thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Iran: More than 10k health care workers infected with virus

TEHRAN , Iran - The coronavirus has infected more than 10,000 health care workers in hard-hit Iran , news outlets reported Thursday .
In southern Yemen , the virus-related death toll at a medical centre run by an international aid group attests to “ a wider catastrophe ” in the war-torn country , Doctors Without Borders said .
The Iranian report carried by semiofficial news agencies , including ISNA , cited Deputy Health Minister Qassem Janbabaei , who did not elaborate .
However , reports earlier in the week put the number of infected health care workers at only 800 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those workers have died .
Iran on Thursday put the total number of dead from the virus at 7,249 , or 66 more than Wednesday .
Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said there were more than 129,000 confirmed cases of the virus , including 2,392 more than Wednesday .
Iran has the most virus-related casualties in the region .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
For some , especially older adults and people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause more severe illness , including pneumonia and death .
The vast majority of people recover .
The Doctors Without Borders facility in the southern Yemeni city of Aden admitted 173 patients between April 30 and May 17 , at least 68 of whom have died , the group said in a statement .
The U.N.-recognized government based in the south has confirmed 180 cases nationwide , with 29 fatalities .
“ What we are seeing in our treatment centre is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Caroline Seguin , the group ’ s operations manager for Yemen .
“ People are coming to us too late to save , and we know that many more people are not coming at all : they are just dying at home.
” The government tally of cases does not include confirmed cases in the country ’ s north , which is under the control of Houthi rebels who are believed to be concealing the magnitude of the outbreak by suppressing numbers and intimidating journalists and doctors who might leak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have reported four cases , including one death of a Somali migrant .
On Tuesday , a 35-year-old World Food Program staffer died of COVID-19 , the illness caused by the virus , in the Houthi-controlled province of Saada , the group said .
In 2014 , Houthi rebels took control of Yemen ’ s north and captured the capital Sanaa , forcing the U.N.-recognized government there to flee to Aden .
Since 2015 , a Saudi-led coalition of mostly Arab countries has been battling the Houthis to reinstate the government of President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in suspected coronavirus cases in Yemen is sounding alarms throughout the global health community , which fears the virus will spread like wildfire through some of the world ’ s most vulnerable populations .
The World Health Organization says its models suggest that , under some scenarios , half of Yemen ’ s population of 30 million could be infected with the virus and more than 40,000 could die .
Half of Yemen ’ s health facilities are dysfunctional and 18 % of the country ’ s 333 districts have no doctors .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many families can barely afford one meal a day .
“ The high level of mortality we are seeing amongst our patients is equivalent to those of intensive care units in Europe , but the people we see dying are much younger than in France or Italy : mostly men between 40 and 60 years old , ” said Seguin of Doctors Without Borders , also known by its French acronym MSF .
The war in Yemen has killed more than 100,000 people , according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yemen .
The war has also created the world ’ s worst humanitarian crisis , leaving millions suffering from food and medical shortages .

Nasser Karimi And Noha Elhennawy - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Hungary closing border transit zones for asylum-seekers

BUDAPEST , Hungary - Hungary ’ s government said Thursday that it is shutting down the transit zones on its southern border with Serbia where asylum-seekers have been held while their asylum requests are decided .
Prime Minister Viktor Orban ’ s chief of staff said that , as a result , some 280 asylum-seekers will be moved Thursday to reception centres in the country .
Gergely Gulyas also said that , in the future , those seeking to apply for asylum in Hungary will have to present their claims at Hungarian diplomatic missions in other countries .
The government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s top court last week ruled that holding asylum-seekers in Hungary ’ s transit zones amounted to “ detention ” and said it was allowed for a maximum period of four weeks .
The zones had been compared by the government to the transit areas of airports , where passengers remain if they are changing planes but not entering the country .
The reception centres , by contrast , are open , or semi-open .
“ The government does not agree with the court ’ s decision , which it considers to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s security , ” Gulyas said .
“ At the same time , as a member of the European Union , naturally we are obliged to comply with every court decision and we will comply.
” “ We think that the transit zone was a solution that guaranteed the possibility of filing asylum requests while at the same time it protected Hungary ’ s borders and , therefore , Europe ’ s external borders , as well.
“ Gulyas said during a government news conference .
“ The protection of the external @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not , does not want to and will not yield.
” Gulyas pointed out that while the EU ’ s Court of Justice considered holding asylum-seekers in the transit zones as detention , a November 2019 judgement by the European Court of Human Rights had reached a different conclusion , saying that the policy did not constitute a deprivation of the “ right to liberty and security.
” Hungary built fences protected by razor wire on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia and later a pair of transit zones on its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2015 migrant crisis , when some 400,000 people passed through Hungary on their way to Western Europe .
The measures were part of Orban ’ s increasingly strict anti-immigration policies and the extreme minimization of Hungary ’ s asylum system .
The transit zones built from shipping containers were a frequent target for widespread criticism from domestic and international rights groups .
They objected , for example , to the small number of asylum-seekers allowed to file claims , the prison-like conditions faced by those kept in the transit zones — including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s frequent decision not to provide food to adults whose initial asylum claims were rejected but who remained in the transit zones while their appeals were heard .
The decision to close the transit zones was welcomed by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee , an advocate for asylum-seekers which was involved in the landmark case decided last week by the EU ’ s Court of Justice and which has been the target of government smear campaigns .
“ We have achieved the end of the unlawful torment of hundreds , including many families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the group said in a Facebook post .
“ Our urgent and important task now is to give legal information to the people freed from their prison and to help them understand what awaits them in the new camps and what rules of behaviour they have to abide by in the new locations , ” the committee said .
“ We will also help them to get the chance for the authorities to finally consider their asylum requests.
“

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thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Fire at shuttered Dutch nuclear plant; no radiation risk

THE HAGUE , Netherlands - A fire broke out Thursday at a decommissioned nuclear power plant in the central Netherlands @ @ @ @ @ said the blaze was quickly brought under control and there was no danger of radioactive @ @ @ @ @ no radioactivity involved , ” Iwan Jacobs , a spokesman for the Security Region South @ @ @ @ @ in a telephone interview .
The power plant in the town of Dodewaard , 100 @ @ @ @ @ southeast of Amsterdam , was decommissioned in 1997 and parts of the complex already have @ @ @ @ @ was removed from the site after it was decommissioned and it has been sealed since @ @ @ @ @ documents .
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known .
Jacobs said there @ @ @ @ @ roof and warned the public to stay away .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Oxfam to close 18 offices worldwide as virus drains finances

LONDON - Oxfam International , one of the world ’ s leading aid agencies , will severely curtail its work because of the financial strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic , including the closure of operations in 18 countries at the potential cost of 1,450 jobs .
The organization , which currently operates in 66 countries and whose global work is co-ordinated via 20 affiliate offices around the world , said in a statement late Wednesday that it has had to accelerate changes as a result of the pandemic .
Countries it will be exiting include Afghanistan , Egypt , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the changes will affect around 1,450 out of nearly 5,000 program staff .
Following the changes , it will retain a physical presence in 48 countries , six of which it will explore as new independent affiliate members , including Indonesia and Kenya .
The organization had started a 10-year strategic review in late 2018 in the wake of a sex scandal in Haiti that caused a global outcry and prompted many donors to withdraw their support , particularly in the U.K. , where it started operations back in 1942 .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ western Europe , have had to close , a visible sign of the financial damage caused by the scandal .
Haiti is another country in which it will be closing operations .
“ We ’ ve been planning this for some time but we are now accelerating key decisions in light of the effects of the global pandemic , ” said Oxfam International ’ s interim executive director Chema Vera .
Oxfam says the changes will enable it to be more effective in tackilng global poverty and inequality and helping people to survive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be shifting more decision-making power to the global south and re-orientating work to meet local contexts .
Vera said the changes , combined with further “ phases of transformation in the months ahead , ” will lay “ the foundation for our future over the coming decade as the longer-term effects of this devastating pandemic become clearer.
” Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak This story has been corrected to show that the job losses will affect around 1,450 program staff , not more @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Death and destruction after cyclone hits India, Bangladesh

NEW DELHI - Wide swathes of the coasts of India and Bangladesh were flooded and millions of people remained without power Thursday , after the most powerful cyclone to hit the region in more than decade left dozens dead and a trail of destruction .
In the Indian city of Kolkata , home to more than 14 million people , large portions of the metropolis and its suburbs were underwater , including the city ’ s main airport .
Roads were littered with uprooted trees and lamp posts and electricity and and communication lines were down .
Cyclone Amphan also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tore through the city on Wednesday .
“ It feels like a dystopian Jurassic Park of sorts , ” said Shuli Ghosh , who runs a cafe in Kolkata .
“ The roofs of many homes have flown away and the streets are waterlogged.
” When the storm made landfall on Wednesday it lashed coastal areas in both India and Bangladesh with heavy rain , a battering storm surge and sustained winds of 170 kilometres per hour ( 105 mph ) and gusts up to 190 kph ( 118 mph ) .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knocking down mud houses , ripping out electricity poles and uprooting trees .
In Bangladesh , television stations reported 13 deaths , while 72 deaths were reported in India ’ s West Bengal state .
Officials said two people were killed in India ’ s Odisha state .
Hundreds of villages in Bangladesh were flooded by tidal surges and more than a million people were without electricity .
Officials in both countries said the full extent of the damage remained to be seen as communication lines to many places remained down .
India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said authorities were working on the ground to ensure all possible assistance to the those affected .
“ No stone will be left unturned in helping the affected , ” Modi tweeted on Thursday .
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and social-distancing measures had made mass evacuations ahead of the storm difficult .
Shelters were unable to run at full capacity in many places and some people were too scared of the risk of infection to mass there .
Likewise the pandemic will have and impact on relief efforts and the recovery .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely to have lasting repercussions for poor families already stretched to the limit by the economic impact of the pandemic .
In India ’ s Odisha state , the cyclone destroyed crops of Betel , a leaf used as a wrapper for chewing areca nut or tobacco .
In Bangladesh ’ s southwestern district of Bagerhat , more than 500 fish farms were flooded .
Debashish Shyamal , who lives in a fishing village along the coast of West Bengal took shelter with his family in a government clinic .
He said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and for hours they sat huddled inside , drenched by the torrential rain .
On Thursday , he woke up to dangling electricity wires , waterlogged streets and an entirely uprooted forest next to his village .
“ There is nothing left , ” he said .
Alam reported from Dhaka , Bangladesh .
Associated Press writers Chonchui Ngashangva and Aniruddha Ghosal in New Delhi contributed to this report .

