thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Portland protest clashes re-emerge near US courthouse

PORTLAND , Ore. - Protesters and police clashed in downtown Portland in a demonstration that lasted into the predawn hours of Thursday , with some in the crowd setting a fire and exploding commercial grade fireworks outside a federal courthouse that ’ s been a target in months of conflict for Oregon ’ s largest city .
Officers used tear gas to break up the crowd of several hundred people who gathered near the Mark O. Hatfield U.S .
Courthouse , the neighbouring Multnomah County Justice Center and a nearby police precinct station .
Protests have been held nightly in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ George Floyd in May , who died after a white officer pressed a knee to his neck Protesters hurled rocks , bottles and paint at officers during the demonstration that started Wednesday night and went into Thursday morning , Portland police said in a statement .
One officer suffered a hand wound described as serious several other officers suffered non-specified injuries and several people were detained , with one arrested on suspicion of vandalizing a police vehicle , the statement said .
The protests in Portland reached their apex last month outside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with federal agents dispatched to the city to protect the courthouse .
The demonstrations dwindled after a drawdown of the agents , who were replaced by Oregon state troopers .
But protests that turned violent re-emerged over the last week , mostly near a police union headquarters building miles from the federal courthouse .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--German investigators appeal for help finding tech executive

BERLIN - German investigators are appealing for the public ’ s help in tracking down the former chief operating officer of bankrupt payment company Wirecard who is facing allegations of fraud and other charges .
Federal police issued a wanted poster late Wednesday for Jan Marsalek , saying the 40-year-old Austrian is suspected to have fled Germany after learning authorities were after him .
The poster , headlined “ fraud in the billions ” features a 2017 photograph of Marsalek with a full beard and moustache , and a 2019 picture of him clean shaven .
Interpol put Marsalek on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so-called red notice for him on allegations of “ violations of the German duty on securities act and the securities trading act , criminal breach of trust ( and ) especially serious case of fraud.
” Munich-based Wirecard filed for protection from creditors through an insolvency proceeding on June 25 after executives admitted that 1.9 billion euros ( $ 2.2 billion ) that had been represented as being held in trust accounts in the Philippines probably did not exist .
Former CEO Markus Braun has been arrested , along with the company ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head of accounting .
As chief operating officer , Marsalek was in charge of all operational business activities , including sales , and is suspected of having inflated the balance sheet total and sales volume of the company , police said .
Acting with Braun , Marsalek is alleged to have incorporated “ fictitious proceeds from payment transactions relating to deals with so-called third-party acquirers in order to present the company financially stronger and more attractive to investors and customers , “ police said .
Anyone with any information on Marsalek is asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @

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thetorontostar--2020-08-13--UN: 8 children die within days in Syria camp for IS families

BEIRUT - At least eight children under the age of five have died in recent days from health problems linked to the dire conditions in a camp in northern Syria housing tens of thousands of female supporters of the Islamic State group and their children , the U.N. said Thursday .
The U.N. children ’ s agency says the eight died between Aug. 6-10 from malnutrition or dehydration from diarrhea .
The camp has yet to report any outbreak of the new coronavirus , which has sickened people in other parts of war-torn Syria .
“ Any child ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more so when the death could have been averted , “ UNICEF said in a statement .
It said nearly 40,000 children from 60 countries languish at the al-Hol camp .
It is operated by U.S.-allied Kurdish forces that played a key role in dismantling the extremist group ’ s self-styled caliphate , which once sprawled across large areas of Syria and Iraq .
The extremists no longer control any territory , but continue to carry out sporadic attacks in both countries .
The detainees at al-Hol mainly consist of the wives of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were captured or surrendered to Kurdish forces .
With few exceptions , Western countries have refused to repatriate them , citing security concerns .
The detainees “ lack access to basic services and have to contend with the sweltering summer heat and the trauma of violence and displacement , ” UNICEF said .
Restrictions and quarantine measures imposed to prevent a coronavirus outbreak have hindered aid operations .
Infections among camp workers have led to a “ pause ” in some health and education services , UNICEF said .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Yale neuroscientist discusses how coronavirus pandemic stress alters brain chemistry

For months , the nation has been assaulted by an invisible enemy that has the upper hand .
The stress of the COVID-19 pandemic has many wondering , how is this affecting the mental health of the populace ?
At their best , Americans are feeling distracted , forgetful , disorganized and helpless .
At their worst , there are highly publicized incidents of deniers who have screaming meltdowns in stores when they are told to wear masks .
Dr. Amy Arnsten , professor of neuroscience and psychology at Yale University in New Haven , said all psychiatric disorders have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it isn ’ t psychological weakness , it ’ s a prefrontal cortex overloaded with chemicals .
“ If you understand the neurology behind it , you feel forgiveness for yourself .
It ’ s self-freeing .
It allows you to be better , ” Arnsten said .
“ There is no difference between a mental-health issue and a neurological issue.
” Arnsten created a YouTube Video , “ The Brain ’ s Response to Stress — How Our Brains May Be Altered During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
” The video teaches how “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncontrollable anxiety inhibit a person ’ s insight , reasoning , empathy , conscience , patience , judgment and control of emotions , thoughts and actions .
Arnsten spoke with The Courant in a phone interview from her home in Bethany .
Are people acting in ways that reflect the change in their brains ?
You really see this in some places .
Connecticut is doing so well .
It ’ s really a “ prefrontal ” state .
A simple way of saying that is , being thoughtful .
You see states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership and people are encouraged to be reactive rather than thoughtful , where so many people are dying , where people say just go out and party , don ’ t wear a mask , just do what you want to do , don ’ t be thoughtful about consequences .
They want the right to act like that even though it kills others .
Can you give some behavioural examples ?
The prefrontal cortex controls wisdom and judgment .
When it goes “ offline , ” these primitive brain circuits control who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very easily .
We can say things that we later regret to people we love .
Anger can get the best of us .
Rather than being thoughtful , you yell at a store clerk and throw groceries in his face .
Is this change in brain chemicals from stress ever useful ?
Yes .
It can orchestrate a response in an unconscious , primitive way .
It could save your life if what is stressing you is that you are suddenly being cut off on the highway .
You stop thinking about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday night and slam on the brakes really fast .
But if the stressor is an invisible virus , losing your prefrontal function is extraordinarily unhelpful and more dangerous .
Why does the stress from the pandemic feel uncontrollable ?
This has been studied in families .
If a child feels a parent is in control , even though something terrible is happening , the kid is OK. Part of what is so stressful right now is the feeling there ’ s no parent in the room taking charge of this pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mercy of this random destruction .
... Our current government makes us feel out of control , and that is the exact thing that increases the stress response and impairs our prefrontal function .
That ’ s an uncontrollable stress .
Yes .
With chronic stress , along with the chemical changes there are architectural changes , where you lose the connections between brain cells and the prefrontal cortex .
Research on young rats indicates that with sufficient time spent being non-stressed , connections grow back .
We didn ’ t see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be age-dependent , but maybe we need to wait longer .
How can people control their stress and reduce the chemicals in the brain ?
Exercise if you can .
Get that oxygen .
Eat healthy .
Get plenty of sleep .
Those things truly matter .
The prefrontal cortex is the Goldilocks of the brain .
It likes to have everything just right .
It ’ s also good to help other people .
It makes you feel better yourself .
Listen to your favourite music .
Give yourself experiences of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t think to give these things to themselves .
Try to be your own cheerleader .
Are there wrong ways to control stress ?
I think a very natural thing to do , but that ends up being counterproductive , is abusing substances .
Alcohol makes you feel better for a little bit , but in the long run , it makes you feel worse .
The same thing goes for drugs .
And the same thing goes for eating a lot of fattening foods , then you hate yourself and eat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old same old as with the non-pandemic , but now it ’ s often intensified , because there you are home alone with your refrigerator .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Lebanon’s military gets sweeping powers after Beirut blast

