear to him that Gomes ’ model offered only one possible solution .
And he was suspicious of the big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think we ’ d be playing with fire if we pretended we ’ re done with this , ” Shaman said .
The new models offer food for thought , he and other experts said , but should not be used to set policy .
“ Mathematically , it ’ s certainly possible to have herd immunity at these very , very low levels , ” said Carl Bergstrom , an infectious disease expert at the University of Washington in Seattle .
“ Those are just our best guesses for what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he added , “ they ’ re just exactly that , guesses.
” But what about immunity at levels lower than those needed for herd immunity ?
“ Definitely the disease would not spread as well if it gets back into New York , ” said Joel Miller , a mathematical modeller at La Trobe University in Australia .
“ The same level of behaviour change will have more effect on the disease now than it did four months ago.
” Thinking of a city or country as composed of subgroups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level of social activity , might also help governments protect those with the least immunity .
That perspective also might help put a renewed focus on groups who require the higher levels of immunity , because of greater exposure levels and other inequities , including Black and Latino residents , said Dr. Manoj Jain , an infectious disease expert at Emory University .
“ That ’ s where this info is very useful , ” he said .
The models also suggest a vaccination strategy : Rather than uniformly vaccinate all groups , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely to be exposed in “ superspreader ” events .
“ Getting those people vaccinated first can lead to the greatest benefit , ” said Dr. Michael Mina , an immunologist at Harvard University .
“ That alone could lead to herd immunity , ” Vaccination schemes for other pathogens have successfully exploited this approach .
For example , when children were given the pneumococcal vaccine in the early 2000s , rates of bacterial pneumonia in the elderly rapidly dropped because of a “ herd effect.
” Vaccines that offer just 50 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effective , but at that efficiency , even a low herd immunity target would require that a large proportion of the population be immunized , Bergstrom noted .
If there are early reports of side effects that may scare away some people , he said , “ we ’ d do well to start thinking about all that now.
” Back in Brooklyn , fewer than one per cent of people tested at neighbourhood clinics over the past eight weeks have had the virus .
But there are still handfuls of cases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ niece was in quarantine because a counsellor at her day camp had tested positive .
“ Sometimes that ’ s all you need , right ?
” she said .
“ I ’ m still hoping we don ’ t see what we had in March and April , but I ’ m not so sure that we ’ ve seen the end of it .
”

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thetorontostar--2020-08-18--Coronavirus doctors battle another scourge: misinformation

An emergency room doctor in Illinois was accused in April of profiting from naming coronavirus as the cause of a patient ’ s death , a rumour spreading online .
An internist in New York treated a vomiting patient in May who drank a bleach mixture as part of a fake virus cure found on YouTube .
And in June a paramedic in Britain aided a clearly sick man who had refused to go to a hospital after reading misleading warnings about poor coronavirus treatment on social media .
Doctors on the front lines of the global pandemic say they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but also increasingly combating a never-ending scourge of misinformation about the disease that is hurting patients .
Before the pandemic , medical professionals had grown accustomed to dealing with patients misled by online information , a phenomenon they called Dr. Google .
But in interviews , more than a dozen doctors and misinformation researchers in the United States and Europe said the volume related to the virus was like nothing they had seen before .
They blamed leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump for amplifying fringe theories , the social media platforms for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information and individuals for being too quick to believe what they see online .
Last week , researchers said that at least 800 people worldwide died in the first three months of the year , and thousands more were hospitalized , from unfounded claims online that ingesting highly concentrated alcohol would kill the virus .
Their findings , based on studying rumours circulating on the web , were published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene .
Doctors ’ frustrations fill Facebook groups and online forums .
The American Medical Association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ false information spreading online is harming the public health response to the disease .
The World Health Organization is developing methods to measure the harm of virus-related misinformation online , and over two weeks in July the group hosted an online conference with doctors , public health experts and internet researchers about how to address the problem .
Doctors say patients regularly resist their counsel , more inclined to believe what they read on Facebook than what a medical professional tells them .
The falsehoods , they say , have undermined efforts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a belief that the seriousness of the disease is overblown .
Some doctors say they face abuse when they participate in online discussions to correct the record .
“ This is no longer just an anecdotal observation that some individual doctors have made , ” said Daniel Allington , a senior lecturer at King ’ s College London and co-author of a recent study that found people who obtained their news online , instead of from radio or television , were more likely to believe in conspiracy theories and not follow public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant pattern that we can observe in a large survey.
” Dr. Howard Mell , an emergency room physician in an Illinois suburb of St. Louis , said the wife of a man who had died from the coronavirus in April accused him of falsely filling out the death certificate to make more money for himself .
He explained that the form was accurate and that his pay was not based on the cause of death .
“ She yelled , ‘ We ’ ve seen online how you guys get more money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then , the situation has not improved , he said .
Several times per week , he meets someone who believes false medical information that was discovered online .
“ It has absolutely become a job unto itself , ” said Mell , who is also a spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians , a group representing ER doctors .
Some doctors say they get into arguments with patients who demand prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine , the unproven drug championed by Trump .
At some hospitals , people have arrived asking for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not have to wear a mask at work because they believe it will harm their oxygen levels , another online rumour .
“ Now the numbers have picked way back up again , and I feel a lot has to do with things on social media , like this isn ’ t a big deal , and we don ’ t have to take all these steps , ” said Dr. David Welsh , a surgeon in Indiana who has treated coronavirus patients , referring to a recent infection surge in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ YouTube , which is owned by Google , have introduced policies to limit coronavirus misinformation and elevate information from trusted sources like the World Health Organization .
This month , Facebook and Twitter removed a post by Trump ’ s reelection campaign that falsely claimed that children do not get coronavirus .
“ We have been aggressive in both removing harmful false claims and directing people to authoritative information , ” Facebook said in a statement .
The company , which held a call with doctors in June to hear their concerns , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million pieces of virus misinformation and added warning labels to millions more .
YouTube said it was “ committed to providing timely and helpful information around COVID-19 ” and had removed more than 200,000 dangerous or misleading videos .
But untrue information continues to spread .
Last month , a video from a group of people calling themselves America ’ s Frontline Doctors was viewed millions of times .
It shared misleading claims about the virus , including that hydroxychloroquine is an effective coronavirus treatment and that masks do not slow the spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the problem led last month to a British parliamentary report that added to calls in the country for tougher laws against the largest social media platforms , like Facebook and YouTube .
Dr. Ryan Stanton , an emergency room physician in Kentucky , said a number of sick patients had waited until it was nearly too late to visit a hospital because they were convinced by what they had read online that COVID-19 was fake or “ no big deal.
” “ They thought it was just a ploy , a sham , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It just blew my mind that you can put these blinders on and ignore the facts.
” Thomas Knowles , a paramedic in Britain , said a person in June refused to be admitted after reading that hospitals would make his condition worse .
The incident so troubled Knowles that he went searching social media for virus-related misinformation , where he encountered false claims like doctors taking people ’ s blood for research and then leaving them to die .
“ I ’ ve never personally encountered such a strong , consistent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — collective of people so entrenched in their false beliefs , ” Knowles said .
Some doctors in cities like New York said the volume of patients believing misinformation had declined as the disease swept their area .
But , they said , it remained a troubling trend .
Dr. Parinda Warikarn , who works at Elmhurst Hospital Center in New York , said the patient who had ingested bleach after seeing the bogus treatment on YouTube came into the hospital with severe abdominal pain .
“ He clearly really believed that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
“ Luckily , his wife and two young children didn ’ t take this solution.
” A growing fear is that vaccine conspiracy theories could undermine eventual vaccination efforts , said Dr. John Wright from the Bradford Institute for Health Research in England .
“ Social media brings many great things , but it also provides a platform to sow the seeds of doubt , and that ’ s what has happened , ” he said .
Wright recalled that Congolese immigrants believed a social media rumour that COVID-19 was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that others , from the Indian community , cited posts about doctors intentionally infecting patients .
A nurse at the hospital complained to Facebook about people posting names and pictures of health workers accusing them of leaving patients to die .
Mell , the physician in Illinois , encounters regular abuse from Facebook users when he has pushed back on false information .
But he believes the effort is necessary to keep falsehoods from spreading .
“ Doctors have to continue to speak the truth as loudly as we can , ” @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--Key takeaways from night 2 of the Democratic convention