Sheikh Saaliq And Julhas Alam - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--13 workers die in Bangladesh road accident

DHAKA , Bangladesh - A speeding truck loaded with iron bars overturned Thursday in heavy rain after its driver apparently @ @ @ @ @ passengers in northern Bangladesh , police said .
The truck was travelling from Dhaka and @ @ @ @ @ who were riding in the back , local police chief Masudur Rahman said .
The @ @ @ @ @ after the accident , which occurred in Polashbari in Gaibandha district , he said .
@ @ @ @ @ in the back of trucks to their hometowns ahead of the major Islamic festival of @ @ @ @ @ Road accidents in Bangladesh are common because of lax enforcement of traffic laws , bad @ @ @ @ @ Up to 7,000 people die annually .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Brazil police seize marijuana in nation’s ‘biggest bust’

SAO PAULO - Brazilian police said Thursday that nearly 28 tons of marijuana have been seized hidden in corn in @ @ @ @ @ the biggest drug bust ” ever in the country .
The Brazilian federal police say @ @ @ @ @ were underneath the corn being carried in a truck that was stopped by officers on @ @ @ @ @ state of Mato Grosso do Sul on Wednesday .
Police say they had started monitoring @ @ @ @ @ raised about its driver at a hotel in the city of Ponta Porã at the @ @ @ @ @ Police say the driver alleged the truck was already loaded when he picked it up @ @ @ @ @ the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul .
The driver was arrested and @ @ @ @ @ .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Czech court upholds former Prague Muslim leader’s conviction

PRAGUE , Czech Republic - A Czech appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that convicted a former @ @ @ @ @ part of a terror group and financing terrorism , sentencing him to 10 years in @ @ @ @ @ Samer Shehadeh helped his brother Omar in 2016 and later his brother ’ s wife @ @ @ @ @ to Syria to join an extremist group known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham .
Prosecutors also @ @ @ @ @ of money to the group that seeks to replace the regime of Syrian President Bashar @ @ @ @ @ .
In the same case , Omar and his wife were convicted of terror charges @ @ @ @ @ 11 and six years , respectively .
The appeals court also upheld their sentences .
@ @ @ @ @ the accusations , but said he didn ’ t consider his deeds a crime because @ @ @ @ @ the Syrian government and doesn ’ t consider the group terrorist .
The members of @ @ @ @ @ distanced themselves from his activities .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Senate speeds up confirmation vote for intelligence director

WASHINGTON - The Senate is poised to vote Thursday on the nomination of Texas GOP Rep. John Ratcliffe to be Director of National Intelligence , potentially confirming him sooner than expected , as senators are eager to quickly fill the post .
Democrats have been opposed to Ratcliffe ’ s nomination , and most are expected to vote against it .
But they dropped their usual objections to holding a quick vote as members of both parties want a Senate-confirmed nominee in the job .
Democrats usually force procedural votes that slow the nomination process , but are allowing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ town for the next week .
The post is now filled by acting director Richard Grenell , a Trump loyalist who has overseen a shakeup in the intelligence community and has raised concerns on Capitol Hill .
While Ratcliffe has been similarly loyal to President Donald Trump , he promised in his Senate confirmation hearing to be an independent head of the nation ’ s intelligence agencies and said he would keep Congress informed of important developments .
Ratcliffe will replace former DNI Dan Coats , a former Indiana senator who had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequently clashed with Trump .
Since then , Trump , who has long been skeptical of the nation ’ s intelligence community , has installed acting heads and ousted and fired multiple intelligence officials .
The Texas Republican was first picked by Trump for the post last summer , shortly after Coats ’ resignation , but then withdrew after some Senate Republicans questioned his experience .
GOP senators warmed to Ratcliffe after Trump unexpectedly nominated him again in February , as concerns grew about Grenell and the turnover in the intelligence community .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ second nomination .
But Democrats have been skeptical that he will serve with the independence they say is crucial for the job .
At his hearing , Ratcliffe worked to separate himself from the president , including by saying he believed Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election , a conclusion Trump has often resisted .
He said he would communicate to Trump the intelligence community ’ s findings even if he knew Trump disagreed with them and might fire him .
Democrats were not convinced .
The top Democrat on the panel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ratcliffe at the hearing that “ I don ’ t see what has changed since last summer , ” when his nomination was withdrawn .
Ratcliffe ’ s nomination was approved 8-7 in a closed committee hearing Tuesday , with all Democrats voting against it , according to a committee aide .
Ratcliffe sits on the House intelligence , judiciary and ethics committees .
He was a member of Trump ’ s impeachment advisory team last fall and aggressively questioned witnesses during the House impeachment hearings .
He also forcefully questioned former special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testified about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election .

Mary Clare Jalonick - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--White House report blasts Chinese ‘malign activities’

WASHINGTON - Beyond its hard-hitting rhetoric against China over its handling of the coronavirus , the White House has issued a broad-scale attack on Beijing ’ s predatory economic policies , military buildup , disinformation campaigns and human rights violations .
The 20-page report does not signal a shift in U.S. policy , according to a senior administration official , who was not authorized to publicly discuss the report and spoke only on the condition of anonymity , but it expands on President Donald Trump ’ s get-tough rhetoric that he hopes will resonate with voters angry about China ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has left tens of millions of Americans out of work .
“ The media ’ s focus on the current pandemic risks missing the bigger picture of the challenge that ’ s presented by the Chinese Communist Party , ” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday before the White House released its report .
“ China ’ s been ruled by a brutal , authoritarian regime , a communist regime since 1949 .
For several decades , we thought the regime would become more like us — through trade , scientific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the World Trade Organization as a developing nation .
That didn ’ t happen , ” he said .
“ We greatly underestimated the degree to which Beijing is ideologically and politically hostile to free nations .
The whole world is waking up to that fact.
” Later in the day , the State Department announced that it had approved the sale of advanced torpedoes to the Taiwanese military , a move sure to draw a rebuke from Beijing , which regards the island as a renegade province .
The department said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 180 million sale of heavy-weight torpedoes , spare parts , support and testing equipment , which “ will help improve the security of ( Taiwan ) and assist in maintaining political stability , military balance , and economic progress in the region.
” While pushing back on China , Trump has sometimes uttered contradictory statements .
He has talked about having a great personal relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping yet has repeatedly denounced China for not doing more to stop the virus from spreading across the world .
He ’ ll criticize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to sign Phase II of a trade deal and join the United States and Russia in a three-way nuclear arms control treaty .
Late Wednesday , Trump wrote on Twitter that China ’ s “ massive disinformation campaign ” is intended to help Joe Biden win the 2020 presidential election .
In the past 20 years , the U.S. believed that if it opened its markets wider , invested more money in China and provided greater access to top U.S. technology and training for Chinese military officers that somehow this would cause China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Instead , China is more authoritarian than at any time since Beijing killed anti-government protesters on Tiananmen Square in 1989 , and the Chinese Communist Party is increasingly asserting its political ideas across the globe .
The U.S. and China established diplomatic relations during the Nixon administration .
“ More than 40 years later , it has become evident that this approach underestimated the will of the Chinese Communist Party to constrain the scope of economic and political reform in China , ” the report said .
“ Over the past two decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or reversed.
” According to the report , the Trump administration sees “ no value ” in engaging with Beijing for symbolism and pageantry .
“ When quiet diplomacy proves futile , the United States will increase public pressure ” on China .
The latest example of U.S. and China power competition is playing out at the World Health Organization .
At the U.N. health agency ’ s annual assembly this week , Xi joined by video conference to offer more money and support .
Meanwhile , Trump railed against the WHO in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus outbreak with China — and threatening to permanently halt U.S. funding that has been its main financial lifeblood for years .
China also has been engaged in a military buildup , has engaged in cyber hacking and Beijing ’ s pledge to end predatory economic practices “ is littered with broken and empty promises.
” China promised during the Obama administration that it would stop government-directed cyber theft of trade secrets for commercial gain and restated the same promise in the first two years of the Trump administration , the report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the U.S. and a dozen other countries reported that China was hacking computers to target intellectual property and steal business information .
“ Since the 1980s , Beijing has signed multiple international agreements to protect intellectual property .
Despite this , more than 63 per cent of the world ’ s counterfeits originate in China , inflicting hundreds of billions of dollars of damage on legitimate businesses around the world , ” the report said .
The Trump administration also is upset at how China continues to argue to the World Trade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , ” even though it is the top importer of high-tech products and ranks second only to the U.S. in terms of gross domestic product , defence spending and outward investment .
Under the Xi government , Chinese officials have purged political opposition ; bloggers , activists and lawyers have been unjustly prosecuted ; stringent controls have been imposed to censor not only media , but universities , businesses and non-governmental organizations ; citizens and corporations have been targeted with surveillance ; and people perceived as dissidents have been subjected to arbitrary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retains its non-market economic structure and state-led approach to trade and investment , the report said .
Political reforms have likewise atrophied or reversed and distinctions between the government and the Chinese Chinese Party are eroding .
“ Xi ’ s decision to remove presidential term limits , effectively extending his tenure indefinitely , epitomized these trends , ” the report said .
“ In a stark example of domestic conformity , local officials publicized a book burning event at a community library to demonstrate their ideological alignment to ‘ Xi Jinping Thought.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 1 million Uighurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in indoctrination camps where many endure forced labour , ideological indoctrination and physical and psychological abuse .
Associated Press diplomatic writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Asia Today: Australia lets woman travel to see dying sister