BEIRUT - Lebanon ’ s Parliament on Thursday approved a state of emergency in Beirut in its first session since the catastrophic Aug. 4 explosion , granting the military sweeping powers amid rising popular anger at official corruption and mismanagement and political uncertainty .
The government resigned after the blast that killed more than 170 people , injured at least 6,000 and wrecked the capital ’ s port and caused widespread damage across the capital .
The disaster has raised popular fury toward Lebanon ’ s leaders to a new level as the country reels from an unprecedented economic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
Before it resigned , the government declared the state of emergency that gave the military the power to declare curfews , prevent public gatherings and censor the media , as well as refer civilians to military tribunals for alleged security breaches .
The action required approval by lawmakers , which they granted Thursday .
The move has been criticized by rights groups and others who say the civilian government already was operating with increased powers because of the coronavirus outbreak .
Some pointed to the military crackdown on protesters last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to silencing dissent .
Parliament met outside its regular location to observe social distancing amid a surge of coronavirus cases and because of nearby ongoing protests by those who want the entire political class to step down .
The session opened with a moment of silence for those killed in the blast .
It then moved to discuss the resignation of nearly a dozen lawmakers last week to protest the government ’ s handling of the blast .
A major Christian party bloc is boycotting the session .
It still was not known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate that were stored for years in Beirut ’ s port .
But documents have emerged that show the country ’ s top leadership and security officials were aware of the stockpile .
After the government resigned Monday , the Cabinet is in a caretaker capacity .
It was not immediately clear if Parliament had technically extended the government decision on the state of emergency for 15 days or simply imposed it to take effect starting Thursday , said rights lawyer Nizar Saghieh .
“ There is incredible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the state of emergency ’ s only justification is to extend the power of the state and security agencies and “ control the opposition.
” “ We were waiting for the army to help in reconstruction , not be an extension of power , ” he said .
Lawmaker Simon Abi Ramieh protested that Parliament was convened to vote on the state of emergency while it was already in effect and called instead for forming a parliamentary committee to investigate the explosion .
“ We are living in a state of institutional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are in a place and the Lebanese people are somewhere else .
...
The public wants to know the truth behind the negligence that led to the explosion.
” Lebanon ’ s political landscape has been shaken by the events .
Before resigning , the caretaker prime minister proposed early elections , an idea that was not supported by the Parliament speaker and other political groups .
Since the resignation , there has been a flurry of closed-door meetings and political haggling to form a government that meets the approval of domestic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complicated sectarian-based political system requires the prime minister to be chosen from among Sunni Muslims .
It wasn ’ t clear if there would be a national unity government — which would mean the participation of all political parties — or an emergency transition government .
France ’ s defence minister was due to arrive in Beirut on Thursday amid a flurry of foreign visits to the stricken country .
France has been leading efforts to help Lebanon emerge from the drastic blow , including talking to political parties to hasten the formation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday , U.S .
Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale was due to arrive in Lebanon for a two-day visit .
Hale is expected to “ reiterate the American government ’ s commitment to assist the Lebanese people in recovering from the tragedy and rebuilding their lives , ” a statement by the U.S. Embassy said .
He will also stress the “ urgent need ” for embracing fundamental reforms .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--American nurses and doctors sick with COVID-19 feel pressured to get back to work

The first call in early April was from the testing centre , informing the nurse she was positive for COVID-19 and should quarantine for two weeks .
The second call , less than 20 minutes later , was from her employer , as the hospital informed her she could return to her job within two days .
“ I slept 20 hours a day , ” said the nurse , who works at a hospital in New Jersey ’ s Hackensack Meridian Health system and spoke on the condition of anonymity because she is fearful of retaliation by her employer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fever , “ I was throwing up .
I was coughing .
I had all the G.I .
symptoms you can get , ” referring to gastrointestinal COVID-19 symptoms like diarrhea and nausea .
“ You ’ re telling me , because I don ’ t have a fever , that you think it ’ s safe for me to go take care of patients ?
” the nurse said .
“ And they told me yes.
” Guidance from public health experts has evolved as they have learned more about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consistent : If you feel sick , stay home .
Yet hospitals , clinics and other health care facilities have flouted that simple guidance , pressuring workers who contract COVID-19 to return to work sooner than public health standards suggest it ’ s safe for them , their colleagues or their patients .
Some employers have failed to provide adequate paid leave , if any at all , so employees felt they had to return to work — even with coughs and possibly infectious — rather than forfeit the paycheck they need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , many hospitals found themselves short-staffed , struggling to find enough caregivers to treat the onslaught of sick patients .
That desperate need dovetailed with a deeply entrenched culture in medicine of “ presenteeism.
” Front-line health care workers , in particular , follow a brutal ethos of being tough enough to work even when ill under the notion that other “ people are sicker , ” said Andra Blomkalns , who chairs the emergency medicine department at Stanford University .
In a survey of nearly 1,200 health workers who are members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , roughly a third of those who said they had gotten sick responded that they had to return to work while symptomatic .
That pressure not only stresses hospital employees as they are forced to choose between their paychecks and their health or that of their families .
The consequences are starker still : An investigation by KHN and The Guardian has identified at least 875 front-line health workers who have died of COVID-19 , likely exposed to the virus at work during the pandemic .
But the dilemma also strains health workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they may become vectors spreading infectious diseases to the patients they ’ re meant to heal .
A database of COVID-19-related complaints made to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration this spring hints at the scope of the problem : a primary care facility in Illinois where symptomatic , COVID-19-positive employees were required to work ; a respiratory clinic in North Carolina where COVID-19-positive employees were told they would be fired if they stayed home ; a veterans hospital in Massachusetts where employees were returning to work sick because they weren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learned in this pandemic was employees felt disposable , ” said Debbie White , a registered nurse and president of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees Union .
“ Employers didn ’ t protect them , and they felt like a commodity.
” Indeed , the pressure likely has been even worse than usual during the pandemic because hospitals have lacked backup staffing to deal with high rates of absenteeism caused by a highly infectious and serious virus .
Hospitals do not staff for pandemics because in normal times “ the cost of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for something that may never happen ” was hard to justify against more certain needs , said Dr. Marsha Rappley , who recently retired as chief executive of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond .
That has left many hospitals scrambling to find skilled staff to tend to waves of patients with COVID-19 .
The nurse from Hackensack Meridian , the largest hospital chain in New Jersey , told the hospital ’ s occupational health and safety office that she could not return to work , citing a doctor ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fire her was made , she said .
But in daily calls from work , she was reminded her colleagues were short-staffed and “ suffering.
” She also discovered her employer had revoked most of the paid time off she believed she had accumulated .
White said Hackensack Meridian had conducted what it described as a “ payroll adjustment ” in March and taken leave from many of its employees without explaining its calculations .
A statement provided by a Hackensack Meridian spokesperson , Mary Jo Layton , said the system ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC recommendations as it relates to the evaluation , testing and clearance of team members following infection with COVID-19.
” Hackensack Meridian adjusted some employees ’ leave to correct a technical issue that prevented leave from being counted as it was taken , it said , adding workers were provided “ an individual PTO reconciliation statement.
” “ No team members were shorted any PTO that they rightfully earned , ” Hackensack Meridian ’ s statement said .
Federal officials acknowledge that staffing shortages may require sick health care workers to return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even has strategies for it .
The CDC website lists mitigation options for short-staffed facilities , some of which have been implemented widely , such as cancelling elective procedures and offering housing to workers who live with high-risk individuals .
But it acknowledges these strategies may not be enough .
When all other options are exhausted , the CDC website says , workers who are suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 ( and “ who are well enough to work ” ) can care for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first for those who are also confirmed to have COVID-19 , then those with suspected cases .
“ As a last resort , ” the website says , health care workers confirmed to have COVID-19 may provide care to patients who do not have the virus .
Like soldiers on the battlefield , Rappley said , front-line workers have been absorbing the consequences of that lack of preparedness on an institutional and societal level .
“ This will leave scars for many generations to come , ” she said .
Shenetta White-Ballard carried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work .
A nurse at Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation of Port Allen in Louisiana , she needed the help to breathe after battling a serious respiratory infection two years earlier .
When COVID-19 began to spread , she showed up for work .
Her husband , Eddie Ballard , said his paycheck from Walmart was not enough to support their family .
“ She kept bringing up , she got ta pay the bills , ” he said .
Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation did not respond to requests for comment .
Ballard said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support for him and their 14-year-old son after her sudden death .
“ Only thing they said was , ‘ Come pick up her last check , ’ ” he said .
Liz Stokes , director of the American Nurses Association ’ s Center for Ethics and Human Rights , said immunocompromised workers , in particular , have faced difficult decisions during the pandemic — sometimes made more difficult by pressure from employers .
Stokes recounted the experience of a surgical nurse in Washington with Crohn ’ s disease who took a temporary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but was pressured by her bosses and co-workers to return .
“ She really expressed severe guilt because she felt like she was abandoning her duties as a nurse , ” she said .
“ She felt like she was abandoning her colleagues , her patients.
” Residents , or doctors in training , are among the most vulnerable , as they work on inflexible , tightly packed schedules often assisting in the front-line care of dozens of patients each day .
Not long after one of New York City ’ s first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hospital , Lauren Schleimer , a first-year surgical resident , reported she had developed a sore throat and a cough .
Because she had not been exposed to that patient , she was told she could keep working and to wear a mask if she was coughing .
Her symptoms subsided .
But a couple of weeks later , as cases surged and ventilators grew scarce , she was working in a COVID-19-only intensive care unit when her symptoms returned , worse than before .
The hospital instructed her to stay home for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommending at the time .
She was never tested .
A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital spokesperson said of its front-line workers : “ We have been constantly working to give them the support and resources they need to fight for every life while protecting their own health and safety , in accordance with New York State Department of Health and CDC guidelines.
” Schleimer returned to the ICU symptom-free at the end of her quarantine , caring for patients fighting the same virus she suspects she had .
While she never felt that sick , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — an immunocompromised nurse , a doctor whose age put him at risk , a colleague with a new baby at home .
“ This was not the kind of thing I would stay home for , ” Schleimer said .
“ But I definitely had some symptoms , and I was just trying to do the right thing .
”

ATLANTA (AP) — Putting 19 people on trial at the same time is a difficult assignment for any prosecutor — whether or not one of those defendan…


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--‘One of us’: South Asians celebrate Harris as VP choice