Sustaining energy through four days of a political convention is never easy .
It ’ s even more challenging during this , the first virtual convention .
On the second night of the Democratic National Convention , party leaders tried to blend its past with its future .
Here are key takeaways from night two .
Joe Biden , who was being formally nominated Tuesday night in a virtual roll call of states , doesn ’ t shy away from the obvious : He ’ s a 77-year-old white man leading a party that celebrates its racial and ethnic diversity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from women .
He has at times offered himself as a bridge to bring together that coalition , calling himself a “ transitional figure ” for the party and the country .
Democrats tried to put that on vivid display , an ideological arc that spanned the New Democrat centrism of former President Bill Clinton to the new century progressive , Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez , who was born in 1989 , the year after Biden ’ s first presidential run .
Democrats were trying to show that their party tolerates differences in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump does not .
The Democrats honoured Clinton , and former president Jimmy Carter , along with the party ’ s nominee in 2004 , former Secretary of State John Kerry .
Cindy McCain , whose husband , John , was the Republican nominee in 2008 , appeared in a video praising Biden .
Former President George W. Bush , the only living GOP ex-president , and Sen. Mitt Romney , the party ’ s nominee in 2012 , will not be part of the Republican convention next week .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relay , part reminder of the party ’ s blended constituencies , followed by a roll call of the states , the ethnic and racial contrast with Republicans is obvious .
For Democrats , that was the point .
Donald Trump ’ s journey to the presidency began with then-President Barack Obama mocking the reality TV star relentlessly during the White House correspondents ’ dinner in 2011 — a brutal ribbing that propelled the notoriously sensitive mogul toward his 2016 run .
But nobody ’ s making jokes now .
During the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the party ’ s luminaries — and even some Republicans -- have grimly warned the public that he represents a fundamental danger to democracy .
“ He treats our country like it ’ s his family business , ” warned former Assistant Attorney General Sally Yates .
“ America , Donald Trump has quit on you , ” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said .
Even senior leaders like Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton devoted chunks of their speeches to warning that the president is a fundamental threat to the country .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rival standard-bearer and the occasional lacerating speech .
But the 2020 Democratic convention is notable for the consistency of dire warnings about the other party ’ s leader .
Conventions usual follow a standard ritual .
But it ’ s not surprising that a virtual convention would change that .
Biden ’ s campaign used the moment not to anoint a single emerging party star , but rather 17 of them , reflecting the diversity of race , age , geography and identity .
It was a stunt for sure , with selfies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Trump .
But it also seemed effective to make the point , that Biden , 77 , wants to provide a gateway for young leaders .
“ A new generation of leaders is rising up , ” said Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta , an openly gay lawmaker who praised Biden for supporting marriage equality earlier than many older politicians .
Kenyatta and 15 other speakers led up to Stacey Abrams , the 46-year-old Georgian who in 2018 narrowly missed becoming the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. state .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Biden interviewed as finalists for his running mate .
The keynote was bookended Monday by a lineup of the Democratic old guard , led by Kerry and two former presidents , Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter .
Biden has made clear he ’ s casting a wide net in November .
The convention ’ s first night was mostly showcasing ideological diversity .
The keynote and the rest of Tuesday showcased what Biden hopes is generational diversity in his coalition .
CLINTON , BRIEF FOR ONCE , HAMMERS TRUMP Bill Clinton has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But he ’ s never had a more tentative grasp on the party , or a tighter window , than he had Tuesday .
That Clinton was speaking at all was mildly surprising given how his sexual dalliances appear to some in the post-MeToo era .
But the notoriously prolix president — whose 2012 speech for Barack Obama ran nearly 50 minutes — was kept to five minutes during the tight , all-online convention .
And he wasted no time scorching the man who defeated his wife in the 2016 election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ spends his day watching hours of TV or zapping people on social media , he ’ s your man , ” Clinton said of Trump in his prerecorded speech .
He slammed Trump for making the Oval Office “ the storm centre ” rather than “ the command centre ” during the pandemic , and for the nation ’ s dismal track record fighting the disease .
For once , Clinton showed that less was more .
Every convention has an off-script moment , and for Democrats this week , that came when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Julian Castro , who gave the Democrats ’ keynote address in 2012 and challenged Biden , sometimes quite personally , in the primaries this year .
The criticism was that Biden was taking the Latino vote for granted .
The actual roster of speakers says otherwise .
A famous Latina actress , Eva Longoria Baston , hosted the first night of the convention , which also featured a cameo by labour icon Dolores Huerta , remarks by Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and a breakout speech from Kristin Urquiza , a Arizona Latina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s death from COVID-19 with the memorable line , “ His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump.
” On Tuesday , Ocasio-Cortez gave the official nominating speech for Sen. Bernie Sanders ’ presidential bid , and the party ’ s “ rising stars ” keynote mashup of 17 young Democrats featured Hispanic Democrats from California , Nevada and Texas .
The Biden campaign ’ s mantra during the primary was that “ Twitter is not real life.
” So far it ’ s been notable that the convention ’ s main @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handling of the pandemic .
It ’ s the biggest issue affecting people right now , but it ’ s also a disease disproportionately sickening Latinos , who routinely list health care , rather than immigration , as their top priority .
That focus may have more of an impact than the speaking list .