BANGKOK - A New Zealand woman has been reunited with her dying sister in Australia after gaining an exemption from pandemic travel restrictions on compassionate grounds .
Australia had rejected Christine Archer ’ s request for permission to fly from New Zealand four times before her story attracted media attention .
Her only sister , Gail Baker , was diagnosed with incurable ovarian cancer in late March after both countries stopped international travel .
Archer was eventually allowed to fly to Sydney and spent only a week in hotel quarantine before testing negative for the coronavirus .
International travellers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friends drove the retired nurse 490 kilometres ( 300 miles ) from Sydney to the New South Wales state coastal town of Bowraville , where her younger sibling greeted her with a hug on Wednesday .
Archer told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview aired Thursday : “ Words can ’ t explain how I feel , to be honest.
” “ I ’ m just so happy that I finally got to be here and be with her .
The last two weeks have been the hardest or the longest two weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Australia ’ s Department of Home Affairs relented on Archer ’ s travel application after it allowed the New Zealand Warriors rugby league team to relocate from Auckland in preparation for the Australian football competition restarting next week .
Both countries have had success in controlling the spread of the virus .
In other developments around the Asia-Pacific region : — WILDLIFE CONSUMPTION BAN IN WUHAN : The central Chinese city of Wuhan , where the global coronavirus pandemic originated last year , has issued a total ban on the hunting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That is an apparent response to research showing the virus most likely originated among bats and was transmitted to people via an intermediary wild species sold at a food market in the city .
The regulation issued Wednesday seeks to carry out measures passed at the national level covering protected land animals as well as sea life , promising financial relief to help dealers move into other lines of business .
However , it contains numerous exceptions , including for animals used for traditional Chinese medicine , as long as they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That left it unclear whether the ban would cover pangolins , small mammals whose scales are used for traditional Chinese medicine but which are thought to have been the intermediary carrier of the virus .
The regulation will be enforced immediately and will be in effect for five years .
— G-7 SUMMIT BACK ON AGENDA ?
Japan ’ s government spokesman said Thursday that the country is considering whether to attend the Group of Seven summit , and details would still have to be decided by the host , the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responding to a question about President Donald Trump ’ s tweet Wednesday that he is considering rescheduling a meeting in the U.S. with world leaders because it would be a “ great sign to all ” of things returning to normal .
Trump had scheduled the G-7 summit for June 10-12 at Camp David but cancelled it in March because of the pandemic , saying the leaders would confer by video conference instead .
Suga said he interpreted Trump ’ s tweet as “ an expression of the president ’ s intention to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said his understanding is that details such as the dates and format of the meeting are still being studied by the host nation .
— JAPAN EMERGENCY EASES : Japan has lifted the coronavirus state of emergency in Osaka and the two neighbouring prefectures of Kyoto and Hyogo while keeping the measure in place in the Tokyo region and the northernmost island of Hokkaido .
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the announcement on Thursday .
Last week , Abe lifted the emergency measures in all but eight of Japan ’ s 47 prefectures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mandate lockdowns .
Japan has has 16,424 confirmed cases and 777 deaths as of Wednesday .
— 10 CASES IN SEOUL : South Korea has reported 12 new coronavirus cases and one more death , bringing its totals to 11,122 cases and 124 deaths .
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said 10 of the new cases came from Seoul and nearby Incheon , where health workers have been scrambling to track and test potential virus carriers following dozens of infections linked to nightspots .
South Korea was reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early March but managed to stabilize infections with an active test-and-quarantine program which has allowed the country to avoid real lockdowns .
Officials have been relaxing social distancing guidelines and proceeding with a phased reopening of schools , which began with high school seniors on Wednesday .
— LONGER WEEKENDS ?
New Zealand ’ s prime minister wants employers to consider switching to a four-day work week as a way to promote tourism , which has been hard hit by the pandemic .
Jacinda Ardern said on Facebook Live that people learned a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which was eased last week .
The nation ’ s borders remain closed but Ardern said more flexible working arrangements could allow New Zealanders to travel more within their own country .
“ I hear lots of people suggesting we should have a four-day week .
Ultimately , that really sits between employers and employees , ” Ardern said .
She added that she would encourage employers “ to think about whether or not that is something that would work for their workplace , because it certainly would help tourism all around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SRI LANKA AID STAMPEDE : Sri Lanka police say three women died in a stampede Thursday when residents of a Colombo neighbourhood scrambled to receive aid distributed to people who lost their livelihoods because of the coronavirus .
They said several others were hospitalized .
Six private individuals who organized the aid distribution were arrested .
Many people in the crowded neighbourhood are day labourers or drive three-wheel taxis , and have been unable to work during the virus lockdown .
Sri Lanka has reported 1,028 cases including nine deaths .
Follow AP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ http : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Detective, nurse, confidant: Virus tracers play many roles

SALT LAKE CITY - Health investigator Mackenzie Bray smiles and chuckles as she chats by phone with a retired Utah man who just tested positive for the coronavirus .
She ’ s trying to keep the mood light because she needs to find out where he ’ s been and who he ’ s been around for the past seven days .
She gently peppers him with questions , including where he and his wife stopped to buy flowers on a visit to a cemetery .
She encourages him to go through his bank statement to see if it reminds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Midway through the conversation , a possible break : His wife lets slip that they had family over for Mother ’ s Day , including a grandchild who couldn ’ t stop slobbering .
“ Was there like a shared food platter or something like that ?
” Bray asks .
“ There was , OK , yep ... sharing food or sharing drinks , even just being on the same table , it can spread that way.
’ ” Suddenly , with a shared punch bowl , the web has widened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to track down .
She is among an army of health professionals around the world filling one of the most important roles in the effort to guard against a resurgence of the coronavirus .
The practice of so-called contact tracing requires a hybrid job of interrogator , therapist and nurse as they try coax nervous people to be honest .
The goal : To create a road map of everywhere infected people have been and who they ’ ve been around .
While other countries have devised national approaches , a patchwork of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states are left to create their own program .
Bray normally does this type of work to track contacts for people with sexually transmitted diseases .
She is now one of 130 people at the Salt Lake County health department assigned to track coronavirus cases in the Salt Lake City area .
The investigators , many of them nurses , each juggle 30 to 40 cases , and try to reach everyone the original person was within 6 feet ( 1.8 metres ) of for 10 minutes or more .
They stay in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incubation period , and calls can take 30 minutes or more as they meticulously go through a list of questions .
Some estimate as many as 300,000 contact tracers would be needed in the U.S. to adequately curtail the spread .
While some states like Utah have reported having enough contact tracers , others are hundreds or even thousands of people short .
The contact tracers often find themselves in a tangled web of half-truths and facts that don ’ t match up .
Language and cultural barriers arise that require interpreters and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the person understands what they ’ re trying to do .
They land on occasion into complicated family dynamics where people are reluctant to tell the truth .
Health investigator Maria DiCaro found out days into a case that a father was sleeping in his car because he and his wife were separating .
The man had stopped returning DiCaro ’ s calls , and that key information came from his child .
“ I get people that lie all time , ” DiCaro said .
“ I try to get as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s just not always the case .
And time is one of those things you can ’ t take back when you are trying to prevent and you know do these contact tracing investigations.
” Each call is an exercise in good cop , bad cop .
She needs people to co-operate , but no one is legally required to answer the questions .
Usually kindness works better than strong words .
Some people lie because they ’ re scared , or they forget an outing .
Construction workers , housekeepers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over symptoms so they can get back to work .
Some immigrants without documentation brush off testing because they fear it could lead to deportation .
“ People sometimes think contact tracing is black and white but there is a lot of gray that goes into it , “ said Bray , who often thinks about her parents and 97-year-old grandmother as she works to help stop the spread of the virus .
“ Our worst fear is that we push too hard and we lose someone .
It ’ s not just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the people around them.
” No matter the tension , Bray and DiCaro give frequent reminders of why it all matters : “ Thank you for what you ’ re doing .
You ’ re helping the community , “ DiCaro says during one call .
She knows that on the other end of the line , the first call from a tracer can be jarring .
Sometimes , DiCaro and Bray have to break the news that someone was exposed or tested positive .
“ It ’ s normal to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you don ’ t ever expect the health department to call you and be like , ‘ You were exposed to a serious disease , ’ ” said Anissa Archuleta .
The 23-year-old got a call from DiCaro after she , her sister and her mother took a rare break from hunkering down to help organize a drive-by birthday party for a young cousin .
They dropped off a present , then caved and accepted an impromptu invitation to go inside to grab some food .
What they didn ’ t know : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus , and unknowingly exposed more than a dozen people at the gathering .
After that first call , DiCaro checked in every day for two weeks .
The fear slowly faded after their tests came back negative and they began building a rapport with DiCaro .
She asked about their symptoms and how they were feeling each day and learned about how Ortega lost her voice to fibromyalgia .
Archuleta would pass along messages her mother whispered in her ear .
And after a while , Archuleta began asking DiCaro about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up .
About a week in to their calls , on the daily check-in , Archuleta thanked DiCaro for caring about them and checking in every day .
Tears welled up in DiCaro ’ s eyes .
“ Ah thanks , ” she said as she grabbed a Kleenex to wipe her eyes .
After she hung up , she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a few seconds .
“ When you do this like 10-12 hours a day ...
It ’ s nice to get those positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who do see the purpose of what we are doing , ” said DiCaro .
“ It ’ s nice to be appreciated .
”