CHICAGO - Two words summed up Tamani Jayasinghe ’ s exuberance for the first Indian American and Black woman to run for vice-president : “ Kamala Aunty.
” That title of respect that goes beyond family in Asian circles immediately came to mind when Joe Biden announced Kamala Harris as his running mate .
So the 27-year-old with Sri Lankan roots tweeted it as a wink to others who understood the significance of the term .
“ The fact that she is both Black and brown is what makes this so exciting .
The Asian American experience is one that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Jayasinghe , who works in financial communications in New York .
“ I feel connected to that.
” Harris , the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother , often focuses on her identity as a Black woman .
At times during her political career , as she ran for California attorney general and senator , some didn ’ t realize she was of Indian descent .
In her first remarks as Biden ’ s running mate on Wednesday , she spoke of her mother ’ s roots but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman ” to be nominated for the vice presidency on a major party ticket .
Still , the possibility she would be the U.S. vice-president , which has already triggered sexist and racist commentary , created instantaneous glee among South Asians worldwide and put the spotlight on her as the first person of Asian descent on a major party presidential ticket .
Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group of eligible voters .
More than 11 million Asian Americans will be able to vote in November , according to a May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The choice — Biden and Harris made their debut Wednesday — inspired social media musings of celebrating the Hindu festival Diwali at the White House and drawing room talks about the U.S. senator ’ s mother ’ s journey from Chennai to California .
Indian government officials of all parties noted the choice as historic , while actress Mindy Kaling — she once made masala dosa with Harris — deemed it “ thrilling.
” A top headline in the The Times of India , one of the world ’ s most widely read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A daughter of Chennai , Kamala blooms in US.
” “ She is one of us , ” said Aleyamma Keny , a retired nurse in suburban Chicago .
The 74-year-old woman , who immigrated from southern India to the U.S. in the 1970s , said Harris joining the ticket felt like a family member had accomplished something .
Like many others , Keny saw her own immigration story in the candidate ’ s mother .
Harris has called her late mother , Shyamala Gopalan , her biggest influence and frequently invoked stories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activist who died in 2009 .
Gopalan first came to America in 1958 .
She attended the University of California at Berkeley , where she met and married Jamaican immigrant Donald Harris and had Kamala and her sister before the couple divorced .
Gopalan took the sisters to India to visit relatives and gave both , Kamala Devi Harris and Maya Lakshmi Harris , names rooted in Indian culture .
( Kamala means lotus , Devi means goddess .
Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth . )
Harris ’ mother came to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were scarce and raised her biracial daughters with the understanding that the larger American society would see them as Black .
She took them to civil rights protests , and wanted them to become “ confident , proud Black women , ” Harris wrote in her 2019 book , “ The Truths We Hold : An American Journey.
“ A graduate of Howard University , Harris has made clear that she is both confident and proud of her Black identity .
In a March 2019 radio interview , she answered a question about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m Black , and I ’ m proud of being Black .
I was born Black .
I will die Black , and I ’ m not going to make excuses for anybody because they don ’ t understand.
” She did take steps during her presidential campaign , before she dropped out in December , to talk about her Indian heritage .
Without much fanfare , she released a video via social media featuring photos of her Indian grandfather and talked of her visits as a child to see him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ her parents ’ heritages but ended with saying Biden is the only person “ who ’ s served alongside the first Black president and has chosen the first Black woman as his running mate.
” President Donald Trump struggled Wednesday to define her candidacy , repeatedly calling her “ nasty.
” She ’ s already been the subject of the false notion that she ’ s ineligible to run because her parents were not born in America .
Harris was elected to the Senate in 2016 , the same year three other Indian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pramila Jayapal of Washington .
The first Indian American congresswoman , she and Asians also celebrated Harris as a Black woman .
“ It isn ’ t just that we want her to be an Asian American sister for us .
She really is representative , this biracial piece is representative of the experiences that so many immigrant communities have had , learning from the leadership of Black communities , ” she said .
“ So we want her to claim all of us and we will all claim her.
” Madhuri Patel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at the age of 6 and grew up in predominantly white Iowa , said Harris ’ multi-layered identity would make her a more effective leader .
She hoped Harris could unify the country .
“ For me , it ’ s always been really important that you have someone who understands the experience of being marginalized within our communities , ” said the 45-year-old Chicago attorney .
Zafar Bokhari , a Chicago State University professor who immigrated from Pakistan in the 1980s , said Harris was a role model for his children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if elected , he said seeing a woman from the Indian subcontinent as a possible vice-president was inspiring .
“ This is quite an achievement and I really admire the way she has presented herself , ” he said .
“ She has earned this position and I respect that.
” Associated Press writers Deepti Hajela in New York and Padmananda Rama in Washington contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Will COVID-19 change Americans’ views of the social safety net?