Bill Barrow And Nicholas Riccardi - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--Denver police look for masked suspects in fire that killed 5

DENVER - Police released a surveillance photo Tuesday of three people believed to have started a house fire in suburban Denver that killed five recent immigrants from the West African nation of Senegal .
Investigators said the suspects , wearing full face masks and dark hoodies , fled in a dark-colored sedan after the fire was set in the Green Valley Ranch neighbourhood , a relatively new development of closely spaced homes near Denver International Airport .
Authorities have offered a $ 14,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for setting the blaze in the early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were Djibril and Adja Diol , along with their 22-month-old daughter Khadija , as well as relative Hassan Diol and her infant daughter Hawa Baye .
Three other people managed to escape by jumping from the second floor of the home .
Police , fire officials and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives are investigating because there are indications that it was arson , Joe Montoya , division chief of investigations for Denver police , said shortly after the fire .
He would not elaborate on the evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to compromise the investigation .
Some Muslim advocacy groups have called on police to consider the possibility of a hate crime , but Montoya has said detectives are looking at all possible angles to avoid getting “ tunnel vision.
” Denver Fire Department Capt .
Greg Pixley said the victims ’ bodies were discovered after firefighters extinguished the blaze , which was first reported by a police officer at 2:40 a.m. Neighbour Maria Mendoza said she was awakened by noise and someone screaming , “ Get the baby out !
Get the baby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She ran to a window and saw flames and plumes of smoke rising from the home just down the street .
“ I awoke my husband , and he ran outside to see if he could help .
But there was nothing he could do .
The fire was too big , ” Mendoza said .
A police officer trying to rescue people was pushed back by the fire ’ s heat .
It appears that those who died were all on the first floor .
After the fire , Senegal President Macky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monitoring the investigation closely , and he wished the surviving victims a speedy recovery .
Senegal Consul General Elhadji Ndao flew to Denver at the request of his country ’ s leaders and said he is looking forward to the investigation .
“ We trust and have confidence in the legal system in this country and this city , and we have confidence that the investigation will take its course and what is proper in terms of diligence will be done , ” he said , standing in front of the remnants of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was joined by members of the Senegalese community who gathered to mourn the victims , added , “ It ’ s unfortunate that a whole family was gone in this tragic event .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--The Latest: Franklin beats US Rep. Spano in Fla. GOP primary

TALLAHASSEE , Fla. - The Latest on the 2020 primary elections ( all times local ) : Florida Lakeland City Commissioner Scott Franklin defeated U.S. Rep. Ross Spano in a Republican primary in Florida on Tuesday .
Franklin is a former Navy pilot and insurance business owner who challenged Spano because of ethics issues that have dogged him since being elected two years ago .
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Spano for alleged campaign finance violations .
The House Ethics Committee was looking into allegations that Spano borrowed more than $ 100,000 from two friends and then loaned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it paused the review when the criminal investigation began .
Franklin said during the campaign that he doesn ’ t disagree with Spano on policy , but his decision to run was based on questions about Spano ’ s ethics .
“ Politically , ideologically we ’ re pretty close on the issues , but with the ethics and the investigations hanging over him it just really made the seat vulnerable , and that was my concern , “ Franklin said .
“ This has been a conservative , strong conservative seat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that seat being flipped in November.
” District 15 sits east of Tampa in central Florida .
Franklin ’ s victory may give Republicans a better chance at winning in November .
The district has traditionally voted Republican .
Democrats were largely targeting Spano and hoped the ethics cloud hanging over him would give them a chance to flip the seat .
Spano is a lawyer who was elected to the state House in 2012 and served until he was elected to Congress in 2018 .
Kat Cammack has won the GOP primary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho .
The 32-year-old Cammack owns a political consulting firm and previously served as Yoho ’ s deputy chief of staff and his former campaign manager .
She prominently featured her connection to Yoho during the campaign .
Cammack beat a Republican field of 10 candidates and is likely to be the next member of Congress for District 3 , a firmly Republican north Florida district that runs from Ocala to just south of Jacksonville .
Yoho opted not to seek reelection after four terms in Congress .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ stuck to an original campaign pledge to serve only eight years .
In each of his four elections , he easily beat his Democratic opponents .
Cammack will face Democrat Adam Christensen , Philip Dodds or Tom Wells in November .


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--Trump campaign's contacts with Russia pose ‘grave’ threat, Senate panel says

WASHINGTON - The Trump campaign ’ s interactions with Russian intelligence services during the 2016 presidential election posed a “ grave ” counterintelligence threat , a Senate panel concluded Tuesday as it detailed how associates of Donald Trump had regular contact with Russians and expected to benefit from the Kremlin ’ s help .
The nearly 1,000-page report , the fifth and final one from the Republican-led Senate intelligence committee on the Russia investigation , details how Russia launched an aggressive effort to interfere in the election on Trump ’ s behalf .
It says the Trump campaign chairman had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that other Trump associates were eager to exploit the Kremlin ’ s aid , particularly by maximizing the impact of the disclosure of Democratic emails hacked by Russian intelligence officers .
The report is the culmination of a bipartisan probe that produced what the committee called “ the most comprehensive description to date of Russia ’ s activities and the threat they posed.
” The investigation spanned more than three years as the panel ’ s leaders said they wanted to thoroughly document the unprecedented attack on U.S. elections .
The findings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between Trump associates and Russian operatives , echo to a large degree those of special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s Russia investigation and appear to repudiate the Republican president ’ s claims that the FBI had no basis to investigate whether his campaign was conspiring with Russia .
Trump , who has repeatedly called the Russia investigations a “ hoax , “ said Tuesday he “ didn ’ t know anything about ” the report , or Russia or Ukraine .
He said he had “ nothing ” to do with Russia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ probe , the Senate investigation was a counterintelligence effort with the aim of ensuring that such interference wouldn ’ t happen again .
The report issued several recommendations on that front , including that the FBI should do more to protect presidential campaigns from foreign interference .
The report was released as two other Senate committees , the Judiciary and Homeland Security panels , conduct their own reviews of the Russia probe with an eye toward uncovering what they say was FBI misconduct in the early days of the investigation .
A prosecutor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who regards the Russia investigation with skepticism , disclosed his first criminal charge Friday against a former FBI lawyer who plans to plead guilty to altering a government email .
Among the more striking sections of the report is the committee ’ s description of the close , professional relationship between former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Konstantin Kilimnik , whom the committee describes as a Russian intelligence officer .
“ Taken as a whole , Manafort ’ s high-level access and willingness to share information with individuals closely affiliated with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represented a grave counterintelligence threat , ” the report says .
The report notes how Manafort shared internal Trump campaign polling data with Kilimnik and says there is “ some evidence ” Kilimnik may have been connected to Russia ’ s effort to hack and leak Democratic emails , though that information is redacted .
The report also says “ two pieces of information ” raise the possibility of Manafort ’ s potential connection to those operations , but what follows is again blacked out .
Both men were charged in Mueller ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of any tie to the hacking .
A Manafort lawyer , Kevin Downing , said Tuesday that information sealed at the request of Mueller ’ s team “ completely refutes whatever the intelligence committee is trying to surmise.
” He added , “ It just looks like complete conjecture.
” Like Mueller , the committee reviewed a meeting Trump ’ s oldest son , Donald Trump Jr. , took in June 2016 with a Russian lawyer he believed to have connections with the Russian government with the goal of receiving information harmful to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hillary Clinton .
The Senate panel said it assessed that the lawyer , Natalia Veselnitskaya , has “ significant connections to the Russian government , including the Russian intelligence services , ” as did another participant in the meeting , Rinat Akhmetshin .
The panel said it uncovered connections that were “ far more extensive and concerning than what had been publicly known , ” particularly regarding Veselnitskaya .
In a statement , Akhmetshin said he was “ exonerated , yet again , of the false claim that I am a Russia spy.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence for Trump ’ s longstanding supposition that Ukraine had interfered in the election , but did trace some of the earliest public messaging of that theory to Kilimnik and said it was spread by Russian-government proxies who sought to discredit investigations into Russian interference .
The committee said that messaging campaign lasted to “ at least January 2020 ” — after the House had impeached Trump for pressuring Ukrainian officials to investigate the family of Democrat Joe Biden , now Trump ’ s general election opponent .
During that effort , some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was meddling , not Russia .
Trump was acquitted by the Senate .
The report purposely does not state a final conclusion , as Mueller did and as the House intelligence committee ’ s 2018 report did , about whether there was sufficient evidence that Trump ’ s campaign co-ordinated with Russia to sway the election to him , leaving its findings open to partisan interpretation .
Several Republicans on the panel submitted “ additional views ” to the report , saying it should state more explicitly that Trump ’ s campaign did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that while the report shows the Russian government “ inappropriately meddled ” in the election , “ then-candidate Trump was not complicit.
” The panel ’ s acting GOP chairman , Florida Sen. Marco Rubio , signed on to that statement but the chairman who led the investigation , North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr , did not .
Burr stepped aside earlier this year as the FBI was examining his stock sales .
Another Republican committee member , Maine Sen. Susan Collins , also did not sign on to the GOP statement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ he stepped aside , often faced criticism from his GOP colleagues for working with Democrats on the probe and for summoning sensitive witnesses , such as Trump Jr .
The top Democrat on the panel , Virginia Sen. Mark Warner , commended Burr for sticking with the investigation despite criticism from all sides .
He said Burr “ tried to stay true to that north star of ‘ we ’ re going to put out all the facts.
’ ” Warner said the report was designed to “ let every American make their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the panel submitted their own views , saying the report “ unambiguously shows that members of the Trump campaign co-operated with Russian efforts to get Trump elected.
” Warner did not sign on to that statement .
Maine Sen. Angus King , an independent who caucuses with Democrats , did not sign on to that statement , saying he believed the report should be bipartisan .
But he said in an interview that he believes the report is a “ warning.
“ The report is “ not a hoax , ” King @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one more set of facts that ’ s hard to ignore.
” Mueller concluded in his report issued last year that Russia interfered in the election through hacking and a covert social media campaign and that the Trump campaign embraced the help and expected to benefit from it .
But Mueller did not charge any Trump associates with conspiring with Russians .
The Senate report did fault aspects of the FBI ’ s investigation , suggesting for instance that agents did not respond with sufficient urgency to the hacking of Democratic National Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the FBI ’ s reliance on opposition research about Trump ’ s ties to Russia that was compiled by a former British spy , Christopher Steele , whose work was financed by Democrats .
The committee found the FBI gave Steele ’ s “ allegations unjustified credence ” as it relied on the dossier of research in seeking court approval to wiretap former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page .
It says many of the dossier ’ s allegations remain uncorroborated “ nearly four years after Steele delivered the first of these memos.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s inspector general also faulted the FBI for errors and omissions related to the Steele dossier .