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Japan prosecutor seen close to Abe quits in gambling scandal

TOKYO - A top Japanese prosecutor seen as close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe submitted his resignation Thursday after a magazine reported he gambled on mahjong by evading a stay-at-home request during a coronavirus state of emergency .
The scandal involving Hiromu Kurokawa , head of the Tokyo High Prosecutors Office , surfaced Wednesday after the popular weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun said he played mahjong for money at the home of a newspaper reporter twice in May .
Justice Minister Masako Mori told reporters that Korokawa was reprimanded after an investigation confirmed the allegations against him .
Kurokawa submitted his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Cabinet on Friday , Mori said .
Playing mahjong for money , as head of the high prosecutors office , is “ extremely inappropriate and regrettable , ” Mori said .
Gambling in illegal in Japan , with few exceptions .
Evading a stay-at-home request is not .
Kurokawa is at the centre of a highly controversial bill pushed by Abe ’ s ruling Liberal Democratic Party that seeks to extend the mandatory retirement age of public prosecutors while allowing the Cabinet to influence their appointment .
In January , Abe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled February retirement by altering the interpretation of the law , the first ever extension of a prosecutor ’ s retirement .
Opponents have said the extension is meant to keep Kurokawa so that he can replace the current prosecutor-general who is set to retire this summer .
Abe ’ s government decided to withdraw the bill after a storm of protests on social networks criticizing Abe for interfering with democracy .
Artists and celebrities who rarely make political statements have joined in , focusing more public attention on the issue .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for spending on such a bill when it should be working on support measures for those who have lost jobs or income under the state of emergency .
Former prosecutors also came forward to demand the Justice Ministry throw out the bill that would allow political influence over them , shaking their neutrality and public trust .
Abe has consistently denied any favouritism or personal ties with Kurokawa .
Later Thursday , Abe said he seriously took the public criticism against the bill .
( asterisk ) It is indispensable that we listen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ he said .
The unpopular bill and the gambling scandal could deal a further setback for Abe , whose support ratings have fallen below 40 % as the public has been increasingly displeased with his economic support amid the coronavirus pandemic as too little and too slow .
Tokyo has been under a coronavirus emergency , with people requested to stay home and keep social distancing .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--US envoy working to resuscitate flagging Afghan peace deal

KABUL - The first visit to Kabul by Washington ’ s peace envoy since Afghanistan ’ s squabbling political leadership reached a power-sharing agreement comes amid increased violence blamed mostly on an Islamic State affiliate that has been targeted in stepped-up U.S. bombing .
Zalmay Khalilzad , in a flurry of tweets Thursday , told of his meetings in Doha earlier in the week with Taliban representatives and on Wednesday with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and fellow leader Abdullah Abdullah .
All were aimed at resuscitating a U.S.-Taliban peace deal signed in February .
Khalilzad called for a reduction in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s protracted conflict that has kept America militarily engaged for 19 years .
He also said too much time has been wasted getting to the second and critical phase of the peace deal , which calls for talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan ’ s political leadership .
Abdullah will head those efforts as part of the deal he signed with Ghani to end their monthslong dispute over who won Afghanistan ’ s presidential election last September .
He conceded the win to Ghani but as part of a power sharing agreement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ week that American soldiers have wrongly been tasked with policing the country and called on Afghanistan to step up .
The U.S. has about 12,000 soldiers deployed to Afghanistan , split between counter-terrorism and the NATO-led Resolute Support ’ s 16,500 troop mission , which trains and aids Afghanistan ’ s National Security Forces .
Washington currently pays about $ 4 billion annually to keep Afghanistan ’ s military in fighting form .
U.S. Department of Defence officials have told The Associated Press their biggest worry in Afghanistan is an increasingly active IS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group has ties to Middle Eastern affiliates as well as militant groups like the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Chinese Uighur group , East Turkestan Islamic Movement .
The officials , who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject , say the IS affiliate in Afghanistan has been linked to foiled plots to attack America in recent years .
The U.S. also blamed IS for a brutal attack on a maternity hospital earlier this month in Kabul that left 24 people dead , including two infants and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Afghanistan has added urgency to U.S. efforts to resuscitate the peace deal , which commits the Taliban to fight terrorist groups in Afghanistan .
The same Department of Defence officials said they want the Taliban in the battle to rout IS from Afghanistan .
Without intra-Afghan negotiations , the cease-fire Washington wants between the Taliban and the government won ’ t happen .
Taliban representatives say a cease-fire will be on the agenda in any intra-Afghan talks , which were to start by mid-March .
The delay has been blamed on Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disruptions in prisoner releases , which were promised as part of the peace deal ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations .
In his tweets , Khalilzad called for the prisoner release to be completed .
He also reiterated he is seeking Taliban assistance with U.S. citizens missing in Afghanistan , including U.S. contractor Mark Frerichs who disappeared in January .
Several Taliban leaders contacted by The AP said they are not holding Frerichs and have told Khalilzad repeated times .
Suhail Shaheen , Taliban spokesman in Doha , said Wednesday the Taliban are committed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released .

Kathy Gannon And Tameem Akhgar - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Investigators build a case for IS crimes against Yazidis