LOS ANGELES—If you had posed the scenario to him as a hypothetical a few months ago — “ Your company will be hemorrhaging cash , and you ’ ll turn to Uncle Sam for emergency funds ” — Jim Brady would ’ ve confidently dismissed it .
“ Never , ” he said , “ did I think I would need government help.
” Brady , 69 , started AToN Center , a luxury rehab facility in the hills of Encinitas , with his wife , Patricia , more than a decade ago and built it into a booming enterprise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five-home campus with a saltwater pool , a sauna and 600-thread-count bedsheets .
But this spring , as the coronavirus charted its deadly path across the country , Brady decided to temporarily stop accepting clients from Washington state and the New York City area — two early hot spots — and capped client capacity at 12 , instead of 30 , so patients didn ’ t have to share bathrooms .
“ I went backwards about a half a million dollars in two months , ” he said .
Although his payroll was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his staff and desperately wanted to avoid cuts or furloughs .
Instead , he applied for a forgivable loan through the Paycheck Protection Program , part of the government ’ s initiative to help small businesses survive the pandemic , and received just over $ 800,000 , which he used to cover two months of payroll .
That decision — asking for and then accepting federal funds — has prompted some reflection on his views about government aid , said Brady , who describes himself as “ basically Republican , ” but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party leadership .
For years , he felt frustrated by all the money skimmed from his take-home salary — it felt , he said , as if other people were sitting around and benefiting off of his earnings .
“ I ’ m in the top tax bracket , ” he said .
“ I didn ’ t like that money going away.
” But now that he ’ s watched the positive ripple effect of having received the loan — how it helped him , his family , his employees and their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have started to evolve .
“ I have a very different eye to that now .
...
I ’ ve now dipped into the pie.
” As the pandemic presses into its six month and an expanding cohort of Americans personally benefit from their slice of the government ’ s $ 2.2 trillion ( U.S. ) stimulus bill , some political scientists , historians and experts believe that the COVID-19-era could shift the national discourse about the role Americans want government to play in their lives and ultimately lead to an expanded social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in other affluent nations .
“ COVID is such a potentially transformational experience , ” said Martin Gilens , chair of the Department of Public Policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs .
“ If there is a broader reckoning with the failures of our government , then maybe that will extend to how we deal with inequality and poverty , and we ’ ll be entertaining something that looks a little more like a European welfare state.
” While such a drastic widening of the safety net may sound far-fetched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of any expansion remain to be seen — the health , economic and inequality crises currently plaguing the U.S. could well prove the most consequential since two previous eras of deep transformation in the U.S. — the 1930s and the 1960s .
As cities shut down and the economy began its devastating decline in March , President Donald Trump signed into law a temporary relief package that increased funds for Medicaid , expanded eligibility for food stamps and mandated paid leave for some Americans who needed to take time off due to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed a much larger emergency stimulus bill , known as the CARES Act , which created the small-business loan program , approved no-strings-attached checks of up to $ 1,200 for millions of Americans and added a temporary $ 600-per-week bump in federal unemployment benefits .
Still , unemployment soared and the nation ’ s gross domestic product cratered to a level not seen since the Great Depression .
Then , late last month , the $ 600-a-week subsidy lapsed ; Washington is still haggling over whether to restore it .
Evidence suggests that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the government ’ s beefed-up role in their lives .
A recent survey found that a vast majority of adults supported the stay-at-home orders , and four out of five respondents to a recent poll said they approved of the emergency stimulus bill .
A majority of respondents also said that the next emergency bill should prioritize getting money to individuals and families over businesses or local governments .
But views on the topic will no doubt shift again when the economy improves , cautioned Gilens , who wrote “ Why Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Politics of Antipoverty Policy.
” “ During hard times , ” he said , “ the public always becomes more sympathetic toward spending to help the poor.
” Over the last century , the size of the American social safety net , like those in many nations , has evolved drastically .
When the flu pandemic of 1918 killed hundreds of thousands of Americans , the U.S. didn ’ t have a modern federal safety net and relied instead on a patchwork of local programs and churches to feed and house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Deal reforms during the Great Depression , President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935 , which created old-age benefits for retired workers , established unemployment insurance and created the program eventually renamed Aid to Families with Dependent Children .
But , as it was crafted , the law excluded farm and domestic work — some of the main jobs held by Black people at the time .
“ Discrimination has always permeated social welfare in the United States , ” said retired NYU associate professor Alma Carten , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black people shaped the framework of the American social safety net and still shapes perceptions of it today .
Public assistance in the U.S. is broken into two tiers , Carten said .
There are the social-insurance programs , such as unemployment and Social Security , which workers or their employers pay into , and means-tested programs , such as food stamps .
And the latter category , Carten said , is more stigmatized and “ considered the dole ” — a distinction rooted , she says , in racism and in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Americans like to work for their money , ” she said .
“ They don ’ t like to feel like they ’ re getting something for nothing.
” But parsing out what is fair , and who deserves what , is subjective .
And that very wiggle room helped lay the ground work for entrenched , racially stereotyped and often inaccurate views of who benefits most from government aid — a view that took hold in the 1960s , Gilens said , as news organizations ’ coverage of poverty shifted from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in inner cities .
By the late 1970s , when Ronald Reagan was running for office , it was no longer almost exclusively white women benefiting from the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program , Carten said , but also some single Black mothers .
On the campaign trail , Reagan regaled crowds with an anecdote about a “ woman in Chicago ” — a Black woman , many of his listeners assumed — with 80 names , 12 Social Security cards and four fake , dead husbands with veterans benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story of the unnamed woman had solidified into the racist trope of the “ Welfare Queen.
” During his second term , Reagan signed a law that tightened eligibility requirements for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program .
But it was President Bill Clinton , vowing to “ end welfare as we know it , ” who got rid of the program altogether in 1996 and replaced it with a much more restrictive program that put a five-year lifetime cap on such benefits .
Fourteen years later , President Barack Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — the broadest expansion of subsidized health coverage in decades , which , although deeply polarizing at the time , has since garnered the support of a majority of Americans .
“ American social welfare policy is complicated , ” Carten said .
“ We make a distinction between people who are ‘ worthy ’ and who are ‘ unworthy.
’ ” Under Trump — a loud advocate for welfare reform — federal officials last year announced a plan to tighten eligibility for food stamps for adults without dependants , a move that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 700,000 Americans .
Initially the administration intended to push ahead with the plan even during the pandemic , but eventually decided to hold off after losing a court challenge in mid-March .
Two weeks later , with the economy in free fall , Trump signed the CARES Act , which included the $ 600-a-week unemployment subsidy .
That provision became a lifeline for Michail Sklansky .
Before the pandemic , Sklansky was making $ 22 an hour working in the editorial department at the L.A. Philharmonic .
It was part-time work , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ felt grateful to have found fulfilling work compiling program books for shows at Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl after the record company he worked at for years was bought out .
But in April , with shows on hiatus , he got laid off .
Sklansky speaks a half-dozen languages and has a broad skill set , but at 62 he ’ s learned what it feels like to be passed over for jobs he ’ s qualified for — and that was before the pandemic .
So he signed up for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He updated his resume and LinkedIn profile , researched interview tips and submitted dozens of applications for administrative jobs , as well as some in film and TV licensing .
When you apply online , he noticed , you can sometimes see how many other people have already submitted applications for the same job .
In one instance , it was more than 500 people .
So far , he hasn ’ t gotten a single follow-up call .
On a recent afternoon — the day the $ 600 federal subsidy lapsed — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hoping to hear about a funding extension .
If one didn ’ t come through soon , he said , he planned to start making deliveries for Ralphs or Instacart .
In California alone , more than $ 68 billion in loans have been handed out to some 580,000 companies — a no-industry-spared list that includes limousine corporations , two-dozen companies with “ luxury ” in their name and more than 1,000 dentists ’ offices .
Somewhere in the middle of the list , in the section of companies that got at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 million , you ’ ll spot a Santa Ana-based think tank : the Ayn Rand Institute .
In a video message posted on the nonprofit ’ s website , the president of the institute , which advocates “ ending the welfare state , ” defended the decision to accept the federal loan by comparing it to a robbery victim accepting a restitution payment .
“ If the government offers to return some of the money taken from us by force , ” the president said , “ each of us is entitled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Another chunk of loans went to California ’ s agricultural industry .
Early in the pandemic , Matthew Efird , a fifth-generation farmer who grows almonds , peaches , raisins and pistachios on a farm south of Fresno , carefully monitored his slipping profits .
The slowdown in sales to shuttered restaurants and the continued impact of retaliatory trade tariffs China has imposed on many goods from the U.S. , including almonds , created what Efird called “ a perfect storm.
” His companies , Double E Farms and Efird Ag Enterprises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the smallest category , less than $ 150,000 , Efird said , adding that although he and his wife both got stimulus checks , they ’ d decided to donate them to nonprofits .
In the past , Efird said , he has gotten state and federal grants through agricultural equipment-replacement and irrigation-efficiency programs , neither of which , Efird noted , he viewed as a handout .
“ I think that ’ s completely different than traditional welfare , ” he said .
“ We pay into these programs with our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act was written , not everybody will benefit from it , at least not equally , said UCI law professor Mehrsa Baradaran , who recently wrote a piece for the Atlantic arguing that America has a longtime obsession with keeping aid from people viewed as undeserving .
For example , she said , the government included restrictions intended to bar strip club owners and some people with felony records from receiving small-business loans .
( Neither restriction has proved fully enforceable , however , after business owners and civil rights groups sued the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Baradaran said , especially when compared with bailouts of corporations , such as Boeing , or big banks , in spite of past wrongdoing .
“ I mean , talk about felonies , right ?
” she said .
“ The banks have committed crimes of moral turpitude and they hardly get cut off from profit.
” Back at AToN , Brady ’ s facility in Encinitas , life has slowly returned to something a little closer to pre-pandemic normalcy .
Because the rehab facility now gets COVID-19 test results back in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confidently admit new clients knowing they don ’ t have the virus .
They ’ re still not at their usual capacity , Brady said , but on a recent weekday they were back up to 18 clients .
At one point during the worst of it , he said , they were down to two clients , and his staff of psychologists , counsellors and round-the-clock registered nurses started sorting out cabinets to stay occupied .
Brady was desperate to keep his core clinical team , some of whom had worked for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industry that sometimes attracts bad actors , it can be hard to find trained , ethical employees , said Brady , who is on the board of the Addiction Treatment Advocacy Coalition .
He feels deeply fortunate that he didn ’ t have to , even if it meant asking the government for help .
“ I never thought I would need it , ” he said , pausing for a few seconds , “ but I really did .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--3 Spaniards dead, 1 missing in Swiss canyoning accident

BERLIN - Three Spanish tourists were killed and one is presumed dead after being caught in a flash flood while canyoning in the Swiss Alps , authorities in the Alpine country said Thursday .
Police in the eastern canton ( state ) of St. Gallen said they were alerted to the men ’ s disappearance late Wednesday by two Spanish women who had been part of the group but who had decided not to enter the Parlitobel Gorge .
About 100 mountain rescuers , soldiers , police and workers from a nearby power plant were mobilized for the search , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bodies of three men were found shortly before midnight at the entrance to a nearby lake , he said .
“ The location where they were found suggests that the victims were swept away by rocks and a deluge of water , and died as a result , ” Kruesi said .
He added that the group from Spain ’ s northern region of Navarre was travelling without a guide but had previous experience of canyoning , a sport that involves jumping , sliding and rappelling into mountain rivers and swimming downstream in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the four men — aged 30 , 33 , 38 and 48 — parted ways with the two women at 4 p.m. ( 1400 GMT ) at the entrance to the gorge , Kruesi said .
A heavy storm erupted directly over the gorge shortly after 6 p.m. , he said .
Armin Grob , a member of the Alpine rescue squad , said the deluge flooded the gorge , a popular canyoning destination located about 85 kilometres ( 53 miles ) southeast of Zurich .
When the men didn ’ t show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women — one of whom was married to one of the men — informed police , he said .
Rescuers had to break off the search overnight due to adverse weather but resumed looking for the fourth man Thursday morning .
There have been numerous fatal canyoning accidents in the Alps over the years .
In 1999 , a group of foreign tourists on a canyoning expedition near the Swiss resort of Interlaken were swept away by a flash flood .
Eighteen young people from Australia , New Zealand , Britain and South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drowned .
Six former employees of an adventure company the tourists had booked with were convicted of negligent manslaughter over the Saxet Brook disaster and received suspended sentences .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Migrants cross English Channel to UK for 10th day in a row

LONDON - Migrants crossing the English Channel arrived in the southern English port of Dover for the 10th day in a row Thursday , as British officials hardened their rhetoric against asylum-seekers .
The migrants , including children , were brought aboard a Border Force patrol boat into Dover harbour , where immigration officials conducted routine assessments for symptoms of the coronavirus .
More than 650 migrants have crossed the Channel , one of the world ’ s busiest waterways , in small boats so far this month , encouraged by favourable weather .
The numbers peaked on Aug. 6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to England .
The Kent County Council , which oversees the area around Dover , said it could be just “ days away ” from being unable to look after more asylum-seeking children arriving on local shores .
The government asked for military assistance in a bid to make the crossing “ unviable ” for small boats .
The Royal Air Force in recent days has been patrolling the English Channel with a new plane designed for anti-submarine warfare .
But Britain ’ s attempts to put pressure on France to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out on the perilous voyage has drawn ire from French officials .
The mayor of the French port of Calais reportedly said Wednesday that proposals to send the Royal Navy into the English Channel to tackle migrant crossings was a “ declaration of maritime war.
” “ We in Calais no longer want to be permanent hostages enduring the lectures of British leaders , ” Mayor Natacha Bouchart told regional channel France 3 in an interview .
British and French officials met Tuesday in the latest talks to put more muscle into efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crossings .
The two sides have long co-operated to stop migrants who mass around Calais and Dunkirk from sneaking onto trains or hiding in trucks to enter Britain , but migrants ’ success at using small boats is putting renewed pressure on officials to act .
British daily newspaper The Times reported Thursday that British Home Secretary Priti Patel vowed to improve the U.K. ’ s asylum system , which she reportedly described as one “ exploited by leftie Labour-supporting lawyers ” seeking to hinder government attempts to deport people .
David Lammy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called the comments “ extremely distasteful .
”


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--US jobless claims fall below 1 million but remain high