Eric Tucker And Mary Clare Jalonick - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--Navajo man on federal death row seeks stay of execution

FLAGSTAFF , Ariz. - The only Native American on federal death row is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to put his execution on hold while he seeks review of a lower court decision over potential racial bias in his case .
It ’ s rare but not unheard of for the high court to grant a stay .
The Supreme Court has so far refused to halt any of the most recent federal executions , though legal volleying in some of the cases delayed the inmates ’ deaths by hours .
Lezmond Mitchell , who is Navajo , is scheduled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the federal prison in Indiana where he ’ s been held .
He was convicted in the 2001 killings of Alyce Slim and her granddaughter during a carjacking on the Navajo reservation .
Mitchell , 38 , lost a bid in the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to interview jurors in his case .
His attorneys say there ’ s a “ substantial likelihood ” that the jury was impacted by racial bias .
The appeals court said Mitchell failed to show any discrimination occurred among the jury and pointed out @ @ @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--Colombia warlord asks US court to force deportation to Italy

MIAMI - A lawyer for a former Colombian paramilitary leader is asking a U.S. federal court to force Attorney General William Barr to immediately deport the former warlord to Italy after he completed a long drug sentence .
The emergency petition was filed Monday in Washington , DC federal court on behalf of Salvatore Mancuso , the former top commander of the United Defence Forces of Colombia , known as the AUC .
It comes as Colombia is mounting a last-minute campaign to block Mancuso ’ s removal to Italy after it bungled an extradition request that had to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyer argues that Barr , Chad Wolf , the acting head of the Department of Homeland Security , and four other senior officials at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have unlawfully kept Mancuso in federal custody beyond the maximum 90 days allowed for the removal of aliens .
Included in the petition is a copy of a final administrative removal order dated April 15 that compels DHS and ICE to remove Mancuso to Italy , where he also has citizenship .
Immigration attorney Hector Mora attributes the delay to strong pressure from Colombia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims is working closely with the U.S. State Department to bring Mancuso back to Colombia .
If returned home , he argues his client is likely to be jailed , or even killed , despite having fulfilled his obligations under a 2003 peace deal he negotiated , which caps prison terms at eight years for militia leaders who confess their crimes .
“ He and his family are terrified with his possible return to Colombia , ” Mora wrote to ICE officials on March 27 — the same day Mancuso completed a 12-year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mancuso , 55 , was the most remorseful of the former right-wing militia leaders after demobilizing and his eagerness to discuss the paramilitaries ’ war crimes has already shaken Colombia ’ s politics .
His boast in 2005 that a third of Colombia ’ s congress was elected with paramilitary support triggered a wave of judicial investigations that ended with dozens of elected officials behind bars .
Mora said others still in power have not hidden their desire to find a Colombian court to order Mancuso ’ s arrest in a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ through his extensive declarations made enemies at the highest levels of power , including high ranking officers of the ruling party in Colombia and inner circle of the current administration , ” Mora wrote .
Colombian President Iván Duque this month called for Mancuso ’ s return and immediate imprisonment for “ crimes against humanity.
” Meanwhile , the chief prosecutor ’ s office said it was working on a new extradition request after the AP revealed how the first attempt had to be withdrawn when authorities realized a judge had already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courts have judged Mancuso responsible for more than 1,500 acts of murder or forced disappearance , many of the crimes are not recognized as offences under U.S. law because they stem from his position atop AUC ’ s chain of command — not specific orders he gave .
In 2001 , the U.S. designated the AUC a foreign terror organization .
In 2008 , then President Alvaro Uribe stealthily extradited Mancuso and 13 other warlords to face drug charges in the U.S. His critics say the shock move , an apparent peace accord @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the men just as they began to reveal secrets about their crimes and politician collaborators — including Uribe , who as a governor in the 1990s backed the creation of legal , armed groups to protect ranchers ’ land from leftist guerrilla fighters .
Monday ’ s emergency filing — known as a writ of mandamus — contains new insight into how Mora and Joaquin Perez , Mancuso ’ s criminal defence lawyer in Miami , managed to outmanoeuvr Colombian officials .
The fight over Mancuso ’ s future has garnered the attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as Human Rights Watch , which accused Colombian officials of being “ notably negligent ” in their pursuit of Mancuso ’ s extradition .
According to correspondence submitted with the petition , Mancuso applied for asylum in the U.S. — where his ex-wife and youngest child were granted protection — as well as indicated that he would not oppose removal to Italy but would fight any orders sending him to Colombia .
Mora , in correspondence with U.S. officials in March , said his client had already purchased a one-way ticket to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where he will stay in quarantine during the 14 days after arrival to Italy .
To expedite the removal , the Mancuso family also offered to purchase tickets for two ICE officials that were required to escort the ex-felon .
Mora included as part of his petition Mancuso ’ s Italian passport , which expired in 2001 ; travel documents were furnished by the Italian consulate in Miami on Aug. 14 , according to correspondence included in the petition .
The U.S. Justice Department and ICE did not immediately respond to a request @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--Thailand’s student-led protests against government grow