QASR AL-MIHRAB , Iraq - He was burly , with piercing blue eyes , and it was clear he was in charge when he entered the Galaxy , a wedding hall-turned-slave pen in the Iraqi city of Mosul .
Dozens of Yazidi women and girls huddled on the floor , newly abducted by Islamic State group militants .
He walked among them , beating them at the slightest sign of resistance .
At one point , he dragged a girl out of the hall by her hair , clearly picking her for himself , a Yazidi woman — who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — recounted to The Associated Press .
This was Hajji Abdullah , a religious judge at the time and labeled one of the architects of the militant group ’ s enslavement of Iraq ’ s Yazidi religious minority , who rose to become deputy to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi .
He ’ s believed to be the late al-Baghdadi ’ s successor , identified only by the pseudonym Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi .
A group of investigators with the Commission for International Justice and Accountability is amassing evidence , hoping to prosecute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war crimes and genocide -- including Hajji Abdullah .
Hajji Abdullah was previously accused of involvement in the slave trade , most notably in a wanted poster circulated by the U.S. setting a $ 5 million bounty on his head .
But his prominence in the creation and oversight of the slave trade has never been spotlighted .
“ IS fighters didn ’ t take it upon themselves to rape these women and girls .
There was a carefully executed plan to enslave , sell , and rape Yazidi women presided over by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Bill Wiley , executive director and founder of CIJA .
“ And in doing so , they were going to eradicate the Yazidi group by ensuring there were no more Yazidi children born.
” CIJA shared some of its findings with The Associated Press .
The group , through IS documents and interviews with survivors and insiders , identified 49 prominent IS figures who built and managed the slave trade , as well as nearly 170 slave owners , including Western , Asian , African and Arab fighters .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , local governors and women traders , many of them from the region neighbouring the Yazidi community ’ s villages .
The AP also put together findings from IS ’ s own literature , along with interviews with IS members , former slaves and rescuers , to establish how slavery was strictly mapped out from the earliest days , devolving into a free-for-all with fighters enriching themselves by selling Yazidi women as the group ’ s power began to disintegrate .
CIJA ’ s focus now is to build cases that courts can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against humanity or genocide .
Countries can prosecute militants for individual rapes or torture or for membership in a terrorist group .
But to prove higher charges , they would need the contextual evidence that CIJA provides , showing the crimes were part of a greater structure .
“ Practically every Daesh prosecution that has ever happened anywhere in the world is a material support case , a membership case , ” Wiley said , using an Arabic name for the group .
“ Prosecuting high crimes could serve as a counter-radicalization tool @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecution on charges of genocide against the Yazidis last month , a German court brought an Iraqi national to trial for enslaving a Yazidi woman and her 5-year-old , who was chained and left to die of thirst .
Meanwhile , a U.N. investigative team said it has collected evidence from Iraq , including 2 million call records , that can strengthen cases of prosecution for crimes against the Yazidis .
CIJA is sharing its findings from Iraq with the U.N. team and is pursuing more evidence from Syria , where IS made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authority holds perhaps the largest trove of material from the group , as well as some 10,000 of its members , including 2,000 foreign fighters , in detention .
Investigators ’ steep challenge : documenting crimes committed over the course of four years against millions of people in different countries , while many IS members remain at large .
In the Iraqi city of Mosul , for instance , the crimes took place among a population of nearly 2 million people over three years , including enslavement , attacks on dissidents , destruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children in jihad .
The Islamic State group ’ s narrative is that slavery is a justifiable consequence of battle during its brutal capture of Sinjar , a region west of Mosul , as part of its attempt to establish a so-called caliphate .
But the AP determined , based on CIJA ’ s investigation and its own reporting , that the highest levels of leadership were directly involved in organizing an enslavement machine that became central to the group ’ s structure and identity .
Governing institutions were enlisted , from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slave system , the security agencies that enforced it , the bureaucrats and Islamic courts that supervised it , and propaganda arms that justified it .
Even as their caliphate collapsed around them , the militants made keeping their grip on slaves a priority .
When slave markets proliferated out of the leadership ’ s reach , internal documents show IS officials struggled to impose control with a stream of edicts that were widely ignored .
IS launched its attack on the heartland of the Yazidi community at the foot of Sinjar Mountain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unclear if Sinjar was attacked for its strategic location between IS holdings in Iraq and in Syria or with the specific aim of subjugating the Yazidis , an ancient sect considered heretics by the militants .
In any case , the results were devastating : During the week-long assault , IS killed hundreds of Yazidis and abducted 6,417 , more than half of them women and girls .
Most of the captured adult men were likely eventually killed .
Hajji Abdullah , an ethnic Turkman from Tal Afar , an area near Sinjar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IS judicial official in the area and so stepped in to play a key role in distributing slaves .
The women and children — their husbands and fathers butchered or missing — had to learn to navigate the perverse rules of a world where they were considered commodities for rape and servitude .
“ For five years I lived with them .
They beat me and sold me and did everything to me , ” said the woman who witnessed Hajji Abdullah ’ s casual cruelty in the Galaxy wedding hall .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she spoke , her skinny frame carrying more memories than her years are meant to handle .
The AP is not identifying her because she was a victim of rape .
Now 19 , she said she was raped by nearly a dozen owners , including al-Baghdadi , who owned her for months before he “ gifted ” her to one of his aides .
The woman was rescued in a U.S-led operation in May 2019 .
She spoke to the AP in a northern Iraqi town full of Yazidi refugees , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ horrors .
When Yazidis were seized , top IS commanders registered them , photographed the women and children and categorized them into married , unmarried and girls .
Initially , the thousands of captured women and children were handed out as gifts to fighters who took part in the Sinjar offensive , in line with the group ’ s policy on the “ spoils of war.
” Under early IS rules , war booty was distributed equally among the soldiers after the state took 20 % , known as the “ khums.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighters came to detention centres with pieces of paper signed by Hajji Abdullah confirming their participation in the Sinjar attack and entitling them to a slave .
Women and girls also would be picked out to be raped by fighters , then returned to detention .
By early 2015 , the remaining women were transferred to the Syrian city of Raqqa , the caliphate ’ s capital , and then distributed across IS-controlled areas , CIJA and survivors of slavery accounts showed .
The IS propaganda machine was mobilized to justify its revival @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fatwas interpreting Islamic law were issued outlining how taking slaves was in accordance with Islam .
Islamic Shariah law traditionally allowed and regulated slavery , just as many societies did throughout history , but almost all Muslim clerics now say slavery is no longer permissible .
IS operated centralized slave markets in Mosul , Raqqa and other cities .
At the market in the Syrian city of Palmyra , women walked a runway for IS members to bid on .
Others , like the one in al-Shadadi , distributed women to militants by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the AP called on IS fighters in Syria ’ s Homs province to register for an upcoming slave market , or “ Souk al-Nakhassa , ” giving those on the front lines a 10 day-notice to attend .
Participants were told to enter bids in a sealed envelope .
The Soldiers ’ Department , or Diwan al-Jund , recorded fighters who owned slaves , usually referred to by the Arabic word “ sabaya.
” For a time , IS paid fighters a stipend of about $ 50 per slave and $ 35 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a wife .
The stipend eventually stopped , apparently because military defeats hurt revenues and because owning a sabaya became a sign of wealth and privilege .
Managing the robust system turned out to be more complicated than the leadership planned .
And chaos abounded .
Slaves meant to be a reward to fighters were resold for personal profit , and some IS members made tens of thousands of dollars ransoming captives back to their families .
Violence and abuse by owners led to rising reports of suicides and escapes among captives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on ownership and sales , uncovered by CIJA and Syria expert and independent researcher Aymenn Tamimi .
As early as March 2015 , IS officials in Syria ’ s Aleppo province banned posting pictures of Yazidi women on social media , trying to crack down on electronic markets that rescuers and smugglers often infiltrated to extract captives .
The CIJA archive contains a copy of an edict by the Department of War Spoils that banned separating enslaved women from their children , with a handwritten note ordering it distributed to all departments and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had failed to stop the practice .
In July 2015 , the Delegated Committee — effectively the cabinet — ordered all slave sales to be registered by Islamic courts , seeking to end sales among fighters .
It also required the finance minister of each IS province to keep track of women between transactions .
The rules got only tighter as the leadership ’ s frustration over violations grew .
One directive set punishments for selling Yazidis to “ commoners ” -- anyone not a fighter or senior IS official -- and for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documented cases of senior officials dismissed from their jobs or punished with lashes for making exorbitant sums by flouting the rules .
Another document explained that only al-Baghdadi was in charge of setting policy on slaves and their distribution .
A February 2016 edict required the Delegated Committee ’ s approval for any senior figure to own slaves — a suggestion that even top officials were abusing the sales process .
Captured IS militants offered a glimpse into the resistance the leadership faced in enforcing its rules .
In the eyes of some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as their right under Islamic law could not be restricted .
Abu Hareth , an Iraqi IS preacher held in a Baghdad prison , told the AP that many fighters didn ’ t feel compelled to register sales in courts .
“ You have a product and you are allowed to trade in it , ” he said .
Abdul-Rahman al-Shmary , a 24-year old Saudi who traded in slaves and is held in a Syrian Kurdish-run prison , dismissed the rules as rooted not in Islamic law but in the leadership ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was about power and not for God ’ s sake , ” he said .
Abu Adel al-Jazrawi , a Saudi who worked in the group ’ s War Spoils department and is now imprisoned in eastern Syria , put it bluntly : “ Slaves were just the means for high officials to get rich.
” Laila Taloo ’ s 2 1/2-year ordeal in captivity underscores how IS members continually ignored the rules .
“ They explained everything as permissible .
They called it Islamic law .
They raped women , even young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taloo , who was owned by eight men , all of whom raped her .
She asked that her name be used because she is publicly campaigning for justice for Yazidis .
After Taloo , her husband , young son and newborn daughter were abducted in 2014 and she and her husband were forced to convert to Islam , which should have spared them from being enslaved or killed .
But conversion meant nothing .
“ What is this all for ?
They never had a second thought about killing or slaughtering or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The family was taken to the Iraqi village of Qasr Mihrab , along with nearly 2,000 other converted Yazidis .
At one point , the militants gathered all the adult men and took them away .
Their bodies were never found but are believed to have been thrown into a nearby sinkhole , where bones still can be seen .
CIJA found that Hajji Abdullah was among the senior IS officials involved in the execution of the men .
Taloo was first sold to an Iraqi doctor , who three days later gifted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules mandating sales through courts , she was thrown into a world of informal slave markets run out of homes .
Her third owner , an Iraqi surgeon , woke her one night and had her dress and put on makeup so four Saudi men could inspect her .
One didn ’ t like her ankles ; another , a member of the IS religious police , paid nearly $ 6,000 for her .
That owner posted pictures of his slaves online and , every day , they were paraded before potential buyers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show .
We would walk up and down a room filled with men who are checking us out , ” Taloo said .
With each owner , she fought to keep her children safe .
One man took photos of her then-2-year-old daughter , threatening to sell her to an Iraqi woman who couldn ’ t have children .
IS was known to separate children from their mothers , using them as household slaves or child soldiers , changing their names and forcing them to convert to Islam .
One owner forced Taloo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mind and forced her to have an abortion .
He also forced her to remove a tattoo she engraved on her skin carrying her husband ’ s name .
Another owner forced her to use contraceptives .
A third owner got her pregnant and she forced her own abortion .
Eventually , to free a relative , Taloo married a militant who turned out to be a senior IS operative .
His long stints on the battlefield enabled her to escape : She paid a smuggler $ 19,500 she got from her family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her children and sister-in-law .
Today , Taloo still visits the sinkhole where her husband is believed to be buried , and for the first time last year she visited the house in Qasr al-Mihrab , where her family was held captive .
The house owners , who had fled the IS takeover , have now returned , unknowingly living among Taloo ’ s cherished memories of her family that was .
As their territory steadily diminished and defeat loomed , IS continued to crack down on members who , desperate for money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their families for large sums .
Some fighters who did so were reportedly killed , survivors of IS slavery said .
Some 3,500 slaves have been freed from IS ’ clutches in recent years , most of them ransomed by their families .
But more than 2,900 Yazidis remain unaccounted for , including some 1,300 women and children , according to the Yazidi abductees office in Iraq ’ s Kurdish autonomous region .
Most are believed dead , but hundreds of women and children likely remain held by militants , said Bahzad Farhan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work as rescuers tracking down the enslaved .
For years , the two have followed slave markets on social media , contacting smugglers and searching out IS militants willing to ransom their captives to their families .
Working separately , they have secured freedom for dozens of women and children .
Sitting under the shade of a tree at Lalish , the holiest Yazidi shrine in Iraq ’ s Dohuk province , Khanasouri recounted how he managed to escape after being among about 250 people kidnapped by IS in his hometown five years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tunisian IS member he encountered in captivity , he has developed a network of insiders and confederates in his quest to rescue as many fellow Yazidis as possible .
As IS crumbled , the rescue business was brisk as captors scrambled for money , “ looking for buyers , ” Khanasouri said .
Now , with militants scattered — some hiding in deserts and caves or in sleeper cells — finding sellers is harder .
Wielding his phone , Khanasouri shows maps of likely locations of IS safehouses in Iraq ’ s western @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women are still held .
Other women are hiding , either by choice or coercion , among IS families housed at the al-Hol camp in Syria , run by Syrian Kurdish fighters .
Some captives have accepted their new identities , particularly Yazidi children who grew up under IS , Farhan said .
Some women with children born to IS fathers don ’ t want to return home because their Yazidi community has shunned the newborns .
Khanasouri and Farhan have extended their search beyond the areas that IS once controlled , finding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by their captors who fled as far afield as Iran and Turkey .
A Yazidi freed slave lost custody in a Turkish court of her nephew and niece who were found in an orphanage in Turkey .
At times , they said , Syrian opposition fighters have refused to return enslaved girls they come across in their territory .
One Yazidi girl , forced to convert to Islam and six months pregnant , was found in the northwest Syrian town of Azaz when fighters captured a Saudi IS militant transporting her .
One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition fighter , offered to bring the girl back to her family .
But his commanders stopped the transfer .
“ They said , ` She is now a Muslim girl , why are you sending her back to the infidels ?
’ ” Farhan said .
Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Salar Salim in Irbil , Iraq contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--AstraZeneca secures orders for COVID-19 vaccine