WASHINGTON - The number of laid-off workers applying for unemployment aid fell below 1 million last week for the first time since the pandemic intensified five months ago yet still remains at a high level .
The viral pandemic keeps forcing layoffs just as the expiration of a $ 600-a-week federal jobless benefit has deepened the hardships for many .
The Labor Department said applications fell to 963,000 , the second straight drop , from 1.2 million the previous week .
The decline suggests that layoffs are slowing , though last week ’ s figure still exceeds the pre-pandemic record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the shutdowns that are meant to fight it and the reluctance or inability of many people to shop , travel or eat out are continuing to weaken the economy and force companies to cut staff .
Twenty-three states have paused or reversed their business re-openings .
In a hopeful sign , the rate of new confirmed viral cases has declined in the past couple of weeks , though it remains far above the rates that prevailed in May and June .
All told , fewer people are also continuing to receive state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15.5 million , from 16.1 million the previous week .
For months , the unemployed had also been receiving the $ 600 a week in federal jobless aid on top of their state benefit .
But the federal payment has expired , and negotiations in Congress to extend that benefit , likely at a lower level of payment , have collapsed in rancour .
The supplemental federal aid had enabled many jobless Americans to afford rent , food and utilities , and its expiration threatens to weaken consumer spending and further slow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly 5 % of national income since April , a larger share than even Social Security .
The loss of the $ 600 has shrunk benefits for the average recipient by one-half to three-quarters .
Michelle Meyer , an economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch , says that the loss of the additional aid will reduce Americans ’ incomes by $ 18 billion a week .
“ That ’ s a big hit to purchasing power , ” she said .
Last week , President Donald Trump issued an executive order that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal aid to the jobless to replace the expired $ 600-a-week benefit .
But experts say it would take weeks for the states to implement that payment .
In addition to people who applied last week for state benefits , nearly 489,000 others sought jobless aid under a new program that has made self-employed and gig workers eligible for the first time .
That figure isn ’ t adjusted for seasonal trends , so it ’ s reported separately .
But including that group , the Labor Department says 28.2 million people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though that figure may be inflated by double-counting by some states .
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE .
AP ’ s earlier story is below : The U.S. government will provide its latest report Thursday on the pace of layoffs , which have remained stuck at a high level since the viral pandemic erupted five months ago .
Though the rate of applications for unemployment benefits has reached its lowest point since March , it has exceeded 1 million for 20 straight weeks — well above the record high that predated the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debilitate the economy .
The number of new confirmed cases has declined over the past couple of weeks but is still far above the levels that prevailed in May and June .
Twenty-three states have paused or reversed their business re-openings .
The latest string of layoffs follows the expiration of a $ 600 weekly federal payment that provided critical support for millions of laid-off Americans .
Negotiations in Congress to extend that benefit , likely at a lower level of payment , have collapsed in rancour .

Christopher Rugaber - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Lebanon Parliament grants military power in stricken Beirut

BEIRUT—Lebanon ’ s Parliament approved on Thursday a state of emergency in the capital Beirut in its first session since the tragic explosion last week , granting the military sweeping powers amid rising popular anger and political uncertainty .
The blast that killed more than 170 people and injured at least 6,000 others changed the face of the capital and forced the government to resign .
Before resigning , the government declared a state of emergency in Beirut that granted the military sweeping powers including the power to declare curfews , prevent public gatherings and censor media as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security breaches .
The move has been criticized by rights groups and other critics who say the civilian government was already operating with increased powers because of the coronavirus outbreak .
Some pointed to the heavy military crackdown on protesters last week , fearing extended power could lead to increased use of force to silence dissent .
Parliament is convening outside its regular location to observe social distancing amid a coronavirus surge and because of protests outside the Parliament building by angry Lebanese who want the entire political class to step down .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ session opened with a moment of silence for those killed in the blast .
It then moved to discuss the resignation of nearly a dozen lawmakers who quit last week in protest of the government ’ s handling of the Aug. 4 blast .
A major Christian party bloc is boycotting the session .
It still was not known what caused the fire responsible for igniting nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut ’ s port .
But documents have emerged in the wake of the explosion that show the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were aware of the chemicals being stored in the city port .
The explosion has fueled outrage and protests against top political leaders and led to the resignation of the government Monday .
The Cabinet is now in a caretaker capacity .
Parliament is required to approve the state of emergency eight days after it is imposed .
But it wasn ’ t clear if the body had technically extended the government decision for 15 days or simply imposed the state of emergency starting Thursday , said rights lawyer Nizar Saghieh .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
He said the state of emergency ’ s only justification is to extend the power of the state and security agencies and “ control the opposition.
” “ We were waiting for the army to help in reconstruction not be an extension of power , ” he said .
Lawmaker Simon Abi Ramieh protested that Parliament was convened to vote on the state of emergency while it was still in effect and called instead for forming a parliamentary committee to investigate the blast .
“ We are living in a state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We are in a place and the Lebanese people are somewhere else .
...
The public wants to know the truth behind the negligence that led to the explosion.
” Lebanon ’ s political landscape has been shaken by the blast .
Before resigning , the caretaker prime minister proposed early elections , an idea that was not supported by the Parliament speaker and other political groups .
Since the resignation , there has been a flurry of closed-door meetings and political haggling to form a government that meets the approval @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s complicated sectarian-based political system requires the prime minister to be chosen from among Sunni Muslims .
It wasn ’ t clear if there would be a national unity government — which would mean the participation of all political parties — or an emergency transition government .
France ’ s defence minister was due to arrive in Beirut on Thursday amid a flurry of foreign visits to the stricken country .
France has been leading efforts to help Lebanon emerge from the drastic blow , including talking to political parties to hasten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Also on Thursday , U.S .
Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale was due to arrive in Lebanon for a two-day visit .
Hale is expected to “ reiterate the American government ’ s commitment to assist the Lebanese people in recovering from the tragedy and rebuilding their lives , ” a statement by the U.S. Embassy said .
He will also stress the “ urgent need ” for embracing fundamental reforms .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Bob Woodward’s new Trump book, ‘Rage,’ due out next month

WASHINGTON - Veteran Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward ’ s new book about President Donald Trump is titled “ Rage ” and will be released Sept. 15 , less than two months before Election Day , according to a listing on Amazon.com .
Publisher Simon & Schuster says the forthcoming book follows “ Trump ’ s moves as he faces a global pandemic , economic disaster and racial unrest.
” It says Woodward conducted a series of exclusive interviews with the president .
The Amazon listing also notes that Woodward obtained 25 personal letters between Trump and North Korean leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Kim describes their bond as something out of a “ fantasy film.
” Woodward ’ s first book about the Trump presidency , “ Fear , ” was published in 2018 and went to No .
1 on The New York Times ’ nonfiction bestseller list .
Simon & Schuster was the publisher of two books this year that were harshly critical of Trump : “ The Room Where It Happened , ” by former national security adviser John Bolton , and “ Too Much and Never Enough , ” by Trump @ @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Greece welcomes French boost as tension rises in east Med

ATHENS , Greece - Greece ’ s prime minister warmly thanked France Thursday for boosting its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean , where Greek and Turkish warships are closely shadowing each other over a Turkish energy exploration bid in waters Athens claims as its own .
Meanwhile , Turkey accused Greece and the island nation of Cyprus of encroaching on its rights in the Mediterranean and vowed to defend its interests in the region but also called for dialogue to resolve the dispute .
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted that French President Emmanuel Macron was “ a true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protector of European values and international law.
” The mounting territorial tension follows Turkey ’ s move to send a seismic research vessel , escorted by warships , into waters between the Greek island of Crete and Cyprus to prospect for potential offshore gas and oil reserves , following similar discoveries in other parts of the region .
Greece claims part of the area is over its own continental shelf and has demanded that the Turkish ships withdraw .
Turkey counters that it ’ s entitled to conduct research in the area .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sent warships to the area off Turkey ’ s southern coast .
In Ankara , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated a call for dialogue and said he would hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Charles Michel later Thursday to discuss the standoff .
“ The path for a solution in the eastern Mediterranean is dialogue and negotiation , ” Erdogan said during an address to his ruling party ’ s officials .
“ A formula based on a win-win solution that protects the rights of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ common sense and reason.
” “ Greece ’ s attitude in the Aegean and the Mediterranean is malicious , ” Erdogan said , adding that the Greek island on which Athens bases its continental shelf claim is located just 2 kilometres ( 1.25 miles ) from the Turkish coast and 580 kilometres ( 369 kilometres ) from the Greek mainland .
Erdogan said : “ We don ’ t have designs on anyone ’ s rights , but we won ’ t let any country take away our rights.
” The Turkish leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greece and Cyprus into taking “ wrongful steps.
” The Greek Defence Ministry said the French frigate Lafayette and the helicopter carrier Tonnerre held joint exercises with four Greek frigates Thursday in the eastern Mediterranean , including in areas Turkey is exploring .
Two French Rafale fighter jets are making a stop Thursday at Souda , on Crete , after being previously deployed in Cyprus for an exercise .
The French Defence Ministry said France ’ s military presence “ is aiming at reinforcing France ’ s autonomous assessment of the situation and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free movement , maritime safety and respect for international law in the Mediterranean Sea.
” Macron announced following a phone call with Mitsotakis late Wednesday that he decided to “ temporarily reinforce the French military presence in the eastern Mediterranean in the coming days , in co-operation with European partners including Greece.
” Greece ’ s NATO and European Union ally France is the EU ’ s biggest military power .
Complicating matters , Turkey — Greece ’ s historic regional rival — is also a NATO member but has poor relations with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mitsotakis warned of the “ risk of an accident ” in the area where the Greek and Turkish warships are gathered .
“ In such a case , responsibility lies upon the one who gives rise to these circumstances , ” he said .
He added that Greece was not averse to “ even the toughest dialogue , ” but that “ dialogue becomes irrelevant in a climate of tension and provocation.
” “ We will never be the ones to escalate the situation .
Yet , self-restraint is only one aspect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ No provocation will ... go unanswered.
“ On Thursday , Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias travelled to Israel for talks on the matter .
Dendias is due to meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Vienna on Friday .
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held calls with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell as well as the foreign ministers of Bulgaria , Estonia , Finland , Italy , Hungary and Lithuania ahead of an emergency meeting of the EU ’ s Foreign Affairs Council to discuss the situation in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christoulides tweeted Thursday that his Israeli counterpart and “ true friend ” Gabi Ashkenazi communicated with him to “ reiterate Israel ’ s support and solidarity in the face of escalating aggression in Cyprus ’ maritime zones.
” Suzan Fraser in Ankara , Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia , Cyprus , contributed to this story .