NAKHON PATHOM , Thailand - High school students in Thailand ’ s capital held blank signs and flashed three-fingered salutes to show opposition to the government , and about 2,000 university students joined a protest on the outskirts of Bangkok on Tuesday as the youth-led pro-democracy movement spread .
The students at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom gathered on a football field in the evening to cheer speakers criticizing the government .
Others formed double lines to sign a petition calling for amendments to the constitution , which was drafted under military control .
“ Some students don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ society teaches them that they have to listen to adults and obey their orders , “ said one of the speakers , 18-year-old Athiya Pornprom .
” But today we are expressing ourselves and we will end this old tradition .
This problem ends with us.
” Earlier , around 30 high school students at Samsen Wittayalai school in Bangkok shouted “ Down with dictatorship , long live democracy ” and held up sheets of plain white paper , meant to convey the message that they were not free to express themselves .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ bags , a recently emerged symbol of dissent .
“ People realize nowadays politics isn ’ t something remote , ” said an 18-year-old student who only gave her nickname , Nudee .
“ When people realize this , they want a better future .
That ’ s why we came out to protest.
” Pro-democracy hashtags linked to high school protests were trending on social media with photographs and videos showing young students at schools in a number of cities lined up on playgrounds and giving the salutes during the compulsory daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ displays of solidarity began last week and are a remarkable show of defiance within an educational system that stresses obedience to elders .
They appear to be growing after the largest anti-government rally in six years was held in Bangkok on Sunday and highlight how the student-led protest movement is capturing the imagination of many young people after six years of relative political quiet .
Thai media reported such school protests occurring in provinces including Ratchaburi , Udon Thani , Khon Kaen , Surat Thani and Nakhon Sawan , as well as in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting , Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he recognized the “ pure ” intentions of the high school students but said he believes some were bullied into joining the protests .
Many people have become weary of the rule of Prayuth , a former army chief who took power in a military coup in 2014 and then retained it in a 2019 election widely seen as rigged to all but guarantee his victory .
Under his leadership the economy has struggled to compete with its neighbours , even before the damage inflicted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The government ’ s image has also been tarnished by corruption scandals for which no one has been held accountable .
Thailand ’ s Office of the Basic Education Commission , which supervises more than 1,000 schools , both private and public , issued an order allowing students to hold protest events on school premises provided they stay within the law and exclude outsiders .
The United Nations children ’ s organization UNICEF issued a statement calling for all parties to ensure that those involved remain safe and able to express their opinions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ student-led protest movement has declared three core demands : holding new elections , amending the constitution and ending the intimidation of critics of the government .
At Sunday ’ s large Bangkok rally they spelled out three more points : no more coups , no national unity government and upholding Thailand as a democracy with the king as head of state under the constitution .
The reference to a national unity government was apparently a warning to all political parties against making a backroom deal instead of holding elections , and the reference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a reassurance that they did not want to abolish the monarchy .
Protest leaders triggered controversy earlier this month when they expanded their original agenda , publicly criticizing the constitutional monarchy and issuing a 10-point manifesto calling for its reform .
Their action was virtually unprecedented , as the monarchy is considered sacrosanct in Thailand and any criticism is normally kept private .
A lese majeste law calls for a prison sentence of three to 15 years for anyone found guilty of criticizing some members of the royal family .
___ Associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--The Democratic convention may be virtual, but it’s got Donald Trump’s attention

MILWAUKEE—You can often tell what ’ s getting under President Donald Trump ’ s skin .
“ Well , she ’ s in over her head , and frankly , she should ’ ve made the speech live , which she didn ’ t do , ” the president said Tuesday of former first lady Michelle Obama .
“ It was taped a long time ago , because she had the wrong deaths.
” It isn ’ t clear that Obama understating the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus while characterizing Trump as unable to meet the challenge of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s favour .
But that he was attacking her ( he started the morning tweeting about her , too ) cemented the impression that her appearance during Monday ’ s first night of Democratic National Convention proceedings was a standout moment .
“ Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country , ” Obama said .
“ He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job , but he is clearly in over his head .
He can not meet this moment .
He simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be for us .
It is what it is.
” That moment stood out for Milwaukee resident Kathryn Farrington , too .
“ I was particularly pleased with Michelle Obama ’ s speech , ” she said Tuesday afternoon during a walk near the Wisconsin Center .
“ And I was pleased by some of the people that you wouldn ’ t ordinarily hear from , ” she added , making particular mention of Kristin Urquiza , whose father died from COVID-19 in Arizona .
“ His only pre-existing condition was trusting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ and for that he paid with his life.
” The comments by Obama and Urquiza were examples of how the party has made a convention hosted almost entirely virtually — absent screaming , dancing , sign-waving crowds — into sometimes compelling viewing , despite a frequent infomercial feel .
Some of the speeches delivered from traditional podiums lacked the kinetic energy a live audience provides , but some of those speaking directly into a camera from home captured the intimacy of a personal FaceTime call from a friend .
Former Obama adviser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evaluation of the night by email Tuesday morning .
“ Different media work different ways , and instead of trying for a an inevitably diminished version of live spectacle , they went for person-to-person connection , which TV and online are better suited for , ” he said .
Though she liked the first night ’ s broadcast , Farrington was disappointed that the convention in her hometown had been scaled back .
She said she ’ d come for a walk around downtown just to see what she could .
Some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been evident in Milwaukee , but they are scaled back , just like much of everyday life has been in the U.S. due to the virus .
A few metres from where Farrington spoke to me , an empty microphone stood in a gazebo in the park — a free speech demonstration zone where anyone could sign up to speak and , if they wanted , protest along an approved parade route .
“ If you ’ ve got something to say , it ’ s all yours , ” a volunteer staffing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blank schedule sheet and gesturing to the podium .
A large Black Lives Matter protest blocked traffic during a demonstration around the convention site for hours on Sunday afternoon .
On Monday , demonstrators hung a banner in the park next to city hall , calling for the protections of marginalized groups .
Near the convention hall , a union local was displaying large inflatable rats and pigs , protesting one of the convention ’ s equipment vendors .
And for two days , a plane has circled downtown Milwaukee , hauling a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But Farrington , for one , didn ’ t need a giant convention fuss to win her vote .
Trump had already convinced her .
“ I think democracy as we know it is at stake here .
I am not used to someone being so negative , dishonest , domineering , surrounding himself with dishonest people , ” she said .
“ I am so very disappointed with him.
” Tuesday ’ s convention agenda was to be “ leadership ” and sought to contrast Biden ’ s character with that of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than almost any time in my memory after many , many years in public life .
We ’ re facing multiple crises on a global basis , ” former secretary of state and presidential candidate John Kerry told a media briefing before his own speech Tuesday night .
“ The American people are at greater risk because of the presidency of Donald Trump.
” Party officials said the night would also feature a remote version of the traditional roll call vote , with delegates appearing by video from every state and territory in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-operatively by 17 rising party stars in different locations ; and speeches from former second lady Jill Biden , Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , and former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton .
“ Donald Trump says we ’ re leading the world .
Well , we are the only major industrial economy to have its unemployment rate triple , ” an advance excerpt of Clinton ’ s speech said .
“ At a time like this , the Oval Office should be a command centre .
Instead , it ’ s a storm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Clinton would contrast that with his portrait of the Democratic nominee .
“ Our party is united in offering you a very different choice : a go-to-work president .
A down-to-earth , get-the-job-done guy .
A man with a mission : to take responsibility , not shift the blame ; concentrate , not distract ; unite , not divide .
Our choice is Joe Biden .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--UN funding crisis cuts aid to Yemen as it slides near famine