LONDON - Drug maker AstraZeneca secured its first agreements Thursday for 400 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine , bolstered by an investment from the U.S. vaccine agency .
The Anglo-Swedish company reported it had received more than $ 1 billion from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority for the development , production and delivery of the vaccine , starting this fall .
The investment will accelerate the development and production of the vaccine , AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said .
It had already joined forces with the British government .
“ We will do everything in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and widely available , ” he said .
Pharmaceutical companies including also Moderna and Sanofi are racing to develop and produce a vaccine against the new coronavirus as experts say it will be crucial to allowing countries to ease their lockdowns and restrictions on public life .
In a statement as markets opened , AstraZeneca said it has now secured manufacturing capacity for 1 billion doses and aims to secure further agreements to expand capacity further over the next months “ to ensure the delivery of a globally accessible vaccine.
’ ’ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oxford University for the vaccine , now known as AZD1222 .
The vaccine was developed by Oxford University ’ s Jenner Institute , working with the Oxford Vaccine Group .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--‘Last responders’ seek to expand post-mortem COVID-19 testing in unexplained deaths

Examining dead bodies and probing for a cause of death is rarely seen as a heroic or glamorous job .
Rather , as the coronavirus pandemic has unfolded , all eyes have been on the medical workers and public health disease detectives fighting on the front lines — and sometimes giving their lives — to bring the novel coronavirus under control .
But as the crusade to test for the coronavirus and trace cases continues , medical examiners and coroners play a vital — if often unsung — role .
These “ last responders ” are typically called on to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that are unexpected or unnatural , including deaths that occur at home .
In the early days of the outbreak , a scarcity of tests often hampered their efforts .
Now , as that equipment gradually becomes more widely available , these professionals may be able to fill in answers about how people died and if those deaths were related to the coronavirus .
Those changes won ’ t happen at once or uniformly across the country , experts predict .
In addition , an increase in post-mortem testing is likely to put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a debate heating up about the true number of COVID-19 casualties .
Determining how many people the virus has killed is an ongoing bone of contention .
Some defenders of the Trump administration ’ s response charge that death estimates are inflated , often because they include people who were presumed to have died of the disease but not tested for it .
Administration critics counter that the chaotic rollout of testing and treatment led to thousands of needless deaths that aren ’ t represented in the official death toll .
Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 in the United States , the availability of test kits and testing materials , such as nasal swabs , remains inadequate in many places .
Public health experts agree that broad-based testing is critical for people to safely emerge from lockdown and for businesses and other institutions to safely reopen .
“ Some localities are prioritizing testing sick people over dead people , and that ’ s probably a good decision if they have limited testing available , ” said Dr. Sally Aiken , medical examiner for Spokane County , Wash. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Association of Medical Examiners .
As availability increases , however , stepping up post-mortem COVID-19 testing could uncover important clues about the spread of the virus , experts say .
During the pandemic , many sick people have stayed at home and died there rather than seeking help at hospitals overwhelmed with coronavirus patients .
In April in New York City , for example , a reported 200 residents died at home each day , compared with 20 such deaths before the pandemic , a spokesperson for the city ’ s medical examiner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ station .
Tests were not possible in many of those instances .
But with more tests , such cases are now getting attention .
“ Most of the ones we test are the individuals who die at home , ” said Gary Watts , coroner in Richland County , S.C. , who is president of the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners .
If family or friends say the person had symptoms consistent with COVID-19 , the coroner ’ s office will typically do a nasal swab to test for the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is positive and the office can determine the cause of death without an autopsy , one will generally not be performed .
Coroners and medical examiners have similar responsibilities but their backgrounds are often different .
Coroners are typically elected officials who may or may not have a medical degree .
Medical examiners are typically medical doctors and may have a specialty in forensic pathology .
Like Watts , Dr. Kent Harshbarger , coroner for Montgomery County , Ohio , which includes the city of Dayton , said his office now has enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in suspect deaths , unlike during the pandemic ’ s early days .
With more post-mortem testing , “ you can do better contact tracing , ” he said .
A few medical examiners and coroners are now stepping up testing significantly , performing tests on all the bodies that are brought in , Aiken said .
“ They ’ re surprised at some of the people who are positive , ” including suicides and car accidents , she said .
One reason for increasing testing is to protect the staff who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Melinek , a forensic pathologist in the San Francisco area and CEO of PathologyExpert .
If a body at the morgue is positive for COVID-19 , “ you want to avoid doing an autopsy unless it ’ s absolutely necessary , ” Melinek said , because of the risk of becoming exposed to the virus through aerosolized particles or blood .
Plus , she noted , the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends against performing autopsies in COVID-19 deaths .
Even if coroners and medical examiners aren ’ t doing extensive nasal-swab testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide vital information later on , some note .
It ’ s standard practice to take blood samples from patients who are sent to the morgue , and coroners and medical examiners typically keep blood samples on hand for up to a year .
Testing those blood samples for antibodies to the coronavirus , which would indicate a prior infection , could give public health experts a clearer sense of when the virus arrived in the United States and the extent of its spread .
It won ’ t identify every undiagnosed infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up until one to three weeks after infection occurs , according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
People may die before then .
Still , post-mortem antibody testing could provide useful information , experts say .
“ If we can figure out when ( the virus ) arrived in the U.S. , we can figure out a lot more about how this virus came through and was undetected , ” Melinek said .
Going forward , as public health experts and politicians contemplate decisions about reopening the country for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the virus , the more concrete information available the better , experts say .
“ Post-mortem testing is helpful and important when it is balanced by the logistical feasibility of doing it , ” said Lorna Thorpe , a professor of epidemiology at New York University ’ s Grossman School of Medicine .
“ When politics enters this space , it ’ s nice to have confirmed cases so that it can ’ t be critiqued .
”


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--‘Hundreds of millions’ in bogus jobless benefits paid out

OLYMPIA , Wash. - Impostors have used the stolen information of tens of thousands of people in Washington to fraudulently receive hundreds of millions of dollars in unemployment benefits , the head of the state ’ s Employment Security Department said Thursday .
Commissioner Suzi LeVine said the state is working with federal law enforcement , financial institutions and the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate the fraud and try to recover the money paid out during the huge spike in joblessness during the coronavirus crisis .
LeVine said she can ’ t release specific numbers or details of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countermeasures taken by the state have “ prevented hundreds of millions of additional dollars from going out to criminals and have prevented thousands of fraudulent claims being filed.
” LeVine said that in addition to other measures the agency has already taken , they will continue to delay payments — a step they first took last week — to all applicants in order to take extra steps to verify claims .
Previously , applicants set up for direct deposit receive their money within 24 to 48 hours .
Now , they will need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The New York Times and Seattle Times have previously reported that a U.S. Secret Service alert issued last week identified Washington as the top target so far of a Nigerian fraud ring seeking to commit large-scale fraud against state unemployment insurance programs .
LeVine said she couldn ’ t speak to the details of the investigation , but said that the Secret Service alert wasn ’ t directly shared with her , but that the agency received it through other sources .
But LeVine said agency officials realized something was amiss before that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from employers or employees who received information about unemployment benefits that the employee didn ’ t seek .
More than 1.1 million people in Washington have filed for unemployment benefits since businesses started closing in March due to COVID-19 , but state officials said Thursday they believe some portion of an increase in claims seen in the past week are due to so-called “ impostor fraud ” claims .
LeVine said previously that there have been no data breaches at the agency , and that recent fraud attempts are cases where someone ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from other sources — like during the 2017 Equifax breach — and is now being used to filed for benefits .
“ These are very sophisticated criminals who have pretty robust collections of information on people , and they are activating and monetizing that information , ” she said .
More than 1.6 million claims for unemployment benefits — with some of that number reflecting people who filed multiple claims — were filed for the week of May 10-16 , and more than $ 1 billion was paid last week to 565,764 individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has paid out nearly $ 3.8 billion in benefits to more than 768,000 people , including federal money that is providing the unemployed with an additional $ 600 per week on top of the state ’ s weekly maximum benefit of up to $ 790 per week .
Levine noted that Washington ’ s state ’ s weekly maximum benefit — the second highest in the nation — plus the additional federal weekly money “ does make us a more attractive target overall.
” Washington ’ s stay-at-home order — in place since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least May 31 .
The state ’ s unemployment rate has jumped to a record 15.4 % last month and the state ’ s economy lost 527,000 jobs last month .
LeVine said that a jump in new unemployment benefit claims last week — long after most business closures occurred — point to additional fraud attempts across various industries .
“ It is a broad spectrum of employers in both the public and the private sector who have had this impacting their employees , ” LeVine said .
Over the past two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed for unemployment aid due to the economic impacts of the coronavirus .
Gov .
Jay Inslee announced a four-stage reopening plan earlier this month , and has allowed counties with fewer new cases to apply to jump ahead to the second stage , which allows some businesses to reopen , including dine-in restaurants at half capacity .
Ten counties have already been approved , and Inslee announced Tuesday that 10 more counties are now eligible to apply .
More than 19,115 people in Washington state have tested positive for the coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The virus causes mild to moderate symptoms in most patients , and the vast majority recover .
But it is highly contagious and can cause severe illness and death in some patients , particularly the elderly and those with underlying health conditions .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Supreme Court won’t put transgender inmate surgery on hold