Nicholas Paphitis - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--N. Macedonia: Pro-Western leader invited to form government

SKOPJE , Macedonia - North Macedonia ’ s president on Thursday formally invited the head of the country ’ s pro-Western Social Democrats to form a new government , after the party came first in July 15 general elections .
But Zoran Zaev ’ s party failed to win a controlling majority in the 120-seat parliament , gaining 46 seats , and is engaged in complex power-sharing talks with smaller ethnic Albanian parties .
After receiving the mandate from President Stevo Pendarovski , he now has 20 days to secure a parliamentary majority .
Zaev stepped down as prime minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country ’ s failure to secure the go-ahead for European Union accession talks .
If the coalition talks fail then the centre-right VMRO-DPMNE party , which came second in the elections and secured 44 seats in parliament , will be invited to form a government .
A main potential partner for Zaev is the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration , which has participated in coalition governments for the past 18 years .
It is demanding that an ethnic Albanian should be appointed prime minister for the first time in North Macedonia ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by both major parties during the election campaign .
DUI won 15 seats in July ’ s election , while another coalition of two small ethnic Albanian parties won 12 seats .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Asia Today: Australia outbreak slows, New Zealand cases grow

SYDNEY , Australia - The coronavirus outbreak centred in Australia ’ s second-largest city showed a decline in new infections Thursday , though the state ’ s leader urged continued vigilance .
Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said there were 278 new infections and eight new deaths , down from around 700 daily at the peak of the outbreak .
Daniels said the lower numbers indicate the lockdown restrictions in Melbourne are working but urged people to stay the course .
“ We would just caution against any Victorian thinking that we aren ’ t in the midst of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This is an endurance race , and we need to stay the course on this .
We need to be as vigilant each and every day.
” Meanwhile , neighbouring New South Wales state , which includes Australia ’ s largest city , Sydney , recorded 12 new cases and one death .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — South Korea reported 56 new cases of the coronavirus as new infection clusters continue to pop up across major cities .
The figures announced by South Korea ’ s Centers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caseload to 14,770 , including 305 deaths .
Forty-three of the new cases were reported in the Seoul area , while two came from Busan , the country ’ s second-largest city where infections have been reported at schools and among foreign cargo ship workers .
— The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has imposed its first nationwide lockdown due to a virus infection in a returning traveller who had been released from quarantine .
The government issued a stay-at-home order for its approximately 750,000 people , and all schools , offices and commercial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdown would be enforced from five to 21 days “ to identify and isolate all positive cases , immediately breaking the chain of transmission.
” The 27-year-old Bhutanese woman returning from Kuwait tested negative in mandatory quarantine for arriving travellers .
But between her discharge from quarantine and her positive test result Monday , she is believed to have travelled extensively in Bhutan .
The tourism-dependent country closed its borders to foreign travellers in March after an American tourist was hospitalized with COVID-19 .
Bhutan ’ s 113 reported infections were all quarantined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test results .
— New local cases in China fell into the single digits , while Hong Kong saw another rise in hospitalizations and deaths .
The National Health Commission said Thursday eight new cases were registered in the northwestern region of Xinjiang .
Another 11 were Chinese returning from overseas .
Hong Kong reported 62 new cases , up from 33 the day before , along with an additional five deaths .
The semi-autonomous Chinese city has required masks be worn in public and limited restaurant dining among other measures to curb @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s first known community outbreak in more than three months grew to 17 cases on Thursday and is expected to increase .
Health officials are still working to trace where the virus came from , and a lockdown imposed in Auckland could be extended well beyond an initial three days .
Before the cluster was detected this week , no case of local transmission had been reported in New Zealand in 102 days .
All of its other cases were travellers quarantined after arriving from abroad .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Trump gives credence to false, racist Harris conspiracy

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday gave credence to a false and racist conspiracy about Kamala Harris ’ eligibility to be vice-president , fuelling an online misinformation campaign that parallels the one he used to power his rise into politics .
Asked about the matter at the White House , Trump told reporters he had “ heard ” rumours that Harris , a Black woman and U.S.-born citizen whose parents were immigrants , does not meet the requirement to serve in the White House .
The president said he considered the rumours “ very serious.
” The conspiracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tapped this week by Joe Biden to serve as his running mate on the Democratic ticket , was born in Oakland , Calif. , and is eligible for both the vice presidency and presidency under the constitutional requirements .
The question is not even considered complex , according to constitution lawyers .
“ Full stop , end of story , period , exclamation point , ” said Jessica Levinson , a professor at Loyola Law School .
Trump built his political career on questioning a political opponent ’ s legitimacy .
He was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ birther movement ” — the lie that questioned whether president Barack Obama , the nation ’ s first Black president , was eligible to serve .
Only after mounting pressure during his 2016 campaign did Trump disavow the claims .
Trump ’ s comments landed in a blizzard of other untrue , racist or sexist claims unleashed across social media and conservative websites after Biden picked Harris , the first Black woman and the first Asian American woman on a major party ticket .
The misinformation campaign is built on falsehoods that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Trump supporters , and now the president himself .
“ I have no idea if that ’ s right , ” said Trump , who said he had read a column on the subject earlier Thursday .
“ I would have thought , I would have assumed , that the Democrats would have checked that out before she gets chosen to run for vice-president.
” Trump made the comments in answer to a reporter ’ s question and appeared to be referencing an op-ed written by John Eastman , a conservative attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t grant birthright citizenship .
Eastman sowed doubt about Harris ’ eligibility based on her parents ’ immigration status .
Harris ’ mother was born in India and her father was born in Jamaica .
But constitutional law experts say Harris ’ parents are beside the point .
The 14th Amendment grants citizenship to all people born in the U.S. and Article II Section 1 of the constitution says that to be eligible for the vice presidency and presidency a candidate must be natural-born U.S. citizen , at least 35 , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a minimum of 14 years .
“ No , there ’ s no question about it , ” said Christopher Kelley , a political science professor at Miami University in Ohio .
“ It ’ s been recognized since the people drafted it back in the 39th Congress that ( the 14th ) amendment would cover people not just born to American citizens but born on American soil.
” The president ’ s re-election campaign ’ s senior lawyer , Jenna Ellis , shared the controversial Eastman column on Thursday morning , hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a White House news conference .
Trump noted that the column was written by a “ very highly qualified and very talented lawyer.
” After Trump ’ s remarks , Republican National Committee spokesperson Michael Ahrens said the national party has no plans to challenge Harris ’ eligibility for the Democratic ticket .
Eastman , the former dean of Chapman University ’ s Fowler School of Law , where he is a professor , is also a senior fellow at the conservative Claremont Institute .
According to his bio on the institute ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas .
He also ran in the Republican primary to serve as California ’ s attorney general in 2010 .
Eastman was defeated by a candidate who went on to lose to Harris .
Newsweek , which published the controversial Eastman op-ed questioning Harris ’ birthright qualification , defended the piece , arguing that Eastman “ was focusing on a long-standing , somewhat arcane legal debate “ about the 14th Amendment and not trying to “ ignite a racist conspiracy theory around Kamala Harris ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harris is ineligible to serve first surfaced when she announced her campaign for the White House in 2019 .
A viral post with the misleading information was revived again , days before she was announced as Biden ’ s running mate , as pro-Trump Facebook users spread the message in groups and on their pages .
Harris has been a top target of misinformation since launching her own bid for the White House last year .
Women ’ s groups , which have banded together to call out sexism , racism and misinformation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointed to other examples of conservative figures focusing on her race and gender in recent days .
Fox News host Tucker Carlson mispronounced Harris ’ first name multiple times during a segment Tuesday night , and grew agitated when a guest corrected him , telling Carlson it was a matter of respect .
Carlson responded , “ So what ?
” and then mispronounced her name again , twice .
“ That is certainly a slight , ” said Amanda Harrington , vice-president of Time ’ s Up , which works to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ type of disrespect often shown to people of colour in the workplace , she said , adding that on the national stage “ it asserts a false narrative about who belongs in leadership today.
” Minutes after Biden announced his pick , conservative commentator Candace Owens posted a false attack on her Facebook page , claiming Harris had only started identifying as Black in the run-up to the presidential election .
Until then Harris had solely described herself as Indian-American , Owens wrote , inaccurately .
Within 24 hours , nearly 200,000 users @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more attention than Biden ’ s own Facebook post announcing his pick .
Harris has been accused of reaching her position in politics due to sexual relationships , a sexist claim pushed on social media and elsewhere — including an article in The American Spectator , a conservative online magazine , that referred to her as “ the mattress.
” On Wednesday , Eric Trump , the president ’ s son , liked a tweet that referred to her as “ whorendous.
” “ These are not the kinds of things Mike Pence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter , ” Harrington said , referring to the vice-president and the 2016 Democratic vice-presidential nominee .
But Trump has questioned other rivals ’ eligibility to serve in the White House .
In 2016 , the Republican nomination fight raised questions about whether rival Sen. Ted Cruz met “ natural-born ” citizen requirements .
Cruz was born in Canada , but his mother was born in the United States .
Similarly , in 2008 , questions arose about whether Sen. John McCain qualified as a “ natural-born citizen ” because he was born @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his father was stationed .
Questions about McCain ’ s qualification spurred bipartisan outrage and the Senate passed a nonbinding resolution declaring McCain , who become the GOP presidential nominee , a natural-born citizen .
Obama , who beat McCain in the 2008 race for the White House , was even a co-sponsor of the McCain resolution .