TANZANIA , Tanzania - A senior U.N. official warned Tuesday that war-torn Yemen is sliding toward famine as the coronavirus spreads and its economy implodes — all amid a funding crisis that is forcing the United Nations to make deeper aid cuts , including stopping treatment for 250,000 severely malnourished children .
“ Those children — and many other people — will die without your help , ” Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ramesh Rajasingham told the U.N. Security Council .
“ They feel like they ’ re being punished unfairly by a world that promised to help but is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.N. has received just 21 % of its $ 2.4 billion humanitarian appeal for 2020 .
“ It is extremely disappointing ” that only about half of the $ 1.35 billion in humanitarian aid pledged in June has actually been paid , ” Rajasingham said , adding that the pledge was only half of what the U.N. received last year .
“ I call on all donors — and especially Yemen ’ s neighbours in the Gulf — to pay all pledges now , ” he said .
“ And I call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or who pledged less than last year , to increase their support.
” Rajasingham said the U.N. has no good answers to Yemenis asking about cuts that have already been instituted — to allowances for front-line health workers in the pandemic , the closure of primary health facilities that were caring for 1.8 million people , and “ reduced food aid for 8 million people when famine is again stalking the country.
” “ In the next few weeks , the cuts will go even deeper , ” he said .
“ At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will reduce water and sanitation programs by half in 15 cities .
In September , we ’ ll stop supporting nearly 400 additional health facilities , cutting off 9 million people from medical care .
We ’ ll also stop treating more than a quarter million severely malnourished children.
” As for the economy , he said , Yemen ’ s exchange rate remains “ at crisis levels , ” sparking soaring food prices that mean few people can afford to eat as well as rocketing fuel prices that are making water and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is divided between Houthi rebels in the north and an internationally recognized government in the south .
Both sides have been at war since the Iran-backed Houthis swept across much of the north and seized the capital of Sanaa late in 2014 , forcing the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi into exile .
In Mach 2015 , Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states formed a coalition to take on the Houthis in what they said was an effort to stop Iran ’ s growing sway in Yemen , which is at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overlooking the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea .
The conflict has killed more than 100,000 people and created the world ’ s worst humanitarian disaster , with more than 3 million people internally displaced and two-thirds of the population relying on food aid for survival .
The Security Council was briefed behind closed doors by U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths , who has been trying to arrange a cease-fire and launch peace talks between the parties , and by Rajasingham whose remarks were released by the U.N. humanitarian office .
The council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding shortfall in a statement after the meeting , warning that it is exacerbating acute malnutrition in the Arab world ’ s poorest nation .
It expressed strong support for Griffiths and urged the Houthis and government to endorse U.N. proposals for peace .
The council also expressed “ deep alarm at the growing risk ” that a deteriorating oil tanker loaded with 1.1 million barrels of crude oil that is moored off the coast of Yemen could rupture or explode .
The FSO Safer hasn ’ t been maintained for over five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Associated Press in June show that seawater has entered the engine compartment of the tanker , causing damage to pipes and increasing the risk of sinking .
The U.N. , which has been trying to send technical experts to the ship for more than a year , is hoping to expedite action , especially since the deadly explosion at Beirut ’ s port earlier this month and the recent oil spill from a Japanese ship that ran aground on a coral reef in the Indian Ocean .
Rajasingham said the Houthis , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ located , issued travel permits for U.N. personnel Sunday , just over a month after a request was made July 14 .
“ This is an important step forward , ” he said , adding that the Houthis also sent “ a detailed list of equipment and supplies that they want the team to bring , as well specific repairs they expect the team to complete , ” which the experts are examining .
“ We are hopeful that this work — the assessment and any feasible initial repairs — can start as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--2 strong earthquakes shake western Indonesia; no tsunami

JAKARTA , Indonesia - Two powerful and shallow undersea earthquakes shook western Indonesia on Wednesday , causing panic but no @ @ @ @ @ damage .
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurred at a depth @ @ @ @ @ miles ) under the sea .
It was centred in Bengkulu province on Sumatra island @ @ @ @ @ miles ) west-southwest of Bengkulu city , USGS said .
It was felt in several @ @ @ @ @ A 6.9 magnitude quake jolted the area six minutes later , a bit deeper and @ @ @ @ @ ) from the first , but no tsunami warning was issued for the relative shallow @ @ @ @ @ vast archipelago of 270 million people , is frequently struck by earthquakes , volcanic eruptions @ @ @ @ @ located on the “ Ring of Fire , ” an arc of seismic faults in @ @ @ @ @ of the world ’ s earthquakes occur .


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--Victims call Golden State Killer ‘sick monster,’ ‘subhuman’

SACRAMENTO , Calif. - Victim after victim lined up on Tuesday to describe Joseph DeAngelo as a “ sick monster , ” “ horrible man ” and “ subhuman ” who stole their innocence and changed their lives during a more than decade-long reign of rape and murder that earned him the nickname Golden State Killer .
The daughter of one rape victim gave him an obscene hand gesture and cursed him during the first of four days of hearings in Sacramento County Superior Court before he is formally sentenced to life in prison on Friday under a plea agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentence .
Some read statements on behalf of their loved ones who could not testify in person , while others proudly gave their names now that DeAngelo , 74 , is heading to prison .
“ He and his knife had complete control over me for the next two hours , “ Patti Cosper , the daughter of rape survivor Patricia Murphy , read from her mother ’ s statement .
” He truly is an evil monster with no soul.
” DeAngelo is a former police officer in California who eluded capture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and arrested in 2018 by using a new form of DNA tracing .
Nearly two-dozen of his Sacramento County rape victims or their family members confronted him in the courthouse that is otherwise still sealed from the public because of the coronavirus .
Others planned to tell Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman on Wednesday and Thursday how DeAngelo ’ s crimes changed their lives .
“ I was a normal 15-year-old kid .
I loved going to school , having sleepovers and going to church , ” Kris Pedretti told the judge .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and safe.
” Then DeAngelo attacked her just before Christmas in 1976 .
“ I sang ‘ Jesus Loves Me ’ in my head as I waited — waited to die , ” Pedretti said .
“ The knowledge that DeAngelo will spend the rest of his life in prison for his heinous acts has ended my dark journey so that I may begin a new one.
” Lisa Lilienthal described DeAngelo as a sadistic “ boogeyman ” as she testified by video about the attack she witnessed on her mother .
Until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something lingered in the shadows — our sense of normalcy , our sense of safety had been raped too.
” In June , DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges between 1975 and 1986 .
He also publicly admitted dozens more sexual assaults for which the statute of limitations had expired .
All told , he admitted harming 87 victims at 53 separate crime scenes spanning 11 California counties in the plea deal that spares him the death penalty , prosecutors said .
That ’ s more victims than prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 161 crimes involving 48 people .
The higher number includes those who chose not to participate in having DeAngelo publicly admit to crimes in which he could not be formally charged , Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten said .
DeAngelo ’ s nicknames showed the escalation and geographic sweep of his crimes : the Visalia Ransacker , thought to be responsible for about 100 burglaries and one slaying in the San Joaquin Valley farm town ; the East Area Rapist ; the Original Night Stalker ; and finally , the Golden State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that stretched across much of the state .
The family of Debbie Strauss , who died in 2016 , recounted what became the signature that marked DeAngelo ’ s crimes after he escalated his attacks to couples instead of single women and girls .
He would force his victims to bind themselves with shoelaces before balancing plates on the man ’ s back with a warning that he would kill both victims if he heard the plates rattle while he raped the woman .
“ He spent hours raining his terror through threats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ mother , Dolly Kreis .
“ He would leave his victims shaking in fright while he went to the kitchen to eat , only to return and then the abuse and vileness started all over again.
” Sandy James , Strauss ’ sister , was among the many speakers who repeatedly tried to rattle DeAngelo by bringing up what they said was his small penis , a description that numerous victims gave investigators when they reported the rapes .
The killer , however , sat silently in an orange jail jumpsuit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as protection against the coronavirus .
Some said they believed his day of reckoning would never come .
Among them were two sisters who took turns testifying .
Peggy was 15 when she was raped , and Sue was 16 when she was bound and gagged in another room .
Neither gave their last names as they described the trauma that still haunts their otherwise successful lives .
“ My God , we were just high school kids , ” Peggy said , noting that she was stunned when DeAngelo was arrested .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is here , “ Peggy added .
” He ’ s a horrible man and none of us have to worry about him anymore .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-18--Genevieve a Cat 4 hurricane, winds likely to brush Baja