BOISE , Idaho - The U.S. Supreme Court won ’ t put an Idaho transgender inmate ’ s gender confirmation surgery on hold while a lawsuit over the procedure moves forward .
The order on Thursday means Adree Edmo can continue getting pre-surgical treatments and potentially even gender confirmation surgery this year while Idaho officials wait to hear if the high court will consider their appeal .
Edmo has been housed in a men ’ s prison facility since she first began serving time on a charge of sexually abusing a child younger than 16 in 2012 .
She ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2021 .
She sued the state three years ago , contending that prison officials ’ refusal to provide her with gender confirmation surgery causes her severe distress because she has gender dysphoria .
One of her attorneys , Lori Rifkin , has said Edmo experienced such suffering from the lack of treatment that she twice tried to cut off her testicles in her prison cell .
Attorneys for the Idaho Department of Correction and private prison healthcare company Corizon have agreed that Edmo ’ s condition has caused her distress .
But they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surgery isn ’ t medically necessary and would do more harm than good because it could exacerbate her other mental health conditions .
Idaho Gov .
Brad Little has also said Edmo shouldn ’ t have access to taxpayer-funded surgical procedures that other Idahoans can ’ t get covered through their own insurance .
But Edmo ’ s attorneys say prisons don ’ t get to pick and choose which people to treat , and they ’ re required to provide medically necessary care to incarcerated people .
They have also contended that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the surgery vastly outweighs any harm that providing it would pose to the state or Corizon .
Edmo has so far prevailed at both the federal district and appellate courts .
The state ’ s attorneys asked the Supreme Court to consider the case earlier this month , and the high court hasn ’ t yet decided if it will do so .
The order denying the stay was given by Justice Elena Kagan without explanation , but it noted that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito would have granted the state ’ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--University of California to drop SAT, ACT test requirements

SAN FRANCISCO - The University of California will drop the SAT and ACT tests as admission requirements through 2024 and eliminate them for California residents after that , a landmark decision by the prestigious university system .
The UC ’ s governing body , the Board of Regents , voted 23-0 Thursday to approve a proposal by UC President Janet Napolitano that phases the tests out over five years , at which point the UC aims to have developed its own test .
The regents met in a teleconference that lasted several hours Thursday , with expert presentations and lengthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether the tests discriminate against disadvantaged students or help admissions offices find the most qualified applicants .
“ I think this is an incredible step in the right direction , ” Regents Chairman John Perez said .
Critics of the tests have long argued they put minority and low-income students at a disadvantage because the test questions often contain inherent bias that more privileged children are better equipped to answer .
Wealthier students also tend to take expensive prep courses that help boost their scores , which many students can ’ t afford @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school campuses closed because of the coronavirus pandemic , the UC had already made the tests optional for students who want to attend the fall 2021 sessions .
Under the plan approved Thursday , SAT and ACT tests will be optional for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years for all applicants .
Starting in 2023 and continuing the following year , the admissions process will be “ test blind “ for California residents , meaning SAT and ACT scores won ’ t be used in admissions decisions but could still be considered for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Napolitano asked the school ’ s academic senate to work with the administration on a plan for out-of-state and international students applying as of fall 2023 .
In 2025 , the 290,000-student UC system will either replace the SAT and ACT with its own admissions test , or if it ’ s unable to create its own exam , will eliminate its standardized testing requirement altogether .
Napolitano ’ s office said in a statement that assessing nonresident students “ presents challenges in terms of fairness and practicality , “ but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California students to out-of-state applicants or using some other standardized tests .
The decision by the massive UC system could be influential as other colleges nationwide eye similar decisions .
UC officials said they would begin working on the new test this summer .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Harley-Davidson restarts US production, faces ‘new normal ‘

MILWAUKEE - Harley-Davidson Inc. is resuming production at its U.S. manufacturing plants after suspending production for about two months .
The Milwaukee-based motorcycle company shut down production in March after an employee at its factory in Menomonee Falls , Wisconsin , tested positive for the coronavirus .
Harley-Davidson also saw motorcycle sales drop in the economic fallout from COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus .
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Wisconsin factory where the worker tested positive for the coronavirus is expected to return to full staffing after Memorial Day weekend .
The engine and drivetrain facility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Falls factory plans to bring all hourly employees back after the Memorial Day weekend for full production , Ross Winklbauer , a Steelworkers subdistrict director , said Thursday .
Currently , about 125 U.S. Steelworkers union members are back at the plant .
The company has staggered work start times and installed barriers between work stations to address the coronavirus .
“ It ’ s going to be a new normal for them , ” Winklbauer said .
Harley-Davidson said in a statement it has begun a planned phased approach to resuming production @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guidelines of public health and regulatory authorities and keeping employee health and safety front and centre.
” “ At all of its facilities , Harley-Davidson has implemented enhanced safety measures , protocols to support social distancing and is bolstering its already-rigorous cleaning and sanitation practices , ” the company said .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Divided Senate confirms Ratcliffe as intelligence chief

WASHINGTON - A sharply divided Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe as director of national intelligence on Thursday , with Democrats refusing to support the nomination over fears that he will politicize the intelligence community ’ s work under President Donald Trump .
All Democrats opposed Ratcliffe , making him the first DNI to be installed on a partisan vote since the position was created in 2005 .
The tally was 49-44 .
Ratcliffe will take over the agency at a tumultuous time .
The nation faces threats from Iran and North Korea , Russian disinformation campaigns to interfere in the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ competition and the spread of the coronavirus .
At the same time , Trump has viewed the intelligence agencies with distrust and ousted or fired multiple officials .
The Texas Republican seemed unlikely to get the position when Trump in February announced plans to nominate him , as he had already been selected for the job last year and then withdrew after Republicans questioned his experience .
But senators warmed to him as they grew concerned about the upheaval in the intelligence community and wanted a permanent , confirmed director .
Ratcliffe will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director who has overseen some of the personnel changes .
Grenell , the U.S. ambassador to Germany , has a thin intelligence background and is seen as a loyalist to Trump .
As acting director , Grenell made personnel changes and ordered reviews of the national intelligence director ’ s office that critics feared were an attempt to clean house .
Some members of the Senate intelligence committee said an acting director shouldn ’ t be engaging in reforming the intelligence apparatus .
But Grenell ’ s office disputed fears of a purge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was considering or implementing had been recommended by past directors .
The last Senate-confirmed intelligence director , former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats , was popular with his former colleagues in Congress but left the post last summer after clashing with the president .
Democrats allowed a quick vote on Ratcliffe ’ s nomination , dropping their usual procedural delays in a signal that despite their skepticism , they prefer him in the job over Grenell .
Ratcliffe insisted during his confirmation hearing that he would be an independent leader , but faced skepticism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and judiciary committees , he has been an ardent defender of the president through House impeachment and investigations into Russian interference .
Maine Sen. Angus King , an independent who caucuses with Democrats and a member of the Senate intelligence panel , said he has concerns that Ratciffe has limited experience in the intelligence community yet extensive experience in politics .
“ A dangerous combination , ” he said .
“ Now more than ever it is vital that the DNI respect the critical firewall that must exist between intelligence and political calculations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t what the boss wants to hear , ” King said .
Before being elected to Congress in 2014 , Ratcliffe was mayor of Heath , Texas , and a U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Texas .
When he was first nominated , senators questioned whether he had enough intelligence experience and whether he was picked because of his willingness to defend Trump .
But given a second chance , Ratcliffe worked to separate himself from the president at his confirmation hearing , including by saying he believed Russia interfered in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has resisted .
He said he would communicate to Trump the intelligence community ’ s findings even if he knew Trump disagreed with them and might fire him .
Still , the position carries unique challenges , given the president ’ s seeming inclinations to politicize intelligence and bend intelligence agencies to his will .
Trump has openly rejected intelligence community assessments at odds with his own viewpoint , including on Russian election interference .
Trump has also shown himself as eager to have intelligence agencies investigate matters that he hopes will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeking to determine whether the coronavirus was the result of an accident in a Chinese laboratory or if it began through contact with infected animals .
In addition , the DNI in recent weeks has been declassifying information from the Russia investigation that Trump allies hope will cast senior Obama administration officials — including former vice-president and 2020 Trump opponent Joe Biden — in a negative light .
Last week , for instance , Senate Republicans released a declassified list of former Obama administration and intelligence officials who requested the identity of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turned out to be former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn .
On Tuesday , Republicans released a January 2017 email that Susan Rice , President Barack Obama ’ s national security adviser , wrote to herself .
The message memorialized a sensitive conversation about Flynn and his Russian contacts that she had participated in earlier that month with Obama and then-FBI Director James Comey .
Grenell declassified the full memo after Republicans requested it .
There also have been pushes from some Democrats , and even Flynn ’ s own lawyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the presidential transition period between Flynn and then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak .
Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about those communications , though the Justice Department has since moved to dismiss the case .
“ No lawyer for Flynn has ever seen it or heard the recording , “ Flynn ’ s lawyer , Sidney Powell , said in an email to The Associated Press .
“ I would want both.
” Lisa Ruth , a former CIA officer , said in a telephone interview Thursday that the administration ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time for an intelligence community that is supposed to be apolitical .
“ The administration has signalled that they see the intelligence community , as well as other agencies , as support for the administration , ” Ruth said in a telephone interview .
“ It puts things in a very different paradigm than what the intelligence community was meant to be and was supposed to be.
” Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report .