Aamer Madhani, Sara Burnett, Amanda Seitz And Jill Colvin - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Asia Today: S. Korea sees virus jump, urges more vigilance

SEOUL , Korea , Republic Of - South Korea reported 103 new virus cases Friday , one of its biggest daily jumps in months , as officials express concerned that infections are getting out of control in cities as people increasingly venture out in public .
Eighty-three of the new cases were from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area , where health authorities have struggled to stem transmissions from various sources and groups , including churches , nursing homes , schools and workers .
Infections were also reported in other major cities such as Busan , Gwangju and Ulsan .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to international arrivals , which health officials consider a lesser threat than local transmissions because testing and two-week quarantines are mandatory for all passengers arriving from abroad .
South Korea on July 25 had reported 113 new cases of COVID-19 , which was its first daily jump over 100 in nearly four months , but that was a predictable spike driven by imported infections found among hundreds of South Korean construction workers airlifted out of Iraq .
Friday ’ s jump was more concerning as it was driven by local transmissions , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the increase in travellers during the summer vacation season .
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun during a virus meeting on Friday said that authorities will be forced to consider elevating social distancing measures in the greater capital area -- something policymakers had been reluctant to do over economic concerns -- if transmissions continue to rise .
He pleaded for citizen vigilance during a three-day holiday that continues through Monday and criticized plans by some activist groups to hold rallies in Seoul on the weekend despite the city ’ s ban .
During a briefing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of South Korea ’ s National Institute of Health , pleaded for residents in Seoul and neighbouring areas to stay home or wear masks at all times if they have to go out .
“ If the infections are worsened by the summer vacation season , as well as increased travel or major rallies during the three-day holiday period , we could slip into a situation that would be really hard to control , ” he said .
South Korea has so far weathered its COVID-19 epidemic without major economic lockdowns , although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed entertainment venues in some major cities when infections rose .
Health authorities have instead relied on aggressive testing and technological tools , including extensive use of mobile-phone location data and credit-card records to trace contacts and smartphone tracking apps to monitor tens of thousands quarantined at home .
Visitors at nightclubs , karaoke bars wedding halls , baseball stadiums and other facilities deemed as “ high-risk ” are required to register themselves with smartphone QR codes so they could be easily located when needed .
Still , health authorities have recently said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trace contacts and predict infection routes as people increase their social and economic activities .
The figures released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday brought the national caseload to 14,873 cases , including 305 deaths .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lifted a lockdown at a major city near the border with South Korea where thousands had been quarantined for weeks over coronavirus worries .
But Kim also insisted the North will keep its borders shut and reject @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an aggressive anti-virus campaign .
State media also reported Kim said at Thursday ’ s ruling party meeting that the virus situation in Kaesong was stable and expressed gratitude to residents for co-operating with the lockdown .
The lockdown was ordered in late July after North Korea claimed of finding a person with COVID-19 symptoms .
It later said the person ’ s test results were inconclusive .
— China reported eight new cases in the northwestern region of Xinjiang where the country ’ s latest major outbreak has been largely contained .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the National Health Commission were Chinese travellers returning home .
Hong Kong reported another 69 cases and three deaths over the past 24 hours .
The semi-autonomous Chinese city has required masks be worn in all public settings , restricted indoor dining and enacted other social distancing measures to bring down transmissions .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--The Latest: S Korea concerned as new cases spike above 100

SEOUL , South Korea — South Korea is reporting 103 new coronavirus cases .
It is one of the country ’ s biggest daily jumps in months , and officials are expressing concern that infections are getting out of control in the capital of Seoul and other major cities as Koreans increasingly venture out in public .
The figures released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday brought the national caseload to 14,873 cases , including 305 deaths .
Eighty-three of the new cases were in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area , where authorities have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also reported in other major cities such as Busan , Gwangju and Ulsan .
Friday ’ s jump was driven by local transmissions , which health authorities said could worsen because of the increase in travellers during the summer vacation season .
HERE ’ S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK : — WHO says Russian vaccine not in advanced test stages — Second man dies of virus in federal immigration custody in Georgia — Talks by U.S. leaders on emergency coronavirus aid are stalling out , with both sides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any serious moves to try to break their stalemate .
— Number of U.S. laid-off workers applying for unemployment aid fell below 1 million last week for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic intensified five months ago , yet still remains at a high level .
HERE ’ S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING : FRESNO , Calif. — A private school in California has been ordered to close after it reopened classrooms in violation of a state health order aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus .
Fresno County issued a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reedley .
The K-12 school was told to close its classrooms until the county is removed from a state monitoring list for two weeks .
The school has about 600 students and it allowed students into classes Thursday without masks or social distancing .
The school ’ s trustees and superintendent say they believe students ’ development will suffer if they can ’ t be taught on campus .
BEIJING — China has reported another eight cases of locally transmitted coronavirus infections , all in the northwestern region of Xinjiang where the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largely contained .
Officials said Friday that 22 other new cases were brought from outside the country by Chinese travellers returning home .
China has reported a total of 4,634 deaths from COVID-19 among 84,786 cases .
Hong Kong reported 69 new confirmed cases and three deaths over the past 24 hours .
The semi-autonomous Chinese city has required masks be worn in all public settings , restricted indoor dining and enacted other social distancing measures to bring down transmissions that now total 4,312 with 66 deaths .
MEXICO CITY — Mexico has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases .
The Health Department reported 7,371 newly confirmed cases Thursday , bringing the country ’ s total for the pandemic to 505,751 .
The department reported 627 more confirmed COVID-19 deaths , giving Mexico a total of 55,293 .
Experts agree that due to Mexico ’ s extremely low testing rates , those numbers are undercounts and that the real figures may be two to three times higher .
With only about 1.15 million tests conducted to date in a country of almost 130 million people , less than 1 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas — Texas is reporting fewer than 7,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients for the first time in six weeks .
That encouraging sign Thursday was clouded by questions over testing as students return to school and college football teams push ahead with playing this fall .
Testing has dropped off in Texas , a trend seen across the U.S as health experts worry that patients without symptoms aren ’ t bothering because of long lines and waiting days to get results .
Numbers from Texas health officials this week offer a hazy picture of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one point this week , the infection rate in Texas was as high as 24 % , only to suddenly drop Thursday to 16 % .
Officials have not offered explanations about the wild swing in infection rates .
SACRAMENTO , Calif. — California will resume eviction and foreclosure proceedings Sept. 2 , stoking fears of a wave of evictions during the coronavirus pandemic unless the governor and state Legislature can agree on a proposal to extend protections .
The Judicial Council of California voted 19-1 Thursday to end the temporary rules blocking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since April 6 .
Since the pandemic began in March , more than 9.7 million people have filed for unemployment benefits in California .
A survey from the U.S. Census shows more than 1.7 million renters in the state could not pay their rent on time last month .
California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye has been reluctant to let the rules stay in place much longer , saying it is the job of the judicial branch to interpret the laws , not make them .
LONDON — Britain will require all people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days -- an announcement that throws the plans of tens of thousands of holidaymakers into chaos .
The government said late Thursday that France is being removed from the list of nations exempted from quarantine requirements because of a rising number of coronavirus infections , which have surged by 66 % in the past week .
The Netherlands , Malta , Monaco and the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Turks & Caicos also were added to the quarantine list .
France is one of the top holiday destinations for British travellers , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get home if they want to avoid two weeks in isolation .
The number of new infections in Britain is also rising .
JACKSON , MISS .
— The governor of Mississippi says new cases of the coronavirus are steadily declining in most of the state ’ s 82 counties .
Gov .
Tate Reeves attributed the decrease to residents ’ commitment to wearing masks and social distancing , but he also urges people not to become complacent .
Reeves says the state is seeing steady decreases in more than 70 counties .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s more work to do ” in six counties — Forrest , Jones , Lee , Union , Bolivar and Panola , where officials are still seeing a considerable number of infections .
The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 612 new confirmed cases and 22 deaths Thursday , raising the state ’ s total cases to 2,011 .
ATLANTA — Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp says he ’ s dropping a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta in a dispute over the city ’ s requirement to wear masks in public and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Republican governor sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the City Council in July to block them from implementing restrictions at the local level , even as case counts and hospitalizations in the state soared .
Kemp argued that local governments can ’ t impose measures that are more or less restrictive than those in his statewide executive orders , which have strongly urged people to wear masks but not required them .
He has sought to block local governments from issuing orders requiring that masks be worn , but several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it anyway .
RENO , Nev. — Nevada ’ s biggest daily jump in coronavirus fatalities to date has pushed the state ’ s COVID-19 death toll past 1,000 .
Gov .
Steve Sisolak said Thursday that the grim milestone should reinforce the seriousness of the pandemic and the need for individuals to do more to help slow its spread .
On Thursday , Nevada recorded 602 new cases of the virus to bring the total to 58,650 .
The death toll grew 34 to 1,030 , surpassing the previous single-day record of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equaled Aug. 7 .
The state ’ s cumulative positivity rate remained virtually unchanged at 10.5 % .
It ’ s generally been rising since it hit a low of 5.2 % on June 17 .
ATHENS , Greece – Greek authorities have quarantined the country ’ s third-largest migrant camp on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Chios after an asylum-seeker and a staff member were diagnosed with COVID-19 .
The quarantine , in force until Aug. 25 , includes a ban on anybody entering or exiting the facility , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by charity groups as well as the asylum application process .
The camp is home to more than 3,800 people — almost four times above capacity .
It ’ s the first time a COVID-19 outbreak has been registered at any of the island camps , where a total 25,000 people live in very cramped conditions after arriving in smuggling boats from the nearby Turkish coast .
The migration ministry said Thursday that a 35-year old asylum-seeker from Yemen was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was taken to hospital with “ mild ” symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a staff member at the camp .
No details were provided on her condition .
MILAN — Italian Health Ministry data shows that the number of new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country has risen above 500 for the first time this week .
According to the data released on Thursday , the 523 new positives brings to 252,235 the total number in Italy since the virus was first detected locally in late February .
The northern regions of Veneto , Lombardy and Liguria all recorded boosts in the high double-digits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which shares an Alpine border with France , recorded none .
Six people died in the last 24 hours , compared with 10 a day earlier , bringing the epidemic total to 35,225 .
A weekly report shows that the situation in Italy ‘ ’ risks worsening ’ ’ with 1,000 active outbreaks , with new cases recorded in every region of the country , often imported from abroad .
Italy is imposing mandatory testing on anyone arriving from Greece , Spain , Malta and Croatia as the numbers continue to nudge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientific committee helping to guide the coronavirus response said that a new national lockdown was “ improbable.
’ ’ NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio held firm to plans to reopen the nation ’ s largest public school system within a month , despite pleas from teachers and principals to delay the return of students to classrooms .
The city is aiming for a hybrid reopening Sept. 10 , with most of the 1.1 million students spending two or three days a week in physical classrooms and learning remotely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were given the option of requesting full-time remote learning for their children .
The Democratic mayor conceded there were challenges with the plan as the city recovers from a pandemic .
But he says the city has managed to lower the rate of positive cases to around 1 % .
The union representing school administrators sent a letter to de Blasio and Chancellor Richard Carranza on Wednesday , saying school leaders still had questions about various issues , including staffing , personal protective equipment and ventilation system repairs MEXICO CITY — A potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be produced in Mexico if its advanced trials are successful and it receives regulatory approval , the government said Thursday .
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the agreement with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca , which also provides for production in Argentina , should result in a vaccine that the government would provide free starting in the first quarter of 2021 .
Production of the vaccine in Mexico and Argentina would allow for distribution throughout Latin America , except for Brazil , which had already reached its own agreement with the drug maker .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Mexico said the cost of a dose would be around $ 4 , but López Obrador said the government would cover that expense .
Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the foundation of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim would effectively guarantee production starts on time .
He said results from the Phase III clinical trials are expected in November .
MADRID — Spain ’ s daily number of new coronavirus cases reached nearly 3,000 Thursday , up significantly from 1,690 the previous day .
That ’ s the highest daily number of new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe are concerned about a second wave of the coronavirus .
Emergency health response chief Fernando Simón says part of the increase was due to the Madrid region reporting the numbers for two days , after missing the deadline Wednesday .
Cases in Spain have been steadily increasing since the country ended a more than three-month lockdown on June 21 .
Simons says there is no pressure on the health system , with coronavirus patients occupying only 3 % of hospital beds .
Spain is conducting around 340,000 nasal swab tests a week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of cases are asymptomatic , and the average age of infected people is 42 for women and 39 for men .
The Health Ministry says Spain has officially recorded more than 337,00 total infections and more than 28,000 deaths .