CABO SAN LUCAS , Mexico - Hurricane Genevieve grew rapidly into a highly dangerous Category 4 storm on Tuesday , threatening to bring tropical storm force winds to parts of the Baja California Peninsula even if its centre wasn ’ t likely to hit land .
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph ( 205 kph ) Tuesday afternoon and it was centred about 280 miles ( 450 kilometres ) south-southeast of the southern tip of the Baja peninsula .
It was moving to the northwest at 12 mph ( 19 kph @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winds were likely to start hitting parts of the peninsula on Wednesday night or Thursday before it moves over cooler waters and starts to weaken .
On Tuesday , Elio López pulled his small boat out of the water in Cabo San Lucas in preparation for the storm ’ s arrival .
Officials had already closed the port .
“ There ’ s nothing for left for us to do , but take the boat to a safe place , ” he said .
More than 10,000 families live in flood-prone informal settlements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cabo San Lucas , areas that usually have to be evacuated when storms approach .
In one such neighbourhood , El Caribe , residents appeared calm Tuesday .
“ They haven ’ t told us anything , but if there ’ s strong wind it ’ s going to take the roof off the house , ” said Flor Juárez , who moved to the area three years from the southern state of Guerrero .
Along the tourist areas in Cabo San Lucas , the streets were semi-empty , but it has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the tourist-oriented businesses remain closed due to the pandemic .
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the peninsula from Todos Santos to Puerto Cortes .
Los Cabos municipal civil defence director Erick Santillán said as the storm neared that officials would decide whether to open shelters .
“ It ’ s not going to hit us , but it will give us water and strong winds , ” he said .
“ We ’ re already making preparations.
” The storm was expected to spread 1 to 4 inches ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over parts of Baja California Sur state as it advances roughly parallel to the coast .

Ignacio MartíNez De JesúS - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-19--Ocasio-Cortez makes symbolic nomination of Sanders for president

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York used her roughly 90 seconds Tuesday night at the Democratic convention to nominate a fellow democratic socialist , Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont , for the presidency and laud the progressive movement he had helped advance over the course of the race .
In remarks that she had been asked to deliver on behalf of Sanders — who received some delegates based on primary results — Ocasio-Cortez hailed “ a mass people ’ s movement working to establish 21st-century social , economic and human rights , including guaranteed health care , higher education , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in the United States.
” The relatively small and procedural speaking role for Ocasio-Cortez , a huge young star in the Democratic Party , was disappointing to many of her admirers , especially given the swaths of time allotted Tuesday night to lesser-known Democratic state officials and even Republicans like Colin Powell , the former secretary of state .
But those officials had backed Joe Biden in the presidential race , while Ocasio-Cortez was a staunch champion of Sanders .
Giving her a prominent role in the convention probably would have also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican allies , who have sought to paint Biden as “ the puppet ” of left-wing Democrats like Ocasio-Cortez .
Her comments on the strength of the progressive movement were also a reminder that even as Democrats welcomed some Republicans like former Gov .
John Kasich of Ohio and Powell to rally around Biden , the party was far from united around specific matters of policy , and the faction that had propelled Sanders to a leading candidate in the race early this year was still ardently behind his message .
Ocasio-Cortez had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokeswoman said , days before Kasich sought to minimize her place in the Democratic Party , suggesting that the “ outsized publicity ” she received had disproportionately magnified her views .
Hours before the convention kicked off Monday , the congresswoman praised Kasich on Twitter for having “ woken up & realized the importance of supporting a Biden-Harris ticket , ” adding , “ Something tells me a Republican who fights against women ’ s rights doesn ’ t get to say who is or isn ’ t representative of the Dem party.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s name in her remarks Tuesday night , the congresswoman made clear with subsequent messages on social media for whom she planned to vote , issuing her “ deepest congratulations ” to Biden and expressing enthusiasm for “ fighting for our future together and reclaiming our democracy in November.
” The following is a transcript of Ocasio-Cortez ’ s speech , as transcribed by The New York Times .
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez : Good evening , bienvenidos , and thank you to everyone here today endeavouring toward a better , more just future for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fidelity and gratitude to a mass people ’ s movement working to establish 21st-century social , economic and human rights , including guaranteed health care , higher education , living wages and labour rights for all people in the United States .
A movement striving to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice , colonization , misogyny and homophobia .
And to propose and build reimagined systems of immigration and foreign policy that turn away from the violence and xenophobia of our past .
A movement that realizes the unsustainable brutality of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wealth for the few , at the expense of long-term stability for the many .
And who organized a historic , grassroots campaign to reclaim our democracy .
In a time when millions of people in the United States are looking for deep systemic solutions to our crisis of mass evictions , unemployment , and lack of health care , en el espíritu del pueblo , and out of a love for all people , I hereby second the nomination of Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont for president of the United States of @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-19--Iran surpasses 20,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus

TEHRAN , IRAN—Iran surpassed 20,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday , the health ministry said — the highest death toll for any Middle East country so far in the pandemic .
The announcement came as the Islamic Republic , which has been struggling with both the region ’ s largest outbreak and the highest number of fatalities , went ahead with university entrance exams for over one million students .
Iran is also preparing for mass Shiite commemorations later this month .
Iran suffered the region ’ s first major outbreak , seeing top politicians , health officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stricken with the virus .
It has since struggled to contain the spread of the virus across this nation of 80 million people , initially beating it back only to see it spike again beginning in June .
Still , international experts remain suspicious of Iran ’ s case counts .
Even researchers in the Iranian parliament in April suggested the death toll is likely nearly double the officially reported figures , due to undercounting and because not everyone with breathing problems has been tested for the virus .
Iran reported its first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day in February — the Mideast ’ s first outbreak of the virus — yet it only saw its highest single-day spike in reported cases in June .
The highest daily death toll was reported in July .
In February , before Iran reported its first cases , authorities for days denied the virus had reached the country , allowing the virus time to spread as the nation marked the 41st anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution with mass demonstrations and then held a parliamentary election in which authorities desperately sought to boost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over 350,200 confirmed cases , with 20,125 deaths , Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said .
Meanwhile , some 1.4 million Iranian students began taking their hours-long university entrance exams , which typically see large groups of applicants sitting for the exam in big testing centres .
Each applicant usually remains in the testing centre for nearly four hours .
Ali Reza Zali , who is leading the campaign against the pandemic in Tehran , said Iran ’ s capital still faced the country ’ s highest level of alert over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ guarantee the health of the applicants in the highest level , ” he insisted .
Dozens of applicants will have to take the exam from their hospital beds as they have already been sickened by the virus .
Then later this month , Iran will mark the Ashoura , a major Shiite commemoration mourning the 7th century death of Prophet Muhammad ’ s grandson Hussein , one of Shiite Islam ’ s most beloved saints .
Nine days before the Ashoura , daily mass processions see men beating their backs with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expression of regret for not being able to help Hussein before his martyrdom .
Many distribute free food and soft drinks among mourners .
On Monday , a society of clerics said the Ashoura should go on “ under any circumstances , ” while still demanding that participants follow health guidance measures .
However , authorities complain that mask usage and other measures have remained lower than expected , likely due to fatigue among Iranians months into the crisis .
The Iranian Psychiatric Association wrote a letter to Health Minister Saeed Namaki , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gatherings , especially communal mourning ceremonies ” when people mark the Ashoura .
It cited near-daily death tolls of 200 from the virus in Iran .
“ We are on the verge of a much bigger disaster , ” the association warned .
In reference to Ashoura , Iranian Senior Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri tweeted that the coronavirus “ has made mourning sites precarious.
” “ This year we should stay at home to hold the mourning , ” he said .
Meanwhile , the United Arab Emirates reported its highest daily case numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday its mass-testing program had found 435 new cases .
So far , the federation of sheikhdoms that is home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai has seen over 65,000 cases , with 367 deaths .
That ’ s even as Dubai has reopened for tourism and the Emirates plans to host the Indian Premier League beginning next month .
In a briefing Tuesday , Emirati Health and Prevention Minister Abdulrahman al-Owais blamed people who are not wearing masks and maintaining distance from each other at private parties and family functions for the rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have seen recently an alarming increase in the number of daily cases , compared to previous weeks , ” the minister was quoted as saying .


thetorontostar--2020-08-19--UAE connects its new nuclear power plant to electrical grid

DUBAI , United Arab Emirates - A nuclear power plant in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates has been connected to the country ’ s power grid , authorities said Wednesday .
The Barakah nuclear power plant in the Emirates ’ far western desert near the border with Saudi Arabia began sending out electricity , according the state-run WAM news agency .
WAM published a photograph of employees working inside of the plant ’ s control room .
Authorities have not granted journalists access to the plant during its years of construction despite repeated requests .
Officials from the International Atomic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On July 31 , the plant ’ s first reactor reached what scientists called its “ first criticality.
“ That ’ s when the nuclear chain reaction within the reactor is self-sustaining .
Plans call for four reactors to be operating at Barakah , which authorities say will provide some 25 % of all energy needs in this OPEC-member nation .
The $ 20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant was built by the Emirates with the help of South Korea .
It ’ s the first nuclear power plant on the Arabian Peninsula @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s nuclear program for agreeing never to acquire enrichment or reprocessing capabilities , which prevents it from being able to make weapons-grade uranium .
The U.S. says that ’ s a model agreement for other countries seeking nuclear power while also encouraging the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons .


thetorontostar--2020-08-19--Young, Galvin getting rematch for US House seat

ANCHORAGE , Alaska - Don Young and Alyse Galvin will face off once again in the race to be Alaska ’ s sole representative in the U.S. House .
Young , the House ’ s longest-ever serving Republican , won the Republican primary Tuesday , his first step in an effort to win a 25th term .
He was first elected in 1973 .
Alyse Galvin , a nonpartisan candidate , won the Democratic primary with the party ’ s backing .
She lost by 7 percentage points to Young in the 2018 general election .
Young ’ s campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement said the congressman “ is grateful for the opportunity to continue to represent Alaskans .
We are excited by the momentum we are seeing across the state and the Congressman is energized for the general election.
” Galvin attributed part of her win to running again after her loss two years ago .
“ I think Alaskans like grit , ” she told The Associated Press .
“ And I got in really early to make sure that I could have those longer conversations that I think it ’ s going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know , so many years , 47 years of one representative .
But what I ’ m hearing is that they ’ re ready for that kind of change , “ she said .
While Galvin sees an opportunity for new ideas , Young touts his experience .
“ Alaskans trust and know that Don Young fights for Alaska and wins the battles we can ’ t afford to lose , ” Reed said , while casting Galvin as “ one of the most liberal candidates Alaska has ever seen.
” While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump in the election , Young isn ’ t .
Trump on Thursday tweeted his “ complete and total endorsement ” for Young .
Trump said Young loves his state “ and works tirelessly ” for Alaska .
Young replied to Trump in his own tweet : “ You ’ ve been a great partner for Alaska and our country .
Keep up the good work !
” Young defeated two little-known challengers in the Republican primary , T. “ John ” Nelson and Gerald Heikes , neither of whom reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is known for his off-the-cuff comments and sometimes abrasive demeanour , made headlines in March when he downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus to an audience that included older Alaskans .
Young himself is 87 .
Reed told a newspaper he believed Young was trying to urge calm .
Young has posted pictures of himself wearing a mask on his social media feed .
He was also pictured wearing a mask when he voted early in Anchorage on Thursday .
Alan Smith of Anchorage voted in person in Anchorage on Tuesday .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
“ No , I was wearing a mask , everyone was wearing a mask , ” he said .
Polling places offered masks along with hand sanitizer and gloves .
And social distancing wasn ’ t a problem .
“ Look at this space ; it ’ s really not crowded , ” he said .
He voted for Galvin .
“ She was the only one I recognized , ” he said .
Frederick Moore , who also wore a mask , had no qualms about voting in person at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted for Young .
“ He ’ s been doing a great job over the years , ” Moore said .
In her primary , Galvin defeated William “ Bill ” Hibler and Ray Sean Tugatuk , neither of whom reported raising any money .
Galvin , 55 , an education advocate , has maintained an active social media presence and began campaigning for the race last year , hoping to build off the network she cultivated in her prior run .
Because of COVID-19 , Galvin has been conducting virtual town halls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gatherings , covering a lot of ground it would be difficult to do in person .
Just this week , she took part in virtual gatherings in Fairbanks , Anchorage , Ketchikan and Valdez .
She said people are attending , and they feel safe .
“ I think they ’ re showing up even more because it feels a little bit like a reunion .
And people are looking for conversations , especially ones that are meaningful and helpful , ” she said .
She also is taking her campaign RV out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it ’ s important that I get out to communities in small settings where it ’ s safe and appropriate , ” she said .
From April through June , she significantly outraised Young and held an edge in available cash on hand .
This story has been corrected to show Young defeated Galvin by 7 percentage points in 2018 and not 9 .