Mary Clare Jalonick And Eric Tucker - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Deadly cyclone cuts destructive path in India and Bangladesh

NEW DELHI - Wide swaths of coastal India and Bangladesh were flooded and millions were without power Thursday as Cyclone Amphan , the most powerful storm to hit the region in more than a decade , killed over 80 people and cut a path of destruction that is still being assessed .
Many parts of the Indian metropolis of Kolkata , home to more than 14 million people , were under water , and its airport was closed briefly by flooding .
Roads were littered with uprooted trees and lamp posts , electricity and communication lines were down and centuries-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries said the full extent of the damage caused by the cyclone was not known because communications to many places were cut .
Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated ahead of the storm , a process complicated by the coronavirus pandemic .
Amphan came ashore Wednesday with heavy rain , a battering storm surge and sustained winds of 170 kph ( 105 mph ) and gusts up to 190 kph ( 118 mph ) .
It devastated coastal villages , knocking down mud houses , tearing down utility poles and uprooting trees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a disaster before , ” said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee , adding that the government would pay the equivalent of $ 3,310 to families who lost a relative in the storm .
At least 74 people were killed in India , with most of the deaths in West Bengal state , which includes Kolkata .
Broadcasters in Bangladesh reported 13 were killed in that country .
“ The roofs of many homes have flown away and the streets are waterlogged , “ said Shuli Ghosh , who runs a cafe in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still flooded and phone and internet service not fully restored , officials said they were trying to determine the extent of damage in the capital of West Bengal state .
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said authorities were working to get all possible assistance to victims of the cyclone .
“ No stone will be left unturned in helping the affected , ” he tweeted .
About 10 million people in Bangladesh remained without electricity , said Moin Uddin , chairman of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board .
Hundreds of villages were flooded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full capacity in many places due to the coronavirus .
Some people were too scared about the risk of infection to go there .
The pandemic also will affect relief efforts and the recovery .
Damage from the storm is likely to have lasting repercussions for the poor , who are already stretched to the limit by the economic impact of the virus .
In an initial assessment in Bangladesh , Enamur Rahman , the country ’ s junior minister for disaster management , said the cyclone caused about $ 130 million in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , livestock , water resources and agriculture .
A total of 1,100 kilometres ( over 680 miles ) of roads , 150 flood-protection embankments and nearly 200,000 shrimp farms have been damaged in 26 of 64 districts , Rahman said in a news conference , adding that crops on 200,000 hectares ( over 494,000 acres ) have been damaged .
In India ’ s Odisha state , the cyclone destroyed crops of betel , a leaf used as a wrapper for chewing areca nut or tobacco .
In Bangladesh ’ s southwestern district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ farms were flooded .
Debashish Shyamal , who lives in a fishing village along the West Bengal coast , took shelter with his family in a government clinic .
He said the wind blew open the windows and doors and for hours they huddled inside , drenched by the torrential rain .
On Thursday , he discovered dangling electricity wires , waterlogged streets and an uprooted forest .
“ There is nothing left , ” he said .
Banerjee ordered a drive to plant mangroves in the Sundarbans , a low-lying delta region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Bengal where about 13 million impoverished Indians and Bangladeshis live .
The area is best known for being home to thick mangrove forests and Bengal tigers .
The region is no stranger to devastating cyclones , and the mangrove forests act as a barrier , absorbing the impact of the storms , said K.J .
Ramesh , the former chief of India ’ s meteorological department .
The cyclone had passed directly through these forests , officials said .
Ramesh said the storms ’ intensity has increased due to changing climate patterns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ocean waters , and the amount of heat trapped in the top 700 metres ( 2,300 feet ) of the seas has increased , he said .
“ As a result , cyclones are intensifying faster than before , ” he added .
Alam reported from Dhaka , Bangladesh .
Associated Press writers Chonchui Ngashangva and Aniruddha Ghosal in New Delhi contributed .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--First families pay tribute to longtime White House butler

WASHINGTON - Tributes from former first families rolled in Thursday in response to the news that a man who was a fixture in the White House under 11 presidents had died at the age of 91 after contracting COVID-19 .
Wilson Jerman started working as a cleaner under President Dwight Eisenhower and retired as an elevator operator during the presidency of Barack Obama .
“ With his kindness and care , Wilson Jerman helped make the White House a home for decades of First Families , including ours , ” said former first lady Michelle Obama .
“ His service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above and beyond for the country he loved and all those whose lives he touched — is a legacy worthy of his generous spirit.
“ Jerman became a White House butler under President John Kennedy , a role that Mrs. Kennedy was instrumental in landing for him , his oldest granddaughter , Jamila Garrett , told the local Fox News station in Washington .
“ Jerman served as a White House butler across 11 presidencies and made generations of first families feel at home , including ours , ” tweeted Hillary Clinton .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ones.
” Former President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush said Jerman was a “ lovely man.
” “ He was the first person we saw in the morning when we left the residence and the last person we saw each night when we returned , ” the Bushes said in a statement to NBC News .
Desiree Barnes , who worked in the Obama administration , said Jerman treated the staff kindly .
She recalled that when she worked as an intern he would get her a meal if she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called her during a particularly rough snowstorm to make sure she was okay .
“ It did not matter political party , he was there to serve , ” Barnes said .
“ He had been there on some of the hardest days for a lot of presidents .
...
Imagine being there when President Kennedy was assassinated and having to receive the first lady at the time .
So , he was a really empathetic man .
He just was a great listener.
” Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this @ @


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Correction: Farm Loans-Delinquencies story

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thetorontostar--2020-05-21--US begins crackdown on unvetted virus blood tests

WASHINGTON - U.S. regulators are moving ahead with a crackdown on scores of antibody tests for the coronavirus that have not yet been shown to work .
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday published a list of more than two dozen test makers that have failed to file applications to remain on the market or already pulled their products .
The agency said in a statement that it expects the tests “ will not be marketed or distributed.
” It was unclear if any of the companies would face additional penalties .
Most companies faced a deadline earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ performance .
Regulators required it after previously allowing tests to launch with minimal oversight , which critics said had created a “ Wild West ” of unregulated testing .
The FDA website shows more than 175 tests have either filed applications with the agency or are in the process of doing so .
A dozen companies have already been reviewed and authorized by the FDA to sell the tests after meeting requirements for accuracy and reliability .
“ We have seen a high level of collaboration and engagement from developers who want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn in a statement .
Antibody tests are different from the nasal swab tests currently used to diagnose active infections .
Instead , the tests look for blood proteins called antibodies , which the body produces days or weeks after fighting an infection .
Most use a finger-prick of blood on a test strip .
An antibody test might show if you had COVID-19 in the recent past , which most experts think gives people some protection .
But studies are still underway to determine what antibody level would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also not yet known how long any immunity might last or whether people with antibodies can still spread the virus .
For now , antibody tests are most useful for researchers trying to track how the virus spreads in communities .
Under pressure to increase testing options , the FDA in March essentially allowed companies to begin selling antibody tests as long as they notified the agency of their plans and provided disclaimers , including that they were not FDA-approved .
The FDA is now working with the National Institutes of Health and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accuracy of the tests and determine how they can be used to track and contain the virus .
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .


thetorontostar--2020-05-21--Clemson WR Ross to have shoulder surgery

CLEMSON , S.C. - Clemson receiver Justyn Ross will have shoulder surgery next month to take care of an issue @ @ @ @ @ team ’ s spring workouts in March .
Team spokesman Ross Taylor said the 6-foot-4 @ @ @ @ @ but will have the operation to take care of any lingering issues .
Testing on @ @ @ @ @ protocols put in place by the school due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Ross led @ @ @ @ @ last season that went for 865 yards and eight touchdowns .
For his career , @ @ @ @ @ as a freshman , highlighting his season with a 74-yard TD in the national championship @ @ @ @ @ , from Phenix City , Alabama , is considered a first-round NFL draft pick in @ @ @ @ @ forego his final year in college .