thetorontostar--2020-08-13--Harris bringing energy, dollars and more to Biden’s campaign

WILMINGTON , Del .
- In her first two days as Joe Biden ’ s running mate , Kamala Harris has fired off the campaign ’ s sharpest criticism of President Donald Trump ’ s shortcomings .
She has vouched for Biden ’ s character on race and more .
And the enthusiasm surrounding her historic candidacy has brought in a record $ 36 million , including contributions from 150,000 new donors .
The campaign hopes it is just the beginning .
With less than three months before the election , Harris is rapidly embracing her new role .
Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll energize what has been a relatively quiet campaign that has often preferred to keep the attention on the turbulence of Trump ’ s White House .
She ’ s already making a vigorous case for Trump ’ s defeat , allowing Biden to focus more on his own policy prescriptions and less on direct attacks .
“ We always look for surrogates and validators that help close the deal and can speak to voters who needed another reason to say , ‘ Yes , I ’ m gon na support Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former Democratic National Committee chair who also ran Al Gore ’ s 2000 campaign .
“ She fills in the gap.
” Harris was known during the Democratic presidential primary for wearing Converse sneakers and dancing with staff and supporters in unscripted moments .
Biden allies expect her to deliver enthusiasm among some Democrats who oppose Trump but aren ’ t yet energized to vote by a candidate they feel may be out of touch with their concerns .
Harris ’ “ ability to connect ” is part of what California Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her campaign chairs , believes will help her deliver the campaign message to voters who may be otherwise tuned out .
“ She loves to dance , she loves to cook .
She ’ s a person who does normal things that everybody does .
They can relate to her , ” Lee said .
Still , Harris , the first Black woman selected for a national ticket , has faced her own criticism from young voters and progressives in the past , namely over her record on police misconduct as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney general .
Critics say she opposed key criminal justice reform measures , including police body cameras statewide , and didn ’ t address a number of wrongful convictions on her watch .
But during her time in Congress she ’ s embraced greater reforms to law enforcement , particularly in recent months in the nationwide reckoning over racism sparked by the police killing of George Floyd .
She has been a leading Democratic voice on the issue .
Some progressives still point to Biden ’ s past support for the 1994 Crime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to criminal justice reform .
And Harris herself was a critic of Biden ’ s record on race , notably assailing him during a primary debate for previously opposing federally mandated busing .
But Harris signalled Wednesday that she ’ ll offer a strong defence of Biden ’ s record on race .
During her first appearance with the former vice-president , she said Biden “ takes his place in the ongoing story of America ’ s march towards equality and justice ” as the only person “ who ’ s served alongside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first Black woman as his running mate.
” Biden campaign officials see her as a strong messenger against Trump , pointing to both her vigorous criticism of the president during her primary campaign , when her pledge to “ prosecute the case ” against Trump won her support , as well as her sharp comments Wednesday .
She said Trump “ cares more about himself than the people who elected him ” and accused him of “ making every challenge we face even more difficult to solve.
” Brian Brokaw , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2010 , said her questioning of Trump officials during Senate Judiciary Committee hearings hints at the case she ’ ll make against him on the campaign trail and during the vice-presidential debate with Mike Pence .
“ No one should forget that she had cut her teeth in the courtroom , ” Brokaw said .
“ Anybody who has been on the receiving end of the Kamala Harris cross examination , whether it ’ s a witness on the stand or Jeff Sessions or Bill Barr knows that if you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an uncomfortable place to be.
” Biden ’ s allies believe a main Harris advantage is demonstrated by the Republicans ’ struggle to settle on a line of attack against her .
In the short time since she was announced , Trump has called her everything from “ extraordinarily nasty ” to “ a madwoman , “ from “ phony ” to “ radical left.
” On Thursday he said he had “ heard ” rumours that she is ineligible to run for national office because her parents are immigrants .
She was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no doubt she is eligible .
Harris is already delivering for the campaign in a tangible way : With a record-breaking fundraising haul .
While fundraising is traditionally one of the running mate ’ s top priorities , a number of donors said her presence would be particularly helpful for Democrats because of her connections in California and beyond .
Through her nearly two decades in California politics , Harris built a network of deep-pocketed donors in Hollywood and the state ’ s legal circles .
Andrew Byrnes , a California donor who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presidential primary , said he got about 50 messages from donors wanting to get involved after Biden selected her .
Michel Kraut , a Los Angeles lawyer and major Harris contributor , said he ’ s already had donors asking him about putting together events in the area .
“ It allows Kamala ’ s nationwide fundraising machine to get reinvigorated , ” said Kraut , who has already been raising money for Biden .
“ There ’ s this new energy , that the person we wanted to be president and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created .
It ’ s not just , “ I ’ ll raise money , ’ but , ‘ I ’ ll be dedicated to do this .
’ ”

Alexandra Jaffe And Will Weissert - The Associated Press